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Play DOOM on the Husqvarna Automower!

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Rip, shear, mow, tear and play DOOM!

The legendary 1993 video game DOOM will be released on robotic lawn mowers this Northern Hemisphere spring (our Autumn).

First showcased as a one-off and as a tribute in connection to the 30th anniversary of DOOM in December 2023, the game is now being released as a proper product feature to 30,000 robotic lawn mower owners.

The DOOM installed lawn mowers have already made waves across the globe, after being showcased at DreamHack Winter 2023, where Husqvarna organized the world’s first multiplayer DOOM tournament on a non-gaming device. “This is one hell of an update”, says Björn Mannefred, Robotics Software Engineer at Husqvarna.

The original shareware episode of DOOM (1993) will be released as a free update for owners of Husqvarna’s robotic lawn mower range Husqvarna Automower® NERA. This means that  approximately 30,000 end-users will be able to play the game during a limited time between April to September 2024!

We reckon lots of lawns will be overgrown between April and September this year…


source: Husqvarna



Unlicensed Free Slasher Fan-Made Video Games

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It may not be Halloween, but who cares when you can play some fan-made free slasher games on your PC and/or NES emulator!

Decades ago, Steve McCall was tinkering with a PC program called Klik & Play, to make slasher fan games where the player got to play as the actual antagonist. These late 90s games had a cult following, which thanks to Steve, he has now demade them for the NES, after teaching himself how to program on the 6502 8-bit chipset. The four games created by Steve McCall include:

  • Friday the 13th: Return to Camp Blood (1998)
  • Halloween: October 31st (1999)
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street: Son of a Hundred Maniacs (1999)
  • Candyman: Be My Victim (2006)

If you want to play these fan made NES games on your fave emulator, then check out Steve’s 8-bit demakes site at 8bitslasher.itch.io. If you want to experience the original PC versions of these games, then head on over to 5kids2feed.itch.io.

image source: Steve McCall



Heart of Neon – New Trailer

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Just in case you haven’t been following, back in 2019 we told you about the documentary, Heart of Neon, a Paul Docherty film, centred around Jeff Minter and Llamasoft.

It’s been a hard slog since then, but it was great to see a new trailer drop (which premiered last week at the NY Game Awards), which you can check out below.

Paul has succinctly put it like this (about the Heart of Neon documentary):

Jeff Minter is an exceptional video game developer who for four decades has remained independent in an industry where corporations dictate the terms. HEART OF NEON charts Jeff’s career from pioneer to legend, mapping the landscape of the game development industry where only the most talented and tenacious can survive.



The 1982 Norman Ross Winter Wipe-Out Sale!

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Time travelling back to 1982!

As a kid, I loved looking through sales catalogues. I’d scour the toy, and of course the video games pages.

I came across this old Norman Ross (retailer from back in the day) from August 1982, and I must say, the prices (in AUD$) for some of these goods are astronomical! Anyway, instead of getting bogged down in factoring in inflation and figuring out the prices in today’s money, let’s just enjoy the nostalgia 😉

image source: supplied



PEPSIMAN: The Ultra Free Posable Action Figure

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Introducing Pepsi-man, the snowboarder!

We are betting most of you may not have known that there was a line of PEPSIman action figures in Japan! Well, consider yourselves informed, cause this is one of those action figures.

This particular PEPSIman is the ultra cool snowboarder, complete with boots, cast, crutches (Ed: what the??!!) and of course, a can of Pepsi cola – ahhhhh, so refreshing! To say we are intrigued (and surprised) that this stuff exists, would be a gross understatement.

Do you have a PEPSIman in your collection?

source: eBay



8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard – The Perfect Xmas Gift for the Retro (and Modern) Gamer!

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The perfect Xmas gift doesn’t ex…….. Oh wait!

Ah 8BitDo, they sure know how to tug on our nostalgic heartstrings!

8BitDo have hit the nostalgic sweet-spot for us retro gamers with their new 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard, which modern gamers can also enjoy as it’s Bluetooth/2.4G/USB-C enabled, with 87 keys, dual super programmable buttons that can be used on Windows and/or Android devices!

Just look at the kitsch retro (Nintendo 8-bit) aesthetic of this beauty – we just can’t get enough of it! We really need one on our desk, so we are hoping Santa delivers this Christmas for us!

Who else is getting one?

Specs:

  • Compatible with Windows 10(1903) or above, and Android 9.0 or above;
  • Connnect via Bluetooth, wireless 2.4G, or wired;
  • 87-key layout. Kailh Box Switch V2 White. Dye-sub PBT keycaps;
  • Top mount style. Hot-swappable PCB. Support n-key rollover;
  • Dual Super Buttons – offer large, programmable keys. Map anything to the Super Buttons instantly without using software;
  • Classic power status LED, with independent control panel;
  • Supports 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 for custom keyboard mapping.
  • Price: $179.95 via Amazon AU

image source: Amazon AU



Killer Instinct on Steam Is Free – Get It Now

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Wanna kick to the head, for free?!

The legendary fighting franchise with over-the-top action, a wild cast of combatants, rocking reactive music, and C-C-C-COMBO BREAKERS is now free to play on Steam!!!

If you are an existing paid owner of the Killer Instinct (2012) game, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the Anniversary Edition (which is A$39.95).

Go on, what are you waiting for – go and break out some killer combos!!

image source: Steam



LIBERATION – The New Retro Space Adventure Game Is Available Now

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Unleash Chaos in Space!

Liberation is a retro space adventure inspired by the original 1984 version of Elite, and mashed up with classic UK science fiction such as The Tripods, Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who.

In this game, you pilot an elite stealth ship as you take your revenge against the evil Galactic Federation (GalFed)! Upgrade your ship with a variety of weapons and systems. Engage in high-stakes dogfights, dock with space stations and planet spaceports, and work with heroes and villains to destroy GalFed.

To make this game even sweeter, it was made in Australia (Frankston, VIC!) by Classyk Games, on Linux with Godot, using an open source stack including Blender, GIMP and InkScape. Liberation is available right now on Windows, Mac, Linux for Steam and coming soon to itch.


image source: Classyk Games



Chironex Studios’ GRIST Game Seeks To Recapture The PC Gaming Experience From The 1980s

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We are now even more hyped for PAX Aus 2023! If you are asking why, then let us tell you……

Growing up in the 80s, our first encounter with a desktop PC was a chunky beige box with a green monochrome CRT monitor. The keys were as loud as the disk-drive accessing the sectors on the 5.25″ floppy, and without any GUI, we had to explore this (what now seems archaic) machine through trial and error using commands that were quite foreign to us at the time. Like any kid back then, we found games to play on these old school computers, which got us hooked. Bathed in the green glow we explored different worlds, made tough decisions, and became different characters – it unleashed our imagination.

Well, an independent Australian game developer, Chironex Studios is seeking to recapture those early days of PC gaming with their new game, Grist!

GRIST is a digital boardgame-slash-rpg about surviving as a Starship Commander in a universe where the secrets of faster-than-light-travel have been lost to time and conflict. Voyage across the galaxy sending out your crew on missions, recovering artifacts of the pre-collapse civilisation, and pushing back the terrors that lurk in the dark between worlds. All the while deciding which parts of your humanity you will keep, and which will be traded for one more year of life among the stars.

GRIST combines vintage ascii terminal style graphics with a synthwave soundtrack for an iconic ascii-wave aesthetic. Gameplay features include a unique positioning based combat system, multiple-choice events with long-tail outcomes, strategic hand-optimization, and a variety of different scenarios to test your abilities.

Currently in development by Chironex Studios, GRIST is planned for an Early Access release in late 2023, so add it to your Steam wishlist right now! And if you are going to PAX Aus in a few weeks, then make sure you head to Booth 16 in the Indie area (Expo Hall) to speak to the developer and check out GRIST!

image source: Chironex Studios



Atari’s 1975 Hi-Way Arcade Game

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It is always quite interesting when stumbling upon footage of an old arcade game that many of us either didn’t experience or had long forgotten about it. One such game is Atari’s arcade driving game, Hi-Way. Hands-up those who saw or played this game in an amusement centre? We bet not many of you did – but if you did, count yourself lucky, as this was and still is a hard game to find!

Atari’s Hi-Way (aka: Highway and Hyway!) is a black and white vertical driving game where players avoid oncoming cars – just listen to that glorious sound! Produced in 1975, this (almost 50 year old) Atari game was built with discrete logic chips, using transistor–transistor logic (TTL) chips!


source: Andys-Arcade via Facebook