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Colossal Super Mario Bros. Mural Created By a Robot

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Now this is so darn cool! A robot creates a giant Super Mario Bros. mural out of a record breaking 102,600 dominoes in a little over 24 hours! We bet that this has now piqued Skynet’s interest.

NASA engineer, Mark Rober released the below video and stated that he was happy to finally have it out after 5 years of development. Using precision-engineered toppling dominoes, the clever robot, dubbed “Dominator”, can setup 300 dominoes at a single time – imagine the amount of hands you would need to do the same!

Who said hard work doesn’t pay off?! Well done to Mark and team for creating an ingenious robot that can create impressive murals like this one.


source: Mark Rober



story source: laughingsquid

 

A Nostalgic Set of Mix Tape Cassette Kitchen Sponges

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Do you wanna rock your kitchen with this set of nostalgia inducing kitchen sponges?

Being from a certain generation, we love cassettes, so the look of these classic mix tapes cassette sponges are right up our alley! The detail on the cassettes are so cool, with mix tape graffiti style scrawling on each sponge with clever titles like; “Spruce Springclean”, “‘NSink”, “Sponge N’ Hoses”, and “Greasy Boys” – so punny!

The mix tapes cassette sponges are sold as a pack of four inside a retro-style boombox case! Let’s just say that this will make cleaning more fun!

image source: genuinefred



LEGO IDEAS – The Pinball Machine

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A Working Lego Pinball MachineWe don’t have to tell you how much we love the creations on Lego Ideas, especially ones that are pinball related, and this latest one is no exception!

Without waffling on too much, check out this Lego Ideas – Pinball Machine, it is so darn awesome! Created by Sebas Chilidog, this works just like a real pinball, with a ball shooter / plunger, flippers, score reel and pop bumbers just to give you that silverball fix.

You have over 400+ days left to vote for this Lego Ideas creation, so there is no sense of urgency right now, however, if you are like us, you may want to vote now before you forget to do so later down the track. Flip on peeps!

Lego Pinball Machine

Lego Pinball Machine

Lego Pinball Score Reel

Lego Pinball Pop Bumperssource: Lego Ideas The Pinball Machine

 

The secret(s) of Monkey Island will be revealed on October 30 when Video Game Source Project deconstructs a beloved classic

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The Video Game History Foundation (VGHF), a nonprofit that brings old video games back to life by preserving, celebrating, and teaching their history, has recently unveiled the Video Game Source Project, an effort to save and study source code and related development materials before the stories around these games’ creation are lost forever.

“For a video game historian, an archaeological dig through source material is the next best thing to time travel,” said Frank Cifaldi, founder and co-director of the VGHF. “Unfortunately for us, most of that material — especially from our earliest days — has been lost forever. The Video Game Source Project will help us surface more of this material and normalize its use as an educational tool.”

To jump-start this initiative, the VGHF is putting out a call to developers, publishers, and anyone else in possession of source code, documentation, concept art, demo builds, or other materials that can help tell a game’s origin story. Donated materials will be maintained in the VGHF’s Northern California archives and made available to video game historians.

The first games to benefit from the Video Game Source Project will be Lucasfilm Games’ legendary point-and-click adventure The Secret of Monkey Island, which celebrates its 30 year anniversary this month, and its sequel Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge.

The VGHF’s staff and volunteers have spent the past several months studying the Monkey Island games’ source code, uncovering unshipped secrets, and even reconstructing cut rooms and cinematics. Much of this content will be shown for the first time on October 30 when Ron Gilbert, the creator of Monkey Island and of the SCUMM game engine, joins Cifaldi for a livestreamed “fireside chat” and Q&A. Tickets for “The Secrets of Monkey Island” are available for $10 with sales benefitting the VGHF.

“Monkey Island is a special game to me and the creation of the SCUMM system is a large part of that. Looking at the source always jogs my memory and now gives me a chance to answer questions people didn’t even know to ask,” says Ron Gilbert. “As a developer, I see real value in preserving and learning from the work that we never imagined people in the future would care about. I’m glad the Video Game History Foundation is making this a priority while there’s still time to salvage history that’s becoming scarcer by the day.”

Beyond Monkey Island, members of the VGHF are currently studying source material from a beloved 16-bit RPG, abandoned Sega hardware from the 1990s, and a never-before-seen follow-up to a legendary arcade game. Historical analysis and content related to these games and others will be unveiled in the coming months. The VGHF has also established an advisory committee of developers, publishers, academics, and historians to tackle the problems related to source conservation and to encourage industry participation.

To learn more about the Video Game Source Project and sign up to receive email updates, visit the Video Game History Foundation website.

image source: VGHF

Introducing The SNK NeoGeo MVSX Home Arcade

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If the NeoGeo Mini didn’t scratch your MVS and AES gaming itch, then perhaps the SNK NeoGeo MVSX Home Arcade will!

Created by the GStone Group (UNICO brand) and officially licensed by SNK, the SNK NEOGEO MVSX is touted to be the ultimate home arcade for fans of classic SNK titles. The MVSX will include both the MVS and AES versions of games from fan-favourite series like The King of Fighters, Metal Slug, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, Art of Fighting and sports titles including Baseball Stars Professional and Top Player’s Golf!

The games will be housed within a stylish tabletop arcade with a separate attached base that has a 17-inch 4:3 LCD screen and has two-player support with analogue joysticks and buttons. Fans of the classic SNK NEOGEO MVS arcade machines are sure to appreciate the tabletop arcade’s aesthetics as it’s decked out in the iconic MVS red and white, familiar button layout (such as the “SELECT GAME” button) and has its signature marquee showcasing the box art for the most popular franchises of the included games.

Preorders for the SNK NeoGeo MVSX will begin next month (September 2020), with the tabletop to be priced at US$449.99, the base at US$99.99 or both the tabletop and base for US$499.99. The tabletop arcade will officially launch in North America in November 2020. We will seek more info for the rest of the world, so please stay tuned!

image source: SNK MVSX

 

GAME MASTERS: THE EXHIBITION OPENS 27 SEPTEMBER 2019

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NFSA turns into Australia’s biggest video game arcade, featuring world’s greatest designers, characters & 100+ playable games!

Following a 6-year international tour and more than 1 million visitors, Game Masters: The Exhibition will return to Australia and make its Canberra debut at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) from 27 September 2019 – 9 March 2020. The ultimate experience for gamers and families alike, Game Masters has been updated to include the latest gaming blockbusters as well as Australian creations.

Game Masters is an interactive journey through five decades of video game history, offering both a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind the world’s most popular characters and franchises, and a chance to play them. Featuring interviews, never-before-seen concept artwork, an amazing display of vintage consoles and collectable items, and more than 100 playable games, visitors won’t want to leave!

No matter whether you played Pong at the local milk bar in the 70s, or spent last night playing Fortnite on your phone, Game Masters has something for everyone: from the arcade era through to today’s eighth generation consoles and mobile game technology, and from the most popular video games on the planet to independent games with a cult-like following.

image source: Game Masters: The Exhibition Melbourne 2012

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED IN GAME MASTERS: THE EXHIBITION

The first section, Arcade Heroes spotlights pioneering designers from the trailblazing and revolutionary arcade era, including Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, 1981), Ed Logg (Asteroids, 1979), Masanobu Endo (Xevious, 1982), Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man, 1980), Eugene Jarvis (Defender, 1980) and Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders, 1978). During this period designers were not always recorded for posterity, as was the case for the featured games Scramble, 1981 developed by Konami and Elevator Action, 1983 developed by Taito.

Leading contemporary designers who have had a major impact on shaping the medium as we know it feature in the second section, Game Changers, including Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo III, 2012), Paulina Bozek (SingStar, 2004), Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Sega Rally Championship, 1995), Peter Molyneux OBE (Fable III, 2010), Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team (Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991), Sega (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, 1986), Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy (Rock Band 4, 2015), Tim Schafer (Broken Age, 2014), Yu Suzuki (Hang On, 1983), TT Games (LEGO Batman 3: beyond Gotham, 2014) and Will Wright (SimCity, 1989).

The third chapter of the exhibition, Indies explores the pioneering and future-focussed world of independent game designers. Artists such as Jonathan Blow (Braid, 2008), Capy (Critter Crunch, 2008), Ken Wong (Florence, 2018), Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja Kinect, 2011), Masaya Matsuura (PaRappa the Rapper, 1996), Markus ‘Notch’ Persson (Minecraft, 2014), Rovio (Angry Birds, 2009), Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It, 2017), thatgamecompany (Journey, 2012), and The Behemoth (Castle Crashers, 2008) are profiled in this section.

Game Masters also features unique experiences such as a spectacular multiplayer dance stage for Dance Central 3 (2012), hands-on experiential music booths and a selection of original classic arcade machines from the 1970s and ’80s acquired especially for the exhibition, all playable in their original form.

Game Masters: The Exhibition will be open to the public from 27 September 2019 to 9 March 2020 at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) in Canberra. A program of special events and screenings will complement the exhibition for the duration of the season. Tickets will be available from 9 August 2019; audiences can sign up for Game Masters updates and special VIP ticket offers here.

  • Where: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT
  • When: 27 September 2019 to 9 March 2020; 10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
  • Tickets: $19/$15/$12 (adult/concession/junior 5-17). Kids up to age 4 free. Family passes available.
  • For more information/bookings: NFSA.gov.au/gamemasters

 

Nintendo Quest: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Nintendo Documentary is now on SBS OnDemand!

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PLEASE NOTE: As at February 11 2019, this documentary has expired and is no longer available to view!

Don’t you just love SBS Viceland! For the next 30 days (starting January 11 2019), you can watch the awesome Nintendo Quest: The Unofficial And Unauthorised Nintendo Documentary for free on SBS OnDemand. Oh yeah, it is geo-locked, so it is Australian residents only (sorry everyone else).

For those of you that don’t know about this documentary – it is a fun film that follows Jay Bartlett, a fanatic video game collector, who, on a dare, tries to collect all 678 original NES games – a long-time dream of his. The kicker is, Jay must achieve this tall order in 30 days without using the Internet in any way. While following Jay on his adventure, the film also examines Nintendo’s cultural history, their on-going legacy, and specifically, the endurance of the NES. If you have ever played on a Nintendo system, not just the NES, then we highly recommend you watch this most unofficial and unauthorised Nintendo documentary ever! Oh yeah, it is free (to watch) for the next 30 days, so hop to it!

image source: Rob McCallum Films

 

A Dolphin’s Tale: The Story of Nintendo’s GameCube

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Stop what you are doing right now! Grab yourself a bite and a coffee, settle into your most comfy chair and read this tale, the very detailed tale of Nintendo’s GameCube.

A long time ago, in a gal…. Oh wait, wrong story! This story is long and detailed, so make sure you give yourself a lot of time to read every word, as it is well damn worth it. The retro gaming history buffs will absolutely love this, from the delay of the GameCube launch, designing the GCN, motion controls with Gyro-Pods and the pressure to create the perfect controller, to cultivating relationships with third-party developers and publishers, the decline of the GameCube and the end of their longtime partnership with Rare, this story has everything, warts and all!

Are you comfortable yet? If you are, settle in and enjoy Emily Rogers’ story of Nintendo’s GameCube.

image source: Dromble.com

 

RETRO.HK 2016: Hong Kong’s Retro Gaming Fair

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RETRO.HK, the Hong Kong event for retro video games, will hold its 2016 fair at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design – Jockey Club Innovation Tower. The free public event will open its doors on December 10th (Saturday) and 11th (Sunday) at the podium floor of the Innovation Tower, from 10am to 6pm.

“Following the very enthusiastic response to last year’s event in Central, we hope RETRO.HK 2016 will be even more playful and fruitful.” said Dixon Wu, founder and lead organizer. “This year there will be a lot more classic video games for visitors to play and try. We will exhibit close to a hundred video consoles from the 70’s up to the 90’s – three times more than last year, the majority coming from the private collection of Mr. Tik-Man Ma, owner of Perfect Denki. I believe some of the exhibits have never been in public, and I’m very excited about that; die-hard fans should definitely not miss it!”

RETRO.HK 2015 – check out all those beauties!

Even the Nintendo PlayStation made it RETRO.HK 2015!
via eastasiasoft

Tournaments of the Classics – RetroCup 2016

The RetroCup 2016 will also be held at the event. There will be 2 rounds of competition for classic versions of “Street Fighter” and “The King of Fighters”, selected by fans with an accumulated 2,500 likes and votes on the official RETRO.HK facebook page. Two other key highlights will be a speed run for the first level of “Super Mario Bros.” on the Nintendo Famicom, and a battle royal on the 10-player version of “Bomberman” for the Sega Saturn. All competitions will have commentaries and live broadcast by GameCC! There will heaps heaps of prizes for the champions!

Mysterious 2D-Fighting Game – 1st appearance in Hong Kong

Former developers of classic SNK Neo Geo game franchises such as “The King of Fighters”, “Art of Fighting” and “The Last Blade” have gotten together to form a new development team, giving birth to a brand-new 2D-fighting game for a beloved classic console – the Super Famicom / Super Nintendo. Hong Kong gamers can get their first hands-on experience exclusively at RETRO.HK 2016! Also developed by former team members of “The King of Fighters” game series, is another stylish 2D-fighting game “Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm (八咫鴉)”. These two titles, together with other games developed by local Hong Kong developers, will all be available for visitors to try and play!

This year’s RETRO.HK will have the following areas:
– Free Play Zone: Play classic titles against your friends and other fellow gamers.
– RetroCup 2016: Win amazing prizes competing in popular classics from the 90’s.
– Exhibition Area: Look back at more than 40 years of video game history.
– Individual Exhibitors: Local gamers show off their products and collections.
– Local Game Showcase: A display of Hong Kong developed games & student work.

The Exhibition Area will remain open until December 18th (Sun) after the main weekend event!

source: RETRO.HK via Andrew Davidson