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Atari x Artovision: 3D Collectible Artwork

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The new Atari is like a slow moving train-wreck that you can’t keep your eyes off!

We keep on their backs as it seems that they squeeze every single ounce of their IP, but some of the stuff they have come up with lately (like the shadowbox art!) isn’t too bad if we are to be honest – check it out here.

According to Atari:

These beautiful artwork features imagery from beloved games like Adventure and Asteroids. Each of these pieces appear with three-dimensional depth and rich full color prints. Available as a Shadowbox or Desktop variant

image source: Atari Interactive, Inc.



Atari Introduces New Collectible Replica Arcade PCBs

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A NEW REVISION IN ARCADE CIRCUIT BOARD HISTORY

Ah Atari, they know exactly how to squeeze every ounce out of their IP with products that hit the nostalgic sweet spot!

This time around, good ole new Atari has partnered with Retro Arcade to create high-quality authentic replica arcade machine Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) for Black Widow, Gravitar and Major Havoc – iconic Atari arcade games prized for their advanced gameplay and relative rarity of their cabinets.

These reproductions are officially licensed 11.5 x 20.75 inch (29.2cm x 52.70cm) reproductions based on the original arcade board sets and are a new revision in the PCB history. The boards use the original bill of materials, follow the original schematics, and can be used to replace damaged original boards by using the original parts from these boards.

OK, we must admit, we are actually impressed with these replica/repro PCBs, even if the price (US$245) is a tad too much when taking into account the exchange rate.

Oh yeah, these are available in limited quantities at Atari.com.

PS: To sweeten this juicy deal, Atari is offering $10 off (code: “PCBOOPSIE“) on any one of the three Retro Arcade PCB boards (yeah, we know, boards is redundant in PCB boards) 😉

Major Havoc PCB: Revision D

Major Havoc challenges players with a journey through exciting gameplay styles, including Breakout-style mini games where a knowledgeable gamer can warp through different levels.

Gravitar PCB: Revision C

A multi-directional shooter with a reputation for difficulty, Gravitar is arguably also the first cave-flyer ever made.

Black Widow PCB: Revision A

The arcade classic Black Widow is one of the very first twin-stick shooters ever made.



FREE Video Games in May on Prime Gaming!

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This is more of a PSA (that’s Public Service Announcement) for PC gamers (with an Amazon Prime sub) out there!

The list of free titles during the awesome month of May reads like a who’s who of video games – from STAR WARS™: Rogue Squadron 3D (on May the 4th!), to the retro gaming splendour of NEO GEO titles like Last Resort, Super Sidekicks, King of the Monsters 2 and Robo Army to name just a few!

Better clear your diary, as you’ll be playing video games quite a bit.

List of free games on Prime Gaming during the month of May:

  • May 4: STAR WARS™: Rogue Squadron 3D — Save the Rebel Alliance from imperial onslaught in this thrilling flight simulation game where players take on the role of Luke Skywalker and assemble their Rogue Squadron team to fly into battle, engage in intense, fast-paced space and planetary missions to continue the fight for freedom.
  • May 4: Super Sidekicks — Dribble, pass and use a variety of techniques to compete against the best teams from around the world as players battle for the SNK Cup.
  • May 4: Samurai Shodown IV — Test your samurai skills using powerful attacks to wage intense battles and defeat Amakusa before he conquers the modern world.
  • May 11: Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition — Explore the planes, survive dangerous combat scenarios and solve mysterious puzzles in this story-rich, tactical role playing game set in the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse.
  • May 11: Lake — Take on the role of Meredith Weiss and take a break from the big city to decide how you want to experience the beautiful Providence Oaks, featuring its iconic lake and scenery.
  • May 11: Robo Army — Take on high-powered collisions in this beat ’em up title as players crush and destroy their enemies to restore peace from the robot corps known as Hell Jeed.
  • May 11: Last Resort — Save humanity’s first hotel on Mars by taking down hordes of aliens in this small co-op shooter game.
  • May 18: Kardboard Kings — Own the best card shop in town by earning a reputation with customers, beating your shop goals, unlocking new decorations and more!
  • May 18: The Almost Gone — Unlock intricate dioramas to experience the plethora of connections of your life in this narrative puzzle game about death, loss and mental health.
  • May 18: 3 Count Bout — Become the world’s strongest wrestler by learning the moves and winning hard fought battles to take the champion’s throne for yourself.
  • May 18: Alpha Mission 2 — Recapture the universe from the seven star alliance by utilizing 11 types of various power armor in this vertical scrolling arcade game.
  • May 25: Lila’s Sky Ark — Protect a psychedelic world from bizarre beasts and punishing bosses in this poetic mystery filled with secrets, puzzles and music.
  • May 25: Agatha Knife — Embark on a whimsically twisted adventure with Agatha, as players join her in exploring her love for eating meat and her friendships with animals.
  • May 25: King of the Monsters 2 — Become the undisputed king of the monsters as players take on earthshaking battles against a plethora of behemoths.
  • May 25: Kizuna Encounter — Engage in intense battles as players use both weapons and fists alike to win in single-round sudden death tag-team matches.



DOOM on the Commodore 64 is so RAD!

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DOOM has been run on a multitude of devices – if it has a screen, then DOOM has ran on it! With this being the case, why not have DOOM run on the trusty 8-bit micro, the Commodore 64?

As you can see from the video below, that is exactly what we have here – a DOOM tech demo going by the title of RAD-DOOM which enables gamers to play DOOM on their Commodore 64 via the RAD Expansion Unit by Frenetic.

The RAD Expansion Unit contains a Raspberry Pi that takes the role of a CPU replacement for the Commodore 64. The graphics are still rendered by the original VIC-II chip. All technical details of RAD-DOOM can be found in Frenetic’s GitHub repo.

The gameplay starts off with keyboard controls, with the 1351 mouse control enabled later on. The special settings menu is visible from time to time where graphics rendering options and screen presets are available.

It’s amazing (and darn awesome!) what is still possible on the 41 year old 8-bit computer! Long live the C64!


source: emulaThor



STILL STANDING (2023) – A Must Watch Documentary!

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Just in case you have been living off the grid, welcome back! Now, hop to it and watch the Still Standing documentary film!

Still Standing is a journey back in time, a time when arcade and pinball were the hottest entertainment in town. Adelaide producer and cinematographer, Brad Gilbertson, has shot this beautifully, inducing the kind of nostalgia that is intoxicating for the generation of kids that experienced the arcade and pinball golden era. The emotive and amazing stories and histories will have you gripped like a Darth Vader choke-hold right till the end.

Be ready for some heart-wrenching stories
Jeff Grummel – The Pinball Dog House

Still Standing is a first of its kind Australian documentary film, peeling back the curtain on what it truly takes to create and run iconic arcades, past and present. We admit, we shed a few tears (of joy mainly), but we will not spoil it for you, so you can experience this authentic and beautiful documentary for yourself.

Why are you still reading this? Go on, watch Still Standing now, and remember, game over is not an option!

Still Standing is now streaming worldwide – more details here.

PS: We eagerly await the physical release of this wonderful documentary!

★★★★★


source: BGVC



Atari’s AKKA ARRH Is Finally Available

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Do The Math with Atari’s AKKA ARRH

I really really don’t like the crapola that the new Atari dishes out (or promoting anything with their name on it), however, there are a few exceptions! Their Atari 50 Anniversary compilation was vintage Atari, with great curated content. It now looks like we can add AKKA ARRH to this very small and illustrious list of titles from the new Atari.

AKKA ARRH is the latest game from legendary game designer Jeff Minter and Llamasoft! AKKA ARRH is a frenzied kaleidoscope of neon insanity with playful psychedelic landscapes, which is right up Minter’s alley, as he takes on one of the rarest arcade games of the 80s era and turned it into a tough blaster for all of us to enjoy now! .

Will you become the hero in this mind bending universe? AKKA ARRH is available on pretty much every platform for under AU$30.00: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Steam and the new Atari VCS!

 

image source: Atari Interactive



Do The Math – Atari XP: 50th Anniversary Box Set

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Do The Math! Atari doing what they do best, squeezing every cent out of their IP

Goddammit Atari, just when we thought you had redeemed yourself with the amazing Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection, you go ahead and become the exploitative shell of a company yet again 🙁

Don’t get us wrong, the concept for the Atari XP: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Box Set is super cool, but the price is way too much for the majority of Atari fans, especially in the current global financial climate.

Anyway, if you have a cool USD$999.99 / AUD$1440.00 / £830.00 burning a hole in your pocket, then this collection may be right up your alley, but you better hurry, as these are limited to 100 worldwide!

Just like Pokemon, will you get them all?

PS: We always wonder what Nolan and Ted (RIP) would have thought about this ‘new’ Atari…….

We just want this Missile Command light up cart!

Will you get them all?image source: Atari Interactive, Inc



Sega’s 1993 Virtua Fighter gets an AI makeover

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We always thought that Sega’s polygonal 1 on 1 arcade fighter, VIRTUA FIGHTER looked awesome.

After taking off our nostalgia-tinted glasses, we can now see how lo-fi  (but still cool) they look, especially after some AI shenanigans bringing each of the fighters on the roster to be life-like.

With ChatGPT being all the rage, it would seem there is another AI tool gathering steam in the form of Stable Diffusion, a text-to-image deep learning model capable of generating photo-realistic images. Clever Tech Artist, Colin Williamson put this learning model to the test by feeding it the original Virtual Fighter polygonal images from a Sega Saturn emulator into the Stable Diffusion model. The results, as you can see, are darn scary and impressive all at the same time)!

Surely Skynet is now coming for us all….

[story & image source: technabob]



The Legend Of Zelda Reimagined As A FPS DOOM VR Game

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Imagine the original The Legend Of Zelda being played in the first-person perspective like Wolfenstein or DOOM, in VR!

Imagine no more, as the below video shows a re-imagining of the NES classic, The Legend of Zelda, as a first-person virtual reality game! This impressive mod works with QuestZDoom, so we can finally becomes fans of playing The Legend of Zelda in this perspective (unless the VR makes us queasy!!).

We hope this video stays up. If it is gone by the time you get here, then know that Nintendo has meddled and killed off creativity!


source: SugaryNoe



Ho, Ho, Ho, Happy Holidays!

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As 2022 draws to a close, we wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas / Happy Festive Season and all the very best for 2023!

It’s been another tough year for everyone around the world, so we hope you can all take some time for yourself to recharge and spend it with those that mean the most to you.

We have recently moved our subscription service to Substack, so if you haven’t already subscribed, go here now and never miss any of our posts. Thanks again for supporting and engaging with us at Ausretrogamer.com and on our social channels.

We will be taking a break and be back in the new year with more awesome content! Stay safe and hope Santa brings you lots of presents!

See you in 2023!