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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



Leonard Nimoy Is Introduced to the Magnavision VH-8000 LaserDisc Player in 1981

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Ah, love seeing one of our fave Trekkies, Spock (the late Mr. Leonard Nimoy) getting in amongst it when it come to video games, even if it is quite cheesy!

A long time ago, in our own galaxy, Leonard Nimoy – the Magnavox spokesperson, is guided and introduced to the Magnavox Magnavision VH-8000 LaserDisc Player by a cheesy white rock that blinks and beeps as a means of communication in this 1981 demonstration.

The mustachioed Nimoy, his white clothing and the Star Trek inspired theme music just ooze that 1980s vibe! Say cheese!


source: Watcher3223



Simon Dragon – The Best Double Dragon Clone!

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Thanks to peeps like Friends of Bernie’s on Twitter, we find out some really cool stuff that we may have missed otherwise, like Clauio Cimini’s SIMON DRAGON!

So who or what is SIMON DRAGON? If you have played Double Dragon, then you know what to expect! SIMON DRAGON stars one Simone Bonino, an Italian bodyguard that it entrusted by his clients to provide them safe passage to the exclusive party at Sentimento Terrace. Along the way, Simone encounters a lot of obstacles, bad dudes and dudettes that he punches and kicks out of the way to ensure his clients aren’t late to the party of the century!

SIMON DRAGON is an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Double Dragon clone that beat’em up fans will relish!

Go and kick some baddie a***!!!!

image source: Itch.io

 



C64 Minesweeper Written in BASIC!

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UPDATE: Good news folks, Fritz has also informed us that Minesweep has been updated! The main updates include an ability to enlarge the playfield and the game now also has mouse support.

Fritz Philipp strikes again! This time we can enjoy the Windows 95 style Minesweeper game on the Commodore 64, Minesweep64, almost entirely written in BASIC!

Writing anything in BASIC is a chore (and labour of love), so Fritz Philipp’s efforts here can’t be understated! Grab Minesweep64 now!

Oh yeah, Fritz’s best time so far is 033 – can you beat it?



Documentary: The Making of GoldenEye 007 (N64)

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Back in 2017 there was a crowdfunded project titled Golden Era which was going to tell the story of the making of GoldenEye 007 on the N64. The project didn’t reach it’s funding goal, but thankfully onaretrotrip stepped in to offer all of us a a glimpse into the game that revolutionised first-person shooters (FPS) and defined the Nintendo 64.

So kick back and enjoy the making of one of the all-time best N64 games!


source: onaretrotip

 



Obscure Commodore Controllers

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We cherish our Commodore gear, from the Commodore 64 and Amiga 1200, to our Commodore watches, joysticks, CD32 and the obscure and gorgeous CDTV (aka: Compact Disc Television / Commodore Dynamic Total Vision).

Speaking of the Commodore CDTV, we particularly love its obscure controllers, the game pad that doubles as a remote control and the CD1200 trackball – both using good ole fashioned infrared (no Bluetooth here – Ed) for that true wireless gaming experience. There is also the CDTV keyboard, but that ain’t no controller, well, sort of.

The CD1200 trackball is peculiar in that it also has two DB9 joystick ports on the front so that you can hook up you fave joysticks, like the TAC-2, to play your Amiga games in comfort. However, the use of “C” batteries to power it in wireless (IR) mode is not that environmentally friendly at all. The remote control / game pad on the other hand uses “AA”, which means we can use our Eneloops for a more enviro friendly gaming session.

What obscure Commodore gear do you have? Hit us up on Twitter or our Facebook page now!

CDTV Remote Control

CD1200 Trackball

CD1200 Trackball – joystick ports

CDTV – Keyboard et al



2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees

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The votes have been counted for the classic games that will be inducted into the 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame!

The Strong announced that from the field of 12 finalists, the following classic games have been inducted into the 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame:

  • Animal Crossing
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator
  • StarCraft
  • Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? 

The games that missed out this time include; FIFA International Soccer, Call of Duty, FarmVille, Guitar Hero, Mattel Football, Pole Position, Portal and Tron. We must say that we were surprised that Pole Position, Tron and/or FIFA International Soccer didn’t make the cut, but the votes suggests otherwise.

So what do you think of the four video games that were inducted for this year’s World Video Game Hall of Fame? Hit us up on Twitter or our Facebook Page.

About the World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong:

The World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong was established in 2015 to recognise individual electronic games of all types—arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile—that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general. Inductees were announced at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, and are on permanent view on the museum’s second floor. Anyone may nominate a game to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Final selections are made on the advice of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.

image source: The Strong – National Museum of Play



Sega Scud Race Arcade Promotional Video

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We love finding these promo videos of arcade games we used to love and play at amusement centres back in the day.

The below promotional video is for Sega’s Scud Race arcade game from 1996. Scud Race (Sports Car Ultimate Drive) was also known as Sega Super GT in North America.

Oh yeah, keep an ear out on how “Sega” is pronounced in this promo video – long live See-gah!


source: Australian Pinball Museum

 

 



Happy Star Wars Day and May The 4th Be With You

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Star Wars

Happy Star Wars Day!

No, I am not your father, but from one Star Wars geek to another, May the 4th be with you!

When it comes to pop culture franchises, none are bigger than Star Wars. As a kid, I was consumed by it – Masters Of the Universe was a close second though 😉

I was lucky enough to be there when the original trilogy was playing in cinemas (late 70s to early 80s) and following on from that, begging my parents for anything Star Wars related, from the Kenner action figures to Return of the Jedi t-shirts to wear to school.

As an adult, the love of Star Wars has not diminished one bit, but my tastes for Star Wars related collectable content has definitely expanded. The pick of my current fave Star Wars related memorabilia is our Stern Star Wars Comic Art Premium pinball machine.

This year’s highlight for me was being honoured on a Walter Day’s Video Game & Pinball Trading Card with our beloved Star Wars pinball machine – check it out below!

If you have any favourite Star Wars items, please share them with us all either via Twitter or Facebook!

 



C64 Joystick and Keyboard Diagnostic Tool

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Thanks to clever folks like Christian Rene Larsen (aka: CRL), the development of cool software for the venerable Commodore 64 continues, some 39 years after the greatest 8-bit system’s release!

CRL’s test and diagnostic suite of software tools now cover diagnostics for the most heavily used parts on the micro computer, the keyboard and its joystick. So grab the CRL Joystick and Keyboard Test and Diagnostics tool (it’s less than 5kb!) to ensure your 8-bit beauty stays healthy for years to come!