retrogaming

Coming To America

August 7, 2015 By ausretrogamer

It’s been a while since we had a holiday – our last proper trip was to the Gold Coast (where we spent a lot of time at Timezone Surfers Paradise) almost 2 years ago. So we are well overdue for a vacation!

Although we have been to the US before and visited some great retrogaming tourist attractions (e.g. San Francisco’s Musée Mechanique, the Nintendo World Store in NYC, plus 8Bit & Up and Video Games NY) there are more than enough places left to visit to justify a return trip. This time we will be concentrating on the West Coast.

Los Angeles
Once we hit LA, we do what all tourists do, go on a TMZ Hollywood Tour to check out where the celebs hang out. Also, while in the US, attending a live taping of a show is a must – we will be ticking @Midnight off of our bucket list too (Ed: Hope Stacey Borg will be watching!). And no trip is complete without a feed and gaming session at Dave and Buster’s (in Hollywood).

Anaheim (a.k.a. Disneyland!)
When we think of Anaheim, we think of Disneyland! With a 3-day pass, surely we will get to experience everything that Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park have to offer! Then we’ll hit the Games of the Boardwalk and the ESPN Zone Sports Arena in the Downtown Disney District.

Once we are done with Disneyland, we’ll be checking out the Exodus Escape Room – Sherlock’s Study and Trap Room, and hopefully Video Game Geeks and Phat Collectibles. I get the feeling we should have booked an extra day or two…

Las Vegas
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! Nah, we don’t subscribe to that saying, we will be happy to share our Vegas experience with you all! I know that Alex is really looking forward to hitting the Pinball Hall Of Fame and then going retro gaming shopping at A Gamer’s Paradise store. We will have to be careful not to exceed our luggage limit!

We will also be packing a heap of coins to check out the casino amusement centres at New York-New York (The Big Apple Roller Coaster and Arcade), MGM Grand (West Wing Bar Arcade Lounge), Excalibur (The Fun Dungeon) and Circus Circus (Midway Arcade). We’ll even hit the arcade and gaming booths at Insert Coin(s) on the old Vegas strip.

Our non-gaming fun will involve the Zombie Burlesque and a tour of the classic Vegas signs at the Neon Boneyard. Last but not least on our Vegas hitlist, is the underground arcade joint, Flipperspiel Wunderland!

Vancouver
After Vegas, we will be venturing across the border into Canada to check out the wonderful city of Vancouver. While researching of the things to see and do, I stumbled upon the Movieland Arcade. I know we are both looking forward to this one.

We will be cramming a fair bit into our short stay in Vancouver, but places like Pub 340 (for some Karaoke fun!), EXP Restaurant and Bar and Golden Age Collectibles are high on our ‘to do’ list. And of course, no trip to Vancouver is complete without going to Gastown for some live music, board games, pool, darts and video games!

Seattle
Last on our whirlwind trip is beautiful Seattle. We will be getting more silver ball fever by visiting the Seattle Pinball Museum and then hitting the barcades like John John’s Game Room and Vidiot to quench our thirst and unwind with some games.

Our sweet tooth and gaming appetite will surely be satisfied at the quirky Full Tilt Ice Cream parlour. If that isn’t enough, then I reckon a bite and more gaming at Gameworks will satisfy our hunger.

There are a number of cool museums in Seattle, we’re looking forward to visiting the EMP Museum of Music – SciFi – Pop Culture, the Living Computer Museum and the Museum of History and Industry. Maybe we’ll also check out Pike Place Market for some arts and crafts.

A highlight for Alex is sure to be the Boeing Tour, while I’m looking forward to the carnival themed Unicorn & Narwhal bars and the Rock Box Karaoke Rooms and Bar. To finish up, Alex and I will be downing some hot dogs and frosty beers while playing the arcade machines and classic pinball tables at Shorty’s Arcade & Pinball. Oh boy, it will be quite difficult leaving Seattle, but all good things must come to an end.

Well, there you have it. I didn’t realise our itinerary was so packed with wonderful things to do and see in North America – we both can’t wait to get there! Rest assured, there will be plenty of photos (and maybe a few videos) from the places we visit, so stay tuned (and don’t forget to let us know about other cool places we could visit in these cities)!

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Street Fighter The New Challenger: Ryu

August 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Attention Street Fighter fans: The highly successful The New Challenger (T.N.C.) 01: Ryu figure from BigBoysToysHK is reaching its last and final run and is about to release soon! Make sure you do not miss out and orders yours now, and use the LASTCHANCE4RYU code for a further $8.00USD discount upon checkout! It’s a win win!

This stylized Ryu sits on a custom diorama representing his Street Fighter II: The World Warriors stage and is depicted with his iconic Hadouken stance; the Hadouken actually lights up by pressing the Street Fighter button on the diorama stand (Ed: Oo’er!)! As well, for every press of the button, the official soundclip of Ryu shouting “HADOUKEN” will be played! This is truly a great collector piece. Grab it while you can!

image source: Play Asia

Bartronica: Lair Of The Barcadian

August 4, 2015 By ausretrogamer

After a hard days work, where does one go to quench their thirst and get a fix of gaming nostalgia? That’s an easy one to answer – you make your way to Bartronica, a city barcade establishment at 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

Nestled between Elizabeth and Queen (streets), the barcade is in the perfect spot in Melbourne’s Central Business District. The entry to Bartronica is via downward stairs, and upon entry, the establishment is revealed in all of its glory, beginning with the well stocked bar. Speaking of which, there are plenty of beverages which would definitely quench your hard earned thirst. As you down your drink, you notice the upright arcade machines; NBA Jam, Street Fighter II, The Simpsons, Mortal Kombat II, Golden Axe and 1943, and these are just the tip of the iceberg – there are plenty more upright machines jostling for your attention. It doesn’t end there, the venue also has driving and shooting cabinets plus six great pinball tables to get you flippin!

For those seeking comfort, Bartronica also has cool lounges for you to sit and take a load off. If you like to play from the comfort of the lounge, there are old school consoles from Sega and Nintendo which are free to play! The consoles provide a fun way to challenge your friends in some awesome multiplayer gaming action, like Super Mario Kart 64, all while kicking back and sipping on a drink.

With their wonderful hospitality, Bartronica makes everyone feel welcome – it is the kind of place where you would visit quite frequently, on your own or with friends. So the next time you are in the city and in need of a watering hole with a twist, then head on over to Bartronica, you’ll have a blast!

Entering the lair of the barcadian

Anticipation builds, one step at a time!

Hello Bartronica!

What is your poison?

In the driver’s seat, Bartronica owner – Josh Flamank

What to play first?

TMNT it is!

A row of beauties begging to be played

Retro Domination’s Daz Retro hits Ninja Gaiden

Daz Retro gets hacking on Golden Axe!

Behind the bar

Working up a serious thirst!

Taking a load off with Super Mario Kart 64!

Run out of coins? Don’t stress, whack in some notes

The view from the deck

Hello Lisa!

Getting some 16-bit action

Playing some Sonic from the comfort of the plush lounge

Cool light artwork!

Golden Axe immortalised on the wall

Hang on a second, there’s pinballs over there!

There they are – glorious pinball!

Demolishing Demolition Man

Retro Domination’s Matt Cawley gets flippin on Fastbreak!

Matt has silver ball fever!

Drinking + playing = a good night

Action aplenty!

Retro Domination Street Fighter II Battle: Daz Retro vs Matt Cawley!

Venue: Bartronic – Arcade Bar
Address: 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Pastfinder: A Long Lost C64 Gem

August 3, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Why has it taken me almost 30 years to discover and play Pastfinder? I mean, I love shoot’em ups, so this game should have been on my radar back in the 1980s. Anyway, it is never too late to enjoy a great game, and let me say from the outset, Pastfinder is a beauty.

What’s there not to like, you are thrown thousands of years into the future on a baron planet with high radiation, you have an awesomely powerful spacecraft (called a Leeper) that is able to walk the landscape (the articulating legs look great!) and fly high to blast enemies and also drop-off supplies to the bases that desperately need them.

Pastfinder is a classic vertical shmup with a twist (think of Zaxxon, but in a vertical attribution instead of isometric) – the clever gameplay of flying and walking the landscape to avoid obstacles, together with tight controls, makes this an absolute blast! Yep, that pun was fully intended! Play this now on your C64, you won’t regret it!

image source: Lemon64

15 Critical Events in Video Gaming: 1958 to 1999

August 1, 2015 By ausretrogamer

When someone asks you to nominate key events in the video gaming industry, you immediately start to think Atari, which is partially correct – they did introduce us to the first mass market console, but other critical events occurred years before Atari came on the scene. Here are 15 critical events in the video games industry from 1958 to 1999 that you may have known or not known about:

[1958] The world’s first interactive video game ever invented was Tennis for Two by American physicist William Higinbotham (father of the nuclear bomb!). A simple concept of ‘Pong’ simulated on an oscilloscope created to alleviate boredom for library patrons.

[1972] Ralph Baer releases the world’s first home video games system, the Magnavox Odyssey. The Odyssey marks the birth of the first generation of home video gaming systems.

[1972] Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney found Syzygy, which later becomes Atari. Atari first tastes success with Al Alcorn’s Pong, followed by the commercially successful Atari VCS / 2600 home video gaming console.

[1975] The MOS6502 8bit microprocessor is unleashed to the fledgling home computer market. Its competitive price ensured that it (and it’s variations) would find a home in popular computers and consoles, from the Apple II, Atari, to the Commodore 64 and the Nintendo Entertainment System.

[1978] Tomohiro Nishikado of Taito introduces the world to Space Invaders – the arcade game that sparked a renaissance for the video gaming industry. This was the game that started the golden age of the arcade.

[1979] Activision is founded by former disgruntled Atari programmers, David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, and Bob Whitehead. Activision becomes the world’s first third-party developer

[1979] Milton Bradley releases the “Microvision” – the first portable video games system. The Microvision was also the first portable console to use interchangeable game cartridges. The designer Jay Smith later went on to create the vector based home console, the Vectrex.

[1981] Nintendo releases the arcade game Donkey Kong, and introduces us to Jumpman, the little Italian plumber who we now know and love as Mario.

[1982] Dawn of the 8-bit home computer gaming system — it started many a schoolyard arguments across Europe and Australia. The Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum were all the rage. The Commodore 64 would reign supreme.

[1983] The North American video games market crash of 1983 brought the industry to its knees. A combination of too many consoles and inferior software products which the market could not sustain, resulted in the capitulation of the nascent industry. Once a leader in the market, Atari becomes a major causality and would never taste success again.

[1989] The world’s first 16-bit colour handheld is unveiled. Drawn on a napkin way back in 1986 by the men that created the Amiga, the Epyx Handy eventually became the Atari Lynx, some 3 years after that fateful napkin doodle.

[1991] Sega releases Sonic the Hedgehog. A new mascot to identify Sega and to compete with Nintendo’s own Mario. Sonic was well received by the gaming community. Due to Sonic’s popularity, the franchise is still going till this day. Ironically, Nintendo now have exclusive rights to the Sonic franchise to produce games for the Wii U.

[1992] Mortal Kombat debuted in the video arcades and home consoles shortly after. It was the first video game to spark controversy among mainstream media and authorities, which then pushed the notion for an age classification system for electronic entertainment worldwide.

[1994] After the failed attempt in creating a CD addon for the Super Nintendo, Sony decides to go it alone and create their own console. Once Sony released the PlayStation, their dominance was assured and they went on to surpass the traditional video gaming heavyweights, Sega and Nintendo.

[1998-99] After poor sales of the Sega Saturn in the west, Sega produces their swan song, the Dreamcast. The console sold respectively but was outshone by the success of the PlayStation 2. The Dreamcast was known for great arcade ports and exclusive games like Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5 and Daytona USA 2001.

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This article was written in collaboration with the ausretrogamer team, Dave Kudrev (Retrospekt) and Daz (Retro Domination) for news.com.au. Image source: Supplied

Cramer’s Pinball Tournament: It’s Hotter Than July!

July 29, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Whoa! Time flies when you are having fun! It seems like yesterday that we attended the inaugural Cramer’s Pinball Tournament, but alas, that was over a month ago!

Well, the second Cramer’s Pinball Tournament rolled around this past Tuesday (July 28). Once again, tournament director Scott Kellett put on a wonderful competition at an equally awesome venue. Not only did we have the influence of pinball on the bar menu, Scott also worked tirelessly to upgrade the cameras near the competition area (thanks also to Dr. Curlytek) to ensure that all the flipping action was beamed to the big screen so that no one missed the wizards in action.

As per usual, the competition was fierce, but the social aspects of such pinball tournaments is always the winner on the night. In the end there were four left standing (from 27 participants): teenage pinball sensation, Jordan Tredaway, Wal Dickie, Daniel Luth and Mr. Pinball himself, Scott Kellett. There were a few nail biting moments on the scoreboard, but the eventual champion and last wizard standing was, (Ed: drum roll please!) Scott Kellett – well done on a fantastic win, Scott!

On a night like this, pinball is the winner, so congratulations to everyone that participated and to all the new players, we hope to see you at the next pinball tournament!

A big thanks to Scott Kellett, Luke Marburg, Wal Dickie, Stacey Borg, Cramer’s Hotel and Cashbox Amusement for another great tournament! Roll on next month!

The board says it all!

Scott makes final camera adjusments

A Pinball Wizard must eat before battle!

A new registrant is always welcome into the pinball family!

Light, Camera, Action!

Matt Cawley – Deep in concentration

ausretrogamer EIC, Alex Boz, with matching red sneakers tries his luck on AC/DC Luci!

The crowd builds! This is the best part of pinball’n

More devilish action!

Fierce competition!

With a massive score, Scott Kellett (SMK) is crowned the Grand Champion!

Till next time…….

Reset C64 Magazine Issue 7 Out Now!

July 27, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Get your Reset issue 7 now, it is totally free! Extra! Extra!

Just when you thought that the free C64-centric magazine couldn’t get any better. Pow! Right in the kisser! Issue 7 of Reset celebrates the 30^th anniversary of Zzap!64 with an awesome front cover by Ant Stiller channeling Oli Frey, and contributions from former Zzap!64 writers and editors, you will not be disappointed. All your regular columns, news and reviews are still in there for this issue, so don’t miss out, go and download the mag now!

image source: Reset

Kick That Yellowing Amiga 1200 Case To The Curb

July 26, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Forget the yellowing case adding character to your Amiga 1200, you ain’t fooling anyone with that. Now is your chance to spruce up the Commodore beast with a brand new casing! You’ll definitely be the envy of your Amiga (Ed: and ST) mates.

When Philippe Lang advised us of their ambitious project to build new casings for their 23 year old computers, we must admit, our interest was piqued. The Amiga 1200 is the crown jewel of the Commodore range, and it deserves all the love it can get. Philippe and his friends decided to share their project with the worldwide Amiga community, which is great news for all of us. As part of their Kickstarter campaign, they will be building the new molds from scratch, with all kinds of variations – from resolving original design flaws and colour variations, to cool enhancements to the casings, there is something for every Amiga 1200 fan.

Go and check out the Kickstarter campaign now, you still have a fair few days to pledge!

Some of the cool A1200 case colour variations!

We love these limited edition colours, especially the gold!

image source: A1200 Housing – Kickstarter

Pixel Alley: The Place To Be

July 24, 2015 By ausretrogamer

On a windy Tuesday evening, we headed to Pixel Alley, an awesome barcade in Fitzroy, and a pinball tournament broke out!

Organised by Luke Marburg, the inaugural Pixel Alley Pinball Tournament pitted players in a head-to-head format, with players being eliminated after two losses. With twenty two players competing on the Iron Man and Monster Bash tables, the competition was fierce, but always friendly and lots of fun – these pinball tournaments are always a great social event. With any competition, there could only be one winner, and for this tournament, Martin Robbins (MTO) cleaned up big time. Martin was unbeatable, especially on Monster Bash – he was setting successive (huge) high scores on the table! I must admit, watching Martin smashing those flippers incessantly was quite mesmerizing – the dude is a full-on pinball wizard. With a $100 bar tab and a Pixel Alley tee, Martin walked away quite satisfied with his win. We definitely can’t wait for the next tournament at this wonderful establishment.

Pixel Alley Pinball Tournament table 1: Iron Man

Tournament table 2 (which is now my all-time fave!): Monster Bash

The competition heats up!

Apart from the pinball action, these tourneys are awesome social gatherings!

Tournament Manager, Luke Marburg ensures everything is above board

Before we leave you to gaze at some of the photos from Pixel Alley, we wanted to tell you all that this place has something for everyone – from old school arcade machines, deluxe driving games (Ed: Daytona 2 anyone?), pinball and pool tables, to an indoor Bocce court, this place is amazing. Oh yeah, the walls are adorned with great gaming artwork, which adds to an already great atmosphere. Did we mention there is a food caravan upstairs? Yep, you read that right. So, if you haven’t already hit Pixel Alley, put it right up the top of your “must visit” list for next time you are in town!

Pixel Alley, the place to be at!

Cool wall art!

More cool wall art!

I wonder who would win this battle?

I really, really like the framed gaming art in this place!

I wanna take this one home. Surely no one will notice…

Oh yes, another one I wanna take home….

The well stocked bar to quench a player’s thirst

One of the great arcade games – The Simpsons!

If The Simpsons isn’t your thing, then Mortal Kombat II might be

Don’t worry about the Iron Bartender, I want to flick that light switch!

Pixel Alley is full of surprises! Time to grab a bite

Time to go old school!

Finishing the night with some DK Junior action!

So Bad, But Oh So Cool Retro Gaming Peripherals

July 22, 2015 By ausretrogamer

The Power Glove, it will go down in video gaming history as the epitome of a peripheral being so bad that it is actually quite cool! The Power Glove is a useless piece of kit that you can’t go without (Ed: Relax, put those pitchforks down, we love the Power Glove).

This oxymoron is not lost on gamers – there have been a number of terrible peripherals released over the years, some worse than others, but all equally desirable to have (Ed: who could also forget the unreleased Atari MindLink and the doomed Konix Multi-System!). We have managed to scrape the bottom of the peripheral barrel to bring you the coolest bad peripherals to add to your collection. Put on a bib and wipe that drool!

Peripheral: Sega Action Chair | System: Mega Drive / Genesis | Use: Control gameplay via leaning

Peripheral: Power Glove | System: Famicom / NES | Use:Super Glove Ball & Bad Street Brawler

Peripheral: Quickjoy Foot Pedal SV-129| Systems: Atari, Commodore & Amstrad | Use: Programming joystick functions to a pedal

Peripheral: Virtual Cushion | System: PC-Engine | Use: In game (b)ass force feedback

Peripheral: R.O.B. | System: Famicom / NES | Use: Gyromite & Stack-Up

Peripheral: Game Boy Pocket Sonar | System: GBP | Use: Sonar to locate fish

Peripheral: Sega BH-400 | System: Sega Mark III | Use: Hang-On handlebar

Peripheral: Menacer | System: Mega Drive / Genesis | Use: T2: The Arcade Game, Mad Dog McCree, Body Count, Who Shot Johnny Rock, Mad Dog II, Corpse Killer, Crime Patrol, Menacer shooting gallery