retrogaming

Atari Lynx Heaven at Retro Tuesday

April 12, 2015 By ausretrogamer

On a cold and miserable night in Melbourne earlier this week, eight hardened retro gamers converged on Wadham House for the monthly Retro Tuesday meet.

Serblander, of Weird and Retro fame, convinced the organisers to make the meet all about Atari‘s little feline, the Lynx. With all members contributing their Lynx wares, there was ComLynx action aplenty. Checkered Flag provided some friendly rivalry (Ed: and some very colourful language!), while Dr C. stamped his dominance, yet again, on the 8-Player Slime World.

The night wasn’t just for great gaming fun (which it was!), the display that Weird and Retro had put together for the Lynx was a great homage to the Atari handheld! Check out the pics and drool over that store stand and all those different Lynx boxes!

As usual, it was difficult to leave my Lynx friends, but good things must always come to an end. After leaving the Retro Tuesday meet, I was informed that a new California Games BMX bandit was crowned – well done & congrats to Serby!

Thank you to: Aleks, Stacey, Jerry, Pedro, Callum, Paul and Mal for an awesome night of Lynx action! Can’t wait to do it again!

The Great Wall Of Lynx

The one and only, Atari Lynx

Badges of honour

The Games!

The Lynxes!

Travel in style, keep your Lynx in a pouch

Fan magz – Lynx User!

Serby preparing the awesome Lynx stand!

Jerry is the BMX bandit on the big screen!

Dr. C cautiously approaches the ledge! Double backflip coming up!

ComLynx gaming = heaps of fun!

Yours truly giving the thumbs up! Too bad my car was off the road!

More Checkered Flag action coming up!

8P Slime World! Let the smack talk begin!

LCD comparison: Original vs McWill’s LCD modded (with VGA) Lynx II

Remembering the Sega Genesis Nomad

April 9, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Handheld gaming is still popular as it’s ever been. The ability to play console quality games, especially retro games, on the mini-computer in my pocket, is totally insane. I can grind through dungeons in Final Fantasy; or zoom across Sonic’s digital landscape collecting enough rings for a chance at the bonus stage in order to get those elusive chaos emeralds in the Hedgehog’s Mega Drive/Genesis classic.

Playing these games on my smartphone got me thinking about portable gaming. When I was younger, I used to spend countless hours on my Nintendo Game Boy and later, my Sega handhelds. Nowadays, I love my Nintendo 3DS, PSP and the PS Vita, but I look back to my favourite handhelds of the past, and the one that sticks out most in my mind, is the Sega Genesis Nomad.

This thing was a portable Sega Genesis system that nearly played every game cartridge that I had. There were only a couple that wouldn’t work, but this was long before you could download a software patch to fix such a problem. For those unfamiliar with the Nomad, this thing was a pocket sized Sega Genesis – as long as you had large pockets, it could go with you anywhere! Oh yeah, and as long as you had a handy supply of AA batteries (the unit was powered by six AA batteries). The battery pack that attached to the back of the machine was quite bulky. The batteries drained rather quickly, so, unless you had a part-time job to keep buying them, they were quite difficult to obtain. This wasn’t much of a deterrent, as you could play Sonic and Mortal Kombat on the go!

Luckily, there was an adapter that made it possible to plug directly into mains power and even the cigarette lighter in your parents car – and with the headphone jack, you could be gaming without bothering the passengers. You could literally take it anywhere with the vast library of Genesis games – you were never short on playing awesome titles. The Nomad even had interfaces to connect to a regular TV, just like a home console, and also a second player controller connection for some 2P action!

There were some attempts at bringing home console games to the portable realm, with NEC having a similar unit (Ed: the TurboExpress), but with Sega, you had their extensive library of games to draw from which the others could never compete with (Ed: except for NEC’s PC Engine GT). Sega had a massive hardware push through the 90’s, which ultimately didn’t work out for that side of their business. But it sure was a lot of fun while it lasted, and their Nomad was truly a remarkable device.

It pains me to this day to think that I traded it when the Playstation 2 hit the shelves and I just had to have one. I learned my lesson at that point and I have never traded away any of my old consoles since; portable or otherwise.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Matt Thames
Blogger and Brand Manager at Selby Acoustics.

Old Games Revisited: World Games

April 8, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Game: World Games
Genre: Sports / Events
Format: Commodore 64
Media: Tape or Disk
Year: 1986
Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Epyx

As the years roll on, there are video games that have aged well and others that have not. It is no secret that Epyx had the sporting events genre video games down pat. They had all the main seasons of the year covered in their sports games, from performing breathtaking Hot Dog Aerial manoeuvres in Winter Games, to throwing a Javelin across the field in Summer Games II. They didn’t just stop with Olympic events type games. Epyx branched out to street / sub-culture sporting events style games like California Games, which was yet another exemplary title to show off the Epyx sports games pedigree.

From all the great Epyx sports video games, one that has the most obscure and diverse events, is World Games. Don’t get me wrong, obscure does not mean it is terrible, it’s quite the opposite. The eight (8) sporting events take place across the world in their country of origin: Weightlifting – Snatch and Clean & Jerk (Russia), Slalom Skiing (France), Log Rolling (Canada), Cliff Diving (Mexico), Caber Toss (Scotland), Bull Riding (USA), Barrel Jumping (Germany) and Sumo Wrestling (Japan). Just like in previous games, World Games allows the player to compete in all events (sequentially), choosing some events or just one event. If you aren’t sure of your form, then the game does provide a practice facility. The playing mechanics may take some getting used to (pushing forward, pulling back), but persist and you will be richly rewarded.

The level of detail in Word Games is second to none, from the inhaling and exhaling weightlifter that grips the weight bar, to the brave cliff diver that waves at you after he nails his dive. The humorous touches when you stuff your event, like the caber hammering you into the ground, are a stroke of genius. Each event feels distinct and Epyx left no stone unturned on any of them – they are all visually impressive with well-developed play mechanics. You will experience frustration in playing some events (like the Caber Toss in Scotland and Bull Riding in the US), but as mentioned previously, persistence and timing are key to your success in obtaining a gold medal.

When it comes to crowning a gold medal winner, the developers at Epyx deserve the gong for creating sports games with great graphics, awesome sound and most importantly, loads of fun and playability. World Games is another title deserving of its entry in the sports games winner’s circle. Just like a fine wine, World Games has aged very well. Play on your own, or better still, grab a few mates and go for gold!

image source: C64-Wiki

Atari Lynx: Case Closed

April 3, 2015 By ausretrogamer

What does one do with an unused Atari 2600 4-switch plastic case? Well, to keep it in the Atari family, the plastic case gets transformed into secure storage for the Atari Lynx II and all of its peripherals and games! If you have this case and would like to do some DIY, read on…

What you need:
* Atari 2600 4-Switch plastic case
* Packing foam (from Clark Rubber)
* Chalk
* Bread knife

Here we go:

Clean that case! Use a wet sponge on this baby

Open her up and measure the bottom of the case

Slot the packing foam into the bottom of the case

Lay the Lynx wares how you like

This is the layout I like!

Carefully trace around the items with chalk. Remove items and get carving with the bread knife!

Ta da, finished! Yep, it was that easy

Case (about to be) closed!

Made In Australia: SNES Games

March 31, 2015 By ausretrogamer

With the NES and Mega Drive getting their Made In Australia once-over, we thought we would complete the trilogy by documenting the video games that were made Down Under for Nintendo’s 16-bit powerhouse, the Super Nintendo!

Looking at the SNES games developed in Australia, it is great to see so many chart topping titles in the list, from the awesome Super Smash TV, to MechWarrior and the cyberpunk-fantasy action role-playing game, Shadowrun.

The SNES was blessed with great titles and I am proud to say that Australian made games were counted amongst them. Which Australian made SNES game did you like?

Super Smash TV (1991)

Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball (1992)

George Foreman’s K.O. Boxing (1992)

NBA All Star Challenge (1992)

Super High Impact (1993)

MechWarrior (1993)

Shadowrun (1993)

Choplifter III: Rescue Survive (1994)

WCW Superbrawl Wrestling (1994)

Radical Rex (1994)

Super Solitaire (1994)

Super International Cricket (1994)

True Lies (1994)

Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (1995)

image sources: destructoid, giantbomb, gamefaqs, rfgeneration, mobygames, wikimedia commons & retrogamingaus

A Brief History Of Pinball

March 23, 2015 By ausretrogamer

If you ever wanted a quick reference guide on the history of pinball, then you have come to the right place. Those Silver Oak Casino guys aren’t just about online gambling, they also create awesome and informative infographics, like picking the right video games and indulging you in a brief history of pinball. Check it out, you may learn something.

source: Silver Oak Casino

Made In Australia: Mega Drive Games

March 18, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Following on from our look at Aussie made NES games, the Made In Australia series dives straight into the 16-bit era this time around, starting with Sega’s Mega Drive. The Mega Drive was an instant hit for Sega – it had a headstart on Nintendo’s 16-bit offering and it never looked back.

With a pedigree in arcade gaming, Sega’s 16-bit machine wasn’t short on awesome arcade conversions. Who could forget their first play on Golden Axe? It was like (Ed: almost) having the arcade machine in your bedroom! With sleek looks and a plethora of crtically acclaimed games, the Mega Drive went from strength to strength and smashed all kinds of sales records across the globe. Australian coders also jumped on the 16-bit development bandwagon (Ed: especially Beam Software!) and created a handful of Mega Drive games – some more well known than others. Do you remember playing any of these?

NBA All Star Challenge (1991) – Beam Software

George Foreman’s K.O. Boxing (1992) – Beam Software

Blades of Vengeance (1993) – Beam Software

Tom & Jerry: Frantic Antics (1993) – Beam Software

Radical Rex (1994) – Beam Software

True Lies (1994) – Beam Software

Australian Rugby League (1995) – Dreamtime Interactive (in conjunction with I-Space Interactive)

image source: Moby Games, Games Database, retro gaming australia

In the next Made In Australia feature, we will look at Super Nintendo games that were made down under. Till then, play hard and have fun!

Best. Cakes. Ever. Awesome Geeky Cakes

March 17, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Cake is great, but geeky cake is even better. These specimens from Anne Heap’s Pink Cake Box (Denville, NJ) are simply amazing! (But maybe too good to eat…)

2600 Calories Per Slice!

Extermin-cake

25c Per Slice

Mario Party

No Occasion NES-cesscary!

Nintendo D(eliciou)S

This Cake Is AWESOME!!!

Cutting This Cake Requires A Steady Hand

This Is Living: PlayStation 3 Cake

Press X To Eat

Hold The Onions!

But it doesn’t stop there – here are more fantastic geeky cakes to make you drool.

Charmander Birthday Cake

Source: Laughing Squid, Pink Cake Box

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

DigitalSoaps: Soap For Retrogamers

March 14, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Chrystal Doucette started DigitalSoaps in January 2009, she was inspired to create her hand-poured retrogaming-themed glycerin soaps by memories of chocolate 5.25-inch floppy disks from her childhood. Although she didn’t find the chocolate disks, she found many molds shaped like electronics and the rest is history.

Check out Chrystal’s Etsy shop – it has enough soap and shampoo to even get Mario clean after a trip down the sewer! Here a few of the best (just don’t get them mixed up and try to use them with your precious consoles).

Chrystal and a SNES soap

The Legend of Zudsa Ocarina of Grime!

Press A to scrub

Gotta wash em all: Poke Ball with surprise toy inside

Soapemon Game Boy cartridge set

Soapy PlayStation

Bath time awaits! PS4

Genesis does what regular soap don’t

Soaper Mario Bros. 3

Soapic the Hedgehog 2

Mario Bath 64

Wetris

Jump in the bath: Xbox 360

Donkey Klean Country

Source: Geekologie, DigitalSoaps Etsy Shop

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

Syd Bolton’s Video Game Collection And Personal Computer Museum

March 7, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Next time I’m in Brantford, Ontario I know where I’m going: Syd Bolton’s Personal Computer Museum!

According to the website, they have over 45 interactive computer displays and over 1,000 computers in total. The collection consist of a massive 25,000 artifacts (including computers, software, magazines and books) with approximately 5,000 items in the museum at any given time. Check out the lists of computers and software.

The museum is open on select dates as well as for school/group tours (best school excursion ever!).

Syd is Canada’s top video game collector – watch him and his partner Jenny Schween talk about what it’s like to have such a large collection of video games (15,000!) and computers:

Source: Syd Bolton’s YouTube Channel

Source: The Personal Computer Museum Facebook Page, The Personal Computer Museum Website, Syd Bolton’s YouTube Channel

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

retrogaming

Footer

Support This Site