The Pop-Culture E-Zine
I love video gaming facts, especially those little known about ones. When it comes to Sonic, I knew about his original working-title name, Mr Needlemouse, but I definitely didn’t know about the early designs having him lead a music band with a Madonna girlfriend!
The Alltime10s crew have given us 10 very little known facts about Sonic The Hedgehog. Watch the video, you may learn something new about Sega’s speedy blue mascot.
source: Alltime10s
Pins! Lots and lots of pins! Even if you are not into video gaming related enamel pins, you have to admit, these are quite cool. Ah, if only I had kept my Atari Lynx club badge.
These gaming related promotional pins are definitely becoming harder to find and are starting to demand the big bucks. If you have some in your possession, wear them proudly!
Remember the old “Are you keeping up with the Commodore” television commercial? Or who could forget the ‘Atari Summer‘ promotion for their 5200?
The advertising wars weren’t just confined to print media. There were shots fired via television commercials by all major players. Commodore focused on the family unit and pushed their C64 as a home computer for the entire family to enjoy. Atari on the other hand chose to sex it up when it was time to peddle their ill-fated 5200 Super System.
Sega played it safe when it came to introducing the west to their 8-bit Master System by depicting a family (minus mum!) having fun with their arcade conversions. Meanwhile, Nintendo hit hard in the USA with their 1985 commercial, introducing us to R.O.B, the Zapper gun and their 8-bit console beauty, the NES. The rest, as they say, is history.
Take a trip down nostalgia lane and relive the television commercials that introduced us to our most beloved systems.
Are You Keeping Up – Commodore 64
source: gamemusicparadise
Nobody’s Hotter Than Atari This Summer
source: DigThatBoxRETRO
The Challenge Will Always Be There – Sega
source: robatsea2009
The Birth Of The Nintendo Entertainment System
source: DigThatBoxRETRO
Forget Valentine’s Day, I know exactly where I would like to be on Friday 14th February – at the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO) 2014. JAEPO is on from Friday 14th February till Saturday 15th February, with Friday being for traders only. If you are part of the general public, then mark Saturday as your day. Doors open at 10am! Get there early, as there are six great zones to explore:
Arcade Zone: the main exhibit showcasing arcade machines, sticker photos, simulation games, prize and medal game machines.
Family Zone: this zone includes arcade games, rides and amusement park equipment for elementary school children and families.
Prize Zone: exhibiting the prizes for prize (redemption) awarding game machines.
Related Product Zone: showcasing products and equipment related to amusement and entertainment.
Publication Zone: main exhibit for publications related to amusement and entertainment.
International Zone: Main exhibitors from abroad (outside of Japan).
With iconic arcade exhibitors like Taito, Sega, Konami and Namco headlining the expo, you will be assured to be dazzled with what’s new in the amusement machines world.
If you are lucky enough to attend, share your photos with us all.
Event Details:
Event: Japan Amusement Expo 2014 (JAEPO 2014)
Organiser: Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association, Inc (JAMMA)
Date: February 14 (Trade only) & February 15 (General public)
Entry Fee: 1,000YEN (~$11AUD) or Coupon
Venue: Makuhari Messe
image source: JAEPO and Taito
I wonder what Koji Kondo would make of this – blending Sonic’s tunes and effects on Nintendo’s masterpiece, Super Mario World. Strangely enough, the Sonic music and sound effects do go quite well. I am sure Koji would approve and have a right royal laugh about it.
source: NDSLover350
A short and sweet video about six Sega Dreamcast facts you may or may not have been aware of. Watch it, you might learn something. We definitely did. Long live the Dreamcast!
source: Vsauce3
Hands up who keeps their retail catalogues from years gone by? I see no hands. Well, I am glad that someone did. Take a trip down nostalgia lane and drool over the video gaming gear that was on sale at Toys ‘R’ Us (USA) during the 1996 holiday season.
Images sourced via: imgur
With the festive season fast approaching, we tend to reminisce about those Christmas mornings when we would get up at the crack of dawn and open our presents from under the Christmas tree. The excitement would always boil over if there was something video gaming related from Santa. This video is for anyone who ever had their Christmas made magical by Sega.
source: segamastersystem.com
It is the final few days on Kickstarter for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis art book as it announces new interviewees, artwork and more pages!
The funding campaign for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works will come to a close on Monday 9 December. The book – an unparalleled treasure of unseen archive material, interviews, development artwork, hardware manufacturing concepts and more – has exceeded its £30,000 (~$48,000 USD) target, and is delighted to announce the following additions:
• Exclusive and rare interviews with Hayao Nakayama (former Sega President) and Tom Kalinske (former Sega of America CEO)
• Interviews with legendary US developers Greg Johnson (ToeJam & Earl), Peter Morawiec (Comix Zone), Rich Karpp (Vectorman) and Michael Latham (Eternal Champions)
• An expanded page count, now totalling 340 pages
• New previously unseen artwork including:
– Concept art and level visualisations for Vectorman 2
– Early character sketches for ToeJam & Earl
– Detailed pencil-drawn level maps for Comix Zone
– Boss designs and attack pattern plans for Wonder Boy III
– Character development artwork and background plans for Eternal Champions
The book is fully licensed by Sega, and the new material will feature in this ultimate 25th anniversary retrospective alongside:
• Previously unseen concept artwork, design documents and sketches for a wealth of Sega’s 16-bit titles, including Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage, Sonic the Hedgehog, Golden Axe and ToeJam & Earl
• Hardware manufacturing plans and concept illustrations
• 20+ exclusive interviews with legendary Japanese Sega developers, including: Naoto Oshima (Sonic the Hedgehog), Yu Suzuki (Space Harrier) and Yuji Naka (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• 15,000-word essay by Guardian Games Editor Keith Stuart
• Foreword by Dave Perry (Earthworm Jim, Aladdin)
If you have not already done so, visit the project on Kickstarter and pledge away!
This could be the coolest use of old home computers and consoles. We all love playing video games on these nostalgic time pieces, but Glasgow filmmaker, James Houston decided to use these so-called outdated relics for something totally unique, creating music!
James uses Sega Mega Drives, an Atari 2600 Jr, Game Boys, disused floppy disk drives and even a Commodore 64 amongst the repertoire of old equipment. The acoustics within the dry swimming pool just add to the awesome sound. Turn it up and enjoy!
source: James Houston