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You are here: Home / Archives for The Thrill Of The Chase

The Thrill Of The Chase

Easter Retro Gaming Hunt At The Amazing Mill Markets

April 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

While kids everywhere were busying themselves on their Easter egg hunt, Ms. ausretrogamer and I were busy going on a different kind of Easter egg hunt. On our way to Queenscliff, we decided to pop in at the amazing Mill Markets in Geelong to see what was on offer. Upon entering the market, we knew we had hit the jackpot – there were all kinds of antiques, memorabilia and collectables to discover, from books and vinyl records, to toys and classic video games. We’ll let the photos below show the breadth of cool stuff that was on offer at the market.

What started as a quick visit turned into a three-and-a-half hour hunt – the Mill Markets is the kind of place you need to take your time to look in each stall and search for that little gem that others may have passed in their haste. Our nostalgic senses were in overdrive as we found items of interest in almost every stall!

There were retro games and systems aplenty, with most items being at reasonable prices. We were pleasantly surprised to discover retro gaming gear in a number of stalls on the ground floor and the mezzanine – obviously, our go slow and meticulous hunting plan paid off. The temptation to walk out with a boot full of stuff was hard to resist! I did manage to buy a few items, with the Milton Bradley Berzerk board game being my favourite of the lot.

If you happen to like going to vintage markets, even for a look, then Ms. ausretrogamer and I highly recommend The Mill Markets. There are three Mill Markets in Victoria – in Daylesford, Ballarat and Geelong (Newcomb). Best part is, they are all open 7 days a week from 10am till 6pm. What are you waiting for, go hunting!

MM_Entry

MM_fuelpump

MM_3DO

MM_Atari2600

MM_Batman_Player

MM_ElBarto

MM_DarthVader

MM_cashregister

MM_Flinstones

MM_games_galore

MM_games_galore_2

MM_GBSP

MM_JohnRobot

MM_Lego

MM_LJN_WWF

MM_matchboxcars

MM_MOTU

MM_N64

MM_NES_Atari

MM_Muppets

MM_Projector

MM_PS1

MM_tabletop

MM_SSIgames

MM_Snoopy_coke

MM_SNES

MM_Tandy

MM_toys

MM_Tiger

MM_TMNT

MM_TrollDolls

MM_vinyl

MM_Yoyos

MM_Xenomorph

MM_upstairs

MM_topview

MM_Robot_upstairs

MM_Organ

MM_PS1_consoles

MM_NES_upstairs

MM_NES_Robocop

MM_NES_SNES

MM_MrFreeze

MM_Joystick

MM_Japan

MM_GoldenArches

MM_Joker

MM_CRTTVs

MM_Atari4slot

MM_Berzerk

 

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: Amazing Mill Markets, antiques, Atari, collectables, Commodore, Easter, easter hunt, Geelong, Mill Markets, nintendo, retro gaming hunt, Retro Hunting, Retrogaming hunt, sega, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: The Bally Holy Grail

February 20, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Bally_titleFor the first holy grail of 2015, I had to travel all the way to the U.S. Of A! Well, I wasn’t travelling there in person, I was merely scouring the superhighway for retro gaming goodies when I stumbled (Ed: more like screeched!) upon a Bally Astrocade!

The Bally has been somewhat of a white whale – the obsession of finding one in a workable state and at a reasonable price was proving quite difficult. But, to my surprise, I found a boxed Bally Astrocade that had just been listed on eBay. The seller was unaware if the unit was in a working state (it does work!), so they priced it accordingly. I had to rub my eyes to ensure I wasn’t seeing things, but there it was, still available. With the heart-rate up at a phenomenal level, I could not press the ‘Buy It Now’ button fast enough! Finally, the white whale had been tamed and had not destroyed me.

They certainly don’t make them like they used to – that gorgeous wood veneer and awesome shape of the system, and those gun-like ‘control handles’, they double up as an 8-way directional joystick and also as a rotary knob (Ed: Gunfight, here we come!).

The Bally has been welcomed with open arms into the ausretrogamer family – it will be well loved, especially playing The Incredible Wizard (aka: Wizard Of Wor), among other classics!

Bally_1

Bally_2

Bally_3

Bally_4

Bally_5

Bally_6

For those of you that want to know what is under the hood of this gaming relic, here are the specs:

Circuit board and cartridges

  • CPU: Z80, 1.789 MHz
  • RAM: 4k (up to 64k with external modules in the expansion port)
  • ROM: 8k
  • Cart ROM: 8k
  • Expansion: 64K total
  • Ports: 4 controller, 1 expansion, 1 light pen
  • Sound: 3 voices + noise/vibrato effects (played through the TV)

Video

  • Resolution: True 160×102 / Basic 160×88 / Expanded RAM 320×204
  • Colors: True 8* / Basic 2
    *The bitmap structure of the Bally actually only allows for 4 color settings. However, through the use of 2 color palettes and a left/right boundary control byte you could have the left section of screen (this could be the play field) use 1 set of colors while the right side (this could show information such as lives and score) used an entirely different set of colors, thus 8 total colors were possible.
  • Graphic type: Bitmap, 2 plane bitpacked

Specification source: Wikipedia

 

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: Astrocade, Astrovision, Bally, Bally Astrocade, retrogaming, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: Roaming In Melbourne

January 28, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Work can be a damn bore. To break the monotony of doing that sales forecast report that is due by the end of the week, we use our lunch-break as a sanctuary to get away from it all.

My lunch break shenanigans had me traversing the city, looking for gaming and pop culture gear in particular. I was pleased to find a number of Nintendo and Namco goodies – from t-shirts and hoodies, to board-games, figurines and pool cues!

Seems as though my timing was quite good, as there were discounts and two-for-one deals throughout the stores – as if I needed more temptation! Shop on!

The coolest NES tee!
Roaming_NES_tee

Coolest Nintendo backpacks ever!
Roaming_NES_Zelda_bags

The coolest Zelda tee!
Roaming_Zelda_tee

A super Super Mario!
Roaming_Super_Mario

The coolest Mario tee!
Roaming_Mario_tee
Nintendo has too many temptations
Roaming_WoN_figurines

Are you a Nintendo gamer? Then you need to wear this!
Roaming_Players_Hoodie

The Nintendo Console History Timeline – where it started
Romaing_Nin_timeline

The Nintendo Console History Timeline – the 90s and early 2000s era
Roaming_Nin_timeline2

You’ll be a Mega Man or a Mega Woman if you wear this!
Roaming_MegaMan_Hoodie

I want to play pool with these Pac-Man balls!
Roaming_Pacman_pool_balls

Compliment your Pac-Man pool balls with this Pac-Man cue!
Romaing_PacMan_pool_cue

37 years on, and Space Invaders is still relevant!
Roaming_spaceinvaders_puzzle

 Lots of drool-worthy tees on this wall!
Roaming_awesome_tees

Let there be light!
Roaming_Tetris_light

Everyone needs Indy in their life
Roaming_Indy

If Nintendo can do it, so can Namco!
Roaming_pacman_gear

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: EB Games, Mega Man, nintendo, Pac-Man, street fighter II, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase, Zing Pop Culture

Australia Day, Ausretrogamer Style

January 26, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Some Australians celebrate Australia Day with a barbie (Ed: that’s barbecue for the uninitiated), others choose to sink a few beers and watch the cricket. For Ms. ausretrogamer and I, we chose to hit the road in search of some arcade and pinball machines.

Luckily for us, there were a few stores opened on this public holiday Monday. We did find a warehouse on the outskirts of Melbourne packed with arcade machines and pinball tables from all eras. We definitely got our fix of retro gaming eye candy this Australia Day!

Retro refreshments for Australia Day!
AusDay_7UP

Oh yeah, some Sega Sport Car Ultimate Drive (SCUD) Race
AusDay_ScudRace

Oh no, a Galaga I & II in need of some TLC!
AusDay_Gottlieb

*Scottish accent*Get in my belly!
AusDay_MiniMe

Shagadelic baby!
AusDay_Austin

Are you scared stiff?
AusDay_Elvira

They’re creepy and they’re kooky
AusDay_Addams

I’ll take the Dalek!
AusDay_DrWho
I don’t think that light will fit
AusDay_cocktail
Lot of history in this place!
AusDay_oldschool

Care for some old school hockey?
AusDay_hockey

Old beauties!
AusDay_oldBeauties
Pinball lovin!
AusDay_oldpinball
May the force be with you!
AusDay_SW
Pinball tables from all eras!
AusDay_wood
Pinball tables as far as the eye can see
AusDay_Pinball
No one puts Virtua Striker 2 or Virtua Tennis 2 in the corner!
AusDay_VS
Evel Knievel and Playboy = what a match!
AusDay_Evel Knievel

Operating on an ultimate cab
AusDay_arcadecab
No joint is complete without a Zoltan!
AusDay_Zoltan

Filed Under: Pinball, Retro Exploring Tagged With: !Arcade!, pinball, Retro Hunting, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: Out and About

January 19, 2015 By ausretrogamer

An impromptu lunchtime sojourn comes up trumps! With no intention of hunting for retro or pop culture goodies, I was surprised what I found in Melbourne’s CBD (Central Business District) as I was out and about. From Sonic comics and video gaming related books, to bartop arcade machines at the most unlikeliest place, it was a lunch break I didn’t expect.

A great start to the week indeed. Oh yeh, my wallet was also worse for wear.

Green Lantern VS Zodac? *Mind completely blown*
Out_DCvsMOTU

An awesome book that is to be read by every gamer!
Out_ConsoleWars

Another awesome book. A great reference indeed!
Out_NintendoBoojk

One for the Zelda fans!
Out_Zeldatee
Wish I could flip through the pages of this book!
Out_art_book

Sonic Comic! Hey, that rhymes! 
Out_Sonic

Sega fans would love this!
Out_Sonic3

More Sonic love!
Out_Sonic2

Oh wow – Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back! I gotta get these!
Out_SilentBob

Your keys would ROCK and look MEGA on this keyring!
Out_MegaMan

Sam Fisher in his desert suit. Very cool indeed.
Out_Splinter

The dark side awaits!
Out_StarWars

An arcade machine in Myer? No way! Oh, that old school phone is cool too.
Out_Myer_arcade

Yes way – it is an arcade machine at Myer!
Out_Myer_arcade_side

The last word always goes to Ron Swanson.
Out_RonSwanson

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: !Arcade!, Jay and Silent Bob, Myer, nintendo, Pop culture, Retro Gaming, sonic, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: First Blood 2015

January 11, 2015 By ausretrogamer

There is nothing like getting that first hunt under your belt for the new year. For our first retro hunt of 2015, Ms. ausretrogamer and I set our sights on the Camberwell Sunday Market – an open-air (car boot) style market near the Camberwell Junction in Melbourne.

The crowd gathers on a perfect summer’s day in Melbourne
thrill_market_crowd

Upon arrival, we searched for a good coffee place to get our all important caffeine fix. Once we were well caffeinated we hit the market stalls to look for loot of the retro and vintage kind. There were E.T. and Alf board games straight from the 1980s, sequined handbags with Pac-Man ghosts, Masters Of The Universe action figures with twisted legs and of course, lots of vinyl!

Board games of 80s aliens!
thrill_market_1

A Pac-Man handbag? Now I have seen it all!
thrill_market_pacmanbag

Mmmmmm, doughnuts!
thrill_market_food

Amongst the smell of hot dogs and delicious jam doughnuts, Ms. ausretrogamer finally caught the scent of some retro gaming items. We followed the scent to a nearby stall and found a PlayStation and Sega Master System console and gaming bundle. With the spurring of Ms. ausretrogamer to get the Master System bundle, I haggled on price and a deal was soon struck. Even though we have a few Master System consoles, it was the seven games that we were after in the deal. First blood had been struck for 2015. Till the next thrill of the chase…….

The prey has been found!
thrill_market_bundle

Can you hear me? These hipster speakers should help.thrill_market_speakers

5c per bowl? Damn games were cheap back in the old days.
thrill_market_bowling5c

The Master System loot is finally home! Time to play!
thrill_market_loot

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: Camberwell Market, Master System, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: Game Over For 2014

December 30, 2014 By ausretrogamer

As the year draws to a close, it had to happen, we had to go for one final thrill of the chase!

With the adrenaline rushing at this time of year, there were classic gaming items to be found and bargains to be bagged. While everyone else was recovering from their Christmas festivities, Ms. ausretrogamer and I hit the road to find those elusive retro games and vintage toys.

There were a number of places that were closed due to the festive season, but that didn’t deter us from going to the next stop on our hit-list. We did hit the jackpot at our final stop – we may not have found what we were looking for, but we did have a blast playing some Daytona USA, Speed Race and the three-screen extravaganza, TX-1.

So with another year in the history books, we eagerly await the new year. Roll on 2015 for more thrills! Happy New Year to you all!

Spotted! Topless Skeletor
thrill__2

Open Pokemon
thrill__6

Close Pokemon. See, I can do magic!
thrill__7

Namco made digital alarm clocks? *Mind Blown*
thrill__9
Master System games + Hillbilly Jim = Perfect!
thrill__3
No way, A (broken) Robot Armatron! 
thrill__8

Seeing is believing
thrill__10

Don’t get these two wet!
thrill__4

Give your TV some old school action!
thrill__5

Dayyyyyytonaaaaa!
thrill__1

20c for some action? That’s cheap as chips!
thrill__12

Go Speed Racer!
thrill__11

Gotta get pole position!
thrill__13

Nooooooo, it’s GAME OVER!
thrill__14

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: Retro Hunting, retrogaming, Speed Race, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase, TX-1

The Thrill Of The Chase: A Cash Converters Christmas Special

December 11, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Xmas_treeChristmas is coming! What better time for a spot of nostalgia and to relive Christmases past by partaking in some retro gaming. And while we’re at it, why not share the nostalgic vibe with your friends and loved ones by spreading some retro gaming cheer!

1-SuFami

2-SuFamiThere aren’t too many stores you can walk into and find whole cabinets full of 20+ year-old video games for sale. It’s fun to search through second hand stores and op shops to find hidden treasures, but if you want a guaranteed treasure trove of retro gaming goodies, then you better hit your local Cash Converters store.

3-Gameboy

4-Gameboy

5-GameCubeThe variation of retro gaming items you find in a Cash Converters store creates a lot of excitement and sets the nostalgic juices flowing. While you have made a bee-line towards that old Atari 2600 game that has taken your fancy, another one, a Sega Master System case, catches your attention to the left of it. This kind of a visual sensory overload is quite welcome when you are on the hunt.

6-PS1

7-AtariSMS

8-MonkeyIslandAs you allow the nostalgia to wash over you, you realise that you need to take a step back and take your time to take it all in – from that Atari CX-40 controller and Nintendo 64 console, to those Game Boy games tucked away behind the bigger cartridges, you want to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

9-SNES_various

10-SNESChatting to the staff about classic video games, you sense their enthusiasm of the products and the memories they bring back for them. I tell you, that nostalgic feeling is super addictive. We were deep in conversation about Super Mario and Game & Watch games with one of the staff members, when one of their colleagues enthusiastically produced a few choice Japanese GameCube titles that had arrived earlier that day. Talk about great timing – our retro gaming senses were now well and truly hitting overdrive!

11-Atari

12-AtariCX40The thrill of hunting old video gaming items you cherished from the 70s, 80s or 90s does become addictive. Luckily, there are Cash Converters stores nearby to provide you your much needed retro gaming fix. For those that are comfortable shopping from the comfort of their own home, don’t fret, the Cash Converters Webshop is full of items to browse and provide you with that nostalgic fix all from the comfort of your armchair.

13-NES

14-N64With our Christmas shopping all done and our wish list completed, we’ll put out the milk and biscuits for Santa, hoping that he will reward us for being good for another year. Have a retro gaming and safe Christmas!

To stay up to date with the latest Cash Converters news follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google +.

CC_store-front

Sponsored post

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: Cash Converters, Retro Gaming, Retro gaming hunting, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: Vintage and Memorabilia Hunting

December 2, 2014 By ausretrogamer

It had been some time since our last The Thrill Of The Chase. With the close of 2014 getting nearer, we are aiming to squeeze a few more thrills before the curtain falls on this year!

With the adrenaline rushing, we blazed a path across Melbourne to some vintage markets, pawn stores and a very funky memorabilia store. What we found was great and thrilling, but prices of items precluded us from taking things back home.

So, what did we find you may ask? Rather than words (Ed: boring!), check out the below photos!

Celebrating like it is 1984!
Thrill_1

Let’s take a look, shall we
Thrill_1a

Um, this memorabilia store is a fire hazard – it’s packed to the rafters!
Thrill_2

TANANA NANANA TANANA NANA TANANA NANANA TANANA NANA GHOSTBUSTERS!
Thrill_3

A very expensive Freddo!
Thrill_4

Old school WWF is where it’s at baby!
Thrill_5

E.T. will phone home!
Thrill_6

At last, some Game & Watch beauties
Thrill_7

The ubiquitous Pac-man and Simon!
Thrill_8

Sega, Atari and Nintendo games!
Thrill_9

Donkey Kong Hockey Micro Vs for $65? No!
Thrill_10

Atari is best
Thrill_11

Scarface playing cards? Say hello to my……
Thrill_12

Perfectly tactile QWERTY keyboard
Thrill_13

I spy a MOTU boxed product!
Thrill_14

Whoa! I wonder if this Taito Asuka & Asuka arcade cabinet is for sale?
Thrill_15

Before DVD, there were some big ass LaserDiscs
Thrill_16

Oh man, Gakken Super Puck Monster tabletop! Very hard to resist
Thrill_17

Let’s hookup this Mac to the internet
Thrill_18

Scarface – enough said!
Thrill_19

Surely this Taito Speed Race machine is for sale?
Thrill_20

Oh damn, it’s for fun only
Thrill_21

I play while Ms. ausretrogamer shops
Thrill_22

Three screen action aplenty! 
Thrill_23

Yoda overseeing our shenanigans
Thrill_24

Filed Under: Retro Exploring Tagged With: Lost and Found, Memorabilia, Retro Hunting, retrogaming, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase, Vintage

The Thrill Of The Chase: Pinball Dreams

August 8, 2014 By ausretrogamer

This thrill of the chase is special. Well, all of the chases and hunts are special and exciting in their own unique way, but this one, this one tops them all (Ed: for now!).

You know that one item you had been lusting after for decades, but it was always out of reach? Yeh, that one! The latest thrill fulfils a life long lust for a pinball table. I can now cross off ‘get a pinball table’ from the retro gaming bucket list. The previous owner did warn me though – you can never stop at one pinball machine! I shudder at the thought.

Once PIN•BOT was in its rightful place and switched on, it was like I had traveled back in time, a time when I was young and carefree. The sight of the flashing lights, the sounds, the metal ball – there is nothing quite like pinball. Oh yeah, that robotic speech just sends chills down my spine!

The table has been set to freeplay and I can tell you, PIN•BOT is one punishing game. I definitely need to work on my twitch skills!

pinbot_no1

Pinbot_1

Pinbot_2

Pinbot_3

Pinbot_4

Pinbot_5

Pinbot_6

Pinbot_7

Pinbot_8

Pinbot_9

Pinbot_10

Pinbot_11

 

 

Filed Under: Pinball, Retro Exploring Tagged With: Pin*Bot, pinball, retrogaming, The Thrill Of The Chase, thrill of the chase

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