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PixelCrib Giveaway – Win an Analogue Pocket!

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Another PixelCrib Giveaway – you could win the OpenFPGA beauty, the Analogue Pocket!

After their incredible response to last month’s Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle giveaway, we knew PixelCrib would keep the good vibes rolling. For this month, PixleCrib is giving away something truly special: the Analogue Pocket!

🕹️ Why the Analogue Pocket?
Because it’s a retro gaming dream come true! This sleek handheld plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges (and many, many more!) with pixel-perfect accuracy thanks to its powerful FPGA hardware. If you’re a fan of classic gaming, this is the ultimate collector’s piece. The Analogue Pocket is indeed the best thing since sliced bread!

📦 How to Enter:
From 16–31 August 2025, every order of an in-stock item gets you an automatic entry into the draw.
✅ Shop online or visit PixelCrib in-store
✅ Each order = one entry (yep, multiple orders = multiple chances!)
🚫 Pre-orders aren’t eligible, so make sure your item is ready to ship!

🌍 This giveaway is open to everyone — whether you’re in Australia or anywhere else in the world!

Have we told you how much we love our Analogue Pockets?!

 

📅 Winner Announcement:
PixelCrib will randomly draw the winner on Monday, 1 September 2025 and reach out via email or phone.

🎮 Ready to win the ultimate retro handheld?
Head to PixelCrib.com.au, grab something awesome, and you’re in the running. Good luck, gamers — may the pixels be ever in your favour!

 

‘Fantastic Four’ on PS1

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

“Fantastic Four” for the original PlayStation was a blast to play. For 1997, the gameplay graphics were superior to other video games at that time. It was a routine beating up numerous bad guys in side-scrolling stages game, similarly to the “Double Dragon” series and “Ninja Gaiden.” Having Human Torch leading the way and having The Thing cover the rear was always thrilling. Human Torch was a menace with fiery punches. I liked how Sue Storm could bring down the blue lightning when the fighting got extremely intense. Force Power was something I always used when a huge number of foes approached the team.

One complaint about the Acclaim Entertainment game is that the stages seemed too long. The Fantastic Four had to cover a lot of terrain before they got through a rigorous stage. The attack of the Molemen was a fun part of the game, but the time it took to defeat them was taxing. The payoff was lengthy. The payoff was a short fight with The Incredible Hulk.

The final stage: “Is the World Doomed?” was the best part of the game. I always thought that Dr. Doom welding a rocket launcher at the end was a little unfair. Dr. Doom looked great.

source: supplied

I’m excited for the new “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but the trailers have been underwhelming to me. The films starring Chris Evans and Jessica Alba have a quirky, fun quality to them, but they’re in no way good comic book movies. In the second one, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” released in 2007, it’s like they didn’t know what to do with the Silver Surfer. Hopefully the new Marvel film doesn’t make the same mistake.

I’m a huge fan of Vanessa Kirby. She was terrific in “Hobbs and Shaw” and a small, great film called “Pieces of a Woman.” I think she’ll be a wonderful Sue Storm. Her fight scenes in “Hobbs and Shaw” were some of my favourite parts of that fun action movie. And she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “Pieces of a Woman.” And I think everyone likes Pedro Pascal. I’m not sure if Joseph Quinn can pull off Human Torch, but he gave two standout turns in last years’ “A Quiet Place: Day One” and “Gladiator 2.”

Review: Irem Collection Volume 3 (Xbox) – Blast from the Pixelated Past

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If you’re a fan of side-scrolling shoot ‘em ups and wild retro weirdness, Irem Collection Volume 3 from ININ Games is like opening a time capsule filled with pixelated power-ups, dragons, and the kind of creative enemy design only the ’80s and ’90s could conjure. This lovingly compiled collection brings together three of Irem’s most eccentric and thrilling shooters: Mr. Heli/Battle Chopper, Mystic Riders, and Dragon Breed. And trust me—you’re in for a ride that’s as bizarre as it is brilliant.

🚁 Mr. Heli / Battle Chopper (Arcade & PC Engine)

This quirky little helicopter with eyes and a face is anything but cute when it comes to dishing out destruction. In Mr. Heli, you’re piloting a plucky chopper through caves, industrial complexes, and molten hellscapes, blasting enemies while navigating tight spaces and gravity-defying jumps.

The PC Engine version is a neat inclusion—it’s a faithful port with slightly different sprite work and some charming 16-bit flair. Whether you’re nostalgic for the arcade or curious about the console iteration, it’s great to have both.

🧙‍♂️ Mystic Riders (Arcade)

Mystic Riders is what happens when you mix magic carpets, flying broomsticks, and enough glittery magic spells to make Hogwarts jealous. This co-op horizontal shmup is the most whimsical of the bunch—two wizard kids take to the skies to take down fantastical foes in a world that feels like a mashup of anime and high fantasy fever dreams.

The local 2-player co-op here is where it shines. There’s something inherently joyful about launching fireballs and dodging oversized haunted pumpkins with a friend at your side.

🐉 Dragon Breed (Arcade)

Now this is the heavy-hitter. You’re not just piloting a ship—you’re riding a freaking giant golden dragon across a dystopian sci-fi landscape. The gameplay twist? Your dragon is invincible, acting like a moving shield as you rain laser death upon alien hordes. It’s smart, strategic, and the kind of game that sticks with you.

With its epic boss fights, moody soundtrack, and layers of attack options, Dragon Breed is arguably the crown jewel of this collection.

🎮 Quality of Life Upgrades

ININ Games didn’t just dump ROMs and call it a day—there are some thoughtful enhancements here:

  • Quick Save/Load and a built-in rewind system let you recover from boneheaded mistakes or rewind to finesse your dodging skills.

  • Customisable controls, including rapid-fire assignments, make a huge difference for comfort and performance.

  • Display filters recreate the glow and scanlines of old-school arcade monitors, or keep it clean with sharp pixels—it’s your choice.

  • Worldwide leaderboards add a modern challenge for competitive score-chasers.

🕹️ Final Thoughts

Irem Collection Volume 3 is a joyous blast of arcade nostalgia. Whether you’re chasing high scores, revisiting forgotten favourites, or discovering them for the first time, these games hold up remarkably well. The mix of fantasy and sci-fi, wacky enemy designs, and tight shoot ‘em up mechanics showcase why Irem was a kingpin of the genre.

And let’s be honest—riding a fire-breathing dragon while blasting biomechanical nightmares just never gets old.

Score: 7.5/10 – Pure retro arcade magic, lovingly preserved and enhanced for the modern couch warrior.

Grand Theft Auto VI’s Second Trailer

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I’m an enormous fan of the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise and I’m looking forward to the release of “GTA VI,” but I must be honest…I wasn’t that impressed by the newest “GTA VI” trailer that was released a month ago.

There are some on the internet who have some absurd conspiracy theories about what happens in the next installment of “GTA.” I’ve heard one about car keys that made me laugh. I was told one about the pregnant woman that appears in the trailer that was absolutely ridiculous. “GTA VI” is the biggest video game in the world. Predictions and theories are going to be all over the map, but some are senseless.

I think there will be a lot more role-playing mechanics added to the game from the previous versions. There were 31 million views of the second trailer in 8 hours. Rockstar released it on a random Tuesday to please curious fans. I like the first trailer for “GTA VI” more. The use of music in “GTA” trailers has been terrific, especially for “Vice City” with “I Ran” by the band A Flock of Seagulls. That trailer for “Vice City” made me want to play that game the moment I watched it.


source: Rockstar Games

The visuals look amazing in the new trailer. The details of what characters are wearing look incredible. There’s a moment in a club where our principal characters (perhaps) dance and it looks like a scene out of a film. I paused the trailer and watched that moment again. The shiny, party dress that our lead female protagonist is wearing looks so real.

I don’t think any gaming company has ever had a more ace-in-the-hole than Rockstar has with the “GTA VI” release. Maybe in all of entertainment. Everyone knew Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” would be a smash hit. “GTA VI” has that level of anticipation for a piece of entertainment.

 

Long Live The LAN Party!

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Re-live your LAN Party Glory

Remember the hum of CRTs, the screech of dial-up, and the sacred ritual of dragging your entire desktop to a mate’s place for a night of epic fragging?

ACMI is celebrating the glory days of multiplayer gaming in their upcoming Game Worlds exhibition — and they want YOU to be part of it.

💾 Dig up those LAN party pics — the mess of Ethernet cables, the snack-fuelled chaos, the Windows 98 loading screens — and send them in. Your photo could be featured on the walls of ACMI, forever commemorating your place in gaming history.

📸 Email your photos to: [email protected]
🗓 Exhibition opens September 2025

Let’s honour the golden age of connection — before online matchmaking, there was a mate’s garage, a switchboard, and a shared love of the grind.

Bonus trivia: ACMI’s own CEO, Seb Chan, got his start wrangling LANs and playing HEXEN. We’ve all come a long way — now it’s your turn to be featured.

image source: ACMI

We Want The Nintendo Switch 2 So Baaaad!

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This ain’t a retro gaming related post, but damn, that Nintendo Switch 2 looks so darn sweet!

Lil ausretrogamer has taken a shine to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the original Switch, pumping thousands of hours on it – she is quite good at it and kicks my ar$e every time I race her! So the question remains, should we trade up to the NS2 and Mario Kart World, or stay on the OG Switch and milk it till it dies a slow (but fun) death? What a dilemma!

As the Borg collective famously said, “Resistance is futile”. So, did any of you guys pick up the Switch 2 (and Mario Kart World)? If so, what are your thoughts? Oh yeah, how is the free roaming on MKW? Oh mannnn, so many questions! Hit us up in the comments on FB over here to tell us your thoughts.


source: Nintendo of America

Game Over Sale: 1UP Arcade’s Final Week!

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Following on from our previous post about Brisbane’s 1UP Arcade closing down this week (to the public), they have listed for sale quite a few of their arcade machines, with quite a few that are highly sought after! If only we were closer, we would have loved to have grabbed some of the below listed machines!

If you are keen on grabbing an arcade machine (or two), head on to 1UP Arcade to inspect (and buy) these machines. Just be sure to get there this week/weekend – their opening hours are:

  • Thu: 12-8pm
  • Friday: 12-10pm
  • Saturday: 10am-10pm
  • Sunday: 12-8pm

Oh yeah, 1UP Arcade is also hosting a GAME OVER event with delicious burgers and fries been served up by the FOOD BABY FOOD TRUCK!

PS: Love seeing MCA arcade joysticks being used – nothing beats them!

image source: 1UP Arcade via Facebook

 

GAME OVER: Brisbane’s Beloved 1UP Arcade Set to Close

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Retro Arcade Gaming Fans Prepare to Farewell 1UP Arcade

Sad news for retro gaming fans: Brisbane’s iconic 1UP Arcade, the largest dedicated retro arcade in the southern hemisphere, is preparing to shut its doors.

The announcement came earlier this year, when founder and owner Stephen Holmes shared a heartfelt post on Facebook on February 28th, detailing the arcade’s incredible journey — from its humble beginnings to its rise as a community hub, and the immense challenges faced throughout the pandemic and beyond. If you haven’t read Stephen’s full message, it’s well worth your time [link].

Since the news broke, the retro gaming community has been in mourning — and with good reason. Running a small business is hard enough, but operating a venue filled with hundreds of rare, fragile, and painstakingly restored arcade machines is a monumental task. It’s a true labour of love, one that Stephen and his team poured their hearts into.

The story of 1UP Arcade was even featured on the acclaimed documentary Still Standing, showcasing the passion and resilience behind the scenes. (If you haven’t watched it yet, now’s the perfect time.)

Mainstream media also took notice, with A Current Affair airing a segment about the closure on April 23rd, highlighting just how much 1UP meant to Brisbane’s cultural and entertainment landscape.


source: A Current Affair on YouTube

Our thoughts are with Stephen and everyone involved with 1UP Arcade. It’s a massive loss not just for Brisbane, but for the retro gaming world at large.

image source: 1UP Arcade (via Facebook)

Brilliant Ad Strategy for ‘GTA VI’

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive still haven’t announced a release date for their much anticipated “Grand Theft Auto VI.” I believe the game will be released by the end of this year, possibly before Christmas, but they haven’t released any new footage or a new trailer for the smash hit. And, in a clever way, it’s genius marketing.

“Grand Theft Auto VI” is making all the other game production studios nervous about when to release their games. It’s smart not to put out a release date for “GTA VI.” They know at Rockstar Games that they could wait a week before the release to drop an ad; the anticipation from fans of the “GTA” franchise is already at a summit.

I can’t remember a time when there was so much enthusiasm for a video game release. Maybe when “Halo 2” was released in 2004? If Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive want the launch to be swift and sudden, I don’t think they lose a single unit sell of “GTA VI.” I’m sure there will be fans camping out at Best Buy stores on the eve of its long-awaited release. The brand is iconic, and it doesn’t need much promotion to break sales records in a matter of hours. “GTA VI” could be the biggest selling video game in history, and I know the key people at Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games think that as well.


source: Rockstar Games

Big advertising opportunities are few and far between now to the end of summer. We just had the Final Four. If it’s a spring ’26 release, maybe an ad before the first NFL game of the 2025-26 season. The “GTA” franchise is so prevalent, I could see an ad in the theater before a Marvel film this summer.

It was recently announced that the biggest Nintendo Switch 2 games like “Mario Kart World” could cost $80 dollars. That means “GTA VI” could be priced at $100 dollars. And with all the buzz about how the sixth entry is “cinematic,” it could be priced even higher. “GTA VI” has been listed by a Swiss retailer for $112 dollars. With the demand so high, I expect the price point of the game to be expensive.

I wonder if “GTA VI” will last fifteen years plus before we get “GTA VII.”

 

 

TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming – A Spine-Chilling Journey into Gaming’s Darkest Corners

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If you’ve ever felt your pulse quicken while creeping through the foggy streets of Silent Hill, or if you still get shivers remembering the first time a zombie turned its head in Resident Evil, then brace yourself—because TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming is about to take you on a deep dive into the genre’s terrifying history.

A Love Letter to Horror Gaming

Horror in gaming has always been about more than just jump scares. It’s an art form—one that thrives on tension, atmosphere, and a creeping sense of dread that lingers long after you put down the controller. TerrorBytes is a five-episode documentary series that explores this unique world, shining a light on the creators, innovations, and eerie legends that have shaped horror gaming into what it is today.

With a stacked cast of over 50 industry legends, including Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka, DOOM co-creator John Romero, and Deadly Premonition director Swery65, this is no ordinary gaming retrospective. Even horror movie icon John Carpenter joins the fray, proving that the love of horror knows no boundaries between mediums.

John Carpenter
Akira Yamaoka

What’s Lurking in the Shadows?

Each episode of TerrorBytes dissects a different aspect of horror gaming’s evolution:

  • Survival Horror – The genre that made you count every bullet and check every shadow.
  • Licensed Horror Games – From Friday the 13th to Alien: Isolation, the best (and worst) horror adaptations.
  • FMV & Interactive Horror – A look at the eerie rise of full-motion video and cinematic storytelling in horror.
  • The Indie Horror Revolution – How small teams and solo developers are redefining terror.
  • Cursed & Controversial Games – The legends, mysteries, and moral panics that have haunted the genre.

From classic franchises like Resident Evil and Clock Tower to modern indie nightmares like Iron Lung and FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, TerrorBytes doesn’t just explore games—it dissects them like a mad scientist in a horror flick.

How to Get Your Hands on TerrorBytes

Ahead of its April release, TerrorBytes has launched a final pre-sale campaign, giving horror fans the chance to score exclusive perks. Pre-ordering grants early digital access to the first two episodes, your name in the credits, a digital copy of FPS: First Person Shooter, and access to the Darkness Unlimited streaming service—a must-have for horror aficionados.

A Documentary Born from Fear and Passion

Richard Moss, writer and director of TerrorBytes, sums it up best: “Horror games provide an incredible breadth of experience, emotion, and catharsis away from the conventional gaming power fantasy.” Producer Daniel Richardson adds, “It has been a dream come true shooting all over the globe with the people that shaped horror gaming history.”

For those brave enough to delve into gaming’s darkest corners, TerrorBytes is shaping up to be an essential watch. Don’t miss out—secure your copy now at terrorbytesdoc.com and prepare to confront the evolution of horror gaming like never before.

image source: TerrorBytes