Thursday, July 23, 2009

Dead Fantasy I


So if you're a fan of the "Final Fantasy" or "Dead or Alive" series of games, a guy by the name of Monty Oum created a series of videos that has the female characters of each series facing off against one another. The animation is fantastic, and I always find it interesting to see what kind of new content people can make by mashing up assets from games.

Arm Champs II at the York Beach Arcade


The arcade at York Beach, ME is called 'Fun O Rama,' and I've been going there for over 25 years now. Every time I visit, I end up playing something for the first time. On Wednesday, it was "Arm Champs II," an arm wrestling game that feels like a cross between "Over the Top" and "Street Fighter." You are pitted against a variety of colorful characters as you literally arm wrestle the robotic arm of the machine. I can only imagine these fell out of style after some kids had their forearms shattered. Seriously, my arm was hurting after two matches and a bonus level strength test. Still, I did amass a 2-0 record, so I guess that makes me the arm champ.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Star Wars at the Happy Hampton Arcade


We visited friends in Hampton Beach, NH yesterday and spent some time at the Happy Hampton Arcade. Among the great old games was "Star Wars Trilogy Arcade," a sit-down featuring a combination of FPS and vehicle combat in missions based on the original trilogy. I played the Hoth mission and took down some AT-ATs with my snowspeeder.

Brian

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Boardwalk Arcade's 'Boardwalk Bank and Loan'


One of the best ticket-based games at the Boardwalk Arcade, this one's an oldie and a goodie. You use the air gun to shoot the small targets, earning tickets for every few you hit. Most of the targets animate when hit, like the bank teller who hides under the teller counter, or the spitoon that rocks and makes a clanging noise when hit. Good stuff.

Brian

Monday, July 20, 2009

Chasing Ghosts : Retro Gaming Film

My friend just brought this film to my attention. It is called "Chasing Ghosts." You can visit their website and find out the next time it will be on cable. I do not have cable, so I'll need to find it on DVD somewhere. Drop by our forum and let us know if you've seen it and if you enjoyed it. I know I loved "King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters." I you haven't checked that out, I'd go out and get it now. Check out their site. It used to be a cooler site. Don't know what happened. We'll talk about that film more on the show and do a blog write-up for it. GAME ON!!

Boardwalk Arcade in Wells, ME


So the family made our first trip to the Boardwalk Arcade at Wells Beach last night. This place has been here since at least the early 80's, and some of the original games from when it opened are still here. Like many arcades, most of the games are now ticket-based, but there are still a few stand-ups as well. Over the next few days I'll post some pics of indidual games.

Brian

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Arcade Games Referenced in Film and TV

We've been having a discussion on the show about video game machines popping up in films and TV. There have been a lot of great examples given on the forums and I'd like to share one of my favorites so far. I have not seen this movie, but I'm going to have to get my hands on a copy ASAP. I can see that I will love it. Enjoy! Thanks Niceguyeddie!


Track and Field Still Rocks

While waiting for friends to jump on XBox Live last night, I went through my XBLA library and remembered that I had downloaded "Track and Field" a while back. I played for about a half hour, and the game holds up amazingly well. Everything about "Track and Field" is streamplined and simple, from the controls to the graphics. In fact, the original "Track and Field" is still better than most of the olympic-style games that have come after it in the past 20 years.

Another great thing about "Track and Field" is that the NES version is really good as well. So, if you haven't played this game for a while, track it down and give it a spin. It's a great multiplayer game as well.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Submit your Arcade Machine Sitings at Aurcade.com

I submitted the question to our listeners: "Where are your local retro game uprights located." Well, after I posed that question, I started googling in my area and found the site www.aurcade.com. There is not much going on here in terms of New England. So I think it is our duty (being a New England based podcast segment) to fill up the gaps. Brian and I will do our best to do some updating, but I encourage all of our listeners throughout the US and Canada, to visit the site and fill'er up! Thanks!

Dirt Bike - The Game

Back in college... a "few" years ago, I came across a game called Dirtbike 3D for the PC. It was a downloadible demo which quickly became addictive. I ended up buying a license. I don't remember what the price was, but it was worth every penny. Especially since it allowed online gaming. I'd like to share a link I found to it today: click here

I'm not sure if it falls into our retro category, but I drew my attention, because it gave me a 3D version of "Excite Bike" with some retro flare. You can also mod maps, riders and do insanely silly huge airs. Try it out and let us know what you think.

What game controllers do you have?

I was zipping around the internet today seeking retro game goodness, when I came across this image in google images. Kotaku.com asks their readers, "which game controllers do you own?" I'm pretty sure I own seven from this picture. Do I know what they all are called? Nope. But I've got them. How many do you have?



Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tell us about local retro upright machines in your area.

Do you have an arcade with some retro games in it? Please share it with us. I will talk be talking to Brian on our next segment about arcades and where they are, where they have gone and how we can try and help our own stay in business.

I recently found a few games tucked away in the upstairs of the Foxwoods casino. I grabbed this picture off of the net to let people know where they are. There are some stairs behind the machines on the right hand side of this picture. Head up those and head all the way to the back. You'll find Pacman, Galaga and Spy Hunter waiting for you. They need some love. Visit the official Cartridgecade Message Board and let us know where your retro game uprights are hiding. A pizza place, arcade, local bar, pool hall etc...

NES controll mod for Wii

I wish Nintendo would just release a completely white old school NES controller to attach to the Wii. However, rather than holding your breath, you could try this cool mod that I found while browsing for retro gaming goodness. There is nothing better (in my opinion) than meshing todays technology with my favorite old games. That's one of the main reasons I purchased a Wii.

Check out the mod by clicking this link.
Or just buy an adapter!!!!


Monday, July 13, 2009

GMP Game Media Player 2GB - NES Emulator + AV OUT (0549-0001)

Not interested in obtaining piles of NES carts for your Mini Retro Handheld? Or you don't want to carry around you carts on your long road trips? Try out a handheld like the GMP Game Media Player 2GB - NES Emulator + AV OUT (0549-0001). You can load up your roms and go to town without the hassle of extra bulk. You can also listen to music and watch movies too.

Here is one place to get. You may want to shop around.


Manufacturer Specification
  • Memory: 2GB
  • External Memory: SD/MMC Card (Max 2GB)
  • Display: 3 Inch TFT LCD
  • Video Format: AVI
    Conversion formats: MP4, AVI, WMV
    Video Resolution: 320x240
    FPS (Frames per Second): 25fps
  • Music Format: MP3, WMA
    Bit rate: 32-320Kbps
  • Picture Format: JPEG, BMP, GIF
  • Built in MIC
    Record Format: WAV
  • FM radio: 87.5~108.0MHz
  • Earphone Jack: 3.5mm
  • SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio): >85dB
  • Output of earphones: 2x23mW(16Ohm)
  • Output of Speaker: 2x23mW(16Ohm)
  • Languages: English, Chinese, French, Dutch, Czech, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
  • USB: 2.0
  • System: Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP
  • Power Source: Built in Rechargeable Li Battery
  • Dimension: 62x130x19mm (LxWxD)
You can also check out this less expensive counterpart, which seems promising"
Click Here


China Manufacturer Specifications

  • Primary Function: Gaming and media player entertainment system
  • Display: 2.8 inch QVGA LTPS (Low Temperature PolySilicon) LCD Screen
  • Memory:
    - Internal 4GB
    - External Mini SD card
  • Controller Design: D-pad
  • Gaming Console Modes:
    - NES (Nintendo Entertainment System - 8bit)
    - SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 16bit)
    - Sega Genesis (Sega Mega-Drive - 16-bit)
    - GBA (Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
    - Neo-Geo (SNK Neo-Geo)
    - CPS1 and CPS2 (CAPCOM, arcade game systems, 1st and 2nd edition)
  • Compatible Video Formats: FLV, WMV, ASF, RM, AVI, MPEG, MP4, RMVB, SWF
  • Compatible Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC
  • I/O Slots
    - Earphone jack
    - Mini-USB slot
    - Mini-SD slot
    - AV OUT (output to TV - NTSC or PAL, 16:9 or 4:3)
    - Stereo Speakers
  • Additional Media Functions:
    - FM Radio with recording function
    - Voice Recorder (MP3, WAV)
    - Image viewer (JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG)
    - Ebook reader (with text to speech function)
  • Languages: English, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional)
  • Dimensions: 125mm x 56mm x 14mm (L x W x H)
  • Manufacturer Ref: C244B8F4E8
  • Catalog Ref: Nintendo, DS, videogames, handhelds
Product Notes
  • Introduce your children to 8-bit and 16-bit gaming coolness and never hear another "I'm so bored" complaint from them again
  • NES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 16bit) = FC (Nintendo Family Computer, 8-bit)
  • SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 16bit) = SFC (Nintendo Super Family Computer, 16-bit)
Package Contents
  • Model CVFH-N03-4G Portable Game Unit
  • AC Adapter
  • Mini-USB adapter
  • User Manual - English
  • Earbuds

NES Cartridge Handheld

If you are like me, you've always wanted to have full fledge NES games in a hand held format. I remember, as a kid, dreaming of playing Contra, Double Dragon or Legend of Kage on my car ride. Full color, glowing screen and all. It just wasn't possible. But now it is. You can click in a cartridge and hit the road with Think Geeks, Retro Mini Handheld.

Check out the item here!FC Mobile 2 II NES Portable System White

Product Features
  • Handheld NES system plays original full-size NES cartridges
  • 2.4" LCD TFT Screen
  • Built in Speakers
  • Headphone out jack
  • Includes composite (NTSC) video/audio out cables for playing on a TV
  • You need to supply your own NES cartridges
  • Requires 4 x AA batteries (not included)
  • Runs for over 8 hours on a single set of batteries
  • Dimensions: 15cm x 9cm x 4cm deep

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Dreamcast Donation


Look what I picked up yesterday. I'm very excited. More to come...

DREAMCAST

Thursday, July 2, 2009

NES Wii Game Skin

I'm in a posting mood today because I'm googling 8 bit graphics to get this site under way. I keep getting side tracked!



Check out this cool skin for the Wii. Easy on-easy off decals to give your Wii that NES look. I actually might get this. I can't believe it, but I don't know that I can help myself. Simple concept: get stickers to transform your Wii. We've seen this idea to add your favorite character to your Wii, 360, PS3 etc... but never have I seen someone make a disguise for their system. I give if 5 out of 5 NES cartridges sitting sadly in a corner.

Check it out here.

Get Your Retro-game On with the Wii and Original Game Controllers!

This awesome adapter allows you to hook up your N64, SNES or NES controllers to the Wii for that real retro game feel. Are you like me? You have a bunch of virtual console games on the Wii, but you want to feel like you're really playing the true system or you don't want to worry about batteries in your Wii mote while you try to beat Zelda all in one sitting? Well here is your answer. I may have to get this myself.

I found it here, but I'm sure there are other places on the net.

Which system do you like best!?