The iPhone may be the newest gaming rig on the field, but it\’s starting to host its fair share of yesteryear. Some of the biggest names in retro gaming have popped on the touch screen, such as Namco\’s Pac-Man and Atari\’s Missile Command. And in just the last few weeks, the App Store has placed wayback classics like Space War and Adventure within reach of iPhone gamers. But one of the most intriguing trips down memory lane comes courtesy of Sid Player, a to-go jukebox that links you directly to a huge library of classic Commodore 64 music.\r\n\r\nThere is something special about the music of the C64. The Commodore 64 was a wildly successful platform that snuck into many homes as a productivity machine, but was primarily used as a game player. The C64 was built with audio in mind (among other things) and the SID chip was capable of producing some incredible game music. While technically limited when compared to the audio equipment of today, the SID chip, in the right hands, could sing. Some of the greats of the era, such as Rob Hubbard and Paul Norman, coaxed some fantastic music — not game music, but just music — out of the SID. Play The Last V8, Human Race, Aztec Challenge, and Forbidden Forest, and just try to disagree.

\r\n\r\nEven though I don\’t own an iPhone (yeah, it sucks) and didn\’t own a Commodore 64, I could imagine how strange it would feel playing classic or retro video games on a 3.5-inch widescreen at 480 by 320 pixel resolution. Playing these retro games isn\’t about how it looks or sounds, but how it feels, and how it feels right in the hands of a passionate classic or retro gamer.\r\n\r\nIf I owned an iPhone, however, I\’d probably go for retro or classic video games that I had played when I was young … er. Space Invaders and Asteroids, which I originally played on the Atari 2600, are probably two of the games I\’d get for my iPhone.\r\n\r\nScouring the Internet, but staying away from the Apple iPhone App Store, I\’ve found a retro game pack for the gadget at Apptism. The retro game pack has four games—Bricks, Alien Hunter, Tank Wars and Pong—and is downloadable, for a fee, of course, from Apptism.\r\n\r\nBefore you go downloading new retro (boy that sounds so contradictory!) video games to your iPhone, consider viewing this video entitled The Good, Bad & Ugly side of the Apple iPhone App Store from TekieTV:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOh, and if you\’re looking for a good blog to get news about Apple and the iPhone, check out The After Mac and Cellphone9.

Post from: EveryJoe

Even the iPhone is going retro

How did the guys up at Arthur’s Hall come up with the idea of giving the world such a list of video games? Shatner (yes, after William Shatner), Arthur’s Viking Assistant, gives us the details:

I had a discussion with Arthur the other day regarding the question, “Are video games manly?” While wasting your life away on a couch playing video games isn’t quite as manly as killing small animals for food, or going to war against the forces of tyranny, we decided that in the end, video games are a manly form of entertainment.

Here’s how I went through Arthur’s Hall’s list:

Pro Wrestling on the Nintendo Entertainment System … check. Counter-Strike on the PC … check. Double Dragon on the NES, in the Arcade, and on the Sega Master System … check. Street Fighter II on multiple systems … check. Ikaruga on the Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo GameCube … what the hell’s Ikaruga? Tecmo Bowl on the NES … never played it since American Football is a very alien sport in my country. Metal Slug on the Neo Geo … check. Custer’s Revenge on the Atari 2600 … yeah, saw it when I was younger but didn’t understand the object of the game (which was to order General Custer to, uhmmm, ravish a young Indian girl). Mike Tyson’s Punch Out on the NES … check. And finally Contra on the NES … perfect!

Then I thought, “Waitaminute! Where’s Leisure Suit Larry?

Leisure Suit Larry is the series of adventure games written by Al Lowe (hail to the chief!) and published by Sierra On-Line from the 1980s to the present. The character, whose full name is Larry Laffer, is a balding, dorky, double entendre-speaking, leisure suit-wearing “loser” in his 40s who spends much of his life trying, usually unsuccessfully, to seduce attractive women.

Undoubtedly, Leisure Suit Larry is the manliest game of all time … that is, if Larry is a bit more manly looking. But where’s the adventure in playing a good-looking, hunky guy in his 40s with the goal of chasing, always successfully, nubile young and attractive women?

Here’s a short overview courtesy of Wikipedia:

Leisure Suit Larry originally stemmed from ideas of Sierra’s first adventure game Softporn Adventure created by designer Chuck Benton. The Larry games were one of Sierra’s most popular games series during the genre’s heyday when it was first released in the mid 1980s. As such, they remain well-known among fans of the type today. The series stands out among Sierra’s catalog in that they are the only games the company produced that contain significant sexual themes.

In general, the games follow Larry’s escapades as he attempts (and mostly fails) to convince a variety of young nubile women (rendered with increasing sophistication throughout the series) to have sex with him. A common link between the games are Larry’s explorations of luxurious and cosmopolitan hotels, ships, beaches, resorts and, more commonly, casinos. One of Larry’s trademarks is his manner of introducing himself: “Hi, my name is Larry; Larry Laffer,” a reference to James Bond’s introduction style, “My name is Bond; James Bond.”

Because of the nature of the games, the first and third episodes of the series featured an age verification system, which consisted of a series of questions to which the authors reasoned only adults would know the answer. However, many of the questions were United States-centric and this frustrated some non-U.S. gamers. Also, the multiple-choice questions did little to deter adolescents with some patience and a notepad.

Post from: EveryJoe

10 Manliest Video Games of All Time: What, no Leisure Suit Larry?!?

If you don’t have time to go through the video, you can check out Filmgecko’s writeup on the G.I. Joe movie cast.

Of course, since this blog is about classic and retro games, I’ve opted to, at least for the meantime, stick to the topic and give you a review of what is probably the first G.I. Joe video game, G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike for the Atari 2600.

Here’s a two-word review for the game: IT SUCKS!

Well, G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike might have been cool back in the 1980s, especially with that good rendition of a giant cobra swishing back and forth in an attempt to obliterate the Joes, but in retrospect, I find it more fun moving a small dot that represents the Millennium Falcon around a large dot that represents the Death Star. Yes, I’m talking about the classic Star Wars video game, Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle.

Going back to G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike, the player controls a G.I. Joe training camp on the bottom of the screen protected by a barrier and armed with two laser cannons. In this mode, the goal is to keep the giant cobra-operated robot snake from destroying the shield and thus the training camp by hitting it eight times. The Cobra robot shoots (surprise, surprise) venom and laser beams.

In the cooperative mode, the training camp is split between two players as they work to destroy the Cobra robot. There is also a competition mode in which one player plays Cobra and the other takes the role of G.I. Joe, of course.

Find it interesting? Well I don’t, except for the fact that it’s a G.I. Joe video game. I’m not the only one. Check out this video by Classic Game Room where the guy who did the voiceover talked less about the video game and more about the cartoon and comic book series.

Post from: EveryJoe

G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike for Atari 2600. Ewwww!

Kohler\\\\\\\’s first book, Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, was published by BradyGAMES in September 2004. Kohler completed the research for Power-Up as a Fulbright scholar to Kyoto, Japan. He graduated summa cum laude with highest thesis honors from Tufts University. He has contributed to books such as Gaming Hacks for O\\\\\\\’Reilly and High Score! Second Edition for McGraw-Hill.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nAll that aside, he would most like to be remembered as having starred as the first guard after Vulcan Raven in the Easy mode of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for Nintendo GameCube.

\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nNow, who wouldn\\\\\\\’t be interested in taking a gander at Retro Gaming Hacks? It\\\\\\\’s chockful of retro gaming goodies, such as guides on how to buy and run old consoles like the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System, and how to play classic games on contemporary consoles and platforms, like from Arcade to PC and Macintosh.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nLet me just shut up and give you a summary of the book in a few paragraphs:\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\n

Maybe it was the recent Atari 2600 milestone anniversary that fueled nostalgia for the golden days of computer and console gaming. Every Game Boy must ponder his roots from time to time. But whatever is driving the current retro gaming craze, one thing is certain: classic games are back for a big second act, and they\\\\\\\’re being played in both old and new ways.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nWhether you\\\\\\\’ve just been attacked by Space Invaders for the first time or you\\\\\\\’ve been a Pong junkie since puberty, Chris Kohler\\\\\\\’s Retro Gaming Hacks is the indispensable new guide to playing and hacking classic games. Kohler has complied tons of how-to information on retro gaming that used to take days or weeks of web surfing to track down and sort through, and he presents it in the popular and highly readable Hacks style.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nRetro Gaming Hacks serves up 85 hard-nosed hacks for reviving the classic games. Want to game on an original system? Kohler shows you how to hack ancient hardware, and includes a primer for home-brewing classic software. Rather adapt today\\\\\\\’s equipment to run retro games? Kohler provides emulation techniques, complete with instructions for hacking a classic joystick that\\\\\\\’s compatible with a contemporary computer. This book also teaches readers to revive old machines for the original gaming experience: hook up an Apple II or a Commodore 64, for example, and play it like you played before.

\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nWhat are you waiting for? Go grab the book and enjoy 502 pages of pure retro gaming goodness.

Post from: EveryJoe

Retro Gaming Hacks by Chris Kohler: Highly recommended

Unfortunately, a family friend made the choice for me when she dropped by the house and sold us a 21-inch Sanyo television set. Hey, it’s not the best choice, but I got it on a good installment package. It also freed up my thoughts for another project: A portable projector!

So I went back to scouring the web for a great portable projector when I came across this “how to” retro gaming video:

Many thanks to Make Magazine for the video. I have a question: If the video is about “How to play retro video games on the big screen,” then why does it look more like an endorsement for the portable projector, a Hasbro Zoombox?

One thing’s for sure, though, I’ll include the portable projector in my next wish list, if not this Christmas then on my birthday in January.

Post from: EveryJoe

Need a bigger screen to play retro games?

Here are two of my favorite retro gaming t-shirts:

The maker of these retro video gaming t-shirts, 101tshirts.co.uk, also produce retro television, movie and music shirts. Not a fan of t-shirts? No problem. The company specializes in printing our favorite retro video gaming icons on different products like hoodies, kitchen aprons, satchels, sports bags, and drawstring bags.

Go check out their other designs and tell me what you think.

Post from: EveryJoe

Retro gaming t-shirts featuring Mario, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man

For those who have no inkling of what stop motion animation is, here’s a short description from Wikipedia:

Stop motion (or frame-by-frame) is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved by small amounts between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames are played as a continuous sequence. Clay figures are often used in stop motion animations, known as claymation, for their ease of repositioning.

Well, now we know that clay isn’t the only good medium for stop motion animation. There’s also Lego, patient men and women, and just about anything you can get your hands on as this video proves:

Post from: EveryJoe

Retro games in stop motion video

Topping the list is Pac-Man with a whopping seven million cartridges sold, followed by Pitfall! with four million and Missile Command with 2.5 million.

Other Atari 2600 games that made it to the million copies-sold list are Demon Attack with two million, (BIG GASP!) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with 1.5 million, and Adventure, Atlantis, Cosmic Ark, Kaboom!, Megamania, River Raid, and Space Invaders with one million copies each.

Yeah, it’s weird seeing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial up there with certified Atari 2600 hits like Space Invaders, but that’s what the figures say. Hmmm, come to think of it, the fact that the botched version of Pac-Man out-sold all other Atari 2600 games. The two video games are quite fortunate to have tie-ins—E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with the movie of the same name, and Pac-Man with the highly successful arcade game that gave birth to dozens of ports.

Aside from Pac-Man, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, and Missile Command, I honestly can’t remember playing the other games in the list.

Here’s a video review of the best-selling Atari 2600 video game by Ray from NewGenGamers:

Post from: EveryJoe

Top 10 best-selling Atari 2600 games of all time

Recently, I came across another video of a television commercial featuring Pac-Man but for a different product: cereals. I never knew Pac-Man had his own cereal line. Cap’n Crunch, sure. But Pac-Man?

Good thing someone preserved it and enshrined the video on the Internet. It’s quite unfortunate, though, that the sound isn’t that good, making it hard for viewers to learn the lyrics of the commercial’s theme song for kicks.

Post from: EveryJoe

Blast from the past: Pac-Man cereal commercial

\r\nIf only all video game arcade machines look this good, dictators and strongmen across the globe would be hard pressed to ban them.\r\n\r\nImage featuring the concept art for the spanking new Gundam arcade machine downloaded from the web via Destructoid.

Post from: EveryJoe

Re:Start: Getting back into the groove