Retro Reviews
The Famiclone You Could Own
By Shaun Hatton - April 15th, 2008
Our April Fool’s joke about the 25th Anniversary Nintendo Entertainment System went over well and even generated a flood of email asking if it was the real deal or not. Sadly, it wasn’t. And yes, we’d all love to be able to buy a brand-new NES without resorting to the crazy world of online auctions and dealing with the extortion experts selling sealed vintage gaming gear.
As far as we know, Nintendo has no plans of releasing an official Nintendo Entertainment System for the console’s 25th anniversary. After all, the company has arguably been quite unable to meet the supply demand for Wii. I can’t believe it’s still sold out everywhere. Really, I thought everyone already had one.
But getting back on-topic here, there are a few affordable options for people wanting to play their old NES games but not wanting to deal with refurbishing old NES decks. One of these options is the Yobo system pictured above. The thing is obviously not licensed by Nintendo but it is able to play NES games quite nicely. It comes with two controllers that are equipped with auto-fire buttons. The Yobo also accepts regular NES controllers, including the Zapper.
The Yobo is very cheap and also cheaply-made. The thing weighs less than a game cartridge! Still, it’s not a bad device and if I didn’t already have a stack of Nintendos, I’d use it more often.
Fantasy Zone on Virtual Console
By Shaun Hatton - April 14th, 2008
Shooters do not get much stranger than Fantasy Zone. You pilot a craft that has flapping wings and that can use its feet to run along the ground of stages, all the while blasting brightly-coloured enemies that explode into showers of coins. You then use these coins to purchase upgrades to your… um… ship.
The game also allows you to control the speed of your ship and the direction in which you fly, making it someone unique among other titles in the genre (as if the off-putting neon greens and pinks didn’t already set it apart).
In any case, Fantasy Zone is a Sega Master System classic title, and one that is now available on the Wii Virtual Console for 500 Wii Points. It was a must-purchase for me despite my having the original cartridge somewhere in this maze of boxes that is now my living room. That’s right! I’m moving, which somewhat explains the recent posting lull here.
RETRO EVENT: Classic Gaming Competition
By Shaun Hatton - February 25th, 2008
Here’s just one shot of the inside of the Personal Computer Museum. Check out their site for many more.
Fans of classic and retro gaming will be happy to know that the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford, Ontario will be holding its second classic gaming competition on Saturday, March 15, 2008.
The competition will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there’s no fee to enter. In addition, there will be no cost to tour the museum (which is awesome – just check out their site at pcmuseum.ca) and a free lunch will also be served. As if that weren’t enough, there will be free coffee and water, too.
Commodore Amiga computers will serve as the gaming hardware for the competition and although a final games list has yet to be chosen, potential titles include Xenon, Battle Squadron, Datastorm (Defender), Pinball Fantasies, and Shadow of the Beast. Additionally, there are plans for a guest competition of Ms. Pac-Man to be played on Commodore 64.
The Personal Computer Museum opened its doors in September 2005 and is home to over 300 computers, over 3000 vintage magazines, and thousands of other computer artifacts. While the Classic Gaming Competition is free to attend, keep in mind that the museum will accept donations of your used computer hardware and memorabilia. They also take part in a computer recycling program – so don’t just toss your old systems! Chances are you might be throwing away a part of computer history.
RETRO REVIEW: Parker Brothers Q*Bert
By Shaun Hatton - February 17th, 2008
This LED-screen Q*Bert game still works as well as it did on Christmas 1983.
I received this tabletop arcade game back in 1983, on Christmas. I had just turned five years old and Q*Bert became my third-ever video game, right behind Pac-Man and Donkey Kong Jr. It was a gift from my grandparents on my mother’s side of the family. I gleefully opened the box and played it right away. The memory, while fuzzy in a few places, is still quite clear about certain parts of the experience.
I sat on the living room sofa with my head buried into the game’s bright green, blue, and red screen. I didn’t care that there was cake to be had. I was too busy changing blocks to different colours while avoiding the snake and dangerous red balls that rolled down the pyramid. I was hooked.
But not as hooked as my parents would soon be. Yes, my parents actually played video games at one point. And they were actually very good at them. Though I’d play Q*Bert as much as I wanted during the day, it was late in the evenings, when I’d be asleep, that my parents would take turns trying to outdo each other to see who could get the highest score.
This tabletop arcade game of Q*Bert was that entertaining. You have to remember this was also at a time when we didn’t have a home console (my mom later became the master at Safari Hunt for Sega Master System). And together with Pac-Man and Donkey Kong Jr., I was in gaming heaven.
RETRO GAMING SPOTLIGHT: 1Up Games
By Shaun Hatton - February 1st, 2008
1Up Games in Hamilton, ON, offers a great selection of new and retro games and consoles.
Classic gaming (or retro gaming as it’s also called) is something that has been quite popular over the last few years. With services such as Xbox LIVE Arcade and the Wii Virtual Console bringing older games to newer audiences as well as the older crowd, it doesn’t look like it’s going to go away anytime soon.
But for purists and others who want to experience these games the old-fashioned way, there’s no replacement for vintage gaming hardware. And for this reason, there will always be independent video game stores. These non-chain stores often carry more than just the last console generation’s titles. In fact, with a little looking, it’s easy to find these great stores all around the GTA. Some, of course, are better than others.
I do have my favourites, and 1Up Games in Hamilton is definitely one of them. Its two locations are stocked full of retro gaming goodness: games, consoles, peripherals, adverts, and even some funky playable kiosks and arcade cabinets. In fact, on any given visit, you’re almost guaranteed to find something you never knew existed. The atmosphere is very laid-back and it’s amazing how they managed to organize so much inventory so neatly. Toronto Thumbs recently caught up with 1Up Games store owner and entrepreneur Marc Nascimento for a Q&A.
