Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Inside ‘Crunch Out’
Old School Gamer Magazine chats with Crunch Out’s Senior Developer, Artur Bujdoso to find out what inspired the game and how Devolver Digital and Take This played a role in the developer’s first Super Nintendo game. Old School Gamer Magazine: How was this game born?...
Remembering Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside (1998)
Even as a young upstart, Kobe Bryant looked like a superstar in the making. It is not much of a surprise then that the former Los Angeles Laker already had a video game to his name at the tender age of 19. In 1998 Nintendo released the Left Field Productions-developed...
Brett’s Old School Bargain Bin – Street Fighter II Turbo – By Brett Weiss
My forthcoming book, The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 2 (N-Z), is now available for pre-order. The book won’t release until April 28, 2019, but I decided to give Old School Gamer readers an advance look at one of the entries. Since the...
Caveman
Pinball has a long and varied history, with roots that stretch back hundreds of years. In the 18th century, the game Billard japonais (Japanese billiards) introduced the spring launcher that is a staple of all modern pinball machines. A little under 200 years later,...
Remembering the Nintendo Ultra 64 Dream Team: Ocean Software
Did things go swimmingly?
Old School Gamer Exclusive: Inside ‘MatchyGotchy Z’
Old School Gamer Magazine chats with Michael Silverman (Silverware Games Lead Designer. Studio owner, programming) and Say Mistage (Silverware Games Derpy Wasabi. Art, community), who detail their new virtual pet experience that harkens back to the days of Rob Fulop’s...
Convention Update: Sept-Oct 2018 – Old School Gamer Staff
RETRO WORLD EXPO, GALAXIES OF GAMING, PORTLAND RETRO GAMING EXPO RETRO WORLD EXPO HARTFORD, CT BY RYAN BURGER Held at the Connecticut Convention Center in downtown Hartford, the Retro World Expo is an event for anyone in the Northeast that is into retro gaming! It is...
The Adventures of Stuart Smith – Early Adventure Games By Bill Lange
Stuart Smith is the legendary game designer and programmer of a number of influential, early to mid 1980s, computer role playing games, including: FRACAS, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, The Return Of Heracles, Adventure Construction Set and Rivers of Light...
Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Eddie Adlum
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Eddie Adlum, who currently is displayed on card number 2050, from the Superstars of 2015 Collection. Eddie is the founder and publisher of RePlay Magazine. He has been writing or publishing since 1964, where he worked for...
Kirby’s Dream Land
One of Nintendo’s most iconic characters was never really meant for the screen. Kirby, who has appeared in over 30 games, was initially just used to hold space until developers created a more detailed character. The game’s developers, HAL Laboratory, planned on...
Chase the Chuck Wagon for the Atari 2600
When I started collecting Atari 2600 games in the nineties, Chase the Chuck Wagon was the Holy Grail. There were entire Geocities pages dedicated to its rarity complete with lists of the privileged few who owned a copy, those either lucky enough to find it in the wild...
Unreleased Game, Hardcore, to Appear on Mega Sg
Way back in October, I wrote about the upcoming FPGA-powered Mega Sg by the always fun manufacturer, Analogue. To be their Sega version of the Nt, Nt Mini and Super Nt (which were based on the NES and SNES respectively) the Mega Sg would boast support for the Genesis...
A Closer Look at Nintendo’s Official Super NES Peripherals: Super Scope
Scope this out.
Pipe Mania
Modern video games are wonders to behold. They blend cinematic graphics with complex storytelling in a way that transforms the act of gaming into a deeply involved, sometimes emotionally exhausting experience. Take the 2010 classic Heavy Rain. It’s a nuanced drama...
GameLine: Wonders of the Retro Gaming World
Have a new Wonders of the Retro Gaming World episode! Go on, you deserve it. Today, the star of the show is the GameLine by CVC (Control Video Corporation). Released in 1983 for the Atari 2600, this was a modem that plugged into the cartridge slot that allowed users...
Go West: The Story of the Oregon Trail
The Pet Shop Boys, and to a lesser extent Horace Greeley, once advised us all to GO WEST, and as a general rule I do what the Pet Shop Boys tell me to do. After all, life is peaceful there in the open air. Sadly, I was born roughly a century and half too late to take...
Sealed Copy of Super Mario Bros. Sells for over $US100K
If you had a windfall of cash – let’s say, in the hundreds of thousands, what would you purchase? A home? A Mercedes? Or a copy of Super Mario Bros.? I know it’s a hard decision. Think carefully now. No matter what your spending preferences, a tremendous amount of...
Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – William ‘SnowFlake’ Rosa
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features William 'SnowFlake' Rosa, who is displayed on card number 2468, from the Superstars of 2016 Collection. On February 2nd, 2019, Bill broke a new world record on “Tapper” Arcade, pending verification. Streaming live on Twitch,...
CVG 101 “Please Don’t Chew the Gum”
If you're a child of the '80s, you probably bought at least a pack or two of Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or some other kind of video game stickers. Remember those? They came in wax packs with a piece of pink cardboard masquerading as chewing gum, just like baseball cards....
AtGames Announces Classic Disney and Star Wars Video Games to Be Featured in Products
AtGames Digital Media Inc. has announced that iconic video games from Disney and Lucasfilm will be featured in their upcoming products. Fans can expect classic games from beloved properties like Disney’s Donald Duck, Tron, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ The Jungle...
Shareware: Influential Origins of Shareware in Gaming – By Robert Seale
If you were playing PC games, or even just using PC software in general, at any point throughout the 90s, you almost certainly saw or heard the term “shareware”. Not quite a demo, not quite freeware, shareware was a revolution in software distribution. It was crucial...
Boy, Oh Game Boy: Play It Loud!
Not the color Game Boy anyone was expecting.
Requiem for Game Room – Microsoft’s Arcade Revival and It’s Lost Potential – By Ken Horowitz
The death of the American Arcade has been somewhat overstated, I think. Given the rise in barcades and the growing popularity of classic arcades like Chicago’s Galloping Ghosts, Mark Twain would likely chuckle at pronouncements of the industry’s demise. People have...
Just for Qix: Hopping Zombie Vampires And the Last Apostle Puppet Show – By Michael Thomasson
Many video game fans believe that 1992’s Mortal Kombat was the first fighting game to use digitized sprite graphics. Others recognize Atari’s 1990 hit Pit-Fighter as the premiere beat ‘em up boasting the technology. The truth is that a rather obscure title, released...
The Untold Story of Highlander: The Video Game (No, not the one you are thinking of)- By Warren Davis
If ever there was a licensed property that would lend itself to becoming a video game, Highlander was it! You’ve got a collection of immortals who challenge each other to sword fights to the death (by beheading, no less!), over the course of centuries, until there can...
My Experience as an Expert Witness CAPCOM VS. DATA EAST – By Bill “The Game Doctor” Kunkel
By 1993, the last thing I was looking for was an expert witness gig facing off against yet another of the most popular and powerful software developers in the business. So of course I wound up working the expert witness deal for tiny Data East against the all-powerful...
Dino Eggs for the Commodore 64
Everyone knows that if you travel to the past and tinker with historical events, nothing can possibly go wrong. It certainly won’t alter the course of history forever. There’s simply no risk associated with messing with the space-time continuum and anyone who tries to...
Sega vs. Nintendo – Historic Fighting Game Battle – By Justin Francoeur
Thanks to the popularity of 1991’s Street Fighter II, fighting games had become a hot property. It was only a matter of time before a savvy game designer would identify what made SFII such a hit, expand on it, and release it as a new best-selling game. Hence, October...
Lost Version of Panic! Dizzy on NES Finally Available on Kickstarter
Through the joys of Kickstarter, Philip and Andrew Oliver – otherwise known as the Oliver Twins, have resurrected three games in the popular Dizzy series that were once otherwise considered lost. Wonderland Dizzy, Dreamworld Pogie and Mystery World Dizzy have all now...
Enter the Fatality With John Tobias, Mortal Kombat – By Patrick Hickey Jr.
Finish Him! Two epic words that cemented the work of Ed Boon, John Tobias and the rest of the team behind Williams’ Mortal Kombat in pop culture lore forever. However, thanks to a plethora of gore and fatalities that provided unparalleled fun—and controversy,...
Collector’s Edition of R-Type Dimensions EX announced for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4!
Strictly Limited Games announces Collector´s Edition of R-Type Dimensions EX for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. The strictly limited boxed versions will be available for pre-orders from February 24th. Stuttgart, February 7th, 2019 - Stuttgart-based publisher...
The Legend of Zelda is Doom’d
Rip and tear, slash and stab.
Revisiting Isla Nublar and the Jurassic Park Arcade
It’s hard to believe that over 25 years have passed since Jurassic Park hit the theaters. I still remember the thrill of seeing Steven Spielberg’s T-Rex stomp across the screen for the first time, and the simultaneous horror and fascinating of watching the...
PYXA Mini Handheld Games Console On Kickstarter
Pyxa is a DIY game console. Pyxa comes as an all-inclusive do-it-yourself kit allowing users to build their game console and create their own video games whilst learning about coding. During the assembly, users will get familiar with each component of a game console...
They don’t make them like they used to!
The saying "they don't make them like they used to" is getting a whole new meaning when it comes to video games. Back in the day, games lacked all the flashy effects and graphics they have today so, in order to be successful, they had to offer their players something...
Video Game Trading Cards Spotlight – Jeff Waldron
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Jeff Waldron, who is displayed on card number 2499, from the Superstars of 2016 Collection. Jeff is a long time collector and restorer of classic arcade games. Some of Jeff’s collection includes Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and...
Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Last month, Carmen Sandiego debuted on Netflix. My kids, 11 and 5 respectively, both love the show and have already watched the entire first season. It’s a fantastic reimagining of the franchise, and it sent me on something of a journey back in time. It is the early...
The Last Official Release: Atari 7800 – Sentinel (1991)
Greetings, my retro gaming pals, and welcome back to The Last Official Release. Within these web pages, I investigate the last official games released for your favourite consoles. A full list of what I’ve already covered can be found below, but today, leading on from...
Video Power and The Power Team: When Acclaim Took to the Airwaves with Johnny Arcade
Feel the Power.
Lost Arcade Classic: Danger Zone
As a general rule, when I select a game to spotlight for my "Lost Arcade Classic" articles, I focus on games of the late 70's or early 80's. Those are the games from the "golden era" of arcades that we all remember with such fondness. But when I was thinking about...