RetroBlast! - Misc Reviews

Misc Reviews ( 32 items )

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Retro Gaming T-Shirts by Jeff Smith, 2006/11/24

So on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I got tricked into going to Target. While the wife is busy going through every shirt/skirt combination in the store, I meandered over to the Men's Section and spotted them. From the corner of my eye. Could it be? Retro T-shirts with arcade game themes for the masses (at least the ones who shop at Target)? My dreams of some gaming "soft wear" have come true!

Blue Wizard Is About To Die! by Jonathan Imberi, 2006/11/16

This book is subtitled Prose, Poems, and Emoto-Versatronic Expressionist Pieces About Video Games, 1980-2003. I don’t feel confident trying to explain what that subtitle means, but this book is credited as being the first book of video game poetry, and as far as I know, that is true.

Vectrex by Mitch Gerson, 2006/11/01

WOW. You could truly have an arcade quality machine in your home for just over $200 bucks.

MAMEroom Control Panel Design Service by Kevin Steele, 2006/09/14

Serendipity is always a welcome development when it happens, and in this case my pressing need for a custom control panel designed specifically for trackball testing and MAMERoom's simultaneous unveiling of their new control panel design software and production service couldn't have been better timed. Need, meet Solution.

Coleco 128-In-1 Flash Multicart by Mitch Gerson, 2006/08/23

If you’ve read my Atari articles in the past you know already that I am (as most of you are) a big Atari fan. But boy-oh-boy do I remember my first real "next generation" arcade machine - the Colecovision.

Arcade Cabinet Cup Holders by James McGovern, 2006/08/22

When I showed RetroBlast! and other arcade sites to an old friend of mine, I thought he would be astounded by the community that has sprung up populated by people from many different backgrounds all with a passion for arcade game playing, building, and collecting. I know him to be competitive and that he, like many of us, grew up playing the classics from the early days of Pong.

8 Bit Weapon's Vaporware Soundtracks Review by Michelle Forshner, 2006/08/01

The 8-bit era has been revitalized with the clever and unique musical stylings of Seth Sternberger's homage to the games and culture of yesteryear. From the Commodore 64 to NES, these classics were the tools with which to create music that not only evokes fond memories in the minds of old-school gamers, but also opens new doors for those born into the modern era of gaming.

Starcade Interview with James Caruso by Jonathan Imberi, 2006/04/12

Starcade, the first video arcade game show, aired on television stations across the US in the early 1980's. It featured the hottest video games of the day, most of which are now considered the classics of the video game industry. Contestants on the show competed by answering trivia questions about video games and by playing video games against each other in a timed competition for the highest score, with the winner taking home his own arcade machine!

Tomytec Dot-Pin Toys by Jonathan Imberi, 2006/03/15

RetroBlast! Review: Tomytec Dot-Pin ToysTomytec, a Japanese toy company and an affiliate of Namco Limited, recently released a series of peg toys on which you can create video game characters in their pixilated form by using hundreds of pegs plugged into a board. (Remember Lite Brite? Same concept – without the light.)

80stees Classic Video Game T-Shirts by Kevin Steele, 2006/01/18

Kevin Confirms His Wife's Worst Fears...

Pins and Vids Video Magazine by Kevin Steele, 2005/11/24

One of the nice things about being a reviewer are the surprises I sometimes get in the mail, mysterious packages full of unexpected discoveries. This week's surprise package was a DVD copy of the premiere "Pins and Vids The Video Magazine," hosted by Al Warner and Paul Kiefert, a unique and eclectic collection of interviews, show coverage, and more that proves to be both totally fascinating and completely insane.

Atari Flashback 2.0 by Mitch Gerson, 2005/09/21

RetroBlast!

Atari Flashback 2.0

Mitch Gerson
December, 2005

Videogames: In The Beginning A Second Look by J.W. Krych, 2005/08/02

We take much for granted in our technological era. What was once expensive and for the well-to-do is now in the hands of children. Computers that would have been the equivalent of supercomputers and cost millions, now sit on our laps and instead of being used to track sub-atomic particles are used to play the latest version of whatever-game-is-most-popular-now.

Videogames: In The Beginning by Ralph H. Baer by Tim Ferrante, 2005/06/02

Recognize the name Antonio Meucci? No, I didn’t think so. How about Alexander Graham Bell? That’s an easy one, he invented the telephone. Well, as it turns out, he wasn’t the first to invent a unique system that could transmit sounds and voices. Antonio Meucci had done it over 20 years before Bell and remarkably, in September 2001, the US Congress officially credited him as the real inventor of the telephone!

Starcade DVD Edition #1 by James McGovern, 2005/04/14

RetroBlast!

Starcade DVD Edition #1

Episodes: 19, 59, 60, 62, and 63 Invitational. Includes behind the scenes footage from Starcade. JM Productions.

Some pictures courtesy of Jeff Kinder and The Dragon's Lair Project
Used with permission.

James McGovern
March, 2005