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I just finished watching this video.  Really cool the story behind the names of these characters. 

Is Luigi named after a pizza parlor?  Who actually came up with the name Donkey Kong? Why is King Koopa named after a bowl of soup? Learn the inspirations behind the names of 8 Super Mario characters!

After Burner is an arcade vehicular combat game developed and released by Sega in 1987.[5][6] The player assumes control of an American F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, and must clear each of the game's eighteen unique stages by destroying incoming enemies, using both a machine gun and a limited supply of heat-seeking missiles. It uses a third-person perspective, previously utilized by Sega's earlier games Space Harrier (1985) and Out Run (1986), and runs on the Sega X Board arcade system, which is capable of surface and sprite rotation. It is the fourth Sega game to use a hydraulic "taikan" motion simulator arcade cabinet, one that is more elaborate than their earlier "taikan" simulator games. The cabinet simulates an aircraft cockpit, with flight stick controls, a chair with seatbelt, and hydraulic motion technology that moves, tilts, rolls and rotates the cockpit in sync with the on-screen action.

Designed by Sega veteran Yu Suzuki and the Sega AM2 division, After Burner was intended as being Sega's first "true blockbuster" video game. Development began in December 1986, shortly after the completion of Out Run, and was kept as a closely guarded secret within the company. Suzuki was inspired by the 1986 films Top Gun and Laputa: Castle in the Sky; he originally planned for the game to have a steampunk aesthetic similar to Laputa, but instead went with a Top Gun look to make the game approachable for worldwide audiences. It was designed outside the company in a building named "Studio 128", due to Sega adopting a flextime schedule to allow for games to be worked outside company headquarters. An updated version with the addition of throttle controls, After Burner II, was released later the same year.

After Burner was a worldwide commercial success, becoming Japan's second highest-grossing large arcade game of 1987 and overall arcade game of 1988 as well as among America's top five highest-grossing dedicated arcade games of 1988. It was acclaimed by critics for its impressive visuals, gameplay and overall presentation, and is seen as being important and influential. It was followed by a series of sequels and ports for many platforms, including the Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum and Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega also produced several successors to the game to capitalize on its success, such as G-LOC: Air Battle. After Burner has also been referenced in many other Sega video games, such as Fighters Megamix, Shenmue and Bayonetta.

Source:  Wikipedia

Here's a new homebrew game for the Atari Jaguar by Alexander von Knorring.  The name of the game is Asteroite and the video below shows the finalized game.  It looks quite good.  No info yet on where/how it will be released.

This is a short video of the first Art of Nintendo Power Museum Exhibit at a socal gaming convention called Megabit Gaming Expo.  Check it out...

[Turbo]

Turbo is an arcade racing game released in 1981 by Sega. Designed and coded by Steve Hanawa, the game received positive reviews upon release, with praise for its challenging and realistic gameplay for its time, three-dimensional full-color graphics with changing scenery, and cockpit sit-down arcade cabinet replicating a race car. It became a commercial success, topping the monthly Play Meter arcade charts in North America and ranking highly on the Game Machine arcade charts in Japan.

The game was manufactured in three formats: standard upright, cabaret/mini, and a seated environmental/cockpit. All three versions feature a steering wheel, a gearshift for low and high gears, and an accelerator pedal. The screen is a vertically oriented 20-inch raster display. In addition to the on-screen display, Turbo features an LED panel to the left of the screen that displays the current player's score and the high score table. Turbo also features lighted oil and temperature gauges on either side of the steering wheel.  Turbo was ported to the Colecovision and Intellivision home consoles.

Gameplay

Turbo requires the player to navigate a road race through different urban and rural locations, through differing weather conditions, and during changing times of day. The cars in the game resemble Formula 1 race cars. In order to proceed, the player must pass and stay ahead of at least 30 competing cars before time expires. Some opponents drive predictably, while others swerve across the road suddenly.

In the first round, the player has unlimited lives; collisions with other vehicles will return the player's car to the bottom of the current screen. In subsequent rounds, the player is limited to two lives (one on the screen playing and the other in reserve) and awarded an additional life (up to a total of four in reserve) for each completed round. In addition to competing racers, an ambulance occasionally comes along from behind and overtakes the player - they must be avoided, as contact with them will cause the player to lose a life; the game will be over when all player lives are gone in addition to the time expired before reaching 30 passed cars.

Source:  Wikipedia

[Steel Talons]

Steel Talons is a 3D combat flight simulator arcade game released by Atari Games in 1991. The player takes on the role of a pilot for an "AT1196 Steel Talons combat helicopter". Steel Talons was ported to the Sega Genesis, Atari Lynx, Atari ST, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Jaguar port was announced, but never released.

Gameplay

Steel Talons is an air combat arcade game. The player flies a helicopter equipped with a machine gun, rockets, and a limited number of air-to-surface guided missiles. It originated as a two-player cockpit arcade cabinet with both cooperative and competitive modes. In single-player mode or cooperative two-player mode, there are 19 missions. In competitive mode, players attempt to destroy each other's helicopter.

The arcade version has a joystick, analog collective lever on the left side that controls the altitude of the helicopter, and rudder pedals. The back of the seat has a speaker thumps when the player's helicopter is hit. It has a button called "real heli mode" which makes flying more difficult, but also allows more freedom of movement and can be an advantage during multiplayer games.

Source:  Wikipedia

This video shows the evolution of F1 racing games from 1979 to 2021.  Let's just say these have changed "a tad." 

In 1989, the most anticipated new controller for the NES wasn't the Power Glove; it was the U-Force. On this video from the Gaming Historian, learn about the making of the device, its rocky road to retail, and the battle against the Power Glove.

I learned of this web page recently where you can play Boulder Dash right on your browser.  Check it out:  Boulder Dash

This video shows all the different video games based on Bugs Bunny between 1983 and 2021.  Enjoy!

I just watched this video and thought I'd share it as it may be useful...

Atari and Activision Programming legends David Crane and Garry Kitchen talk about the early days of Atari and the founding of Activision. David wrote Pitfall!, Kaboom! Freeway and many other classics, Garry wrote Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600 and was the CEO of Absolute Entertainment. 

Below are the two parts of the 2012 PRGE panel...

Howard Scott Warshaw left an undeniable mark on the video game industry! After creating the amazing Yars' Revenge for the Atari 2600, it seemed Howard would become one of the true pioneers of the video game industry... In fact, he would almost single handily go on to to destroy the industry with the release of E.T.

Howard shares some amazing stories in his short-lived but hugely influential career in gaming. He gives some truly honest and revealing answers on how one man was blamed for almost grinding the video game industry to a halt.

Howard also reflects on his amazing new book; Once Upon Atari: How I made history by killing an industry.

[Toy Story]

Toy Story is a side-scrolling platform game released by Disney Interactive Studios in 1995 for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the film of the same name, and follows its plot. The game was followed by a sequel based on the second film, called Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue.

Gameplay

Players control Woody through several stages that encompass the entire plot of the film. Several obstacles lie between the player and the goal of each level, including an assortment of enemies. Woody is equipped with a pullstring whip, which will temporarily tie up opponents, letting Woody pass by unharmed. It cannot, however, kill enemies (with the lone exception of Nightmare Buzz, the only boss in the game to be permanently defeated through the whip). This whip can also latch onto certain hooks, letting Woody swing above perilous terrain.

The game occasionally changes genres for a stage. Players control R.C. in two stages: one in which Woody knocks Buzz out a window, the other in which they both race back to the moving truck. Both play largely the same; the game takes an overhead view of the level, giving the players basic acceleration, braking and steering, and tasking players with reaching the end of the stage while not running out of batteries (which drain constantly, but can be replenished by bumping them out of Buzz in the former stage, and merely finding them on the ground in the latter). Another stage is played from a first-person perspective as Woody searches through a maze to find alien squeaky toys lost inside the claw machine and return them to the play area, where the rest of the alien toys reside, all within a time limit.

The Sega Genesis version has 18 levels, while the Super NES and Microsoft Windows versions have 17. The Game Boy version is the shortest version of the game with 10 levels. The Genesis and Windows versions have an additional racing level named "Day-toy-na", absent from the other versions, in which Woody rides R.C. from the moving van to Buzz. The Windows version lacks "Really Inside the Claw Machine", the first-person maze level.

Source:  Wikipedia

[Half Past Sundown]

8bitrocket has posted a new game they are developing for the Atari 7800 called Half Past Sundown.  The is a "Western" themed game.  Gameplay, if you can imagine this, would be somewhat like a western "Moon Patrol" but with a story attached.

The proposed box art is an unused painting 8bitrocket's grandfather did in the 1950's.  The "character art" is based on cowboys drawings his dad did in 2006 before he got dementia.

Here's a teaser of the game...

Announcement Thread

August 12, 2021 â€" Today should have been like any other mega-humid summer Thursday in NYC, but it ended up being a particularly special one when the great Atari icon Nolan Bushnell decided to drop by the Atari offices.

Nolan Bushnell’s legacy has always been a part of everything we do, and the company has maintained a constant connection with him. When he rang Atari CEO Wade Rosen this morning and asked if he could drop by to visit with the team, the answer was a speedy, emphatic and obvious “Yes!”

The team gathered in the Atari conference room as Nolan answered questions and regaled the team with stories of the company’s youth. He happily shared stories of the people and products that helped launch an entire industry, and in many cases became legends themselves along the way.

Read the full article here:  Atari VCS Medium

I just watched this video and thought to share it.  I've met Bob several times at PRGE and he's very nice.  It's always cool hearing him speak about his experiences at Atari and Imagic. 

Atari Programming legend Bob Smith talks about the early days of Atari and Imagic and his experiences programming the Atari 2600 console. He wrote the games Video Pinball, Riddle of the Sphinx, Dragonfire, Moonsweeper, Star Wars: The Arcade Game and more. From the 2012 Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE), Sun September 30th 2012.

[Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse]

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse is a 1994 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Sony Imagesoft for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and Sega CD. In the game, the player controls Mickey Mouse, who must navigate through various side-scrolling levels, each designed and based from classical Mickey Mouse cartoons. The game was later released on the PlayStation in 1996 as Mickey's Wild Adventure. A sequel, Mickey Mania 2, was planned but never released.

Gameplay

Mickey Mania is a platformer in which players control Mickey Mouse as he visits various locations based on his past cartoons, ranging from his debut in Steamboat Willie to the more recent The Prince and the Pauper. Mickey can attack enemies by either jumping on them or by using a limited supply of marbles, which are collected throughout the level. Mickey can take up to five hits, represented by the fingers he holds up on his hand, which can be replenished by collecting stars, whilst extra lives can be gained by finding Mickey hats. Levels offer a variety of challenges such as puzzles the player must solve, escaping from a rampaging moose and fleeing from a flaming staircase.

The levels in the game are based from the following classic Mickey Mouse cartoons:

Steamboat Willie (1928)
The Mad Doctor (1933)
The Band Concert (1935) (not included in the SNES version)
Moose Hunters (1937)
Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947)
The Prince and the Pauper (1990)

Source:  Wikipedia

I saw this posted at I/O and thought I'd share it.  Just some fun....

Upload an image and watch it on a classic Nintendo Game Boy screen style. It is a tiny experimental converter that transforms your image with the aspect of this classic 8-bit video game console.

Go here:  GameBoy Yourself

The fight lasting since ages between Atari supporters and Commodore lovers! The only such a video on YouTube! Technical specifications! Emotions! Interesting facts! Games comparison! Can there be a winner?