Retro Gaming Australia

It seems to be a week of Sonic specials! You can nab a bunch of Sonic (and some other Sega titles) on Xbox Live live on the cheap at the moment, and now you can get you fill of cheap Sonic games on iOS and Android too.

Various Sonic games are AU$0.99 on the App Store and AU$1.08 on the Google Play Store – titles include Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD, Sonic Spinball, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Sonic the Hedghog 4: Episode II, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, and more. It even looks like some other Sega titles are available for cheap too, but they might always be that price.

So, why all the Sonic specials? Sonic is 22 on June 23. Thanks Sonic, now I feel old.

Before the Wavebird, wireless pads were pretty damn awful. Now they’re the standard for every console released since 2005. Retro-Bit is hoping you’ll want the same sort of quality wireless controllers for the Nintendo 64 – because they’ll be bringing them to market in a few weeks time.

The pad’s design is based on the official Nintendo 64 controller, but it also packs in some turbo switches for you cheating bastards out there.

Word on the street is that these babies will be sold for $US30 when they hit the market in the northern hemisphere summer.

The folks behind the lovely Retro Gamer magazine have just released another “Bookazine” compilation – their 7th to date.

Retro Gamer Bookazines are essentially best-ofs, featuring 228 pages of content selected from numerous recent issues. The latest volume includes Making of features on Computer Space, Tetris, Double Dragon, Final Fantasy VII, Maniac Mansion and Sonic the Hedgehog, Collectors Guides for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Game Gear, and other features like 100 Classic Gaming Moments and Inside the Atari 2600.

You can order Retro Gamer Bookazine #7 from Imagine Publishing for £9.99

Xbox 360 owners can gorge themselves on a variety of classic Sega games which are now on sale on Xbox Live.

Deals are as follows:

Crazy Taxi – 400 points (was 800)
Daytona USA – 400 points (was 800)
Jet Set Radio – 400 points (was 800)
Guardian Heroes – 160 points (was 400)
NiGHTS into Dreams… – 400 points (was 800)
Sega Bass Fishing – 160 points (was 400)
Sonic the Hedgehog – 160 points (was 400)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – 160 points (was 400)
Sonic the Hedgehog CD – 160 points (was 400)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – 160 points (was 400)
Sonic & Knuckles – 160 points (was 240)
Sonic Adventure – 160 points (was 400)
Sonic Adventure DX Upgrade – 80m points (was 200)
Sonic Adventure 2 – 400 points (was 800)
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle mode – 120 points (was 240)
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 – 400 points (was 800)
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 – 400 points (was 1200)
Space Channel 5: Part 2 – 160 points (was 400)

Good Old Games’ big summer (or winter for us) sale is now in progress!

Between now and July 5, GOG will have 50% off their entire software catalogue. On top of that, there will be daily deals that will give you up to 85% off. And as you’d expect from GOG, every release is packed with extras and has absolutely no DRM.

As a bit of a bonus, they are also giving away the PC hack ‘n slash RPG Torchlight away free for the first 48 hours of the sale. The first major deal is a big ol’ Dungeons and Dragon’s bundle featuring classics like Baldur’s Gate and Planescape Torment.

Arcadecontrol forum member griffindodd has revealed the finished version of a project he has been working on – a cocktail arcade cabinet made out of a vintage wine barrel, dubbed A Barrel of Kong.

And, as the name would suggest, you can totally play Donkey Kong on it.

Sega seems to be having a good run on the 3DS eShop, as they have announced a second round of 3D Classics for the system. Only two titles have been announced so far – Ecco the Dolphin and Galaxy Force II.

Ecco the Dolphin will be out on the Japanese eShop on June 26 – next week. It will include an extra mode, called Super Dolphin Mode, which gives players unlimited air and life, making the game significantly easier. The game will let you switch between the Japanese and Western releases – the Japanese version is apparently a bit harder.

Each game will also support save states and CRT TV emulation, and will set you back 600 yen.

If you missed Super Fighter Team’s Mega Drive RPGs Beggar Prince, Star Odyssey and Legend of Wukong, but don’t want to pay the stupidly high eBay prices, your prayers have been answered.

Super Fighter Team recently released what they’re calling the RPG Trifecta Pack for the PC and Mac, which includes the three aforementioned RPGs for just $US20.

Sure, it’s not quite as cool as playing them on the Mega Drive, but it’s a neat package nonetheless.

Commander Keen: Keen Dreams, the oddball instalment of the Commander Keen series, is now available for Android devices.

Taking place between Commander Keen III and IV, Keen Dreams has you fighting against vegetables to save the land of Tuberia…all of which takes place in while the Commander is asleep. Unfortunately for Keen, in his dreams he doesn’t have his trusty blaster – no, he has to turn everything into flowers instead.

Commander Keen: Keen Dreams will set you back $AU1.05 on the Google Play store.

If you, like me, preordered Pix’n Love Publishing’s upcoming releases The History of Mario: 1981-1991 Rise of an Icon from Myth to Reality and Gunpei Yokoi: The Life & Philosophy of Nintendo’s God of Toys when they were first announced for English release back in 2011, you might be wondering what’s going on with them.

Originally due for release in “Q1 2012”, the books have consistently slipped, and just missed their most recent updated release date of May 2013. Such is life in the world of book publishing. There is a ray of sunshine, though – both books have just appeared for preorder on Amazon US with release dates of January 7, 2014.

You can order The History of Mario: 1981-1991 and Gunpei Yokoi: The Life & Philosophy of Nintendo’s God of Toys now.