Category Archives: Archive Entries

Homebrew Spotlight#1- Dragon’s Lair For The TI-99/4A!

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Hey Arcaders!

Raygunn here with a new series I know your gonna get a kick out of- HOMEBREW SPOTLIGHT!

I know what most of you are asking- Raygunn- whats a homebrew? That’s easy to explain. Homebrew is a term frequently applied to video games or other software produced by consumers to target proprietary hardware platforms (usually with hardware restrictions) that are not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary storage methods –Wikipedia. Homebrewing has been popular for almost two decades now due to the resurgence in the classic game consoles of the first through third generations especially.

So, now that we got that out of the way, why don’t we take a look at our first home brew to spotlight- Dragon’s Lair for the TI-99/4A! First- let’s go over the machine specs!

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
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Type Home computer
Release date June 1981
Introductory price US$525 (equivalent to $1,447 in 2018)
Discontinued March 1984
Media
  • ROM cartridge
  • cassette
  • floppy disk
Operating system TI BASIC
CPU TMS9900 @ 3 MHz
Memory 16 KB RAM
256 bytes scratchpad RAM
Graphics TMS9918A
Predecessor TI-99/4

-Wikipedia.

Now- to create a home port (that’s the term used to describe a game created for the console during its original life cycle) of Dragon’s Lair back in 1983 would have been impossible. The were no means to create the video files in a way that would have worked without a laserdisc player.

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Even the amazing Coleco Adam port had to be altered because of the hardware limitations.

But… Fast forward about 35 YEARS- and behold- this little jem appears on the YouTubes and I have to share- thus the nexus of a new article series!

Now- THIS GAME truly defines a homebrew! An actual, playable version of an arcade classic on a system that it wasn’t truly meant to be played on! But, given the time we live in- with advancements in software and hardware technology, and the talented people who want to bring their favorite (and ours!) childhood arcade games home- or even… IMPROVE THEM! Yes, we will even see that in this series!

So- keep an eye out for more Homebrew Spotlight articles- where I’ll even try these amazing games- and give em’ a review- to see if they are worth a purchase for your classic console!

Hang on- this is going to be a fun ride! And if you know of any homebrew games you would like to review- leave me a comment below!

Thanks gang!

and-
Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!

Raygunn

New Pac – Man Fever E -Book on Amazon Comes With A Totally Awesome Bonus- Check It Out!!!

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Hey Arcaders!!

My good Facebook Friend and arcade anthem LEGEND Jerry Buckner posted on his page yesterday…

Jerry with book

about a project he had been collaborating on with Mike Stewart  for some time now, That was just released on Amazon’s Kindle E-Book service. The Amazon Page states-

“If you’re a child of the early 1980s it is likely that you were consumed by the ubiquitous Pac-Man video games that seemed to be everywhere at the time.

The game not only spawned a worldwide craze but a million-selling gold record for the Buckner & Garcia duo called “Pac-Man Fever”.

In so many ways, “Pac-Man Fever” became the soundtrack for an era and the unofficial theme song of one of the most popular video games in history. This book captures the story of that song and history that led it to be the unlikely smash hit of 1982.

This eBook is specifically designed for fans of the song, the Pac-Man game, and the 1980s. The stories in the book were derived primarily from interviews and conversations with Jerry Buckner.

Not only will you read about the history of the music but we’ve included exclusive and extended Pac-Man Fever downloadable tracks of the song (including a karaoke version) as well as sheet music. Also included are never before seen behind the scenes photos and links to videos and other exclusive multimedia content.

Get the story behind the unlikely ’80’s hit that defined a worldwide craze in an exclusive digital music e-book commemorating the 40-anniversary of the Pac Man video game.

This is a digital music ebook which means you get…

* DOWNLOADS! Exclusive Pac-Man Fever music from the original album including Pac-Man Fever, Froggy’s Lament, Ode to a Centipede, Do the Donkey Kong, Hyperspace, The Defender, Mousetrap, Goin’ Berzerk, Country version of Pac-Man Fever… it’s never sounded so good!

* KARAOKE! You also get the karaoke version plus lyrics so you’re ready to perform!

* SHEET MUSIC! Get your band together to play Pac-Man Fever!

* BEHIND THE SCENES! Get exclusive video content behind the scenes and how the song became the anthem for one of the most popular video games in history

* SUPER-FAN! Get the inside story of how Pac-Man Fever became a worldwide hit a 80’s pop-culture fixture

If you want to enjoy and re-live music from the 1980’s, have fun singing Pac-Man Fever karaoke, and/or play Pac-Man Fever with your band… then this is the most important digital music e-book you’ll ever purchase!

Now is the best time to enjoy nostalgic music from the 1980’s! – Order Now!”

So- You get history of the making of the arcade anthem of my generation, AND… THE PAC MAN FEVER ALBUM on MP3 to boot!!!

Great Job, Jerry!!!

I’ll pick it up this weekend and do a review in the next few weeks!

And at only $4.99- that’s a bargain for everything you get !!!

Click HERE to go to the Amazon page and get yours TODAY!!!

He Man and the Masters of the Universe Video Game is here… and i’ts AMAZING!!!

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Hey Arcaders!

RayGunn here- and it’s good to be back! Had a few computer issues, so I decided to get a new one!

And in doing a test run, I literally ran into this game!

In my opinion, He Man never had a good video game.

I always felt that the franchise would benefit from a side stroller type game- like the Konami four player games of almost three decades ago.

And, here it is.

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Originally started in 2014, This game is THE BOMB.

with character animations that looked like they were ripped right off the animation cels, music and voices from the series, a roster of 10 playable characters, 28 stages, and more secrets than you can shake a power sword at- You NEED to check this game out!

 

I will be doing a review of this game soon.

By The Power Of Grayskull…

Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!

Nintendo’s 130th Birthday

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For a company that started out making simple playing cards to creating games that helped shaped the childhood of many Arcaders/Gamers, Nintendo has truly come a long way.

Happy 130th Birthday Nintendo!