I am most certainly, without a doubt, a self-confessed retro-gamer. Whether i’m fist-fighting until my last breath in Sega’s Street Fighter, or making a final-lap comeback during a Super Mario Kart session on my SNES — it’s all good. However, those of you who have experienced console issues with these outdated devices – and believe me, issues do and will occur – will know that there is nothing worse than owning a large collection of SNES or Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges without a functioning console to utilise them. Fortunately, the folks over at Retrode understand our need to stay stranded in the “old days”, and have created a device that allows users to play any SNES or Sega Genesis game on their PC and/or iPad. Say hello to the Retrode 2.0…

The German-based Retrode 2 is, as its name suggests, a reiteration of the original Retrode, which was welcomed into the world in February, 2010. Originally this little, black device went about its days creating ROMs from a users’ Mega Drive or SNES cartridge/s. Now, Retrode have taken things a big step forward for retro gamers by morphing the Retrode 2.0  into a unit that not only creates ROMs from any of your old SNES and Genesis games, but also a device that deploys these ROMs to your PC ”under any Operating System, using any emulator” (their words, not mine), and your iPad. At this point, users can connect up to four of their SNES or Genesis controllers and begin experiencing the classics all over again! Check out the Retrode executing what has been dubbed “iCade Mode” on an iPad, below…

Of course, while the Retrode sounds like a great idea, you may have noticed that your favourite electronics retailer hasn’t thrown any on the shelves in their store/s – and this is because the Retrode 2.0 isn’t available for purchase in Australia, at least not yet, anyway. Having said this, you can just as easily have one of these bad boys shipped to you from online stores based in Germany, Japan or the United States (take your pick!) for approximately eighty of your Australian dollars (prior to any shipping charges you may incur, that is). If you have anything you would like clarified in relation to the Retrode, or you would simply like to learn a little more about it, I recommend heading to their fan site - you’ll find a wealth of information including the Retrode‘s history, stories from those who own a Retrode, user-created documentation, a community forum and more!

Have you purchased a Retrode of your very own? If so, have you found any issues regarding  PC compatibility? Or are you finding that your new ROMs are bringing your old games back to life, perfectly? Throw me some comments below and satisfy my curiosity…

Those crazy cats at Rockstar Games are at it again with another edition of the long running gaming franchise, Grand Theft Auto. The GTA 5 trailer shows off some improved graphics, and very different gameplay like golfing, jet skiing and hiking. Fear not faithful fans, there’s still bank robberies and violence to keep you happy.

Expect plenty more tantalising promotional material between now and the games’ release date, which is yet to be announced.

Kotaku have done a great job of dissecting the trailer for those uber fans who analyse every last detail. For the rest of us who just love the game, enjoy the trailer.

More @ Kotaku

This weekend Australia’s largest gaming expo, EB Expo is treating gaming fans to a plethora of gaming goodness. Yesterday the event actually sold out and judging by reactions online, most had a blast. So popular was the event, the first day actually sold out. Creator EB Games, did a great job of getting the best gaming companies to the event.

The big 3 console creators, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all there showing off their wares. One of the most well received has been the unreleased PlayStation Vita.

During the event attendees have also been treated to some hands-on time with the hottest games, some of which haven’t even been released yet. One such example is Battlefield 3, while the multiplayer beta has been available for a few weeks now, gamers at EBExpo experienced the stunning single player campaign.

Despite some complaints about the line length, Aussie gamers were able to play Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Uncharted 3 and many, many more. Naturally with unreleased titles, interest is high, so dedicated hardcore fans are just keen to get any kind of time with an unreleased title.

Gamer and EB Expo attendee @gummidge said “2hrs wait for 7 mins of play!! #BF3 #awesome #worthit #ebexpo”.

Image credit: Andrew Howell

The second day of is about to begin. Naturally the Expo floor full of exhibitors will be available for gamers to peruse, but today’s agenda also includes a number of special events. EB Live is a sound blasting, screen towering, mega arena which will have presentations from Playstation, Ubisoft and Bethesda to follow EA, THQ and Namco yesterday. The EB Areana Spectacular features explosive pyrotechnic flares and FMX motorbike stunts, along with games displayed on a massive 30m wide screen.

Gaming events have to (pretty sure it’s law) include some kind of Cosplay. EB Expo is no different and actually has Cosplay Finals for the best dressed at 3:30pm with the event wrapped up with the EB Expo Grand Finale at 4pm. If you’re at the event, have fun, take photos and make those who aren’t insanely jealous.

Image credit: Andrew Howell

EB Games announced yesterday that the event will be on again in 2012, to be held in Sydney.

More information @ http://ebexpo.com.au

The Forza Motorsport series began way back in 2005. but now in 2011 it’s time for the 4th edition. I’ve been lucky enough to have been playing the game for the past week under embargo.. but that just ended ! So strap yourself in for the review.

The home screen is made up of 5 sections, Play Career, Community, Autovista, Free Play and Marketplace, in the demo, you only had access to 2 of these, so below we’ll take a look at each one.

Career
Finally a game that recognises your commitment to the series ! After firing up Forza 4, it identified the saved game from Forza 3 sitting on the same hard drive. The game prompted me to import the data, naturally I did which resulted in early unlocks of cars and a badge (Level 50, VIP). Unfortunately despite your previous experience, your career will still start using slow class F cars.

Track locations are now visualised with the track selection panning over a map of the world. This contextualisation works remarkably well compared with selecting from a list. The thought process involved in creating this is pretty impressive, there’s even made up tracks still have locations on the map.

The number of races in Forza 4 is simply astonishing. With some many track and race variants, there are hundreds of events to race. If you want value for money, this game will satisfy your cravings, there’s no 10 hour FPS here, hours required are measured in 3 figures.

Rival events is another mode that places your times against the best in the world. Rival challenges come in many forms including hot laps, drifting, time attack, track days, top gear and Autocross. These game modes make for a nice break from hours of standard circuit racing. Autocross races can contain objectives like knocking over a specified number of Pins, or driving slalom between Barrels around the track.

Community
If there wasn’t already enough places for you to sink time into, racing online is a massive part of Forza. It’s been a little difficult to test during the pre-release phase as there’s only a select few with early access. This section will blow up on release day. Naturally you can join or create an almost infinite number of race modes with players across the globe.

An important new addition in Forza 4 is the ability to use Clubs. Naturally Motorsport communities online want to form group and race competitively with others in the game. Forza 4 lets you do that by creating Clubs. A really nice feature is that you can share your cars with the group. This means someone entering the game for the first time could try a heavily customised, specked out ride. A great idea and well executed.

You may be used to comparing your best times with Xbox Live friends, or the top leaderboards, but now you can compare with club members as well. This team system is something we’ve seen many games try, but rarely done well.

There is still the same Auction House for selling cars and Store Front for selling graphics and vehicle setups – sadly not much has changed here from Forza 3.

Autovista
25 amazingly detailed cars are on display for you to investigate. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame also gives his dry humoured run down of each. To unlock a car for Autovista, you need to select it and complete a challenge. While it may seem a fair bit of effort just to look at a car, I can assure you, it’s completely worth it. My personal favourite is pressing X to ‘explode’ the car, opening every door, bonnet, boot and wing available.

You can even get inside the car to get a run down of the dash and interior, which looks just as detailed as the exterior. Clicking on the steering wheel will show off the start process, complete with gauges, displays and the engine revs. Unfortunately you don’t get to control the revs yourself, you need to drive the car for that.

There’s also Kinect integration in this mode, this allows users to step left and right to move around the car. This does have it’s issues, at times it can be jerky and you end up doing things you didn’t intend like exiting the car when you meant to inspect something.

Free Play
Brand new in this version is the ability for two players in split screen to use in-car view. Some how those wizards at Turn 10 Studios managed to extract some more horse power out of the 5+ year old Xbox 360 and get this to work. Clearly the momentum in multiplayer gaming is to go online, but there are still circumstances when you want to race a friend in the same room.

There’s also Quick Race and Hot Lap sections in Free Play, great if you want to break from serious racing and want to test the damage engine at 300km/h into a wall.

Marketplace
Apparently where you can get ‘the latest content’ for Forza 4, Marketplace is basically a front end to DLC. What is promising is the multiplayer game mode currently lists ‘soccer’ but is unavailable. This famous Top Gear soccer match should be available at launch.

In Autovista, the 2012 BMW M5 is also tagged as DLC and not yet available, this suggests Turn 10 will release additional Autovista cars overtime for you to drool at while emptying your wallet.

Marketplace introduces the notion of Tokens. Buying Car Tokens with Microsoft Points (real money) allows you to buy any car in the game. So if you’re time poor and bank rich, then you can buy your way to the best rides.

Cars
The cars in this game look fantastic, highly detailed both inside and out. This is the first game I’ve played (and maybe ever) to feature moving components based on physics. The Lexus LFA for example has a rear wing that opens at high speed to keep it glued to the road. The same is true of the super fast Bugatti Veyron, which also uses the pop-up wing for aggressive braking, like a parachute on a dragster. 

Upgrading your car and the modification system works essentially the same as Forza 3. There is one key difference – loyalty discounts can be achieved by winning races with a certain manufacturer. Discounts on part upgrades range up to 100%. Yep, free upgrades !

I mentioned earlier the extra detail in the car models. This extra level of detail even extends to flames shooting out the exhaust when unburnt fuel reaches the hot exhaust tip and combines with oxygen. These guys have thought of everything. Those for an eye for detail will also appreciate the reflections in the car bonnet are now smooth as silk. Incredibly low quality in the last version, this improvement likely comes as a result of their new lighting engine.

Car handling has been improved with 3 options available. Assisted where the computer really wants to help, this mode is for beginners only. Standard which actually makes it easy to drift without an aggressive snap back. The last is Simulation where real driving physics are applied.. this is the hardest and really for the most advanced racing drivers. If you have a steering wheel and pedals, this is the option for you.

V8 Supercars
Australian motorsport fans will be keen to know the evolutions with V8 Supercars in the Forza franchise. While there is no Bathurst or any Australian tracks for that matter, there is an update in regards to V8 Supercars included in Forza 4. So we’ve gone from 4 Fords and 4 Holdens, to 5 of each. Not exactly the whole field we were were hoping for. Expect DLC or community developed liveries for other teams.

Damage
One of my biggest criticisms of Grand Turismo 5 was the lack of damage. Now apparently it does have damage, but so far in most players will never see it. I never understood that. Forza 4’s damage engine has been upgraded significantly and damage applies only to the area impacted. Sideswiping another car may result in scratches along the front or rear guard, not the simple switching of a ‘damaged’ texture for the entire side of the car. In simulation mode there’s also tyre wear, engine damage and fuel to worry about for that real driving simulation.

Kinect Integration
The hardcore Forza fans had been concerned when the K word was mention in relation to their beloved realistic driving sim. While it’s amazing technology packed into a small box, it can create child-like or basic experiences, the exact opposite of what ‘real’ drivers want.

Good news. The use of Kinect in Forza 4 is completely optional, so if you don’t have or want to use it, you don’t need to. The cover art for the game uses the term ‘Enhanced with Kinect’ and essentially that’s true. While racing, Kinect is used for head / upper-body movement. This translates what you would typically use the left thumb stick for, looking left or right out windows. Sure it may be to check your blind spots, but I found it most useful for looking out the side mirror while drifting.

Forza 4 Trailer

Overall
What Turn 10 Studios has created here is without a doubt the best racing game available today. With stunning car models, a realistic physics and lighting engine, Forza 4 is now the benchmark for racing games. It was cute that GT5 had a at try, but it has seriously been left behind.

Whether your a dedicated racing fan or a complete newby, you will enjoy Forza 4. Advanced Forza 3 fans may find the Career progression a little slow, but that’s a pretty mild complaint. The achievements come thick and fast in the first few hours of the game, these really should have been distributed more evenly over the hours required to complete the game. Turn 10 clearly recognise the number of people willing to commit the time to complete is minimal, so front load to provide a sense of achievement.

My biggest complaint is the lack of new tracks in Forza 4, clearly a very expensive thing to build. Turn 10 chose only to add a couple of new tracks to the game and enhance the existing ones. This game would have been made just that much better had it included an Australian track like Bathurst. There is after all V8 Supercars in the game, but no tracks that they actually race on in real life.

Unfortunately the most realistic driving game is missing something realistic.. weather. There is still no rain, hail or snow. Sure there is sunrise and sunset skies that look amazing, but this is a big omission from the experience. Looks like we have to wait for the horsepower in the next Xbox and Forza 5 for that one.

Forza 4 is available in Australia on October 13th and exclusive to the Xbox 360. If your into driving at all, I strongly suggest picking this one up. Just remember this is more of the same great game with some nice improvements, not an revolution.

More @ ForzaMotorsport.net

Those PC gamers got a few days head start, but Battlefield 3 beta has reached the Xbox 360. It’ll cost you 1.3GB of downloads, but judging from the videos I’ve seen so far, it’ll be totally worth it.

Download it now @ Xbox.com or directly from your Xbox 360.

Bastion tells the story of “the Kid”; a young child on his way to the titular Bastion, a safe haven where the citizens of the old world agreed to meet following large disasters. The debut title by independent developer Supergiant Games is an Action-RPG, the likes of which have never been seen before.

The Kid awakens on a ravaged piece of the Old World, a floating remnant of an old civilization destroyed in the aftermath of the Calamity, a catastrophic event that fractured the world into multiple pieces and ultimately led to the infestation of the Kid’s now enemies.

Following the events of the Great Calamity, it is up to you as the Kid to roll, smash and spend your way throughout numerous different environments and enemies in order to restore the Bastion to its former glory. Enemies drop shards, the world’s currency, which you can then use to purchase potions and elixirs to not only buff yourself, but to gain access to new powers, too.

Gameplay within Bastion sees platforming elements combine flawlessly with the obvious RPG roots that present themselves in the form of weapon upgrades, loot and loadout customization. It’s the type of gameplay that inspires you to keep playing in the hope that you’ll be able to complete the next level in a different way or with different weapons.

If you’re a fan of the Ocarina of Time, then Bastion will definitely bring back moments of nostalgia. Using your shield to deflect projectiles from towers throughout the levels reminded me of deflecting Deku seeds, and the simple combat was reminiscent of Zelda’s through the rolling, blocking and then striking. Although it sounds effortless, it definitely gets quite difficult when you’re surrounded by a horde of challenging foes.

In accoutrement to the in-depth and rewarding gameplay are the beautiful visuals. The graphics within Bastion could best be described as a video game version of the Mona Lisa, a perfect colour palette and striking look. Everything has a splash of watercolor and vibrancy that is refreshing at all turns and never gets old to look at. To match the stunning visuals is an equally satisfying score full of tone settings music and upbeat sound effects.

A large part of Bastion is the narrator; Rucks. Rucks is your only friend and ally throughout the lengthy campaign and he narrates your every action. Smash some boxes and he will tell you all about it. Dispatch a foe in a fancy way and he will praise you. Although it’s a small addition it really ties the whole gameplay package together in an effective manner.

Supergiant Games has created not only a game, but an experience. Once you finish Bastion you will want to restart it and play it again, and again, and again. Varying enemy difficulty, the constantly upgrading Bastion and the great weapons challenges give you hours of gameplay and enjoyment.

To put it simply, Bastion is amazing. The story could have been better but the accompanying gameplay, the visual and audio experience coupled with the huge replay value makes Bastion a must have title not only for PC, but also for the Xbox 360. From August 16th, Bastion is now available via Steam.

Gaming fans from Melbourne can now combine two favorite pastimes.. Drinking and gaming at ManaBar Melbourne.

At the 12pm opening, the line of more than 100 (small compared to Brisbane) were treated to a live music performance, with music from video games.

There’s plenty committed gaming fans dressed up, many of which you’ll see in a photo gallery from the launch, later today.

Surprisingly the opening was pretty low-key, no count down, no announcement, the bouncer just started checking ID and allowing the first batch in. There’s a 50 person capacity limit at ManaBar Melbourne, so 45 minutes after the opening, the line hasn’t moved far.

Best of luck to Yug (who I met just minutes before the opening) and the rest of the ManaBar creators.

More pics and videos to come.

Check out a video of the line, how many characters can you spot ?

See the moment the doors opened!

Update: the line is still strong, but people are cycling through.

Update 2: Check out this PhotoSynth from inside the ManaBar Melbourne. It may have taken 4 hours to get in for half hour of fun, but I think it was totally worth it !

Photo gallery from the opening..

2K, Activision, Bethesda, Bluemouth Interactive, Capcom, Codemasters, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, inComm, Konami, Logitech, Mindscape, Bandai Namco, Nintendo, Parrot AR Drone, Plantronics Gamecom, PlayStation, PopCap, QMS, Razer, Sega, Square Enix, THQ, Turtle Beach, Ubisoft, Xbox 360.

Apparently this is just the beginning, with even more to be announced. Tickets for EB Expo go on sale this week – Thursday 2nd June at Midday AEST.

Check out the announcement video below.

More info @ http://www.ebexpo.com.au/

Update
With the comments getting pretty heated today I wanted to make it clear, this post is not a review of the game and was never branded or intended as such. I’d be happy to get early access to the game and review it in full if Mr Symons wants to provide one. If that doesn’t occur, I’ll be purchasing a copy of the game and review it when it becomes publicaly available.

Australian Football Rules fans rejoice, there’s a brand new Aussie Rules video game on the way. AFL Live 2011 has a release date of April 21, 2011 and will be on PS3, Xbox360 and PC. The disappointing thing about the game’s release is that it falls almost a month after the 2011 AFL season has begun. Its a missed opportunity as the most fanatical football fans / gamers, would have loved to play each round alongside the real game.

Another disappointment is the quality of the game itself. Check out the trailer below released yesterday by PlayStation Australia. The skin tones and textures are extremely low quality on low-poly player models, certainly by today’s standards. Player movement also looks sluggish and jerky using low-framed animation cycles, poor crowd diversity and player contact collision detection.

We’ll have to wait to get hands on before a final verdict, but lets hope the developers Big Ant Studios haven’t wrecked a game about one of Australia’s most popular sports. Check out the full list of history of AFL video games on Wikipedia, its an impressive history dating back to 1991, one can’t help but think EA Games should have been all over this.

Well its back, Gamecast brings your the latest events of the gaming industry in video.

Hosted by James Goldsworthy this episode of Gamecast covers the following stories.

Show Notes

Mass Effect 2: Arrival DLC: March 29

Battlefield 3 Gameplay 2/3 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLf3bV0Ueyw

Batman Arkham city Gameplay – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V1ZF5cNYCs

Beyond Good and Evil on Playstaion Network

3ds Most Preordered Console

Portal 2 TV Spot: 19th April – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APAcU3YBhYc

Ubisoft unveils guitar game Rocksmith – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSx1R-kKuM4

The Old Republic beta sign-ups near 1.5 million

Activision calling up Dance Hero?

BAFTA Awards – http://www.bafta.org/awards/video-games/video-games-awards-nominees-in-2010,1656,BA.html