☆The History Of "CONSOLE WARS"☆

Having observed from the sidelines over the last few months The Games Freezer team has seen the hype and frenzy of the supposed "Console Wars" reach new HIGHS and LOWS as we see Sony & Microsoft trade daily blows in almost real time via all manner of social networks and media outlets.

It has been made all the more intense due to the long wait for a next generation of consoles and the fact that the so called "fanboys" have an instant way of showing their Love for their chosen console and a Hate for the opposing console.

Now we don't agree with the use such a genuinely exciting set of events to create a warring tension between gamers, but when we look back over the years we find that this kind of War Of Words & Consoles has been going on since 1975!

So nothing new at all really except nowadays the marketing machine and hype is more in your face…..

 

We decided to look at the greatest match ups over the years to see who dealt the knock-out blows since 1975 up until the present day, whilst also adding in our own scoring system to decide the winner of each Round!

So without further ado……."Seconds Out……ROUND 1……FIGHT!"

☆ Artcade "The Coin Op Art Book" ☆ @WoodPunk #RetroGaming #GamersUnite

Lets just start by saying that this book NEEDS TO BE MADE.....

(UPDATE: This Kickstarter Has Now Been Funded And Is In The Process Of Being Made)

It's the kind of art book that we here at Games Freezer dream of making ourselves if only we had the artistic talent......

☆Gamesfreezer Website Of The Day☆ @Iam8bit - #GamersUnite #RetroGaming

Here at ☆Games Freezer☆ we just love websites that celebrate gaming culture and there are none out there in internet land that we adore more than iam8bit.com

Give it a visit and check out some of the C☆☆LEST video game culture content on the web

Our personal favourite of the moment is the 10th Anniversary Ratchet & Clank Print Series which we just had to add to our Pinterest board...

Ratchet & Clank 10th Anniversary

Although one of the craziest highlights has got to be a fully working replica of Luigi's "Poltergust 5000" from Luigi's Mansion we just love it!

Poltergust 5000

Throw in the "Ducktales Remastered" Campaign and the "Tomb Raider Mailer" and you have got yourself one hell of a lot of Super C☆☆L Videogames goodness!

Go on, take our word for it and take a trip to iam8bit.com you are gonna LOVE IT!

☆Richard From The Depths Of The Website Archives☆

☆ "The Top 100 Videogames To Play Before You Die" ☆ #RetroGaming ☆ #GamersUnite ☆

"The Top 100 Videogames To play Before You Die"  - Did any of these make the 100?

 

Recently we asked the 'TwitterVerse' what games we need to play before we die......

After compiling countless nominations from all of the

☆Friends Of The Freezer☆

we have managed to compile the definitive 

☆Games Freezer☆ list of..........

 

☆"The TOP 100 Video Games To Play Before You Die"☆

 We'll be releasing the full list of 100 over the course of 4 Articles on www.GamesFreezer.eu

There's some lesser known titles and there's some classics that make up this list

Remember this list was nominated by all the Twitter Followers of @GamesFreezer and we think it's one of the most diverse Top 100's EVER assembled!

So what are we waiting for??

Lets Kick Off with Part 1 - #100 to #75

 

100. Banjo Kazooie

 

99. Banjo Tooie

 

98. Final Fantasy III

 

97. Super Mario World

 

96. Super Mario World 2

 

95. Chrono Trigger

 

94. Suikoden

 

93. Suikoden 2

 

92. Suikoden Tactics

 

91. Unirally

 

90. Dark Cloud

 

89. Dark Chronicle

 

88. Silent Bomber

 

87. Terranigma

 

86. Alex Kidd In Miracle World

 

85. Cruise For A Corpse

 

84. Sensible Soccer 

 

83. Switchblade

 

82. Alien Fish Finger

 

81. Final Fight

 

80. Road Rash II

 

79. Sonic The Hedgehog 2

 

78. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

 

77. Uncharted 2 - Among Thieves

 

76. Red Dead Redemption

 

75. Daytona 

So that's the First 25 Listed, looks like you've all got some playing to do!

Come back and tell us how you got on

We'll be back soon with the next 25 games to play before you die!

 

☆Richard Reporting From The Gaming Deep Freeze☆

 

☆Competition☆ - "Would You Like Your Very Own F1 Team Name In An F1 Video Game?"

How Would You Like To Help Out An Indie Game Developer and get your creation Iimmortalized in beautiful Pixels forever!?

What Will Your Team Name Be?

Do you think you could come up with an alternative name for an existing F1 Team that the guys at Pixel F1 could use in their upcoming F1 Video Game?

If your F1 Team Name is considered to be inventive enough it will make it into the final game! 

☆Due Out near the end of 2013☆

How To Enter:

• Take a look at the Pixel F1 cars in the pic attached to this post.

• Concentrate on the F1 cars which have question marks against them.

• The Teams That Need Alternative Names are:

- Williams

- Caterham

- Sauber

- Marussia

• Try and come up with an alternative team name that incorporates a subtle reference to the real team name.

• ☆Look at the already completed Team Names for inspiration☆

• Go to the comments section of this post and enter the F1 Team Team Name you have thought of.

The guys at Pixel F1 will decide the winners

Closing date for entries will be 23/08/13

What have you got to lose?

Good Luck and May The F1 Be With You!

Pixelf1.com

☆"Speccy Nation" - @WordPlay4Games☆ #RetroGaming

"Speccy Nation"

Here's a book for those who L♡VE learning about the history of gaming and home computers like we do.

 

Games writer Dan Whitehead has published a C☆☆L book called Speccy Nation: A Tribute to the Golden Age of British Gaming. 

It covers the beautiful and almighty  ZX Spectrum home computer. 

Dan Whitehead takes a good look at 50 of the best and obscure ZX Spectrum games that contributed to the DNA of 'The Speccy' through the golden age of UK home gaming and bedroom coders.

The Speccy ended up with a software library of over 24,000 titles!

The Speccy was ahead of its time with a wide range of software that included programming tools, word processors, spreadsheet programs, drawing and art programs, It was the workhorse all rounder personal computer of its time.

Such is the love of the Speccy to this day, the creation of new Spectrum titles by devoted fans continues!

The game devs of the Speccy era are the stars of their day who worked with resources that were extremely limited by modern game devs standards. 

The first Speccy released in 1982 were available in two models, one with 16 Kilobytes of RAM!!

Then came the next advanced model which meant you had access to an eye watering 48 kB of RAM!!

If you want to see how the Speccy changed the face of home computers for a nation and a generation then we suggest you grab a copy pronto.

Let us know how you got on with Speccy Nation, was it a good read?

We'd Love to know your fave Gaming or Computing related reads so as we can feature your faves in future Games Freezer articles!

Richard - Reporting From The GamesFreezer Library

Games Freezer - Game Art Gallery #1 - @CalumBennett_ - #RetroGaming

The Games Freezer Team Love To Search The Web For The Finest Game Art Around and Post It Onto Our COOL Pinterest Page

So we thought in order to showcase the finest picks of the Game Art we have found on our travels we should officially open

"THE GAMESFREEZER GAME ART GALLERY"

So in a series of showcases over the next few months we will attempt to show off some of finest exponents of Game Art on the web that we have been able to find.

So without further ado please let us introduce to you............a Friend Of The Freezer....

Calum Bennett...... +Calum Bennett @CalumBennett_


Calum has created some epic Game Art with a twist.......All of the Game Art featured here by Calum is inspired by some of the most awesome Video Games Quotes from over the years.

We love this idea and were really impressed by the simplicity of the idea and the excellent style in which it has been executed.

Before we take a look at Calum's Gallery lets hear a little bit about what inspired his Game Art and some words about the man himself....

"I care about gaming a lot and wanted to show it off.

I chose the most predominant quotes from some of my favourite games, that happen to span nearly 25 years.

I wanted to show that no matter the age of the game, the best games still have a classic, memorable moment.

I'm 23, UK I've been a gamer since before I could walk, and still game today."

GAME ART GALLERY #1

Bioshock

Mortal Kombat

Portal

Zelda

Our Favourite is the Zelda Art, what's yours - Let Us Know!

Have you worked out where in each game these quotes appear and maybe who says them?

What future Game Art would you like to see in The Freezer?

Richard - From Deep Inside The Vaults Of The Games Freezer Game Art Gallery

 

Games Freezer - Website Of the Day - @Retrogamer_Mag - www.RetroGamer.Net #RetroGaming

OLD!

 

So you wanna lose yourself in RetroGaming screenshots..........LOTS OF 'EM

 

Where do you go for your screenshot fix?

For us there's only one place on the World Wide Web to go and indulge this particular vice........

Retrogamer.net

A visit to RetroGamer.Net is a sure fire way to lose a few hours just pawing over countless Retro screenshots from countless games

We love the Reviews and Opinions of all the "Retrobates" who post these timeless screenshots on a daily basis

The "Retrobates" community currently stands in the region of 28,000 and counting!

For us there's nothing better than scratching our heads to try and think of the name of that classic game we played on SEGA Master System and then finding a Cool Screenshot of that long forgotten gem!

That's why Retrogamer.Net is The Games Freezer Website Of The Day!

RetroGamer.Net........GET IN THE FREEZER!

Where do you go for your screenshot fix?

Let us know your fave screenshot orientated websites, we'd Love to hear from you all!

☆Top 5 Iconic Joypads / Joysticks☆ - #RetroGaming

They can make or break a console or computer.......they are the part of u do when everything you play a game.......they become part of you, almost a 5th limb.....some of them even give you BLISTERS!

They are Joy Pads & Joysticks. The Video Gamers very own tool of choice that are used to interact with our favourite medium.

We have gone through the Joy Pads and Joysticks from years gone by in order to give you our Top 5 most Iconic ones.

These are the ones that are almost as famous as the console or computer that they belonged to and brought JOY to Generations of gamers worldwide.

So Lets get cracking with our first stick of JOY!

5. The Atari 2600 "Classic"

This Joystick is the ultimate in simplicity and design but it truly is the Joystick of the earliest gaming generations from 1977 to 1986.

When you think Atari , you think of this Joystick. 

A true Classic and a cracking one to start our Top 5 with!

4. The NES "Control Pad"

The Nintendo Entertainment System introduced the world to the JOY PAD and boy did it bring JOY!

Although not very ergonomic in its design we think it more than makes up for that with it's unique character.

The NES Joy Pad had 4...YES 4! Count 'em .... Buttons!

As well as a nifty multi directional "D Pad"

We know that the NES was the system that turned Videogaming on its head again after the crash of 1983 and the humble NES Joy Pad played a big part in that.

(funny how no one mentions the NES Robot (R.O.B) anymore)

3. Playstion 2 "DualShock"

The PS1 got the ball rolling on this one when the original grey controllers were designed truly with the player's grip in mind.

When the PS2 was released we got a whole new ball game of a Joy Pad.

It had the 2 Analog Sticks for a start which were revolutionary at the time and now are standard across the two big systems of today.

The Dualshock's main unique selling point was the fact that it had two motors inside which gave it the vibration capability in order that you could get feedback from the in game action......Very COOL!

2. Megadrive / Genesis "Batarang"

Playing on this Joy Pad after playing on the NES pad was like heaven on your hands as your mitts really fitted nicely into this great design.

With 3 active buttons in close proximity to each other it was a dream to use.

It also looks very cool just like a "Batarang" from Batman which made it's playground appeal even more!

This pad reminds us of hours spent on Mega Bomberman & Earthworm Jim so has a lofty second position in our Top 5 countdown and rightly so!

So.......who comes in at Number 1?

For us there could only ever be one winner.......A Joy Pad that was so comfortable to play with, it was tough to even put it down.....this was the BEST joy Pad to play Street Fighter II with as it was a Joy to pull out a Dragon Punch with....

1. Super Nintendo "6 Button Joypad"

Just look at this beauty....it's a JOY TO BEHOLD

Pictured is the "Parma Violet" U.S Version. Just look at how this baby is moulded for pure gaming comfort.

You can't see it from this pic, but the shoulder buttons are nestled nicely on top of the pad, ready to send out a heavy kick or punch in SFII or a Powerslide in Mario Kart.

For us this was the pinnacle of Videogaming control.

6 Buttons was just enough to be able to remember what each one is programmed to do and to hold it was to be totally in control.......

NINTENDO WE SALUTE YOUR JOY PAD PROWESS.........

SNES JOY PAD......GET IN THE FREEZER!!

What Joystick did you love?

Which Joy Pad could never be parted from your hand?

Let us know what classic controller you think we should have included!

Richard - In The *FREEZER* Clutching his SNES Joypad

☆ Where Is My Retron5? ☆ @Hyperkin @FunStockGames #RetroGaming #GamersUnite

 

The RetroN5 Makes Us Go Weak At The Knees!

The RetroN5 from Hyperkin really excites us......It makes us want to go and get every cartridge we had as kids and play them all again 

(something we often dream about in the *Freezer*)

But Will This Beauty Ever Get A UK Release??!!

Games Freezer - Deals Of The Week - @Gamentrade - #RetroGaming

We love a bargain and we especially love a Retro Gaming Bargain!

 

So after searching the various Retro Gaming websites in order to purchase plenty of bargains we have finally discovered the best place to "Trade Video Games" on the web!

GameNTrade is the place to buy, sell or trade in your classic video games and retro consoles. 

They pay on average 50% more than other game stores! 

So The GamesFreezer orders you to ..... Stop by now for the best deals on games and electronics!

GameNTrade.com

Get On Over To GameNTrade today and let us know what bargains you managed to pick up on your travels...

Also check out the GameNTrade Blog that is just starting out, take a stroll there and leave some comments at GameNTrade Blog

Games Freezer - Website Of The Day - "Reality Glitch" - @realityglitch #Retrogaming

Dream Commodore Amiga Setup....

 

We love the smell of Retro Gaming in the morning..........

That's exactly the smell we encountered when we discovered this gem of a website! www.realityglitch.com

Being massive Commodore Amiga fans here in The Freezer we just love the banner on this site. 

It's a picture of a Cool "Amiga 500" on a desk with Sensible Software's legendary Cannon Fodder loaded up ready to play.

That picture sets the tone for "Reality Glitch" with the opening line underneath that reads "Welcome To The World Of Yesterday!"

Now onto what this piece of website retro gaming goodness has to offer.........

A large chunk of Reality Glitches' articles are Amiga related, which we absolutely can't get enough of!

For example we got really excited in one of the articles where the talk is all about "Favourite Amiga Demo Disks" 

As we read on we found that one of our all time demo disc Amiga mashups is mentioned! "CANNON SOCCER"

Great Stuff! We Love it! 

Also within the Amiga articles, we found a really good piece on The Bitmap Brothers

Sifting through the site we also found some great articles on Arcade Gaming which included a review of one of our fave Arcade Games of all time "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

4 PLAYER MENTALISM AT ITS BEST!

Overall, we spent a good couple of hours reading some of the cool articles on Reality Glitch and we cant wait for the next installement!

Reality Glitch - It's time for you to GET IN THE FREEZER as our WEBSITE OF THE DAY! 

Take a look at Reality Glitch today and let us know if it got your retro juices flowing?

(It Certainly got our ice melting!)

Richard from the melting ice of Londinium

Games Freezer - Help Launch The First Video Game Arcade Bar In London! @Retro_Game_Base #RetroGaming

Video Game Arcade Bar - Retro Game Base 

 
Picture this, you've had a hard day at work and want to unwind with a pint of your favourite tipple, so where do you head?

Do you go to:

A) The pub near work full of suits and no atmosphere?

OR

B) The Local Arcade Bar full of Retro Arcade Games  and lovely cool refreshing pints of the good stuff?

We choose B!!

Just one problem though.......B doesn't exist in London......YET!

The good folk at Retro Game Base are trying to launch a fantastic concept bar over here in the UK and specifically in London , the Video Game Arcade Bar

What better mix than Arcade Games, Beer and Cool Music??!! 

At the moment the guys (&girl) from Retro Game Base , run the ONLY Retro Gaming shop in London!

So why not help them to start up the first and only Video Game Arcade Bar in London?

Check out their Crowd Sourcing Page for some really cool investment rewards!

As of today (18/07/13) they only have 3 days left to raise the required £5000.

Currently the running total is at £1321 so they really need a massive final push to really make this dream happen!

So Retro Gaming People, lets use the Power Of The Freezer and start donating!

How do you like the sound of a Video Game Arcade Bar? 

What would you call your Video Game Arcade Bar?

(We'd call ours THE GAMES FREEZER!)

Games Freezer - Website Of The Day - @90kids - "90's Games" #RetroGaming

 

Do you fancy a bit of Lunch Time Retro Gaming?

Maybe a bit of a blast on Quake? 

Or a few Hadukens on Streetfighter II? 

What about a run and a jump with Sonic?

 

We found a cool site that quenched our Retro Gaming lust one lunch time, and now we have fallen back in love with the likes of Xenon 2: Megablast and Lost Vikings

Head on over to 90's Games to have a lunch time blast on some Retro Gaming Goodness

We had loads of fun looking through the cool games listed that you can run in your web browser.

It's got us wanting more web browser lunch time fun, so we've started to search for some more cool web browser classic games sites to keep our Retro Lunchtime session hunger satisfied!

Let us know your favourite Retro Gaming website where you go to get your Retro Kicks!