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@DarthAzrael

@DarthAzrael in November 2021

@DarthAzrael

TRACON truly was a simulation more than a game. It was released by Wesson International who also developed professional air traffic control simulations for training. I suppose it was a relatively low cost endeavor to turn it into a game for the public. Whether or not it is the sort of thing that would really appeal to your average gamer is another question. I doubt this ever sold millions of copies but apparently it was successful enough to develop future updated versions…

@DarthAzrael

The Altair 8800 featured the Intel 8080 CPU, an 8-bit CPU running at 2 MHz. The Altair could be ordered as a kit or fully assembled but assembly added almost 50% to the price. And you couldn't expect much for your $439 outlay...even the memory had to be purchased separately. 1 KB, 2 KB and 4 KB memory cards were available with a total of 8K being a desirable amount if you could afford it. If you wanted any software then you had to be prepared to pay extra...a lot extra. In…

@DarthAzrael

This photo features an airplane and presumably its soon to be (or recent) occupants. The registration number is clearly visible giving me something to search for as there are a multitude of websites with info on aircraft registrations, including the FAA itself. However, registration numbers get reused over time. There are two planes with this particular registration (N2569V). The second is far too new but the first looks like a possibility. It belongs to a Cessna 170 that…

@DarthAzrael

The Sinclair ZX81 and Spectrum were extremely popular computers in the U.K. during the 1980s and even early 1990s. However, while there were variations of those machines released in the U.S. by Timex, they were sometimes incompatible, had relatively limited software compared to other machines like the Commodore 64, Apple II and TRS-80 and only had very limited success. Timex Sinclair User was a magazine dedicated to these machines and issue number 3 includes: Read more:…

@DarthAzrael

Real-time strategy is not a genre that has a lot of representation on the Nintendo 64. Other than Command & Conquer, I can’t think of another one besides StarCraft 64. StarCraft for the Nintendo 64 was released in 2000, about a year and a half after the Brood Wars expansion for the PC, so it wasn’t exactly a high priority for that console either. The good news is that the Nintendo 64 version includes both the original game and the expansion plus another bonus mission. Read…

@DarthAzrael

This photo features the Sprague which was the world's largest steam powered sternwheeler towboat. Nicknamed 'Big Mama' it was built in 1901 and used for more than 40 years towing mostly coal and oil up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers (among others). It could push vast amounts of cargo setting records for coal (the equivalent of 1,500 railroad cars) and oil (11 million gallons). The Sprague was decommissioned in 1948 in Memphis, TN and then used as a floating museum…

@DarthAzrael

This is an ad from Sonic Times. Sonic Times was a promotional newsletter sent to Sega retailers during the Genesis era. It contained information like marketing schedules, lists of top games sold and upcoming releases. This ad highlights the upgradability of the Sega Genesis. It's true that the Genesis had a few different upgrade paths. The basic Sega Genesis could play 99% or more of all the games released for that system. However, the Sega CD add-on added the ability to…

@DarthAzrael

BYTE was a computer magazine published from 1975 until 1998, appearing not long after the first commercial computer kits started being advertised. It covered a vast array of computers over the years and included technical content as well as hardware and software reviews. The January 1984 issue was a massive 560+ pages and features include: Bubbles on the S-100 Bus, Part 1: The Hardware - Using Intel's BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Prototype Kit, you can put together a 128K-byte…

@DarthAzrael

Area 51 is an arcade game that was released by Atari Games in 1995. It is a light gun shooter game in which the player takes the role of a soldier taking part in an operation to prevent aliens from taking over Area 51. You must make your way through various sections of Area 51 including warehouses and tunnels. The ultimate goal is to set activate the nuclear self-destruct mechanism. Atari Games was in pretty bad shape at the time and Area 51 really was a last ditch effort to…

@DarthAzrael

Your Computer was a popular home computer magazine published in the U.K. in the 1980s. This particular issue is pretty massive with well over 300 pages. Looking at the table of contents, I thought it odd that the first thing listed is on page 74. I though maybe I was missing a page. However, it looks like this magazine (or at least this issue) is front-loaded with ads...so basically the first 73 pages are all advertisements. Read more:…

@DarthAzrael

This photo is likely from the late 1950s or early 1960s. I used Digital ICE and color correction when scanning this slide as it was badly faded shades of red. It appears to have been taken at the Wisconsin Memorial at Vicksburg National Military Park...I bet they don't let you climb on it these days. There's over 1300 monuments in that park... For more info and photos from this set see: https://hive.blog/photography/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-oestreicher-1333-1336 #slides…

@DarthAzrael

The anime costume contest at MegaCon 2006. This used to be the main costume contest at MegaCon before being replaced by a more "professional" and more general costume contest. Though this one was anime-centric, there were the occasional costumes from video games, sci-fi, fantasy or comics. There is still an anime costume contest at MegaCon but it is much smaller now. See the video here: https://hive.blog/hive-181335/@darth-azrael/qdkibiuu #MegaCon #cosplay #anime…

@DarthAzrael

The Commodore SX-64, also known as the Executive 64 was the first color portable computer. This portable Commodore 64 was released in 1984 but despite the good reviews and the incredible success and longevity of the Commodore 64, The SX-64 was only manufactured for about two years. Sales were slow possibly because of the high cost, possibly because of the small screen and possibly because many people were waiting for the announced DX-64 with a second disk drive that never…

@DarthAzrael

Rogue Ops is a third person action adventure game that was released in October 2003 for the Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2. I suppose it would fall within the "stealth" genre though I don't know that I ever really got into this kind of game enough to consider it a separate genre. Strictly speaking, stealth is just an option anyway. If you prefer, in most cases you can blast your way through the game though that may not always be the easiest approach. Read more:…

@DarthAzrael

Electronic Gaming Monthly was one of the most successful gaming magazines and one of my favorites. I never subscribed but did buy issues frequently and bought pretty much every issue in a span between 1990 and 1993. By 1998 I was rarely buying an issue. I'm not sure why really but I guess like everybody else, I was starting to get more content online. Features from the September 1998 issue (the 110th issue!) include: Metal Gear Solid - Nothing had been seen from the Metal…

@DarthAzrael

GamePro was a popular gaming magazine during roughly the same time period as Electronic Gaming Monthly, however it seemed to be targeted towards a younger audience and I never really thought it was as good. It was loved by many though. Features from the February 1996 issue includes: Editor's Choice Awards for 1995! - Top honors went to Doom for the PlayStation, Virtua Fighter 2 for the Saturn, Vectorman for the Genesis, Donkey Kong Country 2 for the Super Nintendo, Tekken 2…

@DarthAzrael

Fragile Allegiance was a sci-fi themed 4X real-time strategy game published by Gremlin Interactive/Interplay for DOS and Windows 95 in 1997. It isn't as well known as some other similar games, possibly because the market isn't as big for this genre as others and this wasn't one of the top one or two. However, despite perhaps not being the best of the genre, it is still a solid game and one that any fan of real-time strategy should consider trying. Read more:…

@DarthAzrael

Along with Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro was one of the most popular gaming magazines of the 1990s. Personally, I preferred the slightly less popular VideoGames & Computer Entertainment and later, Next Generation but they were all great. At the time, there really wasn't any other way to learn about up and coming gaming stuff. Today's instant gratification is great and all but there is something to be said for anticipation. The March 1997 issue of GamePro includes: Read…

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Micro Adventurer was a U.K. published gaming magazines that covered a very particular niche. It covered adventure games on computers. The definition of adventure games in this case includes adventure, role-playing, war games and simulations. In addition, type-in programs (adventure games of course) for various 8-bit computers were included in each issue. The December 1983 issue includes: Read more: https://hive.blog/hive-140217/@darth-azrael/micro-adventurer-december-1983…

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At 164 pages, the June 1993 had to be somewhere near the peak for GamePro and there were a lot of systems to cover then. 8-bit systems were still being covered (the NES), 16-bit systems were being covered, CD based add-ons were being covered and multiple portables among other things. This issue includes: Read more: https://hive.blog/hive-140217/@darth-azrael/gamepro-june-1993-41a2b58df19d3 #retrogaming #gaming #Nintendo #SuperNintendo #SuperNES #SNES #Sega #Genesis…

@DarthAzrael

The Amstrad CPC was a line of 8-bit computers based on the Z-80 CPU produced starting in 1984 and popular in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. The initial model was the most successful ultimately selling 2 million units. It featured 64 KB of RAM and a built-in cassette deck. Later models included more RAM and a built in proprietary 3-inch disk drive. CPC Attack! was a gaming magazine dedicated to the Amstrad CPC line of computers and published in the U.K. The August 1992…

@DarthAzrael

This post includes the contents of FOR251.DOC dated October 23rd, 1985. This another set of forum messages from the Close Encounters SIG (probably a buffer capture of a reading session). It contains messages from early to mid October 1985. There are a variety of topics here ranging from a recent trivia contest to Playboy magazine, to impotence among several other topics. Read more:…