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RETRO
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Amedia-managementtoolsprings intolife
whenyouselecttheUSBstick,allowingyou
tobrowsefoldersandfiles.Programscan
alsobeauto-loaded,andthere’sahuge
sectioninthedownloadablemanualthat
clearlyexplains allofthe ins and outs of
getting external programs torun.
Being abletobreakfree fromthebuilt-in
games ensures THEC64is notgoingtobbea
short-livedexperience.Whetheryouwantto
reminiscewithablastofanoldgame,enjoy
thecurrentcropofhomebrewtitlesorsimply
tapawayinBASICyourself,thismachineis
goingtopropelyoubacktoagoldenera.
VICTORYMARCH
And yet itdoesn’t even stop there.With a
quickkchhangeoffthhesettings,youcanturn
THEC64intoafunctioningVIC 20,choosing
betweenaPAL or NTSCmodel (as you
can withtheCommodore 64 modetoo).
What’smore,the machinecan also be
booted intotheVIC 20 or Commodore 64
classic modebydefault–perhaps the
ultimateinauthenticity ifit wasn’t for the
horridly modernRetro Gameslogo and jingle
thhat appearson startup.
Speedball, Xenon, Gods and Z:
Steel Soldiers.
Over the years, some of
these games have resurfaced on
other,more modern formats,
including iOS and Android but,
with the recent acquisition of
the Bitmap Brothers brand and
portfolio by Rebellion, new titles
based on those licences are
now being planned.
The Bitmap Brothers are
viewed as gaming’s first
rock stars, thanks to their
poses in the press wearing dark
glasses, and games that had a
unique visual style together with
music inspired by the clubbing
scene (theyworked with synth
veteran John Foxx and even had
aversion ofBetty
Boo’sDoin’theDoin
Magic Pockets).
Rebellion,
meanwhile,is
something ofaforce
in popular culture,
known for its Sniper
Eliteseries ofgames
and the Alien vs
Predator franchise.
It also owns 2000 AD
and the rights to
Fleetway’s comics,
includingBuster,Whizzerand
ChipsandRoyoftheRovers.
“We’ll strive tobevigilant
custodians of one of gaming’s
great names,”saysRebellion
CEO Jason KingsleyOBE.
ARCADE CLUB IS
COASTINGTOSUCCESS
Having already made asplash in
Bury and Leeds, Arcade Club is
heading forthe seaside with a
new venue that’s set to open in
Blackpool very soon. The owners
of the nostalgic arcade saythe
town will be agood fit.
“I feel we are bringing back
something much needed to the
UK’s original arcade destination,”
says Andy Palmer.
DESIGNER OFTHE
6502 CHIPDIES
There are many unsung heroes
of technology,and oneofthose
was undoubtedly Chuck Peddle.
As an engineer forMotorola in
1974, he designed alow-cost
chip to complement the
company’s $300 6800. But
when it was rejected, he took
the microprocessor and seven
Motorola engineers to rivals
MOS Technology,where the
6502 flourished.
Costing just $25 to make,the
6502 became thebeating heart
of many home computers and
consoles, including the Apple II,
BBC Micro,Commodore VIC 20
and Nintendo Entertainment
System, helping to createa
technological revolution. It’s
with that in mind that we
mourn Peddle,who died on 15th
December 2019,aged 82, just
weeks after being diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer.
Peddle’s achievements also
spread further.Hedesigned the
Commodore PET as well as the
KIM-1 single-board computer,
which was based around the
- He also founded Sirius
Systems Technology in 1980
and put his talents to the
creation of the Victor 9000,
also known as the ACTSirius 1.
It became apopular 16-bit
business computer in Europe
following its launch in 1981.
REBELLIONACQUIRES
THEBITMAPBROTHERS
In the late1980s and early
1990s, many gamers came to
see the Bitmap Brothers’ logo
on abox as amark of quality
and, it’s not hard to see why.
After all, the British developer
created ahost of classic titles,
Ph including Chaos Engine,
ot
o:
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ott
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⬆Each keyreplicates the original, with the keyboard fully functional
⬆You can boot intothe classic mode and begin to programyour own apps and
games, with the ability to save and load states
