GamesYouLoved go in the World of Retro Domination in Australia and speak to the team who tell us about their huge passion in life. Retro Games.
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| Retro Domination Team at PAX AUS 2013 |
So Pete - for those who don't know you - tell us about why you started Retro Domination?
Pete The idea came about 2 years prior to
starting the site, having worked within the gaming industry for close to 6
years at the time running Console Domination I had always had a strong desire
to expand the site out to cover retro gaming as well.
It wasn’t until late 2011 that I came across a YouTuber called RetroGamerTim which sparked an idea on how I could expand out the brand which has been created. Originally Retro Domination was to be a small feature on the current generation gaming site Console Domination. That was short lived as I was introduced to a fantastic and dedicated team that have a genuine passion for pop culture and of course retro gaming.
As the saying goes from there the rest is history and Retro Domination is now a standalone site and part of the Console Domination Gaming Network.
It wasn’t until late 2011 that I came across a YouTuber called RetroGamerTim which sparked an idea on how I could expand out the brand which has been created. Originally Retro Domination was to be a small feature on the current generation gaming site Console Domination. That was short lived as I was introduced to a fantastic and dedicated team that have a genuine passion for pop culture and of course retro gaming.
As the saying goes from there the rest is history and Retro Domination is now a standalone site and part of the Console Domination Gaming Network.
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| Tim's MVS Cabinet |
How did you get involved with Retro Domination?
Tim: Well prior to RD starting I was doing a few
videos on YouTube on my RetrogamerTim Channel, as id watched a lot of retro
gamers through the years and wanted to give something back to the community.
Oddly Peter
found my videos interesting enough to have them feature on his gaming site,
Console Domination. So for a few months, I’d be tucked away in the lower left
corner of the site with my own little section of Retro Gaming vids.
I was also invited along to their podcast, and being that I enjoyed gaming podcasts, relished the opportunity. From that point, we lured in Mark, Daz and Matt and we drummed the idea of doing a Retro Podcast. Would it work? Would anyone listen? Will it be a great way for friends to catch up and have a good old yarn about classic gaming?
Yes, yes
and yes.
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| Daz's Game Room |
Mark: Daz and I have been friends since we were but wee lads and we had known Tim for a couple of years before RD was started. Prior to starting with the team, I had basically muscled my way on to an episode of the original Console Domination podcast (via Tim) and was introduced to Pete. I guess he liked what he heard, because I was then asked back to help out with a Nintendo E3 special. Fast forward a few months, Pete asked me if I'd be interested in joining the RD team permanently and the rest is history!
Matt: It was a combination of my love of retro video games and my friendship with Darren Borg. Darren introduced me to the owner, Peter Biu and the rest was Retro history.
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| Matt's Game Room |
What are some your highlights of running the Retro Domination brand?
Darren: Where do I start? Being the Media contact for the site, I get to speak
to many people in the scene. Some of the main highlights include speaking with
Ben Daglish, Jeroen Tel, Andrew Hewson and Ryuichi Nishizawa (Wonderboy Creator).Hosting the Classic
Console Area at PAX AUS 2013. But the biggest highlight for me is the support
and encouraging words from our fan base. They make it all worth it.
Tim: I could say chatting to “industry legends” or “YouTube heroes”, but
honestly, the thing that’s kept me here, is the friendships I’ve made with the
guys on the team. Chatting at length about the Sega Master System or the Neo
Geo, and seeing the passion that all these guys have is amazing. I mean, we
have a fantastic fan base on Facebook and our podcasts get a lot of hits… but
at the end of the day, the best part is my friends.
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| Mark's Cabinet |
Why did you start a podcast and what type of things do you cover?
Darren: Due to the popularity of retro gaming, Pete thought it would be a great idea to form a team. We needed a couple more people to join, Mark and Matt were childhood friends of mine and I knew they would fit in perfectly. We cover everything from retro gaming, movies, toys, memories as kids and heaps more. We also have guests on the show consisting of Youtubers and game industry people.
Tim: It’s a medium I’ve always enjoyed, I loved listening to guys like
Radical Rascals or the Operation Killscreen podcasts, and felt it was a
fantastic way to convey our love for classic gaming.
What do we cover? Well
there are currently forty odd episodes so…a lot!
GamesYouLoved
What’s the Retro Gaming scene like in Australia for those outside the country - give us a flavour and insight?
What’s the Retro Gaming scene like in Australia for those outside the country - give us a flavour and insight?
Mark:
One word:
Expensive. Take a game that will sell for $5 in the US and you'll be lucky to
get it for under $20 here. I also find that there is definitely more loyalty to
Sega over Nintendo here (although Nintendo still gets its fair share of love!)
as opposed to the US and there is definitely a ton of love for the vintage
computer scene here too. We seem to mirror Europe more than we do the US.
Tim: It was good back in the day, but in the advent of “YouTube game
hunting pick up frenzy”, it’s made it really costly here. Considering we are a PAL region also, this makes
the prices even higher.
So lately all of my purchases have been off
shore, either from Japan (as I am a bit of a Sega Mark 3 fiend), the UK or
America. So any retro collectors
expecting to come here for a holiday expecting bargains…trust me, they’re cheaper
where you are!
Darren: It’s a double edged sword, first you have serious collectors who
are happy to chat about all things retro, but the worst part are the prices and
what resellers are charging for retro gear is ridiculous. I do purchase my gear
from the UK and USA as it’s still cheaper for me even with shipping on top.
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| Mick Gordon and Pete |
Any exciting plans for 2014?
Pete: Last year we co-hosted “The Classic Console
Area” at PAX in Melbourne. This year we are working on bringing fans of the
golden era something much bigger. With planning already under away for the show
that will take place again in Melbourne in late October our aim to showcase the
most impressive display of playing Consoles and more. I can’t go into too much
detail but let’s just say it will feel like you have travelled back to the 80’s
that’s for sure.
GamesYouLoved
Tell us about some of the interesting people you have met on social media?
Tell us about some of the interesting people you have met on social media?
Matt: We have been fortunate to meet some really
great people: Gregg Hansen from Arcade Impossible, who came to Australia for
PAX 2013! Johnny Millennium (Happy Console Gamer), Rob Man, Billy & Jay aka
The Game Chasers, Bajo and Hex from the Australian ABC TV show ‘Good Game’, Jon
Hare, the founder of Sensible Software,
Andrew Hewson from Hewson Consultants, and Walter Day from Twin Galaxies!
Darren: Where do I start? My C64 heroes Ben Daglish, Jeroen Tel and
Andrew Hewson. Walter Day was a huge honor to have on the show! Meeting Tim
Schafer, Bajo from ABC’s TV Show Good
Game and Mick Gordon (Killer Instinct music creator (Xbox One). I’ve also become
very good friends with fellow retro gamers like Alex from Aus Retro gamer and
Aleks Serblander from Weird and Retro.
Tim: Most notably, Walter Day the founder of Twin Galaxies. He was certainly
a character and one of the few interviewees I was in awe of!
Aside from Mr. Day,
amazing industry guys like Mark “TDK” Knight and the very generous and very
humble Ryuichi Nishizawa (Sega/Westone).
YouTube guys like
Johnny Millennium, Rob Man and Gamester 81 were also fun to chat to, always
interesting to hear how someone else was brought up through the early days of
classic Gaming.
Who’s on my wish list?
Yu Suzuki.
GamesYouLoved
Tell us about some of the events you guys have attended in Australia and even overseas?
Tell us about some of the events you guys have attended in Australia and even overseas?
Matt: Darren & I were able to attend the Game Masters exhibition
Which was held in Melbourne. It was a celebration of Arcade and gaming through the years and the keynote speaker was none other than Lucas Arts great Tim Schafer, responsible for some of the best Adventure games of all time. Of course the highlight light for 2013 was helping to run the Classic Console gaming area at PAX Australia. Darren & Tim were also able to attend some media events for THQ and other publishers on behalf of Console Domination, and team were also able to attend Shadowloo Showdown, an Australian fighting game tournament that attracts some of the best players in the world!
Unfortunately, we
haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend any events overseas, but hopefully
2014 will change that!
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| The Retro Domination Team |
Who do you guys follow in the retro scene - any shout outs?
Darren: Big fan and dear friend Gregg Hansen of Arcade Impossible, Johnny Millennium,
Luke Morse, Ausretrogamer , Weird and Retro and GameSack
Matt: I particularly enjoy watching AVGN (aka James Rolfe), Arcade Impossible
with our good friend Gregg Hansen, and I also listen to the Radical Rascals
podcast.
Mark: Locally, our good friend Alex from Aus Retro Gamer, our boys over at
Retrospekt and those cool dudes from Weird & Retro. Otherwise, I'm a big
fan of Luke Morse. His repair videos and game play videos are great and
informative, but I particularly love his Japanese cultural videos too. Of
course, the Johnny & Rob Man from the Happy Console Gamer channel get a big
shout out. Johnny Millennium’s enthusiasm is just too damn infectious! Last,
but certainly not least is the ever so handsome Green Hansen from Arcade
Impossible!
GamesYouLoved
What are some of your favorite games of all time and why?
What are some of your favorite games of all time and why?
Tim: Yu Suzuki’s’ Shenmue. It was a game that I loved. You were drawn into
this amazing world with a sense of freedom to explore in gorgeous 3D. Where you
could walk in to a shop and look and pick up every item for sale. It just was,
and still is an absolute treasure of a game, and genre defining too.
Aside from that, I
hold the very early Neo Geo titles close to my heart. I was always impressed by
the graphics, beautiful sprites and larger than life characters. Games such as
Magician Lord, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury really blew me away back in the
early 90s. They just seemed a step above
the average Capcom or Konami brawler.
Darren: Of all time, it’s definitely Wonderboy in Monsterland (I own signed
copies of the cart and have a dedicated arcade board) and I’m a big fan of the
Street Fighter series. Many C64 games like Myth, Mayhem in Monsterland,
Creatures 2, Hammerfist and the Last Ninja Series. Shinobi series, Midnight
Resistance, Heavy Barrel, Karnov, Silent Hill, Castlevania Symphony of the Night and anything Neo Geo, I
could go on. Atari 2600,C64 and Sega
Mega Drive are my fav platforms of gaming. C64 and 2600 because I grew up
playing them and Sega Mega Drive for the fact it was my next big jump in gaming
and that it felt like I had an arcade in my home.
Mark: The Street Fighter series is number one. The impact that it has had on my life is really hard to
put into words, but I love fighters in general (both 2D & 3D). Prior to
Street Fighter II, i was a huge fan of Final Fight and Double Dragon. Guess I'm
just a fan of animated violence! I’m also very much into World of Warcraft and
have spent countless hours questing, raiding, etc. Finally, I also have a soft
spot for shmups, despite being really lousy at them!
Matt: Wow, hard question! I have always enjoyed adventure games, specifically
from Sierra and LucasArts. Sierra being the pioneers of the text based
adventure game and creating some of the best games of its kind, such as Kings
Quest, Police Quest and the Leisure Suit Larry Series. I also really enjoyed
Maniac Mansion, Loom and the Monkey Island Series. I liken these games to the
“Choose your own Adventure” books, being able to mould the ending based on your
decisions. Even though there was only one ending with these games, it still
felt personalised.
Thanks guys - keep up the great work! 'GamesYouLoved Team'
Thanks guys - keep up the great work! 'GamesYouLoved Team'
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