Video games during simpler times.....

It's amazing how far we've come with video games and home video game platforms. When you consider that the average home gmaing console has more computing power than NASA had during the Apollo missions, it really puts things in perspective on how far we've come from the early days of Pong.

I know I've spent countless hours in arcades back in the day spending a small fortune on quarters to try and just get to the next level of the latest and greatest game. Even though you knew they were making it more difficult to suck more quarters out of you - you still fed those babies like your life depended on it. When home computers and gaming systems came along, it allowed you to play in the comfort of your own home without having to constantly feed more quarters. Having said that, you had to spend a small fortune to keep up with the technology to be able to play the latest and greatest games.

Game consoles came along and we were hooked on crappy graphics for the longest time until eventually you had games that rivalled and beat out the PC games. They were easier to play than using a PC keyboard but you killed your fingers and lost hours of sleep just trying to beat the damn thing or get to the next elusive level.

One thing I have noticed though is that games in the old days like Wolf 3D or Doom were quick loading games that allowed you to jump in and start blasting. Simpler games that although challenging, didn't require weeks of training or learning key combinations. I find the older I get, the more I like and miss the older games. I guess it's whatever you grew up with that will remain near and dear to your heart, but I think we've all been there when it comes to sitting down to play a quick game only to have a slow loading PC just kill the will to play anything or wish that photon balster in the gam was real so you could actually unleash your wrath on the wretched PC!

Click here to play Retro arcade games from the 80's.

arcade games

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R.I.P. Sir Roger Moore (1927-2017)

It's a sad day for Bond fans with the news of the passing of Sir Roger Moore at age 89 after a short battle with cancer. The charismatic actor wore the 007 mantle for seven films playing the super suave British secret agent, James Bond from 1973 to 1985, replacing Sean Connery and went on to be the longest serving Bond to date. Roger had early success on television portraying Simon Templar in the "The Saint" and that role groomed him well for taking over the 007 franchise. He did have quite the television resume before taking on films including roles in "Ivanhoe", "The Alaskans" and "Maverick" and with Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders". His big break came in 1973's "Live and Left Die" that launched Moore's Bond. Roger brought a smoother more gentlemanly vibe to the role compared to Sean's rough and tumble Bond. The mix worked well and it brought a new standard to how Bond would be played in future films.

Evolution of the Coke Bottle

There is no logo in the world that is more recognizable than the Coca Cola company's flagship product. Coke and its classic bottle design are a symbol known all over the world. It's gotten to the point you don't even need to have the word Coke in an advertisement as long as the distinctive bottle shape is there somewhere in the image. The classic shape has evolved over the last hundred years and has gone from a rather boring square shaped bottle to the curvy silhouette it now maintains. Below is a timeline picture showing the changes over the years . The shape is also responsible for designers of other products to be inspired by the sexy elements of the bottle, most notably car designers. there are many examples but one of the best is the 1968 Corvette. The evolution of the bottle continues with many commemorative issues produced for various promotions but one of the latest trends was the availability of metal bottles as well. There is no doubt the bottle will contin

Retro Video of the Day - No Promises

If you've been following my retro videos of the day, you'll notice I tend to steer towards some of the more obscure and not overplayed tracks. Today is no exception. Australian synth-pop group Icehouse's first single from their 1986 Measure to Measure album was a sleeper hit called "No Promises". It reached #9 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. This album featured the help of Brian Eno which was very evident on many of the songs on this album.

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Retro Video of the Day - Twilight Zone

Today we got a double shot for you with two songs with the same title but vastly different styles yet both are extremely cool tracks and ooze retro with every note. First up is Twilight Zone by Golden Earring which was a hit in 1982 and had pretty heavy rotation on all the video music channels back when they actually played videos.......those were good days. It reached number 1 in the US Billboards Top Tracks and number 10 on the Hot 100. The second Twilight Zone comes from Two Unlimited and was released ten years later and also got heavy rotation on the video channels. The song is pretty much the opposite side of the spectrum to the Golden Earring version yet was a big hit in many countries and became a workout staple due to the very catchy high energy hook. It made it to number 5 on the U.S. Billboards Hot Club Play charts and only 49 on the Top 100. So what's the connection? They are both Dutch groups. Enjoy.

Retroguy's Wonderland

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