How many of you actually remember Battle City for the NES? Like many games from that time, it was pretty simple, you guide your tank via a top-down view through a maze, destroying enemy tanks while guarding your HQ, which takes the form of an eagle, which in turn looks like it was taken from the Third Reich (check out the video below):

Well, like many retro games, you can now relive the experience on the iPhone in a remake called iTankster, and while the game the game features nice, modern graphics and more frantic gameplay than the original, it seems to have brought the archaic (read: clunky) controls over as well.

The heart of the controls is the virtual joystick in which you really need to move the stick in the direction that you want the tank to move. Simply touching the edges like that of a virtual d-pad certainly doesn’t cut it here. The excellent graphics somewhat make up for this and the variety of maps and their different but no doubt vibrant looks certainly put Battle City in the shed. The levels in iTankster are simply beautiful:

The gameplay is as simple as ever, just like Battle City you go around the maze destroying enemy tanks while protecting your castle (I suppose this is way better than having a Nazi-era Eagle). Power-ups are found on the battlefield, dropped by destroyed enemy tanks. Unlike Battle City, you get to change the type of ammo you are using and use crazier power-ups like an Atom Bomb to clear the battlefield of all enemy units.

iTankster is pretty fun to play (and it’s one heck of a looker), and despite the clunky controls, it’s worth a shot from both retro game enthusiasts and for those who never even heard of Battle City before. You can check out the game over here.

Have you checked out the latest issue of Retro Gamer? It has an extensive interview section with John Romero! Don’t know who this is? Think Commander Keen, Doom, Quake and of course, the one that he wanted to make you his bitch (and he recently apologised for that), Daikatana.

Anyways, talking about retro games, here’s something for Chrono Trigger fans out there. Square Enix is set to release the Chrono Trigger Formation Arts Pre-Painted Trading Figurines in July 2010. These official Chrono Trigger figurines come in 5 different diorama sets, featuring Luca and Robo, Chrono and the Demon King, Chrono and Marle, Chrono Aira, and Robo. Beautifully painted with detailed craftmanship, this is a must have and while each would shipped randomly, you can order a box of 6 to receive a factory-sealed container.

Interested? Check them out over here as they are now available for pre-order.

I brought back my Sega Dreamcast console all the way back from Sitiawan and now, in addition to the SNES console and my PC, I now have another piece of hardware earmarked for a restoration process. I plan to replace the internal battery since it’s pretty dead at the moment, showing the date/time screen everytime I boot the sucker up. A VGA box would be a necessary purchase as well since I intend to play Dreamcast games on my newly procured LCD monitor. Last but not least I’m going to do a full shell replacement since I have transparent green Dreamcast case lying around.

While the latter 2 shouldn’t be an issue, the first task, which happens to be the most important one to be accomplished is wrought with more problems than I thought. It’s not going to be a straightforward replacement of the battery since what I read online involves the use of a soldering iron. Meh..

This shows how good sports these fellas at Google are. In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man’s 30th Anniversary, Google’s logo has not only been transformed to look like a Pac-Man arcade game but it actually plays! Click on the Insert Coin button or tap on the logo to play. Once you hit the game over screen, you’ll be redirected to a search results page for the search term “PAC-MAN 30th Anniversary”.

Check out the videos that I took below while playing the game. Here’s a tip, tap on the Insert Coin button more than once and you get to play Miss PAC-MAN! This is basically a 2-player version of the game. The first player uses the standard arrow keys to control PAC-MAN while the second player will use the AWSD keys to control Miss PAC-MAN!

It’s like it’s cool video games YouTube videos today at Nine Over Ten 9/10. First we had Dan Bull‘s excellent Generation Gaming rap video (click here) to view it, and now here’s Patrick Jean’s PIXELS. For the benefit of those who have not seen this, PIXELS is basically a 8-bit video games invasion of New York City, turning everything into pixels. Featured here are the invaders from Space Invaders (how apt), Donkey Kong, Pacman and several others.

This is really superb stuff when it comes to blending CGI and real world environments. Check it out:

The Beta Period is over and now DotEmu is proud to announce the official opening of its online store at www.dotemu.com. Fans of retro games and gamers alike can find the brilliant Another World, created by Eric Chahi in High-Definition along with Broken Sword 2 & 3, Alantis 3 & Atlantis Evolution, and also the Silmarils games collection (Ishar, Robinson’s Requiem, and DEUS).

The official opening is also an opportunity to unveil exclusive oldies but goodies in the coming weeks. Microids and Cryo will be represented with Syberia and Megarace games. Players will be able to (re)discover forgotten flight sensations with the Red Baron history’s pack. Fans of Arcade will be pampered with the impending arrival of Irem Arcade Hits, and a collector’s pack of games from First Star Software’s Boulder Dash® series!

iPhone and iPod touch owners will not be left out as they’ll have access to Gobliiins. Overall, more than 20 other titles are expected in the next 3 months, making DotEmu.com the place to be for retro games enthusiasts! Thousands of players have already registered during the beta period, in order to take the most of DotEmu‘s abundant catalogue. Fighters will stick their hands on Street Fighter II while adventure lovers will explore Beneath a Steel Sky, Gobliiins, Drascula or Nicky Boom.

Just a note, PC games are adapted to be compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 and all games are multilingual. Purchased games can be re-downloaded at any time.

Are you one to call yourself  a retro gaming geek? Then these Space Invaders Business Card Holders should suit your office wardrobe nicely, or would be a suitable accessory the next time you head over to a geek convention.

Available in two designs, Black and Red, these official Banpresto merchandise will set you back at USD 10.90 each (with free international shipping to certain countries). Personally I like the Space Invaders motif on the Red case, but the Black one rocks as well with the arcade screen printed on it.

• Click here for the Space Invaders Card Case (Black)
• Click here for the Space Invaders Card Case (Red)

Play-Asia is having it’s Classic Games Sale where all in-stock classic games at Play-Asia will be discounted a whopping 20% from the 30th of April to the 7th of May 2010. So, if you are looking for titles for your Sony Playstation 2, Gamecube, Gameboy, Dreamcast, Playstation, Xbox and retro consoles such as the Super Famicom, NES, and many more, you’ve come to the right place.

Click here to check out Play-Asia’s Classic Games Sale.

Not everyday you’ll find a video games company in which its primary business model is to bring retro games to live on modern day devices. One such company is DotEmu.

Here’s a brief on the company: DotEmu develops innovative technologies for bringing massively and quickly old video games and software to many supports: Java/Flash, iPhone/Smartphone and PC.

DotEmu notably adapted Street Fighter II, Boulder Dash or else the Ishar trilogy. Most recently, DotEmu announced the launch of a new online store which plays host to famous 80s and 90s video games and until the grand opening on May 6, many games will be made available for free exclusively during the beta phase.

Available on PC, iPhone or directly online, the DotEmu catalogue offers a real homecoming for a whole generation of gamers! Fans of fighting and arcade games can get their hands on Street Fighter II and Boulder Dash.

Adventure enthusiasts will not be outdone with games like Beneath a Steel Sky, Drascula, Nicky Boom. As for RPG fans, they will relive the Silmarils collection with Ishar series, Robinson’s Requiem and even DEUS!

An speaking of oldies but goodies, DotEmu is proud to announce that the Gobliiins trilogy is now available for download. Back in the day the game was an unforgettable adventure for PC DOS, Amiga and Atari ST gamers!

From April 26, the store and catalogue will be available in beta on DotEmu.com. Players can access many games as Ishar I, Nicky Boom 1, Metal Mutant or Transartica for free during this period right up till the official launch on the May 6.

PC games are adapted to be compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7. All games are multilingual. For those who may encounter computer issues: don’t panic! Paid games are downloadable again at any time.

If you are like me, a child of the 80s, you probably played with one of those Game & Watch devices from Nintendo. Some of the ones that I played were Octopus and Parachute. While fun, these were hardy little devices that withstood handling by children and practically ran for hours thanks to the LR44 button cells that powered them.

Now, nearly 30 years after the release of Chef, Parachute and Octopus, TakaraTomy has released a smaller version that can be used as a keychain and more importantly, are solar powered. Yup, no batteries required and each of them measure a minuscule 3.5 cm (h) * 6 cm (w). Each of these are going for USD 9.90 and if you are interested, check out the links below:

• Game Watch Mini Solar Key Holder: Chef (USD 9.90) ~ Click here for details
• Game Watch Mini Solar Key Holder: Octopus (USD 9.90) ~ Click here for details
• Game Watch Mini Solar Key Holder: Parachute (USD 9.90) ~ Click here for details

Don’t forget to check out the pictures: