Rob O'Hara | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 22, 1973 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Author, blogger, podcaster |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Website | robohara |
Rob O'Hara (born August 22, 1973) is an American author, blogger, [1] and podcaster. [2]
Rob O'Hara | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | August 22, 1973 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Author, blogger, podcaster |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Website | robohara |
Rob O'Hara (born August 22, 1973) is an American author, blogger, [1] and podcaster. [2]
In 2006, O'Hara published Commodork: Sordid Tales from a BBS Junkie. [3] Jason Scott, director of the BBS Documentary, dubbed Commodork "the world's first BBS memoir," stating the book "does what my film couldn't; go front to end on one boy's story to turning into a man online. And for that, I thank him, and I think a lot of others will too." Brett Weiss, author of the popular Classic Home Video Games book series, says he "recommends the book without reservation. Initially I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's obvious that (O'Hara) is a writer and a gamer, not just a gamer who happens to write. His style is clear and unpretentious, and the hilarious anecdotes alone are worth the price of admission." [4]
O'Hara's second book, Invading Spaces: A Beginner's Guide to Collecting Arcade Games, [5] is a beginner's introduction to the arcade collecting hobby. Earl Green from The Log Book stated "Rob O'Hara knows a couple of things about collecting arcade machines. Invading Spaces is where he shares that obvious wealth of knowledge with coin-op newbies like myself." [6] Antique Week called the book an "amusing and informative tome." [7]
In 2018, O'Hara published his first feature length fiction novel, The Human Library. [8] The story was O'Hara's graduate project for his Master of Professional Writing degree at the University of Oklahoma. [9] The Human Library currently has a 4.5 star rating on Amazon. [8]
O'Hara began his career writing music, movie, and video game) reviews on websites such as Review to a Kill [10] and Review-o-Matic.com. [11] In 2000, O'Hara was paid to write several DVD reviews for IGN. [12] [13] [14] [15] Recently, O'Hara has expanded into writing and submitting fiction.
O'Hara has hosted and currently hosts multiple podcasts. His first podcast, You Don't Know Flack, [20] began in 2008 and currently has a 5-star rating on iTunes. [21] In 2013, O'Hara co-founded the retro-themed podcast network Throwback Network [22] with his Throwback Reviews co-host Sean Johnson. The network currently hosts more than two dozen retro-themed podcasts.
O'Hara is a subject matter expert on Commodore computers, vintage video and arcade games, and self-publishing, and has spoken at multiple conventions on these topics.
O'Hara has written and released several freeware programs, including:
O'Hara currently resides in Yukon, Oklahoma with his wife, two children, and collection of vintage electronics. [43]
During the day, he works for the Federal Aviation Administration, where he has worked as a "Helpdesk/Technical Support Analyst, Computer Specialist/LAN Administrator, Senior Network Engineer, IT Security Specialist, member of the IT Communication Department, and Domain Admin/Enterprise Administrator." [44]
O'Hara graduated from Yukon High School in 1991. At Redlands Community College, O'Hara served as the editor of the school's newspaper and yearbook from 1991 to 1993. O'Hara graduated from Oklahoma City Community College in 2001 with an AA in Journalism, and earned a BS in Organizational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University in 2005. Most recently, O'Hara graduated from the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Oklahoma. [45]
O'Hara refers to himself as a "collector of collections," and is working on a book with the same title. [46] O'Hara frequently blogs about his Star Wars collection. [47] In an interview with Oxford Karma, O'Hara discussed his collection of 30 arcade cabinets located in his home arcade. [48] O'Hara was interviewed by the Associated Press about his arcade collecting hobby. [49]
Asteroids is a space-themed multidirectional shooter arcade video game designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg released in November 1979 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a single spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers. The object of the game is to shoot and destroy the asteroids and saucers, while not colliding with either, or being hit by the saucers' counter-fire. The game becomes harder as the number of asteroids increases.
Soul Edge is a fighting game developed and published by Namco as the first installment in the Soulcalibur series of 3D fighting games. Introduced at the JAMMA trade show in November 1995, the full arcade game was released in early 1996, while later in December an upgraded and expanded version of the game was ported to the PlayStation. The PlayStation version was renamed Soul Blade in North America, Europe, and Australia.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 1991 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. It was released in North America on June 23 and in PAL regions and Japan the following month. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who can run at near supersonic speeds; Sonic sets out on a quest to defeat Dr. Robotnik, a scientist who has imprisoned animals in robots and seeks the powerful Chaos Emeralds. The gameplay involves collecting rings as a form of health, and a simple control scheme, with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button.
R.O.B. is a toy robot accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was key to the NES's launch in October 1985, as a redesign of the Family Computer Robot which had been launched in July 1985 in Japan for Famicom. Its short lifespan yielded only two games in the Robot Series: Gyromite and Stack-Up.
Knuckles' Chaotix is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik and Metal Sonic from obtaining six magic rings and conquering a mysterious island. Gameplay is similar to previous Sonic games: players complete levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. Knuckles' Chaotix introduces a partner system whereby the player is connected to another character via a tether; the tether behaves like a rubber band and must be used to maneuver the characters.
Boulder Dash is a maze-based puzzle video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers. It was created by Canadian developers Peter Liepa and Chris Gray. The player controls Rockford, who tunnels through dirt to collect diamonds. Boulders and other objects remain fixed until the dirt beneath them is removed, then they fall and become a hazard. Puzzles are designed around collecting diamonds without being crushed and exploiting the interactions between objects. The game's name is a pun on balderdash.
Strider, released in Japan as Strider Hiryū, is a hack-and-slash platform game released in arcades in 1989 by Capcom. Set in a dystopian future where Earth is ruled by the tyrannical Grandmaster Meio, it follows the titular Strider named Hiryu as he attempts to end his tyrannical reign for good. The game resulted from cooperation between Capcom and manga publisher Moto Kikaku. It marked the video game debut of Strider Hiryu, after the character was introduced in the 1988 manga Strider Hiryu.
Demon Attack is a fixed shooter video game created by Rob Fulop for the Atari 2600 and published by Imagic in 1982. The game involves the player controlling a laser cannon from the surface of a planet, shooting winged demons that fly down and attack the player in different sets of patterns.
Rally-X is a maze chase arcade video game developed in Japan and Germany by Namco and released in 1980. In North America, it was distributed by Midway Manufacturing and in Europe by Karateco. Players drive a blue Formula One race car through a multidirectional scrolling maze to collect yellow flags. Boulders block some paths and must be avoided. Red enemy cars pursue the player in an attempt to collide with them. Red cars can be temporarily stunned by laying down smoke screens at the cost of fuel. Rally-X is one of the first games with bonus stages and continuously-playing background music.
In video games, a combo is a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon the concept of a striking combination. It has been since applied more generally to a wide variety of genres, such as puzzle games, shoot 'em ups, and sports games. Combos are commonly used as an essential gameplay element, but can also serve as a high score or attack power modifier, or simply as a way to exhibit a flamboyant playing style.
The GD-ROM is a proprietary optical disc format developed as a collaboration between Sega and Yamaha for the Dreamcast. A double-density format based on the CD-ROM that could hold up to 1 GB, it consists of a single-density track near the disc's center surrounded by a double-density track comprising much of the disc's capacity. The GD-ROM was created in response to developers exceeding the typical 650 MB storage capacity of the CD-ROM; while DVD-ROM would have addressed this limitation, implementing its then-new technology would have made console production cost prohibitive. Along with the format's general novelty, the extra capacity also had the theoretical benefit of curbing video game piracy, a major concern of CD-based consoles that was validated by its rampancy on the PlayStation.
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara is an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. The game is set in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Mystara.
River Raid is a video game developed by Carol Shaw for the Atari Video Computer System and released in 1982 by Activision. The player controls a fighter jet over the River of No Return in a raid behind enemy lines. The goal is to navigate the flight by destroying enemy tankers, helicopters, fuel depots and bridges without running out of fuel or crashing.
Retrogaming, also known as classic gaming and old school gaming, is the playing and collection of obsolete personal computers, consoles, and video games. Usually, retrogaming is based upon systems that are outmoded or discontinued, although ported retrogaming allows games to be played on modern hardware via ports or compilations. It is typically for nostalgia, preservation, or authenticity. A new game could be retro styled, such as an RPG with turn-based combat and pixel art in isometric camera perspective.
Soulz at Zero (SAZ) was a lit group formed in 1994 by Jack Flack and The Stranger. SAZ released 25 monthly packs over a period of two years, beginning in September 1994 and ending in September 1996. The group took its name from a Souls at Zero poster Flack had in his bedroom at the time, with the trailing "s" in "Souls" changed to a "z". Soulz at Zero was so well known that their name was added to the "Elite Acronym List," which was used to separate "lamers" from "elite users."
Frostbite is a 1983 action game designed by Steve Cartwright for the Atari 2600, and published by Activision in 1983. The game has a player control Frostbite Bailey, who must hop across several ice floes to collect ice while avoiding falling in the water and avoiding the hazardous natural elements such polar bears and snow geese.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is a multidirectional shooter developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios and Activision. It was released on Xbox Live Arcade on July 30, 2008 as a sequel to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. It was followed by Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, a sequel published in 2014 by Lucid Games, which was founded by former members of Bizarre Creations.
Tecmo Bowl Throwback is a video game released by Koei Tecmo for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released via the PlayStation Network store on June 1, 2010, followed by the iOS version on May 26, 2011. The game is an update of the 1993 version of Tecmo Super Bowl. Due to Electronic Arts obtaining the exclusive NFL and NFLPA licenses in 2004 for the Madden NFL series, the game used generic team and player names.
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is a 2010 maze video game published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, later ported to Steam and iOS. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Pac-Man Championship Edition, which was the last game developed by series creator Toru Iwatani. The player controls Pac-Man as he must eat all of the dots in the maze while avoiding colored ghosts that pursue him. A bonus item will appear once the player has eaten all dots on one side of the maze, causing the layout to change. Several additions were made over the original, such as bombs that send all ghosts to the regeneration box and sleeping ghosts that will give chase when Pac-Man moves past them.
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