Carlos Maidana's site dedicated to MSX is back online with a new blog layout focused on hardware and software projects for MSX. To celebrate this rebirth, two brand new articles have been published. The first one is about a memory upgrade from 128kB to 512kB for a Talent TPC-310 -an MSX2 computer- suitable for any other MSX computer with the S1985 engine. The second one is about something new and, until now, never seen on MSX: the official ASCII kit to develop disk roms. With this development kit you can write code for a driver in order to use it with any storage device. After that, you can compile the code and flash the resultant image into the EPROM of the device!

Any ideas to improve the site will be welcome!

Relevant link: MSX Hardware Argentina

It's been a while since we heard from map regular MSX Solutions, and some people may get a bit nervous from this lack of maps in recent months. It's almost like smokers missing their daily shot of nicotine! But, have no fear, DemonSeed is here! DemonSeed spent some of his spare time on the creation of a map of the 1989 shoot 'm up Undeadline, by T&E Soft (now D-Wonderland). The map, an enormous image, shows the game's fine graphical qualities. Now, off you go, to CheatMSX, where the map can be found!

Relevant link: CheatMSX

With Vampier generating half of the MSX game videos on YouTube, of which half gets posted to MRC by MSX- and YouTube fan wolf_, it's unexpected to witness yourself reading this newspost. A few days ago, an anonymous Canadian videogame critic posted a weirdness review of Antarctic Adventure, the primal MSX game attractively anagrammed to Unattractive Dancer by NYYRIKKI two years back. Enjoy!

Relevant link: Antarctic Adventure weirdness review

Last month we pointed out that Vampier is a busy little bee when it comes to game videos. Aided by openMSX and the new reverse function (which you can obtain by downloading a dev version) has spent countless hours once more on some of the most famous MSX games. More games are being worked on, including Konami's Vampire Killer (what's in a name..). Currently completed games compared to the previous newspost:

• Compile's vertical shooters Aleste, Aleste 2 and Aleste Gaiden
  
• Compile's adventures Golvellius 2 and the food fight Supercooks
  
• The homebrew Space Manbow spin-off Manbow 2
  
• Konami's all-time classic Nemesis 2

Bit by bit, people all around the globe are giving us these interesting insights into MSX games, like only_69 with his maps and Vampier (and others on YouTube) with game videos. Maybe you have a suggestion for a game for which you'd like to see a video? Let's hear it!

Relevant link: Vampier's YouTube page

Raymond, not our favourite bird, but the Dutch guy with the big MSX tattoo on his leg, created a new personal website. Unfortunately for non-Dutchies, the tale about the legendary MSX tattoo will remain a mystery, because its carrier's homepage is in Dutch. People that understand this language can read all about ray2day's MSX adventures on Raymond's MSX pagina.

Relevant link: Raymond's MSX pagina (Dutch)

Currently, Vampier is creating more videos than mankind has time to watch them. His latest output is a walkthrough of Konami's legendary MSX1 platformer The Maze of Galious. Like his other recent game walkthroughs, prepare for razor sharp image quality!

Relevant link: The Maze of Galious video

Although RELEVO Videogames currently aren't updating their website often, they are working hard on their projects. Ba-Boon! development is going fast, and Project IOTZM is fully designed and being worked on steadily by the team. Additionally, stay tuned for another surprise release on the side.

On the other hand, La Corona Encantada still gets the attention of general media. Some examples are an article in the free AUX·Magazine (issue 39, pages 6 to 8), and an interesting mention in Expresión Económica (issue 30, pages 64 to 66), inside an article about retro tendencies in the general market. Both paper publications can be downloaded from their respective websites.

Moreover, RELEVO Videogames have previously said that La Corona Encantada still holds more surprises, wait no more: viejo_archivero and his team are honoured to see it having been featured in the artbook "SPECTRUM", a compilation by Azpiri of all of his illustrations for the world of classic videogames. Other than a double page appearance of La Corona, the 128-page volume also contains sketches and drawings of classic games typically adored by the Spanish 8-bit crowd, such as Phantomas, Abu Simbel Profanation, Lorna, Mad Mix Game, and Nonamed.

Relevant link: RELEVO Videogames

To celebrate its 11th anniversary, MSXPró presents an update of the website.

• Photos of MSX Jau 2007 and 2008
  
• Service Manual of Expert 1.1 and HotBit (Brazilian MSX machines)
  
• An interesting approach from a developer and MSX enthusiast, Alex Earth, using a PlayStation 1 joystick on an MSX through a converter with ATmega16

Relevant link: MSXPró

Already witnessed by his fangirls, it comes as no surprise to see that Hydragon likes to spend his newyears free time with old MSX games. Tonight, he brings us six complete run-throughs, making us think he's a skilled gamer while in fact, these recordings were done with reverse emulation to prevent gamer frustration.

• Konami's King's Valley
  
• Konami's Knightmare
  
• Konami's Pippols
  
• SNK's Ikari Worriers
  
• Sony's Gall Force - Defense of Chaos
  
• Taito's Chuka Taisen
  

Relevant link: Hydragon's channel

The holidays are over, but despite having less free time for MSX, viejo_archivero's RELEVO Videogames keeps being as active as usual.

Thursday, El País, the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Spain, posted an article about La Corona Encantada development. It can be read in their regular printed newspaper (Basque Country edition), and in their digital version (Google's translation attempt for the non-Spanish). This is a good step forward for getting the media to focus on retro videogaming.

But that's just the beginning! The day after, La Corona Encantada was featured on the public Spanish TV network TVE. It was mentioned in the local news report Telenorte at 14:00 (video, from 8:55), and at 15:00 in Telediario, a popular news program from the Spanish public service broadcaster (video). Apart from Jon Cortázar, who was interviewed in those clips, images from La Corona Encantada are shown, and an MSX can be spotted too. MSX in the media anyone?

Moreover, RELEVO Videogames has announced that they joined Bytemaniacos' contest Elige tu Propia Aventura 2009 with a new game. Expect this release soon, as the contest closes later today. Although it is a contest for ZX Spectrum games, RELEVO Videogames will have a little surprise for MSX users too, so stay tuned!

Relevant link: RELEVO Videogames