I'm not a gamer. I don't give a shit about any video games made after 1989. I find myself wanting a plug-and-play system that will look decent on a 4K TV, have good controls (if there is an option for an old-school, cabinet-simulating joystick and buttons controller, all the better), and a robust line-up of old shit I can play. Priorities for me are Joust, Tetris, Pac-Man, Altered Beast and Ms. Pac-Man; my wife is hoping for Galaga, Tempest, Frogger and Q-Bert. When you're done laughing at me and have caught your breath, I would appreciate any recommendations. Thank you in advance!
It all depends on how much time and money you want to put into it. You can play with setting up a PC or Android device and fiddle around with emulators like MAME and arcade-style controllers, which will give you a really authentic non-licensed experience. The other option is buying multiple officially-licensed devices like whatever you find at Amazon when you put in "arcade game tv". If time wasn't a factor, I would start playing around a Raspberry Pi and Retropie: https://retropie.org.uk/
Thanks, Rog! Time is a factor, and I don't want to set up a PC emulator, if I can help it. It's not worth the effort, to me. I want something super-simple and inexpensive, that I can plug and play right out of a box. I've seen a bunch of those ones on Amazon, and that is the type of thing I am looking for, just didn't know if anyone here would have a quick rec on a particular one. I did read a review of this one, which sounds kinda promising, but haven't (yet) delved further to see what all the titles are or if I could get a different controller to swap in.
Sorry Mike, I refuse to help anyone who doesn't put Jumpman, Gauntlet, Lode Runner, or Impossible Mission on their list. Equally Pitfall, Bruce Lee, Boulder Dash, or Wizard of Wor. And I am not even getting into the 'popular' titles (Ghosts 'n Goblins, Frogger, Dig Dug, Choplifter). Just go play E.T. and leave the rest of us alone.
This is no laughing matter. Outsourced! it sounds like he wants a Retropie system. If he's looking for a pre-configured and ready to go option, there are many on Amazon and Ebay similar to this link below that should be plug and play and include every game he mentioned plus 20,000+ more games: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Retro-...251685?hash=item28910d2d25:g:~6cAAOSw09peR2NK If he's tech savvy and interested in building his own more cheaply, and learn how everything is configured and set his own system up he can buy a kit like this which is ready to drop downloaded ROMS into pre-existing folders on the included SD card: https://www.amazon.com/V-Kits-Raspberry-Arcade-Classic-Gamepads/dp/B07CC86PR3/ref=sxin_7_ac_d_pm?ac_md=5-1-QmV0d2VlbiAkNzUgYW5kICQxMDA=-ac_d_pm&cv_ct_cx=retropie&dchild=1&keywords=retropie&pd_rd_i=B07CC86PR3&pd_rd_r=997a0a55-8ffc-4ed3-b126-43931059026f&pd_rd_w=FcgvC&pd_rd_wg=az5Pr&pf_rd_p=d268c452-dec7-459f-93b2-f5478382989a&pf_rd_r=5FY9ZJFEERXSBFX6JXXE&psc=1&qid=1587044894&sr=1-2-22d05c05-1231-4126-b7c4-3e7a9c0027d0 There are even cheaper options by just installing Retroarch on any Windows PC and configuring the cores, downloading the ROMS etc: https://www.retroarch.com/ The last two options are more time consuming, it can be a bit of a rabbit hole..... The first option would be ideal if he's just looking to jump right in and start playing said games. ...said my friend Rich. EDIT: But it seems I am too late... you already had answer #1, and already mentioned that you're not down with answers #2&3. Shazbot.
In all seriousness though, I have tried numerous of the plug-and-play type systems, both 'licensed' and bootleg, going back 10 years or more probably (RCA connectors). And I have never found one that was decent, if I am honest. I don't have a 4k TV but even on a basic one, the pictures tend to be very poor, the games very crappily emulated, sound = awful, and the game handling and responses the worst of all. Not trying to get you down, I do hope there are some good ones out there, but having explored everything from Atari, NES, Intellivision, etc., I am still left with this big gap in my life. Even playing around with PC emulators back in the day wasn't much joy, as the interfaces - unless you went through the time and money to build a proper system to handle the ROMs, were pretty junk. I hope that someone can offer you some better advice. I think your closest bet is some of the 'retro' style mini systems which have recently been put out, but alas they are not very cheap. And also are generally not aimed at the fare you are looking for (more 3rd and later generation systems). Some good news though, you DO have an option for Altered Beast. I hope you can find something, and please do keep the conversation going here, because this is something I am interested in as well.
<shamefacedly wanders out the door> No, you got some good 'uns in there, Steve, which I would be happy to play! Dabels, thanks to you and your friend Rich for the input! Mudga preesheeated. I will indeed keep yas posted here on what I eventually find/cop...
I forgot about the Internet Archive's video game sections. You are running an emulator in a browser, so there are sometimes glitches, and I'm not sure if you can hook up an external controller, but here they are: https://archive.org/details/internetarcade
Ohhhhh, Burger Time!! The hours I spent [see: lost] on that game. Thanks for reminding me of an absolute fave. Aww, now I want to play all these so bad.
some of my old faves: moon patrol, tubin, marble madness, Satan's lair, popeye, samurai showdown, Tron, shinobi
We were an intellivision household in the early 80s until we got an nes in 85-86. I specifically remember playing burger time, b-17 bomber, pitfall and dungeons and dragons. #memories
First of all, JEB!! Hi, Sir. Second of all, holy shit, I had completely forgotten about Popeye and I loved that game! Tron and Tubin' too, please!
Also, we have a barcade here in town called Archives, and on weekend daytimes before 5 you can bring kids in. My daughter has enjoyed many classic games there, including Ms. Pac-Man, Tapper, and the old Addams Family pinball game. I have upped my Tapper game 1000% percent- lord did I suck at that game when I was little, and I just gave up on it at some point and stopped trying. For whatever reason I really enjoy it now,
My cousin had this (and a Pac-Man) that I would play until the batteries died whenever I'd go visit. Eventually she gave them to me.
I was 6 or 7 when Pac-Man came out. At that time, my dad and my Uncle Biff owned and operated a liquor store & bar* located in a fairly rural town about 30 minutes from where we lived. A Pac-Man cabinet was installed at Jamesway, the dept store that anchored the other end of the shopping plaza our store was in. My father and Biff, both very competitive, quickly became addicted to it. On slow days and nights at the store (there were many), they would take turns- one minding the bar while the other walked down to Jamesway and spent enough time/pumped as many quarters as it took into Pac-Man to beat the other’s last high score. On and on like this. Then the mini cabinet version (like the one you pictured above, Nat) came out, and they each immediately got one so the obsession could continue at home. My dad would stay up ‘til the wee hours hunched over that tiny game, chain-smoking Pall Malls, finally quitting only when he bested Biff’s current mini high score. He’d mark the end, no matter the time, by calling Biff and rasping, bear-like, into the phone, “367,000... BEAT IT.”** *If this concept confuses you, ask a New Jerseyan. **Arbitrary number; I don’t know what a robust high score on mini Pac-Man would really be.
Most home consoles up through PlayStation 1 now exist as cheap mini systems with built in games. I think most of the games you are looking for would be on Atari and you need the Sega for altered beast. Though the Sega might have a multi classic game pack with most of those as well. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Atari-Fl...ntrollers-Black-AR3050-818858029636/104242382 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sega-Genesis-Mini-Sega/899023177
Burger Time is the greatest. Awhile back I found a version I could play on my web browser. It was a nice little work break from time to time. Not the same without the joystick though.
The best arcade titles of all time are Robotron 2084, Tempest, Galaga and Bubble Bobble/Bust-a-Move. I would love an emulator multi game cabinet but I wouldn't know where to begin, there are many different kinds. I recently had the pleasure of playing on an original Robotron machine with the sound cranked way up. I think its the closest ive come to a religious experience!! The Timewarp arcade in Bridgewater has a multi emulator that has a great version of Robotron on it, but in comparison i had a go on a showroom multi cabinet a few months ago and the Robotron on that was quite poor. They wanted over a grand for the machine, and whilst it did have dual joysticks they wouldn't even do diagonals, which made it impossible to play the game! Very poor indeed.
I built myself an arcade cabinet last year. Sure makes lock down that bit easier! "Galaga again?" "Ah yeah, again and again!" This looks interesting: https://www.polymega.com/
Yeah it does, but there's so many of those types of custom multi platform machines its confusing and hurts my brain. I've heard a lot of them crap-out after a year or so. They don't have the best reputation. I will just stick with my old gameboy advance carts for now. I've got quite a few museum type collections, like Atari and Namco classics, they're not perfect ports but they're pretty good. The bubble bobble 'old and new' cart is fucking great!
