Author Topic: You Snooze, You Lose, Costco Pac-Man Edition (Read 4610 times)

K Frame · « **Reply #25 on:** August 19, 2021, 08:14:50 AM »

Quote from: WLJ on August 19, 2021, 07:59:18 AM

Xevious for me

Oh HELL yeah!

Another game that I absolutely LOVED (but I rather sucked at it).

ZAXXON is another...

Doggy Daddy · « **Reply #26 on:** August 23, 2021, 04:41:23 PM »

I lost many hours playing Battlezone. Remember the one with the green wire-frame tanks and flying saucers?

One genius trick Atari does not want you to know is to drive backwards and shoot the enemy when they chase you.

Ben · « **Reply #27 on:** August 23, 2021, 05:56:46 PM »

Quote from: Doggy Daddy on August 23, 2021, 04:41:23 PM

I lost many hours playing Battlezone. Remember the one with the green wire-frame tanks and flying saucers?

One genius trick Atari does not want you to know is to drive backwards and shoot the enemy when they chase you.

Oh yeah, I remember that!

Well, Pac-Man made it up the stairs and got unboxed and all the pieces are spread out on the floor ready for assembly. Maybe this coming weekend.

Jim147 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 23, 2021, 06:16:44 PM »

I stoped by the similocal grocery store today. They had a commadoer 64 system for $50. I was tempted but running short on funds right now.

Ben · « **Reply #29 on:** August 23, 2021, 06:22:27 PM »

Quote from: Jim147 on August 23, 2021, 06:16:44 PM

I stoped by the similocal grocery store today. They had a commadoer 64 system for $50. I was tempted but running short on funds right now.

I often kick myself for disposing of my old Atari ST system many years ago. There were some great games for that.

WLJ · « **Reply #30 on:** August 23, 2021, 06:29:29 PM »

Still have two working Atari 2600 systems with a bunch of games

Jim147 · « **Reply #31 on:** August 23, 2021, 06:36:06 PM »

I still have an Atari and original XBox. They got hit by a power surge and I've been too lazy to take them apart and see if I can repair them.

K Frame · « **Reply #32 on:** August 24, 2021, 07:42:19 AM »

I still had my original Nintendo NES that I bought in... 1990?

It was just hanging out in the basement. Hadn't played it in years.

Saw a plea on Freecycle a couple of years ago -- lady in the next community had a younger autistic son who was addicted to "the Gray Box" and theirs got zapped.

I was happy to part with it.

Ben · « **Reply #33 on:** August 29, 2021, 05:24:01 PM »

Aaaand...... Two weeks later, complete!

It has some extra and optional arcade strip lighting for the frame that I haven't installed yet. I'm trying to decide if I want to build another riser for the riser that came with it, or just get one of the branded arcade Pacman stools to go with it. The controls are just on the acceptable edge of comfortable when my 6'3" is standing, but I lose the top couple of inches of the screen, where the score is, unless I slightly bend. Standing as-is is workable, but I might just get the stool as it would probably also make the setup look cool. For anyone 6' or under, I think it would be just right for standing.

I have to give props to the company for decent assembly instructions. They were pictorial only except for a couple of warnings, but much easier to follow than the usual Chinese translated instructions. "Put part "X" with kindness into assembly 3 while upright with conviction of force, then tighten with forethought".

Having a blast so far!

K Frame · « **Reply #34 on:** August 30, 2021, 07:29:39 AM »

Nice.

Now, question is... are spare parts available? Joy sticks and buttons?

I still one want with Gorf and Defender, goddamn it!

Ben · « **Reply #35 on:** August 30, 2021, 08:07:15 AM »

Quote from: K Frame on August 30, 2021, 07:29:39 AM

Nice.

Now, question is... are spare parts available? Joy sticks and buttons?

I still one want with Gorf and Defender, goddamn it!

Yes, apparently there is a pretty big market of replacement parts and mods for these machines. I didn't check until you mentioned it. There are also a ton of different consoles. I thought these were more of a lark thing, but it looks like Arcade 1Up makes practically every game you ever played in the arcades in the 80s. It appears there is a collectors community and a lot of these guys dedicate entire rooms in their homes to arcade rooms to resemble commercial arcades.

Of note though, apparently a ton of the parts are currently unavailable due to covid supply chain issues. I'd better handle my joystick gently.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #36 on:** August 30, 2021, 08:40:43 AM »

That looks great. You also have Dig Dug and Galaga. I am jealous.

Add in Asteroids, Pheonix, Defender, and maybe Donkey Kong. That would hit the high points of early '80's arcades for me.

Ben · « **Reply #37 on:** August 30, 2021, 09:16:49 AM »

Quote from: MechAg94 on August 30, 2021, 08:40:43 AM

Add in Asteroids, Pheonix, Defender, and maybe Donkey Kong. That would hit the high points of early '80's arcades for me.

I see there are mod kits running $75-$200 that let you replace the innards with a Raspberry Pi brain and swap the controller board to add more interface devices, and then you are playing all the games you can think of, plug and play. in the single cabinet.

For the people really into it though, I can see the desire to collect the cabinets as well to make a cool looking game room.

K Frame · « **Reply #38 on:** August 30, 2021, 09:52:06 AM »

"but it looks like Arcade 1Up makes practically every game you ever played in the arcades in the 80s. "

Ah crap.... I'm going to be spending some money...

K Frame · « **Reply #39 on:** August 30, 2021, 09:55:49 AM »

Oh hell, according to Arcade 1 Up, you've got Rolling Thunder on that console...

AARGH! I WANT!

Wait... no, the one you have doesn't have RT. That's a similar, but different, console.

Ben · « **Reply #40 on:** August 30, 2021, 10:03:17 AM »

Quote from: K Frame on August 30, 2021, 09:55:49 AM

Oh hell, according to Arcade 1 Up, you've got Rolling Thunder on that console...

AARGH! I WANT!

Wait... no, the one you have doesn't have RT. That's a similar, but different, console.

Yeah, they do a weird thing with versions of the consoles. They must have 20 different Pacman consoles that all have slightly different non-Pacman games. That is what makes those Raspberry Pi mods so desirable.

K Frame · « **Reply #41 on:** August 31, 2021, 07:28:30 AM »

And they have a cabinet with Defender!

That opening sound sequence to Defender was the single most recognizable sequence of any video game I ever encountered. It would cut through the sound track for any other video game. There were times when you could literally hear it at the other end of the mall where the big arcade was when I was growing up.

Ben · « **Reply #42 on:** August 31, 2021, 07:48:40 AM »

I'm just talking out of my ass because it's new and I'm into it right now, but for a cool looking game room at a reasonable price, a guy could build himself a long, sturdy counter, then collect some of those countertop cabinets. The countertop cabinets seem to average in the low $200s, so you could buy 2-3 of those for every one full sized cabinet.

While it's way cheaper to do a CPU mod and get a "universal" controller plate with buttons and joysticks for all the games, having specific cabinets with matched controller plates all lined up would look cool in a man cave.

K Frame · « **Reply #43 on:** August 31, 2021, 08:16:13 AM »

That's tempting, too.

But there's just something about standing in front of an upright cabinet just flushing quarters down the toilet that's so nostalgic...

I have a bunch of the classics arcade disks for Xbox. Not sure what all I have right now, but one disk has Elevator Action on it, which was one of my favorite games.

Ben · « **Reply #44 on:** August 31, 2021, 08:18:54 AM »

Quote from: K Frame on August 31, 2021, 08:16:13 AM

But there's just something about standing in front of an upright cabinet just flushing quarters down the toilet that's so nostalgic...

This is true.

K Frame · « **Reply #45 on:** August 31, 2021, 08:38:09 AM »

Now I'm sitting here at the office trying to figure out what games I'd put into a personal cabinet...

Gorf
Defender
Moon Patrol
Xevious
Gyruss
Qix
Q*bert
Battleground
Spyhunter
Star Castle
Rolling Thunder
Commando
Star Wars
Elevator Action
Time Pilot
Donkey Kong
Tempest
Bezerk
Robotron
Rampage
Zaxxon

There are others, but those are the big ones for me.

BMI Gaming makes a couple of multi-game machines, but I think they're actual arcade quality games, so I suspect they're pretty expensive units.

https://www.bmigaming.com/arcadelegends.htm

MechAg94 · « **Reply #46 on:** August 31, 2021, 08:54:53 AM »

Quote from: K Frame on August 31, 2021, 08:16:13 AM

But there's just something about standing in front of an upright cabinet just flushing quarters down the toilet that's so nostalgic...

I agree with that. I sit at a computer too much already.

There are lots of games I enjoyed (1941), but there is something nostalgic about those early low graphics games. I think about how many hours I played Asteriods on our old Atari system. It was just lines and dots, but very well done.

Ben · « **Reply #47 on:** August 31, 2021, 08:59:25 AM »

Quote from: MechAg94 on August 31, 2021, 08:54:53 AM

I agree with that. I sit at a computer too much already.

There are lots of games I enjoyed (1941), but there is something nostalgic about those early low graphics games.

For clarity, I meant that the countertop would be "stand up" height.

I agree on the nostalgia. I mean, we have these modern games that are practically immersive movies now, but I am getting more of a kick out of the 8-bit simplicity of playing Dig Dug.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #48 on:** August 31, 2021, 09:32:18 AM »

Quote from: Ben on August 31, 2021, 08:59:25 AM

For clarity, I meant that the countertop would be "stand up" height.

I agree on the nostalgia. I mean, we have these modern games that are practically immersive movies now, but I am getting more of a kick out of the 8-bit simplicity of playing Dig Dug.

I don't mean to thread drift, but I recall playing X-wing in the 90's. At the time Wing Commander was out and everyone loved the immersive story and such. I didn't care about that at the time, I wanted the game play and X-wing had more of that.

K Frame · « **Reply #49 on:** August 31, 2021, 09:35:23 AM »

"For clarity, I meant that the countertop would be "stand up" height."

Ah. OK.

Even better, one of those motorized desks that moves up and down. I don't think my standing height counter (I'm 5-9) would be the same as yours, Lerch.

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Author Topic: You Snooze, You Lose, Costco Pac-Man Edition (Read 4610 times)