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Own a Full-Size Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Arcade Game
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Toys, Video Games,
Wow…just the thought of owning one of these makes us drool uncontrollably. It’s a full-sized, fully-playable Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade game, a replica of the classic machines of the 80s. Same sounds, same gameplay…but no quarters required! But there is a catch: the $3000 price tag. Ouch! Sure you can play the same games on your Game Boy, Xbox, etc. for considerably less money, but it’s really about the coolness factor—and infinite, nostalgic fun for you and your friends. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, are also available.
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| Brookstone
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Ms. Pacman Reaches eBay
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Misc. Tech, Video Games,
Attention, all Mr. and Ms. Pacman freaks. If you can remember playing the original table style arcade game at your local Pizza Hut, then you may want to get in on the action and bid on this one, which is being offered on eBay. Pacman and Galaga also come with the machine. Choose from black or red oak, as both feature original Atari reunion PCBs. They also have new two bit underlay and overlay graphics. The starting bid is $1,500.00 and the auction will close November 3. By the way, if you already own one of these classics and are tired of hearing it chirp at all hours, Arcade Classics also buys old machines.
Read More | eBay
California Extreme Channels a Simpler Time
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Culture, Editorial, Retro,
Gamers of a certain age, if given half a chance, will gladly recount grand tales of smoky rooms, dimly lit by a few dozen cathode rays where the only sounds are the white noise of competing digitized soundtracks, crude speech sythesizers, blips and bells, pings and whistles and artificial arpeggios rolling down an electronic scale.
The misty sincerity of those gamers who cut their teeth on the quarter-munching cabinets of Space Invaders, Asteroids, Missile Command and Sinistar is almost enough to make one forget what a mess the modern arcade equivalent has become. The gargantuan interface machines with their elaborate weapon approximations and physical demands juxtapose over a likewise spectacular price per play resulting in a hollow shell of what the old guard knew so well. These are not arcades as exist in those guarded memories, they are interactive entertainment experiences: The kind of branded, marginalized speciality device that has been focus tested and trade-show marketed to get the premium floor space right out front in view of the mall concourse is showpiece here.
Even those arcade machines which can still accurately be described as video games compete for the higher-yield ticket-generating skill games (which ironically involve very little skill). Most of those who recall the days when 3D graphics referred to the vector lines of Tempest pass by these modern emporiums. Perhaps they shake their heads a little or make a disparaging comment. Kids these days. Get off my lawn. They don’t enter; inside is only heartbreak.
Perhaps what hurts the most is that it is a heartbreak we chose. We have no one to blame but ourselves, for while the arcade as it was may be dead, ultimately it is us who killed it.
We wanted the more valuable entertainment experience. We asked for and then demanded a perfect replica of our arcade favorites that we could play at home from the comfort of our couches. We pressed for more arcade-quality graphics on our home consoles until our set top boxes had visuals that outpaced anything showcased on a standalone machine. We asked for, and received, greater narrative depth in our games and as a casualty for our insistence we killed the arcade—the very entity we now mourn.
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Virtual Console 8/6: Wave Race 64, Galaga ’90, And Adventures of Lolo
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Driving, Nintendo, Puzzle, Retro, Virtual Console, Wii,
Okay, this week’s crop of games on the Virtual Console is pretty simple: one game you might care about, and two you shouldn’t. Galaga ’90 (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 points) is an updated version of the arcade Galaga, so unless you’re infatuated with Galaga, chances are it isn’t worth your Wii Points. Adventures of Lolo (NES, 1 player, 500 points) is a strange puzzle game that’s only going to get in your way of Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1000 points). It’s two players and was pretty fun in the day, and just happens to be the type of game that still holds up today. If you enjoyed the GameCube sequel, are looking for some VC fun or are a fan of jet-skiing, give Wave Race 64 a look.
Click to continue reading Virtual Console 8/6: Wave Race 64, Galaga ’90, And Adventures of Lolo
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