Mini Arcade Alert!

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Wonder if someone will mod it to play the arcade version.

Could be tough at that size.

 

later

-1

Considering the screen consists of an LED backlit overlay and a button that plays back sound samples, good luck with that.

[Tanooki]

If anyone was still curious about the mini pocket arcade Pac Man Pocket Player that's a flaming ripoff at $35 at most stores, check the brickseek Walmart checker here (and I already set it up with the SKU for you.)

https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=958267278

 

Multiple locations in the US are selling it not at their usual $25~ but at $13 and far fewer than that some are blowing them out I think at $6.

 

$13 or $6 is beyond fair into laughably cheap for those 3 games, even if the sound is less than awesome on Pacmania and Pac Attack for those familiar enough with the games to know they're off.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I got some hands on with the new Bridge Direct Tetris tonight.

 

Pros: Color backlit segmented LCD does not affect gameplay negatively since Tetris is by default played on a grid. Select between 15 start levels and junked brick height. Hard drop available by pressing up. Lack of diagonals avoids hiting it by accident. Gameboy background music. Tengen / Atari Games Arcade art.

 

Cons: Awkward position of play controls makes extended game sessions difficult. Sfx for placing pieces, movements, and level up is somewhat ear grating. Scoring isn't the same. Single / Double / Triple / Tetris is 100 / 300 / 500 / 800 × level multiplier, instead of 40 / 100 / 300 / 1200 like the NES and Game Boy Versions. Level 15 runs somewhat slower than level 9 on the NES / Gameboy versions, and you "win" the game upon completion of level 15 rather than play forever up until you die. Um, no. You cannot "win" tetris; that's kind of the point...

 

So maximizing high score for skilled players basically becomes score attack "Ultra" mode on starting level 15 and filling 150 lines.

 

Oddities: Huge point bonus for rotating T piece into position and clearing line: 800 × level multiplier for single line and 1200 × multiplier for double line. This lucrative bonus is easy to pull off anytime a T-piece comes down, just let it fall into final position and rotate it cw or ccw before it snaps. One line potentially yields as many points as a Tetris! Also you get 50% bonus on top of multiplier for stacking T rotations and Tetrises.

[BrianC]

That sounds a bit disappointing. Not sure what is up with these Tetris versions peaking at a slower max speed with no marathon mode.

 

It looks like the scoring is based on recent Tetris guidelines.

Edited November 16, 2018 by BrianC

[negative1]

If anyone was still curious about the mini pocket arcade Pac Man Pocket Player that's a flaming ripoff at $35 at most stores, check the brickseek Walmart checker here (and I already set it up with the SKU for you.)

https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=958267278

 

Multiple locations in the US are selling it not at their usual $25~ but at $13 and far fewer than that some are blowing them out I think at $6.

 

$13 or $6 is beyond fair into laughably cheap for those 3 games, even if the sound is less than awesome on Pacmania and Pac Attack for those familiar enough with the games to know they're off.

We had a long review and discussion earlier when they came out:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/255982-mini-arcade-alert/page-27?do=findComment&comment=4091636

 

They are worth way more than that. But at this point, the market is glutted, so yeah,

clearing them out is what you are seeing.

 

later

-1

[Tanooki]

Wow a Tetris game that stops at Lv15, that's game breaking any way you hack it. I was almost considering getting it because I'm starting to think the LCD version is unicorn dust, but knowing that alone I wouldn't pay more than $5 for that crap as I'd finish it too easily and get bored.

[NE146]

Not really related, but sort of.... The wife went to China and came back with this iPhone case for the kid. Pretty neat since it looks like a Gameboy and is playable with "tetris" variations and supposedly hundreds of other various games in it (e.g. a tank game, etc.). The sound is standard LCD watch stuff. For a phone case, it's not exactly rugged and and the buttons come off if you rub them too much (like putting it in your pocket, etc.). You can pop them back in but it just demonstrates what we're talking here with the build quality. Anyway, kind of nifty.

 

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

That sounds a bit disappointing. Not sure what is up with these Tetris versions peaking at a slower max speed with no marathon mode.

 

It looks like the scoring is based on recent Tetris guidelines.

Ugg, T-spins are just dumb. It's a cool trick to fill in holes in a pinch, but point bonuses to encourage doing it on purpose are lame. How the heck is it even possible to score a "T-spin triple?"

 

Wow a Tetris game that stops at Lv15, that's game breaking any way you hack it. I was almost considering getting it because I'm starting to think the LCD version is unicorn dust, but knowing that alone I wouldn't pay more than $5 for that crap as I'd finish it too easily and get bored.

YEah, there is a "marathon mode" but when the game caps out before you do, it becomes futile. I remember at 31 years old, maxing out Tetris DX at level 30 for the first time. It was like hitting my zen as the background turned black, but then a few minutes later, started getting stale. Highest I ever played to before the bricks piled up was 700k, but was like "what's the point?"

 

I grew up playing that game as a teen, but my play level 20 years later is higher than it was in high school. This recent LCD game is even more disappointing. It ends the game after 150 lines (plus whatever change you had left over if your last point score is more than one line). It scrolls "GOOD JOB!" across the screen a few times before shutting off. That's why I said it is like a 150 line ULTRA mode as opposed to true marathon.

 

The unit is ergonomically crap, but at least Tetris DX capped out at a much much higher level of gameplay and allowed you to keep going.

[BrianC]

That Pac-Man Pocket Player seems to be using Megadrive/Genesis based hardware (or emulation). Pac-Man on that is actually a Genesis homebrew port of Pac-Man and the other two games are the MD/Genesis versions. Odd how they didn't use Pac-Man 2 since that game has its own port of Pac-Man, as well as a poorly named Ms. Pac-Man clone named Pac-Man Jr (not to be confused with Jr. Pac-Man).

Edited November 17, 2018 by BrianC

[Tanooki]

I grew up playing that game as a teen, but my play level 20 years later is higher than it was in high school. This recent LCD game is even more disappointing. It ends the game after 150 lines (plus whatever change you had left over if your last point score is more than one line). It scrolls "GOOD JOB!" across the screen a few times before shutting off. That's why I said it is like a 150 line ULTRA mode as opposed to true marathon.

 

You know I think that's what happened on Tetris DS and I hit it pretty fast after buying it. It dies at Lv20, doesn't get any faster and it got boring as all hell so I got rid of it despite all the other quirky modes as I never was much into the fluff. I view junk like that much like extras on DVD/BluRay I ignore it 99% of the time as I find no value in it.

 

 

That Pac-Man Pocket Player seems to be using Megadrive/Genesis based hardware (or emulation). Pac-Man on that is actually a Genesis homebrew port of Pac-Man and the other two games are the MD/Genesis versions. Odd how they didn't use Pac-Man 2 since that game has its own port of Pac-Man, as well as a poorly named Ms. Pac-Man clone named Pac-Man Jr (not to be confused with Jr. Pac-Man).

Where did you get the idea that was it? I've seen it thrown around plenty it is the NES Tengen release due to the limited color choices and the specific unique way it screen displays and selects the fruits (and order of them too.)

 

 

I decided to drive the county over as it was fairly close by anyway and I grabbed the last of those Pac Man Pocket Player's anyway. For $13 I'm quite impressed. It's comfy, doesn't foul up the moves, and I don't hear this speaker buzz some reported and others didn't on mine. Yes the audio does seem off in Pacmania as I recall it from the NES quite well enough, but it's not ATGames Genesis god awful either so it doesn't bug me in the slightest. I've totally forgotten how to play Pac Attack properly, so that didn't go too well after a little bit. Pac-Man I got up to the 5th or 6th screen I forget, but it was fun. They did a relatively good job on it, but that said, greedy as hell on that original $35 or even reduced $25 for it too.

[BrianC]

I watched a video of the My Arcade Pac-Man pocket player. It's definitely not the NES version of Pac-Man and the sounds of it sound like Genesis sounds (though the latest video of the homebrew version I have seen is way more advanced than the pocket player port). Pac-Mania and Pac-Panic (aka Pac-Attack) are both the Genesis versions becuase I have played them before and recongize the sounds and graphics (though the Genesis port of Pac-Mania looks ugly compared to the arcade). Personally, after seeing a video like

, I'm surprised at the assumption they are NES versions. Here's a

of the Genesis Pac-Mania. Pac-Panic aka Pac-Attack isn't even on NES.

 

is a video of the NES Pac-Mania. Only the Genesis version has the speed boost option, which the pocket player version has. NES version doesn't even have an option screen. Edited November 17, 2018 by BrianC

[negative1]

I watched a video of the My Arcade Pac-Man pocket player. It's definitely not the NES version of Pac-Man and the sounds of it sound like Genesis sounds (though the latest video of the homebrew version I have seen is way more advanced than the pocket player port). Pac-Mania and Pac-Panic (aka Pac-Attack) are both the Genesis versions becuase I have played them before and recongize the sounds and graphics (though the Genesis port of Pac-Mania looks ugly compared to the arcade). Personally, after seeing a video like this one, I'm surprised at the assumption they are NES versions. Here's a video of the Genesis Pac-Mania. Pac-Panic aka Pac-Attack isn't even on NES.

 

Here is a video of the NES Pac-Mania. Only the Genesis version has the speed boost option, which the pocket player version has. NES version doesn't even have an option screen.

no, we went through this a long time ago, when we analyzed the versions.

 

the genesis version of pac-man is way more primitive.

 

so it is a custom version, and the other two are NES versions of pac-mania since the graphics are different, and probably the genesis version of pac-panic/attack.

later

-1

Edited November 17, 2018 by negative1

[BrianC]

Umm. I said it was a HOMEBREW genesis version (in other words a custom version of Genesis hardware, which the other games are based), not the official one in Pac-Man 2. Did you even look at the videos? The graphics of the video of the Pac-Man pocket player Pac-Mania and the genesis version match. Why do people instantly assume I wrong without looking anything up? I look things up before posting and still get this crap..I don't mean to be rude, but I'm getting tired of this.

Edited November 17, 2018 by BrianC

[Andromeda Stardust]

W

 

no, we went through this a long time ago, when we analyzed the versions.

the genesis version of pac-man is way more primitive.

so it is a custom version, and the other two are NES versions of pac-mania since the graphics are different, and probably the genesis version of pac-panic/attack.
later
-1

Where can I find this Genesis port? It's basically a 1:1 port of NES Pacman with 16-bit graphics and sound, not unlike a certain Genesis port of Super Mario Bros.

[BrianC]

W

 

 

Where can I find this Genesis port? It's basically a 1:1 port of NES Pacman with 16-bit graphics and sound, not unlike a certain Genesis port of Super Mario Bros.

That's the version in Pac-Man 2. There's also an unofficial homebrew Pac-man from a Japanese developer that was mentioned on the sega-16 forums (which is still different, but I did hear somewhere the version in the pocket player is a new Genesis based version). I don't make things up!

 

Negative 1 please read my posts before posting. I'm getting sick and tired of these incorrect assumptions. I even mentioned that that Pocket Player didn't use Pac-Man 2 a few posts back.

 

That Pac-Man Pocket Player seems to be using Megadrive/Genesis based hardware (or emulation). Pac-Man on that is actually a Genesis homebrew port of Pac-Man and the other two games are the MD/Genesis versions. Odd how they didn't use Pac-Man 2 since that game has its own port of Pac-Man, as well as a poorly named Ms. Pac-Man clone named Pac-Man Jr (not to be confused with Jr. Pac-Man).

 

Anyway, please look up videos of the Genesis Pac-Mania and compare them to the pocket player. I know what I'm taking about.

 

Please look at this video of the pocket player's footage of Pac-Mania

Edited November 17, 2018 by BrianC

[BrianC]

Anyway, I decided to get a few of the My Arcade Namco games after reading more, especially since they look cool and I like the FC versions.

[Jess Ragan]

How are those? Are they just using the NES games or is it closer to arcade quality?

[BrianC]

How are those? Are they just using the NES games or is it closer to arcade quality?

 

I haven't recieved them yet, but they were mentioned a few posts back. They are NES on a chip using FC ROMs with modified copyright (Pac-Man uses the Japanese ghost names).

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

I haven't recieved them yet, but they were mentioned a few posts back. They are NES on a chip using FC ROMs with modified copyright (Pac-Man uses the Japanese ghost names).

Pretty much this. They play well if only the Dpads were tighter.

 

Also might be too late for you atm, but you can get them in store at Walmart for $25, but the My Arcade website as well as Amazon are full priced at $35.

 

I'd probably jizz mah pahnts a little bit if My Arcade released a Ms Pacman cab, in hot pink plastic with the Tengen ROM on it, even with simultaneous two player options disabled...

 

Not like that other garbage TV plug-n-play Walmart had last year, with only Namco Ms Pacman on it...

[BrianC]

I would have gotten a couple at Walmart if they were closer (a couple of places had them for 13 dollars), but Office Depot had Dig Dug on sale for 24.99. Mappy doesn't seem to be available ay walmart and most places have it for 34.99 or more. Pac-Man was 27.99 online at walmart and I found Galaga for 29.99 at a couple places (Dell and Office Depot).

 

Slightly OT, but it seems the ghost names is one of the only differences between the JP Namco, US Namco, and Tengen versions of Pac-Man. FC uses the JP names, Tengen only uses the US nicknames, and US namco has both the US full names and nicknames.

 

MSI products looked pretty cheap. Part of the reason I didn't get the Frogger. I have the Basic Fun version is the mini cab from Walmart that has an altered version with different music I like this port, despite frogger getting killed by the snake's tail. I almost ordered the Basic Fun segmented version, but changed my mind when I found out that it doesn't have the flys, alligators, or snakes.

 

One of my favorite ports of Frogger is the GBA version, despite not having the original music. I was not impressed by the way the XBLA version was handled. It seems to be less responsive than other versions, a good chunk of the music was removed, and starting and game over themes were lazily replaced with other music from the game.

Edited November 18, 2018 by BrianC

[Andromeda Stardust]

Galaxian and Mappy are newer units and only recently started appearing in Walmarts. I have all 5 Namco My Arcade units and Data East Burgertime. Pacman, Galaga, Dig Dug, and Burgertime, I picked up for $25 at Walmart; Galaxian and Mappy I ordered online for $35 a piece. Like Galaxian and Mappy, Heavy Barrel and Caveman Ninja have also not been available at Walmart until very recently.

 

Best official port of Frogger hands down, for any portable or home console, is the Majesco 1998 late release Genesis port. The SNES version, and all home console or portable versions since, have butchered audio due to copyright issues. I don't get it. The tunes are just synth chips; they don't even contain real audio samples of anything (which would have been prohibitively expensive with the price of ROM in the early 80s).

 

I guess every remake, cover band, and hip hop track that ever sampled or borrowed from anything prior should get pulled for copyright violations too. Pretty bland world musically if you ask me...

[BrianC]

I don't agree the Genesis version is the best port. It's a good port with the music intact, but the snake's tail can't be jumped on in that version (something most bitd ports got right). The developer admitted to making the patterns up after a certain point. Music aside, the GBA version is actually a far more accurate port. I don't agree it was butchered since the music is still good in its own right. The supercharger port for 2600 is also one of the best ports and has the music intact. SNES port of Frogger is butchered for completely different reasons. The developers just lazily reused sounds from a Ren and Stimpy game, according to the cutting room floor.

Edited November 18, 2018 by BrianC

[negative1]

Pulled the trigger on the tiny arcade pac-man, they are about $10 now or so.

 

worth it for that price, and although they play slow, i'll probably try it a few times,

just for fun.

 

later

-1

[BrianC]

Patterns seem to be different after level 5 in the Genesis Frogger.

 

is what the AC version looks like on level 6.

is what the Genesis version looks like on level 6.

 

AC eases up a bit on the traffic and Genesis adds more.

.

[Andromeda Stardust]

The audio is a much more significant part of this title than others, and modern developers cannot emulate the original code without scrubbing the audio, due to copyright. So genesis is the best physical release, and possibly Froggie 7800 for homebrew.

 

Bitd console ports are rarely as accurate as modern emulations vecause the developers had to work within the limitations of the console. And most of the coding was redone. It wasn't as though some geek downloaded a MAME ROM online and re-upped a full asm dissasembly for homebrew authors to study and scrutinize, then debug on a fast pc emulator.

 

They had to recreate most arcade effects from scratch, and if they were lucky, rarely the arcade developer provided them with white papers detailing the behaviors of the arcade game. Mostly they played the arcade game in the break room, then compared it to the current build of the game using lotd knows whag arcane development environment paired with eprom devboards that plugged into the console. And if your game crashed, good luck debugging it and figuring out whaf part of the codd broke the system. In a modern emulator environment, you can easily pinpoint the exact memory location of the instruction which caused the hang. On a console dev environment, you change some random snippet of code, wait a few minutes to burn the rom, then insert it into the devcart and play to whatever stsge of the game the bug occured, and hope the modification fixes it.