Hack15.Play Retro Games in All-in-One Joysticks

Hack 15. Play Retro Games in All-in-One Joysticks

Plug-and-play classic titles with ease. You don't even need a game console !

What's the easiest way to play retro games right now? Emulation requires more computer knowledge than most people have, and retro collections for modern game systems [Hack #16] require you to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of hardware before you can play them.

There is a solution for the rest of us, and it's more than likely that you've already seen them around. Standalone plug-and-play joysticks going by names like TV Games and Arcade Legends have been all over toy and electronics stores for the past few years . These devices run off of AA batteries and plug directly into your television set, containing a handful of games and a joystick all in one compact piece of hardware. You can't add in any more games, but since most of them retail for between $20 and $25, that's not such a big deal.

But not all is perfect. Retro gaming hackers have found that some of the games differ substantially from the classic versions. In this hack, I'll give you some general information on the value and quality of each device, supplemented (where possible) by my own hands-on impressions .

In shopping malls across the United States, especially around Christmastime, it's not at all uncommon to see kiosks spring up in the middle of the mall selling all-in-one gaming joysticks that play classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros. These often go by the name "Power Player" and are shaped like Nintendo 64 joypads. These are bootleg, unauthorized devices. At the time of this writing, Nintendo has not officially released any such device.

2.2.1. Jakks Pacific

The leader of the all-in-one games revolution has some excellent products to its name from a variety of popular publishers.

2.2.1.1. Atari Classics 10 in 1 TV Games.

This is the device that kicked off the TV Games boom a few years back(see Figure 2-1). Packing ten Atari 2600 classic titles into a joystick nearly the exact shape and size as the 2600 joysticks everyone remembers, it was a smash hit product for Christmas 2002. It includes the games Adventure, Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede, Circus Atari, Gravitar, Missile Command, Pong, Real Sports Volleyball, and Yars Revenge.

The games are mostly accurate, but not entirely. One of the biggest goof-ups is that the famous "Easter Egg" in the game Adventure, in which you used to be able to find designer Warren Robinette's name, now only leads to a screen that reads "TEXT." Another complaint is that a full three of these gamesBreakout, Pong, and Circus Atariwere originally designed for the paddle controller, and don't work well at all with the joystick.

2.2.1.2. Atari Paddle Controller with 13 TV Games.

Addressing many of the issues with the 10 in 1 controller, Jakks released this paddle controller (Figure 2-2) around two years later. The Atari 2600 system originally shipped with a pair of these controllers. The quality of the games in this version is said to be much better than the previous model, although I have only played the Pong game included (and it was pretty good).

Figure 2-1. Atari Classics 10 in 1

In all, it contains seven new 2600 gamesWarlords, Super Breakout, Demons to Diamonds, Night Driver, Casino, Canyon Bomber, Steeplechase, and Street Racer. It also contains the three 2600 games that use the paddle that were also included in the joystick versionPong, Circus Atari, and Breakout. And rounding out the package are the original arcade versions of Warlords and Pong.

Be aware that a two-player version, with two paddle controllers, is available for $10 more than the single-player model.

2.2.1.3. Atari Flashback 2.

Released as this book went to press, the Atari Flashback 2 console contains 40 classic games, including several homebrew games and prototypes . It's a huge improvement over the original Flashback console, which was hobbled by uncomfortable controllers that resembled those of the Atari 7800 [Hack #37] and some bad game conversions. The Flashback2, on the other hand, features a form factor modeled after the original woodgrain style Atari 2600 [Hack #3] , and captures the feel of a real Atari by using classic-styled joysticksyou can even use these joysticks with an older 2600 console! Highlights include some sequels to previously released titles such as Yars' Return, Return to Haunted House, Combat 2, and Adventure 2. The hard-to-find-in-cart-form Quadrun (complete with voice support), is also included, as are Secret Quest and Off the Wall. If you want to play the classics, they're here tooPong, Asteroids, Centipede, Millipede, Breakout, Missile Command, and Combat are as good as ever. You'll need your own paddles to play some of these games, but it's worth digging them out: there are additional paddle games "hidden" in the unit. If you get stuck and can't find them, checkout this AtariAge forum: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=75350.

Figure 2-2. Atari Paddle Controller 13 in 1

Still need another reason to drop $29.99 on this system? Here it is: the console is hack-friendly, so you can add a cartridge slot to the Flashback 2. All you have to do is solder a ribbon cable to the motherboard and add the slot. The connections are clearly labeled on the motherboard, and it doesn't take an expert technician to do it right. The process will void your warranty, however. See http://www.atarimuseum.com/fb2hacks/ for illustrated instructions, and enjoy!

2.2.1.4. Activision 10 in 1 TV Games.

Many of the best Atari 2600 games were actually made not by Atari but by a publisher called Activision. Luckily, they've licensed some of their classics to Jakks Pacific as well, and you can find an Activision version of the joysticks in stores now. It contains ten games: Pitfall, Atlantis, River Raid, Spider Fighter, Crackpots, Freeway, Tennis, Boxing, Ice Hockey, and Grand Prix. The joystick model is based on some of the third-party joysticks that were released for the 2600 back in the day; it is much more comfortable and features a fire button on the top of the stick for extra ease of use.

2.2.1.5. Namco: Pac-Man.

Namco's Pac-Man controller (Figure 2-3) is the first TV Games joystick that made me stand up and take notice. I was never much of an Atari player, but the idea of having an inexpensive, attractive-looking joystick that played five Namco gamesPac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Rally-X, and Bosconianwas enough to get me pretty excited.

I wasn't disappointed with the final productthe retro-styled menu screen shown in Figure 2-4 was particularly coolbut I did find that the versions of the games were hardly arcade-perfect. Indeed, it seems they were reprogrammed from scratch. The Pac-Man patterns [Hack #81] that allow you to evade the ghosts in the original arcade versions simply don't work, and you'll notice other changes made to the rest of the games.

And although I love the snazzy yellow-topped joystick, it's very hard to hit the diagonal inputs. This isn't really a problem with four of the five games, but it makes Bosconian basically unplayable. If this is a problem for you, you might check out the pocket version of this device that Jakks recently released. The joystick is replaced with an eight-way directional thumbpad and the entire device fits into a much smaller form factor.

2.2.1.6. Namco II: Ms. Pac-Man.

Following up the success of the first Namco games joystick, Jakks released a sequel featuring Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Xevious, Pole Position, and Mappy. The pros and cons of the first Pac-Man joystick apply here as well. The reason it gets its own section is because by the time you read this, Jakks will have released a wireless version of the controller, as shown in Figure 2-5. Plug the included wireless base into your TV set and you can carry the joystick anywhere you want. It seems as if they are only releasing the Ms. Pac-Man stick as a wireless product, but as a bonus it includes a full seven gamesthe five just mentioned, as well as Bosconian and New Rally-X. It will retail for about $40.

Figure 2-3. Pac-Man all-in-one joystick

Figure 2-4. The boot menu screen for Pac-Man

Figure 2-5. The wireless Ms. Pac-Man controller

They're not as retro as other joysticks, but Jakks has also released controllers that play Mortal Kombat and the 1995 versions of Electronic Arts' Madden Football and NHL Hockey. I haven't had the chance to test either, but the Mortal Kombat game is apparently based on the lackluster Genesis version of the game, and the sports package doesn't contain any player names due to licensing issues.

Building on the success of the TV Games joysticks with the younger market, Jakks has released several entries in the series that feature original, simple games aimed directly at the pre-K set. Amazon.com reviews have been relatively kind to the Spongebob Squarepants, Spider-Man, and Disney games among others. These aren't retro games per se , but they bring back the simplicity and broad appeal of the old days.

2.2.2. Majesco

Not to be outdone, jack-of-all-trades gaming publisher Majesco has partnered with Konami to release standalone versions of that company's classic franchises.

2.2.2.1. Konami Arcade Advanced.

Much like the controllers listed earlierand even though its name is Arcade Advancedthis joystick doesn't actually contain the original arcade games. The hacker community's best guess is that (like many of the other products mentioned in this hack), what is inside this joystick is a miniature Nintendo Entertainment System clone that plays NES ports of the games.

If this sounds fine to you, Konami Arcade Advanced is a good addition to your plug-and-play collection. The most popular game on the device is Frogger, but the restRush N' Attack, Gyruss, Scramble, Yie Ar Kung Fu, and Time Pilotare classics in their own right.

This controller takes its name from a Game Boy Advance title also released by Majesco that features the same six Konami games. At the time of this writing it can be purchased new from Amazon.com for $11.95.

2.2.2.2. Frogger TV Arcade.

I'm scratching my head as to why this even exists. It's a standalone joystick, shown in Figure 2-6, that only includes one gamethe exact same version of Frogger included in the Konami Arcade Advanced joystick. Both models cost exactly the same amount of money. Sowhy would you buy this one? The mind boggles.

There's one more entry so far in the TV Arcade series, called Golden Nugget Casino. It's not a retro game, although I'm sure it's enjoyed a bit of success due to the current Texas Hold 'Em craze

2.2.3. Radica

You might not have heard of the company, but Radica has partnered with some strong licensors to bring classic arcade and home games to the plug-and-play format.

2.2.3.1. Arcade Legends: Space Invaders.

Much like the Namco joysticksalthough Arcade Legends: Space Invaders is named after the most recognizable game included in the packageit actually contains five: Space Invaders, Lunar Rescue, Colony 7, Qix, and Phoenix. And much like the Majesco joysticks, although it includes the word Arcade right there on the box, these are most likely NES ports.

Figure 2-6. Froggeryes, just Frogger

Sigh. Well, for my money Qix is still the most playable , innovative, addictive , and damn hard of the games on the device. By drawing boxes with a cursor, you have to wall off a certain percentage of the screen without touching the Qix, an evil bastard represented by flashing strings of light.

This, like Radica's other games (listed next ), originally retailed for a wallet-breaking $34.99, but prices have since come down at most discount retailers and toy stores.

2.2.3.2. Sega Genesis series.

At lasthere's a retro game control pad (see Figure 2-7), that couldn't possibly contain a miniature NES clone inside. Though the company has since left the hardware business, there was a time when the Sega Genesis console was at the top of the United States' video game business. Speeding into gamers' homes on the back of Sonic the Hedgehog, the Genesis was the most popular system of its day (much to the chagrin of Nintendo).

Figure 2-7. The Sega Genesis Arcade Legends joystick, version 1

And now you can relive those classic games with three separate plug-and-play control pads. Since the controllers themselves are perfect replicas of the originals , the actual hardware can't fit inside. So the controllers are attached to a tiny box that looks sort of like a miniature Genesis, which then attaches to the TV.

The first version of the controller includes Sonic the Hedgehog (naturally), Altered Beast (the original pack-in game for the console until the blue blur bumped the beast out), Kid Chameleon, Flicky, Golden Axe, and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (a Sonic-branded version of the popular puzzler Puyo Puyo). True classics all.

The follow-up edition included Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (of course), Columns, Ecco the Dolphin, The Ooze, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, and Gain Ground. Perhaps these classics aren't as well- remembered as the first joystick's selection, but it's hard to argue with the first three, at least.

Finally, the latest addition to the series features the Genesis port of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. It was never the best version of Street Fighter (that honor belonged to the versions for the Super Nintendo), but the six-button Genesis control pad that was released alongside it was quite nice (and inspired the amazing Sega Saturn pad design).

This $39.99 package includes two six-button controllers in the original design and two games inside the mini-Genesis box: SFII: SCE and Ghouls N' Ghosts, another Capcom classic that Sega ported to the Genesis back in the day.

2.2.4. Other Sticks of Note

Computer hackers will appreciate the Commodore 64 30-in-1 plug-and-play device, not only for the wealth of classic software included but because you can hack a Commodore keyboard and floppy drive into the unit [Hack #57] .

There's one other major retro-games joystick on the market today, though I'm sad to say it merits but a footnote. The Intellivision joysticks, released in 25-game and 10-game versions, were almost universally panned by those who love the originals. They just don't play anything like them, with poor control and sloppy emulation.

Hopefully, if the plug-and-play gaming market continues to grow, we'll see a better and more accurate Intellivision device hit the shelves one day. For now, I'd recommend the console game Intellivision Lives [Hack #16] .