I was wondering why companies haven't put out discs with arcade gaems from the late 80's/early 90's? Some of my favorite arcade games of all time are Simpsons, TMNT, and X-men (yeah I know they are all pretty much the same game). I see all these discs with the really old first arcade boom games like pac man and galaga and things like that, but none that I remember fondly from my younger years. Do you think this is because of licensing (i.e. needing to resecure the simpsons or TMNT lisence) or is it something that maybe they havent gotten around to doing, or perhaps maybe they dont think there is a market for it (which I think there would be)?
Mr. Burns: You are of course familiar with our state usury laws? Homer:U-sur-y? Mr. Burns: Oh silly me, I must have just used a word that doesn't exist.
I think it might have soemthing to do with licenses, the programmersor even possible lack of public intrest.
Everyone knows the old classics (Pac-Man, Galaga, etc)
Companies might not see an intrest large enough to support the money needed to secure licenses and the developers to get those games to a home console.
I do agree though a budget priced disc of some of the older arcade games for consoles would be pretty sweet.
A lot of the compilations never made it to the US. Capcom had the Capcom Generations discs, which included series like Street Fighter, 1942/3, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts and shoot-em-ups like Mercs. Sega released games like OutRun, Power Drift, Columns, Space Harrier and Afterburner II on their Sega Ages label.
The early arcade period (from Space Invaders to the '84 crash) was when the arcades were booming like never before -- or since. The games from that period have major name recognition that later games don't. My dad wouldn't know a typical 90's game if it bit him on the ass, but he knows Asteroids and Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
Another factor is that the home consoles started to catch up to the arcades after the crash. Just about everything Nintendo put in an arcade found its way to the NES, for example, and lots of late-80's-early-90's games found their way onto the Genesis or SNES. In many cases, there weren't decent home ports of pre-crash classics.
And, of course, there's the emulation community. It's hard to justify an old-game project that'll cost a fair amount of money to create, distribute and market if half the target audience already has the games emulated in MAME...
I remember a huge flamewar in the emulation community right around the release of the second PSX Midway collection (Moon Patrol, Spy Hunter, Blaster, Tapper, Splat, Burgertime, Joust 2), because most of the games made their MAME debut just as the PSX disc was about to hit the shelves.
I'm looking at some databases now, and actually finding it hard to pick out six or seven per company that I'd _buy_ from that period. Atari, for example, really went downhill after '86 or so, and some of its standout games after that (S.T.U.N. Runner, Hard/Race Drivin') were notable more for their then-impressive-but-now-dated graphics than anything else. Let's see...
SEGA: Gain Ground (1988), Golden Axe II (1992), Rad Mobile (1990), Turbo Out Run (1989), Crackdown (1989)... and then I'm drawing a blank.
ATARI: Not much that hasn't already been ported.
KONAMI: The Gradius, Parodius and Twinbee games are already out. So -- Simpsons (1991), TMNT (1989), the sequel (1991), X-Men (1992)... and I'm out!
CAPCOM: Black Tiger (1987), Captain Commando (1991), Forgotten Worlds (1988), Final Fight (1989), Magic Sword (1990), Strider (1989) and Willow (1988) wouldn't be a bad period compilation.
Any other ideas?
(edited by vsp on 4.2.04 1156) "It looks like it was a larger dog with tighter skin, and then someone grabbed him by the anus and pulled him as hard as they could." -- David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap, explaining the Shar-Pei
We both a referring to ARCADE games not released in other formats. That "clever" advertising doesn;t count as those games were released in arcades and then for NES, SNEs, etc.
The side scrolling Simpsons, TMNT, etc are what we are askign for. Hell even pinball games would be pretty sweet.
(edited by LanceJr on 4.2.04 1228) I am Lance Jr hear me, I mean see me post
Originally posted by LanceJrWe both a referring to ARCADE games not released in other formats. That "clever" advertising doesn;t count as those games were released in arcades and then for NES, SNEs, etc.
The side scrolling Simpsons, TMNT, etc are what we are askign for. Hell even pinball games would be pretty sweet.
(edited by LanceJr on 4.2.04 1228)
Pinball is tough, because it's very hard to accurately recreate the physics of the big machines. I own a Funhouse myself and belong to a local pinball-parlor league, so I know of what I speak.
About the only arcade-to-home commercial pinball compilations I can think of are Williams Pinball Classics and Microsoft Pinball Arcade. Both got lampooned for their lack of realistic physics, MPA more so for Cue Ball Wizard than its older games. The Visual Pinball/VPinMAME project has made great strides, but individual tables are only as good as their recreators have made them, and almost all still have bugs. And even THEN they won't satisfy everyone, because every individual "real" pinball machine has its own quirks.
As for the others... TMNT: The Arcade Game had a half-decent NES port. X-Men and The Simpsons didn't. However, I'm trying to think of other decent Konami games from that period that didn't end up on console systems, and not finding many, as I really doubt Konami would release a three-game pack.
"It looks like it was a larger dog with tighter skin, and then someone grabbed him by the anus and pulled him as hard as they could." -- David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap, explaining the Shar-Pei
Originally posted by LanceJrWe both a referring to ARCADE games not released in other formats. That "clever" advertising doesn;t count as those games were released in arcades and then for NES, SNEs, etc.
The side scrolling Simpsons, TMNT, etc are what we are askign for. Hell even pinball games would be pretty sweet.
(edited by LanceJr on 4.2.04 1228)
Pinball is tough, because it's very hard to accurately recreate the physics of the big machines. I own a Funhouse myself and belong to a local pinball-parlor league, so I know of what I speak.
About the only arcade-to-home commercial pinball compilations I can think of are Williams Pinball Classics and Microsoft Pinball Arcade. Both got lampooned for their lack of realistic physics, MPA more so for Cue Ball Wizard than its older games. The Visual Pinball/VPinMAME project has made great strides, but individual tables are only as good as their recreators have made them, and almost all still have bugs. And even THEN they won't satisfy everyone, because every individual "real" pinball machine has its own quirks.
As for the others... TMNT: The Arcade Game had a half-decent NES port. X-Men and The Simpsons didn't. However, I'm trying to think of other decent Konami games from that period that didn't end up on console systems, and not finding many, as I really doubt Konami would release a three-game pack.
Actually for those 3 games I and I know some others would be willing to pay 20 if it were budget priced.
Mr. Burns: You are of course familiar with our state usury laws? Homer:U-sur-y? Mr. Burns: Oh silly me, I must have just used a word that doesn't exist.
Originally posted by LanceJrWe both a referring to ARCADE games not released in other formats. That "clever" advertising doesn;t count as those games were released in arcades and then for NES, SNEs, etc.
The side scrolling Simpsons, TMNT, etc are what we are askign for. Hell even pinball games would be pretty sweet.
(edited by LanceJr on 4.2.04 1228)
The new TMNT console game reminds me of the arcade one in terms of hack-n-slash action, but it's a different storyline and doesn't have four player capability
Simpsons had a PC port that was faithful to the arcade version, but with what..EGA or something graphics, and also only two players.
What I don't understand is why certain game makers just port older arcade games piece for piece and release them on the consoles. Surely the technology today can allow that to happen seamlessly.
For instance, why can't someone port the original Double Dragon arcade game and put it out on disc? Not enough? Well, here's the REST of my suggestion, and it could be marketed to the ultimate gamer junkies, from those who love old school stuff along with other stuff.
Why not include the Arcade version of DD, the NES version, Double Dragon II arcade and its NES counterpart, and put it all in one set? (Well, anyway, I hope you all get my drift.)
IMHO, people want to be able to play the games that are no longer in arcades and that aren't available on the consoles. And there were some magnificent games that came out after the 1984 bust. Sure the games from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s don't have the same name appeal of the older games, but consider: (games that haven't already been mentioned, I think)
Double Dragon, Bad Dudes, Shinobi, ThunderBlade, Time Soldiers, Karnov, Alien Syndrome, Midnight Resistance, Sly Spy, Cabal, Ikari Warriors, Guerrilla War, Rolling Thunder, Altered Beast, Pit Fighter, Heavy Barrel, Caveman Ninjas, Magic Sword, ESWAT, Rush n' Attack, Iron Man Ivan Stewart's Off Road, WWF Superstars and WrestleFest, Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo Knights, Blood Brothers, GangWars, After Burner, The Legend of Kage, Blasteroids, Contra and Super Contra are just a handful of titles that I'm sure people my age (almost 25) can remember fondly. Perhaps not all of these games, but some, I'm sure.
It's gotta be just a matter of time. Well, I hope it'll be. Those are some of the games, along with the old school classics, TMNT and the Street Fighter II series, that my arcade memories were made from!
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Rumor has it that if Midway Arcade Treasures sells well (and at $20, you really don't have an excuse not to buy it) they may include online multiplayer to a new collection. I don't know about you, but multiplayer Smash TV would be quite cool.
As for the game makers re-releasing the old games on new platforms, I think Nintendo has the right idea in including old NES games on the GC - things like Metroid in Metroid Prime and Punch-Out, SMB and Zelda on Animal Crossing. And Donkey Kong Jr. Math! Pwnage.
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Originally posted by RKMtwinWhat I don't understand is why certain game makers just port older arcade games piece for piece and release them on the consoles. Surely the technology today can allow that to happen seamlessly.
For instance, why can't someone port the original Double Dragon arcade game and put it out on disc? Not enough? Well, here's the REST of my suggestion, and it could be marketed to the ultimate gamer junkies, from those who love old school stuff along with other stuff.
Why not include the Arcade version of DD, the NES version, Double Dragon II arcade and its NES counterpart, and put it all in one set? (Well, anyway, I hope you all get my drift.)
Do you work for Capcom? I mean, that's what they're basically doing with the Mega Man series. Too bad the GC compilation doesn't have the GB games, but there's gonna be a GBA version with all of them. Don't remember if it's been discussed here.
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Originally posted by Doc_whiskeyActually for those 3 games I and I know some others would be willing to pay 20 if it were budget priced.
Count me in. And to add to the list, how's about Contra, Alien vs. Predator, X-Men: Children of the Atom, and The Avengers game. And weren't there 2 versions of the X-Men arcade game, one with the capability for 4 players and one with 6?
it says so right here in the wcw handbook!
what does it take to get a higher ranking around here? i already know what it takes to get a lower one! :-P
Originally posted by RKMtwinWhat I don't understand is why certain game makers just port older arcade games piece for piece and release them on the consoles. Surely the technology today can allow that to happen seamlessly.
Seamlessly... but not effortlessly. Emulation isn't a cakewalk, and they'd have to write their own custom drivers to emulate the CPU, I/O, etc. -- it's not like company X can simply borrow the MAME source code, port it to PS2 and WHAM! Instant commercial product.
Then figure in the cost-return projections. Games need to be programmed, tested, produced, distributed and marketed. You've got to move a lot of discs to make money on a classics compilation at, say, $19.99... which means it needs to have names in it that have broad commercial appeal.
An old story comes to mind... A guy loved jazz, and he loved oysters. So he saved up his money, planned for a long time, and finally took the plunge and opened up a jazz-and-oysters restaurant. On opening night, he threw the doors open -- and the twelve other people who liked jazz and oysters that much all showed up. The product can be quality, but if the expected demand isn't there, few companies will give such projects the go-ahead.
Don't get me wrong, I _applaud_ the ones who do, but I recognize that they're a risk.
Why not include the Arcade version of DD, the NES version, Double Dragon II arcade and its NES counterpart, and put it all in one set?
That would involve two arcade emulators, an NES emulator, getting the rights to Double Dragon arcade games from Technos, getting the US distribution rights from Romstar, getting the rights to the NES games from Acclaim... and if you wanted to throw in more Technos games like Combatribes or Mat Mania, that's yet another platform. Now imagine trying to get the rights from McMahon to add in their WWF Wrestlefest game...
Sure the games from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s don't have the same name appeal of the older games, but consider: (games that haven't already been mentioned, I think)
(snip)
Of the games you mentioned...
Altered Beast, Alien Syndrome, Shinobi, ThunderBlade, E-SWAT and Afterburner are Sega titles, and all but E-SWAT have had a handful of home ports already.
Pit Fighter (wait, someone WANTS Pit Fighter?), Blasteroids and Rolling Thunder were Atari.
Rush'n Attack is out on Game Boy Advance.
A Data East comp might have potential -- Bad Dudes, Karnov, Midnight Resistance, Cap & the Avengers, Caveman Ninja, Heavy Barrel and Sly Spy from your list. Throw in Gondomania and Tumblepop and I'm vaguely interested.
SNK had Ikari Warriors, Guerilla War, P.O.W., Vanguard (older), and not much else that isn't on the Neo Geo platform. Many of the better Neo games are out on PS1. I'm actually a little surprised that SNK didn't whip out some "Fatal Fury/Art of Fighting Collection"-style discs.
The one issue with the Ikari series and with Heavy Barrel is emulating the controls. It's possible on a Dual Shock, but still tricky (I haven't worked out a satisfying substitute for the rotary joysticks in MAME, and will need to plan that in when I finally build my MAME cabinet).
Tecmo's already working on a Ninja Gaiden remake, and I think they'd probably like to forget Tecmo Knight.
Blood Brothers and Cabal were TAD, but apart from Toki they really have nothing else to release. Ditto for Alpha Denshi's Gang Wars and Time Soldiers, unless they want to somehow get the rights for a Neo Geo emulator for Magician Lord and Ninja Combat.
Leland did Off Road, Ataxx and Pig Out, which I liked, but their controls were pretty idiosyncratic for Elway's Quarterback.
Legend of Kage is Taito... hmmm. Throw in Darius, Liquid Kids, New Zealand Story, Night Striker, Rastan, Slap Fight (Alcon), Volfied and underrated oldies-but-goodies like Zoo Keeper and Kram, and you might have something, but there's no real "name" game among them. Bubble Bobble's already been ported everywhere (and I wish they'd HURRY UP with the US GBA release, which has been TBA forever).
"It looks like it was a larger dog with tighter skin, and then someone grabbed him by the anus and pulled him as hard as they could." -- David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap, explaining the Shar-Pei
Originally posted by vspTecmo's already working on a Ninja Gaiden remake...
And the new Ninja Gaiden will include the entire NES series hidden in the game as bonuses.
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Originally posted by vspTecmo's already working on a Ninja Gaiden remake...
And the new Ninja Gaiden will include the entire NES series hidden in the game as bonuses.
Though, of course, the NES series and the arcade game are quite different.
"It looks like it was a larger dog with tighter skin, and then someone grabbed him by the anus and pulled him as hard as they could." -- David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap, explaining the Shar-Pei
Originally posted by LanceJrWe both a referring to ARCADE games not released in other formats. That "clever" advertising doesn;t count as those games were released in arcades and then for NES, SNEs, etc.
The side scrolling Simpsons, TMNT, etc are what we are askign for. Hell even pinball games would be pretty sweet.
(edited by LanceJr on 4.2.04 1228)
Pinball is tough, because it's very hard to accurately recreate the physics of the big machines. I own a Funhouse myself and belong to a local pinball-parlor league, so I know of what I speak.
About the only arcade-to-home commercial pinball compilations I can think of are Williams Pinball Classics and Microsoft Pinball Arcade. Both got lampooned for their lack of realistic physics, MPA more so for Cue Ball Wizard than its older games. The Visual Pinball/VPinMAME project has made great strides, but individual tables are only as good as their recreators have made them, and almost all still have bugs. And even THEN they won't satisfy everyone, because every individual "real" pinball machine has its own quirks.
As for the others... TMNT: The Arcade Game had a half-decent NES port. X-Men and The Simpsons didn't. However, I'm trying to think of other decent Konami games from that period that didn't end up on console systems, and not finding many, as I really doubt Konami would release a three-game pack.
Funhouse is easily one of the best pinball machines ever created!! Rudy Shot!!
"You have the right to suffer. You have the right to feel pain. If you wish to have an attorney present, I'll hurt him too!" - The Big Bossman
Originally posted by vspTecmo's already working on a Ninja Gaiden remake...
And the new Ninja Gaiden will include the entire NES series hidden in the game as bonuses.
Though, of course, the NES series and the arcade game are quite different.
I would rather have the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. I have a Dreamcast disc with all the NES games on it, and I own the SNES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy. I already have the old games no use to me to include them on my X-Box version that I of course will be buying. But hey its all good for other games nice bonus. Much rather include the arcade version as well though.
I'm sick of all those gamers in Tokyo havin' all the fun with video games that never make it here. All the game memorabilia too! I gotta learn to speak Japanese of course... but I WILL DO IT!
Originally posted by KrayzieFemale THAT'S IT! I'M MOVING TO TOKYO!
I'm sick of all those gamers in Tokyo havin' all the fun with video games that never make it here. All the game memorabilia too! I gotta learn to speak Japanese of course... but I WILL DO IT!
Or IX? :) I will defend IX to the death! I, too, shall smite at those who shalt ruin the honor of FF9! But, should FF9 come to blows with Cloud and...acquiantances, I shall jump, such as the incredible jumping....jumper.