Namco Original Arcade TV Games Video Game System
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Toys and Games Reviews of Namco Original Arcade TV Games Video Game System
Customer Review: Nice Concept, Poor Execution
Summary: 3 Stars
I love the idea for retro videogames like these, I just wish Jakks did a better job of designing this toy.
First of all, the fire buttons are in a terrible location. If you're a Southpaw like me, forget it. It's very uncomfortable to use the joystick as a lefthander, even for someone like me who is comfortable using unmodified Atari joysticks left-handed. When I try to reach past the front of the joystick with my right thumb, the jutting front portion of the case gets in the way. This part of the case gives the unit a cute look, but ergonomically, it's stupid. I would've much rather preferred a larger but more comfortable package. Something wider with fire buttons on both sides of the joystick would've been better. Then I could set this on the floor or a tabletop and blast away at enemy ships more like a real coin-op.
Enough has been said about the poor joystick response on Ms. Pacman that I won't repeat it here. I, too, have noticed the same problems. I think when I get tired of playing with this toy, I'm going to try hacking it. Maybe add an external port to it so I can plug an Atari joystick in, or install it into a new enclosure so I can put fire buttons where I want them to go. I'd also add an external DC-in jack so I have the option of not using batteries. (What can I say? I'm cheap, and have way too much time on my hands.)
I'm a little baffled as to why Jakks chose to include the rotating knob control for Pole Position. I do think it's a bit truer to the original arcade version's steering wheel operation, but only slightly so, and I think joystick control would've been just fine. Other PC and home videogame versions of Pole Position had joystick control and worked fine. I think the money that went into the inclusion of this feature could've been put towards more useful things, like a higher quality joystick or additional fire buttons. Plus there wouldn't be so many confused folks (who don't read instructions) complaining that the joystick doesn't work on Pole Position.
The programming looks pretty decent and true to the arcade, but they are not dead on. It's not like they took MAME ROMs and stuffed them into a little portable box. I was disappointed that the full Pole Position music isn't included, nor the Pole Position payoffs when you cross the finish line. As a Galaga purist, I noticed every little deviation from the coin-op version. The sound of the tractor beam, for example, doesn't quite sound right to me. But the game still plays pretty true to the original, at least as far as I've been able to determine with my handicapped Southpaw play. I can't comment on Ms. Pacman because I haven't been able to get the quirky joystick control to work well enough to get deep enough into the game. I'm curious to see how the Ms. Pacman payoffs look. (They did include these, right?)
One last thing: Like the coin-op versions, you get to enter your initials if you get high score. But like the coin-op versions, these get erased once you turn the thing off! I could see this toy being a lot more fun if the high scores were saved into non-volatile memory. I prefer my claim to be the Household Galaga Champion to be undisputed.
Customer Review: Joystick and durability take away from EXCELLENT game ports.
Summary: 3 Stars
Weeks before this unit was available, I placed my order on Amazon for this highly-anticipated game machine.
The day finally arrived when I received this gem, and I immediately and anxiously ripped open the package and connected the joystick up to my television.
First impression was that the games looked EXCELLENT, very true to the original games. A few sound differences were noted, especially in the Mappy "game over" and "high score" screens, but those are quite tolerable given the thousands of dollars saved over buying 5 full cabinet machines of these games.
But, alas, my excitement was to be short-lived. The joystick was very "flaky" in Ms. Pac-Man, especially when trying to change direction from left-right to up-down. Joystick input seemed to be ignored, or worse, uncommanded movements were made by Ms. Pac-Man.
At first, I figured maybe I would be able to adjust to this and learn how to control Ms. Pac-Man in time.
Mercifully, after about an hour of using this game, the fire button failed. Apparently, it was not designed to handle the many fast and furious depressions that take place during the average Galaga game.
So, I packed up the joystick and shipped it back to Amazon for a refund.
Later that day, I learned that my local Wal-Mart also stocked the game. I figured I'd give it one more try, and made my purchase.
This time, the joystick control was much smoother and much more predictable. Although I still encounter the rare insensitivity to changing directions, reminding me that the joystick is still not perfect and really requires some work to get right in future versions, I can make it all the way beyond the banana board, with all the fast maneuvering required, with little or no frustration.
The fire button is yet to fail, also, after over a week of heavy Galaga use.
Overall, this is a VERY FUN game to have. All 5 games are very true and faithful renditions, especially Mappy and Ms. Pac-Man.
The method of controlling your car in Pole Position is very ingenious, and is much smoother than if you were made to use the joystick.
Dimness is not an issue, and although the screen is a bit blurry on my cheaper 19" television, it is CRYSTAL CLEAR on my Sanyo 25" TV.
This may very well be a quality control issue. My first joystick was virtually uncontrollable in Ms. Pac-Man, and the fire button failed after only 2 games of Galaga. But my 2nd game is working like a champ.
Overall, it's a shame that the joystick issues and the less-than-stellar durability of this game overshadows the excellent versions of the arcade classics that it contains.
Customer Review: It's good...if you like running into ghosts a lot.
Summary: 3 Stars
OK so, the title makes it sounds like I didn't enjoy this. Don't get me wrong, I did. Being an arcade lover, I was excited about this. And disappointed as well.
You know those Ms.Pac-Man/Galaga reunion machines that are quite popular? Well having seen those at restaurants and enjoying them a lot, I figured that these would be like those. Eh...no.
My first complaint is Ms.Pac-Man. The original used a 4-way joystick. (Up, Down, Left, Right) The joystick in this thing is 8-way. (For the flying game Xevious.) Now you might be thinking "Hey! If it's eight way, you'd be able to play a four way game easily!" Well, yes and no. All right, Picture this: You are running Thru the maze, Blinky (the red one) right on your tail. You are on your last life, and you don't think you are going to make it. Suddenly you see Salvation! A Power Pellet! You are inches away from it and all...you...have to...do is...TURN LEFT! TURN LEFT! WHY WON'T IT TURN LEFT?! The words "Game Over" flash on the screen, as you realize you weren't holding left you were holding up left. BAM! Goes your controller as it smacks the wall.
My other complaint is it goes way to slow. I mean this is easier for beginners, I guess. I don't want easier. I want to feel adrenaline pump thru my veins as I dodge ghosts and eat pellets.
The other reason I bought this thing: Galaga. Holy crap, I love Galaga.
They murdered it.
First, you can't hold down the fire button. This seems like a stupid thing to complain about, I know. But it really affects the game play. Second in the original you can hide in sides for safety. And overall, playing Galaga on this thing isn't enjoyable at all.
Xevious: I have never played the original of this game, so I can't compare it. I don't really like this game, but that is preference.
Pole Position is just fun. No complaints.
With all that complaining about Galaga and Ms.Pac-Man you would think that I would give this Plug and Play game a lower score. So, what's its saving grace? Mappy. I love Mappy. So great. The music, the game play the quirky graphics, all of it!
I have one little thing that bugs me about the whole thing in general. Doesn't save your high score. In fact, when I got the high score in Mappy, I had to take a picture of it to show it to my friends.
Over all, if you are going into this expecting the glory of the originals then you are going to be disappointed. However, if you don't mind watered down versions of them, and a few minor annoyances, then this will tide you over until you convince your parents to go to the restaurant with the small arcade in the corner.
Customer Review: Genuine Arcade Action! Takes Me Back.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Namco II: Ms Pac-Man with 5 TV Games is everything it claims to be: it is easy to set up, and the games are authentic. It is the perfect toy for the retro-gamer, especially 30-something gen-xers like myself. It comes with five games: Ms. Pac Man, Pole Position, Xevious, Galaga, and Mappy. I had not heard of Mappy before, but the rest are classics from my childhood. All are fun. To my memory, Ms. Pac Man, Pole Position, Xevious, and Galaga are almost identical to the versions in the arcade.
I am most familiar with Ms. Pac Man. I do not care to estimate the number of quarters I have spent playing it over the years. This Ms. Pac Man is pretty much identical to the one in the arcade right down to the music and poor 80's graphics quality. I have not managed to get to the third act yet, so I cannot be 100% sure everything is authentic, but I can tell you that it is dead on all the way through banana. This must be a straight port of the original because they even duplicated obscure bugs. For example, the collision detection is a bit sloppy. Just like in the arcade version, every now and then it is possible to go through a ghost without dying. There are two minor differences I have noted. First, the scores have moved from the top of the screen to the side in order to make it better fit the 4:3 TV aspect ratio; this does not detract anything from the game. The second is that you cannot play two-player; this is unfortunate, but not fatal. (Ms. Pac Man is a game where you take turns if you play two-player.) Two complaints I have heard are that the speed is off and that the controller is poor. As to the speed, I can tell you that not all arcade versions run at the same speed. I found this version equivalent to some of the faster arcade versions, although I have played faster. As to the controller "not working," I have seen no evidence of that. Ms. Pac Man is a bit difficult to control, but she always was. I do find myself swearing at the controller sometimes, but no more so than I did in the arcade.
One quick comment on Pole Position: Anybody who has played knows the arcade version has a steering wheel and that steering with a joystick never works very well. Namco has come up with a clever solution: you twist the joystick. This actually works surprisingly well.
Despite my overall praise, I do have two complaints about the system. The first is that high scores are not saved when you turn it off. This is really annoying and could so easily be fixed. The second is that I wish it came with an AC adapter or at least had an input plug for a third-party adapter. Sadly, you are stuck with AA's.
Customer Review: I've played the heck out of this, here is my ultimate review
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a retrogames expert and have played this extensively for the last two months. I understand the games need to be modified slightly from their original code, things like the insert coin and whatnot would need to be eliminated, but there's a lot of sloppy shortcuts with these games that make the end result a disappointing effort that could have been fantastic.
Much has been said about the bizarre responsiveness of Ms. Pac-Man, and I agree. It's true that if you think about the joystick snapping back to the center before turning a corner, it makes it a bit easier to use, but the fact is that the Pac-Man game on the first NAMCO joystick did not have this issue, so why they had to release it without tightening that up is just bad quality control. The game has slightly different sound effects and graphics than the original, too.
Pole Position is great fun, but again, shortcuts were made that take away from the original gaming experience. This was a game I could play with perfection at the arcade, and after adopting the rotating joystick for steering (which I really like) I was able to soon master this version. The problems? For starters, skidding does NOT affect your acceleration, and the puddles have absolutely no effect on your car as well. They're just there for decoration. Why they couldn't have made them reduce your speed slightly, is bizarre. The big crime though, is the finale. In the arcade game, once you get to the big race, once you finish your third extended play, there's a finish line with people cheering you. This has an anti-climactic bug-filled finish that's the result of hasty "hurry up we need to get this product to market" programming. Once you finish, and cross the line, EXTENDED PLAY shows up again, but it forcibly stops your car and makes you wait until your remaining time disappears with no fanfare whatsoever. Bleh!
Galaga is fine, and is about the closest to the arcade original of the bunch. Galaga alone is this stick's saving grace.
Mappy is just a game I never liked much, but it's pretty close to the original as well.
Xevious is pretty close to the original, but some graphic shortcuts make it look pretty sloppy as well.
I like the ability to pause the games, which is a feature missing in the original stick.
I called Jakks to report the bad responsiveness of Ms. Pac-Man and they offered no help at all, save returning it for another, but since it's a design flaw, that won't help.