Arcade Games That Simply Can't Be Emulated?

[Metropolisforever]

It seems like some games are only good in the arcades. Play Galaga without a joystick and the magic is gone. Play Pac-Man with a controller and it seems much harder than it should be.

I recently got to play the real arcade version of Centipede (I had previously only played ports and emulations), and, I must say, I don't think I've ever had so much fun playing a video game! I actually broke a sweat whirling that trackball!

I've heard that Atari Football is fun because it revolves around whirling the trackball as fast as you can until you become physically exhausted. Some games just lose their magic when emulated/ported. Which ones come to mind for you?

[vgc]

Mad Planets
TRON


Mike : )

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I think you should change the title to "arcade control hardware that can't be properly emulated" if that's the direction that you want the thread to go ...

Star Wars arcade without the flight yoke is a mixed bag ... almost impossible with a joystick or d-pad, almost too easy with a mouse.

Speaking of yokes ... Paperboy is very "playable" with a d-pad or analog ... but there's nothing like the feel of the actual arcade handlebars.

720° - playing it in emulated form with a self-centering analog stick is just barely passable, but this is another that really benefits from the actual hardware.

Rampart - The speed/accuracy required to re-build a damaged castle wall without a trackball is a challenge. Some home versions have decent movements speed with a d-pad to compensate, but nothing compares to the real thing.

Crystal Castles - not bad on most home systems, but another that was built for a trackball.

Tron - Joystick & Spinner are a pretty uniquie arcade setup ... and the XBLA release proved that it's not easy to simulate even if you have a controller with two analogs, one d-pad and 8 buttons.

Christ, I could probably go on all night ... I'll save some for other people.

[NE146]

Well the simplest one I always bring up to prove that point is Space Invaders.. i.e. games with a specific hardware-based presentation whether it's a bezel or simply a display prop or background that made the original, look ORIGINAL. The bright shots in Asteorids is another example.

In the case of Space Invaders of course it had the reflected mirror giving the holographic image. It also had the flourescent-lit cardboard background, and the deep resonating bass and natural reverb of the cabinet. You just simply can't emulate that.

Consider Mame:

vs the real deal

[youngamer]

Those middle to late 80's Cinematronics games. Those sports games are impossible without that little joystick that "flings" to pitch or throw the ball!! So hard to use a mouse for emulation in those games!

[Berserker]

It seems like some games are only good in the arcades. Play Galaga without a joystick and the magic is gone. Play Pac-Man with a controller and it seems much harder than it should be.

I recently got to play the real arcade version of Centipede (I had previously only played ports and emulations), and, I must say, I don't think I've ever had so much fun playing a video game! I actually broke a sweat whirling that trackball!

I've heard that Atari Football is fun because it revolves around whirling the trackball as fast as you can until you become physically exhausted. Some games just lose their magic when emulated/ported. Which ones come to mind for you?

If you've just recently discovered/gotten into things like MAME, you may not be aware that you can actually buy controllers for use in emulation that are generally comparable in quality to what you'd find in an arcade.

The games you've given as examples (and many, many others) could be covered easily by something like the X-Arcade Tankstick, but there are a few other options as well. Generally they're expensive, but the build quality is solid.

[p_b]

Indy 800

[Sniderman]

Boong-Ga Boong-Ga

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=12696

[Ed Oscuro]

Boong-Ga Boong-Ga

Because I needed to see that twice today. Suddenly that butt-wiggling emote looks appropriate!

Way out-there arcade games with custom controllers that probably were a pain in the behind (aw dang that's a pun isn't it) to keep in service aside, I find that just setting the mouse to emulate the eight types of controller in MAME works pretty well. Works as a decent spinner, works as a great trackball (much better in some cases - sometimes too well, as in Crystal Castles), or as a pedal, and so on. Just so long as it's not an auto-centering device it's good (I still need to figure out if I can get my new-ish USB steering wheel working sometime).

One game I find doesn't work well with most of my controllers (my keyboard is ironically probably the best choice) is Namco's Assault, brilliant game. 360 pad fails pretty miserably at that one.

More generally, I find that using button pads for stand-up shooter games just doesn't work right - actually I doubt anything will be quite the same as standing in front of a real cabinet, where you can tap the buttons quickly without moving your stick too.

[jb143]

Play Pac-Man with a controller and it seems much harder than it should be.

Oookay...

My thought exactly. I've found it to be so much easier with a keyboard...to the point that I can speed up the game and still do really well.


I thought this thread was going to about the games that can't or haven't been emulated. All the ones listed so far are control issues, and as most people have pointed out, there are plenty of options.

As for games that actually can't be(or have not yet been emulated)...I thouht I remember there being a list or FAQ on Mame's website but I can't find it. I know some early games didn't use CPU's and had hard wired logic made with transistors and such. In those cases there isn't even a ROM to speak of.

[fergojisan]

I was gonna say Tempest, but that's a control issue.

[Cryomancer]

Sadly, I have yet to find a very good usb pachinko controller. A spinner would work but the 360 "arcade gamestick" controller's sort-of-spinner doesn't work properly in windows at all so it's very hit or miss to use for pachinko. A real spinner might to better.

[Sonicwolf]

The original Afterburner with the big seat movement thingy.

[Mister_Pal]

I would assume that Zwackery would be slightly difficult to play in mame what with all the spinny controller thingies.

[BetaWolf47]

Surprised nobody has said Marble Madness... then again, that might be fine with the Tankstick.

[Ed Oscuro]

Sadly, I have yet to find a very good usb pachinko controller. A spinner would work but the 360 "arcade gamestick" controller's sort-of-spinner doesn't work properly in windows at all so it's very hit or miss to use for pachinko. A real spinner might to better.

No offense, but pachinko really shouldn't be regarded as a video game (not even the new ones that try to pretend they are). They're like the anti-video game.

[weirdguy]

Defender without the 2 joysticks. Same for Smash TV and Total Carnage.

[fergojisan]

Defender without the 2 joysticks. Same for Smash TV and Total Carnage.

Do you mean Robotron? I thought Defender had a scary amount of buttons (for the time period).

[InsaneDavid]

I know a few driving games can't be configured properly to play with stock MAME32. For example, the shifters on Pole Position I and II only use one switch, and MAME defaults to start in high gear for some reason.

I came upon that problem when I converted my Pole Position cabinet to MAME. Turns out a gentleman who had done the same recompiled the driver to support proper arcade shift behavior (low gear unless shift switch is closed). Granted the build he did it for was MAME v0.56 but he was kind enough to send it to me and that's what I ended up using in my cabinet.

As for a game that can't be emulated properly - the unique pinball and arcade hybrid (okay, it's mostly pinball based) fun of Zeke's Peak.



One day I hope to finally own one.

[scooterb23]

InsaneDavid - Thanks for bringing back some extremely fuzzy memories. I have definite memories of playing the heck out of Zeke's Peak. But I have no idea when or where...

[IronBuddha]

Speaking of pinball arcade hybrids there's Baby Pacman and Caveman that can't be emulated.

[Cryomancer]

No offense, but pachinko really shouldn't be regarded as a video game (not even the new ones that try to pretend they are). They're like the anti-video game.

I was referring more to stuff like Pachinko Sexy Reaction (porn, but a good example). They *can* make fun videogames. Real pachinko and pachinko games are like real baseball and baseball games...well maybe it's a little narrower of a divide than that, but still, they are two different things.

[scooterb23]

Speaking of pinball arcade hybrids there's Baby Pacman and Caveman that can't be emulated.

Actually, through Visual Pinball or PinMAME (whichever it is) Baby Pac-Man is quite emulatable (new word made!). DP's own davidbrit actually designed the table for the emulator. It's been years since I played it, but I remember it being very good.

[jb143]

When I see the title to this thread, I still think of games like breakout and Monaco GP which can't be emulated since they use TTL logic instead roms and a CPU.

Anyways, here's a couple of lists I found...

Unmamed - Non-CPU games
Discrete Logic Hardware Games

These could all be simulated to some degree of accuracy but that's different from emulation and not what MAME does.

[XYXZYZ]

Don't forget stuff like Hang-On and STUN runner.

My MAME machines only have joysticks, so any game that uses a trackball or spinner I stay away from; if I can't play a game with the analog controls it was designed to use there's not much hope for a good score.