MAME appreciation page
back to main page SETTING: the fall of 1981. The video game craze
has hit its stride, and teenagers everywhere are being mysteriously drawn
to coin-operated electronic games like Pac-Man, Defender, Asteroids and
Space Invaders. ENTER: a 13-year-old boy. To date, this
youth has yet to feel the powerful allure of computerized games, despite
some brief encounters with this addictive electronic phenomenon.
However, on this November night, he has gone with his family to a "Mr.
Steak" restaurant in Waterbury, CT, which is near of those new "video arcades."
The boy asks his parents if they may stop into the arcade. He is
curious to see what the fuss is all about. Plus, he has heard of
a new game called "Donkey Kong," which sounds intriguing. He walks
into the arcade with a few quarters, and begins to stroll around, looking
at the games. Then, toward the back of the arcade, he sees what he
is looking for. A six-foot high light blue cabinet with colorful
drawings of a gorilla, a little man with a mustache, and a damsel in distress
on the side panels. He moves closer, and is instantly taken with
the colorful screen and the musical notes and springy sounds emanating
from the little speakers. When the person playing it is done, the
boy hurriedly thrusts a quarter into the machine and begins experimenting
with the controls. He loses his three "lives" quickly. But
another quarter follows, and another, and another. Before he leaves
the arcade that night, he has almost managed to get by the first screen!
And thus another addict was born...
SETTING: the winter of 1997. It has been years since games like Donkey Kong and its sequels have been found in arcades and pizza joints. Newer, flashier games have taken their place, and the "vidiots" of the 1980's have largely abandoned their old hobby, even if some of the new games are worth a look (particularly games for home systems). However, it is not the interest that is dead: it is the opportunity to play the games they loved. Enter the home computer. The recent improvements in PC technology have enabled talented computer programmers to write "emulators" that allow a computer to mimic the operation of old arcade game machines. Many excellent emulation programs surface throughout late 1996 and early 1997, as owners of the old arcade machines begin to realize that the best way to preserve these already disappearing classics is to turn them into software. One emulation effort in particular catches the eye of these twentysomething and thirtysomething gamers from the 1980's: the Multi-Arcade Machine Emulator, or MAME. MAME is a single program that is essentially a compilation of individual emulation routines that have been created and modified by many different programmers. Coordinated by one person into a cohesive whole, MAME not only preserves Popeye, Pengo, Frogger and Lady Bug--it also allows computer users to relive the experience of playing these treasured old games that companies like Atari, Nintendo and Sega have long abandoned in favor of newer projects. As a great fan of MAME, and related programs like Retrocade, JAS, KEM and the Multi-Gauntlet Emulator, we have been given the opportunity to rediscover many of our old favorites, and even find some new ones. In fact, I have decided to list Planet Buster's 50 favorite MAME-emulated arcade games on this page.
| 1. In my opinion, this is still the best game ever. The gameplay is highly entertaining, the graphics and sound are top-notch, and the game never stops being challenging, no matter how good you get. The folks at Nintendo have never bothered to release a perfect version of this game (i.e. one with all four screens) for the PC or any of the Nintendo systems, despite their continued use of the "Donkey Kong" label for newer games like "Donkey Kong Country." I have no idea why they have forsaken the original DK. Click on the Donkey Kong logo for strategy tips! |
2. A fantastic, nonstop action shoot-em-up that was released by Williams as a sequel to Stargate and Defender. To me, this game surpasses those two in pure playing enjoyment, and never ceases to be a great vehicle for blowing off steam in a mindlessly violent fashion. And it stays tough even after many, many quarters. The only trick is finding a controller that can somehow simulate the two-joystick arcade control mechanism. Click on the Robotron logo for strategy tips!
| 3. A Donkey Kong derivative that managed to be original, colorful, funny, difficult, and addictive all at the same time. I've never been a particular fan of the old Popeye cartoons...but trying to save Olive Oyl from Bluto (or Brutus) and the Sea Hag becomes a worthwhile goal in this one. If only Wimpy would give me a bite of his hamburger! |
4. This Sega gem grabbed me in '82 when I discovered it next to the Donkey Kong machine at a local pizza parlor. It's a difficult and frustrating game at times...the sno-bees are relentless pursuers of your poor, cute little penguin. You definitely need to use some strategy in this one. But the music is so much fun to listen to, the inevitable frustration is worth it!
5. A simple old classic with great music, graphics, and a wee frog as a hero. Floating down the river on a log while avoiding snakes, otters and crocodiles was never so much fun. Just be careful crossing the street!
| 6. Your brave explorer tries to reach the mighty Roc while dinosaurs, cavemen, boulders, and the difficult terrain impede your quest. Looks great, sounds great, plays great. Try it and you'll see what I mean. Click on the Roc N' Rope logo for strategy tips! |
7. Another shoot-em-up. Here, you're flying through the clouds (and the asteroids, on level five) blowing up everything in sight in your efforts to destroy the mother ship. However, the best way to rack up a good score may be to pick up the parachutists for bonus points. The beauty of this game, somewhat like Robotron, is the free-flowing feeling you get in controlling your ship while trying to shoot the bad guys to kingdom come. The folks at Konami did their best work on this one. It's the gameplay, fellas!
| 8. This Williams gem may feature an ostrich, but it doesn't have its head in the sand. Those shadow lords aren't fooling around...and pterodactyls are not your friends. Prepare to joust, buzzard bait! (Warning: there is a bug in the MAME version that causes it to crash on the second "pterodactyl" wave. But there is a commercial Joust emulation available on CD, along with other Williams games like Robotron.) |
| 9. The first sequel to Donkey Kong turned out to be a pretty good game in and of itself! This time, Mario has captured his nemesis Donkey Kong. You'd think that would be a good thing...except, you're Donkey Kong Junior! You have to rescue your daddy from his whip-cracking captor. I think this game is more difficult than the original Donkey Kong, although neither can be mastered in my opinion. |
10. Not sure this game makes too many top ten lists...but we've always loved it here at Planet Buster. Even though we're not taken in by graphics alone, the look of this game was absolutely great for its time period. Most importantly: it's fun to play, and is accessible without being too easy. Hope you like rhinos, monkeys and coconuts.
11. Goofy, buzzy kinda sounds...sorta primitive graphics...music's kinda cool...and then you start playing it, and you're hooked. Lots of cute little animals to jump over...watch out for the moose, they move fast! Taito's best. Again: action and gameplay are more important than three-dimensional graphics. Really.
| 12. I never got much of an opportunity to play this one while it was in the arcades (I only saw it once), but I've found it to be extremely addictive. It's somewhat hard to get the hang of at first...I'm glad I kept coming back. You're back in high school, trying to collect the love notes that your girlfriend has left for you. The ultimate goal is to ditch school. Of course, the faculty (and some of your fellow students) have other ideas. Click on the Mikie logo for strategy tips! |
13. Make Trax
14. Crystal Castles
15. Gyruss
16. Track & Field
17. Bagman
18. Food Fight
19. Tutankham
20. Mr. Do!
21. Sinistar
22. Super Bagman
23. Peter Pack Rat
24. Asteroids
25. Qix
26. Bank Panic
27. Mario Bros.
28. Dig-Dug
29. Tapper
30. Son Son
31. Punch-Out
32. Galaga
33. Toobin'
34. Road Runner
35. Bomb Jack
36. Swimmer
37. Gauntlet 2
38. Berzerk
39. BurgerTime
40. Jungle King
41. Mr. Do's
Wild Ride 42. Kangaroo
43. Marble Madness
44. Ghosts & Goblins
45. Q*bert
46. Ms. Pac-Man
47. Bubbles
48. Pooyan
49. Moon Patrol
50. Super Pac-Man
Honorable Mention: Stargate,
Kick-Man, Blaster, Timber, Mr. Do Run Run, Star Wars, Arabian, Journey,
Amidar, Lady Bug, Mr. Do's Castle, Reactor, Mappy, Black Widow, Monster
Bash, Bosconian, Rampage, Tetris, Warlords, Blue Print
Okay, so our "Honorable Mention" list could go on forever. But you have to draw the line somewhere. I'm still waiting for playable versions of Alpine Ski and FrontLine, which might make the list in the future, along with a couple of other games like Looping and Paperboy (good luck). A few other games still need sound or bug fixes (Venture, Mousetrap, Championship Baseball). By and large, though, emulation has really covered most of the bases over the last year and a half. The point of this list is that we LOVE these old arcade classics, and are hard-pressed to cut our list of favorites to only 50 (plus 20 runners-up)! So keep up the great emulation work, folks!
Visit
for your emulation needs!!! Or visit the
official homepage!!!
Also try
for a thorough "Newbie Wizard". Or get the latest MAME
news!
Freeplay is a new site on the emulation scene, so check it out.
Retrocade will really rock the emulation scene in the very near future!
Sniper's Arcade and Crash's Mame Tips Page are great places for high score posts and gameplay tips.
Nintendo has been sending nasty letters to certain webmasters about having their copyrighted ROM images available on websites, as well as the emulators themselves. Well, guys, since I don't see you releasing a Nintendo Arcade Classics disc for us Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. and Popeye fans, why don't you just butt out and let us have our fun. It's not like these emus are costing you money, and we've certainly spent enough $$ on your products over the years.
updated 4/30/98