Posted on 08/14/2004 12:47:49 PM PDT by qam1
The video game industry is on alert. A challenger is gobbling up players -- and her name is "Ms. Pac-Man."
Yes, the classic games of the 1980s are making a comeback, from the beribboned pink Ms. to those "Super Mario Bros." and the one-and-only "Donkey Kong." Vintage and reissued video games are the hottest trend in the usually forward-thinking $7 billion-per-year gaming industry. Gamers are expected to spend an estimated $250 million to $300 million on retro games this year.
"They're huge," says Lee Eisenberg, owner of game hub Fun City in Parma, Ohio, and a retro gamer himself. "Our older stuff is outselling our new stuff. I've never seen anything like this."
Eisenberg carries both vintage and reissued games and systems, but says the old ones outsell the new products. He has a hard time keeping those big, clunky two-decade-old Nintendo, Atari and Intellivision systems ($40) and games ($3 to $10) in stock. Fortunately, he has a warehouse supply of no-longer-manufactured consoles and cartridges acquired from trade-ins, garage sales, Web sites and other sources.
The flashback started with nostalgic thirtysomethings, says Eisenberg, 39. But "younger kids are really getting into them now, and not just with their parents."
He says the appeal is simple.
"The newer games are really really violent and expensive. A lot of people want to go back to their childhood. They want younger, simpler games."
The nostalgia factor was one reason behind game giant Nintendo's June relaunch of eight '80s classics, including "Super Mario Bros." and "Donkey Kong," all for Game Boy Advance.
"Many of us grew up playing Nintendo and have a fondness for some of the great games from our original console, the Nintendo Entertainment System," says Beth Llewelyn, public relations director for Nintendo of America.
"With the 15th anniversary of Game Boy this year ... we thought it would be fun to go back to our '80s roots and release some of the classic NES games."
Sales have been very strong, she says, already hitting the 500,000 mark. The company is also selling a Classic NES Limited Edition Game Boy Advance SP ($100) that re-creates the look of the original NES.
Nintendo's not the only company thinking retro. Toy maker Jakks Pacific recently launched a series of plug-and-play hand-held systems called TV Games, featuring classics such as "Ms. Pac-Man," "Galaga," "Pong," "Centipede" and "Asteroids" from Atari, Namco, Capcom and Activision. The $20 battery-powered system looks like a joystick and plugs into your television.
Radica Games Ltd. will release its own classic system this fall. The $30 console, dubbed Arcade Games, also plugs into your TV and features reissued Sega-Genesis games such as "Sonic the Hedgehog."
And the revival isn't limited to the home-tech world. "Pac-Man" bleeps and blurps are sampled in new songs by hip-hoppers Lil' Flip and Beanie Sigel, and game sounds and images have been used in ads for Hummer and Saturn autos. T-shirts with "Space Invaders," "Pac-Man," Atari joysticks and classic logos are a trendy urban retro-kitsch look.
Namco has even launched a "Class of '81" series of arcade machines.
Many fans aren't content with reissues, however. Vintage Intellivision, Sega-Genesis, Nintendo and Atari games and consoles are hot commodities at the eBay online auction site. A recent search on Intellivision turned up 492 games and systems. A "classic Atari" search yielded 219.
There's even an annual get-together for retro game fans. The seventh Classic Gaming Expo is set for Aug. 21 and 22 at the San Jose Convention Center in California. Last year's expo in Las Vegas attracted 1,500 people and caused organizers to move to a bigger venue, where they expect even more attendees this year, says expo spokesman Jayson Hill.
"There's a huge nostalgia factor to classic-game appeal," Hill explains. But he says the interest has grown beyond sentimental Generation X-ers. He was "shocked" by the number of kids and teens at last year's event.
But are these kids shocked by the primitive graphics and sounds of 8-bit classics, compared with today's 256-bit games?
Hill doesn't think so.
"Sometimes people don't want everything served to them," he says. "If you give a person everything, they get nothing from their imagination. It's not as much fun as if you have to fill in the blanks."
Don't know if anyone has mentioned "Red Baron". It was SO cool! Whne you where shot down a line of bullet holes worked their way down the small front wind screen on your Slopwith Camel! All vector graphics. Soooo much fun! Mid 80's sometime. Just before the"Death of the Arcade".
I actually have more fun tinkering with the old things than I do playing them. While both my cabinets are in bad shape (both were rescues), I pride myself on the playing fields - both are very smooth and fast. Both games are set on hi-tap, with all new bumper and flipper coils.
There is nothing like coming home from work and grabbing a cold one and banging out your frustrations on a great game.
Here's a pic of my Super Score game:
what's that big round thing in the middle, between the flippers ?
Here's a better look at the game (not mine): Super Score
Wow, don't know what I was typing. It's Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread. . . .
I have just an 8/10 backglass for an Apollo, to keep the faith. If nothing else, I'll frame and hang it. That old EM was the first pinball I ever played. And played, and played - spent all my bowling-scorekeeper tip dimes on that machine as a kid.
My four pins were all acquired in excellent condition (and the RFM was NIB), so my goal is to keep them that way. The CV is a German reimport, still set up for Deutschmarks, which fortunately made the trip back with no damage.
I also like working on them, but not more than playing 'em. Have all the Shaggy videos and have spent my share with Steve Young. It's good there are so many people willing to make a living (?) supporting an antique hobby.
My Ms. Pac-Man sound is dead, as is the Tempest video (a very common problem with those), so I have projects in the queue.
What's a decent Ms. cocktail go for? $1500? Most are with new (or converted) cabinets and monitors, aren't they?
Both of my game's playfields and backglasses are originals. I'm getting ready to start the process of trying to make some new plastics for Surfer. I'm going to try to print onto a special "decal" ink jet paper I bought, attach the decals to some plastic, and roto around the cutouts. I have NO idea how it will turn out.
If I ever delve into the Solid State pins, it will be for an Eight Ball Deluxe. Even though I'm partial to EM's, I think it is the best pin ever.
Regarding Atari carts, yes, they have not appreciated that much. But in about 40 years there will be far fewer working ones around. But I won't be around either. Told my daughter to save them.
Great idea! We still have a super nintendo that my 8 year old loves to play. Mario, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 - it's great :)
Personally, I thought that Ms. Pacman had more variety of screen layouts and more interesting layouts. Just played last week at the skating rink - they have a video game with pacman, ms. pacman, galaga, galaxian, donkey kong and frogger on it!
That's true, now that I think about it (it's been a while!). Seems like the little "skits" between levels may have been more interesting, too.
...they have a video game with pacman, ms. pacman, galaga, galaxian, donkey kong and frogger on it!
Oh man, all the classics.
My Ms. PM was all-new, like the one in that photo (that's not mine) and I think I paid about $2,200 for it about 4 years ago. Used ones are probably in the $1,500 range but I don't follow those prices. I don't think you can buy the multigame versions new anymore; there was some kind of lawsuit I think, but if you can burn PROMS that can probably be fixed.
Mine's sounds is dead; I'm thinking it's a 25-cent part but a $100 technician bill to find it. I have the parts to upgrade and fix my Tempest's video board, but haven't had the time to tear into it.
I really love Tempest; it's the only arcade videogame that really hooked me in the 70s/80s genre.
Mmmmmmmm . . . makes me think of Pizza Hut!
Doesn't anyone remember Xenon? IMO, that was the best "flyer" arcade game of all time.
My Super Nintendo is still holding up, but pretty much every old original NES I've seen hasn't aged very well. Something with the mechanism that holds the cartridge fails over time, and you can't get the system to work anymore.
Also, now that they're using disc technology, it's more likely that the next few generations of consoles could be backwards compatible with old games, meaning that putting the classics on a disc now would mean that you could play them on the newest system out until disc technology itself is replaced or substantially altered.
Medieval: Total War is interesting.
It's part turn-based part real-time. You play out the strategic parts on a world map with not time restrictions, then switch to another map to fight the battles in real time (although you can pause).
I haven't heard of those, but I remember playing Pacman and Mario's whatever! Loved playing the arcade pinball machines.,..
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