I heart Ms. Pac-Man
So I got me one of those Namco Plug n' Play devices on eBay, and I gotta say, it makes for pretty excellent gamery. It's got five games, Ms. Pac-Man (how I love her) Mappy (if you've played this, ever notice that the music is suspiciously reminiscent of Super Mario Bros 2?), Galaga, Xevious, and Pole Position. I must admit, not a big fan of pole position. Love the sound, and the graphics are lovely, but it just doesn't do it for me (not a fan of aerial views, I guess).
I'm also not so sure of Xevious. Looks like a racing game, but alas, it's not as you would suspect. This "racing" game doesn't use the joystick at all, so you don't really steer, it's more to do with a subtle and precise use of the two buttons, I think. I really couldn't get this one.
But the other three are pure retro gaming heaven. Mappy is just hilarious. I could watch that little guy bounce on trampolines for hours to that jolly tinkling music. I don't think Ms. Pac-Man or Galaga need any introduction. Classics.
The thing that I really like about this little toy is that it's really easy to use and they took no liberties with the games themselves. You just plug the joysick into the old audio and video in, turn it on, and you're set to go. (when I first plugged it in, I forgot to turn it on...I was all, "hey! It doesn't work! I got gyped! I'm giving this eBay user a negative rating and a heated comment about how miffed I am...oh, I forgot to turn it on.") And each game is just as eight bit graphicked and awesomely musicked as it ever was.
The one small drawback is that the joystick is pretty light, and therefore you have to sort of hold it down on the floor with one hand whilst joy sticking with the other (if you engage in pretty heavy joy sticking like I do in a particularly vehement game of the Ms. Pac) But I'm thinking I can root it to a board or something...more on this proposed mod as it develops. Or doesn't.
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