Which arcade games do I have to get rid of

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Here's the poll Pinback wanted. I'm running out of space in the old home arcade. Wizard of Wor is going to Flack, but which other arcade game needs to go to make room?

Marble Madness, Tempest, Crystal Castles and Zoo Keeper are the ones I'll be buried in, so I removed them from the poll.

It should be noted that the 48-in-1 board can play Mr. Do!, Gyruss, and the Pacs, just in a shitty, emulated form.

[AArdvark]

Well, you can't get rid of Polybius. There's no way. Just because of the urban legend connection you have to keep that.

Crystal castles is a cocktail version, so that stays. (Didn't they have one of those on a 747 in one of the Airport movie sequels?)
Spy Hunter is too cool to ditch. The Peter Gunn theme music rocks!


Hmmm, I would say either Q-Bert or Moon Patrol goes cubside.
I'm gonna vote that Q-Bert gets the furniture dolly ride to the big arcade in the sky.


THE
@$*!#
AARDVARK

[pinback]

Are you insane? Q fuckin' * fuckin' bert?

Never gonna happen, friend.

I will give me GUESS as to what the realistic choices are here:

GYRUSS
SPY HUNTER

Actually that's it. There's no way he'd get rid of any of the others. Prove me wrong, Jonsey. Prove me wrong.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Gyruss has a brand-new (well, from 2007) Wells-Gardner 19" monitor. It's fucking beautiful, friends. Fucking beautiful. It also has the high score save mod. I'm willing to say I have one of the nicest Gyrusses in the world because of those two things.

So if Gyruss goes, that monitor has to go into a different game. I'd have to swap it with something.

Spy Hunter would be the best game to get rid of, except the gameplay is soooooo good, and non-arcade versions suck soooo much. But the thing is a maintenance nightmare, and I have no idea how the fuck I'd get it up the stairs if my girlfriend I get a place someday. Spy Hunter has the greatest chasm between "the arcade version of this game" and "emulate/console version of this game."

Spy Hunter also saves scores, thanks to the high score save mod, which isn't really a mod, just removing a resistor and soldering on a NiCad battery.

Spy Hunter does have deep gouges in the sides, as if it were owned by a wolverine.

[AArdvark]

Well, I don't like platformers and Q-Bert is essentially a platformer. plus theres snakes.

Plus plus, I suck at it.


THE
SAYONORA
SPRING THING
AARDVARK

[Flack]

This is what I (me) would get rid of, and why:

01. Ms. Pac-Man. Why? Because the emulation of Ms. Pac-Man is pretty damn good on the 48-in-1 board. The only bad thing about selling a Ms. Pac-Man at this point is, due to the popularity of the 48/60-in-1 boards, Ms. Pac-Men cabinets aren't worth nearly what they were a couple of years ago. I used to watch these cabinets go for $800 regularly; now they bring roughly half that. Another reason I'd dump it? No special controls required. It's not like a driving game or anything that requires a unique controllers.

02. Spy Hunter. Owning a Spy Hunter is like owning a boat; arcade collectors are only happy when they buy one, and when they sell one. Every other day you own one is misery. I'm surprised ICJ doesn't shed real tears every day just knowing that at any moment that think could break. Don't get me wrong -- Spy Hunter is a cool game, and most console and computer ports of Spy Hunter are so terribly awful that it should be illegal to even call them Spy Hunter, but I file it under the same category as Tron and Pole Position. I like playing all three of those games, but I refuse to own any of them as they unbelievably fragile and I don't don't like any of them enough to invest the time and money into keeping them running. Instead, I let my friends buy them, and I play theirs. Hey, on second thought, hang onto this one so I can play it at your house.

03. Mr. Do! This is a selfish rather than a technical reason. I've never "got" this game. It's like Dig Dug on acid. I really don't even understand how to play it or what the rules are. Plus, it's on the 48-in-1 board, so you actually have two copies of a game I don't care for.

04. Gyruss. I actually really like Gyruss, even though I'm not all that good at it anymore. I don't know how the emulation is on the 48-in-1 is so I can't speak to that, but as long as you have an 8-way stick in your machine, at least the controls shouldn't be too bad.

Things I would keep: Q*Bert (unique controls), Asteroids (vector monitor), Robotron (not personally a fan, but unique controls), Moon Patrol (I love that game).

[AArdvark]

See, I was judging solely on gameplay, Flack was judging (mostly) on value and rarity. Pinback was judging on ...well, whatever it was he was judging on. Something to do with Q-bert NOT sucking. So there you have it. All around points of view, Who's it gonna be..... Whoooooooos it gonna be?




THE
CHOPPING BLOCK
AARDVARK

[Flack]

I got rid of my Q*Bert for two reasons.

The first was, the easy levels are easy. That means to get anywhere near my high score, I would have to play the easy levels for like 10 minutes or something. It just got boring.

The second reason was, I wanted to get rid of a shitty dead game, so I sold them together as a set.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

01. Ms. Pac-Man. Why? Because the emulation of Ms. Pac-Man is pretty damn good on the 48-in-1 board. The only bad thing about selling a Ms. Pac-Man at this point is, due to the popularity of the 48/60-in-1 boards, Ms. Pac-Men cabinets aren't worth nearly what they were a couple of years ago. I used to watch these cabinets go for $800 regularly; now they bring roughly half that. Another reason I'd dump it? No special controls required. It's not like a driving game or anything that requires a unique controllers.

Your logic is flawless and spot-on.

I do like that this thread has evolved in nature to a more general one that attempts to answer the question: What is an arcade game worth? And yeah, of all the games on that 48-in-1, Ms. Pac-Man is done very well. There wouldn't be much of a drop-off.

The Ms. Pac game I have includes a kit that lets it play Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pengo, Space Invaders, Pac-Man Plus and then a bunch of weird Pac mazes that I don't do much with. So I'd be losing all those. But yeah, the lack of special controls is a point against it.

02. Spy Hunter. Owning a Spy Hunter is like owning a boat; arcade collectors are only happy when they buy one, and when they sell one. Every other day you own one is misery. I'm surprised ICJ doesn't shed real tears every day just knowing that at any moment that think could break. Don't get me wrong -- Spy Hunter is a cool game, and most console and computer ports of Spy Hunter are so terribly awful that it should be illegal to even call them Spy Hunter, but I file it under the same category as Tron and Pole Position. I like playing all three of those games, but I refuse to own any of them as they unbelievably fragile and I don't don't like any of them enough to invest the time and money into keeping them running. Instead, I let my friends buy them, and I play theirs. Hey, on second thought, hang onto this one so I can play it at your house.

These are the truest words ever written about Spy Hunter.

The current problem with mine is that I get an awfully loud static sound from it when I turn it on. If the marquee light is out it seems to go away (I think, I'd have to be sure). So when I do turn it on, there's this damnable CRACKLE SPATTER CRACKLE stuff that sounds like you opened a gate from hell. I really have to fix that.

03. Mr. Do! This is a selfish rather than a technical reason. I've never "got" this game. It's like Dig Dug on acid. I really don't even understand how to play it or what the rules are. Plus, it's on the 48-in-1 board, so you actually have two copies of a game I don't care for.

This one has a high score mod, so it saves the top 10 scores. I should also note that when I brought it down the stairs initially, I broke the thing. The bottom fell out and wires were stretched and slashed. I spent 11 hours trying to fix it on a Saturday, and then 6 on the following Sunday before I finally bypassed the interlock switch on the door. I think I learned more about arcade games that weekend than any other previous. Anyway, I need to gorilla-glue the bottom of the cab together. It's sturdy and everything (psh) but currently, in its current configuration, it, ah, can't go up. :/

04. Gyruss. I actually really like Gyruss, even though I'm not all that good at it anymore. I don't know how the emulation is on the 48-in-1 is so I can't speak to that, but as long as you have an 8-way stick in your machine, at least the controls shouldn't be too bad.

Gyruss plays well, but the sound is awful! Very staticky. Half the reason to have it is for that sweet stereo sound, and they cock it up on the 48-in-1.

Christ, if it wasn't for Donkey Kong, Galaga, Qix, BurgerTime, Frogger, Mappy, Juno First and Time Pilot, I'd give that the heave-ho.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I got rid of my Q*Bert for two reasons.

The first was, the easy levels are easy. That means to get anywhere near my high score, I would have to play the easy levels for like 10 minutes or something. It just got boring.

The second reason was, I wanted to get rid of a shitty dead game, so I sold them together as a set.

When I was at the Classic Gaming Expo in 2003, I was playing the Q*bert there. A nerd slunk up behind me and said, "You should play Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*bert. It's a lot more fun." He then disappeared, never to be heard or seen again.

Years later, I got the Q*bert kit that has a few different version of Q*bert, and fuck if FHMC Q*bert isn't, in fact, a lot more fun. It does solve the problem of the first few easy boards in normal Q*bert.

I enjoy kits.

[pinback]

Who the fuck voted for Asteroids.

I want a name.

[Tdarcos]

Before you get rid of any of these video games, please do some video of them and post it on YouTube so people can see it.

Also, don't throw any of it away. Weigh it so you know what it will cost to ship, then put it up on eBay for a bid of 1c plus whatever the shipping cost is. All it will cost you to list it is about 50c, and you might actually make some money off it.

There are collectors who want these sort of things - some of them, like you, are restoring old machines - and may want the surplus items for parts. Also you get professional restorers who need these parts for customer boxes.

You can also find unusual collectors. The Library of Congress has a division that goes around buying old VCRs and other tape recording and video equipment, because they use it to service equipment used to view and store their collections, so they need every kind of video device ever made, because they've basically gotten every kind of video format ever made. (I know it's not video equipment, I'm just explaining one example of a reason why some organization would be looking for things you wouldn't expect.)

Just like NASA, it's lost huge amounts of data over the years because a lot of old 12" mag tapes were recorded of space data from satellites and other monitoring equipment that can never be recovered because the tapes weren't converted before the machines - and the software that ran on them, too - that coded the tapes were taken out of service and scrapped, leaving them with unreadable data.

Remember old .ARC files? I keep the software around for the rare times I find one. Same thing for old .LBR files, .ZOO archives (those were really popular on VAX/VMS), and the old .?Z? and .?Q? compressed files, I don't even know if I can read those. (Not to be confused with .7Z, those are readable.)

[Rock Biter]

As a rock and a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Asteroids) I voted for it. Rocks have feelings too. Or at least we did, until the nothing came.

[youtube][/youtube]

THEY LOOK LIKE BIG, GOOD, STRONG HANDS, DON'T THEY.

[AArdvark]

Weigh the video games?

[Tdarcos]

As a rock and a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Asteroids)

Don't be ridiculous, we know what PETA stands for: People Eating Tasty Animals.

[Tdarcos]

Weigh the video games?

If it can be broken down into pieces weighing less than 70 pounds, you can mail them parcel post. If you can get a piece into a 1 cubic foot by 5 1/2" container as long as it's below 70 pounds it's $14.75 or less, otherwise you truck ship the item and you quote that as part of the shipping cost. Some shippers might only charge by the amount of space the crate takes rather than the weight.

[Flack]

Weigh the video games?

Pretty simple, really. First, weigh yourself on your bathroom scale. Then, strap a 300 lb arcade cabinet to your back, and weigh yourself again. Subtract the difference, and you'll know how much the game weighs.

[AArdvark]

I was always under the impression that video game transport involved furniture dollies, pickup trucks and rainstorms. Has there ever been a video game shipped by mail?



THE
WEIGH THE VIDEO GAMES?
AARDVARK

[Roody_Yogurt]

I would get rid of the Ms. Pac-Man just because I remember enjoying the Turbo version more (maybe that sentiment will make the purists scoff).

[Flack]

There are essentially four ways to transport video games.

01. North American Van Lines (NAVL). For roughly $400, NAVL will pick up your machine in their van and deliver it pretty much anywhere in the US. I believe the second machine is free to ship. NAVL is door-to-door service. Their specialty isn't speed, but rather ease of use.

02. Normal shipping services. This is cheaper than NAVL, but requires the shipper to get the game on a pallet and wrapped up and ready to ship. Also, this is usually from "dock-to-dock", which means the seller has to have a way to get it to the shippers, and the buyer will have to pick it up from a dock in their city. It's cheaper, but more involved.

03. Pickup/van. Have wheels, will travel. There's a reason I limit my eBay searches to about 300 miles.

04. Apparently TDarcos is developing a system in which machines are dismantled and you put stamps on each part and send them across country along with a piece of paper that says "good luck reassembling this!"