Customer Reviews

Microsoft Return of Arcade

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm somewhat taken aback by the negative reviews that this product has received. I've only played one of the games so far, "Pac-Man," and was delighted! This is no "half-baked" simulation of the original. It mimics the original perfectly, right down to the "safe" spot for Pac-Man in the lower right quadrant. Graphics and sound are first-rate, identical to the arcade version in every way. Difficulty, speed, # of lives, etc. can all be customized from the main menu.

Another reviewer complained that the keyboard had to be used. My copy permits you to configure a joystick, which is the only way to play a game like this.

If your main concern is state-of-the-art graphics and surround sound, forget this title. If you have a soft spot for arcade classics, and wish to play superbly replicated versions, purchase "Return to the Arcade" without hesitation!

OK, I've seen the reviews by people who DON'T like this package..I understand their complaints...BUT..its fun..I enjoyed playing the games, so did my kids. They are easy to play and understand, easy to learn, and play JUST like the originals. You can play them with Joysticks, or with your keyboard, and, ask my 8 year-old, you can play them for hours, they are as fun as they were years ago.

I received my game yesterday, and I rushed home to try it out. I was amazed to find myself still playing at 3:00am. I was not disappointed. This game brought me back in time to when I fed quarters in the machine hour after hour. The graphics and sounds are exact, and Pinky, Blinky, Inky and Clyde are awesome. I did find that purchasing a joystick enhanced my playing fun. The only thing missing is the warning label that this game is still highly addictive.

While this isn't the version of Galaxian I remember (no ship capture, no green aliens, etc), I sure enjoy taking a few moments out of a busy day and playing an old favorite. I also love to revisit my Pac-man days! Only thing that was surprising to me was that software came on 3.5 diskettes... I was expecting CD-ROM instead of magnetic media.

I grew up playing these games in game rooms and arcades all across the country. I say all across the country because in 1979 while on a family vacation we stayed at a Holidome (a Holiday Inn with an indoor pool, exercise equipment, and a game room) in I believe Utah. It had a game room with the typical things you'd find in a game room in the late '70s - pinball machines, etc. But next to the pinball machines was this strange looking upright game called Space Invaders. My siblings and I were fascinated with this game that had computer graphics featuring aliens invading from the sky to try to destroy your "guy," who at the same time was trying to destroy the aliens while hiding behind shields. We had never seen a game like this before. The game had just come out. I think it was the very first arcade game ever. Or maybe Gunfight was. I don't know. From that moment on, I became hooked on video games for the next several years. I used to pump quarters into games like crazy. My all-time favorite game was Stargate (Defender II). Anywhere there was an arcade, I was there. So when I saw Microsoft Return Of Arcade in a store, I immediately purchased it.

The memories it brings back. This collection contains four classic arcade games - Pac-Man, Galaxian, Dig Dug and Pole Position. The graphics and sounds of these games are the exact graphics and sounds of the actual arcade games from the late '70s and early '80s. In other words, these are the actual arcade games that I used to feed quarters to. The only difference is these games weigh a few grams rather than a few hundred pounds (now that's a huge difference).

Everybody knows the classic Pac-Man game. Again, it's the exact arcade game. A yellow eating machine that devours dots and tries to devour ghosts who at the same time are trying to get your yellow eating machine. I remember when Galaxian came out. I used to love that game. It was Space Invaders only with flying aliens. This game was pretty much forgotten after the more popular Galaga came out, but I'm glad they included it in this collection. Pole Position is the classic auto racing game with the classic line spoken by a female voice, "Prepare to qualify." Dig Dug is the classic game where you're a construction worker digging underground while trying to avoid monsters all the while you're trying to "pump" them to destroy them. It's pretty much Pac-Man underground.

If you grew up playing the very first arcade video games, you should purchase this collection. The games come on floppy 3.5 inch disks. They are easy to install on your computer. Sometimes the games from long ago are more fun than the games of today that have realistic graphics. If you put more of an importance on fun rather than graphics, then get this collection. Highly recommended.

I was a little disappointed with Return Of Arcade. Although it did feature some great Atari hits, it wasn't all that great. Graphics were very poor, although I guess I should have realized that. Sound- Awful. Yuck. I just wondered why they would charge so much for this game! It did feature some great options, though... I stilll would not reccomend it.

The main reasom to buy this bundle of old Atari arcade classics is PacMan. The gameplay is actually fantastic, true to the original. The online freebies, including that wonderful anniversary send-up by Google a while back, are nowhere near this version for playability & fidelity to the original. At this point, however, the graphics are woefully dated to the point of being painful to look at. Maybe someone will determine there's enough interest to develop an update, and if there is one, somebody let me know. The latest RPGs MP OL Sims and FPSs are great, but sometimes I'm not trying to save the world from mutants, jihadists or aliens, I just wanna eat those ghosts!

The product description says that this game is not WINDOWS XP compatible. Actually I have loaded it on both WINDOWS XP and VISTA and it works fine. It does NOT load on WINDOWS 7, however, for unknown reasons.

This is old-style gaming. I have been trying to play with my arrow keys, because joysticks are not really made any longer for laptops.... I think I will just return to my my more up-to-date games. I really got this set of games for a novice computer user, who is part of that 80's generation. I wanted this person to get comfortable using a computer, keyboard, and was trying to make it fun. The seller provided a good quality product in a timely fashion, so no complaints on that end.

If you want an exact replica of the 80's arcade games, this is it. Reviewed on its own terms (that is, does it do what it's supposed to do and how well does it do it) this game is perfect. As a 30 year old I played these games as a kid at the roller-rink and the play is flawless. I have a sidewinder controller and it works perfectly. If you liked these games, get this software.