If you were a kid in the 80’s, you probably spent more than a little time in the arcades playing a multitude of games that were available back then. Donkey Kong, Galaga, Pac-Man, Street Fighter were just waiting for you to slap your quarter in to test your skills.
While arcades are still a thing, those older games have long been passed on for more graphically advanced games and you can forget the idea of a quarter getting you anywhere. But for those of you, like myself, who still have a soft spot for those simpler games of the past, Arcade 1Up has tried to give you an avenue to revisit the old days with 6 different arcade style cabinets and more on the way.
If you do a Google search, you will find many reviews of these Cabinets with a wide range of opinions both positive and negative. We here at GVNation like to form our own opinions, so since I decided to purchase the Pac-Man cabinet for my son, I decided to write up my impressions of it. Why Pac-Man you might ask? One thing parents of autistic children have in common is the desire to encourage any interest their children show. The gym teacher says he likes basketball at school? Put up a basketball hoop. He seemed to enjoy hitting the golf ball. Set up a putting green. He went to the local pizza place and played Pac-Man over and over. Well…you get the picture.
First thing that has to be said is that you need to accept that this thing is smaller than a standard cabinet. Since it is made for the home, that makes sense. But if you are accustomed to standard size, it might shock you. Especially if you didn’t purchase the optional 1 foot riser ( which I did since my son, although just 15, is taller than I am). For those of you blessed with height, you might consider sitting at the cabinet instead of standing. Just a suggestion.
(For full disclosure, I work for Wal-Mart, who is the exclusive seller for the reviewed item, but it will in no way have any effect on my review. Work does not and will not ever interfere with my geekdom)
I ordered the cabinet online at the Black Friday sale price, which might still seem like a bit much for its size at $249.00 (normally $299.00) but if you want to pay for a standard sized Pac-Man cabinet for around $1000 or more, get two so I can have one. I picked the cabinet up at the local Wal-Mart store and examined the box to make sure there were no signs of damage, dents, or anything to show evidence of malice, but it looked good. Check one complete.
Upon opening the box, everything is well packed with styrofoam separators between individual boxes. The 17” LCD monitor is in its own box, as is the control panel. The side pieces are wrapped nicely so again, so far so good. Assembly is not much different than any unassembled furniture you might have purchased in the past. I assembled this cabinet on a carpeted surface to try to keep any possible scratches to a bare minimum. The only tool that is said to be required is a Phillips head screw driver. That is generally true since the main things used to assemble the pieces are screws and wooden dowels. No mention is made of glue as far as the wooden dowels go but if you had no intention of ever disassembling the cabinet or making any modifications, you could probably do that. That being said, the screws lock things down solid enough that glue is probably not required. The dowels main function is to line up each piece for securing with the screws and for that endeavor, they do their jobs. (On a side note, if you purchased the riser, assemble it first. It will give you a taste of how the assembly for the cabinet works and it will show you just how different in size these cabinets are compared to the standard arcade)
If you follow the instructions, the assembly goes without a hitch however, you might need another person’s assistance to line up the remaining side so that the dowels slide into their holes and you can install the remaining screws. (I didn’t, but I’m stubborn that way). The final pieces slide into place and after connecting and securing the control panel and plugging in the unit, it powered up without issue. The picture was clear and the 4-way controller was responsive to my movements as they should be. There were two games to choose from: Pac-Man and Pac-Man Plus, and both worked as they should. (Being a geek, I am anxious to get in there and mod it to play more games. But for now, let’s work with what we got.) Overall it was easily assembled and played as I remembered. Will it please those die hard Pac-Man players who know the game in and out and have high expectations? Probably not, but for those who remember it as a pleasure from their past, it will undoubtedly suffice. I was pleased with the outcome and it is a an affordable (compared to an original cabinet) homage to the 80’s arcade.
However, there are two things that bear mentioning. When assembling the riser, one of the pieces had a prominent scuff mark on it. This proved to be of no consequence as the surface in question was hidden inside the pedestal and didn’t have any effect on its stability or outward appearance. It was the only piece with that type of issue. All others were immaculately packed and their appearance reflected that. I again emphasize the importance of examining the box of your cabinet to make sure there is no evidence of mishandling. The “wood” used is rather thin (to keep down weight I assume) and would be susceptible to damage if not handled right.
The other thing is something I ran across in other reviews that, while I have not had the cabinet long enough to experience, is obviously an issue and should be addressed. It has been found that the graphics on the control panel get worn off rather easily with use. Arcade 1Up has recognized this issue and has made available upon request, an acrylic cover for the control panel to protect the graphics from wear. This is a good start by the company and it has been stated that in future cabinets, this cover will be included in the box. In the meantime however, there can be up to a six week wait to receive the cover. I ordered mine as soon as I purchased it from their website and I am still waiting. They have a specific link to make that request for whichever cabinet you purchased. In all honesty, 6 weeks seems like a long wait for an issue they knew they had. (Edit: I received the protective cover today along with replacement control panel artwork. This is printed on a thin piece of cardboard. All you have to do is remove the screws holding the control panel, remove the joystick ball and washer, and place down the replacement artwork and acrylic cover which is nice. Be sure to peel off the the adhesive cover off the protector. Screw it back down and re-install the washer and joystick ball and you now have a nicely protected control panel. Kudo’s to Arcade 1UP for getting it to me before Christmas). With that taken care of, all I have to do is keep the thing hidden for the next three days. Hopefully he will enjoy playing it. But let’s be honest here, I really expect the main use for the Pac-Man Cabinet will be the adults, reliving their glory days at the arcade. Game on, dude. game on!
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
At my local Wal-Mart, they had the one with Tempest set up. I loved Tempest when it it originally came out. For me, ports of the game have always sucked, all because of the controls: it wasn’t meant to be played with a joystick. The Tempest cabinet actually has a knob! (Is that the right term?) It was definitely a step in the right direction, but the knob on this cabinet was pretty stiff. If you can get over that, and you love Tempest, I would recommend that cabinet.
Thanks for the comment. I have heard that the spinner used for Tempest is sometimes a little stiff. Perhaps that will loosen with use. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I’m seriously considering getting another one. Maybe the Street Fighter one. If the boss (wife) allows it. ?