2003 Namco Plug N' Play

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SigSauerLover
Posts: 167
Joined: April 8th, 2015, 5:51 pm

2003 Namco Plug N' Play

Postby SigSauerLover » May 12th, 2015, 5:04 pm

Ah yes, this plug n' play console was simply a joy back in 2003. I got it for Christmas that year from a buddy (who called it a late 30th birthday gift) who knew I'd love it. The unit itself is GORGEOUS. The artwork lets you know just how special this will be. Now, the joystick on the unit feels nice, but it's only a 4-way joystick (which can cause issues for Bosconian) and has a tad too much travel. The button feels great however. Now, the menu when you start it up looks amazing. It's nice and bright, and the animations when a game is highlighted ROCK. Now, keep in mind, these are NOT emulated versions of the arcade games. No, it's one of 2 things. It's either this is a system on a chip, or all original hardware they made. The games LOOK great. And they play pretty much identical to the arcade games, but the sound is different. Games like Dig-Dug and pacman actually sound better. It sounds more full to me. The graphics essentially the same, they look terrific. Now, when you play the games, the one noticeable flaw kicks in. The joystick has too much travel. In Pac-Man and Rally-X it's especially noticeable. And in Bosconian you'll attribute a lot of cheap deaths to the fact the joystick is only a 4-way joystick. However, IF you get around the joystick having too much travel, the games control pretty good (except Bosconian of course). Another flaw is that high scores are NOT saved, at all. This SUCKS. They're only saved on temporary memory that goes away when the system is turned off (or when you press reset on the unit). The one thing I will compliment is the battery life. You can easily get 12 hours of charge. It's pretty easy to tell you have to change the batteries, as when they get low, screen abnormalities occur. And, the unit is fairly cheap these days. Over all, if you want a fun burst of retro gaming goodness, and don't mind some inferior controls, by all means go for this unit. It plays the games well for the most part, and you can still have fun.

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scotland
Posts: 2561
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:33 pm

Re: 2003 Namco Plug N' Play

Postby scotland » May 12th, 2015, 7:32 pm

SigSauerLover wrote:Ah yes, this plug n' play console was simply a joy back in 2003... Over all, if you want a fun burst of retro gaming goodness, and don't mind some inferior controls, by all means go for this unit. It plays the games well for the most part, and you can still have fun.


Thank you so much for this. I really enjoy the plug and plays I have. There are a couple of Namco ones, but this must be the purple and yellow one. Thank you for pointing out the Bosconian issues. Its one of my favorite arcades games, but it can be frustrating on this unit. The stick does make a difference on Pac Man, but its still better than the very small plug n play Pac Man that just has a sort of toggle button on it.

If you liked this, try to find the light blue Ms Pac Man one. Some of them come with slots on the back for expansion packs (Gamekeys), and you can get Bosconian, Pac Man and Rally X on one of those, so look for one with the expansion port. Not sure if the stick on that one is any better, but the knob rotates for Pole Position, which is cool. One of these units (maybe the one without the expansion port) saves high scores.

There is also a two part wireless one - a controller and an IR receiver base unit. That unit also has Bosconian *and* saves high scores. I know some people don't like the IR, but I didn't mind.

There are others I don't have...one looks like Pac Man for instance. Some of those should also save high scores and have Bosconian. According to Wikipedia, the one that looks like Pac Man has the original source code, including the glitch 256th screen, plus Bosconian and the rest.

They are fun, and if the kids are a bit rough learning how to play, I don't mind. They seem pretty rugged in any event.

SigSauerLover
Posts: 167
Joined: April 8th, 2015, 5:51 pm

Re: 2003 Namco Plug N' Play

Postby SigSauerLover » May 13th, 2015, 10:45 am

Oh, trust me, I WILL review the Ms. Pac-Man plug n' play. I have both the original AND the Gamekey versions. Also, I DO have the wireless IR sensor version (which is kinda a bummer because it takes EIGHT BATTERIES). I have well over 20 of these bad boys and plan to give more insight. Glad to see plug n' play love among the community! And if you're wondering, the one with the gamekey slots is the one that saves high scores. While the one without the keys I believe does not. And yes, the stick is much nicer.

I think next I should review the blue Ms. Pac-Man plug n' play. Then maybe I can review a dud. Like the Dragon Ball Z one. Which by the way. apparently had gamekey support. But no gamekeys came out for them. But if I remember, gamekeys didn't have games on them, they just triggered extra games to appear. I wonder if it's possible to access them. Hmmm.

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scotland
Posts: 2561
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:33 pm

Re: 2003 Namco Plug N' Play

Postby scotland » May 13th, 2015, 12:16 pm

Awesome. I look forward to your reviews. I think a small photo would be good, cause the variations can get confusing. I have a number of the plug and plays (and flashbacks if you want to put them together). Some have one game, others lots. I think the Atari joystick one must have sold well for years.

Give me a high score on Bosconian to shoot for!


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