My Arcade Mini Namco Museum review
The Namco Museum Mini player developed by My Arcade, was released on June 24, 2019, and I am just now getting my hands on one. Namco has been releasing compilations of their games with the Museum series stretching all the back to 1995. What makes this unit potentially such a good value is the fact that it includes twenty games in one device that is shaped like a retro arcade machine.
The included games listed alphabetically are:
• Battle City (1985)
• Dig Dug (1982)
• Dig Dug II (1985)
• Dragon Spirit (1987)
• Galaga (1981)
• Galaxian (1979)
• Mappy (1983)
• Pac-Attack (1993)
• Pac-Man (1980)
• Pac-Mania (1987)
• Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (1994)
• Phelios (1988)
• Rolling Thunder (1986)
• Rolling Thunder 2 (1990)
• Rolling Thunder 3 (1993)
• Sky Kid (1985)
• Splatterhouse (1988)
• Splatterhouse 2 (1992)
• The Tower of Druaga (1984)
• Xevious (1982)
Description:
The unit itself measures 9.5″ tall by 6″ by 5 1/2″. It’s shaped like a miniature arcade cabinet and is powered by an included micro USB power adapter. To turn on the device, simply press the simulated coin box on the bottom middle portion of the unit. There are volume buttons and a 3.5mm headphone jack located on the top, rear side. The device is said to have two forward-facing speakers for enhanced audio. The joystick handle is removable turning it into a d-pad. For each game, you have the option of playing in either original or stretched screen format.
Negatives:
Most of the negatives I want to discuss are actually documented on the first page of the included manual in the notes section. When you select a game mode to play in either original or stretch screen format, that setting will remain in place until you return to the menus. I prefer the stretched screen format. Unfortunately, it does not remember your preferred choice, forcing you to choose each game you play.
Two-player mode is not supported for any of the games included that originally allowed for two players.
The manual states that due to a LARGE number of various games, high scores are not saved. This is my biggest disappointment.
If My Arcade had included battery support for the device then I believe two of those three issues could have been easily resolved. It’s a shame your high scores are not saved. The ability to save your scores and remember your preferred default settings would have been a huge plus and frankly, at around the $70 price range, it should have been included and would have made the unit much more portable.
Since a couple of the games depict blood, violence, limb chopping, skeletons, and menacing voices, I am talking about you Splatter house series, these games could be scary for children and I believe this is why the device is rated for ages 14 and up.
My biggest disappointment with the games was that with four Pac-Man games, I would have really liked to have seen Ms-Pacman included with the device.
Positives:
Let’s talk about what they got right with the device. The form factor is just right for a mini-player. It’s shaped similar to an arcade cabinet, just not as tall as a real one would have been, but that’s okay. As with the other My Arcade Minis, the joystick handle can be removed allowing you to use it as a D-Pad. The buttons are located in the right spots and there is even a simulated coin slot that doubles as a sort of hidden power switch. When I turned the volume all the way up it still sounds great and the speakers appear to be projecting audio forward from the center of the device.
The display is beautiful with vertical Pac-Man decals adorning the sides. The Namco-Museum arcade marquee is backlit and makes for a nice feature. Both sides of the mini include video game artwork which are sort of stitched together like puzzle pieces, covering the entirety of the sides and it looks terrific. When the unit is powered on it illuminates well, including the coin slot.
The included games seem arcade accurate in both graphics and sound. I love having the ability to vertically stretch the screen to use the full height of the LCD display. Pressing the reset button will pause the game as well as giving you the ability to quit to the menus.
So overall, how does it stack up against the other My Arcade Minis? The fact that it comes with twenty built-in games is it’s greatest selling point. At $70, I believe the device is still a little bit expensive for what is being offered, especially since it’s lacking a battery option for better portability. If you’re looking for an arcade accurate experience, this mini is the best of the bunch. It looks and plays the included retro-classics great and I am really glad to have it as a part of my collection. Now let’s take a look at the games. Although I prefer the stretched format, I will demonstrate both formats for each included game but the audio is from the stretched format which is on the right-hand side of the screen.
Youtube Original Post Date: 02/28/2020
