Arcade Classics

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Mega Drive Game Gear
Arcade Classics
System(s): Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Al Baker & Associates
Distributor: Majesco Sales (US re-release) Ecofilmes (PT) Zegetron (GR)
Licensor: Atari Corporation
Original system(s): Arcade boards, Atari Ultra Pong
Developer(s) of original games: Atari, Inc.
Game total: 3
Sound driver: GEMS
Peripherals supported: Gear-to-Gear Cable
Genre: Compilation
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1996-03 $29.9929.99 2330 US 1996-07 $39.9939.99 1715 EU 1996 1715-50 PT 1996 MDJSE0415 UK 1996-07-19 1715-50 GR 1996

Arcade Classics is a Sega Game Gear game compilation consisting of the Atari-developed Centipede, Ultra Pong, and Missile Command, developed by Al Baker & Associates and published by Sega. Released exclusively in the United States in 1996, it was also ported to the Sega Mega Drive by the same developer and published in the United States, Europe, and Portugal later that year. While the games are recreated mostly faithfully, gameplay suffers from slowdown issues and minor inaccuracies.

Gameplay

Before starting a game, the player can choose between playing the "Classic version" or an enhanced "Sega version."

In the Mega Drive version, the player can exit any game and return to the game select screen by pressing , , , and  START  simultaneously.

	Centipede
	The player controls a spaceship that must destroy a centipede made up of several ball-shaped pieces crawling down from the top of the screen. The spaceship can move anywhere horizontally but only within a limited area vertically. The player shoots with and (or and ), which can be held down for rapid-fire, but only one bullet can be on-screen at a time. Every time a piece of the centipede is destroyed, the centipede is broken at the destroyed piece, with each new piece moving independently. Mushrooms are scattered around the field as obstacles that impede the movement of the centipede as well as the player's fire. If they are shot, they become weaker and weaker until destroyed. The centipede changes direction if it runs into a mushroom or the border of the playfield. If the centipedes reach the bottom of the screen, they start climbing back up. Spiders occasionally appear. The player loses a life and the centipede reforms if the spaceship is hit by either a centipede or a spider. The spider can be destroyed for bonus points. The Sega version features new graphics. The game can be played with one player, two players taking turns, two players competitively (the players can paralyze each other with their shots), or two players cooperatively ("team game," the players cannot paralyze each other). There are four selectable difficulty levels (Novice, Standard, Advanced, and Expert).
	Ultrapong
	There are two modes to choose from: Pong and Hockey. The goal of both is simple: the player, controlling a paddle capable of moving vertically with and , must hit the ball through the other player's goal and stop the ball from going through theirs. The first player to reach 15 points wins. In Pong, the goal is the edge of the screen. In Hockey, the goal is the inside of a smaller shape resembling a hockey goal. The ball bounces around a goal if it is shot toward the top or bottom edge of the screen. The Sega version features different sound effects for when the ball hits a paddle. The game can be played with one or two players. There are four "styles" that affect the paddle configuration: Regular (one paddle), Super (two paddles that move in lockstep), Hyper (two paddles where the second paddle follows the other with a delay), and Ultra (three paddles where two move in lockstep and the third follows with a delay). Barriers can also be placed for added difficulty.
	Missile Command
	The player controls a targeting crosshair that aims missiles from a turret fixed to the bottom center of the screen. Enemy missiles slowly fall from the sky, and the player must target them using the cursor and shoot them down with or (or or ). Targets must be lead somewhat to compensate for the travel time of the missiles. In addition to the enemy missiles, there are also enemy aliens that fly horizontally across the screen and can be destroyed normally or missed with no consequence to the player. The player has six cities that must be defended from the falling missiles. A level ends when all of the enemy's missiles are destroyed or hit their targets. The player is awarded points based on how many cities were successfully defended and how many enemy targets were shot down. The Sega version features new graphics and a different title screen theme (the other games simply keep playing the main menu music). The game can be played with one or two players and on Easy or Hard difficulty.

History

The compilation is most notable for being the product of a 1993 lawsuit between Atari Corporation and Sega, Atari v. Sega. Atari Corp. had filed a 1980 patent for video games featuring horizontal scrolling, and while nebulous enough to generally discourage the company from the numerous lawsuits it could have launched, it was experiencing significant financial difficulties at the time, and initiated the lawsuit as a means to generate additional cash flow for the ailing company. When Sega of America received notice of the lawsuit, they instead chose to settle with Atari Corp., and the two companies entered into an agreement to license each others' game libraries. The resulting agreement only produced a single Sega game, Arcade Classics, while Atari Corp. would not produce any games with the licenses it acquired.

Development

Sega wanted three Atari classics converted to the Mega Drive with as much integrity as possible. Therefore, the games used in the compilation were based directly off Atari code. The Atari 7800 version of Centipede and Atari 2600 version of Missile Command were converted from the original 6502 assembly language code to the Z80 for the Game Gear version and then from Z80 to the 68000 for the Mega Drive.

“	Sega wanted three Atari classics converted to the Genesis with as much integrity as possible. Each game would have two play modes: the orginal game and an updated version. 7800 Centipede and 2600 Missile Command were converted from the original 6502 assembly language code to the Z80 for the Game Gear version and then from the Z80 to the 68000 for the Genesis. While all the code specifically associated with sound and graphics had to be re-written, the initial conversions were done using our own 6502 to Z80 and Z80 to 68000 assembly language converters. Pong, a hard-wired console game which was reverse engineered for the Game Gear, was initially converted from the Game Gear to the Genesis using our Z80 to 68000 assembly language converter. The video and sound modules were then rewritten to complete the process. All its play modes were faithfully reproduced. Design update, programming and music/sound effects by Al Baker & Associates.	„
— Al Baker & Associates Founder and head programmer Al Baker

While all the code specifically associated with sound and graphics had to be re-written, the initial conversions were done using the developer's own 6502 to Z80 and Z80 to 68000 assembly language converters. Pong, a hard-wired console game which was reverse engineered for the Game Gear, was initially converted from the Game Gear to the Mega Drive using a Z80 to 68000 assembly language converter. The video and sound modules were then rewritten to complete the process.

During development, the Game Gear version was known under the working title of Atari Classics.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Game Design: Atari, Jerry Markota, Marianne Arotzarena, Al Baker
• Producer: Marianne Arotzarena
• Senior Producer: Jerry Markota
• Product Manager: Bill Onderdonk
• Product Specialist: Clint Dyer
• Developed by: Al Baker and Associates
• Programming: Al Baker, Nathan Baker
• Art: Ernie Chan, Rose Red Inc.
• Sound: Byte‑Size Sound
• Special Thanks: Laury Scott, Jan Baker, Rosie Freeman, John Skruch
• Game Lead: Jeff Hedges
• Asst. Leads: Zac Fuller, Demian Kato, Patrick Walsh
• Testers: Todd Slepian, Charles Yang, David Paniagua, David Dolge, Amy Albertson, Darren Nagtalone, Jeff Silveira, Jason Bartholomeu, Matt Cogler, Lou DiSimone, Aaron Hommes, Don Carmichael, Kathleen Silkworth, Tim McKnew, Raul Orozco, Jeremy Wheat, Christina Hurley, Daniel P. Dunn, Brian Thoroman, Scott Matt, Anthony LaPierre, Pedro Ponce, Alfred Dutton
• Manual Design: Richard Verdoni

Source:

US manual

Game Gear version

• Game Design: Jerry Markota, Marianne Arotzarena, Al Baker, Atari Corp.
• Producer: Marianne Arotzarena
• Senior Producer: Jerry Markota
• Product Manager: Bill Onderdonk
• Product Specialist: Clint Dyer
• Developed by: Al Baker and Associates
• Programming: Al Baker, Nathan Baker
• Art: Ernie Chan, Rosie Cosgrove
• Sounds: Byte-Size Sound
• Lead Tester: Alfred Dutton
• Asst. Leads: Tony Ciardella, Dana Waller, Darren Nagatalon
• Special Thanks: Laury Scott, Jan Baker, Rosie Freeman
• Testers: Joe Rousseau, Don Carmichael, Kemrexx George, Jeremy Campbell, Dave Paniagua, Mike Douglas, Desirae Blevins, Rolef Conlan, Fernando Valderrama, Bine Arceo
• Manual Design: Richard Verdoni

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Arcade Classics/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 70 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 39 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 32 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 35 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 47 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 51 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 0 Player One (FR) 50 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 30

	39
Based on 9 reviews

Arcade Classics

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (cardboard) (Majesco Sales)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU (No CE Logo)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU (CE Logo)
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, GR
Cover

Mega Drive, PT
Cover
Cart Manual EU Manual

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score GamePro (US) NTSC-U 70 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 56 Mega Force (FR) NTSC-U 40 Sega Force (SE) 75

	60
Based on 4 reviews

Arcade Classics

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: Arcade Classics/Technical information.

External links

• Sega of America webpage: Game Gear
• Sega of America webpage: Mega Drive
• Arcade Classics post-mortem by developer Al Baker at Al Baker & Associates official website (Wayback Machine)
• Blog: Arcade Classics post at Game Developer Research Institute