Arcade Classics

n/a

Game Gear Mega Drive
Arcade Classics
System(s): Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Al Baker & Associates
Original system(s): Arcade boards, Atari Ultra Pong
Developer(s) of original games: Atari
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 $29.9929.99 2330 US 1996 $50.0050.00 1715 EU 1996 1715-50 PT 1996 MDJSE0415

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.

The compilation is most notable for being the product of a 1993 lawsuit between Atari and Sega. Atari 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, 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 would not produce any games with the licenses it acquired.

Gameplay

Centipede

This is a recreation of the original Centipede. The player controls a spaceship who must destroy a centipede made up of several ball-shaped pieces crawling down from the top of the screen. The player can move freely with the directional pad, however is restricted to the bottom of the screen. and shoot and can be held down for rapidfire. Every time one piece of the centipede is destroyed, the centipede is broken at the destroyed piece, with each new piece moving independently. If hit by either a centipede or a spider which also comes up occasionally, a life is lost and the centipede reforms. The spider can be destroyed for bonus points. Mushroom barricades are scattered around the field; if they are shot, they become weaker and weaker until they are destroyed. If the centipedes reach the bottom of the screen, they will start climbing back up.

The Sega version features new graphics.

Ultrapong

This has either Pong or Hockey to be chosen from. The goal of both is simple: the player, capable of moving vertically from edge to edge, must hit the ball through the other player's goal and stop the ball from going through theirs; first to 15 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 will bounce around a goal if it is shot toward the top or bottom edge of the screen). Game "Styles" merely control the number of paddles in use. Barriers can also be placed for added difficulty.

The Sega version features different sound effects for when the ball hits a paddle.

Missile Command

This is a recreation of the original Missile Command. The player controls a missile turret fixed to the bottom center of the screen. Use the D-pad to move the target crosshairs and or to shoot. There are two types of enemies: aliens which fly horizontally through the screen and can be destroyed normally or missed with no consequence to the player, or slowly falling ropes that must be destroyed at their tips before they hit the ground; should one hit the ground, a life will be deducted.

The Sega version features new graphics and a different title screen theme (the other games simply keep playing the main menu music).

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.

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.

Quotes

“	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

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:

In-game credits

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:

In-game credits

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)
Cover

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, PT

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

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 8aed2090 MD5 1c0b65d3cc82f56f7ad05ce63dc4d097 SHA-1 ec29aec7848dbcea6678adb4b31deba0a6ecf1e2	512kB	1996-03	Cartridge (US/EU)
?	CRC32 3deca813 MD5 647847fe498841762625ae9d604b9018 SHA-1 fde19f418f4f13bbe43e6610f411065db9a6f550	256kB		Cartridge (US)

External links

• 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