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I love the arcade versions, the GBA version stinks!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: January 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This collection is a disaster I'm afraid. I have a real Defender machine in my kitchen and MAME is the only thing I play on my PC, so I know about these things!
Defender is a poor re-write, unlike the faithful reproductions (emulation?) in the Namco Museum cart. Defender's movement and "physics" are all wrong - very poor indeed.
Robotron is unplayable because there is no way to lock the direction you fire in (ie you can't fire backwards) - Jeff Minter came up with the simple idea of holding down the fire button to lock fire in a certain direction - shame these guys didn't copy the idea.
Joust seems like the most faithful reproduction, but maybe that's because I play more Defender. There is still plenty wrong with the Joust game as well :-(
Sinistar is too fast to play, but I am not an expert on this game.
I am a serious retrogame freak, but I'm going to take this piece of garbage back to the shop!

Stinks

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is absolutely the worst arcade translation I've ever seen. Defender, Sinistar, Robotron, and Joust are great arcade games, and have been faithfully reproduced on other platforms, but this sad attempt bears little resemblance to the real things. That might be okay if the games in this implementation were playable on their own terms, but they're not. Defender/Joust for Gameboy Color is much better than this pathetic garbage.

Sinistar is broken!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

... I wanted Sinistar! The ship won't stop thrusting. I'ts like playing a broken arcade machine. AAAGGHH! The game's only plus is that this Defender works. The new GBA Defender is messed up just like Sinistar. Both these games were put out unfinished!

Kind of a Bummer

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I agree with most in here, I got the pack for sinistar, thought it was malfunctioning and took it back only ro find it was messed up on all.
It appears to be a programming flaw. I'm going to try to contact co. and see what they have to say.
The other games worked O K but not as good as they should.
If you want to play these games, you can anytime for free on midways site--[...] From their home page, click the "play classic games" tab on top menu top. then pick which game from next page. All 4 these games are there plus few others.

Don't waste your money

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a very poor conversion. The games play way too fast. There is not enough detail on the screen. There are too few options to set. The GameBoy Color versions of Joust and Defender are SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER.

Little replayability

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: December 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have played these games in the arcades (I owned a "Pong" home game when they were new, to give you a reference), I also played these on the PS. The MAJOR problem is that you dont have the dual joysticks like the arcade, thus a game like Sinistar
(which I popped a lotta quarters in, by the way in the arcade you have a short life in that game!), is almost unplayable. You have little chance in Robotron , and you can't fully enjoy Joust. If I could'nt enjoy them on the PS, I'll pass on the GBA with a tiny unlit screen! Nice try but I'll save my 20 bucks and pass on the frustration.

At lEast Joust and Robotron are good......

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: December 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The main problem with this game pack is the darkness of the Gameboy Advance screen. When I saw that this came with Joust, Robotron, and my favorite Defender (it also comes with Sinstar which I have never liked so my review does not apply to that one), I was ecstatic. Joust is good, but playing on that small screen makes it a little hard to see, but you get used to it. Robotron has the same problems as Joust, but you get used to it. Sadly Defender is the one that just doesn't cut it. It was a dark game in the arcade so you can imagine what it's like on the advance. Even with a light designed to work with the advance it is way too dark. I will keep playing it, but I won't enjoy it as much as I had hoped for.

Worth getting

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is worth getting for a shot of nostalgia and for changing variety. Robotron is probably the best game in the foursome and Joust is a decent reproduction, however as mentioned in other reviews, some of the flying is off and bumping into the platforms sends you rapidly in directions you can't control. Sinistar is fun but also moves very fast. Defender, which originally attracted me to the game is much more difficult than in the arcade version. The small screen and limited ability to manuver the plane quickly to screaming humans makes the game a bit frustrating. Otherwise though, it is worth owning.

Flaws aside good retro value!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Okay ... I agree with some reviews here. SINISTAR is a mess - you really can't control your ship too well with it constantly thrusting, ROBOTRON is a lacking in that you can't fire in a direction you are not moving, JOUST fares pretty well but again some control issues, and DEFENDER is hard to see even on the well lit SP screen.

But it is nice to see these 80s classics in any form. I spent tons of quarters on these games back then, and they are hard to find now. The Gameboy has the power to do them justice. Shame that the controls are not perfect, but still worth a look!

The Best Retro Bundle

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: April 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have most all the retro games currently made for the GBA system. Of those retro ports, this Williams collection is the best. Of the four games offered here, only Sinistar fails to excite. Joust is the best, but Defender & Robotron are very playable. If you're going retro, go here first!

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