I believe Alone in the Dark was the first series to capture this horror sensation in a game before Resident Evil. But don't get me wrong, RE was a scary game, the first time I saw those zombies break the window. But I think it was a glorified version of what Alone in the Dark was trying to accomplish.
I'd recommend the A-PAC as this uses the USB gamepads as the discrete controllers to program. This is much simpler to set up and you don't have to worry about ghosting keys. Its also good if you don't want the arcade machine and you make a desktop arcade box, you can use it for other PC games that use gamepads.
Although already covered in Slashdot earlier ...
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Project Arcade
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Ok, so this topic of DIY Arcade Cabinets has already been covered here, it's always a nice topic to cover once in awhile since now millions of geeks have made their own cabinets (myself included).
I believe this book has been published for quite some time now. I ran across it on Amazon awhile back. The book does go over the legality matters of ROMS and such, but most people will ignore all the "possible" legal issues and still continue to download ROMS. I mean, how many people do you know who have a DIY arcade machine and and claim they've bought all 6000+ games? When asked how they got them, well, the Internet of course. And then that idea spawns others to build an arcade machine and they download ROMS and it'll be endless cycle... that is, until it finally some hot-shot lawyer comes around and makes a statement that all home Arcade Machines are up to no good, stealing, copyrights, blah blah...
I have nothing but fond memories of the Cinemaware games. I certainly did not envy my PC counterparts for CGA graphics were crap compared to Amiga's games. ie Defender of the Crown/Three Stooges.
But for some reason, I'd have to say that the Psygonsis game Barbarian had me hooked. Spent hours trying to conquer those screens. Impossible to play today, yet I still don't know how much patience I had back then.
Also, the Titus games (Fire and Forget, Crazy Cars) were LOADS of fun. And the music! (sniff)
For me, the turning point was Might and Magic II. The article mentions the M&M series near the end of the article but I thought this game was a much grand version Bard's Tale. The hours it consumed in my childhood.
I couldn't quite understand why the Quest for Glory series had a lengthy section. To me, this was a sub par CRPG -- more of a Sierra Adventure game with some stat points. Although a fun game, don't get me wrong, but I fail to categorize it with all the other great titles mentioned. If there was a segment on Adventure games, then this title certainly belongs there.
The reason for a switch should only be for the 'uses' of the platform. If you're comparing Mac vs. Vista when it comes to video editing, I'm sure Mac's arsenal of video editing software is much more usable than any Vista Video Software (God forbid a Vista Movie Maker). If gaming is your cup of tea, there's no reason to switch to a platform who's variety of games doesn't compare to a Windows machine. However, as for casual users (web browsing, document writing), I don't think there's a clear cut reason to switch. I think you'll find arguments on both sides of the fence.
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I believe Alone in the Dark was the first series to capture this horror sensation in a game before Resident Evil. But don't get me wrong, RE was a scary game, the first time I saw those zombies break the window. But I think it was a glorified version of what Alone in the Dark was trying to accomplish.
I'd recommend the A-PAC as this uses the USB gamepads as the discrete controllers to program. This is much simpler to set up and you don't have to worry about ghosting keys. Its also good if you don't want the arcade machine and you make a desktop arcade box, you can use it for other PC games that use gamepads.
Ok, so this topic of DIY Arcade Cabinets has already been covered here, it's always a nice topic to cover once in awhile since now millions of geeks have made their own cabinets (myself included).
... that is, until it finally some hot-shot lawyer comes around and makes a statement that all home Arcade Machines are up to no good, stealing, copyrights, blah blah ...
I believe this book has been published for quite some time now. I ran across it on Amazon awhile back. The book does go over the legality matters of ROMS and such, but most people will ignore all the "possible" legal issues and still continue to download ROMS. I mean, how many people do you know who have a DIY arcade machine and and claim they've bought all 6000+ games? When asked how they got them, well, the Internet of course. And then that idea spawns others to build an arcade machine and they download ROMS and it'll be endless cycle
I have nothing but fond memories of the Cinemaware games. I certainly did not envy my PC counterparts for CGA graphics were crap compared to Amiga's games. ie Defender of the Crown/Three Stooges. But for some reason, I'd have to say that the Psygonsis game Barbarian had me hooked. Spent hours trying to conquer those screens. Impossible to play today, yet I still don't know how much patience I had back then. Also, the Titus games (Fire and Forget, Crazy Cars) were LOADS of fun. And the music! (sniff)
For me, the turning point was Might and Magic II. The article mentions the M&M series near the end of the article but I thought this game was a much grand version Bard's Tale. The hours it consumed in my childhood. I couldn't quite understand why the Quest for Glory series had a lengthy section. To me, this was a sub par CRPG -- more of a Sierra Adventure game with some stat points. Although a fun game, don't get me wrong, but I fail to categorize it with all the other great titles mentioned. If there was a segment on Adventure games, then this title certainly belongs there.
The reason for a switch should only be for the 'uses' of the platform. If you're comparing Mac vs. Vista when it comes to video editing, I'm sure Mac's arsenal of video editing software is much more usable than any Vista Video Software (God forbid a Vista Movie Maker). If gaming is your cup of tea, there's no reason to switch to a platform who's variety of games doesn't compare to a Windows machine. However, as for casual users (web browsing, document writing), I don't think there's a clear cut reason to switch. I think you'll find arguments on both sides of the fence.