Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Todd H on March 21, 2010, 11:06:30 am
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Taco Bell is putting discs of four Atari classic arcade games in kid's meals. You can also pay for them separately. I'm curious how cabinet friendly they are.
http://www.tacobell.com/menu/kids-meals (http://www.tacobell.com/menu/kids-meals)
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Looks cool, each game as the original as well as a new version. I will have to get my nephew and take him to Taco Bell.
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I wonder what "original format" they are referring to ?
Just curious because the graphics they used reminded me of Atari 2600 game labels.
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I wonder what "original format" they are referring to ?
Just curious because the graphics they used reminded me of Atari 2600 game labels.
From the reviews I've read, each disc contains the original arcade version as well as a "new and improved" version. Here's the thread over at atariage.com:
http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/158994-free-atari-games-at-taco-bell/?s=918bfdd930fb1c13ea3ed094c79a0023 (http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/158994-free-atari-games-at-taco-bell/?s=918bfdd930fb1c13ea3ed094c79a0023)
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Thanks for the heads up. Gonna have to check these out!
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I've posted a link to this thread and a video review on YouTUBE to my friends at Lemon64.com Thanks for the heads up.
Also quoted text from my adventure tonight acquiring these games also on Lemon64;
OK, so the local Taco Bell (Englewood Florida)didn't have a clue as to what I was asking them, but they also said that they don't sell many kids meals and they had to sell the remaining stock of toys before they would be shipped the new promotion. So, off I went to Venice Fl. It's about 18 miles to the Taco Bell there, but it's a nice night for a drive. I got a very weird look when I said " I understand you sell Atari Games for a dollar, I'll take 16 and a diet pepsi." The manager was called... Anyway, they were very nice, and I got what I wanted. The clerk working the register figured 4x4 = 12 and added the diet pepsi, I corrected her saying 16 actually, she said it was because they had not configured a button on the cash register to sell the disks. Oh well, I paid 16.98 in total, I'm pretty sure they forgot about the tax. I've played Lunar Lander for a bit, and it's actually pretty cool, all in all I'd say well worth the money spent, including the gas and soft drink.
Regards,
Scam
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I saw a blurb about these on Kotaku a while back. TBH, the main thing I was interested in was the cd/dvd jackets- the artwork on them looked really awesome- and I *think* it's new art, just retro style, save for the taco bell logo in the lower-left hand corner.
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Here's a link to the Atari Taco Bell discs in action:
Taco Bell / Atari Game Demos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VakUI-WwqEE#)
D
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Not bad, not bad....the evolved modes seem not to overdo it which is nice. Funny to see the burn-in on the Asteroids...
Nice collector items although I would have preferred the arcade art on all 4, but I must admit some 2600 art was very cool too.
No Taco Bell's around here though.....
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I love the part where he is describing the graphics on the screen. BLAH BLAH BLAH blah BLAH! Yes we can see what is happening! That is the idea of video. ::)
BTW, looks like you can play the games free on Atari.com, just in case you didn't want to buy a kids meal.
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Tried my Taco Bell Sunday and they had no idea what I was talking about. Looks like I'm going to have to try another one.
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The local one near my job had the sign for it, but not ONE in stock. :banghead:
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Walked into TBell at Hefner and Rockwell in OKC and saw the sign over the counter for the games. The girl behind the counter said they did sell just the "toy" so I told her I wanted one of each. She only had two titles left in the box so she rifled through premade kid's meal packages to find the other two titles. I said, "You hooked me up, THANKS!" to which she said, "Yea, I just took them from some poor little kid." :laugh2:
Have loaded and played Centipede. Very nice!
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I said, "You hooked me up, THANKS!" to which she said, "Yea, I just took them from some poor little kid." :laugh2:
Heh, I don't think I could have done that. It really sounds like they underestimated the demand, though, which is unfortunate. Maybe it will prompt them to do similar promotions in the future, so we should buy them all out to make sure 8).
RandyT
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My wife just walked from work with Taco Bell in tow. She knows me quite well and tossed me a bag that had all 4 games in it. :D
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Cool stuff. I love the simulated 'burn in' on the classic asteroids.
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Cool, thanks for the heads up. I bought all 4 for $4.
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So they're PC ports of the Atari Evolved games originally for PSP?
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My wife just walked from work with Taco Bell in tow. She knows me quite well and tossed me a bag that had all 4 games in it. :D
Now THAT'S love. :applaud:
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For some reason the Taco Bell's around here don't have any Centipede disks (and we're talking about 6 taco bells I've been to), and also they're charging $1.50 for them. I asked the workers I heard they were a dollar and they said that's a regional thing.
But I did nab the 3 that were available.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/ironbuddha/DSC00514.jpg)
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Canadians get screwed again! Ebay here I come :).
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Couldn't resist it...got my 4 tonight for .99 each. I couldn't resist that chicken grilled stuffed burrito either, unfortunately :P.
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BTW - The ones in Keller, Texas were $2.00 each.
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BTW - The ones in Keller, Texas were $2.00 each.
Everything is bigger in Texas???
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Yea, I just took them from some poor little kid."
Most kids, other than some ours on here, don't care about these old games. I really never understood why these are in kids meals in the first place.
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BTW - The ones in Keller, Texas were $2.00 each.
Everything is bigger in Texas???
Yeah, but things are not usually more expensive.Yea, I just took them from some poor little kid."
Most kids, other than some ours on here, don't care about these old games. I really never understood why these are in kids meals in the first place.
My kids would have loved to get these in a kids meal... BUT dad got to them first! Bwaaaahahahahaha
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Dude! How did I miss this?!? Oh yeah, I hate Taco Bell :burgerking: (not so much the food, but the "running to the border" afterwards).
Seriously though,thanks a ton for posting this, I'll have to go pick these up.
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Cool stuff. I love the simulated 'burn in' on the classic asteroids.
Same artwork used in MAME.
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Cool stuff. I love the simulated 'burn in' on the classic asteroids.
Same artwork used in MAME.
Yep, and at least in MAME we have the option of turning it off. I'm guessing these discs don't allow it.
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My kids would have loved to get these in a kids meal... BUT dad got to them first! Bwaaaahahahahaha
Don't you mean "Mom" ehehehehheheh ;)
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Walked in to my local taco bell and walked out with all of them except lunar lander for free. Dude at the counter ravaged the kids meal bags and gave me one of the 3 that they had. Now if my food will get done so I can leave and try them out. Lol.
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my taco bell charged $1.50 for them...i only picked up centipede, i wasnt very impressed. it runs in a window, not full screen, and the controls were horrible.it worked ok with the arrow keys, but the mouse input sucks. you have to keep the cursor within a small area under the playfield to get it to work. i was hoping that it would be awesome so i could play the evolved verion on my mame cabinet, but that isnt going to happen. if i didnt know about mame, then my opinion may be different, but once you have played centipede in mame with a 3" trackball,it is really hard to play it like this.
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but once you have played centipede in mame with a 3" trackball,it is really hard to play it like this.
Even better with a 2.25" trackball.
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but once you have played centipede in mame with a 3" trackball,it is really hard to play it like this.
Even better with a 2.25" trackball.
More authentic, not better. :)
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stop taking the kid's toys away! How else are they going to learn about retro arcade games if we buy up all the first retro game aimed at them in a while. :blah::
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More authentic, not better. :)
I've played it with a 3" and didn't like it near as much as with a proper 2.25"
It was too heavy for such fine movement.
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Awesome!! I am going to see if I can pick these up after school tonight.
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Looks like I am going to Taco Bell for lunch today!
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Thanks is awesome thanks for the post
Wife is on the look out for them.
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Are they on 3" or 5" discs?
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Standard size CD-ROM - works with Mac and PC.
Just got mine today - love them, however they get a FAIL for not using the "real" Atari logo...
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Are they on 3" or 5" discs?
5" discs. I just picked mine up yesterday at a local Taco Bell. Haven't tried them yet... still debating whether I should buy an extra set or not to remain sealed for decoration in the game room. I paid $1 for each.
D
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They are resealable; the glue is tacky so it can be opened and then closed again with ripping.
** Edit **
without ripping!
Doh!
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Been to 2 taco bells and only got 2 of the disks. Going to try a third tonight. Still need centipede and asteroids.
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DAMN we don't have Taco Bell's here.....
Anyone willing to ship a set ?
P.S. I want one of those signs too ! ;)
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my taco bell charged $1.50 for them...i only picked up centipede, i wasnt very impressed. it runs in a window, not full screen, and the controls were horrible.it worked ok with the arrow keys, but the mouse input sucks. you have to keep the cursor within a small area under the playfield to get it to work. i was hoping that it would be awesome so i could play the evolved verion on my mame cabinet, but that isnt going to happen. if i didnt know about mame, then my opinion may be different, but once you have played centipede in mame with a 3" trackball,it is really hard to play it like this.
These games are essentially flash games and thus they should be hackable. The swf files won't play by therselves due to copy protection, but the hashes are included so it should still be possible. They run at a fixed resolution, so the easiest way to get full screen is to simply change your screen resolution on the start of the game.
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It appears standard windows shortcut keys work on these games. So to get "fullscreen" simply press alt+space then x
Also because they are flash games, they stretch infinately. And seeing as how they are standard windows (even though they don't look it) I see no reason why a launcher app couldn't simply make the window larger than the screen so that the bezel is cropped off. The issue with centipede is fixable as well. Simply write an app that monitors the mouse position and moves the cursor back into the pad area if it goes out.
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this is funny. why in all hell would you want to mame this? did the original centipede not work for us? :dizzy: are we this bored?
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this is funny. why in all hell would you want to mame this? did the original centipede not work for us? :dizzy: are we this bored?
If you had watched the video, you'd know that each game comes with a enhanced mode with updated graphics.
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And you of course want the original Asteroids on your cab - it comes with monitor burn in!
this is funny. why in all hell would you want to mame this? did the original centipede not work for us? :dizzy: are we this bored?
If you had watched the video, you'd know that each game comes with a enhanced mode with updated graphics.
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DAMN we don't have Taco Bell's here.....
Anyone willing to ship a set ?
P.S. I want one of those signs too ! ;)
I'll ship them to you if I can find them all. Only found 2 of them so far.
Encryptor
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i can get lunar lander and super breakout, anybody need those? I am willing to trade, I need asteroids and centipede.
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Just picked up a set of four discs.
All four discs are plentiful, and available, here in Orlando, FL. (But Taco Bell charges you $2.00 per disc! :angry:)
Will load the games later this weekend.
- John
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The Taco Bell by my house had all 4 discs. Selling for $1.07 a piece. I just really wanted the Centipede one for the cool artwork! I want to play it but I don't want to rip it open.. I'm curious if the disc looks cool.. can someone scan the disc and post it.. just so I can see if it's worth opening it ;D
Check it out!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/dre-w/ARCADES/centipede.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/dre-w/ARCADES/centipedeback.jpg)
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I hate the new Atari logo.
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I hate the new Atari logo.
With you there - it just looks wrong.
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I'm curious if the disc looks cool.. can someone scan the disc and post it.. just so I can see if it's worth opening it ;D
I'll try to remember to scan my disc this evening if i get time
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I got all 4 now and I have an extra lunar lander and super breakout, anybody need them?
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Picked up Lunar Lander (still can't play that :censored: game :laugh2:) and Super Breakout. Will try a few of the TBs around here to find the other two.
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Can you use a gamepad/joystick to play these or is it mouse only control? Thanks.
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So I finally got around to trying one of them. Centipede. What garbage. The controls are awful. I tried it with the mouse. I have not idea if you can use a joystick on it though.
I bought them and never opened them. (I found it on a torrent to try them). I'm glad I made that decision not to open them.
But I do have to say, they look pretty cool in my gameroom. Which is really why I bought them in the first place.
D
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they look pretty cool in my gameroom. Which is really why I bought them in the first place.
:cheers:
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Just open it. You could hold on to something like this for 20 years and its value will likely increase tono more than $5 - $20. Not worth it. Open it carefully and enjoy it.
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Finally found a Taco Bell that had them all. Got 1 complete set and the 2 I needed to make 2 complete sets. Now I just have try them out. ;D
Encryptor
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I bought 2 sets, one to open and play, the other for game room decorations...
here's the image I posted on gameroommag.com that show what the disks look like:
(http://www.gameroommag.com/images/tacobell.jpg)
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I bought 2 sets, one to open and play, the other for game room decorations...
here's the image I posted on gameroommag.com that show what the disks look like:
Thank youuu!! The only reason I bought them in the first place was because of the cool retro looking artwork.. and being that the discs look generic as :censored:, I shall never open them. ;D
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BTW, looks like you can play the games free on Atari.com, just in case you didn't want to buy a kids meal.
Actually no you can't. The free ones are emulated versions and don't include the second game. The games on the Taco Bell discs have all been coded from scratch to include skill levels and other features both Atari and Taco Bell wanted.
Marty
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Not bad, not bad....the evolved modes seem not to overdo it which is nice.
Thanks, I wanted to try and undo most of the overdone distracting flashes from the PSP and Xbox360 evolved versions. Originally wanted to code completely new versions, but they made me keep it in line with the previous "Evolved" line. The only evolved one I was able to completely redo (probably because people forgot an evolved version existed) was Lunar Lander.
Funny to see the burn-in on the Asteroids...
Thanks again, wanted to try and add little touches like that as much as possible.
Marty
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It appears standard windows shortcut keys work on these games. So to get "fullscreen" simply press alt+space then x
Note that it does not stretch with any form of hardware acceleration and may cause a slowdown on some computers. They were coded for standard 1024 x 768 resolution. There was not time in the project to start doing separate sprite sizes for higher resolutions because of the time schedule they had me on (which wound up being coding 1 full game a week), which would be required for doing them right in the actual Flash fullscreen mode.
Also because they are flash games, they stretch infinately. And seeing as how they are standard windows (even though they don't look it) I see no reason why a launcher app couldn't simply make the window larger than the screen so that the bezel is cropped off. The issue with centipede is fixable as well. Simply write an app that monitors the mouse position and moves the cursor back into the pad area if it goes out.
No, that's completely opposite of what it was designed for, or is a lack of understanding of how it's supposed to be used (besides the fact that Flash can't change the mouse's cursor position, only read it). There is no bug with it, you do not have to keep it in the area to work it. The pad area is a trak-ball simulator. It's in fact designed to be stroked across and played like a trak-ball, and actually has a few decay algorithms to the player depending on how you work it. The issue with having to do either keyboard or the trak-ball simulator is because Flash does not provide raw mouse input, it only provides the literal mouse pointer position on the screen. MAME and other programs coded in languages that have access to the hardware level of course don't have this issue. Having access to only mouse pointer position means you have issues with coding games like Centipede, where your player will routinely run in to objects (mushrooms) that block motion. It was not an issue with paddle games like Breakout (which by the way it's Breakout and not Super Breakout, that was a screw-up on Taco Bell's end. I actually work with Al Alcorn getting a full logic simulator going for the engine of both Breakout and an unreleased PONG). I had another version of Centipede that used a secondary cursor and line of sight chase algorithm for the player (similar to what was done as a solution for the emulated version of Crystal Castles currently up on the Atari website), but it was deemed too confusing for kids (since kids were the target audience of these games). They wanted to take mouse control out completely, and I was able to compromise with the non-intrusive trak-ball simulator that's there.
These were done in Flash because A) They wanted it cross platform. B) They wanted skill levels and related changes done for the levels (hence no emulation). C) They wanted it in a ridiculous time schedule. I wound up coding 22 hours a day seven days a week on these for 8 weeks straight. Likewise these games are not done in the usual Flash vector/timeline manner, they're all bitmap based and done completely manually in AS3 like a traditional non-flash coded game. I did not want them looking like a cheap Flash knockoff like the million and one homebrew clones you see out there.
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Can Flash games use a Gamepad/Joystick? Does Flash even support Gamepads/Joysticks or is it Mouse control only?
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Can Flash games use a Gamepad/Joystick? Does Flash even support Gamepads/Joysticks or is it Mouse control only?
Natively no, there's no joystick support. You can run joystick to keyboard mappers though, like JoyToKey:
http://www.electracode.com/4/joy2key/JoyToKey%20English%20Version.htm (http://www.electracode.com/4/joy2key/JoyToKey%20English%20Version.htm)
Marty
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Thanks Marty.
Will there ever be Joystick support in Flash?
Seems like there are more and more Flash games being released, especially Browser-Based Flash Games that could benefit from being able to just plug in your USB Gamepad/Joystick and playing as opposed to having to run a program like Joy2Key.
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Thanks Marty.
Will there ever be Joystick support in Flash?
Seems like there are more and more Flash games being released, especially Browser-Based Flash Games that could benefit from being able to just plug in your USB Gamepad/Joystick and playing as opposed to having to run a program like Joy2Key.
Probably not in the browser based plug-in. Hopefully they'll add it through Adobe Air though (Air is the technology used to take web apps and make them desktop apps).