Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man - Longplay

Note that there is some hissy static noise in the background for most silent parts in the video, there are some instances of flickering video, and the audio is really quiet. I couldn't do much about that last part, and the first two could be really disorienting and bothersome to those who watch this. My recording setup isn't the best for these things, and plus this device is many years old and has laid mostly dormant for a VERY long time. I'm honestly surprised it held up through this whole thing.

If you were a kid in the mid-late 2000s, the concept of "Plug it in and Play" consoles was probably known of to you. Various companies, one of the most notable ones being Jakks Pacific, would release several of these types of consoles that require 4 AA batteries, and from there can just be plugged into your TV, turned on, and played. It's a unique sort of spin on the idea of consoles, as everything is basically built into the controller itself. This was likely the kind of console your parents or grandparents might've gotten you if they wanted to get you a video game but didn't want too much of a hassle; they're usually pretty cheap.

And when you actually play on one of them, it's easy to see why. They output in very cheap, low quality Composite video, and the game quality is... well, not the greatest. Usually the games themselves are at best interesting and at worst total cashgrabs. These things are really meant for children.

Namco seemed to enjoy these devices, though, as they made several compilations of their classic arcade titles for them. The Pac-Man 5-in-1 and Ms. Pac-Man 5-in-1 are probably two of the most familiar to you, but the last one known to be released from Jakks Pacific was this one, the ultimate Namco Plug 'n Play collection: The Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man. (There's actually a Retro Arcade Featuring Space Invaders console with a similar controller design, but for Taito games.)

The design of the console is pretty sick. It looks very similar to an arcade machine's controller, and even has a coin slot for the power button that lights up when turned on. I also like the main menu, and how it changes color over time. As for the games themselves... there are 12 of them:
0:00:00 - Bootup
0:00:46 - Pac-Man (1980)
0:08:58 - Pac-Man Plus (1982)
0:14:05 - Super Pac-Man (1982)
0:23:57 - Pac & Pal (1983)
0:34:18 - Mappy (1983)
0:43:23 - Dig Dug (1982)
0:50:40 - Pole Position (1982)
0:53:58 - Bosconian (1981)
1:11:54 - Xevious (1982)
1:18:28 - Galaxian (1979)
1:22:41 - Galaga (1981)
1:32:54 - New Rally-X (1981)

This is essentially a combination of games from the Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Super Pac-Man Plug 'n Plays, with Ms. Pac-Man removed (this was after the lawsuit between Namco and GCC was settled, more on that here:    • The Disappearance of Ms. Pac-Man  )

I used to dog on the inaccuracies within each of the games here (for a full list of ones I have spotted and a comparison to the Pac-Man Connect and Play, read this: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z..., but it's worth noting that these are ports, not emulations. When you look at the original Pac-Man 5-in-1, the quality of these ports is actually insanely impressive, given the limitations of the hardware and sound chips provided (for God's sake, they were able to get the voice-overs for Bosconian!). Most games run fairly well and sound alright (Bosconian and Xevious definitely got the brunt in terms of sound, though), though Xevious has an odd bug where the ground-based enemy patterns from stage 1 loop indefinitely for every stage. Dig Dug also has some weird sound glitches that can occur under specific conditions. Overall, the games aren't perfect, but Namco and Jakks Pacific certainly came a long way since their first Plug 'n Play compilations.

The controls aren't that great. The joystick is 4-way, which is really bad for Bosconian and Xevious. Pole Position requires twisting the control stick instead of turning it; don't ask me why. The buttons are okay, except I'm right-handed and the buttons are on the left side of the controller, meaning I have a difficult time mashing them.

I will say I think the selection of games is nice, and this does make for a great novelty item or a gift for your children. Outside of that, you'll probably want to invest in other compilations. Hell, there's even another Plug 'n Play Bandai Namco released just a few years after this one (that will be for a future video) where the emulation quality is much better, and that's more worth your while.

BTW, holy SHIT that was probably my best game of Bosconian ever.

Recorded using the original Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man Plug 'n Play console.