Mmmm… retro gaming.
Arcade1Up
Simpsons fans will have a cow over this one. Arcade1Up is adding The Simpsons to its lineup of retro home arcade cabinets, bringing back the game first released by Konami 30 years ago.
This remake is a bit smaller than the machine you may remember from arcades in the ’90s, but it also comes at a fraction of the cost of the real deal. The price is not yet finalized, but it’s expected to be around $600 when preorders begin July 15. Details on participating retailers will be at Arcade1Up.com. (International prices aren’t yet available, but the price converts to about £420 or AU$770.)
Arcade1Up’s remakes feature the same art design as the original machine.
Arcade1Up
Play as Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa in this button-mashing, side-scrolling quest to save Maggie from Smithers and Mr. Burns after there’s a mixup with a diamond and her pacifier. Characters beat up Mr. Burn’s goons in their own styles: Marge swings a vacuum cleaner, Bart attacks with a skateboard, Lisa flings a jump rope. And Homer, well, punches and kicks.
It’s basically Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, but in Simpsons form.
Tastemakers, the parent company behind Arcade1Up, has been in the business of remaking popular arcade machines for several years now, selling over 2 million machines with licensed titles including Street Fighter, X-Men, Atari and Pac-Man. The remakes get a few modern perks, too. The Simpsons machine will have a light-up marquee and Wi-Fi connectivity — making it possible to play online and team up with other cabinet owners.
All Arcade1Up machines feature more than one game, but the company hasn’t yet revealed what the bonus game will be for this unit. My guess? The giant trackball in the center of the controls wasn’t part of the original machine, but it could be used for The Simpsons Bowling, a game also made by Konami.
You don’t win friends with salad. But you could win friends by inviting them to play at home — or online.
Arcade1Up
The design of the frame emulates the art of the original, but measures in at roughly three quarters the size (and no actual quarters required). The included matching riser puts the unit at 57.8 inches (148cm) tall, weighing in at roughly 104 pounds. Arcade1Up’s machines do require assembly, but they’re pretty simple. I’ve put together two myself.
We’ll have to wait to play Arcade1Up’s build of The Simpsons for ourselves, however, before we can say if it’s the company’s best. machine. ever.
See all our CNET E3 2021 coverage here.