When it comes to faithful recreations of our favorite retro arcade games, there are a few groups out there working so that everyone can get their hands on them, with Evercade being among the best of these groups. This company’s stated mission is to design gadgets and devices to “bring back the authentic experience of buying retro video games, and explore the history of gaming”, in this sense boasting not only an entertainment angle, but also creating their products as a homage to the industry with which many of us grew up.
To this end, the company has created their Evercade VS console, along with the Evercade Handheld, with the former being a powerful miniature arcade gaming console loaded with tons of features to bring retro arcade gaming to modern standards. Meanwhile, as its name implies, the latter is the handheld version of the Evercade VS, featuring most of the same features, but playable on a pocket-sized console with a 4.3” screen and a 5-hour battery life. Further, they both have WiFi capabilities in order to download firmware updates and other new features to continuously improve their offerings. Both products are designed to give players tons of fun with playing arcade games, without breaking the bank, as the console costs only $129.99, while the handheld version can be found in bundles with several game packs for around $99.
Earlier this week, the folks at Evercade pleasantly surprised us with the announcement of two new game collections for both the VS and the handheld console: The Jaleco Arcade 1, and the Gaelco Arcade 2 collections. Both of these collections offer a variety of games from their respective companies, who had their heydays in the 70s and 80s. These collections are interesting since, according to Evercade’s own words, they focus mostly on arcade games that didn’t receive home console versions when they were at their peak. Moreover, some of these titles are considered to be the best versions of their respective games.
Here’s a brief description of each collection, as shown on Evercade’s website:
About Jaleco Arcade 1
Jaleco is one of Japan’s most famous game publishers when it comes to international recognition, especially in the United States where it operated a local office until 1993. From multiple games on 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, the publisher also made a great name for itself in arcades.
Bringing about some formative experiences for many and some great arcade-to-home conversions, this collection focuses on games that you wouldn’t see grace the home console market, whilst also bringing what many consider to be definitive versions of their favorite titles. It also brings a bit more focus on Evercade’s expanding range of shooters and multiplayer platform games.
Included in this collection are:
- Rod Land
- The Astyanax
- Saint Dragon (which some of you guessed from our teaser)
- 64th Street: A Detective Story
- E.D.F. Earth Defense Force
- Avenging Spirit
- CyBattler
- P-47: The Phantom Fighter
About Gaelco Arcade 2
It was great to see how many of you loved discovering the great titles on the first Galeco Arcade Collection. A feast of hidden treats for many and a source of great nostalgia for others, the Spanish arcade great is back with even more fun titles, many of which see their first-ever release outside of an arcade in this collection.
The collection brings two sequels, two sports titles, and a puzzle game, alongside what many consider to be Gaelco’s defining platform title. Like the collection before it, the Gaelco games are the interest of many arcade connoisseurs but have been difficult to emulate correctly due to many security measures placed within the arcade boards of the time. It’s only in the last few years that incredibly clever and passionate groups and individuals have managed to get these titles running as they would have been originally experienced and we’ve been delighted to be working with them in bringing this collection to Evercade
The six included games are:
- Big Karnak
- Maniac Square
- Squash
- TH Strikes Back: Thunder Hoop 2
- Touch and Go
- World Rally 2
These collections will be made available for pre-order on May 31, and will start shipping later in July. If you own an Evercade and want to enjoy the retro goodness of these collections, then make sure to set a reminder to notify you when these collections become available for purchase!
Thanks for reading! Here at PrimeTime Amusements, we like to keep ahead of the curve in arcade game rental and sales and pride ourselves in providing the best service in the country. If you’re looking for a game in particular, or have a few questions about the industry, feel free to give us a call at 1.800.550.0090 or to swing by at 5300 Powerline Rd. Suite 210, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 33309.