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Amstrad CPC6128 Keyboard |
Amstrad CPC6128+ |
Last update :- 10th November, 2008
In the context of this site, an emulator is a program that can faithfully reproduce an older computer or games console using a PC. Typing the word "emulator" into the popular Google search engine returns over 1.5 million results so you can see it's quite a popular pastime with a lot of PC gamers.
The reason a lot of gamers use emulators is because it allows them to return to the days when they used the older computers and consoles and play the classic games they used to love. For this reason the emulation scene is often referred to as# "retro-gaming". It also allows younger people who never owned such machines to see something of the history of computer gaming and how it's evolved.
If you're new to the emulation scene a good place to start is ClassicGaming, and in particular their newbie guide. Another good reference site is Emulator Zone, which gives you access to a lot of popular emulators for different systems. Games for use with the emulators are usually referred to as ROMs.
Here I will introduce you to the systems that bring back memories for me and the emulators I use to recapture those memories. The machines in question are the Amstrad CPC, Sega Megadrive (or Genesis in the US), Nintendo 64 and arcade machines you see in pubs, clubs and gaming centres.
Amstrad introduced their CPC (Colour Personal Computer) range in 1985 with the CPC464, to be followed by the CPC664, CPC6128, CPC464+ and CPC6128+. They were all based upon the following specifications :-
The competition at the time was stiff from the Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore C64 and BBC Micro to name a few. It stood up well against the first two as a games machine and was on a par with the BBC for small business purposes and expansion capability. Click on one of the thumbnails below to see a larger picture.
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Amstrad CPC6128 Keyboard |
Amstrad CPC6128+ |
PC emulators breathed new life into computers like this because of the ability to load and save games quickly from a PC's hard drive. Originally you had to load and save from cassette tape (slow and unreliable) or floppy disc (quicker but with limited storage space). In a lot of cases you didn't have the option to save a game in progress.
Some of my favourite games (of which there aren't PC equivalents except via emulators) are Switchblade, Super Cars, Alien 8, Starion and Alien Highway. The vast majority of original games programmers and publishers have given their permission for the software to be releashed into the public domain, including Amstrad who released the system ROMs
The emulator I use for the Amstrad CPC is WinAPE32.
(Note - Richard was famous in the CPC world for writing the ParaDOS CPC disk operation system)
Pros:
WinAPE32
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| CPC128 Main Screen |
Switchblade (Disk) |
Batman The Movie (Cartridge) |
New 16-bit consoles heralded the demise of the 8-bit computers such as the CPC and their console equivalents such as the Sega Master System (SMS) and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Of the two main choices, I chose the Sega Megadrive (Genesis in the US) released in 1989 ahead of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
The console had the following specifications :-
Clicking on the thumbnails below to see a larger version.
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Sega Megadrive/Genesis |
Sega Megadrive/Genesis II |
My favourite games on the Megadrive were Aladdin, Cool Spot, PGA Tour Golf II, Flashback and Robocop vs Terminator.
The emulator I use is Gens which has the following features:
The compatibility of Gens is very good :
All screenshots were taken using the Gens emulator.
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| Aladdin | Cool Spot | Flashback | PGA Tour Golf II | Robocop vs Terminator |
http://gens.consolemul.com/ - Gens emulator home page
http://www.genesisproject-online.com/ - The Genesis Project - includes tips, manuals, walkthroughs and game guides
Nintendo released their N64 64-bit games console in 1996 to jump ahead (technology wise) of the 32-bit Sega Saturn and very successful Sony PlayStation.
The console had the following specifications :-
Clicking on the thumbnail below to see a larger version.
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Nintendo N64 Console |
The emulator I use for the N64 is Project 64 (which supports ~80% of games). I prefer Project 64 mainly for it's greater compatibilty.
Project 64
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| Project 64 Menu Screen |
Mario Kart 64 |
If you're into gaming in any way it probably started as a result of visiting video game arcades or playing games in local pubs and clubs. They're still going strong, consuming many a 10p piece (or what ever currency you may use). The only problem is that unless you were good you spent a lot of money and couldn't save your progress. Emulators change all that - using virtual coins and allowing you to save game states to your hard drive.
Clicking on the thumbnails below to see larger versions.
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Gorf (stand-up) |
PacGal (table) |
My own favourite games (because I was good and your money went a long way) were Track & Field, Zaxxon, Xevious and Gaunlet.
The king of all arcade emulators is MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) and I use the Windows 32bit version - Mame32. This supports over 3000 games as recent as the year 2000. Although I still use Mame32 it has now been replaced by MameUI)
All screenshots were taken using the Mame32 emulator.
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| Mame32 | Track & Field | Zaxxon | Xevious | Guantlet |
