“The Technology That Changed Our Lives.”
Being a museum employee has its perks, especially if you happen to love visiting other museums. While visiting New York in late March, I took advantage of my credentials and checked out a row of museums on discount, and it just so happened that one happened to be running a “retro games exhibit.” I knew I would have to stop by the Cradle of Aviation Museum.
In addition to touring around a bunch of cool old planes and spaceship components, I found myself playing some of the vintage games on display. As luck would have it, this exhibit covered more than just “the classics,” featuring some games and consoles that you might not expect to get the usual display treatment. As a matter of fact, I recognized a few games and consoles as already being on my shortlist for content to eventually review on the site, as well as one that has received such treatment already. And then I figured, as long as I was there, I might as well document the experience for posterity’s sake.
This article will serve as a review of the games exhibit specifically, as well a catalogue of the games that were on display when I visited. Hopefully, I’ll have opportunities to visit museums across the country in the future, and I can make this sort of thing a semi-regular feature.
“From the Arcade to the Living Room.”
Now, I know that the main focus of this article has to be the games portion of the museum, but I’d be remiss not to at least briefly mention how cool the whole of the museum is. It was a rainy day when I stopped by, so I didn’t get to spend much time checking out the outdoor galleries, but all the stuff inside was super cool and packed to the gills with descriptions and history. If you happen to be an aviation enthusiast, the historic planes on display alone are worth the price of admission. For those of you who only care about the retro games exhibit, museums are really cool and you should check them out in their entirety!! But that’s enough sermonizing from me: Let’s talk video games. I counted over a hundred on display, ranging in age from 1971 to the early 2000’s. It’s enough to fill two galleries worth of floor space, and I managed to spend about three hours worth of time exploring the space before heading out.
Computer Space cabinet (Nutting Associates / Syzygy Engineering, 1971)
The theme of the exhibit is “From the Arcade to the Living Room,” and as such the gallery is laid out in something of a chronological order, beginning with an authentic 1972 Computer Space cabinet. Unfortunately, it wasn’t turned on when I went to check it out, but I’ve had experience with an original cabinet before. Immediately to the right of Computer Space begins a line of first generation games consoles, starting with none other than a Magnavox Odyssey. Panels for these older consoles are accessible in such a way that you are able to get hands on the hardware, which is important when a number of older consoles have settings on the box that may need adjustment. The accompanying vintage TV was properly calibrated, and the controllers were in good enough shape that I was able to have my ass handed to me 4-10 in a game of Tennis.
The wall continues with an Atari Home Pong console, Fairchild Channel F, and Coleco Telstar all playing variations on the Pong / Tennis formula. I had better luck with Hockey on the Fairchild, as I reckon I have a better handle on obtuse controllers than the rest of my company did. The wall continues moving into the 2nd generation with a number of classic Atari VCS/2600 games on display, which all looked to be running on authentic original hardware in solid condition. At a certain point, the wall of consoles is broken up by two more arcade cabinets: Super Breakout and Space Invaders. Fortunately, all the arcade cabinets came with custom-implemented buttons near the coin slots to effectively enable free play, giving me the opportunity to check out any game I pleased. Evidently, this is always a feature on weekdays, with playtime restrictions only in place on weekends.
Choplifter on Atari 7800 (Atari, 1988) and Outrun on Master System (Sega, 1987)
Resuming the run of second gen consoles, I got hands on with a couple more of them, before encountering an Atari 5200 that didn’t appear to be functioning. I could see a Galaxian cartridge inserted, but I couldn’t really do much to diagnose the issue. Rather than bother staff about fixing up a console I’ve already had hands on in my time, I pressed forward. Had to give the Donkey Kong arcade cabinet a go, of course. And conveniently enough, just next to it was a Colecovision running none other than that console’s conversion of Donkey Kong, serving as a nice bit of comparison. If I had the money and means, I think I would like to curate an exhibit consisting of Donkey Kong conversions and rip-offs of the era.
A couple more arcade cabinets marked the transition into the third generation of consoles, with Asteroids bringing us into the vector era of graphics and complementing a lovely little Vectrex running Scramble. At the next display, Choplifter on Atari 7800 is as fine a showcase as any for the console. And right next to that, a Sega Master System meant to be playing Out Run, but apparently also not in working order. The 5200 I can understand having issues: It was notorious for them. But I reckon I had just assumed that Master Systems were easier to maintain? (Not an area of expertise for me, admittedly)
Speaking of Sega neglect, a stand-up Hang-On cabinet on display seemed to display some signs of damage. The rubber grips on the handlebar controls seemed to be in the early stages of rot, feeling unpleasant in the hand and practically sliding off the metal on one side. At that point, I’d suggest replacing the parts rather than leaving original components to further deteriorate. Also in a more serious state of disrepair was a Pole Position II cabinet with a completely busted steering wheel, rendering the game unplayable. But perhaps the most damnable shame was the centerpiece of the whole corner: E.T. for the Atari 2600 – as running on an Atari 7800 – with a controller that was incapable of moving to the right. I was totally prepared to play through it and explain how it’s really not so bad, but the broken controller made it impossible to properly play. It’s a true shame too, since the walls are all lined with posters for the game and facts about the 1983 industry clash (which, wisely, downplay the impact of E.T. itself on said crash). I was half-tempted to go back in the gallery and swap it out for one of the other working Atari controllers on display, but I didn’t wanna make any waves.
Hang-On cabinet (Sega, 1985)
Another section I take some issue with is a four-sided pillar; containing two NES, one SNES, and an N64, all hooked up to… Widescreen displays? Every other display / television up to this point has been appropriately displayed on old 4:3 CRT TVs, so seeing low-grade Insignia-brand 16:9 LCDs here was a bit jarring to say the least. Heck, I wouldn’t even have minded if they were at least configured for 4:3 with pillarboxing, rather than rendering everything stretched to fill the screen. Furthermore, with Mario Kart on display, I would’ve expected a second controller for multiplayer. But nope: Just the one. Also, for as much as I may love Paper Mario, it hardly seems like an ideal game for pick-up-and-play display. And yet, there it was, complete with panel art which indicated to me that it was the game intended to be on display at all times in that section. Just strikes me as curious, is all.
The next section features a variety of 80’s arcade cabinets standing across from a wall of yet more NES titles, which were all functional and playable. I actually skipped right past most of the NES games since they’re well-worn territory for me — save for the Super Mario Bros. on display, which was actually meant to be running off an original Famicom unlike the rest of the Entertainment System consoles. Unfortunately, the Famicom seemed to be suffering the same affliction as the Master System and 5200 before it, as it too was not playable. Again, not so significant a loss for me personally, but a bit of a bummer and not-so-great reflection on the exhibit that Super Mario Bros. of all games wasn’t playable. The last sights to see in the first half of the gallery were several display cases worth of console peripherals and other novelties, including a first issue Nintendo Power sharing space with an NES Power Pad.
Wolfenstein 3D on Atari Jaguar (Atari / id Software, 1994)
Which brought us into the second half of the gallery: A dark hallway lit by dozens of arcade cabinets and old-school televisions hooked up to all manner of 90’s home consoles. This is probably the coolest part of the exhibit in terms of atmosphere, and maybe the most interesting assortment of games and hardware as well by my books. A veritable Galaga expert in my group immediately took to a cabinet and began a game that lasted 30 minutes on a single credit, which conveniently gave me time to take all the photos and catalogue all the games I needed to.
It’s a good thing they take as long as they do, because I had to stop what I was doing the moment I saw a pair of Atari Jaguars on display running Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. I was kind of surprised not to see Alien vs. Predator, especially considering that the panel art behind the console running Wolfenstein 3D was, in fact, a screenshot of an Xenomorph. Personally, I kind of hoped for a chance to play Club Drivin’, but I reckon I will get that opportunity at some point in the future of this website. Next to the Atari Jaguars were another pair of consoles I never expected to see enshrined anywhere: A Philips CD-i and Panasonic 3DO. Later, I would take the opportunity to try out Escape from CyberCity on the CD-i: A truly awful title that requires split-second precision shooting on a controller completely ill-equipped for the task, playing footage from the 1970’s Galaxy Express 999 anime and trying to pass it off as if it was somehow animated with a rail shooter in mind. It does feature the funniest Game Over screen I’ve ever seen in my life, though. Maybe I’ll get an excuse to write more about it when discussing the Philips CD-i further in a future article…
(As a bit of a side note here: When we walked into the gallery initially, this row of consoles and televisions weren’t powered on. As it turned out, there was a visible power strip that had been switched off, which I did take it upon myself to flip back on. I mean, I guess I kind of assumed it would be okay of me to do? I really hope that was okay of me to do!)
WWF Superstars cabinet Technōs Japan, 1989)
Also interesting to see on display were Sega Genesis systems, complete with 32X and CD peripherals. More interestingly though were the cartridges inside: “Everdrive” carts containing the entire Genesis libraries on them! I couldn’t help myself from resetting the console, navigating the directory, and loading up an old favorite of mine: Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino’s Butt! Nah, just kidding: I played some Splatterhouse 2. Hey, it was fair game! They had a Turbografx 16 running the first Splatterhouse just a few feet away. Of course, I had to give that game some of my precious time and attention, since I sure do love me some Splatterhouse.
As a whole, the second gallery seemed to have more of a focus on competitive multiplayer games, particularly a slew of fighting games on both console and cabinet. I managed to go even in two matches of Super Smash Bros., get whooped in Soul Edge and Tekken 2, and completely dominate in Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition and Darkstalkers 3. That Darkstalkers game, by the way, was given possibly the star treatment of the gallery; playing on a PlayStation hooked up to a big ol’ television with a comfy sofa to sit on while playing. Whoever organized the exhibit clearly has a thing for Morrigan Aensland. Odd choice of game aside, it made for a nice little endcap to the gallery, and for the exhibit as a whole. Of course, we couldn’t leave until I got a couple matches of WWF Superstars in, which wouldn’t you know it, had a busted joystick for player two that made moving upward incredibly difficult. Sort of a sour note to end on, but at least Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Big Boss Man got the victory they deserve over Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior.
I mean, in fairness, so do I.
Retro In Retrospect
All in all, I’d say the exhibit succeeds in giving visitors a crash course in the early years of gaming. For someone like myself who is, let’s say, a little more knowledgeable in matters of games history, it didn’t necessarily provide much I hadn’t seen or played before. Sure, I can’t honestly say I’ve ever had my hands on a Fairchild Channel F or Coleco Telstar before, and there were maybe a couple games I had actually never heard of before (like Atari’s Kangaroo arcade cabinet) — but then again, I’m not really an example of a “typical visitor” to begin with. And as it stands, it’s always nice to revisit some of the rarer pieces of older hardware, regardless of whether or not I’ve already had hands on them before. I can see someone with less of a background in games history getting a lot more out of this exhibit than I did, and learning more than a thing or two they may not have already known. For folk who already have an invested interest in games preservation though, it may feel like a tad bit of a retread in spots.
More pointed criticisms I have to make are of the condition and functionality of some of the games as mentioned earlier. I know maintaining and preserving this stuff isn’t always easy, but it’s sort of our duty as museum employees to try and do so, isn’t it? Also, I understand that the focus was “from the arcade to the living room,” but the complete lack of handheld / portable games still struck me as sort of odd? Also, some of the choices for games on display just sort of struck me as odd as well. Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis are fine games and all, but I’m not really sure they fit in so well between arcade cabinets and other games that are easier to pick-up-and-play.
That being said, I did appreciate just how eclectic the range of games and consoles was, putting not just the most well-known and successful consoles on display with the popular games most casual folk already know. Also cool to see were a Castlevania ROM hack running off of a cartridge and the homebrew Sega Dreamcast title Sturmwind Duranik, used to showcase the scene around indie developers continuing to create content for older hardware. Whoever had hands on curating the exhibit certainly have a passion for the history of the industry, which I respect and appreciate. If you do decide to check the museum / exhibit out for yourself, I’d definitely recommend coming in on a weekday where the arcade games are set up for free play, and clear a few hours off your schedule so you can afford to sink some time into any game that might grab your attention.
For more information on the Cradle of Aviation and the “From the Arcade to the Living Room” exhibit, check out their official website.
