I’ll start off by saying that this is not your average mini arcade cabinet. This Limited Edition Tempest, by Replicade, is a 12″ play-scale arcade machine, true to the original in every way, except for the ability to insert the actual coins/tokens! So, what do I think of this machine? Read on to find out more!
Who Or What Is Replicade?
Replicade is a company that makes replicas of mini classic arcade machines. Replicade is partnered with New Wave Toys, and has replicas of both Atari and Capcom authorized arcade machines.
They currently have replicas for Centipede, Tempest, Street Fighter II Champion Edition (also plays Super Street Fighter II Turbo). The Centipede version can still be found at Bestbuy.com for $135.99 as a clearance item, so act fast! Tempest and SFII can still be found on Amazon and NewWaveToys.com. By the way, definitely check out the New Wave Toys site, they’ve got some cool stuff there!
Replicade had a Kickstarter funded last year for Dragon’s Lair, which I’ll get a review up as soon as mine arrives. I hope they have many more of these replicas in the works, because if they are anything like this Tempest one, I’m going to want all of them!
Can A Replica Be Better Than An Original?
Usually, this is not the case. However, from everything I can remember from my last time playing Tempest on an arcade machine, this mini comes pretty darn close! It has all of the features of the original, except for it’s size. It’s just shy of 12″ in height and is accurate for a sixth-scale of the original machine.
This cabinet is a wood construction, has all the same controls on the control panel and a working spinner with swappable dials. It has your 1 and 2 player
buttons, as well as your fire and super zapper buttons. Like the original, both player 1 and 2 player buttons illuminate, as well as the marquee. The system even has PVC trim-molding.
The cabinet artwork is high-res quality 3M vinyl overlays and is true to the original cabinet artwork. It looks sweet. The detail goes so far as to put in a diecast metal coin door, that opens, and works as a storage for your extra spinner caps or the included tiny plastic coins/tokens (not actually usable with the system).
All The Bells And Whistles
So, how is the display, and sound? I’ll start with the sound. This unit has 1 speaker in the back, along with the volume control and the power button, as well as the port for the recharge cable. The volume control is a simple spinning dial. There is also a light to let you know when the system is charged or not, red for charging, and green for fully charged.
The system does have a built-in rechargeable battery. I believe it took about 2 hours to fully charge it, but this was through a power brick. It may charge quicker through a normal wall outlet or even via USB on your PC/Mac. One thing this unit does not come with is the unit to actually plug your recharge cord into, so you’ll need a USB port available, or a viable USB wall plug in unit.
I’ve only charged this cabinet once several nights ago. I’ve played it for an hour or more at different times, and have left it in attract mode for a few hours at different times. I’ve yet to have it run out of juice, but I am not sure how much power is left either, as there is no way, to my knowledge yet, to know your charge level.
The speaker itself is an amplified mono speaker. The sounds it emits are actually very clear, accurate to my memory and ear, as well as loud! This one speaker is all this unit needs, and easily fills the room with sound. It does not sound tinny or weak at all.
How is the display now? Well, I’ll tell you that the display is clear and sharp. It’s a hi-res screen that is optimized for the vector graphics that Tempest is famous for. The action moves on the screen very quickly and the graphics continue to look great on this display. Nothing bad I can say about it, except I wish it were a larger screen, but then to keep it’s scale accuracy, the unit would need to be larger as well. I like the size of the unit as is.
This replica also uses the official arcade ROMs, as it is also officially licensed by Atari. If left alone this replica will go into attract mode just as if it was on sitting in the arcade, grocery store, or 7-11 back in the day. The “non-volatile memory” saves the high scores. Since I’ve not run the charge completely down yet on this unit, I do not yet know if that means the high scores will remain if all charge has been used. My guess is they’d be saved still.
The Controls…How Are The Controls?
I’ll tell you, the controls for this Tempest unit work wonderfully. Even with their small size, I can control easily with the spinner and the fire and super zapper buttons. All are responsive and accurate as you would expect.
The spinner that was on the system has worked well for me, so I’ve not tried others. There are multiple sizes, as well as what appears to be extra of the same size. I like how everything works well within such a small tight space.
I mentioned earlier about the coin panel on the front of the system. Even though this panel opens, the panel door itself still has it’s uses. Both coin slots on the door light up, as in most arcade cabinets. However, on this unit, since it is too small to add coins/tokens, you can press the left coin slot to add a coin. The right coin slot is reserved for accessing the systems menu.
The system menu is pretty simple, but it allows you to switch the marquee light on and off, as well as adjusting the rotary control sensitivity. It’s nice to have these choices available to the user. To close the menu you simply press the fire button on the control panel.
My Thoughts And Impressions
As you can probably already tell, I loved this little system from the moment I unboxed it and began playing. Tempest is always a game I was drawn to, but was never really good at. I was 10 years old when it came out in 1981, and it was not a really common game you’d see compared to others like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or even Asteroids. Any time I saw a cabinet, if I didn’t have a quarter, I’d ask my mother or father for one, sometimes I got one, sometimes I didn’t.
Everything about Tempest by Replicade screams quality build. The size is perfect for a desk or shelf. Everything is spot-on accurate and works wonderfully. For me, this was definitely worth the purchase and I’ll be looking forward to the Dragon’s Lair unit that hopefully will be coming sooner than later, but with the state of the COVID-19 virus right now, I’m sure it will be delayed a while.
Is this the right purchase for you? Of course, it all depends on your hobbies, and nostalgia factor, or even your income. This is not cheap, $119.99 at Amazon as of this writing, and on-sale at the Replicade official site for $99, but I will warn you, at the official site, they are on a clearance to make room for new merchandise coming out. As I mentioned, these units are a Limited Edition, so once they are gone they are gone. It’s my hope some of the new merch arriving will be more versions of the Replicade 12″ Arcade Units.
If you can afford the cost, I’d definitely say to get yourself one! I think they are awesome, and they make a nice conversation starter, not to mention fun. Looks like I won’t be needing those quarters anymore to play.
As always, if you have questions, comments, or just want to share any experiences you’ve had with Tempest, this actual unit, or arcade gaming in general, leave them below! Thanks for reading!
Note: I’ve included links on several items here. Amazon links if you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. However, the Best Buy Centipede Link, And The NewWaveToys links are simply for your ease of checking the items on those sites. Regardless of which links you click and possibly purchase from, I just want to get word of these awesome products out there, because they are great products!