Arcade (MAME)
English-friendly titles in this collection: 3,281
Tested with MAME 0.270
File size (uncompressed): 195.75 GB
Format: .zip and .chd
I was a true arcade rat all throughout my youth, and some of my favorite gaming experiences happened in these magical places.
Fighting strangers on candy-red Neo Geo MVS cabinets at Aladdin's Castle. Eating tacos with my Mom at Little Mexico on top of a Pac-Man cocktail cab. Bouncing back and forth between Tetris and Ataxx at Grandma Max's truck stop. Sweating it out on the lone 4th Mix DDR machine at Towne West... It goes on and on.
I do find myself lucky to have grown up in the time where classic arcades thrived, but I was also cursed to watch them die, one by one. The bright sights, the sensory overload of sounds, even the not-so-great smells of retro arcades will always be in my heart and can not be duplicated. Arcades are currently seeing a resurgence, but they are mostly catering to the redemption machines that the little ones love. It's extremely important to carry all of these (mostly) extinct physical machines of the past into the future so the experiences they provided will never disappear!
PLEASE NOTE: This set is 100% non-merged, meaning that each game zip contains every file it needs to run, including BIOS files. The CHDs included are the only ones you need and are in folders matching their respective game zips. In other words, I've made it as easy as possible for you to simply download and run this collection with hardly any setup involved or extra items to worry about. Special import and setup instructions are in the Release Notes below.
This set only includes arcade games that are capable of running at full speed via the MAME emulator. MAME runs the vast majority of retro arcade games, but not all machines were created equal - Some games you are expecting may not be included because they require a different emulator to run. Those separate arcade sets will also be fixed up and uploaded by me at a future date.
Special items included: Unreleased titles, prototypes, CHD files, clones that altered the gameplay in major ways, games not in English that are easy enough to play without being fluent in another language, and professional hacks (only if they were dumped from actual arcade hardware).
Items removed: Non-working dumps, duplicates, prototypes of games that eventually saw a full release, homebrew titles, multipacks that included only exact games already in the set, titles that require proficiency in another language to play, clones that did nothing but change graphics or sounds, mechanical machines, casino/betting games, and screenless cabinets.
Release notes:
How to import and run: Generally, you want to unpack everything you download into one massive folder - This will give you thousands of zip files and several CHD folders within. From here, import / load only the ROMs (.zip files) into your emulator / frontend via that software's instructions. You will have the best compatibility if you use -at least- MAME 0.270, but this set should be fairly future proof, as I will come back and make (and note) updates here whenever any of the included titles change or new games are added as MAME improves.
Trouble getting a title to start? Know your MAME buttons! Some games require you to use test and service buttons the first time they boot up to proceed through an initial setup or to save options, such as F2, 9, 0, -, and =.
Memory or backup error on boot? Just restart the system.
If you have an option to import a full set or just the ROMs by themselves, just do the ROMs. This is not a "full set," because full MAME sets include a ton of things that are not games and are not actually working yet.
How to run Keyboardmania games:
1. Enter the Test Menu after receiving the battery error
2. All Factory Settings > Confirm it three times
3. Sound Options > Initialize Sound Flash > Confirm it three times
4. Wait about a minute until it is done > Exit
5. Exit / Game Mode
How to run Kollon:
1. Let the BIOS flash until you get an error message
2. Toggle the DIP Switch for BIOS FLASH to “Off”
3. Reset the system
How to run ParaPara games:
1. Enter the Test Menu
2. All Factory settings > All Factory Settings > Yes > Exec > Exit
3. Sound Flash Init > Sound Flash Init
4. Wait several seconds until it's done, then hit Exec > Exit
How to run PlayChoice 10 games:
1. Insert coin
2. Press service 4
3. Press service 3
4. Press start
How to run The Simpsons Bowling
1. Let it load until you get an error message
2. Hold F2
3. Press F3 once
4. Keep holding F2 until the game says "Eprom Initialized"
5. Let go of F2