Windows Phone Thoughts: Going Back In Time With PocketCultMAME

Since the early days of Windows Mobile, many developers have tried to recreate the good ol' days of coin-operated games on our devices, but few gave that true sense of nostalgia, or even improved on the original. Yes, there were a few underground attempts in making good emulators of games from extracted ROMs, but development became spotty, even for programs like MorphGear. Some big name companies even jumped in to cash in on the idea, such as Atari Retro and the Namco Pocket Editions, though they were sometimes more costly than titles that were generations ahead of their time.



Luckily, someone had the brains and time to take it up a notch. Manuel Castrillo Martínez of PocketCult was very gracious enough to send me an advanced copy of PocketCultMAME 0.4a, a new Pocket PC port of the infamous Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) code. Though his site is under renovation, this new version, full of enhancements and configurable options, should be available within the next day or so. I have tested it with a number of games, many of which are very playable and all-too enjoyable all over again. Of course, the legality of using extracted ROMs for use in emulators is a grey area in many parts of the world, so proceed at your own risk. And, don't blame me if you inadvertently pop a quarter in your device's SD slot. ;) Which old coin-op game have you been aching to play on your Pocket PC?