Arcade Archives: Gee Bee

[tepidsnake]

This week's Arcade Archives release is... Gee Bee (Namco, 1978)

Arcade Archives (previous-gen consoles)

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Switch

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Arcade Archives 2 (current-gen consoles)

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Switch 2

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Xbox

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Just the one ROM for this one, so you don't get the US Gremlin variant, sorry! If you have a USB mouse, you can plug it into your console to use as a replacement for the spinner control (this feature is mentioned on every storefront but I've only tested it on the Switch release), otherwise you can adjust the speed of the paddle in the Controls Settings. Preference Settings allow players to play in either the original black and white or a simulation of the colour cellophane overlay on the cabinet to add colour (this produces colours that appear to be more accurate than MAME, at least as far as I can tell) which is explained in more detail over here.

Oh wow, we are going deep into the Arcade Archives for this one- Releasing in 1978, this is the oldest ACA rerelease, it's Namco's very first in-house developed arcade game, and it's the first of a trilogy of Breakout / pinball hybrids designed by Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani! I'm a little surprised these games haven't shown up sooner, but there is something a little amusing about all these big-hitter 3D arcade games from Namco getting the ACA treatment and then we go all the way back to their beginnings. That's what's nice about ACA, you never quite know what you're going to get in any given week! As for the game itself, it's a bat-and-ball game with some light pinball elements thrown in to spice things up, with blocks to destroy (get the ones in the side pockets for an extra ball), some NAMCO targets to light up (you can earn a double bonus this way) and a spinning bar in the middle that's actually essential to keep your ball in play- your ball will speed up once you hit it with one of your two paddles enough, so roll it through the spinner and it'll slow down briefly. This is one that's definitely iterated upon by its follow-ups (especially Cutie Q) but as well as being historically significant, this is the first time this game's been rereleased as far as I'm aware (I don't think it got any illegitimate ports like Cutie Q did as Pinball Spectacular on the VIC-20 and C64) as it wasn't even in any Namco Museum collections (although Bomb Bee and Cutie Q were). The one complaint I have with this rerelease is that unless you have a mouse, there's no real analogue control option- even using an analogue stick, you have to hold an added 'speed up' button to increase your paddle's speed, although both speeds can be adjusted in the settings and it generally works OK, I just wish I didn't have to plug in my mouse for analogue!