Surprisingly cool find at... BIG LOTS?!?

[The32xMemorial]

Yes, indeed, I was at Big Lots yesterday, and I found something that looked like total shit that actually turned out to be pretty cool. :o

It's a video game console in the shape of a controller, very much like those Korean pirate NES systems that contain 70 variations of 15 NES games and come in a cheaply-made casing made to look like an N64 or Dreamcast controller. This thing is called a TV PLAY POWER and the casing is inspired by several controllers such as those that came with the DC, N64, and Genesis.

It appears to be a completely legal product as none of the games have appeared on any console as far as I know. :?:

I wasn't expecting much... the pictures on the back of the box only showed the title screens for each of the 11 available games, and no gameplay screens (never a good sign.) Each of the games is described in text on the back, and the grammar is AWFUL. :roll:

Then I plugged the damn thing in and was pleasantly surprised. The controller itself and the buttons seem to be of reasonable quality, not the pirate crap that you see so often. And the games are surprisingly good! Nearly everything is a clone of of a well-known game, and they are very good clones, some with additions.The graphics are very NES in quality... I wouldn't be surprised if it's an NES CPU in there somewhere.

The best title was a "submarine" game that was Galaga all the way. Same music, same levels, same backgrounds, same wave that grabs your ship, everything.

There are also very respectable clones of Bump & Jump, Space Invaders, Micro Machines, and Columns. A couple of other racers, too.The Bump & Jump game presented speedboats instead of cars, but at the end of each level it would tell you how many "cars" you destroyed, suggesting that it might actually have been the NES game with new visuals. Most of the games use the original arcade or NES fonts. There's an interesting variation on the Frogger theme, as well as a clone of a game that appeared on the NES (featuring balloon riders) that was itself a clone of the original Joust. So here we have a clone of a clone! :!:

Anyway, I ended up playing the damn thing for hours. Not bad for $13! I recommend everyone who's a fan of classic games to pick it up... I imagine its available nationwide and not just in Atlanta. :D

[ashbourn]

where u get it and what it called???

[Captain Wrong]

Anyway you can put up some pictures? I've never heard of this one and I'd love to see it.


Nifty find!

[The Young Game Collector]

They sell those on tv here. They have psx, dc, and n64 version. 19.95

[scooterb23]

Thanks for the heads up...I saw a sh-load of those at a regional Big Lots, looked interesting, but for $15 at the time I wasn't buying (especially since I only had $1.46 with me at the time).

[moycon]

Which Big Lots did you get this from? I was at one on Highway 92 a few days ago but didn't come across anything like this. I'd like to check it out.

[The32xMemorial]

I got it at the Big Lots in Buckhead... next to the REALLY bad K-Mart at Lindberg Center near GA 400. At least 20 of them at the front of the store.

[Arcade Antics]

You've seen those "controller/game console all in one units", haven't you? Remember the last time you ventured to the local flea market and saw Super Mario Bros. being played with an N64 controller? But then it turned out that it wasn't an N64 controller at all? Instead, it's a knockoff N64 controller with anywhere between 100 and 10,000 "different" games hidden away in its innards. More often than not, these Taiwanese ripoff "consoles" merely repackage bootleg NES roms.

The TV Power Play is no exception.

Also known as the "Handy Boy" according to the screen when the unit is turned on, TVPP contains eleven allegedly different games (10 games + 1 bonus game! screams the package) most, if not all of which appear to be graphics hacks of existing NES carts. In reality, there are only ten different games: GP Race and Racing Pioneer are hacks of the same NES game. The unit could easily pass for a cheap third party PC or Dreamcast controller, and is powered by four AA batteries. An equally cheap, eight-foot long A/V cord is packaged with the unit and connects to the A/V ports on the TV.

So what games are included? Balloon Boy 2, Big Racing, Block Shock, GP Race, Jewel Master, Jump Car, Omega Zone, Race One, Racing Pioneer, Space Castle, and finally, Ultra Doggy. Ultra Doggy is identified as the "bonus game." And now the part you've ALL been waiting for... a rundown of game descriptions.

Balloon Boy2 is simply a graphics hack of Nintendo's own Balloon Fight.

Big Racing is a candidate for the "might NOT be a hack of an NES game" award. However, even if it is an "original," the game is clearly trying to be a strictly top down (as opposed to isometric) version of RC Pro Am. In this one, DJ Jungle lifted the opening sounds of RC Pro Am, but slowed them down in a clever attempt to fool the consumer. Way to go!

Block Shot is another NES graphics hack. This time, "DJ Jungle" has hacked Taito's Arkanoid cart for the NES.

Jewel Master is a Columns clone.

Jump Car is a graphics hack of the NES version of Bump N Jump. Except here, DJ Jungle has transformed everything into a river/boat setting where you jump over land. So, someone remind me, why's the game called "Jump Car"?

Omega Zone is a graphics hack of the NES version of Galaga. DJ Jungle has turned everyone's favorite outer space shooter into a submarine (the Galaga ship) vs. octopus (enemy ships) battle.

Race One is another potential "non-hack" game. It wants to be a futuristic racing game, but doesn't even make it to the dizzying heights of 2600 Night Driver. Technical note: this game is the only one that requires the player to use the "analog stick" (it's not really an analog stick, but for lack of a better descriptive term) portion of the controller.

Racing Pioneer AND GP Race are BOTH (possibly - can anyone confirm?) hacks of the NES version of Rally Bike. In Pioneer, you drive a car, and in GP, you control a motorcycle. Who is DJ Jungle trying to fool?

Space Castle appears to not be a hack of a preexisting NES title, but is instead an extraordinarily poor Space Invaders clone. Too slow, and way too lame.

Ultra Doggy is a bad Frogger ripoff that may or may not be a graphics hack of an existing NES game. Based on the fact that all or nearly all of the other games ARE hacks, I'd bet that this one is too. Slow pacing and bad control wreck this one, kids. And by all means, if Ultra Doggy, Race One and Big Racing ARE hacks of existing NES games, please let us know!

Is the thing a complete waste of time? Almost. It's not like you wouldn't expect this kind of sillyness from a sweatshop game manufacturer. And if you dig Balloon Fight, Arkanoid and Galaga and have absolutely no other means of playing the original games, this little unit might work just fine. Until it breaks, which judging by the craftsmanship, might be sooner than you think.

Recommended or curiosity/oddity purposes only!

[The32xMemorial]

Thanks for expanding on what I originally said. :roll:

I stand by my original opinion... it was a surprising cool find for BIG LOTS (a fairly large chain, not some flea market) and it's a blast for $12.

[Arcade Antics]

Thanks for expanding on what I originally said. :roll:

No problem. I thought all the hacks were worth mentioning, especially since you didn't bring them up. You mentioned clones, but a hack isn't a clone, it's a hack. :P

I just wanted to elaborate a bit so that people didn't get their hopes up *too* much. I mean, the thing's *okay* but not great. Considering that the other ripoff controllers can be picked up at flea markets for $20 and have many more games, this one doesn't really have much to offer :wink: