What games to sideload on the A500 Mini? Here's my list:

[MikeB]

The reviews of the A500 Mini have generally been positive. Although I find the included games a little of a mixed bag and prefer a joystick for most games. However games including Qwak, Speedball 2 and the Chaos Engine I really wanted for their 2 player gaming modes! I thought it would be cool to make a list of games known to work well and which games have aged well. I tried to carefully make a list of good games which already run flawlessly on the A500 Mini. I tried to select my own 25 games which do not need USB or onscreen keyboards. Here's my list, what are your top games on the Amiga and how do they run at this point?

1)) Super Stardust (A1200, works very well with a Gamepad)
2) Superfrog (A500)
3) Turrican 2 (A500)
4) Deluxe Pacman (A1200 version, works very well with a GamePad, Freeware)
5) Ruff 'n Tumble (A500)
6) DynaBlaster (A500, works very well with GamePad)
7) Lemmings (A500, supports GamePad as second controller)
8) Mr. Nutz Hoppin' Mad (A500)
9) Battle Squadron (A500, works well with GamePad)
10) Pang (A500, works well with GamePad)
11) Adam's Family (A500)
12) Rodland (A500, works well with GamePad)
13) Legends (A1200, works well with GamePad)
14) Desert Strike (A500)
15) The Settlers (A500, supports GamePad as second controller)
16) Golden Axe (A500)
17) James Pond 2: Robocod (A1200 version)
18) The Lost Vikings (CD32 version because of better GamePad config, but it's a A500 game, it's identical)
19) Rick Dangerous 2 (A500)
20) Mega lo Mania (A500)
21) Silkworm (A500, works well with GamePad)
22) Turrican (A500)
23) Traps 'n' Treasures (A500)
24) Apidya (A500)
25) Speris Legacy (A1200, works well with GamePad)

[Retro1234]

Bubble and Squeak
Jim Power
Lionheart

Gods obviously.

[gimbal]

The games I am definitely going to sideload right away are:

- Dynamite Dux
- Silkworm
- Deluxe Galaga
- Dynablaster
- Bug Bomber
- Gods
- Deep Core
- Brutal Sports Football (A1200)
- Lotus 2
- Super Monaco GP
- Blues Brothers (this game should have been on it instead of Titus...)
- Ishido
- Puzznic
- Plotting
- Logical
- Putty Squad
- Super Skweek
- Baby Jo
- Chuck Rock
- Wrath of the Demon
- Crack Down
- Wonderboy in Monsterland
- Obitus
- Moonshine Racers

The latter five are not exactly prize winners but I'm putting them to relive some nostalgic moments with my family

I would put Wizzy's Quest because my parents loved the game, but there doesn't seem to be a WHDLoad install of it yet

[BigD]

@MikeB

Are you saying that the 2-player mouse games i.e. The Settlers and Lemmings work with 2 USB mice on THE A500 Mini? That's awesome if true!

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by BigD

@MikeB

Are you saying that the 2-player mouse games i.e. The Settlers and Lemmings work with 2 USB mice on THE A500 Mini? That's awesome if true!

I changed it to "supports GamePad as second controller". I managed to get the GamePad to work as secondary controller in both Lemmings and The Settlers.

It doesn't always work and the exact procedure has to be investigated, but when it works it works well.

I just tried a PC mouse as secondary controller. It worked but both mice operated in the same screen simultaneously...

[Zak]

Out of my head, games that haven't been mentioned yet:

Beachvolley
Hard 'n' Heavy
Marble Madness
Total Football
Zak McKracken

[MikeB]

@ Retro1234

Bubble and Squeak (A1200) and Gods (A500) work well on the A500 mini. Nice games indeed.

@ Gimbal

I just tested Lotus 2 (A500) and works well.

> - Baby Jo

Made me think about BC Kid (A500). It works well on the mini, a good conversion by Factor 5 of "Bonk's Adventure".

[MikeB]

I also tested Beneath a Steel Sky (A500), Cruise for a Corpse (A500) and Kings Quest VI (A500). They worked hassle free as far as I can tell. Nice games.

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by MikeB

@ Gimbal

I just tested Lotus 2 (A500) and works well.

Most games do from what I've seen in Youtube videos. Some games run too fast; there is a workaround for that, hopefully at some point it is built into the device software to allow you to override this setting:

[ Show youtube player ]

[Retro1234]

I wonder how many people just getting the mini for nostalgia will play Gods because a number of people back in the day had the bad crack harder version and were put off.

[MikeB]

OK, I got the GamePad to work again in the 2 player mode of Lemmings. I deleted the UAE config file that was created by the A500 Mini when I tried out the PC mouse. It seems to work by default now.

As for The Settlers, how I got the GamePad to work needs some more tinkering... When I get it up and running I will create a savestate just in case!

I also added Out to Lunch (using CD32 version to bypass keyboards), Toki (A500), Bill's Tomato game (A500) and Naughty Ones (A1200 version) to the system. They work fine and are some nice games.

[Anubis]

Point and click adventures are best played on ScummVM, not mini or real computers. (due to all fixes and ability to play enhanced games)

Few months ago I replayed Maniac Mansion.

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by Retro1234

I wonder how many people just getting the mini for nostalgia will play Gods because a number of people back in the day had the bad crack harder version and were put off.

Well I played and completed the PC version meanwhile but yeah, I know what you mean I'll be glad to give the Amiga version another whirl laying on the couch.

Heck... I might finally plant a monitor in the bedroom actually.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Point and click adventures are best played on ScummVM, not mini or real computers. (due to all fixes and ability to play enhanced games)

Few months ago I replayed Maniac Mansion.

You're right!

But I think the Goblins games are exceptions. I didn't see them listed on the ScummVM games list.

Gobliiins (A500) and Gobliins 2(A500) both seem to run well, but do require the virtual keyboard to skip the intros with the Esc key. Good games IMO.

Goblins 3 (A500) crashed for me and took me back to the carousel...

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by MikeB

But I think the Goblins games are exceptions. I didn't see them listed on the ScummVM games list.

Uh, guess which trio is prominently figured at the top of the page when you go to the compatibility list

https://www.scummvm.org/compatibility/

[Jayenkai]

"sideload" *shudders*
A horribly modern term for what should be just inserting a disk. Booo, hiss, etc.

Trex Warrior, Benefactor, Hydrozone, Shufflepuck Cafe, Super Obliterator

[gimbal]

No, it's pretty apt. You load them through an external means, a USB stick in this case. There are many terrible modern terms, sideloading is definitely not one of them.

[Jayenkai]

Hmmm.
Then I guess I should've been calling it sideloading since the days when I literally loaded an external disk into the side of my Amiga...

Nobody called it that.

Games like Putty Squad, Sleepwalker, Sensible Golf, Wiz'n'Liz, Battle Chess and more were simply just loaded, or for those who could afford a harddrive, were installed.

[S0ulA55a551n]

Originally Posted by MikeB

You're right!

But I think the Goblins games are exceptions. I didn't see them listed on the ScummVM games list.

Gobliiins (A500) and Gobliins 2(A500) both seem to run well, but do require the virtual keyboard to skip the intros with the Esc key. Good games IMO.

Goblins 3 (A500) crashed for me and took me back to the carousel...

Can't you just assign the ESC key to a unused gamepad key or as a second function gamepad key press

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Point and click adventures are best played on ScummVM, not mini or real computers. (due to all fixes and ability to play enhanced games)

Few months ago I replayed Maniac Mansion.

Good news! Team Pandory has RetroArch and ScummVM running natively on the A500 mini:
[ Show youtube player ]

They support both mouse and GamePad, so soon it could be a good option!

With RetroArch I guess I will be adding Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Ecco the Dolphin as well as Nintendo's Super Mario World and F-Zero to the console. They play fine with a GamePad!



@ S0ulA55a551n

Yes you can. But the games listed above are all hassle free. You simply are fire button presses or mouse clicks away from playing the game. Good for beginners I think.