Posted by ChrisDFW on 3, 2001 at 1:49 PM:
In Reply to: Definition of a classic posted by saint on 3, 2001 at 11:31 AM:
If you do not do anything that cannot be un-done then I wouldn't see anything wrong with Mameing anything. Also, if a cabinet has already been damaged or painted over to a point where the original artwork is beyond 'touch up' type restoration, then I wouldn't worry about preserving Artwork unless that is easily done. For example, if I had a Pac-Man cabinet that was left outside for years and the paint had faded to where I wouldn't be able to do anything accept completely repaint it, then I could paint it however I like. As long as I didn't do anything to hurt the structure of the cabinet, or any of its salvageable parts, then it could still be restored with the same amount of trouble even if I didn't MAME it.
I think in the debate of what is a classic and what isn't, that would be like saying what would be considered a great Movie of the 70's and 80's. It is difficult to say because unless you quantify arcade games by rarity or popularity or age then there will be more classics than not. The only cabinets before 1983 that I could see not being classics would be cabinets that were bootlegs or cheap duplicates like Krazy Kong or Puk Man. I am going to be Mameing a Xenophobe and Gauntlet that were both painted over and had their control panels destroyed and then turned into lame games. I won't be doing anything worse to them then has already been done. May they rest in peace and be prepared to be reborn into the world of Mame.