# 2 and 4-player co-op games on MAME?



## saldog78

I'm curious if it's possible to build a MAME system to play the games i'm most interested in: those classic 2 to 4-player co-op games from the late '80s and early '90s. That's what i grew up playing and enjoying, and i'd like to know if a MAME can do these. The games i'm mostly talking about are:


TMNT (1989)












The Simpsons Game (1991)












Golden Axe (1989)












Final Fight (1989)












Any info would be greatly appreciated. What hardware would be necessary to build a MAME to play these, and most importantly, is the software available? Thanks!


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## Asgards Avenger

Yeah, MAME supports all of these games. Any sort of current system should be able to run the games that you're asking about without any problems. More current games need better hardware to get the desired level of performance. You'll need the MAME emulator, and then you'll need to find the ROMs, which are the actual game files.


That will be enough to play on the computer. The default controls are on the keyboard, but controllers (and the mouse) are supported.


Now, if you're asking about building a cabinet, decking it out with joysticks, buttons, and basically having an arcade machine in your house, then check out arcadecontrols.com (I can't post links yet) for more information.


I'm not going to get into the legalities of MAME.... the emulator is 100% legal, the ROMS are in a gray area. There are some places that sell roms, and of course, there are places that offer them for download.


There are also pre-built cabinets that usually offer a selection of games. Somebody else may have more information on that.


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## saldog78




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Asgards Avenger* /forum/post/14261661
> 
> 
> Yeah, MAME supports all of these games. Any sort of current system should be able to run the games that you're asking about without any problems. More current games need better hardware to get the desired level of performance. You'll need the MAME emulator, and then you'll need to find the ROMs, which are the actual game files.
> 
> 
> I'm not going to get into the legalities of MAME.... the emulator is 100% legal, the ROMS are in a gray area. There are some places that sell roms, and of course, there are places that offer them for download.



Thanks, those were really the two issues i was wondering about.


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## Cameron

Mame will do those great. You will love it as long as you use good controls.


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## saldog78

So if wanted to make a setup with 4 players, can i just buy two of these for example?:











( X-arcade 2-player joystick )


Can you hook two of them (or something similar) up to one computer to get 4-player controls? I haven't seen that issue mentioned anywhere. Thanks.


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## saldog78

Answered my own questions with google.


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## elmalloc

the answer is no..>I presume.


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## saldog78

Actually, you can hook two of them up to have 4-player capability. However, based on the fairly negative reviews of x-arcade hardware over at Arcade Controls Forum (just found this forum - tons of info), i'd probably avoid them and just wire up individual Happ or Ultimarc joysticks and buttons.


Here's the link to the spot where i found that you can have 2 x-arcade duals hooked up at once.


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## elmalloc

have any links or suggestions of a mame cabinet that isn't x-arcade, that i can do 4 players on for relatively cheap


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## xmenxmenxmen

If you got any okay building skills, building yourself a 4 player control panel is quite easy. All that's require is an encoder (or whatever they are called) like the Ipac or Ewiz, then a bunch of buttons and joystick. Happ are what most arcade uses.


arcadecontrol just like avs tends to bash certain stuff if it's not the best, but x-arcade are actually decent. I have one and without it, I won't have gone down the way of building my own mame cabinet. Their weak point is less than stealler button and joystick compare to the Happ counterpart. What some have done is buy it and use it until they are up to building their own, then just keep the inside and replace all the sticks and buttons.


To learn more, do head over to arcadecontrol.com as it's fully of helpful information and guide.


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## Cameron

The X Arcade is actually pretty good quality especially for the price. The buttons have a different feel. It is easy and cheap to swap them out with real ones.


Their trackball is very good on the models that have them. The joysticks are average.


I have done at least 5 dedicate MAME projects. My last one, I got lazy and put an X-Arcade on there instead. The difference between that and my happ/ultimarc/groovygamegear units is minimal.


elmalloc.

I think a cool project would be the bartop cabinet at www.mameroomdesigns.com . Just add your controller and parts and you are good to go.


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