Videopac Collection 1 is a set of 10 video games from the 2nd generation. It's nice to see that in 2024 I could get some rarely covered Philips Videopac games for my Steam library. Compared to today's titles, these retro games have a short playtime, but sometimes it is nice to appreciate their simplicity and how their design was adjusted to the technology of their time. The Philips consoles (G7000 and G7400) had many more games, and some titles like Alpine Skiing!, Cosmic Conflict, Monkeyshines!, Pickaxe Pete, Race/Spinout are missing from Collection 1, so I hope that one day we'll see a Collection 2.

Collection 1 opens the emulator in a window, and you can choose the game from a menu. Games load instantly and run smoothly as expected. You can press Esc anytime to pause the game and view options. The keyboard remapping menu lists all buttons, including letter keys from the G7000's keyboard, which means you can type text, such as your name in '4 in 1 Row'.

Here's how the devs can make a collection like this more interesting:
Create a custom menu that features box art or sceenshot/gameplay animation for each game for easier preview
Include simple intructions or the manuals for each game so that we get more explanation for on-screen events
Show the most important buttons' mapping on an overlay during gameplay for first-time players
Create Steam achievements and monitor the games' score or winning state so that players have a reason to come back to each title and try to beat them
Release another collection and put it in a bundle with the first one

As I'm writing this review, it's been 14 months since Collection 1 got released, and I don't know if or when another compilation of retro titles like this will see the light of day. I hope that Philips keeps contributing to the preservation of video games by making them available from their former platforms.

For Steam users, I would recommend this collection if you love retro games and want to play games you will find nowhere else. If you want to play retro titles but don't like games in the trailer, e.g. because you are looking for something more complex, then you should probably look for games that are one or two generations higher, or maybe check out some CD-i games from the developer.

Videopac Collection 1 is a set of 10 video games from the 2nd generation. It's nice to see that in 2024 I could get some rarely covered Philips Videopac games for my Steam library. Compared to today's titles, these retro games have a short playtime, but sometimes it is nice to appreciate their simplicity and how their design was adjusted to the technology of their time. The Philips consoles (G7000 and G7400) had many more games, and some titles like Alpine Skiing!, Cosmic Conflict, Monkeyshines!, Pickaxe Pete, Race/Spinout are missing from Collection 1, so I hope that one day we'll see a Collection 2. Collection 1 opens the emulator in a window, and you can choose the game from a menu. Games load instantly and run smoothly as expected. You can press Esc anytime to pause the game and view options. The keyboard remapping menu lists all buttons, including letter keys from the G7000's keyboard, which means you can type text, such as your name in '4 in 1 Row'. Here's how the devs can make a collection like this more interesting: Create a custom menu that features box art or sceenshot/gameplay animation for each game for easier preview Include simple intructions or the manuals for each game so that we get more explanation for on-screen events Show the most important buttons' mapping on an overlay during gameplay for first-time players Create Steam achievements and monitor the games' score or winning state so that players have a reason to come back to each title and try to beat them Release another collection and put it in a bundle with the first one As I'm writing this review, it's been 14 months since Collection 1 got released, and I don't know if or when another compilation of retro titles like this will see the light of day. I hope that Philips keeps contributing to the preservation of video games by making them available from their former platforms. For Steam users, I would recommend this collection if you love retro games and want to play games you will find nowhere else. If you want to play retro titles but don't like games in the trailer, e.g. because you are looking for something more complex, then you should probably look for games that are one or two generations higher, or maybe check out some CD-i games from the developer.