The Commodore 64 was an incredibly successful piece of hardware in the early 80s, with applications for office, development and even gaming. Retro game fans looking for ways to replay those games should check out the Internet Archive, which hosts several pieces of emulation software on its website and is capable of running old arcade games right in your web browser.
The latest addition to the database is a Commodore 64 section using the VICE emulator. Without the need for any special tools or additional software downloads, you have access to a library of over 8,800 Commodore 64 games – and you don’t even need to own a Commodore 64 Mini to play them!
How to play Commodore 64 games for free
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The first thing you need to do is go to the Internet Archive software library page for the Commodore 64. From here, scroll down the page until you see the section labeled “Collection”. Look below this until you see “Software Library: C64 Games” and check the box next to that option. This will filter out all other programs and give you only the games available through the website. If you want, you can also include demos in your search, since there are several thousand to choose from.
Choose a game
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The games are organized alphabetically, but most of the available Commodore 64 titles probably aren’t things you want to play. Click the drop-down menu at the top and select “Views”. This will organize games by how many other users have tried them, giving you recognizable titles like Ghosts and goblins and Castle Wolfenstein.
If you’re looking for a title from your favorite game company, look for the “Creator” section next to the game listing. Press “more” to see the full list of game companies included in the list and filter to include only your favorites.
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Select the game you want to play and on the next screen you will see the power button icon at the top of the game home screen. Click it with your mouse and let the virtual Commodore 64 go through the boot process.
Customize the controls
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Many Commodore 64 games weren’t designed for keyboards, and those that were tended to have weird control schemes that don’t feel natural today. However, you can actually customize your controls for many games by changing your virtual machine settings.
After your game loads to the splash screen, press F12 on your keyboard to be taken to the settings page. Use the arrow keys to scroll down to “machine settings” and press Enter, then select Joystick Settings and press Enter again.
On this page, scroll down to “Define Keyset” and press Enter. Go through the entries on the next page, assigning actions to the keys you want to use. For “Keyset 1 Up”, for example, press the W key to move your character forward in the game.
After you have assigned all keys to Keyset 1, press Delete on your keyboard to return to the previous page. Scroll back to “Joystick device 1”, press Enter and select “Keyset 1” from the list. Now you are ready to play the game!
It can also be very useful to search online for a scanned game manual, as it can be faster to just learn a new control scheme than to adapt it yourself. In case of BurgerTimefor example, the O and P keys are used to move left and right.
Your keyboard and joystick settings will not carry over from game to game. Repeat this process for each new game you play.
Other options
For a different way to play Commodore 64 games — and one that runs even faster — head to Classic Reload. It doesn’t have the same ridiculously large selection as the Internet Archive, but you can play games in the browser with just a mouse if you don’t feel like using a keyboard.
Select a game from the list and on the next page make sure “Joystick ON” is selected in the dropdown menu. Press the spacebar or click on the game screen to start the game, then click the mouse over the action names displayed directly below the game.
Need to go right? Just click the right button. It couldn’t be simpler, and if you have a USB controller, you can plug it in and use it instead. However, the results vary, and the Internet Archive seems to be more consistent in managing games correctly.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn