I love the Commodore 64. It takes me back in time to the games I played as a child. The C64 Mini is a fantastic way to rediscover all the great games that we remember playing in the 1980s and early 1990s, and discover games we perhaps always wanted at the time, but missed out on the first time around.
The C64 Mini was the first miniaturised computer to come from Retro Games, who have since released the A500 Mini and most recently, The Atari 400 Mini. These devices went beyond the trend of mini consoles that started with the NES and Super NES minis and not only gave you a built in library of games, but straight out of the box provided players with and encouraged players a way to add classic games to expand the library.
I’m a huge fan of game preservation, and thanks to the C64 Mini, I’ve been able to experience tons of old and new games. It’s even introduced me to the vast world of after market releases of new games that are being created for the Commodore 64 even to this day.
So, in today’s discussion, I’ll be looking to answer the question, is the C64 Mini still awesome in a few after release? Especially in an era where we have the new Black Model of the C64 Mini and the likes of the Commodore 64 Ultimate? This discussion won’t specifically compare itself to those and just look at the original Mini on its own merits. But look out for comparison discussions in the future.
Released by Retro Games who are a British based company with their headquarters in Luton, where I have family roots, the C64 Mini is named as such because there were some legal wrangling over the Commodore and Amiga names, but they were able to go with the names C64 and A500 Minis for their releases.
The system itself is a mini replica of the C64, complete with a cosmetic keyboard. Yes, if you want a full working keyboard like the actual Commodore 64 had back in the day, you’d have to get the Commodore 64 Maxi, which after having the C64 Mini for a couple of years, I did in fact get when I had the panic that they may no longer be easy to get hold of. There is also The Vic20 which is functionally the same as the Commodore 64 Maxi, but to date I have missed on the chance to get hold of one of those.
Both the Vic20 and Commodore 64 Maxi give you a full-sized system with a working keyboard, but if you just have the mini, all is not lost for running those games and applications that require you to type. You either can use a built in virtual keyboard, and whilst this is fine for a game where you play just have to hit the number 1 button to start a one player game, you won’t to have to use the virtual keyboard for too much.
The other option is to use a USB keyboard, which is a much better option. Unlike the later released A500 and Atari 400 Minis, the C64 Mini is somewhat lacking in its USB port department. This is something of a teething trouble scenario for Retro Games as perhaps they didn’t envision that players would all want to load their own games from a USB stick and also want to have a keyboard, mouse and one or two joysticks plugged in all at once. Fortunately, a USB hub will solve this issue, and allow you much more flexibility with adding extra things onto the console.
The joystick that comes with the C64 Mini functions perfectly well, but isn’t my favourite I’ve ever used by a long way. There are loads of buttons which is useful, but it’s not clear what they all do at any given time. To be fair, as these are several more than you’d have had on a joystick for the Commodore 64 back in the day there’s no way they could have been labelled in any standardised way.
The actual stick and fire buttons work fine for the games you have built in, but as soon as the A500 Mini released with its joypad, I plugged that sucker in and rarely looked back. Not that the A500 joypad I my favourite for that console either.
The C64 Mini has an impressive lineup of 64 games, and that was fitting for the name at the time. It also made it a good value proposition and when you consider that you can pick these up in modern times at around £30-40 brand new that’s incredible value. It’s just a shame that the A500 and the 400 didn’t follow this pattern and give you 500 built in games as well.
Like I said, it’s possible to put your own games onto the system which is an interesting thing for the console. It effectively means it is a unit that gives you the entire library of C64 games ever made, and so when it comes to reviewing the games you get with the console as part of the console review, it feels a bit redundant to judge it on whether I’d give it a higher or lower score based on it not including the Dizzy games. If I want to play Magic Land Dizzy on this I can, after all.
My favourite games included in the original Mini are Boulder Dash, Anarchy, Jumpman, Cybernoid 1 and 2, Nebulus, and Speedball 2. That’s a healthy number in its own right, but when you consider that there’s 64 games in total, even if these don’t float your boat, there’s bound to be something for you.
And then of course, there is the Black Edition C64 Mini which has a focus on modern games made in the years since the classic era of the 80s and early 1990s.
It’s a shame that they didn’t do like Sega with the Sega Mega Drive Minis where they also sold mini cosmetic add on systems like the Mega CD and 32X, as having a Mini C64 but no Mini tape player leaves the experience feeling incomplete. This is a minor gripe though, and I have actually seen USB sticks themed on tape decks for the ZX Spectrum Mini from Retro Games as well…so there’s gonna be something for you to get your nostalgia fix.
It’s amazing how much the love for retro home computers has had a resurgence in recent years and I think a big part of it is down to the C64 Mini and the likes of the A500 Mini, Evercade, and Antstream Arcade giving players a way to experience a classic era of gaming that outside of computer emulation had been all but lost for 25 plus years.
I think the C64 Mini led the way for the likes of the Commodore 64 Ultimate, and the likes of The A1200, and look forward to any other future ideas in this realm too.
What would you rate this games console?
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