Review: Blue Elf 108in1 Jamma PCB

StreetzKing

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Here is my review on the Blue Elf 108in1 since a lot of people have been asking about it lately. I didnt know where to put it.

As we all know it comes in a blue cart which is jamma. There is no kick harness so all buttons must be on the jamma connector. This is done by continuing down the harness on both sides from buttons 1 to buttons 6. Both button 6's should replace pin 27 and the other side which would be grounds. I have heard there should not be a ground here even if you are not using 6 buttons but don't quote me on that. Also if yours comes with a manual it shows the pinout. And note to get to the set up menu it tells you to hold the set up switch while powering up, There is a set up switch on the side of the cart, it is not the service switch in the cabinet. The Set up menu consists of coin options with sadly no freeplay, volume controls, and game difficulty. Also a switch test in there as well.

Couple things to note, you must add credits before it lets you browse the games, There is a minute timer but if it gets low add another credit and you get another minute to look. If there is a credit and it hits 0 on the timer it will start that game. If theres no credits and it hits the 30 second timer then it switches to the next game on the list to preview. There are nice preview windows for every game. Up and Down scroll individually while Left and Right scroll pages. 14 pages total. Menu is set up very nice.

Board loads in less than 15 seconds.

How to start a 1 or 2 player game (important): Once a credit is in and you select a game with the player 1 start it will load up and automatically insert a credit into that game when it loads. In order to continue or add 2 players (make sure there are enough credits) hold start for about 2 seconds, a menu will come up pausing for only about 5 seconds. Hit continue and it will add a credit to the game playing. This took me a while to figure out so im letting you all know.
To end a game hold start untill the continue/end menu comes up and hit end, loads back to menu, previous credits are kept.

On to the games:
The board consists of both NeoGeo and Capcom games.

First I want to talk about Capcom.

One quick thing to note is Capcom's Q-audio, This is not going to be right since well my cabinet is not equipped with Q-audio, the audio is not bad, I just had to turn my volume down a little when I first got the board.

Early Capcom games based off of the CPS-1 system run great, I have had no trouble running through Cadillacs and Dinosaurs earlier today and have not seen any notable problems with others based off CPS-1. Ghouls and Ghosts is also on here under the japanese name. Game number 95!
The capcom games running off the CPS-2 system have a couple of issues. Most of the fighters are from the CPS-2 system and this is where I have noticed some minor problems. First off, Marvel vs. Capcom, This game is fast paced and there is usually a lot going on. The frame rate drops a little; however, it is no where near unplayable. I have had no problems playing it for about an hour. If you are a hardcore fan then you will notice it but otherwise still playable, it sometimes (not always) feels like a slight lag mainly when doing a super or when 2 assists come out at once. I also have had no problem pulling out wolverines infinite. Also the only shoot em up I had trouble with was GIGA WING, only because there is a lot going on so it felt a little choppy at times. On to other CPS-2 games, Vampire Savior 2 (darkstalkers) Runs amazing, no problems for me at all. X-men vs Street fighter runs good as well, maybe some slight drop when multiple supers. CPS games take a lot to run and im surprised it works this well on this board. A lot of fun games to pick up and play including puzzle games like pang 3, and shoot em ups like Aero Fighters 2 which runs amazing.

Alright now on to NeoGeo.

There are a lot of NeoGeo games on this cart. There are about 7 King of Fighters, 2 having multiples, King of Fighters 97 and 97 plus, and King of Fighters 2002, 2002 plus and 2002 magic. Other than that they included 98 which is my favorite. One thing to note, when playing NeoGeo on a 6 button cabinet the buttons are usually A,B,C across the top with D being below button 1, This isnt bad just takes time to get used to. There is a great variety of NeoGeo games on this cart. From fighters, to puzzle games, to side scrollers. I do not know what it takes to run a NeoGeo game but I must say I think this cart pulls most of the games flawlessly. Mind you I do not own a Neo Geo (only remakes on like xbox) but I have only had a couple of problems with Neo Games so far. Metal Slug 6, felt really laggy however, metal slug 1,2,3,4,5,and x are also included. King of Fighters plays great, no problems on the ones I have played except maybe on the bootlegs. Also Super Sidekicks and 2020 Baseball have been great fun to play with no problems at all.

That was a quick review since everyone was asking about the cart lately. I hope it helped someone, I recommend the cart without a doubt, I have only scratched the surface since I got it yesterday but I cant stop playing it. I will update as time goes on and if I encounter any more problems.

GAME LIST IN ORDER: Tomorrow ill update with mini reviews on gameplay

1 kof02 magic2
2 KOF02 plus 2
3 kof2002
4 kof2000
5 kof98
6 kof97 plus
7 kof97
8 Cadillacs and Dino
9 3wonders
10 captain commando
11 knight of round
12 final fight
13 King of Dragons
14 punisher
15 Warriors of Fate
16 wof3js
17 Alien vs Predator
18 Tower of Doom
19 Shadow over Mystara
20 Battle Circuit
21 Armored Warriors
22 Fullmetal Madness
23 MetalSlug1
24 MetalSlug2
25 MetalSlug3
26 MetalSlugX
27 MetalSlug4
28 MetalSlug5
29 MetalSlug6
30 Shock Troopers
31 Shock Troopers 2
32 Prehistoric Isle 2
33 Neo Bomberman
34 sengoku 3
35 Street Fighter II
36 Str Fighter Alpha
37 Str Fighter Alpha 2
38 Str Fighter Alpha 3
39 Gem Fighter Mini Mix
40 Puzzle Fighter 2
41 Marvel Super Heroes
42 X-Men Vs Str Fighter
43 Children of the Atom
44 Marvel Vs StrFighter
45 Marvel Vs Capcom
46 SNK vs Capcom
47 Mega Man 2
48 Super Str Fighter 2
49 Destruction 2
50 Vampire Savior 2
51 strider
52 1944
53 1945
54 Aero Fighters 2
55 Aero Fighters 3
56 zed blade
57 Last Resort
58 Carrier Air Wing
59 gigawing
60 Mars Matrix
61 Eco Fighters
62 Progear
63 Gowcaizer
64 Double Dragon
65 The Last Blade 2
66 Mark of the Wolves
67 Samurai Shodown 2
68 Samurai Shodown 3
69 Samurai Shodown 0
70 Breakers Revenge
71 Waku Waku 7
72 Mega Twins
73 Kabuki Klash
74 Ninja Master's
75 World Heroes 2
76 Matrimelee
77 Zupapa!
78 Blue's Journey
79 Blazing Star
80 Capcom Sports Club
81 Captain Tomaday
82 Super Sidekicks 4
83 Neo-Geo Cup '98
84 Musashi Ganryuuki
85 Magical Drop III
86 Magician Lord
87 Nightmare in Dark
88 Puzzle Bobble
89 Puzzle Bobble 2
90 Puzzle loop 2
91 Bang Bead
92 Ghostlop
93 Ragnagard
94 Street Hoop
95 Dai Makai-Mura
96 area 88
97 Andro Dunos
98 nemo
99 neo drift
100 pang 3
101 Twinkle Sprites
102 Neo Mr. Do!
103 Dynasty Wars
104 joy joy
105 Spin Master
106 forgottn
107 League Bowling
108 2020 Baseball

FULL GAME REVIEWS ON PAGE 3
 
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Thanks so much for the review, that is awesome! I think I am gonna get the MVS 108 in 1 cart, since I have a MVS. I also have a MV, but I sure would love you play Daimakaimura (Ghouls N Ghosts)! I think the Genesis version is close enough, and I am going to hook my genesis to my MVC cab.

Anyone know of a cheap jamma switcher?
 
I know jamma boards.com sells a jamma switcher but don't know anyone else. Also I plan on playing every single game tomorrow and putting a list of what works and what doesnt (in terms of problems). Will update tomorrow!!
 
I know jamma boards.com sells a jamma switcher but don't know anyone else. Also I plan on playing every single game tomorrow and putting a list of what works and what doesnt (in terms of problems). Will update tomorrow!!


If you have a video camera could you put up on Youtube a sampling of the good and the bad?
 
I have my blackberry, I can record video and upload it I think, I will certainly try, I have a list already made up of all the games in order that they appear on the menu, Im gonna check em all out tomorrow and post that up.
 
Here's a shot review I wrote before I got rid of my Blue Elf pcb. Problem is I owned a Game Box multipcb, that probably spoiled me. Since the Game Box games pretty much run perfect. If you compared Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, or G 'n G on the Game Box to the Blue Elf version you would see a world of difference. Not taking into account sound the Blue Elf C @ D has a poor frame rate, as do all the games. Not one game on the Blue Elf runs at full speed. Everygame on there is choppy. But hey, if your not that particular it might work for you. I actually sold my Blue Elf pcb to a friend and he's happy with it... so go figure.

'Well, I tested the Blue Elf. It runs alittle better then the 193 in 1, but it's far from perfect. The menu is nice, you get animated menus of the games playing. The loading time is really fast. It only has games by Capcom and for the Neo Geo. This time the sound sync is on. It has it's own menu but there arn't too many options, it do have a sound setting and difficulty setting for the different types of games.
Now the bad...
The frame rate on all games is bad, not terrible but you can tell it's slower. For instance on games where you get hit and flicker, you sometimes dissapear where the frame rate is lower. The sound is ok but sometimes it can glitch, it has flaws. Also the Capcom games has way louder sound then the Neo Geo games, which is crappy.
I'm not sure what to do, I tried the 193 in 1 and the Blue Elf and neither is very good. I sure wish I could find another Gamebox. Anyone know of any good multi game pcbs?'
 
I know jamma boards.com sells a jamma switcher but don't know anyone else. Also I plan on playing every single game tomorrow and putting a list of what works and what doesnt (in terms of problems). Will update tomorrow!!

I also found a 8 way switcher here:
http://www.multigame.com/jamma.html

Of course for CPS2 systems it wouldn't handle the kick harness. :(
 
Here's a shot review I wrote before I got rid of my Blue Elf pcb. Problem is I owned a Game Box multipcb, that probably spoiled me. Since the Game Box games pretty much run perfect. If you compared Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, or G 'n G on the Game Box to the Blue Elf version you would see a world of difference. Not taking into account sound the Blue Elf C @ D has a poor frame rate, as do all the games. Not one game on the Blue Elf runs at full speed. Everygame on there is choppy. But hey, if your not that particular it might work for you. I actually sold my Blue Elf pcb to a friend and he's happy with it... so go figure.

'Well, I tested the Blue Elf. It runs alittle better then the 193 in 1, but it's far from perfect. The menu is nice, you get animated menus of the games playing. The loading time is really fast. It only has games by Capcom and for the Neo Geo. This time the sound sync is on. It has it's own menu but there arn't too many options, it do have a sound setting and difficulty setting for the different types of games.
Now the bad...
The frame rate on all games is bad, not terrible but you can tell it's slower. For instance on games where you get hit and flicker, you sometimes dissapear where the frame rate is lower. The sound is ok but sometimes it can glitch, it has flaws. Also the Capcom games has way louder sound then the Neo Geo games, which is crappy.
I'm not sure what to do, I tried the 193 in 1 and the Blue Elf and neither is very good. I sure wish I could find another Gamebox. Anyone know of any good multi game pcbs?'

wow, maybe I was wrong? I havent been able to compare to anything yet in terms of mame and what not so I apologize. I also feel every neogeo game has run amazing, with the exception of like 2. I wouldnt say every game is off in terms of frame rate, Its just more noticeable in a couple. Like I said about MVC, you can tell when theres a lot going on. With C&D.. I just played it in MAME and on the blue elf. I notice no difference worth noting. The only difference I see is my MAME looks better since there blitter options I have set. I really think your opinion was spoiled by the gamebox maybe? No offense to you in any way shape or form but I just think saying that "its not very good" is wrong. From my standpoint this was worth the money, There are noticeable frame drops in some games and others I really can not tell at all unless physically putting them side by side. And I am going to say there is maybe 1, 2 games I encountered that I wouldnt play since the frame rate however there 2 I can live without since theres other versions on the cart. I got this cart for fighters and MVC with the frame drops is still a blast for me to play.

Quick edit: Messing with the frame rate in MAME for C&D I will say it might not be perfect on the cart, HOWEVER the way it plays on my blue elf is if I skip every 2 out of 10 or maybe 3 out of 10 frames in MAME. Cutting it to skip 5 out of 10 frames which is half is way to much.
 
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Anyone know of any good multi game pcbs?'


If you have a MVS I have heard that the 108 in 1 is pretty good, no lag, I guess a few graphical glitches in a few games. I personally haven't seen it.

I coworker installed the 1069 in 1 in his timekillers and it is pretty good, Of course it is MAME, so you could build it youself, but it was so easy. He also got the CPU upgrade, and it runs really smooth. The only issue was that he has one of those WG monitors that required him to adjust the sync pot on the monitor harness.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://www.jammaboards.com/store/1069-in-1-games-family-multigame-system/prod_243.html[/FONT]


There is also the CPS2 18 in 1 runs on real CPS2 hardware:
http://www.jammaboards.com/store/capcom-cps-ii-18-in-1-multigame-jamma-pcb/prod_292.html

And the CPS1 14 in 1
http://www.jammaboards.com/store/capcom-cps1-14-in-1-multigame-jamma-pcb/prod_254.html
 
The Neo Geo games play worst then the Capcom games on the Blue Elf. About the only games you can play are Puzzled and League Bowling. That was the only 2 I could put up with the choppiness, since there slow playing games. You saying the Neo Geo games play flawless is totally wrong, have you ever played a real neo geo game? I mean if you got the 100 in 1 MVS you'd see what i'm talking about. And for shits and giggles I did compared an actual Neo Geo machine running side by side to a machine running the Blue Elf and the same game. If your going to do a review you should compare the games, how they actually play compared to real hardware. You saying the Neo Geo games run flawless, people are going to think they run as good as they do on the 100 in 1 MVS cart, which is not the case. I coundn't play them, there abit of a mess really. I also compared a machine playing Ghouls 'n Ghosts using the gamebox and a machine playing the same game on the Blue Elf. The difference is like comparing the Arcade version of a game to the NES version. The arcade being nice and smooth, the latter being choppy and jumpy. Put is this way. Every single game on the Blue Elf has average sound, and a loss of framerate, that is very noticable.
 
If you have a MVS I have heard that the 108 in 1 is pretty good, no lag, I guess a few graphical glitches in a few games. I personally haven't seen it.

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The Neo Geo 100 in 1 is pretty much perfect. There are some small glitches but nothing major. Aero Fighters 3 (SW3) do have a fatal flaw though. And Mark of the Wolves, if you use Kim Jae Hoon and do his T.O.P. attack it will reset the game everytime. Aside from those things they play and sound perfect as they should.
 
I also found a 8 way switcher here:
http://www.multigame.com/jamma.html

Of course for CPS2 systems it wouldn't handle the kick harness. :(

None of the switchers I've seen (except Mark's which may or may not have existed, details on that seem a little fuzzy) handle kick harnesses unfortunately. You can, however, with a bit of work get kick harnesses working on them by wiring diodes in line and running the combined kick harnesses separately to the control panel. Xenomorp has done it with his multi-MK and I've asked in his thread ( http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=93729 ) if he could give details on setup and which diodes to use, I see there are replies in that thread but I don't have the time at the moment to check, as I'm hauling ass out the door. I'll try to document my process with it when I do mine.

Thanks for the writeup, seems to be a decent board as multis go, though that menu/credit system sounds a bit...overcomplicated.
 
The Neo Geo 100 in 1 is pretty much perfect. There are some small glitches but nothing major. Aero Fighters 3 (SW3) do have a fatal flaw though. And Mark of the Wolves, if you use Kim Jae Hoon and do his T.O.P. attack it will reset the game everytime. Aside from those things they play and sound perfect as they should.

Wow thanks for the info! What is the game does the move? Does it reset?
 
Alright well like I said I had nothing to compare to, so yea idk what to say, I havent played every game only a couple but was planning on playing them all today, I apologize for a wrongful review? I thought the neogames played better than the capcom ones, I played king of fighters and to me I cant tell a difference, but I have nothing to compare to, so again sorry.

I am still happy with the purchase because like I said there are only a couple I dont want to play due to issues, the others I can deal with cause I have no to compare to and they seem fine to me, so yea. I guess take everything into consideration, $150 and its playable, might not be perfect but playable.

Also realize its MAME on the pcb and NOT actual hardware, I am sure that accounts for something
 
There is always a possibility that the Blue Elf board that StreetzKing has is a newer revision in which previous issues have been fixed. There is also the possibility that Jethrokiller got a board in which the roms weren't written properly. I have noticed that sometimes in installing an OS in a PC the first installation will run slow and take a long time to load. I re-install it and it runs fast and like it should.

With quality control what it is in China I wouldn't be surprised if two boards from the same production line run differently so unless both guys played the same board it's safe to say both reviews might be accurate. If someone that has purchased the new boards and has some original games to compare it to could post a review. We might be able to get a better idea of how well these boards run.
 
There is always a possibility that the Blue Elf board that StreetzKing has is a newer revision in which previous issues have been fixed. There is also the possibility that Jethrokiller got a board in which the roms weren't written properly. I have noticed that sometimes in installing an OS in a PC the first installation will run slow and take a long time to load. I re-install it and it runs fast and like it should.

With quality control what it is in China I wouldn't be surprised if two boards from the same production line run differently so unless both guys played the same board it's safe to say both reviews might be accurate. If someone that has purchased the new boards and has some original games to compare it to could post a review. We might be able to get a better idea of how well these boards run.

You are right, it is very possible the StreetzKing's bluie elf has a newer faster processor in it. I would be interested to see what processor it has (x86 or ARM based) If you open it up please snap some closeups of the processor and the text on it. I bet that they are ARM processors like the GP2X handhelds.
 
There is always a possibility that the Blue Elf board that StreetzKing has is a newer revision in which previous issues have been fixed. There is also the possibility that Jethrokiller got a board in which the roms weren't written properly. I have noticed that sometimes in installing an OS in a PC the first installation will run slow and take a long time to load. I re-install it and it runs fast and like it should.

With quality control what it is in China I wouldn't be surprised if two boards from the same production line run differently so unless both guys played the same board it's safe to say both reviews might be accurate. If someone that has purchased the new boards and has some original games to compare it to could post a review. We might be able to get a better idea of how well these boards run.


As great of a defense as that sounds for me I sadly agree I have nothing to compare to in real life except maybe MAME, I guess in the end its a matter of personal opinion, I dont think anyone buying this expects it to be picture perfect because common sense says its running off of a MAME type deal. For me it was a multiboard because I dont have the room for a NeoGeo nor a CPS cab, I have one jamma cab, This board fulfilled all my needs in terms of games I wanted and like I said I enjoy playing them, To me they are not unplayable except a couple. Today I will continue to check out every game, While I can't compare to real hardware Ill write the positives and negatives based around that, if its something I run into like with the one Metal Slug I played then obviously that needs to be put down as a negative. Something like 2020baseball, for me I had no problems at all, game never felt laggy and all controls work smooth, thats a positive. Ill do my best to give a review on opinions of gameplay but not something thats gonna be a compare to actual hardware.
 
So this Blue Elf is NOT a Neo Geo MVS cartridge? Or is it a Jamma board in a cartridge? This is kinda confusing.

If it's a Jamma board then why is it in a cartridge?
 
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