Greatest Arcade Games of All Time

Raiders Army · 11-11-2006, 05:19 PM

We went to Las Cruces today and went into the Mall. They have an Arcade there and it got me thinking back to the past. This was when the Atari 2600 was out and there was no real competition. The arcade games were 100x better than anything you could buy for the 2600. I don't think it was until the NES came out that comparable graphics were possible on some games and the PS1 really made the Arcade archaic. So what were the greatest Arcade games of all time?

I spent my money on (in chronological order):

Donkey Kong Jr.
Street Fighter (we would line up quarters on the machine to play)
Star Wars (the one that you sat in)
Super Mario Brothers
Legendary Wings
Heavy Barrel (some of you might not know this game, but it was the absolute best game I've ever played in an Arcade)

rowech · 11-11-2006, 05:22 PM

PacMan, Frogger, and Donkey Kong.

I always played After Burner a ton too. Just liked that game.

panerd · 11-11-2006, 05:26 PM

Tron
Journey
Track and Field (Until our local arcade put up blockers so you couldn't pound on the buttons. Was this a national thing?)
Jungle King (The only game where my quarter lasted more than 30 seconds)
Bezerk

panerd · 11-11-2006, 05:27 PM

I am just lost in the arcades nowadays. I am scared to play games as the kids will probably walk up behind me and laugh at me. Even at Dave and Busters I usually find myself on an old version of NBA Jam or some sort of driving game.

Hammer · 11-11-2006, 05:35 PM

Double Dragon

MizzouRah · 11-11-2006, 06:14 PM

Where do I start?

Defender
Joust
Galaga
Xevious
Tempest

Joe · 11-11-2006, 06:22 PM

moonwalker

yabanci · 11-11-2006, 06:25 PM

I don't know about the greatest, but the three most important are definitely:

1. Pong
2. Space Invaders
3. Pacman

Craptacular · 11-11-2006, 06:27 PM

A.P.B.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Gauntlet

cartman · 11-11-2006, 06:32 PM

Atari Football. The one with the trackball and the players as Xs and Os. I can't tell you how many times I got my palm ripped by the trackball on long runs.

TRO · 11-11-2006, 06:34 PM

Street Fighter II

cartman · 11-11-2006, 06:37 PM

Qix was interesting at the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by panerd

Track and Field (Until our local arcade put up blockers so you couldn't pound on the buttons. Was this a national thing?)

They did this at our arcade as well. But there was a way around it, if they put the blocks on the left and right edges. We took a pencil or popsicle stick and hit it like sending a telegram. We never figured out a way to get around the guards at the top of the buttons.

JPhillips · 11-11-2006, 06:43 PM

I played the hell out of John Elway football. The post pass was a big favorite. I also liked World Series Baseball and was it 980?

mrsimperless · 11-11-2006, 07:02 PM

The earliest I remember arcade games was when I was young and my parents were in a bowling league. they would take me to the bowling alley where there was a small arcade. There wasn't much for us to do while they were bowling except for messing with the video games. They would give me a buck or so when we went, but this normally didn't last too long as each game was a quarter and I sucked at all of them. It was mostly standing around and watching the older kids play the games. Pole Position, Super Mario Brothers and Punch Out stand out as memories form there.

I can then remember being a young kid, probably early grade school, and going to Showbiz Pizza (called Chuck E. Cheese now) for birthday parties back when the video games were still the main attraction in the game room. I absolutely loved the game Front Line and I also played the heck out of Peter Pack Rat.

Then there was skating parties in grade school. My friends and I would bore of the skating pretty quickly, so we spent the rest of the time at the arcade games. I remember playing Bad Dudes, Rush N' Attack, and Renegade there.

As I got a little bit older my friend and I would stay over at each other's places almost every Friday night and play Nintendo. Then Saturday morning whoever's house we were at our parents would take us to Putt Putt for Super Saturday. 1 game of putt-putt (which we rarely played) a soda, a candy bar and FIFTY TOKENS for 5 dollars. Our tokens would usually last us a few hours and it was a great way to actually beat some of the games that it was too expensive to otherwise such as Cadash, UN Squadron, and TMNT.

Other games I remember and love:
Tournament Cyberball
Mortal Kombat
Pit Fighter
Final Fight
Xenophobe
Tecmo Bowl (4-player version where you spun the joystick around to breack tackles)
High Impact Football
Race Drivin

Ahhh, the memories. Incidentally I've relived a lot of these games through MAME in the fairly recent past. My 6-year-old daughter absolutely loves to play old arcade games like Final Fight, etc. on MAME with me which is really cool.

One other game I wanted to mention was one that I only saw when I spent a year in Tokyo just out of high school. It was called The Outfoxies by Namco I think. The premise was it was a one on one duel between two players. You could play against another person or the AI and you chose from a variety of different characters. The cool part was the different environments the game had. There were different weapons (swords, guns, rocket launchers, etc.) strewn around the board and the environments each had a count down. When the count down came to an end the environment would destruct, but they usually partially destructed in different ways prior to that. There was a train, a plane a museum a factory and some others. It was a very cool game and I've also found it on MAME and played it too.

Rizon · 11-11-2006, 07:10 PM

Bump n Jump
Spy Hunter
Rampage
Commando
Rambo
Ikari Brothers
1944/45
Centipede

cuervo72 · 11-11-2006, 07:23 PM

Ooh, Bump n Jump was good on the Intellivision.

I'll second Rampage, Spy Hunter, and Punch Out. Though I stunk at Punch Out and usually just ended up watching people. I also liked 1942 (?), Tapper, and that baseball one where you pull back the little metal rod to pitch/hit (I think that's come up before in a similar thread a ways back).

Daimyo · 11-11-2006, 07:49 PM

I didn't go to arcades much, but a few games I remember enjoying:

Splatterhouse
Golden Axe
Afterburner
TMNT
Rampage
Spy Hunter
Smash TV
NARC
Final Fight
Street Fighter 2
Pit Fighter
Super Off-Road

Rizon · 11-11-2006, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cartman

Qix was interesting at the time.

They did this at our arcade as well. But there was a way around it, if they put the blocks on the left and right edges. We took a pencil or popsicle stick and hit it like sending a telegram. We never figured out a way to get around the guards at the top of the buttons.

I don't remember the guards, but I remember pounding the hell out of those buttons.

TRO · 11-11-2006, 08:17 PM

Karate Champ was probably the first game I was truly addicted to.

Dragon's Lair is a classic as well.

cuervo72 · 11-11-2006, 08:23 PM

Hrm. I forgot Gauntlet, and Kung Fu Master.

WVUFAN · 11-11-2006, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRO

Karate Champ was probably the first game I was truly addicted to.

I LOVED that game. Karate Champ was just an incredible game for its time.

Grammaticus · 11-11-2006, 08:44 PM

Here are some I liked to play. I thought this stuff was great, way better than pin ball machines

Defender
Donkey Kong
Crazy Climber
Battle Zone
Joust
Wizard of Wohr
Tempest
Centipede
Tron
Galaga (spelling?)

thesloppy · 11-11-2006, 09:34 PM

PENGO

Bad-example · 11-11-2006, 09:36 PM

I played more pinball than arcade games, but R-Type cost me many rolls of quarters.

cougarfreak · 11-11-2006, 09:44 PM

Anyone play a football game with robots instead of players, and when you bitch slapped somebody the robot would explode, or start smoking as a sign he was about to explode? I can't remember the name of the game.

JPhillips · 11-11-2006, 09:47 PM

Cyberbowl.

cougarfreak · 11-11-2006, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Cyberbowl.

yes! Found it!

hxxp://midwayarcade.com/MAT2/gameinfo.php?game=4

Pumpy Tudors · 11-11-2006, 09:53 PM

Tournament Cyberball was the greatest arcade game in the history of history, and once it comes to Xbox Live Arcade or GameTap, I'm never leaving my house.

MizzouRah · 11-11-2006, 10:43 PM

Yep, Cyberbowl was great.

11-11-2006, 06:32 PM	#10
cartman Death Herald Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Le stelle la notte sono grandi e luminose nel cuore profondo del Texas	Atari Football. The one with the trackball and the players as Xs and Os. I can't tell you how many times I got my palm ripped by the trackball on long runs. __________________ Thinkin' of a master plan 'Cuz ain't nuthin' but sweat inside my hand So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent So I dig deeper but still comin' up with lint

11-11-2006, 06:34 PM	#11
TRO College Prospect Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Louisburg, KS	Street Fighter II __________________ TRA, the Royal Ape

11-11-2006, 06:43 PM	#13
JPhillips General Manager Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Newburgh, NY	I played the hell out of John Elway football. The post pass was a big favorite. I also liked World Series Baseball and was it 980? __________________ To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.. - Mr. Rogers

11-11-2006, 07:02 PM	#14
mrsimperless College Prospect Join Date: Apr 2003	The earliest I remember arcade games was when I was young and my parents were in a bowling league. they would take me to the bowling alley where there was a small arcade. There wasn't much for us to do while they were bowling except for messing with the video games. They would give me a buck or so when we went, but this normally didn't last too long as each game was a quarter and I sucked at all of them. It was mostly standing around and watching the older kids play the games. Pole Position, Super Mario Brothers and Punch Out stand out as memories form there. I can then remember being a young kid, probably early grade school, and going to Showbiz Pizza (called Chuck E. Cheese now) for birthday parties back when the video games were still the main attraction in the game room. I absolutely loved the game Front Line and I also played the heck out of Peter Pack Rat. Then there was skating parties in grade school. My friends and I would bore of the skating pretty quickly, so we spent the rest of the time at the arcade games. I remember playing Bad Dudes, Rush N' Attack, and Renegade there. As I got a little bit older my friend and I would stay over at each other's places almost every Friday night and play Nintendo. Then Saturday morning whoever's house we were at our parents would take us to Putt Putt for Super Saturday. 1 game of putt-putt (which we rarely played) a soda, a candy bar and FIFTY TOKENS for 5 dollars. Our tokens would usually last us a few hours and it was a great way to actually beat some of the games that it was too expensive to otherwise such as Cadash, UN Squadron, and TMNT. Other games I remember and love: Tournament Cyberball Mortal Kombat Pit Fighter Final Fight Xenophobe Tecmo Bowl (4-player version where you spun the joystick around to breack tackles) High Impact Football Race Drivin Ahhh, the memories. Incidentally I've relived a lot of these games through MAME in the fairly recent past. My 6-year-old daughter absolutely loves to play old arcade games like Final Fight, etc. on MAME with me which is really cool. One other game I wanted to mention was one that I only saw when I spent a year in Tokyo just out of high school. It was called The Outfoxies by Namco I think. The premise was it was a one on one duel between two players. You could play against another person or the AI and you chose from a variety of different characters. The cool part was the different environments the game had. There were different weapons (swords, guns, rocket launchers, etc.) strewn around the board and the environments each had a count down. When the count down came to an end the environment would destruct, but they usually partially destructed in different ways prior to that. There was a train, a plane a museum a factory and some others. It was a very cool game and I've also found it on MAME and played it too. __________________ "All I know is that smart women are hot. Susan Polgar beat me in 24 moves in a simultaneous exhbition. I slept with the scoresheet under my pillow." Off some dude's web site. Last edited by mrsimperless : 11-11-2006 at 07:57 PM.

11-11-2006, 07:23 PM	#16
cuervo72 Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maryland	Ooh, Bump n Jump was good on the Intellivision. I'll second Rampage, Spy Hunter, and Punch Out. Though I stunk at Punch Out and usually just ended up watching people. I also liked 1942 (?), Tapper, and that baseball one where you pull back the little metal rod to pitch/hit (I think that's come up before in a similar thread a ways back). __________________ null

11-11-2006, 05:22 PM	#2
rowech Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2006	PacMan, Frogger, and Donkey Kong. I always played After Burner a ton too. Just liked that game.

11-11-2006, 05:26 PM	#3
panerd Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: St. Louis	Tron Journey Track and Field (Until our local arcade put up blockers so you couldn't pound on the buttons. Was this a national thing?) Jungle King (The only game where my quarter lasted more than 30 seconds) Bezerk

11-11-2006, 05:27 PM	#4
panerd Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: St. Louis	I am just lost in the arcades nowadays. I am scared to play games as the kids will probably walk up behind me and laugh at me. Even at Dave and Busters I usually find myself on an old version of NBA Jam or some sort of driving game.

11-11-2006, 05:35 PM	#5
Hammer College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2005	Double Dragon

11-11-2006, 06:14 PM	#6
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	Where do I start? Defender Joust Galaga Xevious Tempest

11-11-2006, 06:22 PM	#7
Joe Pro Starter Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Minneapolis	moonwalker

11-11-2006, 06:25 PM	#8
yabanci College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2003	I don't know about the greatest, but the three most important are definitely: 1. Pong 2. Space Invaders 3. Pacman

11-11-2006, 06:27 PM	#9
Craptacular College Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: The Mad City, WI	A.P.B. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Gauntlet

11-11-2006, 07:49 PM	#17
Daimyo College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Berkeley	I didn't go to arcades much, but a few games I remember enjoying: Splatterhouse Golden Axe Afterburner TMNT Rampage Spy Hunter Smash TV NARC Final Fight Street Fighter 2 Pit Fighter Super Off-Road

11-11-2006, 08:17 PM	#19
TRO College Prospect Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Louisburg, KS	Karate Champ was probably the first game I was truly addicted to. Dragon's Lair is a classic as well. __________________ TRA, the Royal Ape

11-11-2006, 08:23 PM	#20
cuervo72 Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maryland	Hrm. I forgot Gauntlet, and Kung Fu Master. __________________ null

11-11-2006, 08:44 PM	#22
Grammaticus Pro Rookie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tennessee	Here are some I liked to play. I thought this stuff was great, way better than pin ball machines Defender Donkey Kong Crazy Climber Battle Zone Joust Wizard of Wohr Tempest Centipede Tron Galaga (spelling?)

11-11-2006, 09:34 PM	#23
thesloppy Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PDX	PENGO

11-11-2006, 09:36 PM	#24
Bad-example College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: san jose CA	I played more pinball than arcade games, but R-Type cost me many rolls of quarters.

11-11-2006, 09:44 PM	#25
cougarfreak College Starter Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Out of Grad School Hell :)	Anyone play a football game with robots instead of players, and when you bitch slapped somebody the robot would explode, or start smoking as a sign he was about to explode? I can't remember the name of the game.

11-11-2006, 09:47 PM	#26
JPhillips General Manager Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Newburgh, NY	Cyberbowl. __________________ To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.. - Mr. Rogers

11-11-2006, 09:53 PM	#28
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	Tournament Cyberball was the greatest arcade game in the history of history, and once it comes to Xbox Live Arcade or GameTap, I'm never leaving my house. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

11-11-2006, 10:43 PM	#29
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	Yep, Cyberbowl was great.

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