I'm a big time fan of the video arcade games from the '80s, especially the first half of the decade. I know I'm not the only one here who craves this stuff and still gets a smile when they walk into an arcade today and see Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, or any other classics.
My personal fave is Q*Bert. Tough game but very fun to play and it has a unique concept that games from the same era didn't quite pick up on.
Other big favorites of mine from this era include Gyruss, Donkey Kong Jr., Centipede, Millipede, Arkanoid, Mario Bros., Crystal Castles, Mappy, and Bagman.
Posted by The Pyromantic (Member # 7658) on :
uhhmmm...how do I put this delicately?..I was an arcade junkie to put it mildly. If it had a quarter slot...i was playin it...didn't really matter what it was. Even after I got my very first NES, I was still spending more in quarters at the arcades than on NES games.
My list of favorites:
Donkey Kong Jr., Ms. Pac Man, Moon Patrol, Missile Command, Hogan's Alley, Dig Dug, Paperboy, Dragon's Lair, Cheyenne, Tron, Outrun, Hang On, Super Hang On, Elevator Action, Galaga, Black Tiger, Spy Hunter, Gyruss, Star Wars, Gauntlet, Ghosts N' Goblins, Street Fighter, Centipede, Eyes, Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, Splatterhouse, Renegade, Double Dragon, Golden Axe, After Burner, Xevious, Legendary Wings, Contra, 1942, R-Type, Commando....lots lots more
[ 06. March 2011, 14:29: Message edited by: The Pyromantic ]
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
I've mentioned this before.. but a friend and I would ride our bikes to a local arcade almost daily as kids. The arcade was called Cheap Thrills and we spent every quarter we had there. We later graduated to the arcades at the malls.. those were fun times. And even though I have owned numerous gaming systems throughout the years.. nothing compares to those arcade days.
I will occasionally still visit places like Dave & Buster's just to get that arcade feel.
Well, I've played many arcade games over the years, but my favorite will always be:
Galaga
Here's a few more that I enjoyed as a kid...
Star Castle - not as popular, but I could play on a single quarter for quite awhile.
Asteroids - simplistic graphically, but tons of fun.
Tempest - a must for any "Night of the Comet" fan or if your initials are DMK.
Donkey Kong - I had some serious skills at this game and still say "it's on like Donkey Kong" quite often. You will actually find me playing "Donkey Kong Country Returns" while I'm on vacation next week.
Joust - who doesn't dream of being an ostrich flying knight?
Defender - mainly because I remember Nick mentioning it in another arcade thread ... I actually prefer Space Invaders and Missile Command , though the spaceship in Defender did have a "Star Wars" look to it.
Pac-Man - never my game, but I donated a few coins at times.
Space Invaders - great game, but Galaxian and Galaga were both better.
Dig Dug - I had some skills for this game and enjoyed it, but there was a threshold of pain that I could not get past.
Paperboy - fun game that was later turned into a movie called "Better Off Dead".. ha
and finally:
Centipede - every good arcader knows about this game... but the great arcaders know it is really all about your skills at Millipede .. because that is where most of the cute arcade girls can be found.
[ 06. March 2011, 14:48: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Anyone else a fan of pinball?
All-time fav:
FunHouse
Close 2nd:
Addams Family
Playing pinball with 80's tunes in the background is my kind of fun!
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
You have to check this link. I posted it up before in another thread but not sure if anyone looked at it. A must see.
Great thread Zach, I was thinking about doing this myself.
My fav is 1942, but I will make some more posts, as I gotta go right now.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Does anyone remember a hockey game during the arcade era. It was kind of like a fussball table but there was a dome over the top. The two teams were USA and Russia. The little puck sprung up in the middle and the score was lit up over the top of the plastic dome. This was an awesome game. You cold really get the puck flying if you spun the handle/player hard enough. I probably spent more money on that thing than anything else.
It's called a bubble hocky machine apparently:
[ 07. March 2011, 00:59: Message edited by: Bernie_Lomax ]
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Valley, I do remember playing The Addams Family one when I was younger, but not the others. I did enjoy The Addams Family machine though.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Oh yeah, my favourite arcade as a kid was a place called Magic Mountain. I was born in 81 but can still remember the whole Magic Mountain experience quite well. Even in the later part of the 80's this place used to be wall to wall arcade machines, plus other amusement aswell including waterslides, sky cycles, bumper boats and more. It opened up in 82 which I guess was when arcading started booming, but sadly like most arcades it was closed down in '04. It has been replaced with a more modern looking arcade type place called the beach house but I went their recently and it truely does suck.
Magic Mountain:
This place totally rocked and oozed 80's. Alot of my childhood was spent there.
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
There are only 2 for me.
The Original Star Wars Game, I loved the sounds and hearing Obi-wan always made me want to beat the game. The Controller ranks as my all time favorite.
The other is Punchout. It remains the only game that I have ever beaten from beginning to end.
We are DEVO
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
I was never good at Asteroids--something about my inability to handle rotational controls; I'm a linear kind of guy--but I loved Missle Command. It was always so much fun to try to get that perfect sweep with the trackball to cover your cities with a shield of protective missiles. Galaga, the game that taunted you if you lost, Galaxian, Space Invaders, and Centipede were also big favorties with me.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
If anyone hasn't seen it be sure to check out the doco/movie called The King of Kong. All about the history of the game and the lengths people will go to get and maintain the high score.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Interesting documentary, Bernie, though I would never want to spend any time with these guys...crying over a video game record. For gosh sakes, get a life! Posted by xchazx (Member # 7158) on :
my all time favorite arcade game was Robotron. I still love playing it.
also loved 720, pac man, gyruss, & time pilot.
and bubble boy hockey.
and most pinball games.
there's a pinball museum located a few towns away from me. all the machines are playable. i need to get down there.
edit: here's a link to the museum if you want to check it out. Silver Ball Museum Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
quote:Originally posted by Crash: Interesting documentary, Bernie, though I would never want to spend any time with these guys...crying over a video game record. For gosh sakes, get a life!
I agree completely. There is another one also called Chasing Ghosts which goes back to the hey day of arcading in the early 80's. But again, ultra geeks.
Their was one comment by Wiebe's daughter that sticks in my mind from Kinf og Kong, about The Guiness Book of Records. She says, "Some people sort of ruin their life by trying to get in their."
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Has anyone checked out the link I posted in my first post. I am just curious to see what people think about this guys home made arcade.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Better than ok I reckon, but yes that guy has a pretty awesome setup too. Both are pretty awesome really.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
quote:Originally posted by xchazx: my all time favorite arcade game was Robotron. I still love playing it.
also loved 720, pac man, gyruss, & time pilot.
and bubble boy hockey.
and most pinball games.
there's a pinball museum located a few towns away from me. all the machines are playable. i need to get down there.
edit: here's a link to the museum if you want to check it out. Silver Ball Museum
I would be in that place all day. it looks rad as.
Posted by Zach (Member # 9459) on :
Hey Bernie, I watched that video you linked. I actually saw it on the other thread you linked it on (I think it was the "If you were to make a film set in the '80s" topic). That is definitely a neat collection of video arcade games. I like how Peter Hirschberg, the owner, added all the game posters and dim lights to bring back that '80s arcade atmosphere. It's great to see him fulfill his dream and share his labor of love with others.
A few of my other favorites include Elevator Action, Frogger (I used to be horrible at this one but have gotten a lot better at it and now I consider it a favorite), Tapper, Popeye, Tron (easily the best video game translation of a movie I've ever played) and Berzerk. There aren't too many games from the golden age of arcades that I don't like, which should tell you how much I love this era.
Good call on The Addams Family and Funhouse, Valley. I also love pinball and consider those two games to be among my favorites. I'm also a fan of Creature from the Black Lagoon, High Speed, High Speed 2: The Getaway, Playboy (all versions), The Twilight Zone, and Cyclone. I've spent plenty of my hard-earned quarters and tokens on these games and the memories I've made in the process will always be cherished.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Elevator Action rocks. It looks so simple but it is heaps difficult as it goes on. I love the music too - it's classic. Froggers music can give you the s..hits after a while but it is still a game I quite enjoy. I love The Frogger episode on Seinfeld also - awesome stuff.
Bombjack, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Action Fighter, Spy Hunter, Final Fight(All versions), Wonder Boy, Lode runner, Slapfight, Truxton 1&2 plus many others are also favourites. I could go on for days about this stuff. I love it.
1942 still ranks number one for though. The other games of that series, I am not fond of at all though.
1942
One game from the 90's that is still rad is NBA JAM, the early versions that got brought out are fantastic. Sega Rally also - I am God at this game. Golden Tee - All versions. The only thing about Golden Tee is that a trackballs life span is not very long. It only takes a couple of days for the trackball to become s..hit. Even if you clean out the housing and the ball, it still never rolls as well as when it is brand new.
I used to like Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat when I was younger but not so much now.
About 18 months ago I put together A MAME cabinet after getting inspired from watching peoples setups on Youtube. It took a while to put together and still needs some finishing touches here and there. It has over 8,000 games on it. You'll have to excue my brother being in the pic but this is it:
Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
now this is a thread! Im with pyro here...i was a complete junkie too. The games iv played and clocked ...dont know where to start. Favourite ive payed fortunes to play include
elevator action shinobe dragons lair lady bug 1942 galaga double dragon wonder boy alex kidd in a miracle world ghost n goblins pacman defender atroids god the list is endless i give up ive played most of the atari 2600 games, nes, supernes, sega mega drive, master system, commadore 64, omega . . .i knda lost interest at one point then discovered the game Black and swat 4 and played online for 8 hrs a day sometimes...so addictive and will get back into playing swat4 online soon i think...just need to calibrate a joystick as i hate usng the keyboard - it really sux.
Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Pyromantic: I checked it out....its ok...but here's one guys home arcade setup that looks even more awesome. I love all the sounds and bleeps of classic games...really takes me back.=)
I actually live about 2 hours away from Funspot, where the American Classic Arcade Museum is located (Laconia, NH). It's a great place for retro video game/80s buffs. They've got over 280 retro video games on the third floor and are always piping in 80s music over the speakers to complement the atmosphere. It's like stepping back in time.
If an '80s Rewind Expo were ever to take place, the American Classic Arcade Museum at Funspot would be an ideal venue. I'd be interested in going to such an event.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Remember the lock in session days. You pay like 10 bucks each and get to stay in an arcade all night, and play as much as you want. Bring that back please.
Posted by The Pyromantic (Member # 7658) on :
I played a good amount of pinball along with everything else too. Here's one I remember that ate up alot of my coinage.
Elvira's Monster Party:
[ 10. March 2011, 01:31: Message edited by: The Pyromantic ]
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
This thread is excellent!
The fantasy flick thread reminded me of this pinball:
Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bernie_Lomax: Remember the lock in session days. You pay like 10 bucks each and get to stay in an arcade all night, and play as much as you want. Bring that back please.
WHAT - i never had this!!!!
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Yeah, I done it a couple of times. I can't actually remember the exact price but it couldn't have been much more than 10 bucks cos I wouldn't have scraped up much more than that at the time. It used to happen alot in the early 90's around the time Street Fighter 2 came out. That was when I was bout 10 or 11.
You would pay your money and eventually they would lock the doors and they would have all the machines set to free play.
They didn't do pass outs. So if you wanted to go outside or whatever, you couldn't get back in, and they always made sure that if you wanted to leave in the wee hours that you were picked up by your parents.
Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Bernie!!!! Iv missed out on this big time and im so jealous now. I was 17-18 in 1991 and was heavily into street fighter and 720 degrees...why oh why God do you forsake me ....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I would have been doing that every night. I was able to get free credits on some of the machines back in the mid 80s using fishing cord with a hook on the end but it didnt work on all machines. I got caught doing it once at a carnival back home where i grew up in Coogee beach in Sydney and they said if you come back we will call the police...i went back still but the same guy who caught me was never sure it was me coz i wore a cap and sunglasses...LOL...plus there were no mobile phones so it wasnt like he could dial 000straight away. about $10-20 spent every weekend on Shinobe, double dragon, wonderboy and ghost n goblins which for some reason i was terrible at and could never play that one very well. I clocked shinobe a few times which would take about an hour...my hands were killing me at the end of it and sometimes my best friend damien had to take over on some of the stages...just the best 7-8 yr memories of my life and i look back at them with great fondness...now my life is about work and mortgages hmmmm get me a time machine please.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
So inconspicuous you must have been with the cap and shades.
Fishing cord with a hook. That's classic. I used to make fake 2 dollar coins out of solder and a steel mould but for some reason I was to chicken to use them on anything were people might have been around to bust me so I used to just use them on vending machines. Most of them worked but there were always a few duds. I almost got busted too, and haven't made any since then.
Are you talking about the original street fighter or number 2? I haven't played 720 degrees much but I have played it before.
Did you ever clock any games on one credit? I never have but the closest I got was on 1942. I made it to the end of the 2nd to last stage battling it out with the final boss plane and yeah, I died. I was in a zone that day but still am gonna get that son of a b..itch game clocked some day.
Lots of money got poured into wonderboy aswell, and ghosts n goblins, hey nobody is good at that game. It's impossible to last very long. Double Dragon will always remain a classic but impossible to get very far either. They made it so you had to hit the enemies a ridiculous amount of times before they died.
I know about the arms killing. It is agonising hey. Shinobi was great on the arcades, and it is good that the master system brought it out later also.
You said you were in the army and grew up in Coogee. I was in the army for a few years alos and we went to the Randwick Army Barracks for a week to do drill prectice (yay), for a big parade down that way. I remember getting severely maggot at The Coogee Bay Hotel and all over the rest of Sydney, the night before 6 hours of drill practice (practicing the parade four times). I was in the first rank and my mate was in the rank almost directly behind me. He passed out after about 10 minutes into the first practice session. I am proud to say that I never went down in any parade. I dunno how I didn't that day. If I knew what I know now about the army I would have spent my time more wisely and played video games.
I am currently playing Call of Duty Black Ops on PS3.
Hey dude, if you happen to find a time machine I will go ya halves to help defray the cost.
[ 12. March 2011, 03:08: Message edited by: Bernie_Lomax ]
Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
ahh Bernie, awsome to have a fellow serviceman and aussie on here. Even better youve been to where i grew up mate. Coogee bay road which you would know was where most of the video games were which i played. I worked in the newsagent there delivering newspapers every sat and sunday morning at 5am with my other 5 friends. We earned so much money from tips. For a 11-17yr old i was absolutely loaded with cash all the time and i did all the work before anyone got out of bed every weekend. All that money would get spent on video games, maccas, skateboard and surf wear, paddlepops, snakes, burgers, milkshakes and packets of twisties.
I clocked Shinobe on 1 credit after about 1 yrs worth of practise though. I clocked double dragon too but on two credits. I liked 1942 as well but i was absolutely useless at it to be honest, you did well to get as far as you did. I havnt played much of call of duty. I put all my energy into ghost recon, Black (which is just the most awsome game ever made)(on PS2)and as i said before, i was addicted to playing swat 4 online against others...it got too much really, people started agueing online and then people obviously cheating the system and saying they were not which was total bs.
God i remember drill practise in basic training...im pretty coordinated so never had a problem with it but standing to attention for over and hour once in 35 degree heat was just awful. I had sun cream on my forehead and it ran into my eyes but i couldnt move my arms to wipe it out. We then got the signal to march off and i was telling everyone around me to guide me off the square...i marched for about 2 minutes going left and right totally blind.
The street fighter i played the most was the original but i did play both a lot...then the prices just went sky rocketing and then BAM! Super nes came out and that was the beginning of the end of arcade places where i was and could only find the odd game or so which peoople were no longer interested in playing...next thing you know we enter into the mid 90s and then BAM again, nintendo 64 graces us with Golden Eye and that was the beginning of some decent first person competitve shoot em up type games
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
wwf superstars was one of my favorite arcade games.
there was another that had the avengers from marvel comics and you fight venom in the first level but he was a giant.
Posted by spleus (Member # 9533) on :
i still prefer dude.
Posted by Billie Jean (Member # 9525) on :
My all time fave game is PAC-MAN.
Posted by The Pyromantic (Member # 7658) on :
I can't possibly pick an all time favorite....way too many awesome games to choose from.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I stand by 1942 as a favourite.
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
i have that on a xbox compliation. i stayed up all night playing that and exed exes.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Because Exedexes is made by Capcom as well it appears in the default high scores for 1942. I still haven't clocked it on one credit yet. I have got to the end of the 2nd to last stage and died. I was peaking. Especially since the last stage is a bonus stage and quite easy.
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
i have gunsmoke for the nes, and for the xbox, the xbox is really difficult in comparison. all the games on the xbox are for some reason.
Posted by leach (Member # 9695) on :
still have a NES that i use sometime :-) ma favorites Super Mario Bros Toki Final Fight Double Dragon
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I love the entire Final Fight series.
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
what do you like better streets of rage or double dragon?
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I would go with Streets of Rage myself. As much of a classic Double Dragon is I never really liked it that much. I actually preferred the NES version of Double Dragon to the arcade too. I still have a video tape of my 11th birthday and I am playing DD in the video. Almost 19 years ago to the day.
Posted by amaranth (Member # 8882) on :
Pac-man, and cant remember the name but a guy that shot crosses to zombies in a graveyard?
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
The original Out Run arcade, still one of the funniest.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I used to love that game. I never seemed to get my dollars worth though. I used to have that on my IBM back in the mid 90's too.
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
i never played the game much, but i was really enthralled with galga at a local pizza shop whenever i got to go there. I dont know exactly what was about it, i guess cause i didnt get out much, the artwork down the side of the game was one of the neatest things i seen and i really liked that pizza shop too.
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
how about rad racer?
Posted by The Good Package (Member # 9492) on :
i had alot of fun playing karnov and rygar, never got far on them, but had alot of fun.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bernie_Lomax: Does anyone remember a hockey game during the arcade era. It was kind of like a fussball table but there was a dome over the top. The two teams were USA and Russia. The little puck sprung up in the middle and the score was lit up over the top of the plastic dome. This was an awesome game. You cold really get the puck flying if you spun the handle/player hard enough. I probably spent more money on that thing than anything else.
It's called a bubble hocky machine apparently:
I have seen the Karate Kid a number of times over the years but it was only the other day that I noticed that they were playing the exact same game that I used to love playing as a kid - The USA vs Russia hockey game. If I could get my hands on one I would definitely buy it. It is such a good game.
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
that hockey game looks awesome bernie,don't think i can ever recollect seeing that in any uk arcades,it does look cool!
operation wolf was a pretty cool arcade game,i had an amstrad cpc464 home computer and owned - operation thunderbolt which is the 1988 videogame sequel to wolf.
was one of my favourite games on my home computer and a pretty good adaption of the arcade hit.
amstrad cpc 464 version & commodore 64 version was distributed by ocean who seemed to be behind quite a few decent home video arcade adaptions!
https://youtu.be/zVCjgSp1_HA - amstrad cpc 464 home computer version of operation thunderbolt.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
The hockey game is f...n awesome. Some people might look at it and think it's just fussball with ice hockey players but no that is not the case. You really can control the puck really well and there's no puck going under the stick or any of that which you get with fussball. I rate fussball about 2/10. This game I rate 10/10.
Posted by gordongecko (Member # 4685) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bernie_Lomax: The hockey game is f...n awesome. Some people might look at it and think it's just fussball with ice hockey players but no that is not the case. You really can control the puck really well and there's no puck going under the stick or any of that which you get with fussball. I rate fussball about 2/10. This game I rate 10/10.
I 2nd this! I love Dome Hockey. I get super pumped if I ever see that game around.
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
A friend recently bought a standup arcade game with pacman art on it. It has 60 vintage video games built in. Its kinda funny cause another friend and myself got decent at galaga back in the day and we have all the top scores on this new machine and my friend that owns it can't get beat our top scores.
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1942
