posted
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.
Posts: 122 | From: Beverly, MA | Registered: Feb 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
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 ]
Posts: 1802 | From: Planet Druidia | Registered: Jan 2009 | Site Updates: 3
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
posted
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 ]
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
Playing pinball with 80's tunes in the background is my kind of fun!
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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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.
Posts: 2586 | From: Defrauding the company from abroad | Registered: Jan 2010 | Site Updates: 24
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posted
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 ]
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posted
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.
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posted
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.
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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
Posts: 4228 | From: Home of the big landfill | Registered: Jul 2003 | Site Updates: 8
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posted
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.
Posts: 2008 | From: Dixieland | Registered: Oct 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
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.
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posted
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! Posts: 2008 | From: Dixieland | Registered: Oct 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
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 MuseumPosts: 675 | From: Miskatonic University | Registered: Jul 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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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."
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posted
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.
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posted
Better than ok I reckon, but yes that guy has a pretty awesome setup too. Both are pretty awesome really.
Posts: 2586 | From: Defrauding the company from abroad | Registered: Jan 2010 | Site Updates: 24
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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.
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posted
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.
Posts: 122 | From: Beverly, MA | Registered: Feb 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
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:
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oneyedwilly
The Dread Pirate Rewind....
Member # 8730
posted
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.
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oneyedwilly
The Dread Pirate Rewind....
Member # 8730
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.=)
yep agreed about the bleeps and sounds - not the same anymore is it.
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posted
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.
Posts: 122 | From: Beverly, MA | Registered: Feb 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
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.
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