what was your prefered gaming poison, Arcades or home computer gaming

[carmel_andrews]

Like it said on the tin....What was your preferred gaming poison.....The Arcade(s) or home computer gaming (computer systems only)

 

If it were Arcade's what was your favorite gaming genre, game and games manufacturer

 

If it were home computer gaming, what was your favourite gaming genre, game/s and games publisher

 

If it were home computer gaming, which classic system/platform did you prefer for the majority of your gaming fix/action

 

Which game for the home market did you think was equal or better then the arcade version or equivalent

 

which game for the home market published exclusively for the home computers do you think would have adapted well or been better in the arcade

 

Which game for the arcade market, made exclusively for the arcade market (i.e not ported or converted for home gaming) do you think would have adapted well or been better on the home computers

[Rybags]

For casual games, definitely the arcade in most instances.

 

Obviously, stuff like RPGs, adventures and many long running games just weren't suitable, so the home systems always won there.

 

I reckon if arcades had thrived and survived past the early 90s, we'd probably now have smart cards where you'd just pay some money and you'd insert it and it'd have all your savegame info.

But of course, VR tanked and never delivered and 3D is still early days and will be home-based anyway.

 

I didn't really have a favourite manufacturer despite being Atari centric on the home front, but I suppose Atari and Namco were probably prominent.

Plenty of arcade games were cross-licenced anyway. I'd probably have to say that the shooters got most of my attention.

 

Favourites were probably Galaga, Time Pilot, Pole Position (we got the Namco version). Got into Jungle Hunt (King) a bit, and there were probably a few others along the way, especially like Daytona in the later days.

Not to forget of course pinball machines - I reckon once I hit 18 or so I probably played more pinball than arcade, possibly a mix of reasons like the fact that home tech had caught up and pinball is generally a more sociable game in an arcade environment.

 

Which game better for home? I reckon Defender, despite the home ports not being technically as good. The controls on arcade Defender IMO just sucked totally and I rarely played it as a result.

[+Gemintronic]

Arcades were for pizza parties. There's nothing like sitting in front of a PC with a paper notebook writing down hex combinations that gave you better items in Eye of the Beholder.

 

..er, except having a life that is

[BydoEmpire]

Home gaming definitely. I always liked to "own" a game instead of just paying to play it. I enjoyed arcades, and I went whenever I could, but I played way more games at home. It helped that we had a Commodore 64 and my old brother and I both had friends to "trade" games with.

 

I played all kinds of computer games, and I don't think I had a favorite genre back then. Strategy games, arcade games, RPGs, sports games, puzzle games, platformers, text adventures - it was all good. There was so much new and exciting then (and I had so much more free time) I'd give anything a try. If I had to choose I'd say my favorite was D&D-style RPGs. I love me some dungeon crawling.

 

Electronic Arts and Epyx were my two favorite publishers in the day. SSI was great, too.

 

which game for the home market published exclusively for the home computers do you think would have adapted well or been better in the arcade

I think some Epyx stuff would have worked well - Jumpman & Jumpman Jr. in particular. I could even see an arcade version of Gateway to Apshai. That'd be kind of cool. Edited September 3, 2010 by BydoEmpire

[JamesD]

I always enjoyed the arcade better for that style of game. The graphics, sound, and quality was generally better.

But computer games at home had longer play times, more depth, and a more interesting storyline. If I wanted to spend hours playing it was no contest.

[desiv]

Arcades?? Sometimes..

Arcade machines? Oh yeah!! Just not usually in arcades..

All the corner markets in L.A. had them. The one right by my school had Donkey Kong and Popeye, so I suppose that's where most of my money went. :-)

 

The one by my house had Ms Pacman and Astro Invader. (Yes, I'll never totally forgive Tom Petty for that crime against Atro Invader.) So I added to someone's retirement account with those as well..

 

Arcades were where I went to play the more involved games, like Dragon's Lair and Guantlet...

 

Man, I always had summer jobs and I never spent money on fancy clothes or music... I must have spent a LOT on the arcade games.. I'm afraid to add it up..

 

My home computer back then was a Vic-20. I didn't do as much gaming on it. More BASIC programming and modem fun...

 

Didn't get seriously into computer gaming until RPGs and my C64...

 

desiv

Edited September 4, 2010 by desiv

[Cliff Friedel]

For me, it was a situational thing. The arcade was good in that you got an experience you didn't get at home. There were high score lists, people in the arcade, the plink of quarters into the game, etc. I went there to play new games, to meet friends, and to be part of the community.

 

The home systems on the other hand had much more in-depth games. Playing games like M.U.L.E., Alternate Reality, etc. just couldn't be done at an arcade or with a bunch of people. One or two maybe at the most. It was something you did yourself and maybe a friend or two. It was amazing how quickly good friendships came out of playing home games because there was the exchanging of games, the direct competition, etc.

 

So, to me, the arcade was about casual gaming and short-term play with random people whereas home games were longer, more personal, and more focused on the one or two friends that actually liked computers or video games too.