Top arcade games

[Tangentg]

I made a little list just now for me to organize the arcade games I've either bookmarked or downloaded. I have a few more, but I excluded those I like less.

 

My main criteria was that these were either arcade-exclusives, or they offer you an experience that you couldn't get on retro home consoles that force the games to be changed. So games like Pacman Plus and Robotron 2084 were omitted, even though they're great arcade games, cause they've been ported beautifully to the Atari 7800. Pac & Pal here gets an honorable mention, as it's an arcade-exclusive game that I do like, just not as much as the others (and also there's no space left).

 

What are your top arcade games, whose experience cannot be replicated through retro ports, or are arcade exclusives?

 

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

One of my favorite games that never got a console port is Pleiades from 1981. It's the unofficial sequel to Phoenix released a few months earlier in late 1980. Fun game, with a tough but fair difficulty level, great sound effects, and love the piano key sound as you are navigating the field avoiding the flags after destroying the main boss.

 

Zoo Keeper is another great one and a very addicting game. I don't know why that was ported? Maybe it had something to do with a lot of on screen sprites from the zoo animals. Could have been a great release for the 7800.

 

Last mention is Speed Buggy/Buggy Boy from 1986. A very fun offroad racing game as you collect flags for points, hitting soccer balls, etc. A terribly underrated game and a shame it wasn't released for the NES, Master System, or 7800.

[Flojomojo]

I like Zookeeper too. Imagine my disappointment when the DS game by the same name came out! Much like when not-futuristic-racing-but-a-dumb-game-show Wipeout appeared ten years later. I've come to like color-matching animals Wipeout.

 

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom never got a proper console port in my opinion, the NES game is a mess.

 

My go-to arcade only faves:

 

--These two got fun Lynx ports--

A. P. B. All Points Bulletin with the steering wheel and flashing siren in the cabinet

S.T.U.N. Runner with the sit-down controls

 

Star Wars 1983 Arcade on a vector screen with flight yoke controls and environmental cabinet

Stargate (not Defender II) with real controls and an active leaderboard

Pole Position with that spinning steering wheel

Outrun with the force feedback wheel

 

--These are fine in MAME but I liked them in the arcade first--

I, Robot

Jungle KING (not Hunt)

[enoofu]

Battle-pod games are usually fun such as Star Wars Trilogy

I just wished Kidou Senshi Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna would come to the States as I heard good things about it

 

X Men 1992 gets pretty crazy with 5 other gamers next to you

[+save2600]

Pleiades was dug up and released for the 2600 quite a while ago. Excellent port! Too bad it wasn't released BITD.

 

https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=152

[Nebulon]

TRON, Discs of TRON, Battlezone, Space Harrier (deluxe cabinet), Front Line, Star Wars, Space Duel (cocktail unit), Tail Gunner, Xybots, Paperboy, Sub-Roc 3d, Two Tigers, Lunar Lander, Pole Position, and Pole Position II.

 

Some of these and done fairly well on home systems, but the control interface experience isn't quite the same as on the actual arcade.

[enoofu]

TRON, Discs of TRON, Battlezone, Space Harrier (deluxe cabinet), Front Line, Star Wars, Space Duel (cocktail unit), Tail Gunner, Xybots, Paperboy, Sub-Roc 3d, Two Tigers, Lunar Lander, Pole Position, and Pole Position II.

 

Some of these and done fairly well on home systems, but the control interface experience isn't quite the same as on the actual arcade.

 

Getting quite cheap to buy or build Arcade Fight Sticks for emulation

[Tangentg]

Pleiades was dug up and released for the 2600 quite a while ago. Excellent port! Too bad it wasn't released BITD.

 

https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=152

 

Oo I'm gonna check it out. Thanks.

 

TRON, Discs of TRON, Battlezone, Space Harrier (deluxe cabinet), Front Line, Star Wars, Space Duel (cocktail unit), Tail Gunner, Xybots, Paperboy, Sub-Roc 3d, Two Tigers, Lunar Lander, Pole Position, and Pole Position II.

 

Some of these and done fairly well on home systems, but the control interface experience isn't quite the same as on the actual arcade.

In that case Sea Wolf's gimmick is also unique. Even though Submarine Commander on the 2600 doesn't have actual periscopes, that's still one of my favourite Atari 2600 games.

 

I agree with Space Duel, and that 2 player version of Missile Command would have been cool...

Edited November 3, 2016 by Tangentg

[Nebulon]

 

Getting quite cheap to buy or build Arcade Fight Sticks for emulation

The vertical axis on the spinner for Discs of TRON seems to be a tricky one.

 

I also forgot to mention Spy Hunter.

[Crimefighter]

I made a little list just now for me to organize the arcade games I've either bookmarked or downloaded. I have a few more, but I excluded those I like less.

 

My main criteria was that these were either arcade-exclusives, or they offer you an experience that you couldn't get on retro home consoles that force the games to be changed. So games like Pacman Plus and Robotron 2084 were omitted, even though they're great arcade games, cause they've been ported beautifully to the Atari 7800. Pac & Pal here gets an honorable mention, as it's an arcade-exclusive game that I do like, just not as much as the others (and also there's no space left).

 

What are your top arcade games, whose experience cannot be replicated through retro ports, or are arcade exclusives?

 

 

 

Ummm...New Rally X was on those Namco Plug & Plays, Pac Arrangement was put out on the Gamecube. Millipede was put out on the Atari consoles. Qix was put out on the 5200 and a few other consoles.

[ledzep]

Red Baron and Lunar Lander have unique controls and vector can't be had correctly on raster monitors. Warrior is another game with a unique arrangement that can only really be done right on the Vectrex, though you don't get the reflected floor for the combatants to walk over. Silent Scope has the sniper rifle camera view that's unique to the arcade as well. I don't think Quantum ever made it to the home consoles and I think Crystal Castles doesn't have a correct trak-ball version on home systems.

[Tangentg]

Ummm...New Rally X was on those Namco Plug & Plays, Pac Arrangement was put out on the Gamecube. Millipede was put out on the Atari consoles. Qix was put out on the 5200 and a few other consoles.

Plug and Plays and GameCube aren't what I consider a -retro- port (it's hard to consider plug and plays proper ports to begin with), and as I said, I listed those where the arcade experience couldn't be replicated on a home console, and none of the home consoles offered the precise trackball controls. (And honestly with Millipede, the Atari 2600 version is the only good port. The GBA one was tolerable as a portable port, but the others are all unplayably slow as heck)

Edited November 27, 2016 by Tangentg

[lushgirl_80]

1. Marvel VS. Capcom
2. Bubbles
3. Street Fighter 2:The World Warrior
4. Puzzle Bobble 4
5. Legendary Wings
6. Gauntlet 2
7. Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon
8. Slipstream
9. Virtua Racing
10. Space Invaders '95:Attack of the Lunar Loonies

My Top 10 arcade games currently. Legendary Wings is super hard lol. The replay value in that one is really good. Always curious what the next level looks like.

 

I think Marvel VS. Capcom is my all-time favorite game. It's so perfect. Might be tied with Soul Caliber but haven't played that in a longtime.

[Geca]

Many of them but, and this is one of them