Top Ten Most Important Arcade games

[J.Max]

Keep in mind...these are not the most fun games, nor are they the ones I remember the most fondly. They are the ones, IMO, that had the biggest impact. I'm curious as to why people keep putting Gorf on the list, though. Gorf was a fun game, but I don't think it had any lasting impact.

 

As far as my Pac Man numbers go...I got those from Phoenix by Leonard Herman, but I didn't realize that my copy has a misprint!

 

 

Keep in mind: my list is made up of game that had the most impact, not those that were the best games. That's a totally different list. (There's no way that Computer Space would make a "best of" list, for example.)

[ninjarabbit]

No Virtual Fighter on the list makes me a saaaaad panda.

[J.Max]

No Virtual Fighter on the list makes me a saaaaad panda.

993210[/snapback]

 

Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing are really kind of interchangable, actually. Their importance is the same, but I used VR because I already had 3 fighting games.

[Gabriel]

I wouldn't say you need a top 10 list of most important arcade games. I can only think of 5 which really have a huge impact which reverberates through all of videogames:

 

Pong = While Computer Space may be the first, it's overall impact seems to have been minimal. Pong, on the other hand, launched the entire videogame business and that's not an understatement.

 

Space Invaders = Space Invaders was probably the beginning of the changing of video games from the type of thing you saw in seedy pool halls and carnivals to something respectable. And you just can't argue with this game's massive success.

 

Pac-Man = While Space Invaders started the process of acceptance, Pac-Man really cemented it and made arcade games family entertainment. In much the same way that Pong launched the videogame industry, Pac-Man redefined it. "Personality" in a game became important.

 

Gauntlet = After the crash, arcades needed a new formula to stay afloat. As much as we gamers idolized people who could "play forever on one quarter" the arcade owners equally despised them. Arcades needed steady revenue and a game model that would support that kind of revenue. Gauntlet, with 4 player simultaneous play, and the need for constant buy in, filled that role and defined the quarter munching machines of its era and ever after. And, while other games had previously used the "let's see the next level" formula, Gauntlet really showed the way to do it for the games that followed.

 

Street Fighter II = This game simultaneously revitalized arcades, restoring them near to their early 80s glory, and sounded their death knell. Fighting games hit it big, and were excellent revenue generators. But this resulted in endless Street Fighter clones destroying variety in arcades, and the fighting games became increasingly hardcore and appealling only to those who were already experts. In a way, they eventually regressed gaming back to the seedy pool hall days as arcades only appealled to a narrower and narrower hardcore crowd.

[Trip_Cannon]

You know, I think one game that gets passed up a lot in these lists and unfortunately forgotten is Operation Wolf. To me, that one jump started the whole "gun simulation" game or whatever you want to call it. It may not be "Top 10" important but should be mentioned IMHO.

[Flojomojo]

10. Golden Tee Golf

9. Dragon's Lair

8. Space Invaders

7. Mortal Kombat

6. Street Fighter II

5. Virtua Racing

4. Computer Space

3. Pac-Man

2. Tekken

1. Pong

 

I hate your list. It makes me sad ... sad that the arcades are dead and that there's no more "cutting edge" in the coin-op realm. No more walking up to a flashy machine and taking it for a spin. Now one *must* have at least one console system to be a game whiz. The social element of gaming has changed forever.

 

The newest game on the list is from 1994 (Tekken). The one most likely to be seen today is Golden Tee Golf. Meh. I want to shoot the messenger with my Sega Stunner gun.

 

Keep in mind...these are not the most fun games, nor are they the ones I remember the most fondly.  They are the ones, IMO, that had the biggest impact. 

993209[/snapback]

 

OK, now I understand a little better what you're trying to do -- and your little details like the mention of I, Robot bring some light to this dark, depressing list. If you have to choose 10, this list is as good as any -- though I doubt either of us have ever seen Computer Space in the wild.

 

My list would include:

 

Pole Position. The first driving game that allowed you to go off the track without crashing. It was about speed, not just accuracy. As a better writer than me said, the jump from a blank screen to Pole Position was a much larger leap than the jump from PP to Virtua Racing.

 

Virtua Cop. Gun game done right.

 

Dance Dance Revolution. I don't understand it but the kids seem to like it.

 

no Tekken. I don't know about you, but Tekken was pretty obscure to me before the Playstation version came out. Yes, it was remarkable that the home version was nicer than the arcade (a stunt Namco would repeat with amazing flair at Soul Calibur's release), but that makes it a more remarkable home game, greatly diminishing its arcade importance. You make a good point about the casuals deserting the "grimy arcade" though!

[KoffinKorner]

Keep in mind...these are not the most fun games, nor are they the ones I remember the most fondly. They are the ones, IMO, that had the biggest impact. I'm curious as to why people keep putting Gorf on the list, though. Gorf was a fun game, but I don't think it had any lasting impact.

 

GORF took it to a new level IMO, Massive mix of games in one, Speach like Berzerk, couldn't help but stop and check it out first time I saw it.

 

Space Invders with a sheild? Galaxian style attack on the next screen, and the little story line to it, and those Graphic's at the time! Out and out Jawdropper!

 

even the Cab was schweet, that darn thing ditch'd in corner somewhare

 

I AM GORF! That game is, and still kicks ASS!

 

Zaxxon, GORF, Discs of Tron These's are great games that should never be forgoten nor ignored in TOP gaming list ever!

 

Rant off

[vdub_bobby]

OK, maybe this is the right place to finally get an answer to my age-old question...

 

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH GOLDEN TEE???

 

I simply cannot fathom (admittedly, having never played it) what is so friggin' unbelievably awesome about this game that it has spawned annual updates and is, most of the time, the ONLY arcade game you ever see anywhere anymore.

A few ideas:

 

1. You can have fun playing it while drunk.

2. It accomodates macho gameplay. I.e., the "See how hard I can hit this track-ball!" gameplay. This appeals to the drunken bar crowd.

3. It's a sports game, so virtually every bar patron instantly knows what the goal is but, unlike most sports games, it doesn't have hard-to-learn controls or require lightning reflexes. It has a big ball that you hit as hard as possible (most of the time) in the direction you want the golf ball to go.

 

Basically, it's the perfect bar game.

[chuckwalla]

The classic arcade games (which to me, means the late 70's to mid 80's) that got me hooked for life on video games was/is the following...

 

Phoenix

Zaxxon

Robotron

Ms. Pac Man/Pac Man

Galaga/Galaxian

Joust

Asteroids

Stargate/Defender

Donkey Kong

Turbo

 

[jbanes]

Your point about Tekken was worded a bit clumsily. It would have been better to say that SNK had previously made the arcade hardware available to home players (Neo Geo), but that Tekken was the first arcade game to use existing home console hardware.

 

Also, I agree with a previous poster about Pole Position (there would have been no Virta' Racer, Cruisin' USA, or Ridge Racer without Pole Position!). and you forgot to mention TMNT. TMNT started the 4-6 player craze where each joystick represented a different player. This concept launched the X-Men, Simpsons, and many other arcade games for four or more players.

Edited January 3, 2006 by jbanes

[+FujiSkunk]

You know, I think one game that gets passed up a lot in these lists and unfortunately forgotten is Operation Wolf. To me, that one jump started the whole "gun simulation" game or whatever you want to call it...

993239[/snapback]

 

What about Crossbow?

 

By the way, I think this is something of a flawed list, given the title. Here are what I think are the Top Ten Most Important Arcade Games. The first nine are in (roughly?) chronological order:

 

Skeeball - The perennial quarter sucker and ticket factory. To this day, it demonstrates that a good arcade isn't only about video games.

 

Computer Space - The great grandaddy of them all, the one that offered arcades something new to go with their pinball machines and other mechanical Rube Goldbergs.

 

Pong - And this is the one that proved those arcade video games could actually make money!

 

Space Invaders - Any lingering concern about the viability of video games as a business was obliterated by this one game. How many other games can boast the ability to bankrupt a whole country (or at least cause a currency shortage)?

 

Pac-Man - This one demonstrated people liked characters that were endearing, beyond faceless space ships and race cars.

 

Ms. Pac-Man - This one is important for two reasons. One, it proved that sequels were to be exploited, and exploited heavily. Two, it provided an educational look into video game company politics, given the ensuing copyright battle between Pac-Man creator Namco and distributor Midway.

 

The Addams Family - The machine that single-handedly reintroduced pinball to the arcade, and also proved movie licensing doesn't have to suck.

 

Street Fighter II - Fighting games had been around prior to this one, but SF2 launched the genre into the stratosphere. Never again would an arcade catch itself without a significant amount of fighters, for better or worse.

 

Mortal Kombat - Despite the prior appearance of Pitfighter, this is the game responsible for popularizing the use of actual actors and actresses. But more importantly, MK became a focal point when the video game industry found itself in the never-ending debate between censorship and freedom of speech.

 

The tenth is hard to pin down. Is it Galaxian, the first arcade video game with color? Is it Star Wars, the first game to really take advantage of a movie tie-in? Is it Dragon's Lair for its laserdisc novelty and/or its introduction of full-motion video and movie-sized budgets into video games? Is it OutRun for popularizing elaborately shaped, moving arcade cabinets? Is it Virtua Fighter for really starting the 3D ball rolling, or should that honor go to STUN Runner, or perhaps even Battlezone? Maybe it should be Dance Dance Revolution, for the miraculous feat (no pun intended) of drawing crowds at a time when the arcade was becoming passe. The best I can do is say it's a tie between all of those, and probably a few more.

Edited January 3, 2006 by skunkworx

[NovaXpress]

A lot of very loose ideas about what makes a game important. Being "cool" or "my favorite game" shouldn't be an issue. I assumed we talking historical importance, not just major impacts or incremental technical (first color/first vector) improvements?

 

For overall impact it is a short list:

Pong - the first moneymaking coin operated game

Space Invaders - the first game popular enough to support the mass building of arcades

Pac Man - the first game to break through as a mainstream pop culture success

Street Fighter 2 - the game that kicked off the arcade renaissance, leading to . . .

Dance Dance Revolution - the only reason that arcades are alive today

 

I picked these games because they are the reason that arcades exist. Each one pulled asses in the door. Every other game was just the beneficiary of their massive success.

 

Not one of those five games would make my personal Top 50 list, but without them I wouldn't have my Tempest, Zaxxon, and Tekken.

[supercat]

Also, I agree with a previous poster about Pole Position (there would have been no Virta' Racer, Cruisin' USA, or Ridge Racer without Pole Position!). and you forgot to mention TMNT. TMNT started the 4-6 player craze where each joystick represented a different player. This concept launched the X-Men, Simpsons, and many other arcade games for four or more players.

993367[/snapback]

 

Didn't GAUNTLET predate TMNT by a few years? Gauntlet certainly seemed popular, even though it wasn't a movie license.

 

BTW, it's been said that "The early bird gets the worm, but the SECOND mouse gets the cheese." Often times the first game that firmly established a genre was not the first game therein; it can be difficult to know what credit to award the earlier unsuccessful games in starting the genre.

 

Computer Space, based upon what I've read, was basically a dead end. All it showed the world was that it was possible to produce a ridiculously-expensive and confusing game that nobody would play. I think people probably would have guessed that even if Bushnell et al. hadn't shown it. Pong, on the other hand, started a revolution because it demonstrated that video games could make money. BTW, out of curiosity, were there any EM games that predated PONG that were based on the same concept but used XY positioning for the "ball" (e.g. via moving bars and strings) rather than an untethered puck, ball, or other object (I know some mechanical hockey games certainly existed).

 

Some other unsuccessful games, however, may not have been dead ends if someone saw them, saw what needed fixing, and then used that knowledge to produce a "breakthrough" game. Street Fighter 2 may have been the first wildly-successful 2-player fighting game, but the makers were certainly aware of ones that predated it and their strengths/weaknesses.

[The Eidolon]

Hmmm... If I were to try to put a "most influential" list I would pick:

 

1) Pong

2) Space Invaders

3) Pac Man

4) Donkey Kong

5) Ms. Pac Man

6) Street Fighter 2

7) Pole Position

Bubble Bobble

9) DDR

10) Gauntlet

 

Not in any particular order--the numbers were just to help me keep count.

 

--The Eidolon

[Dones]

-Ms. Pac-Man: I debated about Ms. Pac-Man, but it's influence was superceded by her husband. Ms. Pac Man did NOT bring that many women into the arcade, and the women that it did bring in didn't stay. A case could be made that it was the first game to have a female main character, but again, there weren't THAT many games which followed her lead.

I don't know. I wouldn't dismiss Ms. Pac-Man just because it's a girl. According to Steven L. Kent's book, "The First Quarter", Ms. Pac-Man sold more arcade cabinets than Pac-Man. I can only imagine the many bored girlfriends who went play Ms. Pac Man while they boyfriends were playing the more 'manly' games. The fact it attracted girls means Ms. Pac Man influenced a broader, bigger audience than plain Pac Man.

[NovaXpress]

I was a daily arcade visitor at the time. I almost never saw a woman in there and the line at Ms.Pac-Man was all male as well.

 

I think the whole "caused girls to play games" was just a hype. Women played pong. Women never became arcade goers until the DDR days hit. Actually, when discussing games with women I usually find that the classic favorite is Centipede.

[iguana]

I would place Battlezone on there. Didn't the military want to use it or a enhanced version for training purposes? Also Tempest. Just because of the Vector thing. It made the vector thing popular.

[NovaXpress]

Tempest.  Just because of the Vector thing.  It made the vector thing popular.

993786[/snapback]

 

Asteroids called and would like to disagree with that statement.

[Gabriel]

Didn't GAUNTLET predate TMNT by a few years?  Gauntlet certainly seemed popular, even though it wasn't a movie license.

 

Yep. Gauntlet most certainly did, and it was outrageously popular in its day.

 

The reason I put it in my list is because it really pushed several things and succeeded at every one:

 

1) It featured multiplayer play with immediate buy in for whoever walked up to the machine. Other games prior to this had multiplayer, but you had to generally wait for the start of the next game to get in on the action. By combining these elements, it earned money quicker.

 

2) It keyed upon the human desire to explore, to see what's over the next hill. It always promised another level to get to which was new and different. Many people played and played "just until the next level."

 

3) It gave the pieces a personality that people could associate with. The Valkyrie was the best character to play, but I saw people fight over the right to play the elf just because that's what they identified with for some reason. This was pioneered in Pac-Man, but the identification of the onscreen character with the player is something that Gauntlet really helped kick into gear. (And which reaches a sort of ultimate form in the fighting games today)

 

4) Most importantly, players were on a timer. They had to continue pumping quarters into the game to play. This was balanced well enough that an experienced player could play longer than a novice, but even they couldn't "beat the game on a single quarter." This was absolutely CRITICAL for arcades at the time. It increased their earnings. The Konami scrolling beat em ups (TMNT, X-Men, Simpsons) all used the same formula, but replaced the timer with unavoidable cheap hits to keep the players pumping quarters.

 

Other games earlier had done some of these things, but Gauntlet provided the formula that arcades followed all the way up until the Street Fighter II craze. And, it isn't too much of a stretch to say that even afterwards the fighting games still followed the Gauntlet formula.

[NovaXpress]

4) Most importantly, players were on a timer.  They had to continue pumping quarters into the game to play.  This was balanced well enough that an experienced player could play longer than a novice, but even they couldn't "beat the game on a single quarter."  This was absolutely CRITICAL for arcades at the time.  It increased their earnings.  The Konami scrolling beat em ups (TMNT, X-Men, Simpsons) all used the same formula, but replaced the timer with unavoidable cheap hits to keep the players pumping quarters.

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That's the oldest formula in video games. Name a single game that didn't attempt to do one or the other. When long-playing strategic loopholes such as those found in Asteroids, Pac-Man and Centipede were discovered by players, the companies rushed to remove that advantage in the sequels.

 

For an average player, Gauntlet/TMNT games didn't last any longer than Defender or Zaxxon.

[iguana]

Tempest.  Just because of the Vector thing.  It made the vector thing popular.

993786[/snapback]

 

Asteroids called and would like to disagree with that statement.

993796[/snapback]

you are right, i meant the 3d vector thing.

[J.Max]

Tempest.  Just because of the Vector thing.  It made the vector thing popular.

993786[/snapback]

 

Asteroids called and would like to disagree with that statement.

993796[/snapback]

you are right, i meant the 3d vector thing.

994196[/snapback]

 

 

That was a very incremental change...every game didn't start coming out as a vector game after that. Again, Tempest was a great game, but not as important as the ones on the list.

[KoffinKorner]

Keep in mind: my list is made up of game that had the most impact, not those that were the best games. That's a totally different list. (There's no way that Computer Space would make a "best of" list, for example.)

 

Humm... I see, this might be to deep for my simple mind.

 

Dosen't FUN= Quarter intake= arcade Industries trends= other componies following suit? eventually(spell?) controlling direction of the market?

Edited January 5, 2006 by KoffinKorner

[NovaXpress]

Dosen't FUN= Quarter intake= arcade Industries trends= other componies following suit? eventually(spell?) controlling direction of the market?

994361[/snapback]

No, it really doesn't. Not in the slightest.

[J.Max]

Keep in mind: my list is made up of game that had the most impact, not those that were the best games. That's a totally different list. (There's no way that Computer Space would make a "best of" list, for example.)

 

Humm... I see, this might be to deep for my simple mind.

 

Dosen't FUN= Quarter intake= arcade Industries trends= other componies following suit? eventually(spell?) controlling direction of the market?

994361[/snapback]

 

Nope. Not at all. That's like saying, "'Scrubs' is a great TV show so it must be influential." I don't see the other networks trying to emulate 'Scrubs'.

 

To put it another way, STUN Runner is my favorite arcade game ever. I put more quarters into that game than any other. Were there other games like it? No. Did the industry start pumping out STUN Runner clones? No. Was it a great game? Yes.

 

Do you understand why the BEST games aren't the most INFLUENTIAL games? Does this make sense?

 

EDIT: Not trying to be a jerk here, BTW. I just want to make sure that the illustration I make is clear.

Edited January 6, 2006 by J.Max