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Top 5 Games Worth Finding an Arcade For
RyanDJ
September 5, 2010
T
hese days, arcades are unfortunately a dying breed. It used to be guaranteed that any mall you went into had at least one arcade for us to sink our quarters into. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but I hope it's better than where I've lived. Arcades have gone from central entertainment locations to, at most, a room in the dingy corner of the mall that doesn't even have an employee to help with technical difficulties.
There are, however, games that are worth searching out. Particularly during the early SNES/Genesis days, a great many games came out that just couldn't make it to home consoles. Technology in the arcade was greater than that in the home. Arcade cabinets were more than a stick and buttons, they were an immersive experience. For me, there are a few stand-outs. Whether you agree that these are good games or not, these are games that, for one reason or another, can't be replicated at home without bringing the machine with you.
Prior to starting my video game focused article, I'd like to give an Honorable Mention vote to Skee-Ball! No matter how many waggle games come out, there's something classic to the old wooden balls and the ramp that cannot be replaced!
5. Sunset Riders: One of my personal favorite arcade games of all time. A traditional side-scroller in Konami's famous style, it was an Old West Contra. There were home conversions of this game, but they were severely modified: Old West Indians were eliminated and replaced with generic cowboys from the other levels, some levels were removed completely, and four-player support was dropped. Graphically, it didn't impress as much as the arcade. It was a fun home game, but I was spoiled by the arcade. This one is the one that I, personally, would love to find for my own personal collection, unless one day my persistent phone calls to Konami convince them that they need to release this on the Virtual Console in it's true arcade form.
4. X-Men: 6 Player Cabinet: This behemoth of a machine supported six people simultaneously. It had two screens in it to spread the battlefield
across for more carnage. I remember this taking up a whole corner of the arcade back in the day. To the best of my research, this never saw the light
of day at home, even as a cheap modified two-player home release. That is very unfortunate, because this was quite the fun beat-em-up. Many cheap
quarter-stealing kills. . .but that was the point of most of these, right? This is another I could see making a home conversion. New widescreen televisions could handle the mayhem, but the vintage costumes and interesting character choices (Dazzler? Really?) would hurt a direct re-release. Perhaps a sequel.
3. The Simpsons Arcade: Yes, I know. . .another side-scroller beat-em-up. Hey, I was a fan. This one, however, was solid and very popular. It had the humor of the series, wonderful art that can still be entertaining to look at even after seeing today's modern graphics, responsive controls, and a cool team-up feature where every combination of the family could get together for tag-team attacks. A home conversion of this game came out for the Commodore 64, but the following links can show you one of the main reasons I wrote this article: the downgrading needed to get these arcade powerhouses into your home. Check out the video at the end of this article.
The graphics were extremely simplified, and gameplay was slowed down. Four-player simultaneous gameplay was eliminated yet again. Recently an iPhone spiritual successor was released, and the Simpsons are still popular, so this one may see a rerelease one day.
2. Lucky and Wild: A really cool premise for an arcade game, the titular characters were a direct rip off of most 80's cop movies: one gritty serious dude, and one who takes the law into his own hands, have to team up to save the day. What made this arcade cabinet so exciting was that it had OutRun style gameplay crossed with games like Lethal Enforcers. One player had to man the steering wheel and gas pedals, chasing the bad guys, and both players had dashboard-mounted handguns, so it was like playing two games simultaneously. I have had visions of how this could be brought home: a Wii balance board for gas and brake, a Wii Wheel, and two Zappers. . .but again, this is a game forgotten by time, probably not returning any time soon thanks to the almighty Profit Margin. Lucky and Wild, I only knew one arcade with you in it. . .and I miss you.
1. Time Traveler: While not the most fun game on this list, the list is about true arcade experiences, and this is one that is cemented in my mind. With the 3DS coming out and people raving about "3D without glasses!!!!!!!!!", Sega got there first. Using hologram technology and motion capture, Time Traveler was a Dragons Lair-ish game involving a cowboy who traveled through time to save the day. Still pictures can't do it justice, check out the Youtube video at the end of this article.
The game received critical acclaim for its time, and it was one of the first machines I remember having to pump a full dollar into to play. The screen was housed inside a bubble on top of the machine. Sticking your hand into the machine ruined the 3D effect, but you were able to move around and see all angles of the action. It felt like those little people were standing inside the machine performing for you. Definitely a memorable experience.
Well, there you have it, five games (six with skee-ball) that, to me, just can't be replicated at home the same way. How about you? What would your own personal Dream Arcade Room have in it? Sound off in the comments.
Other games deserve honorable mention: Time Crisis (number 2 got a GREAT home conversion if you had linkable PS2s), real pinball machines. . .I know there are other, greater games out there, but this was MY arcade. Now, I need to be going. Gotta go get a roll of quarters and the directions to the nearest arcade.
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