Arcade Games - Round 1c

 

Arcade Games

If you’re a Gen X kid like me, you spent half your childhood (and more than half your allowance) at the local arcade. Can you still hear the sound of the guy shooting out quarters from the thing he wore on his belt? Do you remember setting that quarter on the machine to say “I got next?” Can you still smell that one kid who was eternally parked in front of Dragon’s Lair?

What are the arcade games that you spent the most money on? What were your favorites?  

We’re voting on the greatest arcade game of them all! Get your joysticks ready! Raid your kid’s piggy bank! We’re not leaving this place until we get the high score!

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Round 1

(1) Ms. Pac-Man v (16) Gauntlet

Pac-Man's wife is the star of this sequel, which featured more colors, more tunnels, and semi-random ghosts. For many, this is the definite version of a defining arcade game. 

As a warrior, wizard, valkyrie, or elf, hack your way through a fantasy maze. Warrior need food badly!

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(8) Q*bert v (9) Pong

Q*Bert is a funny, swearing creature who hops on a pyramid of cubes (hence the name) while avoiding a coiled snake. The 3-D effect was clever, and the character became iconic. 

In some ways, we owe it all to Pong. It was the very first commercially successful arcage game. Released in 1972, Pong is simple but surprisingly entertaining.

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(5) Centipede v (12) Tron

Centipede's trackball turned heads as players aimed for the head of the ever-lengthening menace in its field of mushrooms.

Though one might think the movie was inspired by the arcade game, it was the other way around. Tron featured four compelling subgames based on Disney's sci-fi film.

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(4) Joust v (13) NBA Jam

Why are the knights riding flying ostriches and storks? Don't ask, just make sure your lance is higher than your opponent's. Joust innovated with a two-way joystick and flapping mechanism. 

The first game in the series featured players from the 1992-93 NBA roster, with the notable exceptions of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal.

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