Arcade Games - Round 3

 

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 3

(1) Pac-Man v (4) Galaga

Developed way back in 1979, this is the game that broke the mold and gave us the iconic pellet-gobbling yellow circle. Pac Man holds eight Guiness World Records! 

Galaga perfected its predecessor, Galaxian, and let arcade regulars show off with the tractor-beam-double-shooter trick.

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(3) Frogger v (2) Street Fighter

From 1981, the broad appeal of Frogger (and his many, many ways to die) has earned it praise as one of the greatest of all time. George Costanza has the high score.

Ryu or Ken? The iconic arcade game spawned a number of console games and some iconic moves. Hadoken!

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(1) Ms. Pac-Man v (5) Centipede

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. 

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

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(3) Donkey Kong v (2) Space Invaders

This is the game that introduced Mario to the world, jumping barrels and climbing ladders to save Pauline. As a rival to Pac-Man, Donkey Kong established Ninetendo in the US and launched a franchise.

Among the most influential games of all time, the success of Space Invaders helped launch an industry. It was the first with saved high scores, and the first with continuous music.

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