The Arcade Thread - The Bear and Badger

mk64

Not sure if there is already a thread for to discuss arcades etc.

What games could you finish on one credit or close to?

and what games were impossible to complete on a single credit and had you spending a fiver in 50p's?

Regards,
Tom

Escape

Double Dragon, yes; Mad Dog McCree, no.

cockbeard

I remember wasting too much of my time on Time Crisis 2, really enjoyed that game, just wish the pier arcade had put POi9nt Blank on that massive screen instead would have been far more popular

mk64

Turtles used to rinse my cash..

FranticPea

50 pence? When i were a lad it were 10 pence an all tea ya could drink.

ChopperByrne

Got pretty good at the original Raiden.

Never did a one credit run though.

Arcade for me was always about competitive gaming though. Street Fighter Alpha 2 at the Atari Expo in the Square Tallaght being the highlight.

Skerret

HEEEEEAVYYY BARREL

davyK

Was damn close to 1CC-ing Moon Patrol.

Played a lot of Asteroids and Tempest - spectacular experience in the arcade.

Track n Field was another I put a lot of money into. Great multi-player game - I was pretty good at the high jump event.

I'm old enough to remember Space Invaders appearing so I put a lot of coins into that, plus Scramble, Galaxian, Pleides and the wonderful Phoenix.

Was pretty good a Frogger.

My mate and I were SHIT HOT at Namco Shoot Away - that was the big clay pigeon game with the light guns. We used to get a crowd around us - always got the game extend.

mk64

the op did say 10p first time around but then when I knew I was gonna post about turtles I switched it to 50p

davyK

Sit down Star Wars. Jesus - how could I forget that? Put a pile of dough into that.

Pole Position was another one - you can actuall complete Pole Position but I was never good enough - usually got the bonus extend though.

Most games back then were score-chasers - not many games could be 1CC-ed back then.

JonB

I couldn't get enough of arcades in the late 80s to early 90s. Pretty much all holidays became arcade hunts around then (because coastal tourist towns were generally packed with them), and the annual fair where we lived was a good source.

I've never finished an arcade game in 1 credit. Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja was a pretty cheap finish as I recall, along with Operation Thunderbolt.

Moot_Geeza

There's nothing I could finish on one credit in the arcades. There are probably three or four Master System games I could get through on one life, but I've always been an adequate gamer rather than a good one.

The last arcade game I finished was Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (£6ish), Golden Axe before that I think (£2ish, was shorter than the MD port, with an odd meta ending). The super-cabinet has disappeared from the Catford Constitutional though.

I reckon I've pumped more coins into Streetfighter 2, Turtles, Galaxian and Robocop than anything else, in that order.

WorKid

I think I used to be able to beat Smash TV on one credit or at least I never had to pump it full of coins. I can't really remember all that time ago.

I used to see how far I could get on 1942 on one credit, it was on a ferry I used to get. I'd never continue, just try and beat my own record.
Ah, simpler times.

davyK

The great thing about the arcade experiences of yore was the relatively simple gameplay augmented by great controls; making for a highly enjoyable experience.

The yoke in Star Wars, the spinner of Tempest , and trak ball of Marble Madness (a hoot in 2 player simultaneous mode). Once standard controls came along it was a small but significant factor in how consoles became a viable threat to the arcade.

WorKid

Plus they all went for the big stupid R360 / Mad Dog McRee quid a pop experiences rather than keep making good games.

Arcade 4p Gauntlet / Turtles / Simpsons were always a highlight of a trip to the arcade/bowling alley for me and my mates.

cockbeard

Good point that, and one that I've not thought about in a long time. We bemoan peripherals, but the whole point of a console back in the nineties was to recreate the arcade experience, so wheels, lightguns etc were kind of essential in doing that.

I hate to say it but it does seem the arcade is dead nowadays. Between lightguns and dance mats, I just don't see games that grab me. Strangely it's probably a market that the indies would do well in. Score attack and boss rush games are a good fit for an arcade. I wonder if trying to squeeze the dollar per minute rate is what's strangled them

WorKid

Yeah dance games helped kill arcades for me.

Moot_Geeza

When was the last time arcade games looked better than what was available on home consoles? That probably has something to do with the decline of the wow factor. Is it fair to say that when the Dreamcast arrived, the gimmicks returned?

davyK

T'was around the DC launch that the home experience reached parity with the arcade graphical display. Sadly for Sega, they thought that was enough to make the DC a success but a lot of people wanted more out of a home game.

PS1 & Saturn 2D games matched the arcade experience too. Radiant Silvergun on Saturn is better as it has arcade mode plus a Saturn mode with extra levels - so even at that point the arcade was on the losing side.

It's only when I recently got some gun shells for Wii (the Buckshot and the Hand cannon) that made me remember how much a peripheral can add to the gaming experience - even something as superficial as a wii gun shell; and that was an intrinsic part of the arcade experience. Shorter games with high replay hooks are needed though and same room/machine multi-player design too. Frankly, that is harder to do than to build a padded out driving game , FPS or RPG.

adored

With the odd exception, my arcade days were dominated by Sega.

Probably just the fancy cabinets and hydraulics initially, but Afterburner, Hang-On, Out Run and even Space Harrier all stood out. I think Shinobi was the only conventional game of theirs I played regularly.

The standardisation of control schemes was definitely a shame. Loved Operation Wolf, that Military training one with the track ball, and Super Sprint with the 3 or 4 steering wheels on the cabinet. Even Gauntlet with its standard button / stick combo was great with 4 of you nudging elbows.

Moot_Geeza

I can't imagine ever not wanting a go on Virtua Cop if I saw the cabinet, but 'no thanks, I'll just watch' has been my stance with loads of big home games in recent years. I've watched mates play chunks of Skyrim, Dark Souls, Killzone and COD, fully aware that they're decent games, without thinking I'd rather be a participant than an onlooker.

JonB

Does anyone remember Ninja Warriors (I think) with a triple screen display?

It was very impressive at the time, and quite generous, at least for your first 20p.

cindemon

This was the last arcade game I sunk money into.

http://specular.com/Zeus/index.htm

It was shit, but I still sunk 20 bucks into it 'cause I'm a Batman nut & wanted to see it all.

I hit Japan next year for 3 weeks, can anybody that's been suggest the best place to lose myself to coin eaters for the day?

cindemon

mk64 wrote:

Turtles used to rinse my cash..

That & the X-men game.

Sega arcade games own, the last one I played was Pod racer, tho I still preferred the N64 take on the game.

cindemon

Shit, Operation Wolf used to rinse my pocket money savings on seaside hols.

Moot_Geeza

JonB wrote:

Does anyone remember Ninja Warriors (I think) with a triple screen display? It was very impressive at the time, and quite generous, at least for your first 20p.

Was that the one where the screen was a bit higher up than normal? If yes, then I remember my annoyance at not being tall enough to play the game with ninjas in it.

JonB

Ha. The screens were kind of set back in the cabinet, so I guess you would have needed a bit more height.

And this is what you ended up with:

The game was well designed around the extra space as well, as I remember it, with enemies attacking from both sides but giving you more time to react before they got close.

Jimmy The Lips

Easiest 1cc is Golden Axe, love it. I still put it on in the cab and just spend an evening going through it 5 or 6 times in a row. Proper aces.

Ghouls and Ghosts is nigh on impossible to 1cc, very deep pockets required for that one

Moot_Geeza

That's the one @jonB, I still haven't played it. Imax gaming.

This blew my mind after a few beers in my local a couple of years ago. Was expecting 'woudst thou not go into battle for me once again?', a la the MD version, but then this happens:

Our Tuesday night quizmaster used to look like a 6ft 2" Gillius/Gimli clone, but he broke his ankle when pissed once and has since cleaned up his facial hair/act. Fun fact: He once got so pissed during the quiz that he tried to collect the papers without realising there were a further 20 questions to go. I preferred him drunk tbh, his withering put-down to a woman complaining that the word 'actress' was out-dated because 'actor' is non gender specific has stuck with me for years ("Because I meant actress. WITH A VAGINAAA").

davyK

Had the pleasure of encountering a Darius cabinet in the arcade. It was a multi-screen wonder too.

JonB

Exact same set up, I believe. Both Taito games. Possibly cost a little too much though since I don't think they did any more after that.

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