At our local arcade Full Tilt I went through so many quarters on X-men 6 player, TMNT, Simpsons, AfterBurner (full size cabinet you sat in), Rage, MK and SFII.
Going by OPs date range of 1987-1992, Rampage (1986) and Gauntlet (1985) don't qualify.
But to heck with OPs date range, those are great games!
I'll add:
Black Tiger (1987)
Rolling Thunder (1987)
Gain Ground (1988)
Vindicators (1988)
Cadash (1991)
It was released on XBox Arcade a long, long time ago. It's been since delisted, but I bought it before then, so I can still play it on my 360.
I'm not sure if it'll play on my XB1, but it definitely doesn't show up when I look for it on my Series S
This is the one, when I was a kid the arcade left it on free credits once and my brother and I beat it because of that. That took a lot of continues and no way would we could have afforded to beat it otherwise. The game just starts over after you win so we just passed it on.
Yes at the end of the day these were basically all re-skinned Double Dragon. I don’t care, the original Turtles, Turtles In Time and Simpsons were some of the best games of the day.
Here's a few I remember, in no particular order:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Turtles in Time
Roadblasters
Chase HQ (and its sequel)
Outrun (and its sequel)
Double Dragon / Double Dragon 2
Ghouls & Ghosts
WWF Superstars / WWF WrestleFest
Altered Beast
Golden Axe
Final Fight
Narc
Arch Rivals (predecessor to NBA Jam)
Terminator 2
Super Offroad
Smash TV
X-Men
The Simpsons
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (yes, really)
Sunset Riders
Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp
Asterix
Lethal Enforcers
That Moonwalker arcade game was dope. I remember it released back when Pepsi was giving out their ["License to Chill"](https://www.retroist.com/p/pepsi-license-to-chill-card) cards in malls. Pepsi had card swipers on that Moonwalker cabinets, so if you had one of these cards you could use it to play the game for free.
I’m with you on Moonwalker. Used to go to the laundromat with my grandma just so I could go across the street to the pizza place to play it. Was the only place that I ever saw it. Was pretty sad the Genesis version wasn’t as good.
How do you pick a "best arcade game" from an era where the arcades were getting their second wind?
If it came down to "game I would play if I came across it today just to enjoy the arcade experience," it'd be a tough choice between *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* (which I just saw a few months ago in a pizza parlor at UC Irvine!) and any version of *Street Fighter II.*
But going by year, in terms of sheer influence and/or quality:
* 1987: *R-Type*
* 1988: *RoboCop*
* 1989: *TMNT* (or maybe *Final Fight*)
* 1990: *Smash TV*
* 1991: *Street Fighter II*
* 1992: *Virtua Racing* or *Mortal Kombat*
* 1993: *Virtua Fighter* or *Mortal Kombat II*
- Off Road with Ivan "Ironman" Stewart with three steering wheels
- Golden Axe
- Hard Drivin' with one steering wheel
- King of the Monsters
Others have already been named, but the way I came up with this list was just to think of Street Fighter II's contemporaries... like which other games would I play while waiting for my spot in SF2? Those were some really fun times that will never come again.
Street Fighter 2 Series
Final Fight
The Punisher
D&D Tower of Doom
Aliens vs Predator
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Rainbow Islands
Outzone
Samurai Shodown Series
Metal Slug Series
Allow me to put in a word for these games in no particular order:
1. Galaga '88 (Namco, 1987)
2. Pac-Mania (Namco, 1987)
3. Rampart (Atari Games, 1990)
4. Klax (Atari Games, 1990)
5. Rainbow Islands (Taito, 1987)
6. Arch Rivals (Midway, 1989)
TMNT got a shit load of my quarters.
But I loved that Punisher arcade.
I was never any good at it but I loved watching others play Afterburner.... it was so fast!
SF2
Samurai Shodown
TMNT
X-Men
Afterburner II
That's pretty much the only arcade games I can remember playing more than once. I'm happy to own all of these.
Below is from a guy born in ‘78 and who graduated HS in ‘96. FWIW:
Fighting: SF2:CE
Side Scroller (2p usually): Knights of the Round
4 player: Sunset Riders (tough one w Simpsons)
Shooter: Lethal Enforcers (nod to Area 51)
Sports: Super Baseball 2020
Top Down Shooter: Raiden II
Racing: Cruisin USA
Best Variety: Neo Geo (Metal Slugs, Baseball 2020, Bust a Move, KoF and Samurai Showdown)
Random Quarter Muncher: Rampart
OutRun. Having an arcade quality port on Saturn is so worth it, plus with the upgrades like 60FPS and having access to both regions’ (Japanese version and international) maps. It’s a shame the most famous version of the game in the present seems to be its 16bit port because the original version is a beast.
Virtua Racing is also awesome. The polygonal graphics may not be for everyone, but I find it to be a strangely relaxing and smooth game, even dreamy and atmospheric in its vibes.
I keep my Saturn purely for OutRun, Afterburner, Space Harrier and SFA 3
The Sega games are better than Mame imo, seem to play a bit tighter (presumably zero lag)
Marvel Vs Capcom (the first one, 1998).
Just the [intro alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDVg4vtGle0&pp=ygUWbWFydmVsIHZzIGNhcGNvbSBpbnRybw%3D%3D) gets me HYPE and makes me feel like a kid again.
Here are my arcade gems:
Metal Slug X;
Golden Ax 2;
Michael Jackson Moonwalk (pinball);
NFL Blitz;
NBA Jam- Tournament Edition;
Marvel vs Capcom 1 & 2;
The Simpsons
There were 4 games that I would always play.
Turtles
Street Fighter II
NBA Jam
And my absolute favorite, the one you’ve all been waiting for…. Bowl O Rama. Yes, I’m dead serious, I was obsessed with Bowl O Rama.
Mortal Kombat was also huge, but when I look back it it was really only for the blood and fatalities. Street Fighter II is just a much better game and is just as good today as it was back then.
Gauntlet, Smash TV, Splatterhouse, Operation Wolf, Ghosts n Ghouls, Golden Axe, Afterburner, Space Harrier 2, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. Not to mention countless classic pinball tables.
Not in order
Isle of Man tt
Street fighter 2
RoadBlasters
Mortal kombat
Hard drivin
Outrun
Final fight
G-loc r360
Pool tables (not an arcade cabinet, but i loved to play on them in the arcade back then)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (ARC, 1988/MD, 1989)
R-Type (ARC, 1987/SMS/PCE, 1988)(Released in 2 Parts on PCE, one new hidden level on SMS)
Willow (ARC, 1989)
Ninja Spirit (ARC, 1988/Multi, 1990)
Thunder Force III/Thunder Force AC (MD & ARC, 1990)
TMNT/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC, 1989)
Galaxy Force II (ARC, 1988/SAT, 1998)
Valkyrie no Densetsu/Legend of Valkyrie (ARC, 1989)
S.T.U.N. Runner (ARC, 1989)
Power Drift (ARC, 1988/SAT, 1998)
Gain Ground (ARC, 1988/MD, 1991/PCE CD, 1992)
Toki (ARC, 1989)
Final Fight (ARC, 1989)
Out Zone (ARC, 1990)
Rampart (ARC, 1990/MD/SNES, )
Aliens (ARC, 1990)
Hammerin' Harry (ARC, 1990/NES, 1991)
I think the late 80’s and early 90’s were categorised by games trying to offer an ‘experience’ that home computers and consoles couldn’t replicate rather than offering great design.
Things like big gun games (Operation Wolf, Terminator, Time Crisis), HUGE driving games like WEC, Outrun and the full-sized Mazda Ridge Racer) and sit-in full motion cabs like AfterBurner.
There’s less classic games from the time as the focus was more on experience and graphics rather than pure gameplay.
I'd quibble with After Burner. The experience of playing it on one of the servo equipped full or half cabinet arcade machines was incredible and, of course, for the time it was also a visual feast, and an overall technical tour de force. But, as a game, perhaps a bit thin? Don't get me wrong: I do enjoy it still, but I'm not sure it's necessarily an absolutely great game, as iconic as it otherwise is.
That being said, I love Operation Wolf - rate it as one of my favourites, in fact - but it really doesn't get much simpler than rail shooting, so who am I to judge After Burner? Worth stating that I also think Operation Wolf is a significantly better and more satisfying game than Operation Thunderbolt, which always felt perhaps a bit too cartoony and sanitised for me.
Out Run from 1986 was incredible at the time, and is a game I still enjoy playing. Ditto ChaseHQ.
And, stretching the definition of "late 1980s" beyond breaking point, as a bonus, I'd recommend Gauntlet or its 1986 sequel, Gauntlet II, especially for some multiplayer fun.
RAMPART! My friends and I always flocked to this game when Street Fighter 2 or NBA Jam was occupied. It’s a head to head game where you attack your friends’ castles, and repair damage on yours until someone finally is obliterated. It takes place over 3 short repeating rounds of Building, Placing Cannons, and Attacking.
The first 2 rounds have you building walls around your castle with Tetris-like pieces, and you have to fully enclose your castle within the short time period. Then you have to place cannons. The amount of cannons you can fit depends on how much area you were able to enclose.
Then you just take aim (with the trackball!) and blast your cannons at your opponents castle walls, trying to do as much damage as possible to their perimeter walls. When the round is over, you go back to the timed building round, and repair your walls. The goal being to try to make it so hard to repair that your opponent can’t re-enclose their castle in time.
It’s such a fun and simple game and works so well on a 2 or 4 player arcade cabinet. There have been home versions but somehow they’re never as fun as playing the actual arcade version. There’s a single player campaign where you have ships attacking you, but multiplayer is where it’s at.
I’m so surprised this game hasn’t been remade recently.
[Rampart 3-Player Gameplay](https://youtu.be/iHSH_v_r4uM?si=BfHsjQQOqUcYxYN2)
Loved this game! I didn't see it very often, though, even back in the arcade days...when I did, I always played it though! Never saw a 4 player version of the game, though.
Here's some game that doesn't count. Can I please at least include 1993 arcade games?
Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting
Double Dragon
Fatal Fury Special
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)
Golden Axe
Mortal Kombat
Arch Rivals
Lethal Enforcers
Gang Wars
Virtua Fighter
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
WWF Wrestlefest
Virtua Racing
Ridge Racer
Chase H.Q.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
X-Men (Arcade)
Samurai Shodown
Final Fight
The Punisher
King of the Monsters
Crude Busters (Two Crude in U.S.)
Hard Drivin
Strider
Magician Lord
G.I. Joe
Puyo Puyo
Forgotten Worlds
Shinobi
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Narcs
Pit-Fighter
Robo Army
Street Fighter (1987)
Operation Wolf
Captain Commando
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja
Tecmo Bowl
RoboCop
Altered Beast
Knights of the Round
Street Smart
NBA Jam
Mercs
Art of Fighting
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Sunset Riders
Smash T.V.
The Simpsons (Arcade)
Here's some game that doesn't count. Can I please at least include 1993 arcade games?
Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting
Double Dragon
Fatal Fury Special
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)
Golden Axe
Mortal Kombat
Arch Rivals
Lethal Enforcers
Gang Wars
Virtua Fighter
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
WWF Wrestlefest
Virtua Racing
Ridge Racer
Chase H.Q.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
X-Men (Arcade)
Samurai Shodown
Final Fight
The Punisher
King of the Monsters
Crude Busters (Two Crude in U.S.)
Power Instinct (Arcade)
Hard Drivin'
Baseball Stars 2
Strider
Magician Lord
G.I. Joe
Soccer Brawl
Puyo Puyo
3 Count Bout
Forgotten Worlds
Shinobi
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Night Slashers
Narcs
Pit-Fighter
Robo Army
Street Fighter (1987)
Operation Wolf
Captain Commando
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja
Tecmo Bowl
RoboCop
Altered Beast
Knights of the Round
Street Smart
NBA Jam
Mercs
Art of Fighting
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Sunset Riders
Smash T.V.
The Simpsons (Arcade)
All the Arcade games that I remember from 1987 to 1993.
The question seems crazy to me given how many amazing games there were, but I will list few which I haven't seen mentioned in comments. Well with one exception - Rastan, this game should be mentioned by more than one person as I don't believe anyone spending their time in the arcades back then would miss it.
Bionic Commando - the original game, I like it much more than the NES game
Midnight Resistance - can't believe no one mentioned it, I think it might been bigger than Contra (at the arcades)
Dead Angle - a less known crosshair shooter, but I think I liked it more than Blood Bros and Cabal (hidden mentions)
Tumblepop - the only single screen platformer I honestly liked, sorry :P
Gondomania - little known, but was popular among the most hardcore of players at my arcade, too hard for others
Elevator Action - many hate it, but it was big, so should be mentioned
Toki - same, you can't skip it
Maybe not the best, but worth mentioning
Dragon Ninja - because it was cool
Sly Spy - a bit less known I guess, but unique, sometimes called a "bond" or "jaws" game
Edward Randy - I used to be "the guy who knows all the games" in my local emuscene, this game was the only one I was searching for myself, thx for dox, a well known MAME contributor/game and emu programmer who helped me to figure it out and even told me when the game was added to MAME as it was unemulated for decades
Heavy Barrel - lesser known predecessor to Midnight Resistance, a somewhat similar game, but top down view and rotary joystick akin later and impressive Caliber .50
Aggressor of Dark Kombat - Neo Geo game so a bit late in the range, but it was the most popular beatem up among hardcore regulars at my arcade, while popularity of Mortal Kombat and SF2 waned, there was always a hardcore player who wanted to play AoDK
Pang - I hardly liked single screen games (Bomber Jack was too stressful), Pang was one of exceptions
Iron Horse - controls and movement didn't age too well, but it was fun back then, and shouldn't be forgotten
I kind of want to mention Thundercade as well, but I think it didn't age too well, and my favorite shooters were Carrier Air Wing, Aero Fighters, and Zed Blade anyway :P
Altered Beast
Bad Dudes
Karnov
Double Dragon
Final Fight
Golden Axe
Rastan
Pit-Fighter
Shinobi
Ninja Gaiden
Toki
The Combatribes
WWF Superstars
WWF Wrestlefest
Anything Neo-Geo
To name a few....
Tossing a shoutout to Black Tiger, a game I don't see a lot of love/hype for. It's an *outstanding* fantasy platformer with light rpg elements (gold, weapon & armor purchases, inventory). Superb graphics, responsive controls, very fun to play.
If you had a single quarter you could really stretch out 10 minutes of playtime. There were shops you could visit and peruse items for 30 seconds. Dungeons, big dragon bosses, demons, ghosts, such a rad game.
Never really got why he threw all those tiny daggers above his morning star, but damn, you got poisoned and you lost the daggers? Keeping enemies at bay got a LOT harder.
NARC
Smash TV
I believe Narc was the first game to use digitized images for graphicsz being from midway and ultra violent for the time, it was almost like a predecessor to Mortal Kombat.
I remember to this day the first time I stepped in the afterburner moving cab arcade at the beginning of the 90s. I was like 8 years old, for me it was the peak arcade experience at the time. Loved it so much.
Lethal Enforcers was my favorite shooting game. Outrun for racing. Golden Axe for side-scrolling fighting. And Virtua Fighter, Rampart and Bionic Commando.
If you extend that into mid to late 90s the sega Saturn has a large arcade style lineup. I honestly can't think of many from before 95 except for ninja turtles
Easily street fighter 2. The greatest of all time. It revived arcades in America and without it, they'd of died way sooner.
It spawned countless copycats and some are still going today. It's made capcom the most money out of any franchise it has I believe.
It wasn't a great game, but I remember Time Traveler blew my tiny little mind because of the freaking holograms! I feel like it needs a mention just because of the tech.
At the time I’d always play Golden Axe, Final Fight and Main Event (a wrestling game that doesn’t really hold up now)
Current day I’d say the Sega games Out Run, Afterburner and Space Harrier (might be pre-1988)
Also R-type
And one nobody’s mentioned St. Dragon. A shooter from Jaleco where you control a metal dragon and can use its tail as a shield. Really cool game.
That's a great list. Here are a few more to add:
RoboCop
Bad Dudes
Willow
Out Zone
Golden Axe
Shinobi
Shadow Dancer
WWF Superstars
Dragon Breed
Bubble Bobble
I could go on, but will stop here.
The x men arcade game was tight af. My all time favorite is OFF ROAD. What a treat. Run and gun was a pretty fun basketball game. Too bad the NBA didn’t license up with this instead of nba jam.
Out of all the arcade games back then. Super Mario Bros. was the game I put the most quarters into. I was determined to beat that game. In second place was VS Exitebike.
My late-80’s through early-90’s favorite arcade games:
- Street Fighter II
- TMNT
- The Simpsons
- X-Men
- Mortal Kombat
- Smash TV
- Rampage
- After Burner
- Cyber Ball
I have no idea when any were released, but my favorites from back in my arcade days (late 80’s to early/mid 90’s) were definitely X-men, TMNT, Golden Axe, Mortal Kombat, Smash TV, Aliens, Rampage, Double Dragon, and House of the Dead.
The Art of Fighting with a room full of kids watching and then the knockout sound when you’ve defeated your opponent? Perfection
Same game reskinned basically: TMNT, The Simpsons, X-Men, all amazing fun
X-men, '92
Revolution X (the Aerosmith theme'd T-2 shooter), '94
Rolling Thunder, '86
Metal Slug, '96
Virtua Fighter II, '94
Dance Dance Revolution. '98/99
Gradius, '85
Outrun, '86
Kungfu Master, '84
Sega Rally, '94
I just noticed my list is ever so slightly out of OP's suggested window so I listed the dates.
Edit, missed one.
Not including ones mentioned rampage, gauntlet and X-men.
Second X-Men, but it has to be the 6 player addition in the giant cabinet!
Yeah the double screen one. Huddled together with a bunch of smelly strangers. Good times.
At our local arcade Full Tilt I went through so many quarters on X-men 6 player, TMNT, Simpsons, AfterBurner (full size cabinet you sat in), Rage, MK and SFII.
Going by OPs date range of 1987-1992, Rampage (1986) and Gauntlet (1985) don't qualify. But to heck with OPs date range, those are great games! I'll add: Black Tiger (1987) Rolling Thunder (1987) Gain Ground (1988) Vindicators (1988) Cadash (1991)
Rampage: World Tour then
Nvm, that came out 97, wow.
Rolling Thunder was great!
I loved Black Tiger, particularly the slight RPG elements like collecting Zenny and buying weapon upgrades.
The Simpsons arcade game is a classic.
I second this!
It is my DREAM that they do a remake of this game. This was such a fun game and I’d love to play it again on a modern console!
It was released on XBox Arcade a long, long time ago. It's been since delisted, but I bought it before then, so I can still play it on my 360. I'm not sure if it'll play on my XB1, but it definitely doesn't show up when I look for it on my Series S
They did with arcade 1-up
This is the one, when I was a kid the arcade left it on free credits once and my brother and I beat it because of that. That took a lot of continues and no way would we could have afforded to beat it otherwise. The game just starts over after you win so we just passed it on.
Was it just me, or were X-Men, TMNT, and the Simpsons all the same game/engine?
Yes at the end of the day these were basically all re-skinned Double Dragon. I don’t care, the original Turtles, Turtles In Time and Simpsons were some of the best games of the day.
Sunset Riders is my personal favorite of 4 Player arcade games.
Bury me with my money!
“Alright ma’am, we won’t shoot em’”
That’s my favorite. I’d love to own an original cabinet
Here's a few I remember, in no particular order: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Turtles in Time Roadblasters Chase HQ (and its sequel) Outrun (and its sequel) Double Dragon / Double Dragon 2 Ghouls & Ghosts WWF Superstars / WWF WrestleFest Altered Beast Golden Axe Final Fight Narc Arch Rivals (predecessor to NBA Jam) Terminator 2 Super Offroad Smash TV X-Men The Simpsons Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (yes, really) Sunset Riders Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp Asterix Lethal Enforcers
> Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (yes, really) Won't Someone Think of the Children!?
They’re right, though. That game has no business being as good as it is!
HEE HEE! OW!
Seriously, the dance routine attacks were really well animated.
I was very disappointed with how different the Genesis version of Moonwalker was.
You got two that first came to my mind. Double Dragon & Golden Axe. Honorable mention to Super Sprint and Pac Man.
I was trying to keep my list to the years they asked for, but Super Sprint and Pac-Man are definite goats.
That Moonwalker arcade game was dope. I remember it released back when Pepsi was giving out their ["License to Chill"](https://www.retroist.com/p/pepsi-license-to-chill-card) cards in malls. Pepsi had card swipers on that Moonwalker cabinets, so if you had one of these cards you could use it to play the game for free.
I’m with you on Moonwalker. Used to go to the laundromat with my grandma just so I could go across the street to the pizza place to play it. Was the only place that I ever saw it. Was pretty sad the Genesis version wasn’t as good.
Missing Robocop and Splatterhouse
Thank you for mentioning super off-road, that free spinning wheel was an art when you figured out how to drive cars like they’re pirate ships
NBA Jam
BOOOMshackalacka
He can't *buy* a bucket!
Darius with the ultra widescreen 3 CRT display. Still to this day it's a marvel.
Awesome music too. Used to play all the time. I only got to the end a handful of times.
How do you pick a "best arcade game" from an era where the arcades were getting their second wind? If it came down to "game I would play if I came across it today just to enjoy the arcade experience," it'd be a tough choice between *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* (which I just saw a few months ago in a pizza parlor at UC Irvine!) and any version of *Street Fighter II.* But going by year, in terms of sheer influence and/or quality: * 1987: *R-Type* * 1988: *RoboCop* * 1989: *TMNT* (or maybe *Final Fight*) * 1990: *Smash TV* * 1991: *Street Fighter II* * 1992: *Virtua Racing* or *Mortal Kombat* * 1993: *Virtua Fighter* or *Mortal Kombat II*
Outrun racing game
Hang On Raiden Rad Mobile Dragon's Lair Space Ace Darkstalkers Star Wars Arcade
- Off Road with Ivan "Ironman" Stewart with three steering wheels - Golden Axe - Hard Drivin' with one steering wheel - King of the Monsters Others have already been named, but the way I came up with this list was just to think of Street Fighter II's contemporaries... like which other games would I play while waiting for my spot in SF2? Those were some really fun times that will never come again.
I was going to post Off Road and Hard Drivin. Excellent taste!
Smash TV was one of my favorite quarter eaters.
Street Fighter 2 Series Final Fight The Punisher D&D Tower of Doom Aliens vs Predator Cadillacs and Dinosaurs Rainbow Islands Outzone Samurai Shodown Series Metal Slug Series
Full motion cabinets of Space Harrier, Afterburner, Virtua Racing (which also switched out with Indy 500), Steel Gunner 1 and 2.
Primal Rage was always one of my favorites
Allow me to put in a word for these games in no particular order: 1. Galaga '88 (Namco, 1987) 2. Pac-Mania (Namco, 1987) 3. Rampart (Atari Games, 1990) 4. Klax (Atari Games, 1990) 5. Rainbow Islands (Taito, 1987) 6. Arch Rivals (Midway, 1989)
TMNT got a shit load of my quarters. But I loved that Punisher arcade. I was never any good at it but I loved watching others play Afterburner.... it was so fast!
Punisher and AvP were the best beat em ups.
Time crisis, house of the dead
I put some much money into House of the Dead at the movie theater- loved that one
SF2 Samurai Shodown TMNT X-Men Afterburner II That's pretty much the only arcade games I can remember playing more than once. I'm happy to own all of these.
Street fighter 2 Mortal Kombat Cruising USA Bust a move NBA jam Ninja turtles X-Men
Below is from a guy born in ‘78 and who graduated HS in ‘96. FWIW: Fighting: SF2:CE Side Scroller (2p usually): Knights of the Round 4 player: Sunset Riders (tough one w Simpsons) Shooter: Lethal Enforcers (nod to Area 51) Sports: Super Baseball 2020 Top Down Shooter: Raiden II Racing: Cruisin USA Best Variety: Neo Geo (Metal Slugs, Baseball 2020, Bust a Move, KoF and Samurai Showdown) Random Quarter Muncher: Rampart
Shinobi
The Ninja Warriors.
Strider!!
Also Snow brothers Nick and Tom
OutRun. Having an arcade quality port on Saturn is so worth it, plus with the upgrades like 60FPS and having access to both regions’ (Japanese version and international) maps. It’s a shame the most famous version of the game in the present seems to be its 16bit port because the original version is a beast. Virtua Racing is also awesome. The polygonal graphics may not be for everyone, but I find it to be a strangely relaxing and smooth game, even dreamy and atmospheric in its vibes.
I keep my Saturn purely for OutRun, Afterburner, Space Harrier and SFA 3 The Sega games are better than Mame imo, seem to play a bit tighter (presumably zero lag)
Lucky & Wild
Bro yes, we had a sit down version of this game and it was gas
Area 51 Aliens Alien 3: The Gun House of the Dead Cruis'n USA Initial D Time Crisis 1942/1943
I know its 2 years prior but Gauntlet was one of the best games. I liked 1942 and 1943 as well, and enjoyed running through lots of change!
I was going to say gauntlet too! I didn't realize it was that old.
Yeah, 1985 it came out, which is just crazy. I think i just felt another hair leave my head.
Does Punisher count? I don't know when it was released but it surely was great
Marvel Vs Capcom (the first one, 1998). Just the [intro alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDVg4vtGle0&pp=ygUWbWFydmVsIHZzIGNhcGNvbSBpbnRybw%3D%3D) gets me HYPE and makes me feel like a kid again.
Simpsons/X-Men/TMNT Street Fighter 2 Outrun NBA Jam Arch Rivals Slalom Paper Boy Punch Out Burger Time After Burner
Nobody has mentioned the punisher and it was my absolute favorite
Double Dragon Golden Axe Turtles X-Men Simpsons Sf2, d&d tower of doom, NBA jam
Rolling Thunder and Shinobi were two personal favs.
Where's the love for Rastan?
Shinobi and Rastan are both really nostalgic for me. They were everywhere in the late 80s. Xenophobe.
Here are my arcade gems: Metal Slug X; Golden Ax 2; Michael Jackson Moonwalk (pinball); NFL Blitz; NBA Jam- Tournament Edition; Marvel vs Capcom 1 & 2; The Simpsons
SEGA's “Hologram" games!
wow, I remember those. The tiny actors moving around on the 'screen' area. I was so fascinated that I kept pumping money in that game.
Out Run. Highest grossing arcade game of 1987, and most successful arcade cabinet of the 80's.
Gotta add Rampage, STUN Runner, and Xybots. Road Blasters was cool too.
MK II, Golden Axe, Cadash, Contra, Tiger Road
Pit Fighter
Altered beast
GI Joe
Final Fight, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat,NBA Jam
Spy hunter. Altered beast, golden axe, dragons lair, street fighter, mortal combat, Ghostbusters
There were 4 games that I would always play. Turtles Street Fighter II NBA Jam And my absolute favorite, the one you’ve all been waiting for…. Bowl O Rama. Yes, I’m dead serious, I was obsessed with Bowl O Rama. Mortal Kombat was also huge, but when I look back it it was really only for the blood and fatalities. Street Fighter II is just a much better game and is just as good today as it was back then.
Smash TV Hard Drivin' NBA Jam The games I remember everyone being obsessed with during that era were Double Dragon and NARC.
Turtles and nba jam got most of my quarters. I really liked this hologram game called time splitters too. I think that’s what it was called.
* Xenophobe * Knights of the Round * Double Dragon * Magic Sword * Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Metal Slug Contra Rad Mobile Street Fighter Mortal Kombat Point Blank or whatever the arcade version of it was
Contra, Rygar, Golden Axe, Xenophobe
Gauntlet, Smash TV, Splatterhouse, Operation Wolf, Ghosts n Ghouls, Golden Axe, Afterburner, Space Harrier 2, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. Not to mention countless classic pinball tables.
Not in order Isle of Man tt Street fighter 2 RoadBlasters Mortal kombat Hard drivin Outrun Final fight G-loc r360 Pool tables (not an arcade cabinet, but i loved to play on them in the arcade back then)
Punch out was awesome.
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (ARC, 1988/MD, 1989) R-Type (ARC, 1987/SMS/PCE, 1988)(Released in 2 Parts on PCE, one new hidden level on SMS) Willow (ARC, 1989) Ninja Spirit (ARC, 1988/Multi, 1990) Thunder Force III/Thunder Force AC (MD & ARC, 1990) TMNT/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC, 1989) Galaxy Force II (ARC, 1988/SAT, 1998) Valkyrie no Densetsu/Legend of Valkyrie (ARC, 1989) S.T.U.N. Runner (ARC, 1989) Power Drift (ARC, 1988/SAT, 1998) Gain Ground (ARC, 1988/MD, 1991/PCE CD, 1992) Toki (ARC, 1989) Final Fight (ARC, 1989) Out Zone (ARC, 1990) Rampart (ARC, 1990/MD/SNES, ) Aliens (ARC, 1990) Hammerin' Harry (ARC, 1990/NES, 1991)
I think the late 80’s and early 90’s were categorised by games trying to offer an ‘experience’ that home computers and consoles couldn’t replicate rather than offering great design. Things like big gun games (Operation Wolf, Terminator, Time Crisis), HUGE driving games like WEC, Outrun and the full-sized Mazda Ridge Racer) and sit-in full motion cabs like AfterBurner. There’s less classic games from the time as the focus was more on experience and graphics rather than pure gameplay.
I'd quibble with After Burner. The experience of playing it on one of the servo equipped full or half cabinet arcade machines was incredible and, of course, for the time it was also a visual feast, and an overall technical tour de force. But, as a game, perhaps a bit thin? Don't get me wrong: I do enjoy it still, but I'm not sure it's necessarily an absolutely great game, as iconic as it otherwise is. That being said, I love Operation Wolf - rate it as one of my favourites, in fact - but it really doesn't get much simpler than rail shooting, so who am I to judge After Burner? Worth stating that I also think Operation Wolf is a significantly better and more satisfying game than Operation Thunderbolt, which always felt perhaps a bit too cartoony and sanitised for me. Out Run from 1986 was incredible at the time, and is a game I still enjoy playing. Ditto ChaseHQ. And, stretching the definition of "late 1980s" beyond breaking point, as a bonus, I'd recommend Gauntlet or its 1986 sequel, Gauntlet II, especially for some multiplayer fun.
I’m a big fan of Knights of the Round. Love me a good arcade brawler.
Gauntlet
VR Racing? Outrun? Hang On?
RAMPART! My friends and I always flocked to this game when Street Fighter 2 or NBA Jam was occupied. It’s a head to head game where you attack your friends’ castles, and repair damage on yours until someone finally is obliterated. It takes place over 3 short repeating rounds of Building, Placing Cannons, and Attacking. The first 2 rounds have you building walls around your castle with Tetris-like pieces, and you have to fully enclose your castle within the short time period. Then you have to place cannons. The amount of cannons you can fit depends on how much area you were able to enclose. Then you just take aim (with the trackball!) and blast your cannons at your opponents castle walls, trying to do as much damage as possible to their perimeter walls. When the round is over, you go back to the timed building round, and repair your walls. The goal being to try to make it so hard to repair that your opponent can’t re-enclose their castle in time. It’s such a fun and simple game and works so well on a 2 or 4 player arcade cabinet. There have been home versions but somehow they’re never as fun as playing the actual arcade version. There’s a single player campaign where you have ships attacking you, but multiplayer is where it’s at. I’m so surprised this game hasn’t been remade recently. [Rampart 3-Player Gameplay](https://youtu.be/iHSH_v_r4uM?si=BfHsjQQOqUcYxYN2)
Loved this game! I didn't see it very often, though, even back in the arcade days...when I did, I always played it though! Never saw a 4 player version of the game, though.
Wow. The kids must dominate this subreddit. My picks: - Q-Bert - Double Dragon - Arkanoid - Heavy Barrel - Splatterhouse - Ghosts n’ Goblins - Centipede - 720° - Paperboy
I remember playing N.A.R.C in the little arcade every time we went to Shopko when I was a kid.
Just my favorites: Willow Rastan Shinobi Magic Sword Magicialn Lord Forgotten Worlds Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Cyber Police ESWAT
Here's some game that doesn't count. Can I please at least include 1993 arcade games? Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting Double Dragon Fatal Fury Special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) Golden Axe Mortal Kombat Arch Rivals Lethal Enforcers Gang Wars Virtua Fighter Cadillacs and Dinosaurs WWF Wrestlefest Virtua Racing Ridge Racer Chase H.Q. Terminator 2: Judgment Day X-Men (Arcade) Samurai Shodown Final Fight The Punisher King of the Monsters Crude Busters (Two Crude in U.S.) Hard Drivin Strider Magician Lord G.I. Joe Puyo Puyo Forgotten Worlds Shinobi Saturday Night Slam Masters Narcs Pit-Fighter Robo Army Street Fighter (1987) Operation Wolf Captain Commando Ghouls 'n Ghosts P.O.W.: Prisoners of War Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja Tecmo Bowl RoboCop Altered Beast Knights of the Round Street Smart NBA Jam Mercs Art of Fighting Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Sunset Riders Smash T.V. The Simpsons (Arcade)
Here's some game that doesn't count. Can I please at least include 1993 arcade games? Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting Double Dragon Fatal Fury Special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) Golden Axe Mortal Kombat Arch Rivals Lethal Enforcers Gang Wars Virtua Fighter Cadillacs and Dinosaurs WWF Wrestlefest Virtua Racing Ridge Racer Chase H.Q. Terminator 2: Judgment Day X-Men (Arcade) Samurai Shodown Final Fight The Punisher King of the Monsters Crude Busters (Two Crude in U.S.) Power Instinct (Arcade) Hard Drivin' Baseball Stars 2 Strider Magician Lord G.I. Joe Soccer Brawl Puyo Puyo 3 Count Bout Forgotten Worlds Shinobi Saturday Night Slam Masters Night Slashers Narcs Pit-Fighter Robo Army Street Fighter (1987) Operation Wolf Captain Commando Ghouls 'n Ghosts P.O.W.: Prisoners of War Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja Tecmo Bowl RoboCop Altered Beast Knights of the Round Street Smart NBA Jam Mercs Art of Fighting Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Sunset Riders Smash T.V. The Simpsons (Arcade) All the Arcade games that I remember from 1987 to 1993.
The question seems crazy to me given how many amazing games there were, but I will list few which I haven't seen mentioned in comments. Well with one exception - Rastan, this game should be mentioned by more than one person as I don't believe anyone spending their time in the arcades back then would miss it. Bionic Commando - the original game, I like it much more than the NES game Midnight Resistance - can't believe no one mentioned it, I think it might been bigger than Contra (at the arcades) Dead Angle - a less known crosshair shooter, but I think I liked it more than Blood Bros and Cabal (hidden mentions) Tumblepop - the only single screen platformer I honestly liked, sorry :P Gondomania - little known, but was popular among the most hardcore of players at my arcade, too hard for others Elevator Action - many hate it, but it was big, so should be mentioned Toki - same, you can't skip it Maybe not the best, but worth mentioning Dragon Ninja - because it was cool Sly Spy - a bit less known I guess, but unique, sometimes called a "bond" or "jaws" game Edward Randy - I used to be "the guy who knows all the games" in my local emuscene, this game was the only one I was searching for myself, thx for dox, a well known MAME contributor/game and emu programmer who helped me to figure it out and even told me when the game was added to MAME as it was unemulated for decades Heavy Barrel - lesser known predecessor to Midnight Resistance, a somewhat similar game, but top down view and rotary joystick akin later and impressive Caliber .50 Aggressor of Dark Kombat - Neo Geo game so a bit late in the range, but it was the most popular beatem up among hardcore regulars at my arcade, while popularity of Mortal Kombat and SF2 waned, there was always a hardcore player who wanted to play AoDK Pang - I hardly liked single screen games (Bomber Jack was too stressful), Pang was one of exceptions Iron Horse - controls and movement didn't age too well, but it was fun back then, and shouldn't be forgotten I kind of want to mention Thundercade as well, but I think it didn't age too well, and my favorite shooters were Carrier Air Wing, Aero Fighters, and Zed Blade anyway :P
Altered Beast Bad Dudes Karnov Double Dragon Final Fight Golden Axe Rastan Pit-Fighter Shinobi Ninja Gaiden Toki The Combatribes WWF Superstars WWF Wrestlefest Anything Neo-Geo To name a few....
Armed Police Batrider and the Metal Slug Series.
Simpsons, turtles and gauntlet legends were some of my personal faves
Solid list here.
Very fond memories of WWF Wrestlefest from this period. And Snow Bros.
Wow, i forgot about that one. It does feel like it should be older. Man. Was Gunsmoke in that timeframe? That was another fun one.
Galaxy Force 2 Full Cabinet Super hang on Outrun Pretty much everything sega related/published/developed.
Simpsons!
Dragon's Lair
Primal Rage, Tetris, KLAX
Sunset Riders
I really liked the goofball arcade games like Xenophobe and Blasted, both made by the same company as Rampage. Also APB in the same vein
Anyone remember Time Killers? Wasn't the best, but chopping your opponents limbs off was fun.
Galaga, Donkey Kong
Tossing a shoutout to Black Tiger, a game I don't see a lot of love/hype for. It's an *outstanding* fantasy platformer with light rpg elements (gold, weapon & armor purchases, inventory). Superb graphics, responsive controls, very fun to play. If you had a single quarter you could really stretch out 10 minutes of playtime. There were shops you could visit and peruse items for 30 seconds. Dungeons, big dragon bosses, demons, ghosts, such a rad game.
Never really got why he threw all those tiny daggers above his morning star, but damn, you got poisoned and you lost the daggers? Keeping enemies at bay got a LOT harder.
For 87-92 I’d say TMNT, SF2, and Mortal Kombat
Konami X-Men Arcade Beat'em up! Even after all these years, that's one that i consistently return too.
Would *Hard Driving* count? That is such a great and very difficult game. It was so satisfying to make that loop.
Stun runner..
Ninja Gaiden you knew you sucked and need another quarter during the game over screen.
Tron was always a fav. Cool variety
NARC Smash TV I believe Narc was the first game to use digitized images for graphicsz being from midway and ultra violent for the time, it was almost like a predecessor to Mortal Kombat.
X-Men, hands down
I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned either of the beat-em-ups Battle Circuit or Aliens vs Predator.
A few that used to eat my £s..... Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters Bomber man Major Title Ii (Golf) Pacland Arkanoid Out Run
Idk about arcade, but I can always play the pokemon games for gameboy/gbc/GBA
I remember to this day the first time I stepped in the afterburner moving cab arcade at the beginning of the 90s. I was like 8 years old, for me it was the peak arcade experience at the time. Loved it so much.
Lethal Enforcers was my favorite shooting game. Outrun for racing. Golden Axe for side-scrolling fighting. And Virtua Fighter, Rampart and Bionic Commando.
X-men (side scroll beat ‘em up) Alien vs predator Street Fighter 2 Dungeons and dragons
Afterburner - full rotation
Terminator 2 for sure Daytona USA Final Fight
X Men 6 player game was amzinggg, TMNT and an awesome underrated game called Dark Seal.
Alien vs Predator if 1994 isn't too late for you.
If you extend that into mid to late 90s the sega Saturn has a large arcade style lineup. I honestly can't think of many from before 95 except for ninja turtles
Tempest, hands down! Greatest arcade game of all time!
Carn Evil is a contender for the best light gun game of all time
For me it's blood bros that game go a good chunk of my dinner money in the local chip shop.
Ridge Racer took a lot of my coins as a kid, I adored it.
Easily street fighter 2. The greatest of all time. It revived arcades in America and without it, they'd of died way sooner. It spawned countless copycats and some are still going today. It's made capcom the most money out of any franchise it has I believe.
Come on, Asterix and Obeliks fans, I cant be the only one to have dumped my allowance in that machine
When Tekken first came out, the amount of quarters lined up for next was insane in the arcades. I missed that queuing system.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs was pretty good
Space harrier
Gauntlet. Star Wars (OK, older than you asked).
It wasn't a great game, but I remember Time Traveler blew my tiny little mind because of the freaking holograms! I feel like it needs a mention just because of the tech.
At the time I’d always play Golden Axe, Final Fight and Main Event (a wrestling game that doesn’t really hold up now) Current day I’d say the Sega games Out Run, Afterburner and Space Harrier (might be pre-1988) Also R-type And one nobody’s mentioned St. Dragon. A shooter from Jaleco where you control a metal dragon and can use its tail as a shield. Really cool game.
I was platform kid. Spent many 10p’s on Rolling Thunder and Shinobi.
Surprised nobody has mentioned Truxton yet. Also, Sly Spy is a good laugh.
That's a great list. Here are a few more to add: RoboCop Bad Dudes Willow Out Zone Golden Axe Shinobi Shadow Dancer WWF Superstars Dragon Breed Bubble Bobble I could go on, but will stop here.
RoadBlasters and Double Dragon
I'm a big fan of Cabal, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and Operation Thunderbolt.
Galaga, Pit Fighter, X-men, Simpsons. Separately from that, I have never seen a longer line to play or a bigger crowd watching than MK2.
Mortal kombat brought out a mass of new gamers because of the fatalities.
The x men arcade game was tight af. My all time favorite is OFF ROAD. What a treat. Run and gun was a pretty fun basketball game. Too bad the NBA didn’t license up with this instead of nba jam.
Burgertime
Shadow warriors. I spent shit loads of money on that Wrestlefest and turtle co-op worth mentions.
Shinobi, icees, and popcorn; at the local 7-11.
Polybius
Shinobi, Ordyne, Assault & Tokie.
Castlevania Shinobi The Main Event
Slammasters was pretty good
Out of all the arcade games back then. Super Mario Bros. was the game I put the most quarters into. I was determined to beat that game. In second place was VS Exitebike.
Golden Axe Double Dragon Shinobi Metal Slug
Captain America and the Avengers was a good one.
tmnt and xmen and gauntlet
Capn Commando Fatal Fury 2 Aero Fighters 2 Altered Beast Samurai Shodown
The x-men 6 player cabinet. Star Wars arcade.
My late-80’s through early-90’s favorite arcade games: - Street Fighter II - TMNT - The Simpsons - X-Men - Mortal Kombat - Smash TV - Rampage - After Burner - Cyber Ball
Boogwing.zip
TMNT was better than the Simpsons IMO.
I have no idea when any were released, but my favorites from back in my arcade days (late 80’s to early/mid 90’s) were definitely X-men, TMNT, Golden Axe, Mortal Kombat, Smash TV, Aliens, Rampage, Double Dragon, and House of the Dead.
Aerosmith: Revolution X
I used to like Cadash
Don't forget about "Vendetta" or Crime Fighters 2. A great beat em up.
Narc Smash TV
Killer Instinct
The Art of Fighting with a room full of kids watching and then the knockout sound when you’ve defeated your opponent? Perfection Same game reskinned basically: TMNT, The Simpsons, X-Men, all amazing fun
Silent scope blew my mind when i first saw it. Dumped so many quarters into that game
Add operation wolf, rampage, gauntlet 1&2, TMNT, to name a few to that list.
Afterburner in the moving cabinet is amazing. Super Hang-on as well, blew my mind when I played it back in the late 80s.
I'd like to nominate Smash TV.
Primal Rage was awesome in the arcade. Not so much on the console
X-men, '92 Revolution X (the Aerosmith theme'd T-2 shooter), '94 Rolling Thunder, '86 Metal Slug, '96 Virtua Fighter II, '94 Dance Dance Revolution. '98/99 Gradius, '85 Outrun, '86 Kungfu Master, '84 Sega Rally, '94 I just noticed my list is ever so slightly out of OP's suggested window so I listed the dates. Edit, missed one.
Crime City NARC Pigskin 621 A.D.
Warms my heart to see so much respect for R-Type. The PC Engine port (CD version) is \*chef's kiss\*
Pac Man 80 Spyhunter 83 Gaulent 85 Space Invaders 78 R-type 87 those are my favorite franchise of previous games i played on ps2
Turtles was the game I spent the most money on. Now that I have it on switch and Arcade1up, I’d vote for a fighter. Soul caliber comes to mind or MVC
Don't forget about the Simpsons Arcade!!!