The History of Arcade Games

Written by: Blaine Locklair, Editor, High Scores Arcade

For many players, the classic games that dominated the period from 1977 to 1984, the Golden Age of Video Games, were the only games honored as worthy of recognition. I beg to differ with that opinion. When the Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Tron, and Track and Field games vanished from the arcades after the video game crash in 1984, a whole new generation of video games was born. Some of these games have endured for over twenty years as classics in their own right, and have even had sequels issued under their names almost a generation later.

Here are some of the best arcade games released after 1984, one for each year since. Here goes:

· 1985: Gauntlet, Atari Games. One of the most time-honored labyrinth games. Pits the Elf, Warrior, Wizard and Valkyrie against monsters in numerous mazes. Fight your way to the exit and collect treasure and food along the way.

· 1986: OutRun, Sega. Race against the clock and other Outrunners through five stages. Drive your Ferrari convertible through winding roads and hazardous obstacles to beat the clock and reach the finish line.

· 1987: Galaga ’88. Atari Games. In my opinion, the best shooter game ever. The perfect upgrade to the original Galaga, it features warp dimensions, beautiful graphics, quality music and sound effects, and even a triple ship option.

· 1988: Cyberball, Atari Games. Still played in tournaments to this day, Cyberball features 7-on 7 robot football. Fast action, numerous plays, exploding players, and precision control make Cyberball a classic game that will endure in the hearts of arcade sports fans everywhere.

· 1989: Hard Drivin’, Atari Games. The first true arcade driving simulator, it features realistic driving physics and control. Players can race on a speed track or take their car through a stunt track for thrilling daredevil action.

· 1990: G-LOC, Sega. One of the best aerial fighting games around, G-LOC took the After Burner concept and enhanced it with in-cockpit dog fighting. The cockpit version, enhanced with cabinet motion, is a real adrenaline boost!

· 1991: Street Fighter II, Capcom. No game did more to revitalize the arcades in the 1990s than Street Fighter II. It single handedly revolutionized fighting games and took over as the premier genre of arcade and home console game until the advent of first person shooters. Players choose a fighter and compete in hand to hand combat with the goal of defeating M. Bison.

· 1992: Mortal Kombat, Midway. Redefined the fighting genre by adding simulated gore and blood to the fighters. Fighters met their demise in gory, over-the-top ways such as burning to death and having their hearts ripped from their chests. Started a whole new debate about censorship and video games violence.

· 1993: NBA Jam, Midway. Midway struck again with NBA Jam, an over-the-top two on two basketball free for all that pits real NBA players against one another. Players had the likenesses of their real NBA counterparts digitized and added to their characters.

· 1994: Cruis’n USA, Midway. Racing game that spawned two sequels, and was ported to numerous home systems. Fun racing as opposed to realistic simulator. Race across the USA against 9 other cars.

· 1995: Tekken, Namco. Polygon fighter where eight fighters compete in a martial arts tournament hosted by Heihachi Mishima. Numerous sequels, including the current Tekken 5 in arcades.

· 1996: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Capcom. Crossed between Tetris and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, this little gem (pun intended) pits players against each other by dropping gems on the bottom of a playfield. Break gems to attack the other player with Street Fighter moves.

· 1997: NFL Blitz, Midway. NBA Jam meets the NFL, NFL Blitz combines fast football action with body slams, vicious tackles, and hilarious antics and celebrations. Spawned numerous sequels, including the current Blitz: The League home game.

· 1998: California Speed, Atari Games. Fast, hilarious racing game. Race 12 cars through 14 tracks (28 if you count the mirror tracks). Emphasis on fun rather than simulation. You can even throw fruit at the other racers!

· 1999: Dance Dance Revolution, Konami. I watched a dancer rack up a 335 move combo last weekend. It’s impossible not to marvel at the superstar players of this game. A Simon-says style music game, where you press the four buttons with your feet as arrows scroll up from the bottom of the screen. Numerous sequels for home and arcade systems.

· 2000: Star Wars Racer Arcade, Sega. This game gets knocked a lot for having only four racers and four tracks, and for the glitchy Hikaru hardware. But this game still boasts some of the best graphics that continue to stand out even against modern arcade games. The cabinet looks like Anakin Skywalker’s pod, and boasts realistic controls right out of the movie.

· 2001: Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga – Class of 1981, Namco. Relive the glory days of the arcades with Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga. Also has the original Pac-Man hidden in the game select menu. The 25” monitor on the full-size upright is a treat.

· 2002: House of the Dead III, Sega. Shoot your way through a factory filled with zombies, chainsaw-wielding undead and other creatures. You must destroy their evil creator, Dr. Curien, while saving scientists and your girlfriend. Spawned the new sequel House of the Dead IV.

· 2003: OutRun 2, Sega. Nearly 17 years later, OutRun has the most advanced game in the series, OutRun 2. Win the heart of your racing beauty girlfriend by driving through numerous landscapes, including a beach, a snowy mountain and a ghost forest. Remember to drift through those turns! Newest sequel is OutRun 2006 for the PSP.

· 2004: Ghost Squad, Sega. If you haven’t seen someone playing this game in your local arcade, you haven’t been to your local arcade lately. 3-D military combat shooting game with a wide-variety of special features and options. Those cool, green glowing guns make it stand out from any other shooter in the arcades.

· 2005: Mario Kart Arcade GP, Namco. Quickly becoming one of my arcade favorites, Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade-only sequel to Nintendo's Mario Kart series. Race as any of the Mario or Namco characters, including the Pac-Man characters. Awesome graphics and sound and great physics make this a rare game. Family theme fits for players of all ages.

· 2006: Time Crisis 4, Namco. Just saw this one in the local arcade last weekend. The fourth entry in the Time Crisis series, Namco is slightly branching the levels with a new left-right look, where different things may be going on in the shooting area that you will need to click over to shoot at before you get into trouble.

What will 2007 bring to the arcades – House of the Dead V, Tekken 6, Street Fighter IV, Space Paranoids? Whatever lies ahead, be confident that the arcade industry is still alive and well. Although the classics will never be forgotten, and the industry will likely never enjoy the windfall of financial gains it enjoyed before 1984, arcades and arcade games live on, and will be part of our culture for many years to come. So go down to your local arcade and give some of these new games a try – you’ll be glad you did.

"Arcade and Pinball Anthology"