Retro Arena: Arcade Classics Pt2

[Leon Retro]

the Quickshot's, Competition Pro's were much sturdier.

I either had a Quickshot or Cheetah at that stage. With the Amiga though, the quality of my joysticks were far higher. I actually had an arcade stick that was a dream to use, but I can't remember who made it. I did some research but couldn't identify it.

No particular order but 5 clear choices for me, strange really as all the games are great.

Outrun
Gauntlet
Shinobi
Rainbow Islands
Bubble Bobble

Yeah, I'd say they're all good to great games. Your choices are certainly faves of mine. I think they stand the test of time really well.

[QualityChimp]

Wonderboy - I'm rubbish at this, but this is my sister's game. She loves playing it and it's great to see how good she is at it, Hoovering up all the bonuses and keeping the skateboard through all the level. Love the music and aesthetics too.


Space Harrier - I haven't played this loads, as I found it quite intimidating: The big cab; you die quickly, it was expensive at the time and it draws a crowd. However, there's something synonymous with Space Harrier and arcades.
The jangle of the competing machines' attract mode and there's this monstrous hydraulic cab screaming "Welcome to the Fantasy Zone! Get Ready!" takes me back to being a kid on holiday with the family in Rhyl, going into The Mint arcade and being wowed.
My Dad (R.I.P) used to say that line when we talked about past holidays. I'm filling up with the memories.

(Loved that robot design)

All those other games have memories somewhere like the big Hang-On bike cab in Blackpool or Kung-Fu Master and Yie Ar Kung-Fu at the local sports centre, but I think I'm going to go with...

Rolling Thunder - arguably, Shinobi is the better game with powerups, special moves and the ability to jumpshoot, but RT is just such a memorable experience. The theme is amazing, Albatross looks like a badass, the dramatic organ cutscenes, the big bad laughing maniacally, the henchmen are genuinely intimidating and the cupboards to get machine guns is a great touch.
I remember playing this loads on a holiday to Butlin's one year, the same year that Street Fighter II came out, but RT was my jam and kept me coming back for more.

http://www.sydlexia.com/rollingthunder.htm

[Leon Retro]

Wonderboy - I'm rubbish at this, but this is my sister's game. She loves playing it and it's great to see how good she is at it, Hoovering up all the bonuses and keeping the skateboard through all the level. Love the music and aesthetics too.

You've really made me feel like going back to it. I might also play the MS version.

Space Harrier - I haven't played this loads, as I found it quite intimidating: The big cab; you die quickly, it was expensive at the time and it draws a crowd. However, there's something synonymous with Space Harrier and arcades.

I'll never forget seeing the sit-down cab on Brighton pier and thinking it was totally amazing. Simply mind-blowing next to what you had on 8-bit computers.

Rolling Thunder - arguably, Shinobi is the better game with powerups, special moves and the ability to jumpshoot, but RT is just such a memorable experience.

I prefer Shinobi, but agree that Rolling Thunder offered something truly distinct and charming. It's definitely one of the best cult classics.

[QualityChimp]

You've really made me feel like going back to it. I might also play the MS version.

Arcade or nuthin', mate!
I'd see the first few levels, but it went on forever, with Wonderboy facing the boss multiple times and each time you'd behead him and a new one would appear before he ran off. My sister would make her 10p last about an hour!

I'll never forget seeing the sit-down cab on Brighton pier and thinking it was totally amazing. Simply mind-blowing next to what you had on 8-bit computers.

That distance between gaming in the arcades and at home was a massive gulf in those days.
Even home ports couldn't replicate that cab. Shame the Konix never happened!

I prefer Shinobi, but agree that Rolling Thunder offered something truly distinct and charming. It's definitely one of the best cult classics.

I totally admit it's style over substance, but RT is just such a memorable game for all the reasons I stated.

[Leon Retro]

I totally admit it's style over substance, but RT is just such a memorable game for all the reasons I stated.

It's made me think that I might do a 'cult classics' thread at some point, which would contain lots of games enthusiasts are fond of but didn't get huge recognition next to big name titles. There are lots of really good games like Rolling Thunder that don't get talked about as much as Contra, Shinobi etc... I might also do a 'hidden gems' thread, because there are also lots of good games that didn't get hardly any recognition away from enthusiasts who love exploring gaming.

[ZipZap]

That distance between gaming in the arcades and at home was a massive gulf in those days.
Even home ports couldn't replicate that cab. Shame the Konix never happened!

Absolutely, when first looking through the list I was thinking that this era was probably the time when the gap between arcade and home was at its biggest. 16 bits were quite new and very few people had them, most people still owned an 8 bit machine. Even when the 16 bits became more common, it took until the next generation to get a truly arcade perfect version of games like Outrun. That was about a decade away in 1986! I mentioned in the other thread I was a little too young to fully appreciate the early days of arcades, so mid-late 80s was the golden age for me. As a kid I absolutely loved arcades (and still do )

[Leon Retro]

Even when the 16 bits became more common, it took until the next generation to get a truly arcade perfect version of games like Outrun.

Most arcade games ended up pale imitations on 8-bit hardware. 16-bit hardware enabled the gap to narrow, but you could still often see a gulf between arcade hardware and home systems. 32-bit hardware then enabled a lot of older arcades games to run perfectly. OutRun on the Saturn finally gave fans of the game a perfect arcade experience after so many less than stellar ports to 8 & 16-bit machines. I loved playing Sega's classic Super Scaler games on the Saturn.