Galaga - easy choice and one of my all time favourite games
Super Mario Bros - groundbreaking for its time and still holds up extremely well today. Tight gameplay and banging tuneage, plus I love the big pixelated Mario sprite
Manic Miner - just edges out IK+ but I have to say I much preferred Jet Set Willy
Super Mario Bros - groundbreaking for its time and still holds up extremely well today. Tight gameplay and banging tuneage, plus I love the big pixelated Mario sprite
I remember it really opened my eyes to how special Japanese console games could be. The silky smooth, no BS gameplay has always had me coming back for more. A timeless classic.
Manic Miner - just edges out IK+ but I have to say I much preferred Jet Set Willy
I'm a fan of both, but I do really like the more straightforward gameplay in Manic Miner. When I was a kid, I really enjoyed wandering around JSW's map. JSW felt extra magical back then. These days I'd opt for Manic Miner.
I’ve not played the PCE version although I no doubt will as my missus has a PCE Mini hidden away somewhere as a Christmas pressie for me. It was the original arcade version that first caught my attention when it appeared down my local yoof club and after that I’d seek it out in arcades whenever we’d go on family holidays.
That comment makes me feel old! And wasn’t it Ridge Racer, not Tekken?
It was Galaxian for Ridge Racer and Galaga for Tekken. Both games pre-date me by 3 and 5 years respectively I don't think I ever saw them at seaside arcades (which was the only chance I had to play arcade games growing up) so I always found it to be a clever way to introduce them to a newer generation.
SMB - no brainier, one of the most iconic games of all time.
Galaga - a fine arcade game with plenty of good conversions
Scramble - ashamedly, the only other game on the list I’ve spent much time on. A decent arcade game.
Super Mario Bros - I never owned an NES but I did play the arcade. I remember discovering the run button first time I played and it all clicking. Galaga - This sums up my memories of old smoky arcades ... it's exactly how a classic game should look and sound and play. 88 on the PCE is outstanding too. Scramble - Unlike SMB I never played this in the arcade but I did play it on my brother's C64.
However, Super Mario Bros. is devine!
For me, they nailed that level of platforming and adventure. The controls are amazing. That little bit of momentum as you move Mario makes him seem more real than the jerky animation in games from earlier years.
It's also that sense of exploration, looking in a pipe to find a new section, breaking walls to get out or even breaking the 4th wall and offering level warps outside the game's borders.
I can't wait for my Game & Watch to arrive and play it properly.
Next choice is IK+. An ex-girlfriend's brother had this on the Amiga and I remember crying with laughter playing this with him.
I mean, it was funny already with the turbo speed on and the Enter the Dragon sound effects, but...
Then we found the T button.
My teenage self found the sight of their trousers falling down side-creasingly hilarious. Hilarious!
Last choice is Yie Ar Kung-Fu.
Vivid memories of this, without ever owning it.
I remember the arcade being particularly loud with the music blaring and the fighting sound effects crashing.
I seem the remember seeing the arcade, but playing the game first on the C64 at a friend's house.
Slowly waiting for the game to load, one line at a time, gazing at the cover. There's Bruce Lee behind the IMAGINE! logo, this will be amazing!
Then I went back to the arcade and couldn't believe how fast it ran! Buchu wasn't a lumbering fatty, he was literally flying across the screen.
I loved the idea of Oolong working his way through various masters of martial arts, like some old kung-fu flick.
I doubt I ever got further than Fan though!
Scramble - dated, but still good for a quick blast.
Yeah, despite being from the very early days of gaming, it still offers decent blasting action. The gameplay offers something distinct, and the neon visuals still look good.
It's also that sense of exploration, looking in a pipe to find a new section, breaking walls to get out or even breaking the 4th wall and offering level warps outside the game's borders.
I remember thinking that all the secrets -- and being able to go down pipes -- was brilliant. It felt so fresh and gave a sense of exploration. It was the moment in my gaming life that I realised Nintendo were a very special company.
Next choice is IK+. An ex-girlfriend's brother had this on the Amiga and I remember crying with laughter playing this with him.
I mean, it was funny already with the turbo speed on and the Enter the Dragon sound effects, but...
Then we found the T button.
The Amiga version is also the one I played the most. The manic fighting and funny sound effects gave it a lot of charm. And the 'T button' has to be one of the funniest things ever in a fighting game.
Last choice is Yie Ar Kung-Fu.
Vivid memories of this, without ever owning it.
I remember playing it a few times in the arcades and liking the design, but it's the Amstrad port that had me hooked. There was something about the atmosphere that really appealed to me, and I ended up being really good at it. Probably my favourite fighting game for that machine.
Super Mario Bros: A super slick platformer that's always fun to play through. It may be a simple game, but it's so well crafted.
Scramble: A great example of how special early coin-ops could be. The gameplay is intense, the graphics an abstract neon delight, and every facet goes together to make it a very compelling experience.
IK+: Having three characters duking it out makes for some crazy fighting action. The charming design that's full of memorable details helps to make it such a one-more-go experience. A really special fighter from the days before SF2.
Yeah, Manic Miner has such tight design. A perfect example of 8-bit computer platforming action.
IK+ was a go-to Amiga game with friends and family. It may have been quite simple, but there was something really addictive and satisfying about it.
Manic Miner was platform perfection, but it doesn't not get much credit, since its made by the British and on the ZX Spectrum .
Like I told you before in my comp they was a huge Atari ST following. Many times, we would go on the mitch from school and go to my mate's house (he lived right by the comp) to play IK+, Jimmy White Snooker and Sam Fox poker on the Atari ST LOL
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