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[nush]

I also miss going to the arcade and finding new games.

That and finding games you've never ever seen for real, just in magazines and the home ports. I'm not even talking about the big stuff like the R360, Galaxy Force II or Ridge Racer full scale (played those). Finding vintage games out in the wild was exciting, I found an Atari Red Baron in an old motel and strangely and original Asteroids in a rec hut in the middle of an airfield that was used by the bomb disposal squad. My collage common room had some old cabinets thrown in there, Defender, Section Z and Time Pilot II.

I still love Section Z to this day but my old reflexes are clearly failing me now.

I have never seen a real R-Type cab, or Strider so many games like that.

 

[Northeastmonk]

The Aladdin’s Castle I grew up with was next to the food court. I’d smell the Mexican food being prepared before walking in and going straight to the Mortal Kombat machine. The Aladdin’s Castle when I moved was also inside the mall, but it was located at one of the exits. There was always this strong smell of glazed nuts because they were making them right outside the arcade.

Aladdin’s Castle had all the Midway, Namco, and Capcom cabinets. Fewer Capcom, but Street Fighter II was there. They catered to Midway and then Namco when Tekken Tag Tournament came out.

We had an entire bottom level of our mall as a dedicated arcade called Tilt. They had all the fighting games (JoJo’s, Erghiez, WWF, VF, and all the Capcom VS games). That got turned into a Forever 21 clothing store. I use always listen to the intro to Mortal Kombat 4 while riding the escalator. They had that and CarnEvil turned up really loud. There was also a Ferrari cabinet there too. It’s probably a better experience now a days, but it had something it doesn’t have today. It’s at least a lot more personal and it’s not found in big public places.

 

[NickFire]

Ninja Turtles was best time I ever had in Arcades. At the time the home game was not so good. There were always other kids ready to play.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

That and finding games you've never ever seen for real, just in magazines and the home ports. I'm not even talking about the big stuff like the R360, Galaxy Force II or Ridge Racer full scale (played those). Finding vintage games out in the wild was exciting, I found an Atari Red Baron in an old motel and strangely and original Asteroids in a rec hut in the middle of an airfield that was used by the bomb disposal squad. My collage common room had some old cabinets thrown in there, Defender, Section Z and Time Pilot II.

I still love Section Z to this day but my old reflexes are clearly failing me now.

I have never seen a real R-Type cab, or Strider so many games like that.

Never knew Red Baron existed. I googled it now.

I only saw Time Pilot II once. I remember the arcade too. This was probably around 1990. I used to be half decent at TP 1, but the second game I remember playing it and was terrible as you had to finish off a boss with a missile or something. I forget. I remember Section Z in name. I remembered it was a side scroller but had to google it to see what it looked like.

As for giant cabs, I remember playing Virtua Racing in the full red cockpit. I saw Rad Mobile, Power Drift, and that Ferrari 3 screen game.

You never saw Rtype? I saw that all the time. Played it a bunch at an old crusty Towers store (not the Towers music store, but at the dumpy Canadian store which was like Zellers). Pretty sure I saw Strider at some point.

My fav arcade growing up was at Sherway Gardens. It's a big mall and back in the 80s the arcade was at one end of their spokewheel layout. For you old ass Toronto people, you know what I'm talking about. So when my parents would go shopping, my bro and I would hit the arcade for a few hours with maybe $3 in quarters and milk that till they came to get us. It was a good mix of standard upright cabs and pinball. I avoided pinball. My bro is older was good at that shit. The bigger cabs were found at pool halls and dedicated arcades. But I remember Sherways arcade for a number of things:

- Gyruss (got good at it playing at different arcades)
- Konami basketball (hard)
- Mat Mania (easy)
- Trojan (hard)
- Gorf (hard)
- I didnt bother playing Track & Field, but there were always tons of people playing it
- When Gauntlet came out, everyone was crowding around it to play it

I was young, so my gaming skills werent great, but the hardest game I ever played was Roc n Rope. Maybe it gets easy after a while, but playing it for the first time must had been the fastest Ive ever lost quarters in a machine ever.

Fun tip for all: If you want to see the most misleading movement speed ever in a game, check out Time Pilot. The clouds make it look like you are travelling at a decent clip, but it's an illusion. You'll see by the way the enemy bullets and lobbing bombs come at you and seem to stick close to you even if you fly away, you are actually flying at a snail's pace.

 

[lachesis]

I was a local arcade king on fighting games back in Iowa. Used to travel w/ my buddy to other town and states to compete.
Then I visited Korea. I was sitting in this dinky arcade in some subway station filled with crowed, hoping to show my skillz... and I got my ass whupped royally by an elementary school kid. Didn't even win one match. Urgh!

Since then, I decided not to play competitive fighters... except, I did pretty well in an arcade in Shanghai on Samurai Showdown II. Of course, I was playing my Ukyo (lol) - but I had SamShoII on my NeoGeo, and practiced daily, ins and outs and all.. so I was pretty good at it. I did pretty well in Japan too! But that damn Koreans - whenever I went up with KOF96 or VF2 or whatnot - I got mopped so often...

 

[Archaic101]

The thrill of being a kid in an arcade in the 80s is something you can't explain to someone who wasn't there.

I feel the same way about the advent of online gaming in the late 90s.

 

[nush]

Never knew Red Baron existed. I googled it now.

Strange thing is, that it's included in the Atari collection I have on the iPad but missing from the Atari 50 collection.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I only saw this game once. And that was at a hotel when I went to Disney World in Florida! This was 1986. Hard game. But cool as you looked through a periscope and just keep mashing the fire buttons. And I remember it being 50 cents. At that time every game was 25 cents, so I thought the game kept ripping me off. Turns out that was the first time I realized games could charge 50 cents.

Pretty darn good graphics for a 1982 game.

 

[bender]

I spent four of my most formative years in Korea during the 90s which had a vibrant arcade scene. Tons of wonderful memories but with all due respect to NBA Jam, Konami created the greatest arcade basketball game ever in Run and Gun which is hardly every discussed.



Playing competitively was a blast and solo is no slouch either. Having "dunk shot" yelled in my ear versus giving the Mutombo finger wag was priceless.

 

[clem84]

I'm currently playing through Arcade Paradise and it definitely has that 90s arcade vibe to it.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I played this on Xbox way back. It was XBLIG and I think it was $3 back then. It sells on steam now for $11 CDN!!! lol

I had my cheap thrills out of it. Not worth $10, but if you can find it bargain binned for a couple bucks, it's worth an afternoon. One thing they never made clear (internet search solved it) is that sometimes your arcade machine gets clogged. You got to click it and shake it to loosen the coins. I think you did this by picking it up, slamming it down, pick up, slam it down etc... do it enough and it unclogs. They never said this on Xbox. So to solve this before the internet check, I'd sell the machine and rebuy it. lol

 

[nush]

Konami created the greatest arcade basketball game ever in Run and Gun which is hardly every discussed.

I read that mentioned recently.

Interview: Konami Legends Reveal The Secrets Of The Arcade Hit Factory

A rare peek behind the curtain!

www.timeextension.com

 

[TLZ]

Man....

I remember being excited to go. I remember hearing the sounds of all the games ringing loudly as I entered the place. Felt like heaven. I remember being that young playing Pacman, Donkey Kong. I remember playing Wonder Boy, Rygar, a wrestling game with Ultimate Warrior in it that looked nuts, a few football/soccer games where one of them I'd do a random super shot from the middle of the park in the final seconds. I remember playing Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, Daytona, Time Crisis. Oh boy... Those were the days...

 

[JC 1080P CRT]

I loved these holographic games.

I love watching these games, and LaserDisc/FMV games. Playing, I can't do it unless it's free play.

 

[THE DUCK]

It was kind of like going to a video store, seeing all the new games, playing stuff you couldn't at home, graphics that were way ahead.
Things like Dragons Lair and the holographic games stick out in your mind due to the wow factor even though they were not fun.
Sit down driving with force feedback was always fun.

 

[farmerboy]

In Melbourne we had a lot of smaller independant arcades. I particularly enjoyed the smaller, smoke filled dingy ones in and around Chinatown and Swanston St. It just felt like you were somewhere that not many people go. Enjoying a pastime that to many was still a little fringe.

 

[Mitsurux]

90’s

During the mid to late 90 was when I really got involved in the local arcade scene. With the ability to drive myself places I was able to go to a few arcades in neighboring towns.

There were two big arcades in the area that had really active communities. The first was in the Mall and was called Tilt N Tumble. It featured a great selection of “modern” games, think Tekken 2, 3, tag, Street Fighter 3 etc. Half of the building was the arcade the other half was birthday party play land stuff. In order to access this location from within the mall, you had to go down this long hallway , it did not have a normal store front like most of the “mall arcades” then at he end of the hall it opened up into the arcade. (Pic for reference)

TNT (Tilt N Tumble) would become my main arcade, each day me and a friend would drive up there at opening and meet up with some other regulars to mainly play Tekken 3 (and eventually Tekken tag and 4), this was serious business, people sharing moves, combos, tricks and strategies. Just a great group of people working together to improve their game. This dedication to learning was partly due to the fact that there was a semi rivalry between this arcade and another one in the same town.



The Red Baron arcade (I think the full name was Red Baron Amusement Center), was located across the same town and looked like a big red barn (this is the only pic I could find on the internet).

This place was amazing and had pretty much any cabinet style game you could imagine (they did not have many super deluxe style cabinets). All of the “Classic” games you could think of, and a lot of the more “Modern” games like NFL Blitz, Killer instinct, all of the Tekken games (released at the time) all of the different street fighter variations etc. They had their own group of regulars who would hang out there and they were tough. Walking in there and placing your token on the machine to reserve your place in line was nothing to be joked about. There was no smack talking going on there, if you acted like a fool, most likely there would be a group of guys waiting outside to “talk” to you (I had see it happen multiple times).



Looking back I had no idea how good we had it 3 active arcades with less then 10 miles of each other, by the end of the decade they would be all gone, converted to medical facility, a Tim Hortons/Cold Stone, and the other erased when the mall was remodeled.



I could ramble on more specific memories if anyone would be interested. (Not sure why the pics are not showing....)

 

[AJUMP23]

Mitsurux Great post. Appreciate all the effort.

 

[Days like these...]

I used to wait in line to play Super Mario bros at the grocery store.

 

[Draxon Gamer]

The American mall is a defunct entity and on its way out

Why people still believe this after post-covid is a mystery. It was already said for decades before but luckily it hasn't happened. At best you had smaller malls going out of business, or consolidation and restructuring, but there will always been need for malls and most of the state by state staples are still around. What's more is that post-covid purchases and visitors to malls had massive jumps and are currently trending higher than before. Some malls are closing because of the property owners bad decision elsewhere and not the mall itself, but malls won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Arcades died when people didn't want to pay, contract, license, or operate them anymore. There are some cafes, malls, businesses (Dave and Busters), and amusement parks that still have arcades scattered around but I doubt there's much money coming in through those a year to consider spending more to expand arcades again, Arcades are not coming back unless there's an entirely new business strategy involving them. Right now most arcade like machines are based on gambling. We are seeing arcades coming back into convenience stores, but it's not to play Asteroid and Q*bert.

If someone were to find a way to convince stores and shopping centers that they would bring in engagement and a lot of revenue with a new business models arcades could come back, but I'm not sure what that would be. The 'games' that are coming in now based on prizes or lotteries have managed to find a way but that model won't work for games, so there would have to be a new clever way to get that done.

 

[Neff]

From my early years to my teens I'd stay in Blackpool (UK seaside resort) twice a year since I had relatives living there, and visit the many huge arcades frequently with bulging pockets full of change. They're some of the best memories of my life and decidedly the single biggest catalyst for me pursing a lifetime hobby of gaming.

I used to go to Blackpool and search for the Ridge Racer MX5 cabinet with the full size car.

That was in the Pleasure Beach, right? That was my favourite spot for Xybots.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Some wonderful arcade memories...

- Seeing/playing Street Fighter Championship Edition the first time, at a waterpark gift shop with a TON of people crowded around it.
- Seeing/playing Mortal Kombat for the first time at a Tilt arcade in a local mall.
- Seeing/playing Killer Instinct for the first time at another Tilt arcade in a different local mall.
- Seeing/playing Virtua Fighter for the first time.

That's just some, but I could go on forever.

I miss and LOVED knowing that (at one point in time) almost every time you stepped into an arcade you would always hear the song from this....

And/or the infamous Colossus yell from....

 

[LostDonkey]

Arcades were where I always discovered the newest fighting games in the 90s! I can vividly recall where I discovered all of my favorites for the first time:

Children of Atom was at a random gas station in Houston off Waldo St.
Street Fighter 3 at the Sharpstown (now PlazAmerica)
Street Fighter Alpha at a Greyhound bus depot in New Orleans
X-Men vs Street Fighter and Soul Blade in the PX in Fort Polk
King of Fighters '94 in the activity center for kids in Fort Polk
Killer Instinct in the PX in Great Lakes
Killer Instinct 2 at the gas station about 2 miles away from our home in Fort Polk. My older brother and I would walk here every weekend and have our parents pick us up from the Blockbuster across the road.
Tekken 3 in Merrivlle at South Lake Mall!

1994-1997 made me into a hardcore fighting game head. Also shoutout to Capcom and the others that put the move list at the top of the cabinet! it was either that, self-discovery, or trying to find a game guide in a store. The internet was limited as hell and the library only let you print out so many pages.

I always wondered who was responsible for deciding which machines go where. Like

From my early years to my teens I'd stay in Blackpool (UK seaside resort) twice a year since I had relatives living there, and visit the many huge arcades frequently with bulging pockets full of change. They're some of the best memories of my life and decidedly the single biggest catalyst for me pursing a lifetime hobby of gaming.



That was in the Pleasure Beach, right? That was my favourite spot for Xybots.

I think there was one at the pleasure beach yeah and there was one in either Coral Island or Oasis.

And I'm with you, Blackpool was definitely my start in gaming. Such amazing memories, the noise, the smell, the excitement.

It's such shit that arcades are not what they used to be nowadays.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Why people still believe this after post-covid is a mystery. It was already said for decades before but luckily it hasn't happened. At best you had smaller malls going out of business, or consolidation and restructuring, but there will always been need for malls and most of the state by state staples are still around. What's more is that post-covid purchases and visitors to malls had massive jumps and are currently trending higher than before. Some malls are closing because of the property owners bad decision elsewhere and not the mall itself, but malls won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Arcades died when people didn't want to pay, contract, license, or operate them anymore. There are some cafes, malls, businesses (Dave and Busters), and amusement parks that still have arcades scattered around but I doubt there's much money coming in through those a year to consider spending more to expand arcades again, Arcades are not coming back unless there's an entirely new business strategy involving them. Right now most arcade like machines are based on gambling. We are seeing arcades coming back into convenience stores, but it's not to play Asteroid and Q*bert.

If someone were to find a way to convince stores and shopping centers that they would bring in engagement and a lot of revenue with a new business models arcades could come back, but I'm not sure what that would be. The 'games' that are coming in now based on prizes or lotteries have managed to find a way but that model won't work for games, so there would have to be a new clever way to get that done.

Shopping malls are fine (at least where I live). It comes down to type of store. The big chains like WM and Best Buy are still around fine. So are the endless clothing and shoe stores (people like to try it on).

But the one type of store that seems to be going down the tubes the past 10 years are the ones that resemble Bed Bath Beyond and Home Outfitters kinds of stores (housewares). I guess people just prefer buying this stuff online. Or perhaps the trend is people arent so trendy anymore and dont care about decorating their homes. Or both.

 

[ThaMonkeyClaw]

The American mall is a defunct entity and on its way out it took the American Arcade with it. Now for an arcade style we have dining and bowling places like Dave and busters. But they don't do what the old fashioned arcade use to do. Go in play a variety of games for $5 in quarters. Compete in the winner stays arena of fighting games by putting your quarter on the machine. The lovely neon lighting and the normally dark carpet. I am old enough that I remember people smoking in the arcade. New fighting games always created buzz. Street Fighter 2, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, and Virtual Fighter were big. I always loved Dragons Lair and it was a game that my mom loved to play as well. There was a time when the arcade was the best place to be. We all had a Nintendo at home, but going to the arcade while your mom was in the mall was a thrill and lot of fun as a kid/teen.

If you are cool and old tell us about your local arcades, what you played and do you miss it.

I remember all that as well, that is one of my favorite past times as a kid, going to Tilt or Aladdin's Castle and just dumping in quarter after quarter and then leaving the arcade and being blinded by the normal lights because I have been in the dark ass arcade for 3-4 hours! I really miss those and while I have found a few places around me that have sort of emulated the experience, nothing will top the original! Nothing like walking into the arcade to see people huddled around Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat!

This rubbish:

Lol, I remember this game vividly, such garbage, but my dumb ass still dumped quarter after quarter into this thing because it looks so cool at the time! Acting in the game was horrific!

 

[StreetsofBeige]

There was one cool shooting game I played in the past 10 years that involved mirrors. I think it was a game where you try to shoot targets asap for the quickest time. But when you looked at the screen, it it involved mirrors or something which reflected your shot. So it was a funky kind of mechanism. Great game.

I tried to find it on google but couldnt. I think it might had been some police training quick draw game. But maybe not police related. Relatively new game too. I dont think it was the kind of game made in the 80s or 90s. More of a 2000s feel to it.

Edit: Found it. Made in 1999.

 

[CamHostage]

Kids these days, they're all up on these bezel-free displays, and I just look at those and think, "But where am i going to quarter up? "

 

[MastAndo]

When I was young, my dad had arcade machines at his store and the excitement of seeing the van pull up with a new cabinet was like nothing else. In particular, the day we got Double Dragon II is a core memory at this point, with all the neighborhood kids losing their collective shit waiting for it to be set up.

I kind of feel bad for kids nowadays. Their worlds are just far too large and everything is immediate. Don't get me wrong, I very much appreciate the convenience that our current technology provides, but there's just something lost when everything is instant.

 

[newtypepilot]

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I kind of feel bad for kids nowadays. Their worlds are just far too large and everything is immediate. Don't get me wrong, I very much appreciate the convenience that our current technology provides, but there's just something lost when everything is instant.

Modern tech is great and convenient. No wonder kids sit on their ass watching YT or playing games. So much better than the stuff we had back then. For us, TV shows and gaming were only so good as you were stuck with whatever shitty 6 games you had and whatever was on cable TV at that time slot (it might be a stinker hour). So if it sucks, you go out with friends, bike riding, street hockey, etc.... and when you're older hit up the mall and pool halls and such.

I think kids inherently would enjoy this stuff, but it's just a matter of getting them to try it. My nephews and nieces all enjoy using their tablet or cell phone too, but with a big enough push they also enjoy sports, arts and crafts, winter sports etc...

From my microscopic personal experience seeing my siblings fams, parents got to be proactive and get them exposed to stuff. Or else they'll do texting, YT shows and Fortnite 24/7 as the convenience, production values and social aspects are leagues better than what we all had decades ago.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Loved playing Asteroids at a local restaurant (Calecos....no longer around) in 1980 while waiting to be seated.
Went to an Aladdin's Castle for my birthday around 1981 (invited my friends and my mom gave everyone a bunch of quarters.)
.......also remember playing a Donkey Kong in a Velvet Freeze ice cream shop in St. Louis, probably around 1982.
Spent tons of quarters on a Dragon's Lair machine in a bowling alley around 1983. Biked to it almost daily with a friend....eventually beat it there.

also...like I mentioned in another post.....the constant flurry of arcade sounds from dozens of machines playing at once.....was a comforting sound
arcade ambiance

 

[AJUMP23]

E Evil Calvin Velvet Freeze sounds like it has great ice cream.

 

[Evil Calvin]

People would put quarters on the marquee in order to reserve the next play. Often there would be a gap and quarters would slide down. I often was able to retrieve them with my fingernail and sometimes other items laying around. Got many quarters that way.

 

[Evil Calvin]

E Evil Calvin Velvet Freeze sounds like it has great ice cream.

'had'.....no longer around.

To be honest, I don't remember getting any ice cream there. I was only there for the Donkey Kong.

 

[DGrayson]

People would put quarters on the marquee in order to reserve the next play. Often there would be a gap and quarters would slide down. I often was able to retrieve them with my fingernail and sometimes other items laying around. Got many quarters that way.

Ys this is what I remember the most about SF2 and MK cabs

 

[Vandole]

I would now like to take a moment and complain about the management of the Fun Quest arcade in Atlanta, GA from the summer of 1992.

One day I was playing Addams Family pinball. Normally I was only an average pinball player, but, I was having one of those games where I was completely in the zone. I was racking up free balls, free credits, and setting the high score for the arcade.

About 15 or 20 minutes or so into my game, a local businessman (who looking back on it was probably 21-year-old guy on his lunch break who happened to wear a tie) came in and put his quarter down for the next game. 5 minutes later, my game is still going on and the manager comes out and starts yelling at me. She was claiming I had spent too much time on the game and I wasn't allowed to dominate a game for this long. Keep in mind, 5 minutes before this guy came in, the only other two people in the arcade were my friends.

Anyway after a couple more minutes she threatened to ban me from the arcade if I didn't stop playing. The guy who came in was actually very gracious about the whole thing and tried to defuse the situation, but in fear of losing access to my only nearby arcade I walked away.

Anyway, I would post this on Yelp, but that arcade has been closed for about 30 years.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I would now like to take a moment and complain about the management of the Fun Quest arcade in Atlanta, GA from the summer of 1992.

One day I was playing Addams Family pinball. Normally I was only an average pinball player, but, I was having one of those games where I was completely in the zone. I was racking up free balls, free credits, and setting the high score for the arcade.

About 15 or 20 minutes or so into my game, a local businessman (who looking back on it was probably 21-year-old guy on his lunch break who happened to wear a tie) came in and put his quarter down for the next game. 5 minutes later, my game is still going on and the manager comes out and starts yelling at me. She was claiming I had spent too much time on the game and I wasn't allowed to dominate a game for this long. Keep in mind, 5 minutes before this guy came in, the only other two people in the arcade were my friends.

Anyway after a couple more minutes she threatened to ban me from the arcade if I didn't stop playing. The guy who came in was actually very gracious about the whole thing and tried to defuse the situation, but in fear of losing access to my only nearby arcade I walked away.

Anyway, I would post this on Yelp, but that arcade has been closed for about 30 years.

Nice.

Two types of games I've always been bad in.... pinball and driving.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

I am old enough to have been awed by the early days of arcades, see them wane a bit, and the revitalization of Street Fighter II. Still remember seeing/playing Mortal Kombat for the first time out of the blue at an arcade near my highschool. The local dirtmall had Kung Fu Master in the entrance. Threw down some quarters into that bad boy.
Remember this weird-ass POS?

 

[Lunarorbit]

My mom's fiancé at the time took me to the mall for some reason. I was around 10. Wanted to play at the arcade but he only gave me 50¢ cause he was a prick and he hated video games. Ended up playing pinball.

The machine must have been altered by someone cause it just kept giving me free games. After 20 minutes he was getting pissed. Fuck you steve z. Glad my mom dumped your ass you jack wad.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Kids these days, they're all up on these bezel-free displays, and I just look at those and think, "But where am i going to quarter up? "

People would put quarters on the marquee in order to reserve the next play. Often there would be a gap and quarters would slide down. I often was able to retrieve them with my fingernail and sometimes other items laying around. Got many quarters that way.

Ha I was about to ask if this is still done in todays arcades. I've not been in a packed one in years so no need to quarter up as you say.

 

[Lord Panda]

I remember beating the Final Fight arcade game at the local VHS store, while a crowd of people were cheering me on. By crowd, it was probably just a few kids.

Another memory is my friend after school just destroying any challenger foolish enough to take him on in SF2. My mate just obliterated all comers; I don't recall him ever being beaten by anyone. And now, he's an overworked beaten-down accountant with few ever realising the fighting game god that he was.

Lastly I recall fond memories of having a date at Sega World ... we had such a great time there with each other. Sadly Sega World long closed their doors.

 

[calistan]

There was a great arcade a half hour drive from where I lived as a kid, in a big country park / fairground kind of place where they actually made the equipment that got installed in playgrounds around the UK (Wicksteed Park, Kettering - now sadly closed).

The arcade never seemed to retire its old games, so alongside 'modern' things like Donkey Kong you'd have stuff like Boot Hill and Pong, plus driving games with toy cars racing on a road that scrolled beneath them on an endless roll of paper. I was never allowed much money to play but I'd happily spend all day in there just watching.

 

[Bogroll]

Trying to get free credits on Space Invaders.
You could do this using a cigarette lighter with no gas. Try to light it so the spark goes against the slot where you insert coin, it would trick machine and apply credit. People said that's why the surrounding area of coin slot changed to plastic.
People saying can I have your last tank or How many thanks you got left. Tanks meant lives.
Yes from I grew up in a poor area.

 

[Dane]

I don't remember much about the very late 90s, but played a lot of San Francisco Rush and Cruis N in the arcades around that time or 2000-2002.

 

[93xfan]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the game that really got me into arcade as a kid in the late 80s.

Graphics and audio blew my mind and it didn’t hurt that I was already a huge TMNT fan. Simpson arcade was a fun alternative when TMNT wasn’t around.

Then came Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition and that showed me just how much better the arcade versions were. Then all the Mortal Kombat games (especially 2) got me so hyped to go to the arcade.

Other notable games were:
TMNT Turtles in Time
Jurassic Park
Killer Instinct
Crusin USA
Tekken 2

Had some good times and would love seeing the bigger sprites and more detailed background. Always bothered me that E Hondas tub never overflowed in the home console version. Anyway, I used to dream of owning the arcade units when I got older. So glad we now have perfect home versions of most of those games

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

the arcade i went to the most as a kid was a small dark thing next to a movie theater and pizza shop, all of it in a mall.
loved going there. played mortal kombat 1 and 2, and killer instinct 1 and 2 for the first time there.
id go around to all the cabinets, pressing the coin return button hoping to find quarters.
its layout, from the cabinet placement to the general shape of whole arcade, is burned into my memory.

that mall that was completely remodeled 20+ years ago.
sometimes i dream about that mall's old layout.

the new mall is much brighter and cleaner looking--more modern, if you will... but also much more basic and less interesting architecturally/stylistically.

 

[Art The Clown]

House of the Dead
crazy Taxi
Mortal Kombat
Street Fighter
Xmen


Those are the games I played mostly at the arcade.

Also played a shit ton of air hockey with friends.

If I lived in a more populated area I would open an arcade with weekly fighting game tournaments like WNF and NLBC.

 

[AJUMP23]

My local Walmart had an MK 2 cabinet and I loved playing it solo.

 

[KuraiShidosha]

I'm not the oldest guy out here but at 35 years old (36 in August) I have fond memories of arcades all throughout the 90s starting with Chuck E. Cheese in the very early 90s playing games like Jurassic Park, the one with the dual machine gun setup and the park jeep bench. The graphics absolutely blew my mind at the time, coming from an NES and Genesis at home.

Over the years I would love to come back to the arcades all over New Jersey in places like the various boardwalks along the shore, or even something as simple as the few select titles inside a Pizza Hut. Time Crisis, Daytona USA, House of the Dead, Galaga, Hydro Thunder etc etc the list just goes on and on of amazing titles that delivered an experience you could not get at home. Even with a huge 27" CRT and 5.1 theater surround sound system my dad had, it just didn't come close.

I miss the environment, the atmosphere, the sense of community, the gaming experience, everything. We've given up so much in the name of comfort and savings with the modern home-only gaming paradigm. It's really sad, and feels like we've lost a part of the human experience because of it.

 

[AJUMP23]

KuraiShidosha did you know Nolan Bushnell founder of Atari also created chucky cheese so he could put his arcade games somewhere.