Do you have a favorite classic arcade game?

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

Galaga. No question. It's one of those arcade games that doesn't feel like it's actively trying to disadvantage you in order to bleed you for more money. It was difficult in a way that made it your fault when you fucked up. It's entirely possible to avoid pretty anything coming your way once you learn the system, which makes it fun as hell to play.

 

[Mirrorknight]

Galaga, Space Harrier, TMNT, Time Crisis series (probably with 2 being the best), the old vector Star Wars game, and
on the top

Frickkin TRON. I distinctly remember as a small lad of six years feeling like God after finally beating the 3 tank stage. Surely, I was the best TRON player ever. No one could do better then me. Only to have the cold grip of reality slam me back down with the horror of having FIVE tanks in the next tank stage. I think I actually screamed in terror.

 

[Treeinthewoods]

There's a local pizza place in the town I grew up in called Pizza Stop: It never really had a ton of arcade games, just 2 or 3 but whenever it switched out a bigger one (bigger being an SNK-multi or, Neo*Geo-multi or, Soul Edge machine) one machine always stuck around and still sits in the dining room:

This only in a pizza parlor. I played a bit of Ms. Pac Man but Galaga was by far my favorite of the two games. Any time I see a stand-alone Galaga machine I have to stop by and pop in a quarter.

A close second would be any given Konami beat-em-up (TMNT, X-Men, Simpsons). Fun fact: I have never once seen or played the Turtles in Time Arcade machine...I am deprived like that...

Lol, the pizza place of my childhood had the same type of machine but I could choose Ms. Pac Man or Arkanoid.

Which is a perfect segue, my favorite classic arcade game will always and forever be Arkanoid. No other brick breaking simulator will suffice either, it's Arkanoid or GTFO.

 

[JagermanXcell]

I loved me some Time Crisis, House of the Dead, and probably my favorite in a crowded arcade MVC2. Nowadays when there is an MVC2 arcade machine I hope there are good players willing to take me on... you know... cause arcades are dying and what not... T_T

But out of all those games, Metal Slug (3 and 5 being my all time favorite).
"Metal Slug, kid puts the token in, literally, needle comes out and puts crack in them." -Game Grumps

 

[bluepotatosack]

I love me some Tapper.

A simple concept which gets increasingly challenging. Perfect recipe for the arcade.

 

[FPLOON]

Moon Patrol!

Spoiler

The first video game I ever played, and I still reckon it's pretty fun.

I remember playing a PC game back in the early 2000s on my mom's Gateway that reminder me of Moon Patrol. I don't know what the name of it was, but all of the levels resembling almost half of the planets in our solar system with Earth being one of the final harder levels...

Does Time Crisis count?
I love that game.

My favorite will always be Time Crisis 3... Probably because it's the one that I played the most whenever I found it at any of the arcades I went to...

With that said, my favorite arcade game (that probably hasn't been mentioned yet) is a tie between the TMNT arcade game and the Simpsons arcade game... (Only one of those I have been able to replay over and over again off PSN, though...) Besides the obvious reasons, I really enjoyed the times when I'm teaming up with 3 other random strangers as we all put our quarters together in order for all of us to beat the game that very day... (I always call Bart or Michelangelo...)

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

I don't know if you'd call this classic, but my favorite is the Alien Marines (based off the movie) that was in a few Chuck E. Cheeses and some Dave & Busters still have them. I looooooove that game, and a Friend and I already beat it once before. We felt so proud of it.

 

[Strain42]

There's a local pizza place in the town I grew up in called Pizza Stop: It never really had a ton of arcade games, just 2 or 3 but whenever it switched out a bigger one (bigger being an SNK-multi or, Neo*Geo-multi or, Soul Edge machine) one machine always stuck around and still sits in the dining room:

This only in a pizza parlor. I played a bit of Ms. Pac Man but Galaga was by far my favorite of the two games. Any time I see a stand-alone Galaga machine I have to stop by and pop in a quarter.

A close second would be any given Konami beat-em-up (TMNT, X-Men, Simpsons). Fun fact: I have never once seen or played the Turtles in Time Arcade machine...I am deprived like that...

Ah dude, I'm jealous. I've never actually stumbled upon one of those flat table top arcade games before, much less got to grow up around one.

Awesome choice.

 

[roushutsu]

I have a couple of favorites. Centipede, The Simpsons, TMNT, Dig Dug, and Virtua Fighter immediately come to mind. I don't recall how many quarters I've dropped for them.

 

[Kyrian007]

It's been said a few times, but for me it's the vector graphics Star Wars. My arcade of choice had the sit down cabinet with the speakers in the back. Primitive by today's standards, but at the time and with the imagination of a little kid... I was actually in that movie. I spent my childhood in that arcade, playing all the games. From the early days of Centipede, Defender, and Elevator Action; all the way to the vs. fighter era. And that Star Wars cabinet was there throughout, and always one of the most popular machines. It didn't get replaced (with another game, I think they went through 3 or 4 Star Wars cabinets over the years) until they needed more room for Dance Dance Revolution. They have since gone out of business.

I recently attended the opening of a traveling museum exhibit called Videotopia. As I walked across the bridge to get over to the room where the exhibit was, I started to hear some halfway familiar music coming from the room where Videotopia was housed. I recognized it just as I stepped into the darkened room lit with strobing laser lights, pulsing in time to Journey's "Separate Ways."

All that was missing was a haze of smoke and ashtrays bolted onto every cabinet.

A friend and I have in the past restored a couple of classic cabinets out of spare and junk parts. We actually made quite a lot of money on a (mostly) original Defender cabinet (we had to change out the original buttons) and a 100% authentic and restored Mrs. Pacman. Our most recent try langungishes half built, as we bit off more than we could chew. It's not that easy to rebuild as complicated a pinball machine as the X-Files machine. One of these days we'll finally finish it.

 

[thebakedpotato]

Galaga. When I got out of the hospital after I tried to kill myself the first time. My father took me to an icehouse and they had Galaga. I played it. Loved it. To me it symbolizes freedom. And recovering after a low point.

 

[Bad Jim]

The only arcade game where I have spent a serious amount of money playing on an actual arcade machine is Puzzle Bobble. Purely because there happened to be one where I happened to meet friends.

However I've played a lot of arcade ports and Rainbow Islands is my nemesis. It's infruriatingly hard, but then I think all true arcade games are like that. I have yet to beat it.

 

[VodkaKnight]

An old game I like is Spyro: Year of the Dragon.
But a arcade game?
The third Mario Brothers game.

 

[Kinitawowi]

This beastie is at least part of why I love Bayonetta so much:

http://www.retrogamesnow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/space-harrier.jpg

And this game is still the greatest co-op multiplayer experience it's possible to have.

http://www.fotosimagenes.org/imagenes/bubble-bobble-3.jpg

(I <3 Mame.)

 

[Aris Khandr]

There's a local pizza place in the town I grew up in called Pizza Stop: It never really had a ton of arcade games, just 2 or 3 but whenever it switched out a bigger one (bigger being an SNK-multi or, Neo*Geo-multi or, Soul Edge machine) one machine always stuck around and still sits in the dining room:

This only in a pizza parlor. I played a bit of Ms. Pac Man but Galaga was by far my favorite of the two games. Any time I see a stand-alone Galaga machine I have to stop by and pop in a quarter.

A close second would be any given Konami beat-em-up (TMNT, X-Men, Simpsons). Fun fact: I have never once seen or played the Turtles in Time Arcade machine...I am deprived like that...

My Pizza Hut had Frogger and Galaga in their flat top. Galaga remains a favorite arcade game to this day.

I must admit, though, that my favorite was the X-Men game. Even if Colossus's power was totally wrong.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

Favorite classic game is easily Dig Dug.

Honourable mentions to Trog and Rampage.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

Some day I'd love to get an old SF2 cabinet. Not that I have room for it or the know-how to keep it in working order. But in some fantasy realm where we get everything we want, I'd have one.

I know it's not the "best" version of Street Fighter, but I'd love to have Championship Edition. When it was brand spanking new I used to play that game like a beast. The day our Putt-Putt got the Championship Edition, I skipped a day of college courses to go play it.

Ah, the joys of youth. And arcades. How I miss them both.

 

[GonzoGamer]

bah bunch of people with no choice. there is only one single answer to this question. arcade star wars

That would be my answer; the original vector graphics SW game. I loved that game.

However I might have to make that MsPacMan table more of a priority. It's certainly more practical and it would make my dad happy; thats his favorite game of all time.

 

[TrevHead]

Bubble Bobble is a favorite of mine along with all the other Taito cutesy games, like Rainbow Island or this New Zealand Story, Tiki is my main avatar I use on the net.
also I love Rygar

Spoiler

And Shinobi

Spoiler

I would have loved to play Dodonpachi out in the wild

This beastie is at least part of why I love Bayonetta so much:

http://www.retrogamesnow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/space-harrier.jpg

And this game is still the greatest co-op multiplayer experience it's possible to have.

I really wish SEGA would rerelease Planet Harriers on XBLA as I love Space Harrier and haven't played that version.

Spoiler

(I <3 Mame.)

I agree, Mame with a half decent arcade stick is the bees knees as it a Ergotron neoflex stand so I can roTATE my monitor 90 degrees for 3:4 ratio. As is some of the great arcade conversions on XBLA, especially those from SEGA as both Dayatona USA HD and Virtual On OT XBLA are great to play even with a pad, which older versions have always been ropey in that aspect.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

My fondest memories were when I was young, and I played Yie Ar Kung-fu on an arcade cabinet. I sucked at it, but I didn't care much, and rarely got far. Every time I played I just wanted to see Star again. IIRC she appeared kinda randomly.

Spoiler

Gameplay
A fun, and possibly NSFW soing/animation dedicated to the game. Turn Closed captions on for subtitles.