# Most notorious quarter-eating arcade game **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839 "2005-06-04T04:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/41 "2005-06-06T15:42:20Z")
> [@mrunlucky](#): > > Man that game was a bummer. An innovate, beautiful-looking bummer. But you had to play the game for about 45 seconds before you die, memorize the directions you went in that were the successful ones, and then go back and play. Using what you memorized, you could try to get 45 more seconds of game play before you die again. And so on. > > And it was a .50 cent game too wasn’t it? Which made it even more of a quarter-eater. You’d be in the arcade, and after about three tries with _Dragon’s Lair_, you’d have to make a serious decision about where you were going to spend the rest of your money. > > Good thing it came out for home play, to anyone who ever wanted to try and get to the end. That actually reminded me of another game that I’d seen (but hadn’t thought about in years) that was a quarter muncher: _Time Traveler_, the only holographic video game I’ve ever seen. It had the same mechanics as a Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace, but instead of being laserdisc-based, it projected the image into the middle of a dome. A tough one for sure, and I’ll hate that laughing skeleton bastard until the day I die!! ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/42 "2005-06-06T16:08:55Z")
There was a fighting game with the same tech. It was a big parabolic mirror in the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/43 "2005-06-06T18:01:23Z")
Although I spent a lot of money on pinball before video games came into their own, I usually managed to avoid the real quarter-eaters. I preferred meatier games like Defender (yes, one of the toughest games of that era to master, but I did so quickly so it was money well spent), Missle Command, Robotron, Galaga, and Centipede. I agree with **Priceguy** that Rampage was a real quarter-eater. It’s impossible to stay alive for long, but it was so addictive. I never played Gauntlet, and I could see the quarter-eating potential of Dragon’s Lair a mile away so I never, ever played it. I played Asteroids a lot, but was never very good at it, so you could say it was a quarter-eater. Likewise Joust. Very fun game, but I only ever killed a pterodactyl by accident. For a month in the summer of '83 I was in a situation where the only video game available was Super Zaxxon, so it ate an awful lot of my quarters. Then you go back and kick ass at regular Zaxxon. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/44 "2005-06-06T20:17:28Z")
Ooh, I remember Zaxxon. The 7-11 near my house had it, so I’d go there after school if I had some money. I even made the player’s spaceship out of Lego. ---
**Author:** ![Meleemancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Meleemancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meleemancer)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/45 "2005-06-06T21:25:53Z")
> [@beergeek279](#): > > That actually reminded me of another game that I’d seen (but hadn’t thought about in years) that was a quarter muncher: _Time Traveler_, the only holographic video game I’ve ever seen. I remember first encountering this game. What stands out about it to me now, though, is that it was the first arcade game I can remember that cost $1 per play, and at the time I boggled that anyone would ever spend that much on a single game. Flash forward to today, when I do so without much thought. I don’t want to think about how much money I’ve put into DDR and DrumMania machines over the past few years ($1 for 3 songs, or about 6 minutes). Also, measuring by just cost per playing time, the recent gun games like Time Crisis 3 and House of the Dead 3 ($1 for 3-5 lives) probably rank among the top quarter-munchers. The default setting on the Japanese import machines seems to be a single 100 yen coin. Makes me wish they accepted dollar coins so I wouldn’t have to put up with $5 in quarters weighing me down whenever I visit the arcade. Not to mention how extravagant it looks when I play doubles and have to insert _eight_ coins for a single game. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/46 "2005-06-07T01:43:19Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m afraid I can’t remember which of the above the BFG attack was in - but Gauntlet: Legends holds a special place in my quarter-eater history. The BFG was in both. Dark Legacy was a sort of expansion to Legends: It had all the same characters and areas, but four more of each. The arcade in the Student Union used to have Legends, and there were always one or two folks at it. Every couple weeks after class, I’d play for about five dollars worth, and beat Skorn once at level 60-something (after perhaps $30 total). And then they “upgraded” to Dark Legacy, and broke the stranglehold they’d had on all the people with saved characters. Since then (3 or 4 years ago), I’ve seen someone playing that game about twice. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/47 "2005-06-07T01:52:23Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Ooh, I remember Zaxxon. I remember it, too. I remember how much I sucked at it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/48 "2005-06-07T15:51:34Z")
For me, it was any of the gun games like **Operation:Wolf, Terminator 2,** even that awful Aerosmith game **Revolution X** which cost me twice as much because it was one of the few arcade games my ex-wife wanted to play. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/49 "2005-06-07T18:54:05Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Yeah, but Roadblasters control sucks. What system do you have it for? Control seems fine to me on the Gamecube. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Eboshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@Lady\_Eboshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Eboshi)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/50 "2005-06-07T19:20:00Z")
> [@Manatee](#): > > **Tentacle** : thanks for the link above! What a great source of info (and memories). > > I just confirmed that the game I’m thinking of is in fact “Gate of Doom,” which came out in '90. (Yay, my memory’s not as rusty as I’d thought…). > > So there you have it: “Gate of Doom” is my most notorious quarter-eater. Did you know that there was a “Gate of Doom 2?” Ah, thank goodness for MAME… ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Eboshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@Lady\_Eboshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Eboshi)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/51 "2005-06-07T19:24:44Z")
> [@diku](#): > > And followed by the insanely hard **Space Ace** , which took this approach to another level. Ah, the laser disc games…so freaking weird. There was a **Cliffhanger** machine next to my Karate Champ machine. I would hear that attract mode all day! > > Anyway, it’s an Anime named The Castle of Cagliostro chopped up into a laser disc game. Just odd. > [Here it is.](http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=7352) You should visit[Dragon’s Lair Project](http://www.dragons-lair-project.com) for an assload of information on just about every laserdisc game ever made. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/52 "2005-06-07T23:14:35Z")
Magic sword. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/53 "2005-06-07T23:29:12Z")
I think I’ve pumped about $100 worth of quarters into Mortal Kombat 4 (Version 3) at the arcade. I got _so_ good at that game. When I came back from the military, though, it was gone. I was sad. ☹ Adam ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/54 "2005-06-07T23:36:31Z")
**Lady Eboshi** : Great link. I _knew_ Gallagher had a laserdisc shooting arcade game, but I couldn’t find any references for it. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/55 "2005-06-08T01:12:16Z")
Donkey Kong Zaxxon Shinobi As a youth, I’ve spent over $500 on those damned games… and I loved every minute of it! I’m still trying to get a DK machine for my fun room… damn you eBay squatters! ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/56 "2005-06-08T01:48:35Z")
> [@Lady Eboshi](#): > > You should visit[Dragon’s Lair Project](http://www.dragons-lair-project.com) for an assload of information on just about every laserdisc game ever made. That’s one hell of a cool site. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/57 "2005-06-08T02:01:07Z")
There were a number of games, like Spider-Man, Golden Axe, Rush 'n Attack, Breakthru, Heavy Barrel, etc. that I found absolutely addictive, but I wouldn’t classify as “token eaters” since I could get pretty far on one credit. The first kinda expensive game for me was probably Shinobi. It looked so simple, but just ONE tiny little mistake, and I was starting the whole level over. Some really tricky parts, too. I could easly go through 8 tokens in one morning, and I actually had to restrain myself to not shell out more. Then there was Crime Fighters. Don’t know how much money I shelled out for that going through the first two or three levels. Finally, I decided to get somewhere. I shovelled all the remaining tokens I had in my pocket…17, IIRC…inside. Got to the _last_ level before losing. (Pretty cool blowoff screen with the main baddie, so it wasn’t a total loss.) The next week, I made certain of success…I cashed in $5, 25 tokens, and put it ALL in. Damn those were a tense couple of weeks. 🙂 Then there were the American racers, California Speed and Crusin’ USA/World/Exotica. Utterly merciless. That’s not even including the one time I did a full season on CART Fury, which definitely was not worth it in retrospect. Oh yeah, you can also add Danny Sullivan’s Indy Heat. And then there was Pump It Up. Talk about a game that changed my life. And the crazy thing is, I didn’t had _no_ interest in arcade dance games _whatsoever_, it’s just that everyone played the same damn 5 or 6 songs ad nauseum, and I wanted to hear the rest. Seriously, that’s it. Several hundred dollars later, I’m jamming away with the PS2 port (which also did not come cheap). Finally, the _other_ racers, Initial D (all three times) and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune. $15 a week _minimum_. Incredibly fun, incredibly fast, unbelievably addictive. If I had to pick a #1, it’d be Pump It Up, with WGMT a close second. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/58 "2005-06-08T16:41:40Z")
There was another game I played a lot that was similar to the D&D arcade games, in which you had to fight your way all the way to the top of an evil wizard’s tower. One of the early swords you could find was a falchion, which I always thought was cool sounding. It was pretty hard though; I never got more than a few floors up, and there were quite a lot of floors. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/59 "2005-06-08T16:47:17Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > There was another game I played a lot that was similar to the D&D arcade games, in which you had to fight your way all the way to the top of an evil wizard’s tower. One of the early swords you could find was a falchion, which I always thought was cool sounding. It was pretty hard though; I never got more than a few floors up, and there were quite a lot of floors. Magic Sword 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839/60 "2005-06-08T19:43:26Z")
Yeah OK, the name didn’t ring a bell when you said it earlier. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notorious-quarter-eating-arcade-game/306839.md?page=4)