# Old arcade games with surprising depth

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-arcade-games-with-surprising-depth/757412>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [June 15, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-arcade-games-with-surprising-depth/757412 "2016-06-15T12:04:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-arcade-games-with-surprising-depth/757412/81 "2016-07-20T12:39:18Z")

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Ah. It was an Apple II game, not an arcade game.

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**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-arcade-games-with-surprising-depth/757412/82 "2016-07-20T12:42:33Z")

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> [@coremelt](#):
>
> Thank’s but thats not it. Rescue Raiders was a side scrolling chopper game with RTS / Tower Defense elements, not a top down shooter. Here’s some youtube footage. Definitely meets the criteria of surprisingly deep.
> 
> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8\_XsRYTO-0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_XsRYTO-0)

Armor Alley is a similar (if not identical) game which I would also be interested in an emulator for.

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**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-arcade-games-with-surprising-depth/757412/83 "2016-07-21T18:31:18Z")

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> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#):
>
> The game with its own Urban Legend - “I know somebody who managed to drive into the volcano…” (There is a volcano in the far background, but it was never possible to drive the tank to it as the volcano would never get closer.)

There’s actually a great true story about the connection between Battlezone and the original Star Wars vector game. Read about it [here](http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/ROTBERG.HTM) (search on the page for “Star Wars”).  
In any case, a classic old game which has a lot of replayability is Elevator Action. Very simple conceipt, but a surprising depth of gameplay, and lots of rules about how the world works. For instance, the fact that you can rid on the top of an elevator, but can’t control it… the fact that you can crush bad guys under elevators, can kill them by shooting lamps which fall on their heads, etc.

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**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-arcade-games-with-surprising-depth/757412/84 "2016-07-21T19:23:04Z")

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> [@MaxTheVool](#):
>
> …  
> In any case, a classic old game which has a lot of replayability is Elevator Action…

Agreed, that was my favorite game from back in the day.

My vote is **Defender**. Appears to be a simple ‘don’t die’ shooter, but there were many ways to milk scores while delaying the level end, redistribute your captured survivors to make them easier to defend, kit enemies to cluster them and kill easier, delay the dreaded ‘all angry aliens’ level, etc.

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