# What was your favorite \*arcade\* game? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [December 20, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902 "2023-12-20T20:54:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/21 "2023-12-20T22:40:01Z")
This thread is reminding me of a fun place I visited a few years ago — the Video Game Museum in Berlin. > **[Computerspielemuseum Berlin: Homepage](https://www.computerspielemuseum.de/en/43-Homepage.htm)** > > Our museum opened the world's first permanent exhibition on digital interactive entertainment culture in Berlin in 1997. Since then, we have accompanied the development of the medium in over 40 national and international exhibitions. They’ve got a mix of exhibits, some focusing on the home game experience (like a mockup of a 70s living room where you can play an original Pong machine), but there’s also a good representation of stand-up games. The highlight is a miniature version of an 80s style arcade, where they have no-coin-needed editions of the original Centipede and the like. There’s even a classic sit-down Ms Pac Man table. (Edit: “miniature” in the sense that it isn’t a full size arcade space, it’s a medium-ish room with maybe a dozen machines.) Definitely recommended if you’re ever in Berlin. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/22 "2023-12-20T22:43:41Z")
Defender and Galaga were my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/23 "2023-12-20T22:49:04Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Battlezone, no question. I put so many quarters into this thing. A college buddy and I played tag team to keep ourselves mentally fresh. Could play for well over an hour on one quarter using the bump-and-blast tactic vs. enemy tanks; buzzbombs usually proved to be our undoing. Myself, completely mastered Asteroids & Defender and could get the entire screen filled with extra ships; for the former I typically hunted the small saucers. Some of the available ROMs for the former tho have somehow upgraded the little bastards’ AI and they now shoot as soon as they enter the screen and can properly lead you, something that the sequel A. Deluxe also improved on (never could beat it). More or less mastered Berserk but that was a bear of a game in the later levels, unless you cheated by finding a sequence of four easy rooms arranged in a NSEW pattern and could easily clean them out over and over, something I never knew about back in the day. Its sequel Frenzy I could only (temporarily) find one local machine, tho on MAME I’ve mastered it. Tried several more, where the one which was the hardest had to be Robotron, which required insane reflexes vs. Berserk’s more chess-like gameplay (if you survived the first few seconds of a new level on the latter). Gravitar was Asteroids with again a chess-like gameplay. Sinistar was a royal pain in the ass, and rather scary with the voice. Crazy Climber was a cinch-until the final level where the falling billboards were pretty much unavoidable unless you got _really_ lucky.[/Fake Difficulty] A bit later in the 80’s found Rampart intriguing if challenging. Gauntlet was only really enjoyable with a full group-I almost always chose the Wizard [Blue on the sequel] and his massive nuking ability. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/24 "2023-12-20T22:57:22Z")
- Donkey Kong - Robotron - Missile Command - Defender ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/25 "2023-12-20T23:01:47Z")
Zork for awhile, just because it was the only game in the community college’s lunch room. After that, I’d say Tetris. There was just something satisfying about building up those blocks and having them flash away. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/26 "2023-12-20T23:06:22Z")
Phoenix (a Space Invaders upgrade) and Scramble (navigating a rocket ship through caves) were my quarter-eaters back in the day (early 1980s) when no pinball was available. I have both of those games and 60 others on a cocktail table that I haven’t turned on in over a year. Probably because I have 4 pinball machines in the garage. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/27 "2023-12-20T23:06:22Z")
I liked that one too, but it was HARD. I never got far. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/28 "2023-12-20T23:24:29Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > I’m hoping they have: > Tapper > Arkanoid > Dragon’s Lair > Elevator Action > Galaga > Lunar Lander > Crystal Castles > Joust They definitely have Tapper, Arkanoid, Dragon’s Lair(!), Galaga, Joust (another fave of mine). I don’t think I’ve seen Lunar Lander. I don’t know Crystal Castles or Elevator Action well enough to have noticed it. It’s in Morristown, NJ if you’re anywhere near there. (On the Dragon’s Lair thing, the original game used a video disc, one of those 12-inch discs that looked like a giant CD or a shiny LP. They can’t keep those going, so this one uses a memory card to hold all the animation) ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/29 "2023-12-20T23:28:07Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > It’s in Morristown, NJ if you’re anywhere near there. I’m not, but it might be worth a diversion next time I’m nearby. What’s the name of the place? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/30 "2023-12-20T23:30:33Z")
Morristown Game Vault: > **[Morristown Game Vault - Retro Video Game and Pinball Arcade](http://www.morristowngamevault.com/)** > > Since 2016, Morristown Game Vault has been a proud member of the Morristown Community. Stop by and play our collection of over 110 arcade and pinball classics like Pac-Man, Frogger, Donkey Kong and more! Leave the quarters at home. Pay by the hour,... From their Games tab, it looks like they have Crystal Castles and Elevator Action, but not Lunar Lander. I imagine it’s hard to find a working version of that one. ETA: Someone above mentioned Smash TV, which I also loved and I’m disappointed isn’t at the Game Vault. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/31 "2023-12-20T23:43:54Z")
My favorite arcade games are both pinball games. Addams Family pinball machine from 1992. It’s been nearly 25-26 yeas since I last played it, and I miss it so. Creature from the Black Lagoon pinball machine from around the same time. It’s probably been closer to 30 years since I played it. I absolutely loved both these machines and was good enough to get free plays with my .50 cents. I remember for Addams Family I had to walk away with a lot of credits unplayed because I ran out of time. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/32 "2023-12-20T23:48:21Z")
Which one had the weapons that would drop down on the roof of the moving car? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/33 "2023-12-20T23:51:35Z")
Ones i remember :- BattleZone Defender Space Invaders Scramble (Happy days in the student union bar !) ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/34 "2023-12-20T23:51:44Z")
There was a game called “Death Race” that I played in 1976 or so, where the object was to run over “gremlins,” and if you were successful they would turn into crosses. It was a bit controversial as I recall. My favorite, though was Fire Truck, which was a driving game, with the wrinkle that there were steering wheels for both the front and rear, and you could play together, or alone, from either spot. I got pretty good at steering the back-end, alone - it was pretty hard to coordinate two drivers. > **[Fire Truck - Videogame by Atari](https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7814)** > > The Fire Truck coin-operated Videogame by Atari (circa 1978, and it's history and background, photos, repair help, manuals, for sale and wanted lists, and census survey), and it's history and background, photos, repair help, manuals, for sale and... ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/35 "2023-12-20T23:58:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Which one had the weapons that would drop down on the roof of the moving car? Sounds like [Spy Hunter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_Hunter). ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/36 "2023-12-21T00:01:45Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/37 "2023-12-21T00:03:41Z")
Holy crap! I was starting to believe I imagined that game. I was just thinking yesterday as I watched a hook and ladder truck going around a turn that I wish I could play a game based on that. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/38 "2023-12-21T00:06:02Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Phoenix (a Space Invaders upgrade) Here’s another Phoenix fan. I wish I had all those marks I threw in that machine back, it was popular for years in my youth. The first arcade game I ever played was Space Invaders though, about 78/79 when my father brought me with him to his favorite pub (don’t worry, that was normal in those days here, beer for my dad, malt beer (non-alcoholic), peanuts and some marks for the pinball and arcade machines for me, sometimes a pool game with my dad. Ah, good times). Another one that I remember which was exceptionally hard to play was Moon Patrol. You drove a moon buggy that could shoot from the front and from the roof as you were attacked from tanks at the ground and ufos from above. At the same time, you had to jump over rocks and mines. It was frustratingly hard, but me and my friends fed the machine like crazy because we just wanted to master it better. My friend Betty finally got a version for her Atari 2600, but that version was lame. Yeah, and to all the Galaga fans, I liked that too. It was sooo satisfying to eliminate a whole squadron of attacking space ships in one go when you were at the right position. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/39 "2023-12-21T00:07:52Z")
Always liked the games with the big hydraulic cabinets; After Burner, Outrun, Space Harrier. I was terrible at all of them, but I treated it more like a ride than a game. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902/40 "2023-12-21T00:11:22Z")
Defender. That is why Earth has never had alien contact. They are afraid of me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-arcade-game/994902.md?page=3)