Arcade Games - ranked by preference

Release Date: 1981 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Action

Pac-Man was, and still is, a great game...But Ms. Pac-Man adds to the already great Pac-Man formula and might even tweak it to perfection. The best part is that while in Pac-Man the AI was predictable, the AI in Ms. Pac-Man is more random, meaning that once you think you've got their pattern down, the ghosts could surprise you. It's worth noting, however, that Ms. Pac-Man was never a planned game. It was actually a hack of the original Pac-Man named "Crazy Otto." Once Midway, the American distributor of Pac-Man, saw Crazy Otto, they bought the game and transformed Otto, from his "Pac-Man with legs" appearance to the "Pac-Man with a ribbon on his head" look that we've all come to know and love. In my opinion, it very well could be the best arcade game ever made...And it's a major contender for best game, period.

Release Date: March 1991 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

The fighting genre was around before Street Fighter II was released...But Street Fighter II opened everyone's eyes that fighting games could actually be fun when done right. And the World Warrior was definitely done right - it's still just as fun to play today as it was back in 1991. The controls are still silky smooth and the graphics and music are still pretty nice to look at, too. It's a game that's easy to pick up and play, but it takes time to master, making it perfect for newcomers and veterans alike. To this day, Street Fighter II can hold its own against any other fighting game you throw at it, which is a testament to just how well this game was made.

Release Date: 1991 (NA)
Publisher: Technos
Developer: Technos
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

If you're a wrestling fan and you've never played WWF Wrestlefest, you need to go out of your way and find a cabinet. In 1991, this game was so incredibly deep for a wrestling title. There are reversals, finishing moves, double-team moves...And the controls are so simple and easy to pick-up-and-play that anyone can do the above mentioned features with little effort. The game has the tag team mode returning from WWF Superstars, but the real charm to this game is the Royal Rumble mode, which allows multiple players to participate in the popular timed battle royal. There was a recent re-make of Wrestlefest with the current WWE roster on smartphones, which is good, but it's nowhere near the quality of this gem - one of the best wrestling games ever made.

Release Date: August 1981 (NA)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Rock-Ola
Genre: Action

I wish I knew why this game didn't get more attention...It's both innovative and fun. At first glance, Warp & Warp looks like a regular shooter...Walk around the level, shoot at enemies, don't get shot yourself...The catch is there's a warp portal in the center of the room. When it says "warp" on it, you can walk between them and warp to another world with different gameplay. The second world plays like a crude bomberman. You don't have bullets, only bombs, and you need to lure the enemies into the bombs you drop in order to kill them...After a while, the warp portal opens up again and you warp back to the shooter level. The warping between levels was innovative back then and the change in gameplay between the levels really prevents too much repetition, making this a game that takes quite a while to get old. It may not be well known, but Warp & Warp, in my opinion, is one of the better early Arcade games by far.

Release Date: May 1980 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Action

A study would have to be done to confirm this, but I'd be willing to bet a decent sum of money that despite other game characters surpassing Namco's yellow mascot over time, that Pac-Man is still the most recognizable character in video games. Heck, back in the day, even the ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde) were household names. But anyway, Pac-Man is one of those rare titles that if you have a young kid play it, they're likely to understand why people loved it back when it was released rather than wonder why anyone would enjoy it like many other games from the 70's and early 80's. All that said, the AI followed set paths, making this game easy to beat once you've memorized them...But that's honestly the only real flaw that I can think of. Ms. Pac-Man improves on the formula found here to near perfection...But Mr. Pac-Man is still pretty dang great.

Release Date: 1983 (NA)
Publisher: Cinematronics
Developer: Cinematronics
Genre: Adventure

Let's face it - the 8-bit arcade graphics of 1983 aren't too impressive to many of us today, but back then, they were amazing...Then along came Dragon's Lair, a game with animation the quality of a Disney studio, and that cartoon you were watching WAS the game. It didn't switch over to 8-bit anything. It was absolutely mind-blowing. The gameplay was simple, but most gameplay back then was, so it can be forgiven. Basically, you watch the movie playing on screen. Then at the appropriate time, hit the correct button to dodge or attack and then watch as you either successfully do your intended move or watch one of the various death scenes. When Dragon's Lair reemerged onto the scene when the CD format started to appear in video games, it still looked amazing, but video games had evolved enough where the basic gameplay left much to be desired....But back in 1983, everything about this game was absolutely amazing.

Release Date: 1979 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Shooter

Galaxian was the first game release by Namco, and it was the company's answer to Space Invaders...And it improved on the Taito classic in just about every aspect. Not only do the enemy spaceships move back and forth like in Space Invaders, but some ships will leave the formation and dive-bomb your ships. It also featured full-color graphics and a theme tune that played. In comparison to its better-known sequel, Galaga, that came out a few years later, Galaxian may not be all that impressive...But for its time, this game raised the bar for what a shooter should be.

Release Date: 1986 (NA/JP)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Action

The NES version of Bubble Bobble was the first game that I ever played, and I still love it to this day. The arcade version of Bubble Bobble that came out a few years before is mostly the same, but with crisper-looking graphics that really are beautiful for the time. The concept of the game, for those not in the know, is that you (and a friend, if you want) take te role of bubble-blowing dinosaurs trying to save their girlfriends. By blowing bubbles onto enemies, they get trapped in said bubbles, and it's then your job to pop their bubble before their break free. It's fun and addicting, and with 100 levels to navigate through, there's plenty of gameplay to be had.

Release Date: 1977 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Shooter

Imagine Pong if it was a shooter, and you've got Boot Hill; a basic, but pretty dang fun, early arcade game. In Boot Hill you either battle a friend or a computer opponent in a wild west shoot-out. The goal is to hit your opponent before they hit you. The Pong aspect of bullets bouncing off of the top and bottom of the screen help add a little chaos to the battle and a limited number of bullets ensures that anyone who just blindly shoots at the beginning of the fight is going to find themselves out of bullets and defenseless as their opponent takes aim at them. It's one of the better (and lesser known) arcade games of the 70's, and it really deserves more attention than it gets.

Release Date: November 29, 1972 (NA)
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Atari
Genre: Sports - Table Tennis

There's a legend linked to the first Pong arcade machine: The prototype was installed at Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, CA and shortly afterward, Atari received a phone call from the bar's owner, complaining that the machine had broken. Al Alcorn, the man who had built the game, drove to the pub and discovered that everything was working perfectly fine...The problem was that patrons had fed so many quarters into the machine that the coin slot couldn't take any more. Eventually, Pong took over bars, arcades, and living rooms all over the world. With its simple "don't miss the ball" premise, Pong is simple fun that anyone could understand and enjoy...And it's just as fun today as it was when it was released...So long as you've got a friend to trade trash talks with while you play.

Release Date: 1992 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Action - Brawler

The Revenge of Death Adder is probably my favorite game in the Golden Axe franchise. The enemies and locations have such variety to them, and the branching pathways, and playable characters that play completely different from each other...There is plenty here to keep you coming back for seconds and thirds....or hundredths. I'm also a huge fan of Dora, the female centaur, whom I've proudly used to donkey-kick Death Adder to oblivion on more than one occasion. But anyway, as far as brawlers go, I consider this game near the top of that list.

Release Date: July 1978 (JP)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Pacific Kougyou
Genre: Shooter

Space Invaders was so successful in Japan that the Ministry of Finance was forced to mint more of the 100-yen coins that the arcade cabinet took since players were shoving them into the machines in ridiculous quantities. The gameplay is simple, move your ship back and forth while shooting at the aliens that are also moving back and forth and shooting back at you. This alone wouldn't be all that special, but as you lower the number of aliens, their speed increases, making the action more frantic and fun. By today's standards, Space Invaders comes across as being kind of dull, but for its day, it was nothing short of a phenomenon.

Release Date: April 18, 1996 (NA)
Publisher: SNK
Developer: Nazca
Genre: Shooter

I love Metal Slug to no end. While many people point to Contra as their favorite run-and-gun style game, I always point to just about any game in the Metal Slug series. Between the gorgeous 2D sprites, the humor tossed around, the vehicles to hop into, and the level designs....It's just an absolutely tremendous game. It can be brutal to newcomers, but it's fun enough where many will keep at it...And when you do, you'll learn enemy patterns and when it's best to use weapons and/or grenades. Later games in the Metal Slug series tweak and improve upon the formula found here, but this awesome first-entry in the series is still well worth playing through even today.

Release Date: 1993 (NA)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Racing

Back when Ridge Racer came out in arcades it was pretty amazing. Not only was it a beautiful 3D game for its time, but it was just plain fun to play. The fact that it technically only had one track made no difference - it was still fun. A personal fond memory of mine was when I was driving along and purposely slowed down after passing someone because I swore that the car I had just passed was a Dig Dug car. Sure enough, each car had the logo of Namco franchises, like Mappy in the screenshot above. Trying to figure out what game was on each car as you sped past them was a fun little game in itself.

Release Date: December 21, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Puzzle

I'll just get it out there - I suck at Bust-A-Move. I love the game, but my aim is absolutely terrible. If I get a good shot in, it's due to luck, not skill. But anyway, for those not in the know, Bust-A-Move is like an inverted take on the classic match-three puzzle game formula. Since you're shooting the bubbles up at the ceiling, if you can match three of the same bubble on the roof, it'll bring everything else down with it, adding a little more strategy to the game aside from simply matching colors. The game has spawned a ton of sequels and very few of them offer a whole lot that's new...That's 'cause the original was so solid that there's not a whole lot that can be done to improve it.

Release Date: 1995 (NA)
Publisher: Incredible Technologies
Developer: Incredible Technologies
Genre: Sports - Golf

I've never been big into the bar scene, but whenever I'm at one, it seems like there's a Golden Tee arcade machine in the corner. Golden Tee 3D Golf was so popular that as recent as 2005-ish, bars out here would hold Golden Tee tournaments in order to lure folks in to drink. It worked because this trackball-based golf game is quite fun. The trackball controls gave the player more precision in their shots, but also left more room open for errors, making this a game that was fun and easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. The key was that it was fun enough where you'd want to master it...Which kept those quarters rolling in.

Release Date: 1980 (NA)
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Atari
Genre: Shooter

Centipede is like a faster-paced Space Invaders...Except rather than have another shooter be in space, Atari went the opposite direction and made a game about pest control in your backyard garden. While the premise doesn't sound as intense as an intergalactic space war, the gameplay is just as intense as any other shooter that you could find in arcades at the time. It also included some strategy as you tried to control the mushrooms that pop up to herd the centipede for easy shooting. It's also worth noting that rather than using a joystick, Centipede used a trackball to move left and right, allowing for more precise movement than you'd find other shooters of its time. I never knew that exterminating insects in a garden could be so fun.

Release Date: May 20, 1994 (ALL)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action - Brawler

Alien vs. Predator is your basic brawler with some nifty little gimmicks tossed in, like the guns that each playable character has. The guns are pack quite the punch, but if you use them too much, they'll overheat. This forces the player to use them strategically to avoid lengthy cool-down times when they need the fire power most. While the action itself is mostly pretty basic for a brawler, this element with the guns adds a little something extra to the gameplay, making it worth playing for jaded fans of side-scrolling brawlers.

Release Date: 1996 (NA)
Publisher: SunA
Developer: SunA
Genre: Action

Ultra Balloon seems like a Bubble Bobble rip-off at first glance, and it's certainly inspired by the Taito classic, but its got its own little charms to it to help it stand out a tad. First, there's a bunch of boss fights. They're pretty basic and easy to complete, but they're still a nice little way to break up constantly busting enemy-filled bubbles. There's also farting. Yup. Trying to blow bubbles at enemies in front of you while other enemies approach from the back? Fart in their face and the wind (and stench, I imagine) will push them back a tad giving you room. And what would a classy game with farts be without classical music playing in the background? Ultra Balloon has that, too. So, basically, Ultra Balloon is Bubble Bobble, but with a few new features. Did the Bubble Bobble formula need these additions? Probably not, but they don't hurt it any, either.

Release Date: 1978 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Mideay
Genre: Action

Ever wanna play Pong where instead of volleying a ball between two paddles, you're volleying something between gunshots? Then Dog Patch is for you. In Dog Patch, a man in the center of the screen tosses what looks like aluminum cans in the air. Your goal (whether against the computer or a friend) is to shoot the can with your shotgun and make it land by your opponent. They're shooting too, though, and have the same goal. Occasionally the middle man will let a wild bird loose. If you've got the reflexes to shoot it down, you'll net yourself a hefty amount of bonus points. The simplicity of this game may be a turn-off for some (you don't aim or anything...just shoot) but that's what I enjoy about it the most. Like Pong, it's a game that's easy to pick up and play for everyone. In the early days of arcade games, Dog Patch was a decent choice to spend your spare change on.

Release Date: 1996 (NA)
Publisher: Alpha Denshi
Developer: Alpha Denshi
Genre: Action

If you've ever played Bubble Bobble and thought to yourself, "This game is fun and all, but you know what it needs? Nude, Asian women." then this game is for you. As far as adult-themed games go, which are usually complete trash, this one is actually fun. Miss Bubble II is a blatant Bubble Bobble rip-off with bubble-spitting mice instead of dinosaurs, new sprites for the enemies, and grainy pictures of lady folk in the background for you to look at as you play. The game even has two endings like Bubble Bobble, one bad ending for if you play by yourself and one good ending for if you can get a perverted friend to join you to the end. So, perverted video gamers rejoice! This is the very rare kind of game that delivers adult material along with gameplay that is actually quite fun.

Release Date: 1989 (NA)
Publisher: Technos
Developer: Technos
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

A lot of arcade-playing wrestling fans fondly remember WWF Wrestlefest, but not many seem to remember the game that laid the groundwork for that classic - WWF Superstars. Taking a tag team to the gold is the goal here, and the final challenges before getting gold around your waist are the Mega Bucks; Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant. Andre is near invincible and DiBiase is a wrestling machine...Making this one of the most difficult boss fights I've played in any game...I literally spent about an hour and a half of continuing before finally outsmarting the duo by getting Andre counted out. But anyway, the wrestling action here is very solid and fun to play. Some difficulty issues with the unforgiving computer (mostly only against the Bucks) may make some folks shy away after playing a few matches, though. WWF Wrestlefest tweaks everything found here and improves upon it, but Superstars ain't no slouch, either.

Release Date: 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action - Brawler

I find it ironic that the best games in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, that I've played anyway, as side-scrolling brawlers rather than RPGs. That said, Tower of Doom is your average brawler with some RPG elements like leveling up and buying items for your journey at stores between levels. The branching levels also help add quite a bit of replay value, enticing folks who have beaten the game already to come back for more. It also contains one of the toughest boss fights of all time in the Red Dragon - a boss obviously placed in the game to suck quarters out of the pocket of the player. As a side-scrolling brawler, it's not perfect, but it's still quite fun and well worth playing through if you come across a cabinet...Especially if you've got a few friends to form a party to navigate your way through this brawler.

Release Date: 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Cave
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

DoDonPachi is a bullet hell, third-person shooter developed by Cave and published by Atlus...And it is absolutely brutal. I’ve seen bullet hell shooters that are more insane than this, but this is more than enough insanity for the average gamer to endure. I thought I was ready for this with my near-mastery of the iPhone’s DoDonPachi Resurrection, as I can beat that game without using a single continue. This game, however, I can barely pass the first level without popping in another quarter for a continue. Despite the difficulty, it’s still fun and well worth the price of admission, should you come across an arcade cabinet for it.

Release Date: 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Eleven
Developer: Eleven
Genre: Action

Nightmare in the Dark is basically Super Snow Bros. with fire instead of snow...And it's done so, so well. The levels are designed wonderfully, the enemy designs are done well, and the boss fights are enjoyable, too. Why this game remained unknown to me for so long, I have no idea, but now that I know about it, I can keep playing it. If you like games like Snow Bros. or Bubble Bobble, give Nightmare in the Dark a try - I'm sure you'll fall in love with it like I did.

Release Date: 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Nihon System / Moss
Developer: Nihon System / Moss
Genre: Puzzle

Puzzle de Bowling is an enjoyable puzzle game, in the spirit of Puzzle Bobble or Bust-A-Move, that involves the player bowling a ball down the alley. Match the ball with two or more pins or the same color and they disappear, if they aren't there, the ball turns into a pin and you continue on. The round ends when all pins have been wiped out. It's a solid puzzle game with a neat little gimmick of bowling tossed in. The developers really threw a "strike" with this one....That was a pretty good pun, wasn't it? Don't worry, I'll "spare" you from any more. Oh, I did it again!!

Release Date: 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Body Slam was, I believe, the first all-woman’s wrestling game ever made. The game was based off of the All-Japan Women’s promotion in Japan, but changed around for the North American audience. In fact, only Dump Matsumoto’s name remains intact, with the rest of the roster like Bull Nakano and the Crush Gals getting generic names. The gameplay is very simple, yet still fun...And I personally enjoy how the smaller girls bounce right off of the bigger girls unless they hit a move, and how sometimes after even connecting with a move, the bigger girls don’t react. It adds some challenge to the game if you feel like being an underdog. It’s also worth noting that the matches are exclusively tag team matches with three-minute time limits, which sounds limiting, but it works pretty well here as it provides a challenge. But anyway, this is simplistic wrestling fun....And it may also be the first wrestling game to include a kendo stick as a weapon to use.

Release Date: 1976 (NA)
Publisher: Bally Midway
Developer: Bally Midway
Genre: Action

Amazing Maze was one of the early arcade games and one that probably will be looked down upon by younger gamers for its graphical simplicity, but for its time, it was very addicting. In Amazing Maze, you battle either a friend or the computer, with player one controlling a square and player two (or the computer) controlling a diamond. The first one to make it to the part of the maze where the other one began is the winner. When playing against friends, it's frantic fun to see which one can exit the maze first. When playing against the computer, it's not quite as fun since the computer doesn't make any mistakes. There's a handicap of the computer moving a bit slower than you, but it's still not much of a handicap considering there's only one correct path, and plenty of dead-ends for you to run into. But, for what it is, and for the time it was released, it's still a decent game and one that's still moderately fun today if you'd got a friend to play it with.

Release Date: 1989 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Wrestle War is a very cinematic wrestling game for the arcade. The camera angles consistently change, giving it the game a unique feel. The graphics are also very nice for a game for its time. The only real issue I have with the game is the button mashing...Mashing buttons to hit a move can be fun, but not when it’s every single time...and definitely not when the mashing becomes more and more imperative the further on in the game that you are. That said, even with those faults, Wrestle War is still fun enough of a game where even if that quarter you popped in only lasts for one or two matches, you won’t feel so bad about the experience...But there are better arcade wrestling games out there that give you more bang for your buck.

Release Date: February 25, 1991 (JP)
Publisher: SNK
Developer: SNK
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

It doesn't necessarily look like it, but King of the Monsters is actually a glorified professional wrestling game with wrestlers replaced by giant monsters and the wrestling ring replaced with cities surrounded by electric barriers that act as ring ropes. The goal is to beat up your opponent(s), often with wrestling moves, and use the city to your advantage as you do. The victor is decided by covering your downed opponent for a three count. It's not a perfect game by any means, but it can be an enjoyable experience for fans of wrestling games and fans of giant monster films alike. If you're a fan of both, well then this game will likely find a place in your heart.

Release Date: 1983 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Trivia - Education

Pac-Mania was sweeping the United States in 1983, so it was only a matter of time before the pellet-eating, yellow circle started to star in more games...But Professor Pac-Man? It was kind of ahead of its time. About 20 years before Nintendo made a ton of money with their Brain Age game on the DS, Professor Pac-Man was doing some similar gameplay elements in the arcade environment. Answering logic-based questions as quickly as possible to rack up a score, it was a game where upon getting the high score, you could gloat that you were the smartest bloke (or blokette...if that's a word) that ever stepped foot in that arcade. It wasn't as fun as the original Pac-Man, but Professor Pac-Man still made it an enjoyable experience to put your thinking cap on.

Release Date: 1992 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action - Brawler

X-Men is a plausible brawler, but take away the X-Men licence that is likely to grab the attention of folks and it's not really anything special. It's a fun, well done game...But there isn't anything here, aside from the X-Men licence, that really makes it too different from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game that came out three years prior. If you wanted to play TMNT as Nightcrawler of Wolverine, then this game will be right up your alley. Otherwise, you might be thinking that you basically played the same game a few years ago with a different set of mutants that were heroes in a half-shell.

Release Date: 1983 (NA)
Publisher: Bally Midway
Developer: Marvin Glass & Associates
Genre: Action

Journey is the name of a music band, you know...And that's why this game is called Journey. You travel on a spaceship to various locations to obtain stuff stolen from the band...Like microphones, guitars, etc. Each location plays different - almost like a series of mini games. And each level is played by a member of the band, complete with a black-and-white cutout of their heads plastered on the character models. As ridiculous aas the game sounds, it's not bad and well worth the novelty of playing it if you get the chance.

Release Date: 1982 (NA)
Publisher: Exidy
Developer: Exidy
Genre: Action

Hard Hat is a decent, but largely ignored arcade game from the early 80's. I think it was due to the fact that it's a little confusing at first. At a time when games like Pac-Man could be played and the player would know immediately what to do, Hard Hat doesn't follow that trend, which is why I think it may have failed. Anyway, in Hard Hat, you want to find the letters in the screen and move them to where the letter outlines are. The scaffolding grids that you're likely to focus on when you first start playing aren't mandatory to get like the pellets in Pac-Man, which is where most folks seem to get a tad confused. But anyway, it's a decent game...Not worth going out of your way to play, but if you come across a cabinet somewhere, take the time to play it - there aren't many still in existence.

Release Date: 1990 (NA)
Publisher: Kaneko
Developer: Kaneko
Genre: Action - Adult

Gals Panic is the game that inspired the infamous Miss World '96 arcade game. Gals Panic is basically just Qix with drawn images of young women in the background. The images have the women fully clothed at first, then upon going to the next level, they lose a little clothing...then on the third level, they're fully nude and beating that level rewards you with an actual photograph of the drawn woman. But, there's no guarantee you'll get those images. If you're not good enough or quick enough, you'll see the word "change" on the screen, and the image of a nude lady will transform into something comical, like a sheep wearing a pearl necklace and make-up. As far as adult-themed games go, this one isn't bad. If you like Qix, you'll like this game. If you've never played Qix, then maybe the humor or the lady folk images will be enough for you to give that style of game a try.

Release Date: 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Comad
Developer: Comad
Genre: Action - Adult

Miss World '96 is a game that if you've never heard of it prior to playing, you'll likely never forget it by the time you're done. It's basically a rip-off of Gals Panic, but with the gradual undressing of drawn women replaced with an actual photo of an already nude woman set as the background that you're trying to reveal. The other change, and the one that has garnered some attention to this game, is that the comical changes that happen when the picture of a girl turns into a picture of animals are replaced by images of horror. Perverted folks trying to see a picture of a nude woman could be instead greeted with an image of a multi-headed Freddy Kreuger or a red-eyed demon with blood oozing out of various wounds on its face. I suppose that is still pretty comical in a way, isn't it?

Release Date: 1984 (NA)
Publisher: Mylstar
Developer: Mylstar
Genre: Action

The Three Stooges is an interesting game to say the least. At first, your goal is to grab a hammer and destroy all furniture in your way in order to find the three keys that will allow you to exit the stage. After a few stages of that, you move onto stages with singing men and your objective is to avoid their notes and throw pies in their faces to shut them up. In all of these levels, police officers and your fellow stooges are there to pummel you should you find yourself in their way. The game isn't great, but it's okay for its time and not a horrible way to use the license.

Release Date: 1997 (NA)
Publisher: Ace International
Developer: Ace International
Genre: Sports - Billiards - Adult

While there's no nudity in the game (that I've seen, anyway) I'll still throw this in the "adult" category since the whole goal is to achieve a high enough of a score to see bikini-clad women. The game itself is actually not that bad. The physics aren't all that accurate, but the game is decent enough where most folks will be able to look past that. Neat little touches like random bonus point opportunities popping up help prevent this game from feeling too repetitive. The game itself isn't too bad, and I wouldn't be surprised if the gameplay keeps some people coming back for more rather than the bikini models.

Release Date: 1980 (NA)
Publisher: Data East
Developer: Data East
Genre: Shooter

Highway Chase is mildly like Galaxian, except replace spaceships with cars and the space background with a road. In Highway Chase, you control a police car and your job is to shoot down the cars in front of you. The catch is that they sometimes fire back and, ironically enough, your headlights make their bullets invisible. Headlights should help you see, not blind you, right? But that logic aside, it does make it very important that you pay attention to your surroundings prior to moving into position to fire, otherwise you may unknowingly move into the line of fire and not know it until its too late. Highway Chase is not a terrible game, but aside from the headlights and change in environment, it mostly just feels like Galaxian...Which is good, but not too original.

Release Date: September 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

X-Men vs. Street Fighter is one of the early Marvel vs. Capcom games, before the series adopted that moniker. It's a fun fighter, but nothing too special in my eyes. It's a neat crossover and all, but the fighting itself, while a little different and over-the-top, is still just another Capcom fighter at heart. That's not a bad thing by any means, as Capcom fighting games are usually top-notch...But the lack of any noteworthy innovation prevents me from giving this a higher score and from placing it higher on the list. That said, there are some innovative things here...But nothing worth going out of your way to play. Unless you want to check out all of the Marvel-based fighting games that Capcom put out, I'd stick with Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for your crossover fighting game needs.

Release Date: September 1971 (NA)
Publisher: Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck
Developer: Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck
Genre: Shooter

Galaxy Game is the earliest known coin-operated video game...It was installed in Stanford University two months before the release of the first mass-produced video game, Computer Space. Originally, only one unit was built, but later the game included several consoles so players could play against each other. The concept for Galaxy Game is simple, really - fly around the screen and shoot at your opponent as they do the same to you. Since the game takes place in space, it takes quite a while to get your ship moving and it's also difficult to move in a different direction once you've started to move, so the game often breaks down into the loser getting hit by a stray bullet rather than one that was strategically aimed. For what it was, it's passable...But even for back then, the gameplay is very slow and it doesn't take more than one or two plays before you've had your fill. It's a historical game that's worth playing just so you can see how video games were in the beginning, but games that came out later on in that decade really blew this out of the water in terms of gameplay.

Release Date: 1990 (NA)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Sports - Horseshoes

American Horseshoes is, as far as I know, the only stand-alone video game version of horseshoes that you can play. The problem is that it's INCREDIBLY easy once you know what you're doing. It may take a few turns, but once you figure out what you're doing, you'll be getting ringers every single shot....Unless, of course, you want to have fun and interact with the environment by hitting people and objects with purposely poor throws. The game isn't horrible, but the lack of a difficulty really bogs down what could have been a uniquely enjoyable game.

Release Date: 1990 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Sports - Basketball

Punk Shot is a decent street basketball game that's a little easier than it should be. In Punk Shot, punching is legal...So when your opponent has the ball, it's not difficult to punch them down, grab the ball, and run back to your hoop with a slam dunk. The computer doesn't really fight back, either, which is disappointing. What does fight back are various obstacles that appear...Like stray dogs that run onto the court and pull your pants down like you're the baby on the Coppertone bottle. It's mildly amusing and passable, but not as addicting as NBA Jam would be just a few years later.

Release Date: 1977 (NA)
Publisher: Meadows Games
Developer: Meadows Games
Genre: Sports - Bowling

Meadows Lanes might be the first bowling game. It's extremely basic by today's standards, but back then it was quite neat. You can play alone or with a friend, and a full 10-frame game doesn't take more than five minutes. Bowling games have gotten quite a bit deeper since 1977, but Meadows Lanes is proof that a game doesn't need to be deep to provide a few minutes of enjoyment with a friend.

Release Date: 1989 (NA)
Publisher: Data East
Developer: Data East
Genre: Fighting

Hippodrome is a gladiator-like fighting game that pits the gladiator (who does an extremely comical victory cry) against various mythological creatures in a battle to the death. I really enjoy the concept, but like most pre-Street Fighter II fighting games, the combat is clunky and awkward. But, if you can get past that lack of smooth controls, you'll find an interesting little fighter with a Mega Man-like opponent selection screen that opens up more as you win your battles...And hear more of those awesome victory cries.

Release Date: August 1987 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

For those unaware, the Street Fighter franchise didn’t exactly burst onto the scene with a great game...On the contrary, the original Street Fighter is just a barely passable experience that most fighting fans today would likely stick their noses in the air at. With only one playable character, Ryu, the original Street Fighter didn’t really have much need to replay the game upon beating it. Only diehard Street Fighter fans wanting to the origin of the series should bother with this game...Though, for those who do play through, expect to see some familiar faces amongst the never-seen-again fighters while you fight around the world.

Release Date: 1991 (JP)
Publisher: Banpresto
Developer: Human Entertainment
Genre: Fighting

Ultraman is a weird fighting game in that you can drain your enemy's health down to nothing, but you still can't win until your "special" meter is full and you hit them with your finishing blow. It's a unique concept, but one that can be frustrating when you've got your opponent beat, but they kill you while you're waiting for your meter to fill up. On top of that, the game moves choppily (is that a word?) and awkwardly, which furthur diminishes the experience. If you like giant monster fights, this game might be worth checking out...But don't expect a whole lotta good. I guess you can say that I'm not an Ultrafan. See what I did there?