Arcade games were fun and exciting in their time; they were the staples of family get-togethers and birthday parties. These games were most popular in the late 80s and early 90s; kids played their luck until they ran out. Considering the newness of gaming consoles, they weren’t household items then, and people could only play games in an arcade. The advent of gaming consoles challenged the arcade such that it now became only great for birthday parties.
However, arcade games are making a comeback in many ways; older gamers can enjoy them as new generations stare in wonder. In addition, you can now buy Dogecoin, any crypto, or use cash in exchange for arcade games, thanks to technology. Here are seven of the best arcade games that took the world by storm in the 80s.
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Pac Man Series
This arcade game series came out in 1980 and is among the most iconic in the gaming industry. The series, including Pac-Man and its sequel, Ms. Pac-Man, was one of the first significant arcade games to become very popular. Ms. Pac Man was released in 1982, featuring some maze layout changes that made the game more challenging. You could play these games all day then and forget you haven’t had breakfast – or lunch.
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Donkey Kong Classic
This 1981 Donkey Kong Classic featured a proto-Mario character trying to rescue a trapped princess from a giant gorilla. It is often referred to as only Donkey Kong and was one of the most famous early 80s arcade games. The supper hammer featured in the game is one of a kind, although it essentially makes up for the slight choppiness of the game mechanics. The hammer in the game is still one of the most sought-after weapons in Super Smash Brothers.
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1983 Super Mario Brothers
With its first release in 1983, this arcade franchise is the most iconic in the gaming industry. The Super Mario Brothers started with an arcade game in 1983; most will remember the gameplay in Super Mario Brothers 3. The gameplay in the latter was the concept for the original series, where players could paralyze their enemies by hitting the pow.
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Frogger
Soon after its release in 1981, Frogger became one of the classic arcade games and a hit with gamers of all ages. The gameplay features players tasked with controlling a frog as it crosses a busy street. A player can move left, right, down, and up by moving the joystick to dodge traffic. This classic arcade game was featured in Seinfeld, where George used his Frogger skills to get a vintage arcade cabinet across a busy street.
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Galaga
Namco produced Galaga and Midway released it in 1981; it was a major competitor to Space Invaders, another classic. The game was like a sequel to the 1979 Galaxian game, but it blew the original and top competitors out of the water. While the game is a fixed shooter, it makes up for that with its better graphics and diversified enemy formations. In addition, Galaga was a fun and more challenging arcade game than its predecessors.
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Punch-Out!!
Nintendo developed and released Punch-Out in 1984; it was the first-ever successful boxing arcade game, allowing players to box with champions. The gameplay was pretty unique for the ’80s, exciting, and challenging; the timing was its key aspect. Characters were made in a green grid pattern, making looking through them to see competitors’ moves possible. Players had to be sensitive to time because seeing what the digital opponent was doing was important.
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Dig Dug
Created in 1982, Dig Dug is a maze-digging arcade game with fun, exciting, and, more importantly, challenging gameplay. Players can only advance to another level when they defeat each enemy in the maze. They can defeat enemies by crushing them with falling rocks or pumping air into them until they explode. Enemies chase players through the dirt, and Dig Dug can move up and down holes; he dug to reach his foes.
The gaming and arcade industry is constantly growing as modern technology makes games more accessible and fun. Still, these old arcade games are worthy of mention because they rocked their world at the time. They set the pace for the more advanced video games, but we’re eager to find out what future arcade games will be like.
