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It's Joust.

Marble Madness

I'm not sure if this qualifies, but Pinball Fantasies. Can be bought on GOG. Best pinball sim made to date, imo.

Golden Axe.

I would say Batsugan, but I never played it in an arcade proper... If not, then Dragon Blaze.

Either of the TMNT arcade games.

Gauntlet, Battlezone, Red Baron, Elevator Action, Spy Hunter, and many many more.

Metal Slug 1-3
Gun Force II
Shock Troopers
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
Willow

There are so many!

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Dragon's Crown

Every bullet hell game ever made

That Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game

Crazy Taxi.

Afterburner
Jurassic Park light gun game

Haven't been to an arcade in a long time but always remembered enjoying:
Metal Slug
Tetris
Crazy Taxi

That old Star Wars ANH arcade machine where you flew the death star trench run but with 80s black and white graphics was surprisingly good. And it came with full cockpit for immersion so i guess that helped.

Decades later but same franchise, the Star Wars trilogy arcade game was also quite decent and you could actually play it for a few minutes before dying to some bs which is more then i can say for way too many arcade games, including just about every lightgun game ever... Except maybe Time Crisis.

So I'll nominate Time Crisis (1 or 2, both are good so depends if you got a buddy or not) as my favorite lightgun arcade game even though House of the Dead has more memorable sound design, that game was like Killer Instinct in that if an arcade had it, you would hear the distinctive sound effects a mile away.

Which leaves Killer Instinct 2 as my favorite fighting game. In truth I prefer playing any of the Soul Calibur games but even if I sucked at it Killer Instinct was more enticing and exciting. If i was playing at home, soul calibur wins, but this is an arcade and Killer Instinct was one of its kings.

Street Fighter 2

Moon Patrol
Heavy Barrel
Galaga
Gauntlet
Star Wars
Battlezone
Cheyenne
Tetris
Tempest
Centipede
1942

S.T.U.N. Runner
1943
Skull and Crossbones
Time Pilot 84
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
Black Tiger
Magic Sword
Captain America and The Avengers
Captain Commando
X-Men (The HUGE 6-player version)
Roadblasters
Gauntlet
Smash T.V.
Total Carnage

I spent a lot of time (and money) in the arcade when I was young.

I already answered it in the first post.

Nobody else has said Joust, so you're all wrong.

Acrux wrote: ↑ May 2nd, 2023, 20:17

I already answered it in the first post.

Nobody else has said Joust, so you're all wrong.

I said many many more which includes Joust.

I've played a lot of Windjammers on the GGPO emulator.

BATTLE GAREGGA

I used to consider Garegga a bit overrated until I learned there's a version for small brain idiots like me where all the grey on grey bullets are turned into bright pink CAVE bullets which has made me like it better.

Nostalgia bomb,

I think I finally have space to build an arcade or game room now though. Might be time to investigate those "all games in one" arcade cabinets.

Cedric wrote: ↑ May 8th, 2023, 09:20

I used to consider Garegga a bit overrated until I learned there's a version for small brain idiots like me where all the grey on grey bullets are turned into bright pink CAVE bullets which has made me like it better.

I like the grey bullets. They blend in so you can see the items better. Is it as overrated as Futari, though? That game feels like a checklist of CAVEisms.

I used to love the arcade. There was something about wandering among the cabinets looking for new games, the noise and flashing lights, the comradery of watching strangers play and teaming up with friends, the big driving/flying cabs you could climb into, the shooting games with the big gun attachments and the limitation of the quarters that added up to a unique experience you just couldn’t get any other way.

I installed a MAME emulator years later to replay some of my favourites, many which are mentioned in this thread. It’s just not the same. Especially the fact that many of these games are designed around quarters. Remove that, and you are just pushing the button for infinite credits. Its like playing poker without real money. And some which really should be played multiplayer. Others really need the original controls, like joystick and trackball. Still, there are a few standouts that everyone should play, like shadows over mystara in particular is excellent and has yet to be topped.

I sucked at fighters so I only played the racing games or Time Crisis.

I lived in a small town so we did not have any arcades nearby but we did have a few cabinets in random places (MK1, Rampage, Mario bros) like the video store and the shit and gets. We had to go to the nearest mall to visit Tilt which would have mostly newer stuff which at the time was Marvel Vs Capcom and Die Hard (in name only) and the lightgun games I can't recall the name of.

One really neat game was that Midway shooter let me look it up...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grid_(video_game)

Practically unheard of because I have never heard someone speak about it.

Acrux wrote: ↑ May 1st, 2023, 23:06

It's Joust.

That is a good choice. I wonder why we don't have an online version.

Cedric wrote: ↑ May 2nd, 2023, 14:13

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Dragon's Crown

Chronicles was the 2013 re-release of Tower of Doom & Shadow over Mystara.

Dragon's Crown was never in arcades.

You're everything I despise.

Goth-Girl-Supremacy wrote: ↑ August 7th, 2023, 14:14

Cedric wrote: ↑ May 2nd, 2023, 14:13

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Dragon's Crown

Chronicles was the 2013 re-release of Tower of Doom & Shadow over Mystara.

Dragon's Crown was never in arcades.

You're everything I despise.

Don't be so mean he's old and depressed and traumatized it's not his fault he can't remember anything