Remember the arcade? If you don't, go visit one. Right now!
Back? Ok, good. Now, the arcade wasn't what it used to be decades ago, when you could find at least one cabinet in a nearby Pizza Hut when you went there every other Saturday. You'd beg your Mom and Dad for quarters, die, and then ask for more quarters. They'd drag you away kicking and screaming, because dammnit, you needed to get the high score in "Dig Dug"!ma
As we got older, more and more arcade games were ported to the systems we had in our house, capitalizing on nostalgia. However, these versions just didn't have the same allure as staring at a bright screen, hunched over, in a dark room where everyone was doing the same.
It is with that said that we pay tribute to those games that bring us back to our childhood, that we would spend countless hours trying to master, the Steve Wiebes of the 1980s and 90s. So let's take a trip down memory lane and look at the 5 Best Arcade Games of All Time.
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
This game was quintessential to your arcade experience, a true epitome of the frame of time we are looking at. The Ninja Turtles ruled over the late 80s/early 90s, so much so that they got two arcade games in their honor. The first one is a blast, no doubt, but Turtles in Time just offered so much more colorful fun to the proceedings. Throw in a time travel wrench to have the green machine fight alongside dinosaurs and pirates, and what you have, my friends, is a recipe for success. The game found a permanent home on the Super Nintendo (with added levels to boot) but there's such a bigger, engaging nature slamming your hands down to mash buttons on the cabinet. Ah, the good ol' days.
2. Ms. Pac-Man
Pac-Man was on the scene first, but his wife is way better. Despite having the same concept as her gaming predecessor, "Ms. Pac-Man" provides an added level of challenge and frustration to worthy players because well, she moves way faster than her husband. The timing of the joystick turn was an element to master back in the day, making the machine devour quarters like nobody's business. I'm still pretty sure the game is bringing both smiles and frowns alike to this generation of gamers.
3. Street Fighter II
The genre termed "fighting game" was born here. "Street Fighter II" was the first of its kind, a beautifully crafted fighting game that required players to be as quick with their hands as the battle was on the screen. If you didn't practice, you'd pretty much be a goner within five seconds. Learning the button combos allowed you to perform sweet moves that would take down opponents before they could even see it coming. Thanks to the popularity of the original, "Street Fighter" continues to be a well-loved franchise that still has yet to be beat.
4. Donkey Kong
This game was so tough, it got a whole documentary based around it! You can't say that for many other video games out there. In any case, "Donkey Kong" was an arcade staple not just for the introduction of two iconic Nintendo characters, but it's maddening level of difficulty. Even the first stage required you to time everything in a precise manner, otherwise you'd be a goner. Make it past the four initial levels and the game just keeps getting harder, taunting players. The Nintendo game curve (starting out easy and slowly increasing the difficulty every so often) has its mark here in full. Bring plenty of quarters: this one was never easy.
5. Tetris
You're at the arcade, but nothing's really grabbing your interest, but then you see it-"Tetris". Yes, "Tetris. "The original (and way better) Candy Crush is a time waster's dream. When you're playing "Tetris," the world continues to move around you, but nothing else matters, as you sit, and fit blocks into place for countless hours. The arcade cabinet even allowed you to play against others, racing for first place. It may not have the colorful nature or even the minor storytelling of other games, but it is without a doubt that "Tetris" is perfect.
