Author Topic: Best classic games ever (Read 9377 times)

scofthe7seas · « **on:** June 20, 2011, 02:47:40 pm »

I'm sure this has been done before, but what do you all think are the best classic games ever? (pre 90s)
What is your opinion on the general consensus of what people think are the best?
And what is your personal list of bests?
Being a teen in the 90s, I never got a solid chance at classic games (save for nes ports)
I'm starting to really enjoy some of them (except for Donkey Kong Jr. You might as well just throw your damned money away.)

Try to limit them to 10 and under (Xiaou, I'm looking at you.)

My top 5 would be:
1: Robotron 2084
2: Berserk
3: Burger Time
4: Missile Command
5: Donkey Kong

yotsuya · « **Reply #1 on:** June 20, 2011, 02:54:24 pm »

I'll list the top 5 I used to play as a kid in the 80s.

1. Rush N' Attack
2. Star Wars
3. Burger Time
4. Empire City
5. Ikari Warriors

Rando · « **Reply #2 on:** June 20, 2011, 03:03:45 pm »

Not my top 5 to play, but ones I spent the most money on and therefore remember the best, in no particular order:

- Spy Hunter
- Gauntlet
- Elevator Action
- Pac Man
- Shinobi

Cynicaster · « **Reply #3 on:** June 20, 2011, 03:54:47 pm »

Like the OP, I wasn't old enough to frequent arcades until after the original classics had been largely rotated out in favor of the Double Dragons, Golden Axes, and TMNT's.

These days, I enjoy the original classics more than anything else. It's tough to choose just 5, but when I think "classic arcade", I think of:

Pac-Man (duh)
Space Invaders
Centipede
Frogger
Defender

Honorable mentions:

Missile Command
Q*Bert
Asteroids

Frogger is the only one of the above games that I remember playing on real cabinets BITD; the rest I learned to love exclusively via Atari 2600.

Donkey_Kong · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2011, 04:03:41 pm »

Golden Age 80-83 (I was born in '75 and frequented a local arcade at the ripe ages of 7-9)
~Donkey Kong
~Super Pacman

A few years later at our pizza place it was...

~Tetris
~720
~Mario Bros

These are my top 5 from the day. Very limited small town arcade game selections. I still feel privileged to have had the opportunity to play them as it is probably some of the better memories of my childhood.

scofthe7seas · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2011, 04:16:23 pm »

Super Pacman? Really? With the keys and all? I never imagined that was something people played. In my mind it was a kind of rare cabinet that was quickly forgotten.
And Q-bert. I forgot about that, fine game. Very satisfying to give that snake the screwgy.

jennifer · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2011, 05:22:20 pm »

....and Tron!

brad808 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2011, 05:47:00 pm »

I also grew up in the 90's but there are some wicked classics though...Except Donkey Kong I just can't get into it I think it sucks (sue me).

1) Robotron 2084 - This one is just king, so seemingly simple yet ever so frustrating
2) Zookeeper - Don't know why but this just keeps me going for hours sometimes
3) Bugertime - Just recently started playing it after skipping over it a bunch of times and I gotta say it's actually really fun
4) Chicken shift - Just incredibly hard after the first few levels (in a good way)
5) Bubble bobble - Really good game but I don't play it as often as I should because it won't save my score in mame

SavannahLion · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2011, 07:58:31 pm »

Tempest
Gauntlet

And in no particular order....
Dig Dug
Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road (with friends though)

My wife likes Centipede.

jimmy2x2x · « **Reply #9 on:** June 20, 2011, 08:13:56 pm »

Hard to pick 5, combining nostalgia with games I still play here are mine.

Robotron 2084
Defender
Bomb Jack
Mr Do!
Ms Pacman

Encryptor · « **Reply #10 on:** June 20, 2011, 08:21:33 pm »

It really is tough to pick only 5.

Tron
Tempest
Galaga
Ms Pac Man
Asteroids

jimmy2x2x · « **Reply #11 on:** June 20, 2011, 08:31:06 pm »

Quote from: Encryptor on June 20, 2011, 08:21:33 pm

It really is tough to pick only 5.

Tron
Tempest
Galaga
Ms Pac Man
Asteroids

I see you only went with 1 fluffy game (ms pac), I figured that defender and robotron had more than enough testosterone to balance my 3 fluffies

RayB · « **Reply #12 on:** June 20, 2011, 08:34:47 pm »

Only the best!

1. Robotron 2084
2. Centipede
3. Ms Pac Man
4. Galaga
5. Juno First

Go figure I have them all. ;-)

mgb · « **Reply #13 on:** June 20, 2011, 09:26:09 pm »

Not in order, but some of my favorite classics:

Berzerk
Nibbler
Mr Do! (though I didn't like it much back in the day)
Dig Dug (not as much into it anymore but played alot as a kid)
Moon Patrol (coolest video game music)

And one of my favorite games from back then was never in the arcades but it was inspired by one - Jumpman (commodore)

Donkey_Kong · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2011, 09:54:39 pm »

Quote from: scofthe7seas on June 20, 2011, 04:16:23 pm

Super Pacman? Really? With the keys and all? I never imagined that was something people played. In my mind it was a kind of rare cabinet that was quickly forgotten.
And Q-bert. I forgot about that, fine game. Very satisfying to give that snake the screwgy.

Remember I was only like 7-8 yrs old. It was hard to get on the Robotron machine, or even DK sometimes. Da big boys were on those hit titles. I friggin' loved Super Pacman. 4 times as big as regular pacman...eating all fruit and pies and the "Super Energizers" that made you invincible and 4 times as fast. There was one button for speedup, it sat left or right of the joystick for users option.

If that's not enough...

Every day was a high score competition at my local arcade. If you got a high score you would tape your initials to the machine...the high score standing at closing meant 4 quarters the next day for every machine! I dominated the Super Pacman Machine (maybe I was the only one playing?).

Fast forward 25 years...MAME. I often thought of Super pac over those 25 years (as well as many other titles), and thought I would never get to play them again, until I came across mame. Super Pacman is still a friggin blast at 36 years old. My kids love it as well. Back in 2006 when we were homeschooling our boys, Super Pacman comps were sometimes held for History class, thanks to mame's preservation.

drventure · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2011, 11:40:18 pm »

The one's I remember playing the most (in no particular order):

1) Asteroids
2) Targ
3) Spectar
4) Red Baron
5) Warlords

Definitely not best classics when looking back, but at the time, they rocked!

scofthe7seas · « **Reply #16 on:** June 21, 2011, 12:34:28 am »

Dudez. You guys know I totally said less than 10, right?

There's no limit on 5, that's just what I put.

And Chicken Shift. Yes. Creepy moon thingy in hyperspin.

yotsuya · « **Reply #17 on:** June 21, 2011, 03:01:20 am »

Quote from: scofthe7seas on June 21, 2011, 12:34:28 am

Dudez. You guys know I totally said less than 10, right? There's no limit on 5, that's just what I put.

Well, in that case:

1. Rush N' Attack
2. Star Wars
3. Burger Time
4. Empire City
5. Ikari Warriors
6. Karate Champ
7. Yie Ar Kung Fu
8. M.A.C.H. 3
9. Crazy Kong
10. Peter Pack Rat

Blanka · « **Reply #18 on:** June 21, 2011, 06:27:32 am »

1) Galaga 88 (the best arcade feeling of all games ever IMO)
2) Pac-Man
3) 1944 (1942 to the max)
4) Darkstalkers (fighter that actually is some fun too)
5) Arkanoid (but even with the right spinner it is too hard to pass level 3)

mgb · « **Reply #19 on:** June 21, 2011, 07:18:43 am »

Galaga 88 is a cool game

drventure · « **Reply #20 on:** June 21, 2011, 07:36:12 am »

Quote

Dudez. You guys know I totally said less than 10, right?

Yeah, It was late. That's my excuse

Ok, lessee

1) Asteroids
2) Targ
3) Spectar
4) Red Baron
5) Warlords
6) Black knight pinball (sorry, I had to throw one pin in, that was a great game)
7) Star castle

Sinistar
9) Berzerk
10) Hard drivin

and for the bonus
GTI Club+: Rally Côte d'Azur
I actually played this much more recently, maybe 10 years ago or so. Never found it again, at least not in arcade form. And Mame didn't support it the last time i looked. But it was a fun game.

LeedsFan · « **Reply #21 on:** June 21, 2011, 05:15:43 pm »

Donkey Kong
Defender
Pacman
Galaga
Robotron

Not necessarily in that order. Five is too few... I'd have to throw in Burgertime and Star Wars off the top of my head as I type this.

scofthe7seas · « **Reply #22 on:** June 21, 2011, 06:41:53 pm »

Quote from: LeedsFan on June 21, 2011, 05:15:43 pm

Five is too few...

!!!!!

RayB · « **Reply #23 on:** June 21, 2011, 06:53:04 pm »

Quote from: scofthe7seas on June 20, 2011, 02:47:40 pm

Try to limit them to 5 and under (Xiaou, I'm winking at you.)

But but but ... !

That Osman is such a Strider rip off, but I love me some more Strider.

Funny that it's by Mitchell corp. They threatened to sue Popcap over the game Zuma, claiming it was ripping off their old game Puzzloop.

Jack Burton · « **Reply #24 on:** June 21, 2011, 06:55:34 pm »

Let's see:

1. Super Street Fighter II X

2. Raiden II

3. Super Hang-On

4. The King of Fighters 98

5. Ghosts n' Goblins

6. Twin Cobra

7. Final Fight

8. Superman

9. Magical Drop III

10. Time Crisis

Xiaou2 · « **Reply #25 on:** June 21, 2011, 08:51:36 pm »

This was a very difficult cutting process.

Robotron
Mr Do
Spy Hunter
Two Tigers (Original Handle grip version, not spinner conversion)
Super Sprint / Championship Sprint
Hard Drivin / Race Drivin
Star Wars
TX-1
OutRun
Star Trek

Many good classics are fun on the 1st few levels, but games like Superpacman
and Sinistar eventually get unrealistically difficult and unplayable. (With mames cheats, one can see just how far things can go) One has to consider that when judging them as top classics.

Modern Classics:

Daytona USA
Killer instinct
Tekken3
Ridge Racer
Time Crisis

DCsegaDH · « **Reply #26 on:** June 22, 2011, 12:43:53 am »

Street Fighter II: Champion's Edition
Burger Time
The House of The Dead (not emulated yet, but it's great)
Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers 3)
The Punisher

danny_galaga · « **Reply #27 on:** June 22, 2011, 04:46:14 am »

I like Xiaous idea of listing modern classics. Sega has a swathe of them. For me, it would include:

Crazy Taxi

House of the Dead

Daytona

dexxy · « **Reply #28 on:** June 22, 2011, 06:34:06 am »

1. Star Castle
2. Star Wars
3. BattleZone
4. Gyruss
5. Galaga
6. Defender
7. Moon Patrol
hmmm...

JODY · « **Reply #29 on:** June 22, 2011, 09:34:12 pm »

To me classic means (in no particular order):
Asteroids
Missile Command
Centipede
Tempest
Joust
Defender
Robotron
Pac-Man
Space Invaders
Galaxian

Several of which had improved (e.g. Galaga) or not so improved (e.g. Joust 2) versions come out later.

rcub3 · « **Reply #30 on:** June 22, 2011, 11:35:34 pm »

Quote from: dexxy on June 22, 2011, 06:34:06 am

1. Star Castle
2. Star Wars
3. BattleZone
4. Gyruss
5. Galaga
6. Defender
7. Moon Patrol
hmmm...

Wow one Gyruss in this thread? Gyruss FTW!

Jack Burton · « **Reply #31 on:** June 23, 2011, 02:41:38 am »

Here's my list.

1. Vampire Savior

2. Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow over Mystara

3. San Francisco Rush

4. Soul Edge

5. Phoenix

6. Geometry Wars

7. Frogger

8. R-Type III: The Third Lightning

9. Gorf

10. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

chiLLbiLLy · « **Reply #32 on:** June 23, 2011, 02:56:14 am »

Like most folks, my list of favorites/best classic games involves way more than just these ten, but these would be at the very, very top for me:

Gravitar
Crazy Climber
I-Robot
Tempest
Robotron
Defender/Stargate
Tron
Scramble/Super Cobra
Elevator Action
Galaga

And if there's more than 1 person around:

Warlords
Mario Bros.
Joust
Space Duel

Paul Olson · « **Reply #33 on:** June 23, 2011, 03:41:38 am »

Donkey Kong
Tempest
Gyruss
Hydro Thunder
Bust A Move

I think all of those were instant classics, so they all count.

Gray_Area · « **Reply #34 on:** June 23, 2011, 06:21:49 am »

I didn't play games enough as a kid to really like that many games. Nowadays, I don't have any favorites, just quite a few I like a lot. (And I don't count anything past....mmmm....Mario Bros a classic.) Donkey Kong is the most played lately, a game I hated as a kid.

Kind of strange, just now on the net radio I'm playing, an ad for joystick.com came on.

Haze · « **Reply #35 on:** June 23, 2011, 01:18:34 pm »

Quote from: RayB on June 21, 2011, 06:53:04 pm

Quote from: scofthe7seas on June 20, 2011, 02:47:40 pm
Try to limit them to 5 and under (Xiaou, I'm winking at you.)
But but but ... !

That Osman is such a Strider rip off, but I love me some more Strider.

Funny that it's by Mitchell corp. They threatened to sue Popcap over the game Zuma, claiming it was ripping off their old game Puzzloop.

It's the same lead developer/designer as Strider tho, so you can consider it a semi-sequel.

Strider

# Object designers : Shinji Sakashita (Sakashita Thing), Take Pong, Tisshu, Makizoe, Tery, Terabo, Hisabo, Kuribo, Komsan, Gin
#
# Scroll designers : Teiki, Rie.Poo, Ziggy, Rinma, Marilyn Higuchi, Morilyn, Kintaro
#
# Soft programmers : T. Maruchi, Tae 250r, Mikkun, Tadaken, Kanekon, Dorompa.E, Ka~kuny, Check.Masa
#
# Music by : Junko Tamiya
#
# Planning advisers : Tokuro Fujiwara (Arthur), Yossan
#
# Game planner : Hiroichi Yotsui (Isuke)

Osman

# Stage Design : Milk Tea, K.Nozawa, Stily-Stilie, Q.B.B.
#
# Object Design : Utata Kiyoshi, Ava, N.N, K.Tatsu, Otasuke-P, Tsukahira
#
# Ryu, Mazin, Ojiji, Kuro
#
# Sound Music : Tago Saku
#
# Voice : Fujii Masayo, Mr.Matsushita
#
# Program : Namcho, Br.Coin
#
# Game Design : Isuke

The Michell hardware* might have had a lower resolution and worse sound system, but given that the same guy designed the game, I don't think you can call it a rip-off.

* actually Data East hardware in this case, they had strong ties with both Capcom and Data East in terms of hardware use.

Woodshop Flunky · « **Reply #36 on:** June 23, 2011, 01:26:00 pm »

My favorites...

1. Xevious
2. Spy Hunter
3. Twin Cobra
4. Ms Pacman
5. Commando
6. Ikari Warrior
7. Star Wars
8. Gyruss
9. Donkey Kong Jr.
10. Defender

I also liked Roc 'n Rope... but it wasn't one of the poplular ones.

ark_ader · « **Reply #37 on:** June 23, 2011, 01:33:43 pm »

My list:

DigDug
Mr Do!
Star Wars
DOT
Space Ace
Asteroids
Space Fury
Tac Scan
Star Castle
Legend of Hero Tonma
Astro Blaster
Ms Pacman
DKong
Carnival
Out Run
Bump n Jump
Star Trek
Ikari Warriors
Mach 3
Moon Cresta
Space Firebird
Stargate
Phoenix
Star Fire
Pengo
Popeye

emphatic · « **Reply #38 on:** June 23, 2011, 02:17:39 pm »

1. Argus No Senshi/Rygar
2. Flying Shark/Sky Shark
3. Black Tiger/Black Dragon
4. Out Zone (I know, it's published in 1990)
5. Psychic 5

mgb · « **Reply #39 on:** June 23, 2011, 07:35:19 pm »

+1 on Skyshark. great game


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