Underrated Arcade Classics

[Vulgar Soul]

Space Invaders. Pacman. Centipede. Galaga. Donkey Kong. Q*Bert. Out Run. Mortal Kombat. Street Fighter. Metal Slug. Yeah, yeah, yeah the list goes on. Whether you witnessed the golden age or experienced the latter years of arcade fever, we've all played and loved these classics. But with thousands of arcade games made since the late 70s, all restored thanks to MAME, there has to be a few hidden gems you've played and wondered why this cabinet never caught on during it's time.

Name at least one game you've discovered on MAME - or even actually played before - that you consider to be a real forgotten and underrated gem! 

For me, Nitro Ball (1992) from Data East. One of my favorites. The game is like a weird mix of Ikari Warriors/Mercs-style top down shoot em ups, Smash TV, and pinball. Each stage is set in a themed arena where waves of enemies attack you, bounce around when shot, and extra points can be scored if you shoot and roll enemies into particular spots as random food and items pop out and also provide points. Nitro Ball is everything I love from an arcade game. It's a quick, challenging, colorful, frantic, score racking, button masher and a lot of fun! If you never played Nitro Ball fire it up and try it!

[jimmy2x2x]

How strange you mention Nitro Ball today, I just discovered this game today!

Im maming a 1979 cocktail cab at the moment and created a vertical games list with romlister, going through each game to see if I want it on the cocktail - ended up playing Nitro Ball for quite a while, very nice game

Another game I like is Osman

Very strider like, but a great game in its own right

[Donkbaca]

Pigskin 621 ad. A fun rugby type game. If you like arch rivals, you will like this

[mgb]

Nibbler.
I love that game. I'm not sure if it was popular but I've been playing games since the early classics and I have never heard of it until Mame.

[Cynicaster]

I love threads like this because I always end up finding a few new games that I really dig. 

My cabinet is only about 2 months old, but I've managed to discover some cool games I never played (or heard of) BITD.  Some of these might not be "obscure", all I can say is I never played them until the last few months.

Black Widow (I love twin stick shooters and vector graphics... no surprise I love this game).
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7139

Major Havoc (I think this game was ahead of its time.  Love that I can use my trackball to play.)
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8601
Mr. Havoc did the "annoyed, toe-tapping" gesture 7-8 years before Sonic the Hedgehog copied him.

Cybattler (Great early-90's shoot-em-up/beat-em-up hybrid with innovative single-stick 8-way shooting control scheme)
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7463

Marvin's Maze (addictive gameplay that might be described as a mash-up of Pac-Man, Mappy, and Crystal Castles.)
http://www.gamesdbase.com/game/arcade/marvins_maze.aspx

Bank Panic (polish up those reflexes boy, you're gonna need 'em)
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7012

Rescue (very challenging twin-stick shooter that pre-dates Choplifter by a few years, and is much more fun IMO)
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9299

Lady Bug (easily my fave pac-clone.  Ok, I actually did play this game--once--back in the 80's, love it today)
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8374

[Vulgar Soul]

Cybattler was definitely another huge shocker when I first chose it at random. Amazing shoot-em-up if you haven't tried it yet! Very unique controls and approach to the genre. Why this isn't a more celebrated arcade title is beyond me.

Also Donpachi and DoDonPachi from Atlus/Cave. Amazing Shmups! Great graphics and sound! Very quick and frantic button mashing gameplay! As you can tell I'm a 90s shmup/button masher nut lol.

Burning Force from Namco. Just a solid Space Harrier style shootemup. Includes a Blue headed anime chick on a hovering fighter jet thing. Need I say more? Boot thins one up!

Mach Breakers from Namco. A very fast, colorful, and wacky button mashing sports title very similar to Track & Field. If you love Konami's Track & Field, 88' Games, Hyper Sports, and Combat School you will love to make this game a part of your daily arcade playtime!

[DaveMMR]

+1 for Bank Panic

Although fairly popular in certain circles, I didn't hear about Blazing Star before but I liked it a lot when I started playing it.  (I also like games that punish your score for continuing).


Also, a strange entry: Dream Shopper is a nice little time waster, even when it's annoying as hell.

[KuraiDori]

My top two , in order are:

cabal and blood brothers.

Both from TAD corp. One was a military scenario and the other was set in the wild west. Almost identical in levels and mannerisms of play just set in different backdrops.

I now own a blood bros. and have the parts to put together a cabal cabinet. Worth all my other games combined, at least to me.

[Cynicaster]

Also, a strange entry: Dream Shopper is a nice little time waster, even when it's annoying as hell.

I like little puzzle-ish games like that, I should check it out (even if not the most masculine premise). 

One thing though--I watched most of that video and I still don't understand what causes your character to spontaneously turn into a frog-like creature and hop off into the sunset at seemingly random intervals.  The narrator never bothers to even acknowledge it's happening. 

[DaveMMR]

Also, a strange entry: Dream Shopper is a nice little time waster, even when it's annoying as hell.

I like little puzzle-ish games like that, I should check it out (even if not the most masculine premise). 

One thing though--I watched most of that video and I still don't understand what causes your character to spontaneously turn into a frog-like creature and hop off into the sunset at seemingly random intervals.  The narrator never bothers to even acknowledge it's happening. 

There are random squares that will release the frog and any value that matches the color of that frog in that particular line will be automatically be revealed and added to your quota. 

[Klexor]

Pot of Gold aka Leprechaun...

[Vulgar Soul]

Fired up Nitro Ball last night... what an odd, odd game.

Did I set a good high score?

Lol much better than my first try!

[GameGeezer]

Off the top of my head, 'Hally's Comet' is a lost gem of the shooter genre, as is 'Gaplus'. I'll think about this when I'm more awake to see which I'd suggest tot he general public as hidden gems. -GG

[boardjunkie]

Uncle Poo!!! Just kidding....that game is crap

[boardjunkie]

Rugrats/Wiping, Tube Panic, Nova 2001, Ark Area, Quantum.....

[Vulgar Soul]

Damn, now you made me have to find out what Uncle Poo was!

[emphatic]

Also Donpachi and DoDonPachi from Atlus/Cave. Amazing Shmups! Great graphics and sound! Very quick and frantic button mashing gameplay! As you can tell I'm a 90s shmup/button masher nut lol.

Wasn't this thread about underrated games? The CAVE games are praised by shmup lovers like your's truly and if you like the pachi's, don't miss out on Do-Donpachi Dai-Ou-Jou, Ketsui and ESPGALUDA that was recently added to MAME.

A truly underrated game is Hacha Mecha Fighter by NMK. It's overly cutesy graphics lures you into thinking the game's a pushover, but you will soon notice that the game is incredi-hard, but still lots of fun.

[chiLLbiLLy]

Going old school for a minute...

I haven't really tried the arcade game, for which the home videogame "Oil's Well" sprang...that being Stern's Anteater, so I don't truly know how it compares, but I did come across Anteater the other day in MAME and remembered enjoying Oil's Well on my Colecovision ages ago, with it's unique spin on the 'maze game'.  I look forward to seeing if Anteater in MAME compares favorably in any way...

[nipsmg]

The Glob
Shuuz
Timber

[Gray_Area]

Also Donpachi and DoDonPachi from Atlus/Cave. Amazing Shmups! Great graphics and sound! Very quick and frantic button mashing gameplay! As you can tell I'm a 90s shmup/button masher nut lol.

Wasn't this thread about underrated games? The CAVE games are praised by shmup lovers like your's truly and if you like the pachi's, don't miss out on Do-Donpachi Dai-Ou-Jou, Ketsui and ESPGALUDA that was recently added to MAME.

A truly underrated game is Hacha Mecha Fighter by NMK. It's overly cutesy graphics lures you into thinking the game's a pushover, but you will soon notice that the game is incredi-hard, but still lots of fun.

Operative word, 'classics'.

[D_Harris]

Two underrated games that I played in college back in the 80s' were Mazer Blazer and Nova 2001.  There was also another game I considered underrated called Freeze.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Jack Burton]

Ribbit.  It's a sequel/update to frogger.  It's quite charming.

[Gray_Area]

Ribbit.  It's a sequel/update to frogger.  It's quite charming.

The graphics are cool, but it gets boring fast.