Beatable arcade games

[Rando]

I only consider arcade games beaten if I have done so on 1 credit.

An interesting essay on the topic:
http://insomnia.ac/commentary/arcade_culture/

Great article,
Changed my perspective a bit.

However, as for the definition, I consider a "Beatable" game to be one that ends while you are still alive, meaning you get some type of end scene, or credit role, at the end.

Having said that, Journey has a concert when you complete the different stages.  Reaching that is on my list of things to do, but does the game continue after that concert, or is it over?  And does that concert play in MAME?  I've seen some references that a tape or sound file is needed, but I don't know if that is currently valid.

[Cynicaster]

I'm curious as to how realistic that is on a lot of games that we know are credit munchers, like The Simpsons or TMNT?

I was thinking of the exact same titles.  Probably precisely why I haven't played a single game of TMNT since my cabinet became functional 7-8 months ago. 

I'm not an expert on TMNT, but I would think that a 1CC is achievable. Extremely difficult, but not impossible.

Modern gamers are happy to spend 70+ hours mindlessly waiting for the plot of the latest Zelda game to unfold, but very few people are willing to put that kind of time into mastering an arcade game. As the old saying goes "practice makes perfect."

Agreed, but some games are just shameless in their cheap attacks, and I always felt TMNT was a big offender in this respect.  If it's humanly possible to beat TMNT on a single credit without MAME cheats, using dip switch settings to put the game in an easy mode, etc. I'd love to see it.  

  

[pinballwizard79]

Good luck beating NARC on $0.25

Life is short, use all your quarters!

[yotsuya]

Agreed, but some games are just shameless in their cheap attacks, and I always felt TMNT was a big offender in this respect.  If it's humanly possible to beat TMNT on a single credit without MAME cheats, using dip switch settings to put the game in an easy mode, etc. I'd love to see it.  
  

Same here. You'd have to be a Billy Mitchell to do something like that, it seems.

[nemcade]

The first arcade game I ever beat was Altered Beast

[Well Fed Games]

I often think about this in the context of the Metal Slug series, which I play through on the MS Anthology on PS2. The later stages have the same beautiful art and bosses, etc. as the early stages, but how many people got to see them in the arcade? As a cheapskate, when there were multiple cabinets to play, any one rarely got more than $2 in quarters from me, which in MS probably wouldn't have gotten past the first boss. I wonder if this ever affected the game designer's mindset? (Note: I do believe the MS games are possible to 1cc... would just take more determination and a better memory than I have).

[gabe]

Indeed many people have 1CC'd the Metal Slug games:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=metal+slug+1cc&page=&utm_source=opensearch

I'm going to post this link again:
http://insomnia.ac/commentary/arcade_culture/

It does a fine job of explaining WHY limiting yourself to 1 credit is necessary, and directly addresses many of the counter points brought up in this thread. Yes - it's a bit lengthy, but if your attention span isn't long enough to read the essay, it probably isn't long enough to 1cc anything.

[Well Fed Games]

if your attention span isn't long enough to read the essay, it probably isn't long enough to 1cc anything.

u mad?

The essay is fine, an interesting read, for sure... I would love to see more stuff like that written about arcade games. Nonetheless, it is one particular guy saying that one particular kind of game should be played one particular kind of way (although he gives props to Gradius V, so that is good). Personally, I can't stand to credit-feed beat-um-ups like X-men... but I can do it with Metal Slug and enjoy everything that the designers created.

[gabe]

u mad?

No, not at all. To clarify, my comment wasn't directed at you or anyone in particular. I apologize if I came across as being abrasive.

The point of playing games is to have fun, and I don't really care how other folks go about having fun. To each his own.

That said, if you ask me, the most fun you can have with a game is with one credit.

[Vigo]

Nonetheless, it is one particular guy saying that one particular kind of game should be played one particular kind of way.

Yep, there is merit in that 1 credit playing is often a great way to become competitive and accomplish something in a game that can be quartered through. The honest truth is that many people play different games for different reasons. Many of which are not to get better or even accomplish anything at all. A lot of times I play games to see howwell I can do on 5 credits, or maybe I will play for 15 minutes and see how far I can get. Other games I will just play through, but that is usually when I am drinking and relaxing with friends.

Having said that, Journey has a concert when you complete the different stages.  Reaching that is on my list of things to do, but does the game continue after that concert, or is it over?  And does that concert play in MAME?  I've seen some references that a tape or sound file is needed, but I don't know if that is currently valid.

I believe Journey had a tape inside the cab that played when you beat all the stages. It works in MAME as well, but you need the sound file in the samples folder. A Google search should get you the file easily.

[Well Fed Games]

That said, if you ask me, the most fun you can have with a game is with one credit.

 I get that, for sure. I really like Raiden II (even though I suck at it)... sometimes it is fun to plow through, but usually limiting myself to one credit makes me more invested, and thus makes the game more fun.

On the console side, it is interesting how some shmups have approached this- both Gradius V (PS2) and Ikaruga (GC) have a restriction where you earn a credit limit based on how much time you have spent playing... unlimited continues come eventually, but by that point you will have put in at least enough time to memorize the first few levels and learn the game mechanics. I kind of wish Raiden IV (360) would have done the same thing, I couldn't resist the urge to credit push and see the whole thing right away.

[smalltownguy]

I don't think Raiden II HAS an ending, IIRC.

[Cynicaster]

u mad?

No, not at all. To clarify, my comment wasn't directed at you or anyone in particular. I apologize if I came across as being abrasive.

The point of playing games is to have fun, and I don't really care how other folks go about having fun. To each his own.

That said, if you ask me, the most fun you can have with a game is with one credit.

I'm in the same boat as you but I didn't realize that until I got addicted to playing classic games in MAME and started participating in friendly competitions, etc.  Forget "finishing" hack-and-slash bore-fests like God of War and the like; working hard at a purely skill-based game and finally breaking a target score is the most rewarding experience to be had in gaming, IMO. 

Which, I guess partly explains why I have no interest whatsoever in playing certain quarter sucking games on my MAME machine (in particular, many in the late 80's and early 90's).  The weird thing is, those were the games that were "current" when I was old enough to go to arcades on my own, and I remember standing in line to play them back then, and loving every minute of the experience.  Playing those games (like TMNT) in my own home for free these days back to back with classics like Robotron, Centipede, and Defender has really exposed the fact that many of them were designed to be, for all intents and purposes, impossible to beat after a certain point so that you'd be coaxed into reaching for more quarters.  That aspect has totally killed the magic for me.     

[D_Harris]

If you want to see one of the greatest of all game beat downs take a look at my friend Zack Hample's game play. (He has the world records on Arkanoid, Tournament Arkanoid, and Arkanoid Revenge of Doh).

He didn't just finish them, he finished them on one life.




(He has yet to do the same on "doh").

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.