Top Games List...

[UFO]

Hey all,

Its a tempation for me to load my cab with 1,000's of mame roms, but I really know that there are only a hand-full I would ever play.

I did a search and found this list: http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-popular-golden-age-arcade-games/video-games-lists

Below is a text version.

Is there anything massively obvious missing here that you chaps feel there should be, and that ultimately I need on my cab? For example - I love Mr. Do, and that's not on there!

Thanks all,


1
Space Invaders
1978

2
Asteroids
1979

3
Galaxian
1979

4
Lunar Lander

5
Battlezone
1980
 
6
Berzerk
1980

7
Centipede
1980

8
Defender
1980

9
Missile Command
1980

10
Pac-Man
1980

11
Phoenix
1980

12
Rally-X
1980

13
Star Castle
1980

14
Tempest
1980

15
Wizard Of Wor
1980
 
16
Donkey Kong
1981

17
Frogger
1981

18
Scramble
1981

19
Galaga
1981

20
Ms. Pac-Man
1982

21
Qix
1981

22
BurgerTime
1982

23
Dig Dug
1982

24
Donkey Kong Jr.
1982

25
Joust
1982

26
Moon Patrol
1982

27
Pole Position
1982

28
Q*bert
1982

29
Robotron: 2084
1982

30
Time Pilot
1982

31
Tron
1982

32
Xevious
1982

33
Zaxxon
1982

34
Dragon's Lair
1983

35
Gyruss
1983

36
Mappy
1983

37
Mario Bros.

38
Star Wars
1983

39
Spy Hunter
1983

40
Tapper
1983

41
1942
1984

42
Paperboy
1984

43
Punch-Out!!
1984
     

[keilmillerjr]

Metal slug.

[Louis Tully]

.

[UFO]

Yeah, that might help LT!

U360 and six buttons...

BTW keilmillerjr, Metal Slug Rocks! Haven't played it for ages!!

[UFO]

In fact, here is my latest build pic... 3/4 size cab.

[Haze]

interesting layout..

I can't think of any games that are really intended for single player only, but use 6 buttons.  Most 6 button games are Capcom fighters that are very much designed for 2 player vs. play..

the majority of classic games where you took it in turns to play with a single stick only use 1 or 2 buttons..

a decent number (probably 20-30%) of your top list up there aren't going to play on such a layout either, because they require trackballs, spinners, dual joysticks or a variety of other add ons.

[jennifer]

    Jenn could see Tron and Star Warz being kind of being a problem on that, Moon Patrol and High splitter would get my votes for the list however.

[UFO]

interesting layout..

I can't think of any games that are really intended for single player only, but use 6 buttons, most 6 button games are Capcom fighters that are very much designed for 2 player vs. play..

the majority of classic games where you took it in turns to play with a single stick only use 1 or 2 buttons..

a decent number of your top list up there aren't going to play on such a layout either, because they require trackballs, spinners, dual joysticks or a variety of other add ons.

Thanks for that Haze -- I totally get your point about the number of buttons etc., and I guess I was thinking of fighters when I designed this (although I'm not much of a fighter fan!).

Agree with your other comments also about other controllers. Noticed that BattleZone was on there, and although I love it, it aint gonna work for me...

[UFO]

    Jenn could see Tron and Star Warz being kind of being a problem on that, Moon Patrol and High splitter would get my votes for the list however.

Thanks Jenn - Agreed, although I have heard Star Wars IS playable with a U360. Not tried it though, and definitely not authentic!

[Louis Tully]

.

[UFO]

Yeah, that might help LT!

U360 and six buttons...

BTW keilmillerjr, Metal Slug Rocks! Haven't played it for ages!!

Now we're talkin'...

In no particular order

Juno First
Giga Wing
Trog
Blasteroids
Asteroids Deluxe
X-Men
TMNT Turtles in Time
Final Fight
Bubble Bobble
Gauntlet 1 & 2
NBA Jam
Street Fighter 2 CE and 3rd Strike
Killer Instinct
MK 1 - 2 - 3
The Simpsons
Sunset Riders


That's all I can think of right now.

Thanks buddy - great list to add to the final games...

[Nephasth]

No gorf? Pfft...

[EMDB]

Super Pac Man
Popeye
Pengo
Pooyan
Neo DriftOut
In The Hunt
Cosmo Gang
Spin Master
ViewPoint
Metal slug 2, 3, 4, 5 , X
Congo Bongo
New Rally X
Lady Bug
Hammerin' Harry
Mr. Driller
Donkey Kong II
Donkey Kong 3

[DeLuSioNal29]

I usually include both the fast and normal Ms. Pacman games on my cab.  Also can't forget Satan's Hollow.  Bomb Jack is also one of my favs...

If your rig is powerful enough, you may want to get the Ultra Street Fighter IV game.  It's still fun to play alone.  Same goes for Mortal Kombat Komplete edition.  The story mode is awesome.

D

[empardopo]

I haven't seen KungFu Master in your list.
Greetings!

[rovingmind]

Asterix, Elevator Action, Joust, anyone of the 1943ish airplane scrolling up shooters, it all depends on how "classic" you want the cabinet to be.  If your not playing all of the VS. fighters  3 buttons opens up a couple of interesting games, but 2 is enough for most. 

[IAmDotorg]

    Jenn could see Tron and Star Warz being kind of being a problem on that, Moon Patrol and High splitter would get my votes for the list however.

Thanks Jenn - Agreed, although I have heard Star Wars IS playable with a U360. Not tried it though, and definitely not authentic!

Its definitely touchy but does work. Playing with the analog sensitivity settings helps. Unfortunately all four of my U360s have a problem where they eventually stop taking new maps until they get power cycled, so its sort of hit or miss. Probably half the times I try to play its in a 8-way mode, which works but makes the game VERY hard.

[Haze]

the single player panel remains a problem for most of the suggested games here tho...

remember, any game that has 2 players with 2 sets of controls is going to break as soon as somebody presses that 2 player start button on there, because an unplayable character will enter the game..

maybe the OP can live with this? or unmap the player 2 inputs including 'start' completely on those games? that wasn't clear in the first response, but considering the nature of most of the game titles being posted I think it's important people keep that in mind.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Oh yes!  Elevator action is a must.     Also, Rolling Thunder and Shinobi are good ones as well!

D

[lamprey]

We can certainly post lists for you, but if you are inclined I suggest you get MAMEUIFX and start working your way through the list of 8100ish "games" and see what you like. I had a list of around 600 and ended up adding another 200 or so by finding stuff I never knew about while working my way through the list.

[BadMouth]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129295.msg1327639.html#msg1327639

[Vigo]

My suggestion is keep all the games on that fit your control layout/screen orientation on your cab, then set of a list on your front end of these "Must have" games as your go-to list when you start up your cab. That way, you can always do exploring when you are in the mood by simply switching over to another game list. Half the joy I get out of playing my cabs if finding dusty gems and raw nuggets.

[lamprey]

I was also going to add you can use RomLister to help narrow down games based on controls and such:
http://www.waste.org/~winkles/ROMLister/

[yotsuya]

I load my cab with everything, then when stuff comes up I don't have on any lists, I break out the wireless keyboard and see if it's worth adding. Space isn't an issue anymore. 

[mvolke1]

Baseball Stars
Track and Field
The Glob
Jr. Pac Man
Shinobi
TMNT
Super Pac-Man
Mappy
Frogger

[Saneless]

No gorf? Pfft...

Normally I can see the value of some classic games.  Even if I never played them originally, I can see where people were coming from.

Gorf is terrible though

It's like watching a programmer's limitations play out in front of you in 5 different scenarios. 

[yotsuya]

No gorf? Pfft...

Normally I can see the value of some classic games.  Even if I never played them originally, I can see where people were coming from.

Gorf is terrible though

It's like watching a programmer's limitations play out in front of you in 5 different scenarios.

[pbj]

It's like watching a programmer's limitations play out in front of you in 5 different scenarios.

No, that's Journey.

No, wait, it's both of them.

[IAmDotorg]

It's like watching a programmer's limitations play out in front of you in 5 different scenarios.

That's pretty much my normal day at work -- I must be numb to it. 

[Nephasth]

Mame Gorf blows. Actual Gorf... now that's a life changing experience.

[bulbousbeard]

I HATE lists like this. Space Invaders is NOT the best arcade game. There are hundreds of better shooters. I HATE it when lists put games above others just because of their historical significance.

What a crappy list. Space Invaders at the top, and no Street Fighter 2? Come ON.

[yotsuya]

Street Fighter 2 is the best game on the NES. Well, after Excitebike, and all the Mario brother games.

[jennifer]

     Oh, BOO, HOO, HOO.... Street fighter (whatever) Blows chunks compared to Mario.

[Nephasth]

Street Fighter 2 is the best game on the NES. Well, after Excitebike, and all the Mario brother games.

NES? You sure you don't mean SNES?

[DeLuSioNal29]

I personally love RC Pro Am on the NES. (Only the 1st one - the 2nd blew chunks indeed)

[Vigo]

Festers quest ftw 

[DeLuSioNal29]

I HATE lists like this. Space Invaders is NOT the best arcade game. There are hundreds of better shooters. I HATE it when lists put games above others just because of their historical significance.

What a crappy list. Space Invaders at the top, and no Street Fighter 2? Come ON.

Which is why it's really the OP who should have opinions if he hates it or not. We are merely giving suggestions.

However, of you hate it that much... Don't click reply.  :-)

[yotsuya]

However, of you hate it that much... Don't click reply.  :-)

It's clear this is a list of games before 1984. Thus, SFII wasn't included.

[jennifer]

   I guess it was SNES Jenn was thinking of, Never really cared for the whole system compared to NES.

[yotsuya]

Street Fighter 2 is the best game on the NES. Well, after Excitebike, and all the Mario brother games.

NES? You sure you don't mean SNES?

You're right. Either way, that's clearly a list of golden era games.

[Louis Tully]

.

[jennifer]

       Oddly enough however, Jennifer has at least 1 of most of those games on that list in dedicated cabs. (3 of them in my kitchen alone.)

[Cynicaster]

I HATE lists like this. Space Invaders is NOT the best arcade game. There are hundreds of better shooters. I HATE it when lists put games above others just because of their historical significance.

What a crappy list. Space Invaders at the top, and no Street Fighter 2? Come ON.

I've got no love for Street Fighter, but I agree in general that lists like these seem to always rehash the same old tired titles.  It's kind of like if somebody came in and said "hey everybody, I'm digging Led Zeppelin, recommend me some songs!" and everybody answered "Stairway to Heaven!  Black Dog!"  In other words, not exactly revelatory. 

To the OP, I'd recommend searching this forum for "hidden gems" and other such search terms.  I know I've seen (and posted in) multiple threads of that nature in the last few years, and have picked up some great tips on games to check out.   

If you're one of those people that holds "nostalgia" as a mandatory component for enjoying retro games, then you're probably not interested in playing anything unless you played it as a kid, in which case you can just stick with the everyday Galagas and Pac-Mans. 

But, there are lots of great discoveries to be had in MAME if you're open to going off the beaten path.   

Haze makes a good point that the original list contains a lot of games that would be questionable at best on your control panel layout.  Breakdown (some of it IMO):

Space Invaders - boring as hell, but would be playable
Asteroids - joystick controls for ship = the suck
Galaxian - OK
Lunar Lander - no good, need something to mimic the throttle lever
Battlezone - need dual sticks
Berzerk - OK
Centipede - no good without trackball
Defender - doable with some right-hand gymnastics to hit all the buttons
Missile Command - no good without trackball
Pac-Man - doable if set to 4-way, but not very good joystick position for it
Phoenix - OK
Rally-X - doable if set to 4-way, but not very good joystick position for it
Star Castle - joystick control of ship = the suck
Tempest - without spinner, don't bother
Wizard Of Wor - I'd rather eat a used band-aid than play this pile of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- 
Donkey Kong - OK if set to 4-way
Frogger - vaguely playable with U360 set to 4-way, but not very good joystick position
Scramble - OK
Galaga - OK
Ms. Pac-Man - see Pac-Man
Qix - OK if set to 4-way
BurgerTime - OK if set to 4-way
Dig Dug - OK if set to 4-way
Donkey Kong Jr. - OK if set to 4-way
Joust - OK
Moon Patrol - OK
Pole Position - no good without steering wheel
Q*bert - playable in 4-way mode, but controls will be confusing
Robotron: 2084 - no good, need dual sticks
Time Pilot - OK
Tron - no good, controls missing
Xevious - OK
Zaxxon - OK
Dragon's Lair - OK
Gyruss - OK
Mappy - OK
Mario Bros. - OK
Star Wars - doable with hack control scheme, I suppose. 
Spy Hunter - missing controls
Tapper - OK
1942 - OK
Paperboy - no good without proper analog controller, but maybe playable with U360
Punch-Out!! - OK

[UFO]

Thanks for all the input chaps.

I can only agree with the sentiments about my layout (and Player 2 button).

I guess I didn't have much fluidity with the build, and thinks have been some in "sections" over a number of years as opposed to over a number of weeks, and therefore, it became a bit disjointed I guess..

With this being my first build, I have learnt a lot along the way - its surprising that missing an additional joystick / trackball can limit choices, but I'll know for next time.

Thanks for the additional games that I hadn't thought about, and a couple in there that are an absolute must!

By the way, there is something about Gorf that I never quite got. Even when I was 15 in 1985, I didn't quite get the concept of having more than one game in a cab. Now look at us!

Thanks again chaps!

[EMDB]

[...]
Q*bert - playable in 4-way mode, but controls will be confusing
[...]

With a U360 you can map to a 45 degrees rotated 4-way making QBert perfectly playable like just the original:

[Minwah]

I can only agree with the sentiments about my layout (and Player 2 button).

The player 2 start button is useful to have for the 2 player alternate play games. I don't think realistically you will press the 2nd player start when you are playing one player (and if you do it's not the end of the world!).

I've recently made a one player small machine with with horizontal screen...I went for 5 buttons for Defender. That game aside I probably would have gone with 4 buttons to cover Neo Geo (there are a few I like that use 4 buttons). I could probably live with 3 buttons though (Bank Panic!).

But if you like the SF etc games 6 buttons is good to have. You can play them on your own if you want!

[Minwah]

PS, you should go through your full games list and try every one. That's what I do to decide what games I want / are suitable.

[Warborg]

Street Fighter 2 is the best game on the NES. Well, after Excitebike, and all the Mario brother games.

NES? You sure you don't mean SNES?

You're right. Either way, that's clearly a list of golden era games.

Although Excitebike was NES still...    Such a simple game, that I just couldn't get enough of for a while... 

[Warborg]

     Oh, BOO, HOO, HOO.... Street fighter (whatever) Blows chunks compared to Mario.

And apples blow compared to oranges...   

[UFO]

Cheers Minwah ...

I am having NO admin buttons as such on this build, and everything that I need to do will be shift-mapped - hence the "Select" and "Exit" over the P1 & P2 buttons.

I don't need "Pause" or anything, so not entirely lost I guess.

Thanks again... 

[Minwah]

I am having NO admin buttons as such on this build, and everything that I need to do will be shift-mapped - hence the "Select" and "Exit" over the P1 & P2 buttons.

Cool, I couldn't see that in your pic. I do the same, use P2 start for a shift type button (which gets used for that much more often than for starting 2 player games!).