What arcade game "Did it" (AKA: Started/Motivated you down the MAME/Refurb path)

[postalp123]

Maybe someone could write a book: Why men build Arcade cabinets and women bye so much shoes 

Book? I can explain it in 2 words:

"X Chromosome"

[OregonPacman]

Back in the day, I played a lot of games like Pac-man, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Paperboy, Asteroids and Bagman.  It wasn't until about 5 years ago that I realized that regular people could actually own games like that for real.  My first one was a Final Fight in a Phoenix cabinet (which eventually got reconverted to Phoenix).  I don't have a MAME cabinet but I use it on my PC to play games that I don't have/can't afford.  I think that cramming a bunch of games into one cabinet takes away from the authenticity of gameplay (not just with MAME but with multi boards as well).  I'm into the uniqueness of the original cabinet design, artwork and such.   It just doesn't feel the same otherwise   As a result, I have 12 games.  If I had my druthers, it would be 50.  Anywho, Final Fight was the one that got me into collecting, Pac-man was the one that got me into collecting classics.

[krick]

My all time favorite arcade game is still Smash TV.

I downloaded MAME off and on over the years and it never occured to me that I could make a MAME cabinet.

In late 2003, I started looking for a Smash TV machine of my own.  Every place I found one, they wanted $800-$1200.  I discovered the BYOAC forums around the same time.  I Think my initial thought was to multi-jamma a real Smash TV machine so that I could have Smash TV, Total Carnage, and Robotron boards in it at the same time.

In January of 2004, I went to my first amusement auction in hopes of finding a Smash TV machine.  I didn't find one but I ended up coming home with a working Gigawing conversion machine in excellent condition for $260 with plans of turning it into a MAME cabinet.

Here's my post-auction post...

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=15606.msg122331#msg122331

[shardian]

My all time favorite arcade game is still Smash TV.

I downloaded MAME off and on over the years and it never occured to me that I could make a MAME cabinet.

In late 2003, I started looking for a Smash TV machine of my own.  Every place I found one, they wanted $800-$1200.  I discovered the BYOAC forums around the same time.  I Think my initial thought was to multi-jamma a real Smash TV machine so that I could have Smash TV, Total Carnage, and Robotron boards in it at the same time.

In January of 2004, I went to my first amusement auction in hopes of finding a Smash TV machine.  I didn't find one but I ended up coming home with a working Gigawing conversion machine in excellent condition for $260 with plans of turning it into a MAME cabinet.

Here's my post-auction post...

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=15606.msg122331#msg122331

hate to make you cry, but my local arcade used to put price tags on all their machines during the Christmas season. For several years they put a $250 tag on smash tv. I wanted it, but I was just a kid. It is long gone now. 

[krick]

hate to make you cry, but my local arcade used to put price tags on all their machines during the Christmas season. For several years they put a $250 tag on smash tv. I wanted it, but I was just a kid. It is long gone now. 

When I was younger, there was an arcade in the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township NJ that used to do the same thing .  I remember them having a Smash TV there as well, but I think it was $300 or $350.  It was definitely out of my budget at the time.

Back in 97, I found a guy online who had a Smash TV machine and also a Total Carnage board.  He wanted $600 for the package but he was in Chicago and I was in Oregon at the time.  It was a little pricey but the shipping costs just made it too much.

[Encryptor]

For me it was Tron & Tempest. I love both the movie and the game. So much so that I'm going to build a seperate CP just for playing Tron. I always hated those damn grid bugs though.

[AMDman13]

Back in like 1996 I was surfing the web and thought, "I wonder if there is a version of Yiear Kung fu that I can play on my PC" I discovered emulation that night. I downloaded a emulator that played 1 game (Yiear Kung Fu).  Then I discovered a Gauntlet emulator and shortly after Mame. It didn't take long to realize I would someday have to have some real controls. The rest is history.

[patrickl]

Galaga was my main game when I was a kid. On night a few years ago I decided to look for "Galaga" on a p2p client. I found a collection with Galaga and some others. It had always been my dream to own a cab, but I was always afraid I wouldn't be able to keep it running. Now with this Galaga game I immediately thought I should build a cab for it. Took me a month or so to find this site. I still don't have a cab, but at least I'm dreaming about it with some parts to show for it

[Crax]

Wanted to play Sengoku again was one of the reasons.

Growing up, spent a lot of money/time on Double Dragon, SF2, Mortal Kombat, Punisher, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury, KOF etc...

[whynotpizza]

My personal motivation is to relive the past with my kids.   And sitting at the computer with a keyboard or a hand-held control panel just doesn't cut it! So I started down my trek to build a custom system (by modifying an existing cabinet)

Some of my favorite games are .... Discs of Tron (DOT), Tempest, Defender, Galaga, Centipede, Karate Champ - A mix of different games!

My goal is to have a finished (or maybe working) cabinet by Christmas!

 

   David

[tist]

mortal kombat and
battletoads

[Bluedeath]

The Nnja warriors from TAITO there are still moments that i think to built a triple screen cab instead of a single upright.

[Glaine]

Marvel Vs Street Fighter and vector Atari games.

[u_rebelscum]

Two steps:

My bro showed me mame back in the 0.37b# days.  I was interested, but not very; only enough to play some games.  Soon he bought himself a hotrodse and the play was a lot better.  I wanted one myself, except for the price.

Then I tried to play cabal with his hotrod; I desided I needed a dual trackball CP.  Super Sprint and Offroad added to the drive, and when I rediscovered Demolition Derby, I had to do the BYO control panels, even though they would cost more than the hotrodse.  (However, I still haven't built the two 360 steering wheel CP even though it was one of the first I wanted. )

[rackoon]

Smash TV, Mrs. Pac-Man, and Tempest!

[Pik4chu]

Well Im not as old as some of the people here so my "games that started it all" Were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (first cab I ever bought, 4 player version) and Time Crisis, ohhh boy did that thing suck up the coinage so fast  It is still one of my goals to own a Time crisis 2 player cab (singe or dual monitor style) problem is they are so friggin expensive, even to this day.  But one day it will be mine!!!  Next project will likely be to fix a Time Soldiers cab, was a really fun game but didnt play it as much as the others

Other goal is a pinball machine just another one of those "always wanted one to play"

[mllkat]

I'd have to say...too many to count. Actually the first arcade game I remember playing was Star Castles that was in an old auction barn. I would play that thing for as long as my mother could look around the place...which was a pretty long time. After that it was Battlezone, and PunchOut...Naturally those were the first games I tried on Mame (tm) and I was hooked from there on. One cabinet made...one in the works....infinite possibilities.

[fredster]

Mortal Kombat.  My first project was to convert it to MKII.

[Stingray]

Space Invaders. It's always been about Space Invaders.

-S

[BamBam]

Galaga and Asteroids.  I don't believe there were any other arcade games back then were there?
Metal Slug was great too.

[lharles]

"Gauntlet"...and "Tron"...and "Discs Of Tron"...and "Pac Man"...yeah.  Those would be the biggies for me.

Oddly though...I don't play them much at all.  I'm currently on a "Golden Tee" obsessive jag. 

[shmokes]

Donkey Kong.

There are others, of course, Street Fighter, Galaga, Elevator Action, Robotron, Punchout, Super Mario Bros. . . . dozens upon dozens.

But Donkey Kong is the one.

[Drugstore_Cowboy]

The Nnja warriors from TAITO there are still moments that i think to built a triple screen cab instead of a single upright.

another Ninja Warriors fan, wow

possibly the first one I've seen 

[NegativeStop]

Magical Drop 3 is what got me started, and 4 player action with the simpsons or x-men is what is motivating me to build a 4 player cab

[Mark70]

...I told her I'd love to make a devoted Mechwarrior cabinet that you sit in and have blinking lights and controls, but we'll get through a MAME one first and then see.

I'd love to start a thread on this.  I loved MW3.  It went in the crapper after that.  I'd love to see it again with new technology.

....don't derail this thread though.

Gauntlet has a stong effect on me.  I went on a trip to an amusement park when I was about 10 with my friends mother's school where she taught.  It was an all girls school.  That was memorable as a 10 year old boy.  We ended up on the park's arcade playing gauntlet.

There were too many other games to pick one since we spent time on pool hall where the games rotated often.  Magic Sword, Black Tiger, Ikari Warriors, and Superman all stand out in my mind.  Definately Knights of the Round.  And countless pinballs.