Favorite Commodore 64 Cab-friendly games

[DrChek]

Can anyone suggest some classic Commodore 64 games that are arcade control friendly. I'm looking to expand the games list on my bartop into some early computer games. I want to avoid things that are just arcade remakes as I already have them covered. I'm more looking for games that are C64 exclusive or best in C64 form.

Oh, and I have a single joystick and 6 player buttons to work with.

[jimmy2x2x]

Uridium is by far and away the most arcade like game on the C64, get the hacked version of VICE emulator that syncs to 50hz and create a custom videomode with powerstrip for silky smooth gameplay!

I will add the full list of my c64/cab games when I return from work.

[DrChek]

get the hacked version of VICE emulator that syncs to 50hz and create a custom videomode with powerstrip for silky smooth gameplay!

My bartop has a computer LCD screen so vanilla VICE should do just fine. Can't wait to see the list.

[shrunkenmaster]

Jimmy2x2x beat me to it, Uridium is the sheet!

[Vigo]

Are you planning on setting unique controls for each game that requires a few keyboard stokes to work? If so, my personal fave is Castle Wolfenstein.

I also end up playing a lot of Wizball, Spy vs Spy and Ghettoblaster. I would have to consult my list to come up with more.

[DrChek]

Are you planning on setting unique controls for each game that requires a few keyboard stokes to work?

Yes.

[jimmy2x2x]

Sanxion and Delta are also classics

[novamatt]

When I had a C64, this was absolutely hands-down my favorite game:

http://indianajones.wikia.com/wiki/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Last_Crusade:_The_Action_Game

[Xiaou2]

Bruce Lee
The Last V8
Sigma 7
Raid Over Moscow
Skate Or Die

[Vigo]

Cannot forget paradroid!

[jimmy2x2x]

Warhawk and Dropzone (although the Atari version is better)

[EVEGames]

Archon
Jumpman
Jumpman Jr.
Space Taxi
Kickstart
Deceptor
Bruce Lee
Gryphon
Cauldron
Or, sometimes I just load up Swinth and zone out for a while...
The list is damn near endless.  Love the C64.

You do need access to emulated Function keys for a lot of C64 games.  Not to mention, a lot of your C64 disk images will of course be "Cracked By..." one group or another, and they might have "trained" the games, giving you cheat options up front, and requiring the input of Y or N to move forward, neither of which are standard MAME keys.  If you do not have a keyboard available to you near your cab, you might want to consider setting up Shifted keys in your keyboard encoder, to give you access to AT LEAST the following additional keys:
Your normal ESC key should send RunStop, use shifted keys for F1, F3, F5, F7, 'Y' and 'N'.  Those should get you pretty far.

-EVEGames

[jimmy2x2x]

Archon
Jumpman
Jumpman Jr.
Space Taxi
Kickstart
Deceptor
Bruce Lee
Gryphon
Cauldron
Or, sometimes I just load up Swinth and zone out for a while...
The list is damn near endless.  Love the C64.

You do need access to emulated Function keys for a lot of C64 games.  Not to mention, a lot of your C64 disk images will of course be "Cracked By..." one group or another, and they might have "trained" the games, giving you cheat options up front, and requiring the input of Y or N to move forward, neither of which are standard MAME keys.  If you do not have a keyboard available to you near your cab, you might want to consider setting up Shifted keys in your keyboard encoder, to give you access to AT LEAST the following additional keys:
Your normal ESC key should send RunStop, use shifted keys for F1, F3, F5, F7, 'Y' and 'N'.  Those should get you pretty far.

-EVEGames

Or you could just take a snapshot of the game once its started, or at least skipped all the trainer/intro stuff.

[Vigo]

Kickstart

Kickstart, Kickstart II, and Trailblazer themselves play great on the arcade. The problem is that you need different keystrokes to select the different courses.


and +1 on the snapshot method. then you have the frontend open the snapshot instead of open the disk file.

[Vigo]

Oh, I got some more.

Terramex (cosmic relief). Great early adventure game.
Impossible mission 1 and 2. the sequel is very underrated.
Commando - The C64 version has it's own merits.
Lazarian - The mame arcade version is buggy. C64 version is better.
Samurai Warrior: Usagi Yojimbo - Great action game.
Bazooka Bill
Bubble Ghost
Cosmic Tunnels
Roadrunner - again, C64 version has its own merits
Finders keeps - I am pretty positive the keys needed are under 6
Spooks
Tooth Invaders - Cheesy, but still fun
Deceptor
Potty Pigeon
Tank Wars
Threshold
Realm of Impossibility
Forbidden Forest
Beyond Forbidden Forest
The Great Escape (May be to slow paced for arcade, but a good game nonetheless)
High Noon
Super Bunny
Starquake
Mini Putt
Mr Robot
Skate Rock
Slam Dunk
Super Pipeline 1 and 2

[EVEGames]

Or you could just take a snapshot of the game once its started, or at least skipped all the trainer/intro stuff.

Good call, Jimmy.  Never worked with snapshots myself, could be a big time saver.

Add Skate Or Die to the list, and how could I forget California Games.

Then you get into completely un-cab-friendly territory with games like Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate, but I tell ya, all these years later, 20+ years later, I can still load that game up and easily get sucked into a 4 or 5 hour session.  You ever get so into a game that after a while, you forget to blink... and then you suddenly realize that you have not blinked in like 10 minutes straight, and you know you now have to, and when you do it's going to sting like hell... BT3 does that to me. 

Vigo... Potty Pigeon???    Never heard of that one.  Good call on Impossible Mission.
And I don't know what triggered it but I just remembered The Way of the Exploding Fist.  Remember the Bruce Lee audio clip during the initial load?

[Vigo]

Vigo... Potty Pigeon???    Never heard of that one. 

Haha. Yeah, there was actually a game called potty pigeon. It wasn't an amazing game, but it is great for an arcade setting. You are a pigeon and you poop on cars and try to collect twigs for you nest.

[nipsmg]

Potty Pigeon is awesome!

Some more:

Raid on Bungeling Bay
Blue Max
Montezuma's Revenge
Henry's House
Pogo Joe
Lazy Jones

Great Giana Sisters? (SMB Clone)
Hot Wheels
 (pointless but I loved that game), except the demo derby portion had bad sectors on it so I never got to play it.  I can still here that whirr/click repetative sound you'd get before the light started blinking     )

Upvote for Space Taxi and Jumpman.  Those games were AWSOME.

[EVEGames]

After seeing, and more specifically hearing that Potty Pigeon video clip, I'd bet dollars to donuts that the same developer was involved that made Oil's Well... the sound effects immediately brought that game to mind... when the pigeon picks up the branches, it's the same sound that's made when you retract the oil pipe from deep within the well... listen at 0:30...

[GibsonRiddler]

B.C. Was always a favorite of mine and
+1 for Bruce Lee

[JohnEDollar]

Any of the Epyx sports games - Summer Games, Winter Games, World Games & California Games.
M.U.L.E.
Ace of Aces
Artic Fox
Castles of Dr. Creep

[Thenasty]

Poltergiest
Gridrunner
?   Keep forgetting the name of this game everytime I think of it (like a remake of Astro Blaster type game)

[Vigo]

?   Keep forgetting the name of this game everytime I think of it (like a remake of Astro Blaster type game)

Threshold?

[Thenasty]

Yea..thats it.. Threshold..

But that screen shot is not the c-64. The spaceship is different.

[Raitsa]

China Miner
and
Arabian Nights.

[Vigo]

Yea..thats it.. Threshold..

But that screen shot is not the c-64. The spaceship is different.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you are right. I thought that screenshot looked a little off.

[torino]

I prefer Amstrad, but these games should play more or less the same on C64:

 1. Raid over Moscow!!!
 2. Bruce Lee
 3. The way of the exploding fist
 4. Super Pipeline
 5. Spy vs. Spy
 6. Kane
 7. Thrust
 8. Manic Miner
 9. Beach Head
10. Sorcery

[EVEGames]

China Miner

...made me remember a good one, Miner2049'er.

Torino, +1 on Beach Head, although I can't remember if that one's cab-friendly or not... lots of keyboard needed on that one or no?

Adding to my list:
Feud
Wizard
Barbarian
Cobra
Friday the 13th
Knight Games

[torino]

China Miner

...made me remember a good one, Miner2049'er.

Torino, +1 on Beach Head, although I can't remember if that one's cab-friendly or not... lots of keyboard needed on that one or no?

Adding to my list:
Feud
Wizard
Barbarian
Cobra
Friday the 13th
Knight Games

It's basically just 1 fire button and 8-way joystick, but there may be troubles when starting the game and selecting difficulty. Also if there are some intros or trainers they might need some weird input to go away and let the game finally start.

Bruce Lee might also be hard to set up for the same reason since the main menu requires crazy keys to navigate, to select number of players, select control and AI scheme, and then you need to press something like "S" to finally begin the game, or was all that on Amstrad? 



Hard Hat Mack