Arcades aren’t quite the same as they used to be, but they’re still super awesome in their own ways. Despite what some people might want you to believe, arcades aren’t dead yet, and there’s tons of fun still to be had if you visit one these days. Let’s go ahead and look at my Top 10 Favorite arcade games/machines of all time, so I can gush a little bit more about how much I love arcades!
Also, just to point it out, but there won’t be any pinball tables on this list. I ADORE pinball, so I need to do a full list just about pinball tables at some point!
Anyway, let’s put our figurative quarter in and jump into things!
(As a bonus, I’ll even include a gameplay video of each machine in action!)
Honorable Mentions) Connect Four Basketball, Monster Drop, Arctic Thunder, Ribbit Racin’, Piano Keys
10) The Haunted House ~ GAMEPLAY
For a full disclosure, I don’t actually enjoy this game that much. You just sort of hit the button and hope that you move up to the next spinner, and then you do it again. If you don’t move up, the game is over. It’s harmless. However, this machine is infamous for having an extremely loud and campy announcer using his best ‘Suspiciously-Creepy Haunted House Owner‘ voice to declare the rules of the game. He has such a unique cadence that his oft-repeated phrase of “WELcome to my HAUNTed HOUSE!” is forever baked into my brain.
9) Stacker ~ GAMEPLAY
Some people have a certain game that they excel at in arcades. For me, that’s always been Stacker. I think it’s probably owed to my lifetime of playing video games that trained my reflexes, but Stacker just comes down to good timing. At least, when trying to win the Minor Prize. If going for the Major Prize, it mostly comes down to luck (Stacker, like many arcade games of this nature, is rigged against you, and your success is largely based on an internal mechanism that randomly selects a winner every XXX number of attempts, or some such). So if you’re looking for a necklace or other little Minor Prize trinket from a Stacker machine, I’m the one to call!
8) Halo Fireteam Raven ~ GAMEPLAY
There’s a hundred million shooter arcade games out there in the world (and I’m quite a big fan of the Tomb Raider one). And this one isn’t going to be the only one to make my list here. But I just can’t deny how cool it is to be playing Halo in an arcade, especially with the level of production quality being this high. This game is pretty visually dazzling, and a whole lot of hectic fun. It’s especially fantastic if the arcade you’re at is one that has the full-size, double-screen, four-player variation. It’s like a cinema-level experience but for an arcade game, and it’s something you should definitely try out at least once.
7) Bomberman Arcade ~ GAMEPLAY
This is actually an extremely new arcade game that seemingly hasn’t been discovered by many people on the internet yet. From what I can tell, it’s mostly just popped up in a few Round One locations (if you know what those are). But I had to put it on this list simply because I don’t think I’ve ever played an arcade game this willing to spit a bazillion tickets at me without complaint. This game gives you tickets hand-over-fist, all while you get to engage in some nostalgia-pleasing Bomberman fun. I also love just how many players can take a seat at the machine, and the way that the gameplay never really pauses as you can just keep putting tokens in and racking up more points.
6) Typhoon Motion Simulator ~ GAMEPLAY
Arguably, this doesn’t really count as a game, but I still can’t resist giving one of these machines a try if I see one installed at an arcade I’m visiting. There’s just something really fun about the idea of reclining in this chair and rocking all around the place while you ride a digital roller coaster, and a dinky little fan blows in your face. It’s oddly relaxing, in my opinion, especially because it doesn’t reach the sensory-overload of something like those virtual ride experiences at Universal Studios that make me want to lose my lunch. Also, these Typhoon machines have a shockingly vast catalogue of tracks to ride, with each machine at each arcade having a unique selection. I’ve always loved the Haunted Mine one!
5) Jurassic Park ~ GAMEPLAY
While there are newer, more modern variations of a Jurassic Park arcade machine, this OG version is still a ton of fun, and has lots of charm. I mean, just look at the work put into creating that little park vehicle seat! But yeah, this game is a blast to play, whether it’s fending off the rampaging T-Rex stomping closer and closer to you, or shooting at those Velociraptor graphics that just kinda slide onto the screen in that charmingly old-school sort of way. And speaking of the T-Rex, some really phenomenal sprite work there, my congratulations to Sega and the rest of the development team. There’s a really good soundtrack too!
4) Mario Kart Arcade GP DX ~ GAMEPLAY
A big reason for this arcade game placing so high (aside from just being really fun) is because of the novelty of being able to play Mario Kart but in a bite-sized format within an arcade. Novelty aside, though, this is still a really well-designed arcade game. The controls feel just right, the tracks are the perfect length, and there’s a ton of replayability in terms of characters, karts, and maps to race on. And then there’s a lot of fun little touches too, like taking a picture of your face and adding in some little accessories before the race begins, or accessing cool variations on some of the tracks.
3) Wacky Gator ~ GAMEPLAY
I feel sorry for people who have never been able to try out a Wacky Gator machine, because you don’t know what you’re missing out on. It’s an arcade game that is delightful no matter what age you are, and as such a simple concept to grasp. See a gator? Whack it on the head! I used to love playing this game with my siblings, one of us standing to one side of the machine and someone else on the other side. You’d think that a setup like that would be enough to thwart this gator (and his goofy little “OUCH” cries when you hit him). But then you hear the dreaded “Now I’m Angry” and everything just goes crazy! This one is such a fun time!
2) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games ~ GAMEPLAY
Typically, when you pop a quarter into a machine, you expect to have a bit of fun for a minute or two, sometimes even less. Shooter games last longer if you fork over more tokens, but there’s usually a general understanding with arcade machines providing fun-but-short experiences. And then this game comes along. For a single entry fee (mildly higher than other games, but never by much) you’re treated to a ten minute long sporting adventure. Across multiple minigames, you’ll get a legitimate workout trying to best your opponent and take home the gold medal.
This would be impressive enough on its own, but the fun doesn’t stop there. A plethora of characters beg for replayability, and there’s more minigames than you’d ever see in a single experience, which also practically demands you play this awesome game more than once. Add in the fact that you can battle against your friend for some two-player shenanigans, and this game becomes an absolute must play each time I spy one at an arcade.
1) Let’s Go Jungle ~ GAMEPLAY
I knew that this game was going to place at the top of this list before I even started writing, simply because of how much this goofy little game means to me.
Arguably, it’s just another shooter game. You and a friend wield your bafflingly-infinite-ammo machine guns as you tear through this nightmarish jungle filled with every possible evil creature you could imagine. Massive spiders, a towering mantis, mutated plant demons, and a horde of malicious butterflies…and the list goes on. Across four levels (and you actually only play three each time through the game, so there’s some fun replayability in terms of which level you want to tackle), you fight to survive hordes of enemies, intense boss battles, and frequent timing-based QTEs (quick time events).
What really helps set this game apart is its Partner mechanic. The game (with janky cutscenes and adorably terrible voice acting) tells the story of a couple who visited this island as an attempted romantic retreat to repair their relationship. When you play this game, one of you will be the guy, and the other the girl. While you earn a general high score for beating baddies and shooting targets, you also earn a Partner score based upon how well you and your teammate work together. Shooting the same enemies, helping each other out of binds, and nailing the QTEs will increase your Partner score, which in turn actually determines if you get the game’s Good Ending or Bad Ending.
I’ve played this game from start-to-finish (it takes about thirty minutes) over a dozen times, and have managed to claim top leaderboard spots at it nearly every time I visit an arcade that has it. It’s gotten a lot rarer to see in arcades these days, but I’ll always have my memories of it at least!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 