All video games got their start from some place and this honors nine past video games and one present-day video game. Here’s your chance to learn about them, and afterwards play one or two, to see what you have been missing out on.
All video games got their start from some place and this article honors nine past video games and one present-day video game. Here’s your chance to learn about these games, and then afterwards play a game or two, so to see what you have been missing out on.
The age of video games has really exploded over the past three decades, from its earliest days of Pong. Today, videogames is a multi million-dollar business and growing every year. The following are just a few video games that has gobbled up fistfuls of quarters and put the world of video games on the map.
Here we honor some of the best videogames ever developed and their designers. Play any of the games for free by clicking on the name of the game as seen below. Most of the games do not require membership or login to play. Some games may require Java or Shockwave to work properly, but the majority of the games are Flash Games.
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Defender
Shockwave Required
Image Source: Flickr
Defender was created by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released as an arcade video game machine, before moving into the video game console market. In Defender, the player(s) are the pilot of a spaceship and put in charge of defending ten humanoids all the while fighting off enemy spacecraft. Don’t let the enemy spacecraft capture any of the humanoids or you will have to attempt a risky rescue. Complete each mission to continue moving up to more difficult levels in the game. Set a high score to beat later. Play 10 classic video games including “Bubbles, Defender, Defender 2, Joust, Rampage, Robotron 2084, Satan’s Hollow, SiniStar, Spy Hunter, and Tapper (Root Beer).
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Super Mario Bros.
Image Source: Flickr
Super Mario Bros was designed and published by Nintendo in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In Super Mario Bros, the players move their character through a series of challenging levels, while defeating turtles, hammer tossing monsters, man-eating flowers and battling it out with fierce dragons. The player’s mission is to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of King of the Koopas called Bowser. Collect coins to earn extra lives. Process firepower, so Mario can toss fireball at oncoming enemies in order to defeat them. Capture the golden stars, so to destroy any enemy without taking damage. Defeat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach to win the game.
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Ms. Pac-Man
Image Source: Flickr
Ms Pac-Man was developed by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to the legendary Pac-Man and release as an arcade video game in 1981. In Ms Pac-man, the player(s) guide their character through a maze filled with dots, power dots and pesky patrolling ghosts hall monitors. It is the player’s mission to gobble up all of the dots in the maze to continue to more difficult levels. Additional points can be scored by eating power dots and gaining the temporary power to turn the tables on the ghosts and chase them down to eat them, too.
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Galaga
Java Required
Image Source: Pocketpcmag.com
Galaga was released in 1981 by Namco as a first person shooter video arcade game. In Galaga, the player(s) control the movement of a spaceship assigned to destroy incoming alien spacecraft that sometimes dive and bomb your position. Some alien spacecraft may try to capture the player’s spacecraft during the fight and if it is successful at capturing, then the player can attempt to re-capture their ship by carefully destroying the spacecraft without accidentally destroying their own ship in order to double the firepower with two spaceships at once. After the player(s) destroys all of the alien spacecraft in a level, then that player continues to move to more difficult level missions.
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Gauntlet
Image Source: Brandonfamily.blogs.com/
Atari Games released a role-playing style videogame called Gauntlet in 1985 as another arcade videogame. In Gauntlet, there isn’t any specific mission, but to crawl the dungeons as the player’s choice of characters and recover treasure and keys. The NES version of the game does however end once a player reaches 100 levels. The players can choose to fight at close range, hand-to-hand combat or use magic to fight or haste away.
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Zelda
Image Source: Gameguru.in
Zelda was originally released in Japan in 1986, and then in the US and EU in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In Zelda, the player(s) are trying to rescue Princess Zelda out from the evil hands of, Ganon. Players move their character along a series of combative and thought-provoking adventures, until the princess has been rescued and the evil has been defeated. -
Final Fantasy
Image Source: Irishblogs.ie
Final Fantasy 2 was introduced as a console role-playing videogame designed and published by Square in 1988, to be played on the NES. In Final Fantasy, the player is going off on a deadly adventure to explore several towns and dungeons, while slaying the evil creature out there waiting to attack the player’s character. Collect treasures to buy new armor, weapons and magic potions. Solve mind-bending puzzles and defeat the evil around you.
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Street Fighter 2
Image Source: Wii60.com
Street Fighter 2 is a competitive fighting video game that was released in 1991 as a video arcade machine and later introduced on the NES. In Street Fighter 2, the player(s) duke it out with awesome fighting techniques and special moves to defeat the other fighting characters in the game. Players must win the best of three rounds to win the match and advance to tougher opponents. -
Sonic The Hedgehog
1991
Image Source: Vgfrequency.com
Sonic The Hedgehog was release in 1991 by Sega and designed by the Sonic Team for the Sega Genesis Console Game System. In Sonic The Hedgehog, the player(s) must guide their character through a world of danger and deadly obstacles, while collecting golden rings to score points and to maintain the health of their character throughout the mission. Complete each mission level and more to harder mission levels. Sonic must prevent Doctor Robotnik from collecting six Chaos Emeralds, so that Doctor Robotnik cannot rule the South Island. Sonic The Hedgehog demonstrates the advancements, power and speed of the computer capabilities of the day back then. Truly amazing, don’t you agree? -
Pepsi Flipper Pinball
Image Source: Z.about.com
No arcade would be complete without a pinball machine, so here is a very cool pinball game that features a bonus level of Breakout to earn extra points. The pinball machine in complete with three flippers, bumpers, standup targets, lighted gates and secret passages that allows a player to really rack up some serious points. While this is not an original console video game, it is a very fun game and demonstrates the graphic improvements in video game engineering.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
How well I remember these games, I have sat in front of the TV with grandkids playing these games so many times, and joined in a few times myself. Well written. Best luck, Ruby
March 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I just scored 100520 points on Pac-Man. I haven’t played Defender in more than 20 years, but thanks to you I can, now.
Great article you’ve written, Nelson Doyle. Your my newest favorite author.
March 4th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I remember skipping class to spend the day playing most of these. Nice article.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I have always loved to play video games, but no matter how advanced video games the games that we have today gets, I will rather play the older games every time.
My favorite is Defender, but Pac-Man has always challenge me, too. Games back in the early days were much simpler to learn and play. I find it cool to be able to play a complete game in a couple of hours, rather than playing games for months or years.
Thanks everyone for leaving your comments and I hope that you enjoyed the walk down Memory Lane.
Nelson Doyle
March 5th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Such a fun article. Nice work!
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:46 am
This was a nice trip down memory lane.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Mortal Mafakin Kombat yo
March 5th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I thought this list was supposed to be about quarter-eaters, so why are home-console titles included?
March 5th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Dood, nice work, but how about a real picture of Gauntlet circa \’85…That modern CG thing is not cool.
Also, what about Cyberball. That game was way addictive. I remember a constant queue to get in on 4 player games, just like Gauntlet.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Since when did Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Sonic The Hedgehog “gobble a lot of quarters”? Those are home-console-only titles.
Duh.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am
No Simpson’s the arcade game? That one ate my quarters, as did X-men:The arcade game!
March 5th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Agreed, Final fantasy, Zelda, Mario and sonic are all fine fine games… but they didn’t gobble a quarter (unless we talk about the Nintendo top ten systems but that’s one system, and stupid.)
Poor work.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Yeah, honestly I’ve never seen Zelda, Final Fantasy, or Sonic at the arcades. I’ll have to put Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cruisin USA, and gun games like Area 51 on the list
March 5th, 2008 at 11:35 am
most of these were console games… what about games like dragons lair and Xmen… I spent way too much money on those games
T2 pinball dominated my measly funds from selling lemonade as well
March 5th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I’m officially a loser since I’ve wasted my quarters on none of these. I feel too young…
If you’re a drudge fan: drudgetracker.com
March 5th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I thought quarter eaters as well, where are games like Dig-Dug, Moon Patrol, Poll Position, actually this is a trip down memory lane. I was an arcade junky as kid. Buying a colecovision was a day I’ll never forget, either. Damn, I’m old.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:37 am
All good games, but I thought this was about the 10 ten games that gobbled quarters, and alot of those games were not arcade games. Super Mario Bros did have an arcade port, but Zelda and Final Fantasy sure as heck didn’t.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I think the author never played any arcade before. Where’s Asteroids?! Where’s Raiden, Ikaruga maybe? Come on! Write something that make sense! JUNK ARTICLE!!!!!
March 5th, 2008 at 11:46 am
pointless, you included 3 games that were never in arcades
March 5th, 2008 at 11:46 am
What kind of stupid list like this misses one of the biggest games of arcade history – Dragon’s Lair!!! Hell, when this thing came out, kids lined up around the block and down the street to get a chance for 1 play! Crowds used to gather to watch whoever was playing. No game then or since ever captured attention like that.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I just tried putting quarters into my NES and a puff of smoke came out and now it wont start. WTF?
March 5th, 2008 at 11:51 am
2 words…………….Dragon’s Lair!!!
March 5th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Also, Street Fighter 2 was never ported to the NES, only the SNES…
March 5th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
What no Dragon’s Lair? C’mon ARCADE games.
March 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Sonic was never an arcade game, neither was Zelda to the best of my knowledge. I do however enjoy playing both of these games, but I just think that these two games should not be on this list as the title of the story states arcade games.
Nelson, I read some of your other articles and stories and they were very good and well-researched. What happened to this story? Did you get into a rush and forget to double check your research? Slow down and write the way that I know you can.