Way before we had these newfangled arcade machines (such as these Minecraft-themed ones), we used to play in 2D or low resolution 3D polygons. Ah, the good ol’ days of button mashing and praying that the machines did not eat our tokens.
Remember these 6 nostalgic arcade games from back in the day?
Crazy Taxi
Those who’ve played this will remember blazing through a San Francisco-inspired map in a bright yellow open top taxi, ignoring both traffic laws and the laws of physics as you bash through oncoming vehicles like bowling pins, all in a bid to get your customers to their destination as fast as possible. Hopefully none of our Grab or taxi drivers played this growing up.
Time Crisis
This arcade series made use of 3D light gun shooters, which was pretty advanced arcade tech at the time. Trigger happy players could actually aim gun-shaped controllers at bad guys on a screen and shoot at them. The game could be played in both one and two player mode, or you could spend twice the tokens and wield both gun controllers Rambo-style.
House of the Dead
Here’s another multiplayer light gun arcade game. This entire video game series had a simple premise, which was to empty as many bullets into the undead as possible. Although it is worth questioning whether the player was also undead, considering the number of times you could come back to life if you had enough tokens.
Daytona USA
Released in 1994, there were only three tracks on this arcade racing game, but it was still a hoot. Players would drive a stock car in a pretty immersive setup, racing against a number of computer controlled cars that actually adapt to your skill level based on how you’re driving. The game also had pretty realistic mechanics, so you could pull moves like drifting and power sliding. Pretty cool for a 90s arcade game.
Metal Slug
This arcade classic put us into the shoes of the elite Peregrine Falcon Squad, fighting against the likes of rebels, aliens, mummies and various other evil forces. The run ‘n gun format meant we generally started with a pistol and picked up more powerful weapons along the way, blasting enemies while avoiding their attacks. Which was pretty challenging, considering you could only move in 2D.
Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
This crossover was a pretty big hit. There’s just something timeless about Ryu’s hadoukens and Wolverine‘s claw attacks. The game featured a tag team system where you could choose two characters and swap between them during the fight, as well as using both for a special duo attack. Plus, aside from the Street Fighter and Marvel characters, the game also featured other Capcom franchises such as Megaman and Darkstriders.
Classic Arcade Games
These old timey arcade games aren’t as flashy or high tech as the newer arcade machines today, but they were still a blast to play. If you’re looking to relive these old glory days, some of these games can still be found in certain arcades around Singapore, or are available for rent. Alternatively, many of them are available online as PC or mobile versions via emulators.
