Games you missed in arcades and discovered later and the "80s gaming state of mind"

[Galaga will never die]

I spent a lot of my time in the 80s at arcades, but still somehow managed to miss a few classics hits. Two in particular I discovered for the first time much later through emulation packs

Satan's Hollow, and Sinistar

I don't know how I managed to overlook these coin-ops back in the day. When I play these games today they feel really fresh to me, because they are true classics but I haven't been playing them for decades already...

I'm actually glad I missed them the first time around, so I can enjoy them fresh now.

Putting a credit into these games on Midway arcade treasures or mame, I don't have the same nostalgia feeling as when I'm playing old games I know well. Instead, for these I'm in a state of mind like I was when walking up to any coin-op in the 80s, studying the game patterns, trying to play them well. I call it the "80s gaming state of mind", which is about looking at the game in front of you like it was new and analysing it like it is your opponent trying to take your quarter.

It's definitely not the same as the "retro gaming state of mind" which is more about looking-back fondly and enjoying the simplicity of the games of yesteryear you remember well, enjoying your memories of them, and their simplicity compared to modern gaming. The problem with this "retro gaming state of mind" is that it subconsciously taints the experience with all these modern points of reference. Playing games in the 80s, you weren't thinking that, it's just you and the coin-op facing off in the moment.

To me, that "pure" feeling of 80s gaming made it so valuable and awesome in the first place. So I boot up Sinistar, look at the attract screens, and face off against the machine... I will squeeze another 30 seconds of playtime out of this quarter if it kills me.

If anyone else has a similar or related experience, share it here.

[jakdin]

When I was living in Tokyo, my brother came to visit me and we had a blast going to as many Game Centers (arcades) as we could, since they were all but dead in our own country.

We stumbled upon this rad game called The Outfoxies (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=O&game_id=8941). It's a really cool multiplayer side-scrolling kill game. They had sets of machines networked, so you could really face-off with your opponent.

We played it for a long time, and then when I went back to the same arcade a few months later, it was gone! the horror!

I finally found it, after searching my brains off, and can now play it emulated, but the actual memory of playing it in the real life setting will never be matched...especially since you can't face-off in multiplayer in the emu version.

[roberthazelby]

For me Konami's `Pooyan` fits into this category.

I don't ever remember seeing a Pooyan machine back in the day. Perhaps it wasn't released in the UK?

Anyway, thanks to the joys of MAME I got into this a few years back and loved it. From the wonderful cartoony graphics, to the jaunty music and deviously designed levels, I found it a constant joy to play.

I managed to track down a bootleg PCB called `Pootan`, and this kept me very happy until I imported a `Konami Arcade Classics` PCB from the US which includes `Pooyan` and a number of other classic Konami titles.

When people ask me to explain what the game is like, the best I can describe is "A sideways version of Space Invaders, with cartoon like graphics".

A great game.

Rob

[Spin]

The game I discovered thanks to Mame was Rompers.
This is just a great game simple and only released in Japan.
Since discovering it I have been in search of the Namco PS1 release that contains it.
It too is hard to find. I was just hoping for a translated version.
It doesn’t help or hurt the game play but I like the game soo much I would like to know.

Mame also let me see the endings of some games I could never have seen.
Marble madness.

Spin

[Chewchilla]

I have never played Atari's The Empire Strikes Back (http://www.klov.com/E/Empire_Strikes_Back,_The.html) in its arcade form.

Being a HUGE fan of Atari's Star Wars arcade game "back in the day" (and now), I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of ESB to one of my local arcades in 1985 - it never arrived. Did I find it at "not so local" arcades? Nope. Since ESB was pretty much only available as a conversion kit for Star Wars, you would think that at least ONE of the Star Wars arcade cabs in my town would get "upgraded" - but NO. :mad:

So about 6 years later, I get to play ESB for the first time in the form of the Amiga version by Domark (http://www.classicgaming.com/amigareviews/empirest.htm). It was part of Domark's Star Wars Arcade collection (SW-I already had of course, ESB-YES!, Jedi-Not a big fan of that one) AND I had to import it. Having never played the arcade version, I had no idea how good of a conversion this was (Star Wars wasn't bad on the Amiga, and ESB ran on the Star Wars arcade hardware) - but it just didn't seem right.

Almost 10 years later, I FINALLY get to play the "almost" arcade version thanks to MAME (http://www.emuviews.com/reviews/reviews-167.html) (If you're not playing the arcade cab with the flight controls, you're just not playing the "real deal.")

And after FINALLY playing it, after almost 15 years of waiting - what did I think of Atari's The Empire Strikes Back? Bleh. It's not anywhere near as fun as Star Wars. Maybe the fact that ESB the movie didn't have a big, "explosive" ending had something to do with it.

Oh well...I now have Sega's Star War's Trilogy to satisfy my Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi arcade game cravings. :D

[AtariDude]

I definitely have to mention Pooyan. Never even saw it in any arcades that I remember. The other ones that I would like to mention is from the Namco museum collection for the PS1. Those games are the Legend of Valkyrie, and Ordyne.

[davykelly]

Major Havoc is a gem I discovered - a great vector based platformer with some traditional space shooting between levels..

I also found Wardner from Taito its a great platformer/adventure which has some nice ideas.

[WorknMan]

Games I never played until MAME:

- Solomon's Key (arcade version)
- Tapper
- Pengo
- Zookeeper
- Worms (Centipede ripoff, but I like it)
- Mad Planets (One of my favorites)

[telengard]

I spent a lot of my time in the 80s at arcades, but still somehow managed to miss a few classics hits. Two in particular I discovered for the first time much later through emulation packs

Satan's Hollow, and Sinistar

I don't know how I managed to overlook these coin-ops back in the day. When I play these games today they feel really fresh to me, because they are true classics but I haven't been playing them for decades already...

I'm actually glad I missed them the first time around, so I can enjoy them fresh now.

Putting a credit into these games on Midway arcade treasures or mame, I don't have the same nostalgia feeling as when I'm playing old games I know well. Instead, for these I'm in a state of mind like I was when walking up to any coin-op in the 80s, studying the game patterns, trying to play them well. I call it the "80s gaming state of mind", which is about looking at the game in front of you like it was new and analysing it like it is your opponent trying to take your quarter.

It's definitely not the same as the "retro gaming state of mind" which is more about looking-back fondly and enjoying the simplicity of the games of yesteryear you remember well, enjoying your memories of them, and their simplicity compared to modern gaming. The problem with this "retro gaming state of mind" is that it subconsciously taints the experience with all these modern points of reference. Playing games in the 80s, you weren't thinking that, it's just you and the coin-op facing off in the moment.

To me, that "pure" feeling of 80s gaming made it so valuable and awesome in the first place. So I boot up Sinistar, look at the attract screens, and face off against the machine... I will squeeze another 30 seconds of playtime out of this quarter if it kills me.

If anyone else has a similar or related experience, share it here.

Excellent thread idea!

For me the games I got into late, mostly because I never saw then in the arcades are:

Reactor (wow what a great game)
Robotron (because I couldn't afford to spend quarters when I was young on a game I lived for < 5ms)
Frenzy
The Pit
Black Widow
Juno First

I agree with you about the diff between playing on the xbox and in the arcade. Going to an arcade can bring back that "state of mind" too. I go up to Funspot and it is like going through a time machine!

Have you considered builing a MAME cabinet? I am very glad I did.
Sometimes to *really* bring back the feeling I only play the # of games for quarters I have to insert into it. :)

~telengard

[Flare]

For me recently it's Go Go Mile Smile (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=G&game_id=7956); introduced by Turbo2Xs just a few days ago.

[Danny]

Butasan made by NMK in 1987 was a game that I missed the first time around because the arcades near me only really stocked mainstream games but this game was wonderful was could be better than pitting pig vs pig in a explosive bombs only deathmatch?

[Turbo2Xs]

Does anyone try any of the games mentioned by the responders? If not, whats the point? ;)

I have actually found many a game that are worth a look from these types of posts and am curious as to whether a 'post' is to convey or to enlighten...?

[Danny]

I've already played a lot of the games mentioned, Outfoxes is a very nice game and I agree it would be nice to be able to play that game LINK-UP but perhaps one day eh? ;)

p.s: GO MONKEY!