50 Best Arcade Games - I Love IT!
by Michele Christopher
 Welcome to Day 3 of the nominating process for The Almost Final Countdown - Arcade games edition.
We are almost hitting the top of the nomination list, so if you don't want yours to miss out, you better get it in.
A lot are nominated, but haven't been "officially" been put in yet.
Herein comes the problem. We are looking for the ones that got more than one nomination. So if you said something earlier in the poll and you haven't seen it yet, to make sure it gets in on the top 50, nominate it again.
The first two nomination lists are here and here.
The official "list" from the reader nominations are:
1. Rampage
2. Tecmo Super Dodge Ball
3. Berzerk
4. Spy Hunter
5. Tron
6. Sinistar
7. Bubble Bobble
8 Robotron 2084
9. Pole Position
10. Donkey Kong
Pretty cool list we have started here, eh?
Want to see the next ten?
Then here we go.
 11. Mortal Kombat 2
This game haunted my nights. I guess it was just the all out ass kickiness(?) of the game that made it so great. Maybe it was the way there were really no hard "secret moves" or anything hard you had to memorize. Now, games like this have something like 20 different things you have to get down to really kick ass.
L R L L U D A B L R??? What the hell is that? Memorizing moves like that ruined all the new fighting games.
I miss simple moves like the ones in Mortal Kombat.
Get off my lawn.
12. The Simpsons
I missed this one, so maybe I am not the best person to review it. It sounds fun, but I never have seen it. Doesn't mean it wasn't cool. It just means that my measly arcades never had it. And I worked in arcades. I don't know how it slipped by me. But I guess it is cool. So it is up here.
13. Joust
I have no idea who thought of this concept, but I like it. A happy game. You bonk them on their heads. Turn them into eggs. Then capture their eggs. But don't let them hatch. Or they will grow up to jousters. Then they will catch an ostrich and fly away. Then you must bonk them on their heads again.
I mean c'mon. That is a pretty stupid premise for a game. It reeks of Doug Henning.
But you know what? Damn, that game was fun.
14. Smash TV
Coming out right after "Running Man" of Arnold fame, this game had a great idea. Kill people for cash. That was it. Kill those bastards live on TV and get paid.
15. Total Carnage
Part 2 to Smash TV and my personal favorite. Take one kid on really bad methamphetamine with a pocket full of quarters and you got him (me) in front of this game for 12 hour stretches. Covered in sweat, trying to destroy the baby food company before Saddam (that was Saddam, right?) unleashed his hell upon the Earth. Sure it was a quarter sucker, but it was a good quarter sucker.
16. Asteroids
I forgot how much fun this was until I found it online a few days ago. Somehow I lost about three hours last weekend playing this game. It was that fun. I don't know why I always thought these games were so hard back then. I was so scared of smashing the last asteroid before I was directly in the middle of the screen to get the perfect angle for the new wave that would come at me.
Hell, last weekend I just hit the thruster and fired in circles. It seemed to work the same.
And I think I did a pretty good job.
/And who made the rule that if you Kamikaze the alien ship, you die??? That's a lame rule. I think we should both be destroyed if I ram that fucker. - T
 17. Golden Tee
Doesn't matter what year or version it was. Gimmie a trackball, half pack of smokes and a few pints of beer and this game was mine. Is it just me or were these games ONLY located in bars?? Not much skill involved here. Maybe holding your piss til your round was over, but that's about it. Push, slam, or whack that ball as far as it can go and drink another beer. I don't really think anyone cared how badly they did either.
I mean, how many times did you just say "fuck it" and just hit in the woods?
18. Punch Out
NES had nothing on this. This was fun. This was fighting. I am sad that wimpy little NES Mike Tyson came out and soiled my memories of this great game. Hell, I can't remember half the characters now. This is all NES fault. I remember Bald Bull...that's about it. The rest are all the NES characters I remember. Damn it. Now I am going to have to go find it somewhere.
19. Battle Zone
A game truly made before anyone cared about getting the germs and sweat of strangers on their faces. Step up and mash your face against the eyesight and destroy some tanks. I am assuming many communicable diseases made this game their home back in the day. But it was still cool to see the little tanks blow up.
20. Star Wars
Minus the annoying talk in the background (Yes. Yes I do know we lost god damn R2, ok?) this was a fun game. Just shoot the crap out of everything. Try to shoot Darth (Did he ever die?) then hit the Deathstar...one more time. The game was repetitive as all hell but you have to admire the Empire.
They sure built them Deathstars fast.
So those are ten more that made the list..
But, we still need 20 more. If you don't see yours on here and it has been nominated in the past, nominate that sucker again and get it on here!
Nominations are open til Friday, and this is the place to do it. And the more people that nominate a game, the more likely it is to get into the final poll.
Now I have to go find who the other characters were in Punch out.
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Comments
I've still got to see Ms. Pac-Man and Afterburner on this list. You know you want to add them.
Also, are these only supposed to be older arcade games or can we go newer, too? Because if we're going newer--motherfucking CRAZY TAXI! Damn that game sucked away my free time (mostly on the Dreamcast, admittedly, but it was the same great fun as an arcade game.)
Posted by: Joel | January 17, 2007 3:46 AM
it can be new games too
and afterburner and ms pacman are both on the list. they just haven't come out yet.
Posted by: turtle | January 17, 2007 8:00 AM
I hated Joust. Something about those ostriches weirded me out.
Posted by: michele | January 17, 2007 9:36 AM
I nominate Super Tecmo Bowl, and video Bo Jackson as the greatest athlete ever.
Posted by: The Deacon | January 17, 2007 9:37 AM
Ok. I know some of my favourite games, like Bosconian or Turkey Shoot, will never make the list. Too obscure. But Gauntlet has to be there.
I mean, you're already up to 20, and you haven't got Gauntlet yet? Has the whole world gone crazy?
Posted by: Bruce Gottfred | January 17, 2007 9:56 AM
Bruce, sometimes we save the best for last.
I have long, sordid history with Gauntlet.
ELF NEED FOOD BADLY!
Posted by: michele | January 17, 2007 9:58 AM
My Local movie theatre has one where you have to pick up this big asses gun and it actually kicks back at you while you are firing at the zombies that have apparently invaded your military base.
Can't for the life of me remember what it's called.
Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?
Posted by: Deb | January 17, 2007 11:06 AM
Yay for Robotron, that was the one I was going to nominate. That's my favorite game of all time. For about $500, Target has a nearly full sized arcade game that includes many favorites, including Robotron. That's on my wish list.
Anyway, my nominations
One very obscure that I've only seen in one arcade back in 1979 or 1980 (the first arcade in my town)
Rip-off.
It was most fun as a two-player game. You had triangles in the middle that the enemies tried to steal. You had to shoot them before they could get off the screen. You could shoot the triangles (fuel pods) or the enemy or your ally.
Nobody mentioned Galaga?
I nominate Galaga.
And one more, it's in that Target arcade game too
Defender. That was a fun game.
One thing, I think you have to be about 40-45 to fully appreciate it, but Space Invaders will always be my top game. It was the first ever. I loved pinball machines, but when Space Invaders came out, all my money went in.
While Asteroid quickly made it seem lame, if for no other reason that that it was the first arcade game, Space Invaders deserves the top slot every time.
Posted by: Veeshir | January 17, 2007 12:22 PM
cough missile command cough.
Why yes, I was a video vegetable in my youth. Why do you ask?
Posted by: Veeshir | January 17, 2007 12:24 PM
well I just finished putting together #30-40 and most of those mentioned above are on there for tomorrows list.
although the gun one Deb was talking about escapes me
Posted by: turtle | January 17, 2007 1:52 PM
Deb, maybe it was this?
Zombie Raid
Posted by: michele | January 17, 2007 2:10 PM
PAPERBOY! Tempest.
Posted by: Richard | January 17, 2007 5:22 PM
My favourite Arcade game of all time is the brilliant "X-Men vs. Street Fighter". Street fighter was ok and xmen was alright but the combination of the two is fantastic.
It came out in 1996 and it had a bit of a learning curve because of the super massive combos you had to learn off to beat high difficulties. It was worth the effort though, as anyone that has seen an infinite combo can testify.
There was even tag teams in it!!!
Dhalsim and Cammy where my favourite tag team, I was unstoppable.
This game definitally deserves a mention in your list as it is a fan favourite among street fighter enthusiasts and marvel enthusiasts alike.
Posted by: ADT | January 17, 2007 7:04 PM
X-Men vs Street Fighter was good but don't you prefer maybe Marvel Vs. Capcom 2?
Posted by: Tim | January 17, 2007 8:22 PM
I haven't played Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. I think the xmen/marvel vs capcom arcade games definitally deserve a mention in the list.
Posted by: ADT | January 18, 2007 5:21 AM