Throwback Thursdays: Retro Arcade Gaming

 

The great 80s, the Greaties. What a decade man, what a decade. Back in the day, we would all hustle off to the corner shops to play arcade games or as we said "Skiet Games". This was back when the streets were safe, when you could jump onto you BMX and cycle to your buddies house, smuggle as many 20 cent coins as you could and head off down to the nearest shop for a Marshals cold drink and an afternoon of 'clocking the game'. Or maybe your parents owned a corner shop and you were lucky enough to play in your own free time in between packing drinks and slicing bread loaves.

The following list pays homage to the good old days of retro arcade gaming. What other vintage arcade games do you remember playing as a kid?

Here's my list of my favorite retro arcade games of all time:

The Legend of Kage

First up on my list of Retro Arcade Games is 1985s The Legend of Kage. From the truly awesome soundtrack to that butterflies feeling as the hero ninja jumps between trees, scales mountains and temples to rescue his beloved princess, this is one game that had me hooked.

Xain'd Sleena/ Solar Warrior

Number 2 on my list is 1986s Xain'd Sleena, also known as Solar Warrior.  A fun little scifi platformer that had a lot going for it. You get to choose which planet you want to tackle first, defeat the evil forces and then battle it out in space before moving on to the next planet. Such a freaking cool and fun game! Which planet did you choose first? I always digged the underwater one!

Rally X

Retro Arcade Games: Number 3 on the list is the highly addictive, super frustrating Rally X. Scooting your little blue car around the maze while avoiding the other cars, rocks and obstacles and still watching your fuel while collecting all the flags made this game oh so fun to play and scream and swear at! How many of you guys remember this fun arcade game?

Ghosts & Goblins

My 4th entry and one of the hardest games to beat but so addictive! I remember busting a bunch of coins on this until I eventually made it past the 2nd level.  How did you fare in getting the brave knight to rescue the princess? Or were you always in the run with your underwear on?

Everybody was Kung-fu fighting...

My number 5 is a shared spot of all the kick-ass kung fu fighting games of the 80s. Including hits such as the ever popular Yiear Kung Fu, Kung Fu Master and Kung Fu legends, this list is dedicated to the good old days when all we wanted to do was defend the honor of the Shaolin Temple, swing nunchucks and avenge our fathers. Heeeyaa!

Pacman + Pinball

My next retro arcade game is a tie between 2 classics: Pin Ball and Pacman. These 2 coin gobblers sum up the arcade legacy of the 80s. I remember lining up to play Pacman while waiting on a triple decker toasted steak sandwich at the Zanzibar restaurant back in the day...evading the ghosts as Pacman munched his way through level after level. And Pinball with its 80s synth vibes was a brilliant game.

Which one was your favorite?

GoldenAxe

This 1989 side scrolling beat em up was a game all the kids would flock to to 'clock' (complete). Cooperative play meant your amazon/ barbarian/ dwarf duo could try to defeat all the evil baddies together. I remember playing this at a local corner shop after 'slammies' (Madrassah). Any of you guys remember this classic?

Snow Bros + Bubble Bobble

My next spot is another tie between 2 addictive cooperative titles: Snow Bros and Bubble Bobble. I remember wasting hours on these 2. Fun, fantastic and brilliant. We played these through the holidays as I recall several of the popular holiday resorts having arcade rooms with either one or both of these. 

Which one was your favorite?

Streetfighter 2

Atoogit!

Ah man, the memories. This was the one game that was the most competitive in the shops, the resort arcades, N1 City Arcade and practically everywhere. Every new challenger was either Ryu or Ken with the occasional Guile and that one weird fella that always played Dhalsim.

What is your streetfighter memory?

Contra

Another one of those games that I loved but could never quite master as it was brutally hard. I eventually replayed it on SNES and managed to complete it but boy....what a hard crazy game!

Airwolf 

"Taadadadaa tadadadaaa dadadadada..."

Come on, hum the theme song! You know you want to!

This game goes way back to the days of sipping on a cream soda Marshalls, wearing your North Stars and being that ace pilot that you were destined to be.

How many of you remember this game?

Mortal Kombat

Finish him! Mortal Kombat was the most brutal fighting arcade game of it's time. But it was so so so much fun! My favorite was and always is Rayden. Who was your favorite character?

Daytona USA

Last up on my list of Retro Arcade Gaming is the game that defined the arcade racing genre. This was Fast n Furious 0.1 where the winner was allowed to wear white vests with thick sliver chains, shave his head and strut with the ladies.

N1 City Arcade had rows of this game and we all had our share of racing streaks!