Category Archives: Arcade

Arcade games.

Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Arcade

Gauntlet Dark Legacy is the sixth title in the Gauntlet series, and is an expansion of the previous game, Gauntlet Legends. It was developed by Midway Games West and was first released into arcades in 1999.

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OutRunners, Arcade

OutRunners is the 1993 sequel to the classic driving game, Out Run. It is specifically designed for two player head-to-head gameplay, which is why the game renders two screens – side by side – by default. For the purposes of this article, though, I’m showing just a single screen, because it looks better.

With enough machines, OutRunners could accommodate up to eight players racing against each other at the same time. An online version of the game was also released, allowing players to race each other over the internet, which was revolutionary for the time.

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Gauntlet Legends, Arcade

Gauntlet Legends is the fifth game in the Gauntlet series and the first to take Gauntlet the full 3D route. It was a joint venture between Atari Games and Midway Games and was initially released into arcades in 1998.

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Choplifter, Arcade

Sega‘s 1985 arcade version of Choplifter is a rare beast indeed. It is a game that went from home computers, to the arcades, when usually the opposite is true. Dan Gorlin‘s helicopter shooter/rescue game was deemed good enough to be completely reprogrammed and put into an arcade cabinet.

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Battletoads, Arcade

Battletoads is a humorous side-scrolling beat ’em up, developed by Rare Coin Games and distributed into arcades by Electronic Arts in 1994. It satirises the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters, turning them into muscular toads, called Zitz, Rash and Pimple.

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Willow, Arcade

Based on the 1988 film of the same name, Willow is a platform action game developed by Capcom and distributed into arcades in 1989. The intro says: “A magnificent fantasy filled with love, friendship and adventure!“, but in reality the game is a violent hack-and-slash ’em up, and is some distance from “love, friendship and adventure”…

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Rygar, Arcade

Rygar is a side-scrolling fantasy action game first released into arcades by Tecmo in 1986. In the original Japanese version of the game (called “Argos no Senshi“) the protagonist was called “The Legendary Warrior” and the main villain was called Rygar, but Western versions of the game switched that to make the player character be called Rygar instead. Which subsequently stuck.

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Dazzler, Arcade

Dazzler is an obscure early arcade game – first released in 1982 – from UK-based Century Electronics. In it you play as “OH” (Our Hero) and must deliver bananas to a “monkey” (really an ape) inside a maze, and avoid chasing vultures.

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Ordyne, Arcade

Released in Japan only, Ordyne is a cute and colourful (and very Japanese) one or simultaneous two-player ‘bullet hell’ shooter that was developed and distributed by Namco in 1988.

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Trog, Arcade

Trog is an arcade maze game developed by Midway Manufacturing and distributed on their Bally Midway label in 1990. It caters for up to four simultaneous players and features “Claymation” characters and cut scenes (although they call it “PLAYmation” on the title screen, probably because the word “Claymation” is trademarked). Claymation is when all the characters are made of, and animated with, plasticine or coloured clay (think Wallace & Gromit and you’ll get it).

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