What Are The Hidden Gems of the 80's & 90's Arcade?

Post by **marurun** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:30 pm

Oh heck yeah! Willow rocked! Willow is one of Capcom's best arcade games and yet it gets little love and little exposure.

Post by **fastbilly1** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 7:33 pm

Raiden - Again I have never seen this in an actual arcade - Great shump.
Ninja Commandos - A platformer styled shump.
Tatsujin/Truxton - A generic shump with a killer soundtrack.
The Three Stooges - Hard to classify, you really have to play it. But like 88 Games it is addictive.
AB Cop - Hoverbike cop ramming into baddies in a pixelated 3d world.
Angel Kids - 2 Joystick game that requires a fair amount of quick thought on were to move.
Arabian - LodeRunner meets Arabian Nights, whats not to love?
Wild Gunman - since a standalone cab doesnt exist, one was made for Back to the Future 2 and it ran modified VS Wild Gunman hardware.

Post by **marurun** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:53 am

Are you serious? I used to see Raiden and Raiden II all over the place. Raiden was one of the most famous arcade shmups, right up there with R-Type. Definitely a gem, but certainly not hidden.

Post by **fastbilly1** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:29 pm

Seriously? Man we got jipped down here then. The first time I saw it was at an auction last year, I didnt get a chance to bid on it though. Went for $50, showed up on ebay that night for $300...

It has made its way onto to my mame playlist quite frequently since then, it and its sequel.

Post by **marurun** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:02 pm

The best way to get Raiden, frankly, is the Playstation Raiden Project. It's quite a notable 2D feat for the early Playstation. I'd say the Raiden Project is a hidden gem for the playstation 1 :)

Post by **elph** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:14 pm

fastbilly1 wrote:Seriously? Man we got jipped down here then.

That's a racial slur, just in case you were wondering.

gyp (Slang)
tr.v. gypped, gyp·ping, gyps
To deprive (another) of something by fraud; cheat or swindle.
n.
1. A fraud or swindle.
2. One who defrauds; a swindler.
[Probably short for Gypsy.]
gypper n.

Post by **elph** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:16 pm

Well-- it might be hidden to American gamers. Pnickies (J) for the CPS. It's probably my all time favorite puzzle game.

Post by **fastbilly1** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:56 am

Point taken, but in my neck of the woods they are two different words. Grantd Jipped is derived from Gypped. But if the Gypsys are fine with it, well thats good enough for me.

Ammenduem:
And that statement makes me sound like far more than an idiot/yokel than I really am. If someone takes offense in something I have said I like to think I am man enough to change my ways.

Post by **marurun** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:55 am

PuLiRuLa is an awesome, cute-ish side-scrolling platformer/beatemup from Taito. think it saw a brief US release. Even if it didn't, I think it's uncommon and really great.

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:35 pm

I'd like to see this topic live again, so I'll throw another one out there. How about Battletoads? Most people don't know about the arcade version. It's the best Battletoads game there is, and better than Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games in some respects.

If you haven't seen it or played it, Check out the following vid. You'll love the Contra style stage, the literally ball-busting attacks and the bosses. I can't believe this player is using a keyboard.