Before the birth of high-end gaming PC and modern console players, gamers used to delight playing using arcade cabinets. The arcade was a fun place where Gen X and Millennial gamers used to hang out to play their favorite titles. It is also the best place to challenge your skills along with other players. A lot of the most popular games were also introduced in arcades. And that is what we’re going to feature for today’s article. Here are 10 of the best arcade game from 1980 to 1989!
Pac-Man (1980)
Of course, who doesn’t know the iconic video game character Pac-Man? Pac-Man, originally called Puck-Man, is a maze arcade from Namco. It was created by game designer, Toru Iwatani, who was inspired by the Japanese phrase “paku paku,” which literally translates “chomp chomp.” According to Iwatani, Pac-Man’s character design actually came to him as an idea when he removed a slice from a whole pizza.
The core idea of Pac-Man’s gameplay is for the character to be able to eat all of the dots while avoiding four colored ghosts that pursue him. These four ghosts are named Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde, and each has its own routines determined by their distinct AI personalities. There are also Power Pills located in the corners of the maze. By eating these Power Pills, the ghosts will turn into blue for a short time, and Pac-Man will be able to eat them for bonus points. When all the dots are consumed in the maze, the player automatically advances to the next level.
You can play it here: LINK
Galaga (1981)
Galaga was one of the most famous arcade games during the 80s until the 90s. It is a fixed shooter game published by Namco and released in the United States by Midway Games. It is the sequel to Namco’s first big hit arcade game, Galaxian, which was released in 1979 and is one of the first arcade video games that RGB in its graphics.
In Galaga, you control a starship with the mission to destroy the Galaga alien forces while avoiding their ships and their projectiles.
You can play it here: LINK
Donkey Kong (1981)
Donkey Kong was the first game to introduce the iconic video game character, Mario. It was released by Nintendo and was named from the game’s giant ape villain. It was also one of the first classic video games that introduced the save-the-damsel-in-distress situation, which gave the template for future countless video games. Shigeru Miyamoto developed Donkey Kong, who said that the game was inspired by Beauty and Beast, Popeye, and King Kong.
The player takes control of Mario, who must maneuver his character across a series of platforms to climb a construction site and save his girlfriend, Pauline, from Donkey Kong.
You can play it here: LINK
Pole Position (1982)
Pole Position became the most popular arcade video game. It was considered one of the most influential games of its era. This arcade racing video game was released by Namco and was licensed to Atari. It sold over 21,000 machines in the United States for $61 million and became the highest-grossing arcade game in 1983. The game was so successful it gave way to the development of its ports and sequels.
In Pole Position, the player controls a race car and has to complete a time trial lap within 57 to 120 seconds to qualify for a Formula One race. If the player qualifies, he can race against seven computer-controlled cars in the championship race.
You can play it here: LINK
Tron (1982)
Tron is a classic arcade game from Bally Midway, based on the Walt Disney film of the same name. The game features four subgames, which the players must be able to win and complete to finish its twelve levels.
The player takes control of the character Tron and must choose between four quadrants, each corresponding to a sub-game. These subgames include I/O Tower, MCP Cone, Light Cycles, and Battle Tanks. Each of these subgames has different gameplay, but all of them require the player to earn a number of certain points to pass to the next level.
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Q*bert (1982)
Q*bert is a popular 2D action and puzzle arcade game from Gottlieb. Due to its popularity and success, the game has been ported to several platforms and developed sequels. The game is also known for its isometric graphics used to create a pseudo-3D effect.
The game’s objective is for the player to change every cube in a pyramid to target color. To do this, the player must make Q*bert hop on top of the colored cubes while avoiding enemies and obstacles.
You can play it here: LINK
Mario Bros. (1983)
Mario Bros. was developed by Nintendo for arcades and was released in 1983. It featured the character of Mario and introduced his brother, Luigi, as plumbers who must exterminate the creatures coming from the sewers by flipping their back and kicking them away.
Due to the game’s success, Mario Bros. was ported in several platforms, including Apple, Atari, and Amstrad CPC.
You can play it here: LINK
Star Wars (1983)
Star Wars is a rail first-person shooter game based on the popular Star Wars series. It was designed by Mike Hally and was released in arcades by Atari. It was considered one of the greatest video games of all time, and also was one of the top-selling games in 1983. Star Wars is also one of the first games to use 3D color vector graphics to replicate the death star’s assault from the film Star Wars: A New Hope.
In Star Wars, the player assumes the role of Luke Skywalker and pilots an X-wing fighter from a first-person perspective. The player must survive the wave of attacks for a length of time by destroying or avoiding them. Each wave consists of three attacks, which ends to destroy the Death Star.
You can play it here: LINK
Punch-Out!! (1984)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing arcade game from Nintendo and was the first game in the successful Punch-Out!! game series. Other games in the series include its sequel Super Punch Out!!, and a spinoff game titled Arm Wrestling. The game is also ported for SNES.
The gameplay focuses on the player controlling a green-haired boxer called Little Mac, who must defeat his opponents in the ring through boxing. In this game, the player must time his punches, dodges, and blocks to beat the opposing boxer.
You can play it here: LINK
Street Fighter (1987)
Street Fighter is the first competitive fighting-action video game from Capcom and the first installment in the popular series. In 1988, it was named as the top dedicated arcade game on Coinslot charts. It was one of the first games that introduced special moves that players could only discover by experimenting with the game controls. It also introduced the use of the blocking technique in the genre.
In Street Fighter, the player takes control of Ryu, who competes in an international martial tournament with his best friend, Ken. The player must defeat eight AI-controlled challenges to move to the next level, where he must deal with his two last adversaries. If the player manages to defeat the 10 challengers, he gets to face the game’s final opponent.
You can play it here: LINK
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Missed playing these games? You can actually play them using their PC or laptop by downloading an emulator.
You can check the best PC emulators that you can download for free by clicking this link or the icon below:
