arcade game - Retroland

Fire Truck

Where's the fire? Well, there was no fire, just a fire truck that had to be steered around roads full of obstacles in the 1978 Atari game. The player(s) had to steer a fire truck through the winding streets, accumulating points and--hopefully--earning extended play with a high enough score.

Scramble

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A rocket ship on a course for danger and destruction, Scramble was an action game lover's dream come true. There were no princesses or hostages to rescue, no treasures to recover, no object other than the entire destruction of the "Scramble Defense Systems" and the base they protected. Let's look back at the memorable arcade game, released by Stern Electronics in 1981.

Alpine Racer

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There once was a time when, if one wanted to experience the thrills of downhill skiing, it meant a considerable investment in equipment, lift tickets and hotel accommodations. This all changed in 1995, when Namco offered a trip to the Alps for the mere price of a quarter or two. And, while playing a video game might seem a pale comparison to the real thing, Alpine Racer boasted a virtual experience that offered thrills on the slopes, without any danger of frostbite or a trip to the emergency room with a broken limb.

Area 51

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As any conspiracy theorist can attest, deep in the confines of the Nevada desert lies the super-secret Area 51, a hotbed for extraterrestrial activity unlike any other in the world. Atari took arcade gamers to this mysterious locale in 1995, as a highly trained marine from STAAR (Special tactical Advanced Alien Response, of course) whose mission was to rid the base of a gaggle of unfriendly interplanetary visitors and (for good measure) their human zombie cohorts. The result was a hit in arcades around the globe.

Pole Position

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Since the advent of arcade games, those that offered a chance at testing your racing skills have always remained a popular attraction. In the early days, the graphics left much to be desired, as you guided your dot through a track of dots without a fellow racer to be found. This all changed in 1983, with the introduction of Namco's Pole Position. Offering state-of-the-art graphics and realistic controls, the game offered a much more realistic racing experience - and aspiring drivers lined up in droves.

Kung Fu Master

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You would thing that after all these years, villains would finally realize that kidnapping the girl never leads to anything but a truckload of trouble. But luckily for gamers, these sinister scoundrels have proven to be slow-learners, and a seemingly endless supply of damsel in distress games has continuously dotted the arcade landscape. Borrowing on a premise from the Bruce Lee film, Game of Death, Kung Fu Master placed our hero in a multi-leveled palace, with each floor upping the adversarial ante.

Dig Dug

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Pac-Man's creators toiled long and hard to repeat the success of their yellow pride and joy but didn't have much luck until somebody thought that going around a maze might be more fun if you actually got to create the maze yourself. Dig Dug, released by Namco in 1982, had plenty of monsters lurking around corners and one plucky digger determined to vanquish them all. Let's take a look back.

Galaga

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All the way back in 1978, millions of arcade aficionados got their first taste of civil defense experience by protecting the planet from those pesky Space Invaders. And like all good arcade games, competition would soon follow. The next year, Namco introduced Galaxian, a similar game with a few extra bells and whistles. Then, in 1981, they followed up with a sequel, one that would go on to become a certified hit in the video game world. Thy name was Galaga.

Whac-A-Mole

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Tough day at school? Siblings giving you a hard time? What you need is little cathartic activity to make things seem all better. All can be cured with a trip down to the local Chuck E. Cheese (or Showtime Pizza, if you prefer) where a plastic mallet and a field of unsuspecting rodents await your assault. The game is called Whac-A-Mole, and it's been delighting kids for decades.

Paperboy

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Space hero, cowboy, mythic warrior...all pale in comparison to Paperboy, the arcade game that allowed the player to work his own virtual paper route. It's a game that might very well have been boring if it wasn't for the fact that the main character wielded newspapers like lethal weapons, just perfect for launching through a [...]