Top 5 Favorite Arcade games?

[Baloo]

Surprised that I couldn't find anything like this in Classic Discussions, and it's a shame this board is so dead, so a little conversation should stir it up. What are your favorite arcade games from across the years? Mine are:

1. Tron - First played it in DisneyQuest at Disneyworld last June of '10, at first I didn't like it but after a couple plays I was really hooked. The gameplay is varied and fun, and you get a real sense of accomplishment getting past even level four. You think the game's fairly simple, but after the 2nd level the game drops you into the shark pool without any warning. I'm a sucker for very difficult arcade games, and this is definitely one of the hardest I've played. Light Cycles is my favorite game, then Grid Bugs. It's also what got me into Tron in general, and I can safely now consider it my favorite movie of all-time. I still can't get past Level 4 of Tanks.

2. Discs of Tron - I also played at DisneyQuest, rather simple but very addicting gameplay. The machine I played on had a sunk-in Deflect button so the game was considerably harder, but that didn't stop me from playing it. Shame it's so scarcely found, it's very very fun.

3. Stargate/Defender II - I love Stargate! The control scheme is very difficult, but the game is just so addicting. Don't think I've ever played a harder arcade game. You've got to have really fast reflexes on this one, being able to go fast, dodge, and shoot at any given time. Plus the erratic movement of the enemies makes it even harder. Nothing predictable about Stargate for sure! Not the game to play when you only have a couple quarters left in your pocket though!

4. Ghouls N' Ghosts - I first really gave Ghouls N' Ghosts a fair shake on the Genesis, and immediately I was hooked. At first turned off in the arcades by it's immense difficulty, I found it to be rather easy after multiple playthroughs, and at certain times, the game becomes a breeze. The controls are really tight and the gameplay is so fun, that you can't help but keep trying. It's hard to put it down. And of course the sense of accomplishment you get after playing through the entire game TWICE....to get a Cliffhanger ending. Gah! Foiled again!

5. Star Wars Arcade (1979) - The first video game with voice! An excellent game from Atari, especially in the cockpit version! Again, not an easy game. After the first level they throw you to the dogs, tons of fireballs and TIE Fighters to deal with. Not to mention Darth Vader's TIE, which can't be killed. But the simple Rail-Gun gameplay makes this one an instant classic. And great graphics for the time too!

What are your favorites?

[kupomogli]

Rastan
Bubble Bobble
Rainbow Islands
Galaga
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade

[shinobimusashi]

1. Street Fighter II- I will own this machine before it is all said and done, I still remember actually standing in line(a long one!) to play this back in 92 when I was 8. One of my favorite video games ever. SFII is what arcades are all about to me, the perfect coin op imo.

2. Robotron 2084- I have never actually played a cabinet of this, but it is on my bucketlist. I played this on the xbox and asolutely fell head over heals for it, pure gameplay that is addictive, and intense. One of my favorite games period, be it arcade or otherwise.

3. Final Fight- I played this game so much when I was 6 at the laundry mat that it influenced my taste in video games as a grown man, I still to this day prefer 2d sprite based graphics over modern consoles, and I really think such heavy doses of Final Fight at such a young age played a big part in that.

4. Sinistar- Another game Ive never played on an actuall cab, but fell in love with on a compilation. This game has a lot of charm and challenge, yet is so simple to play. The Sinistar character is one of the greatest characters in the history of video games in my opinion, such distinct personality. Run COWARD! Run! Run! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I love it!

5. Galaga- No other arcade game has ever gotten so much of my money, every time I see a cab of this in the wild it usually cleans out my pocket, and my afternoon. I just cant help it!

I also really, really like both Turtles games, Pac man, The Simpsons, Zero Gunner 2, House of the Dead 2, Shinobi, Space Harrier, Virtua Fighter, and T2.

Ive never played the arcade version of Outrun, but the Genesis port is one of my favorites.

Damn Baloo, I sure miss that avatar!

[Arcade Antics]

5. Star Wars Arcade (1979) - The first video game with voice! An excellent game from Atari, especially in the cockpit version! Again, not an easy game. After the first level they throw you to the dogs, tons of fireballs and TIE Fighters to deal with. Not to mention Darth Vader's TIE, which can't be killed. But the simple Rail-Gun gameplay makes this one an instant classic. And great graphics for the time too!
Star Wars is an incredible classic arcade game, but it's from 1983, not 1979. It's also not the first game with voice, Berzerk (1980) and Space Fury (1981) both had voice.

[maxlords]

In no order:

Roadblasters
Space Gun
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystaria
Assault (Atari)
Arkanoid

Ironically I own nearly 100 arcade games (PCBs and carts) and own none of the above games as 4 out of 5 of them require specialized controls. :(

[Baloo]

Star Wars is an incredible classic arcade game, but it's from 1983, not 1979. It's also not the first game with voice, Berzerk (1980) and Space Fury (1981) both had voice.

Ah, forgot about Berzerk, and I love that one! Could've sworn Star Wars was earlier though, guess I was wrong.

[shinobimusashi]

In no order:

Roadblasters
Space Gun
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystaria
Assault (Atari)
Arkanoid

Ironically I own nearly 100 arcade games (PCBs and carts) and own none of the above games as 4 out of 5 of them require specialized controls. :(

Space gun is nice!!! I want to play that with a light gun so badly.

[8bitmusic]

Golden Axe

The Simpsons Arcade/X-Men Arcade/Turtles Arcade (Hey.. it's all the same to me :) )

Operation Wolf

Street Fighter II

After Burner

[InsaneDavid]

1. StarBlade - I guess you had to experience this one when it first came out. The experience simply blew me away and I still hop into the seat as fast as possible when I spot one of these in the wild. It's big, heavy, loud and makes you feel like Alex Rogan.

2. Klax - Us Klaxxers may be in the minority but this is my all time favorite puzzle game and the cabaret arcade cabinet is one of my favorite cabinet designs ever. Developed by Atari as the follow up to the arcade Tetris, it took FAR too long for me to acquire this cabinet and I play it at least a couple times a week.

3. Pole Position - The only bad thing I can say about the classic Pole Position is that it's one of those games that is a pain in the ass to maintain. My first arcade cabinet was a gutted Pole Position I ran MAME on (still have the empty cab if anyone is interested). While Pole Position II added three additional courses (and reworked Fuji) I still prefer the original. I'd love to try my hand at maintaining another one of these one day.

4. Daytona USA - Being born in 1981 I was able to only catch the very tail end of the golden age of arcade games. However during the early 1990's when arcades were having another solid revival, no game brought more pure competition and enjoyment than Sega's arcade racer follow up to Virtua Racing. It's still a total blast today and still makes solid money on route. A pair of Daytona twins is also one of my long term collecting goals.

5. Jungler - Okay, I know everyone hates this early Konami game, I'll just leave it at that. LOL

Special mention: Tailgunner.

[Damaramu]

Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
Daytona USA
Undercover Cops
Quiz & Dragons
Magic Sword

[SpaceHarrier]

Virtua Racing
Street Fighter II
Outrunners
Centipede
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[Yago]

There are so many... Tough to narrow it down. Of course, you have to go back to a time (80's) when it seemed an arcade was popping up on every street. I'll try to pick the games that I blew the most quarters (or tokens) on. No particular order.

Twin Cobra
Double Dragon
Gauntlet
Ikari Warriors
Golden Axe

[Emuaust]

Street Fighter II Hyper
Mortal Kombat II
Daytona
Outrun 2
Crazy Taxi

[AceAerosmith]

Time Pilot
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
Cheyenne
Galaga
Asteroids

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Dragon's Lair
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Bionic Commando
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
Star Wars Arcade

[Lerxstnj]

Asteroids
Tempest
Space Zap
Daytona USA
Hydro Thunder

[BydoEmpire]

In no particular order:

Ms. Pac Man - just classic, and infinitely replayable.

Star Wars Arcade - amazing for many reasons already mentioned, especially environmental cab

Frenzy - just a bit more going on than in Berzerk, and I like that. I played it again recently and it held up really well.

Gauntlet - multiplayer goodness, four player co-op and a great D&D theme.

Millipede - I never cared for Centipede that much, but Millipede is just great action and lots of things to keep track of at once

[frogofdeath]

For various reasons. Some might not be considered "good" but I still find all a blast to play. In no particular order:

Rapid River - the most workout ever for an arcade game
Jurassic Park 3 - possibly in my top 10 games of all time, it's that good!
Q*Bert - mostly for nostalgia
Sunset Riders - if I had the money for a cabinet, this would be it, four player of course
the Simpsons - would be my second choice after Sunset Riders

[ubersaurus]

Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting - Easily one of the best fighting games ever made.
Donkey Kong - Fun game, and hard enough that you really feel like you accomplished something when you move forward in it.
Mr. Do - I blame Robotron for getting me hooked on this game.
The Simpsons - Probably my favorite of the Konami beatemups
Samurai Shodown V Special - Only seen this in Japanese arcades, but it is an amazing game.

[The 1 2 P]

Mat Mania: The greatest arcade wrestling game ever made hands down.

Spy Hunter: I got so good at this game that I would go back and forth from being a car to a boat and easily blowing up helicopters. Today I can no longer get the timing right on my missles but it's still a blast to play.

Star Wars Trilogy Arcade: They let you use a lightsaber for the boss fights. What more do you need?

Double Dragon: I still love playing this old school beat em up. Luckily it lives on in XBLA.

Tekken Tag Tournament: I've spent enough quarters on this game and Tekken 3 to have bought an actual new copy on release day for each. It was out back when we still had actual arcades here so I went to several different malls just looking for new competition. Those were the days.

Extra Favorites

Gauntlet: Honestly I don't even think I ever knew the goal of this game at the time but constantly hearing "warrior needs food badly" was another entertainment to keep me playing over and over again.

TMNT--The Arcade: This was more chaotic then anything else but it was no less fun when you had four people playing all four turtles.

Afterburner: I loved flying around blowing shit up. As a matter of fact, games like this prepared me for my fps phase that I would enter years later. It all started with shooting random jets out of the sky and now I shoot random people out of the map.

[Bloodreign]

Bubble Bobble- what can I say, it's as addicting as crack.

Yie Ar Kung Fu: used to play this at a laundromat, liked how Oolong would make the funny sounds he'd make. Solid little early one on one brawler too.

Ghouls N Ghosts - this one beat me down like a dog, after playing the original, this one took it to new heights with much more detailed graphics. Plus the Golden Armor and magic that came with it added depth to the series that has since continued and grown more.

Arkanoid: Ran into two cabs my entire life, whenever I see it, my pockets automatically start spitting out quarters if they are in the pockets, it can't be helped. Have yet to find Revenge of DOH or Arkanoid Returns in cab form, though Returns on PSX is good enough.

Mortal Kombat/Puzzle Bobble 2: I put enough money into both whenever I have seen them (though I have only seen a PB 2 cab once, and it wasn't a Neo Geo one either) that I could've well spent a small fortune between them.

[hbkprm]

1. virtua fighter
2. saturday night slam masters
3. sunset riders
4. crazy taxi
5. final fight

[XYXZYZ]

There's not much to say about these games that most of you don't already know. I think these are my favorites just for the nostalgia value, they tend to hold my favorite memories of hanging out down at the arcade.

1. Street Fighter II - I was an SF2 whore back when it first hit. Not since Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda had a game gripped me so tightly.

2. Magic Sword - I would play Magic Sword when the line for SF2 was too long, and grew to love it. I love the music in this game.

3. TMNT - Who didn't love playing TMNT with 3 other kids?

4. Golden Axe - Always had to give Golden Axe a go when I found it in a restaurant or a hotel lobby or something.

5. Ninja Combat - I will never forget the first time I was blown away by the mighty NEO GEO.

Of course, there are so many others that should be packed in there, five isn't enough!

[Gooch3008]

no order:
1. Cyber Sled
2. Cruisin USA
3. Fire truck
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4 player)
5. Raiden (pick one)

[hellraiser]

1. Mortal kombat 2 ---Pumped so many quarters into this one it would have been cheaper for my parents to buy me an arcade game. Still one of my favorites when I can find them!!! To this day I swear I saw someone pull off a tree fatality !!!

2. Super sf 2 --- Finaly some new choices!!! I remember thinkin "wow cammy is even hotter then chun-li"

3. T2 --- Come on who didint love this game??? I dont think I ever made it passed level 2 but its #3 on my list! lol

4. X-men --- Local arcade had the big double screen one!!! I remember it sounded awsome too!

5. Hydro Thunder --- dont ask me ,I just flat out loved this game. Hitting the boost before a ramp or drop was great!!!


edit: Got to give a shout out to road blasters! Man that was a good one!

[Nikademus1969]

Gauntlet
Star Wars Trillogy Arcade
Space Fury
Mr. Do!
NBA Jam

Honorable mentions - Road Blasters and X-Men (6-player)

[Leo_A]

Root Beer Tapper
Outrun
Pole Position II
Super Off Road
Roadblasters

[An Hero]

Paperboy
Punch-Out!
NFL Blitz '99 or 2000 (or bend the rules and say "Blitz 2000/NBA Showtime")
Budweiser Tapper
Simpsons

[TheDomesticInstitution]

It's hard to choose just 5, but here goes.

Berzerk
1943
Ms. Pac-Man (speed-up version)
Asteroids
Pac-Man (speed-up version)

The list may change if I had access to more games. I'm especially interested in Vectors, but you can't find many to play outside of personal collections.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Taking this one on as if I had the room, and could only choose 5 to own.

Star Wars Arcade (cockpit)
Daytona USA (force feedback & rumble seat)
Robotron 2084
House of the Dead
The Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Anniversary cab

[Steve W]

I don't think I could put these in order.

T-Mek
Cybersled
Starblade
Star Wars (Atari)
Battlezone

[TheGam3r]

Marvel Vs Capcom 2
Pac-Man
Ms Pac-Man
Galaga
The Simpsons

[Toasty]

1. Marvel vs Capcom 2
2. Strikers 1945
3. Mortal Kombat II
4. X-Men
5. Donkey Kong

[cyberfluxor]

It's hard to pick a top 5 list of favorite games, so the best I can do is list the ones I always seem to dump a quarter in if found:
Assault - I believe it can be found on one of the Namco arcade collections that's not too common and doubt it feels like the original given the Playstation controls. Always on a lookout for this machine as it's a nice, small yellow dual stick game packed with awesome tank action.

Bust-A-Move Again - Always had an addiction to this puzzle popping game. I own it on nearly every system I own with it ported to. I've settled with Puzzle Bobble at the moment on my MVS but plan to get the squeal at some point. It's a great puzzle game most everybody knows or can easily pick up for a versus match.

Galaga - Simple and fun top-down shooter that is easily found. Like Pac-Man it's well known and gets attraction from even the non-typical arcade players. I prefer the Galaga '88 a bit more, but because it's just not something you find on the street corner the original is a great alternative.

Garou: Mark of the Wolves - One of the few fighters I enjoy getting my ass beaten in. Something about the controls and artwork make this an amazing fighter for me and quite a few others. I know a few with this cartridge and is something we always throw into the slot for a handful of matches. The combos are simple to pick up and gameplay is smooth but fast, so it leaves you on the edge going for a victory.

Robotron: 2084 - One of the first machines I bought because I had always wanted it after seeing it in action on the N64 way back and being stuck with either the Atari port or emulation via the GameCube collection or PC. The game is so raw in fast pace shooting and unforgiving when you step the wrong way into a pile of Grunts. Reading the interview with Jarvis a year or so ago in RetroGamer was a treat and made me appreciate the game more.

A mention goes out to Magical Drop III and it's spectacular action. So many others too but rather not go off the OP request of 5.

[jammajup]

Just 5 is not enough but here goes...
1/ Rastan
2/Rygar
3/Karnov
4/Berzerk
5/Pengo

[Emperor Megas]

This lived in the arcades when I was a kid, so this is sort of tough, but I think my top 5 are probably:

Black Tiger
Dragon Spirit
Rolling Thunder
Rygar: The Legendary Warrior
Space Harrier

Space Harrier is probably my all time favorite game, but I prefer to play it on a console or an emulator, because I'm not a fan of the flight stick controller that the arcade cabinet used at all.


Some honorable mentions:

1943
Crack Down
Forgotten Worlds
Galaga '88
Gauntlet
Golden Axe
Gondomania
Ikari Warriors
Last Dual
Nemesis
R-Type
Shinobi
Smash T.V.
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Time Pilot '84
Toobin'
Top Gunner
Victory Road

[Cafeman]

Not ranked individually but here's what my memory tells me:

1. Star Wars Arcade - especially the sit-down cockpit version. awesome '3D' vector visuals and awesome music, sounds, & even voice! Nothing lit my fire like playing this in its prime. "remember ... the force will be with you, always". :)

2. Dragon's Lair - I played it, studied Joystik magazine strategies, until I could beat it every time. The one I played had a 2nd monitor hooked up so everyone in the arcade could see you play. Got a round of applause once by a crowded arcade for beating it.

3. Joust - I probably pumped more quarters into this game than any other back in the day.

4. Daytona USA - this floored me. It was operating at a level far beyond any other coin-op in the early 90's. I still play it when I see it, and still play it on home versions.

5. Tron / Zaxxon - okay, Tron wins but Zaxxon was also a favorite in the arcade for me! Tron's music and sounds were what made the game go from average to awesome, to me. I still whistle the tune and can hear the rev of the light cycles in my head.

[Cafeman]

Robotron: 2084 - ... Reading the interview with Jarvis a year or so ago in RetroGamer was a treat and made me appreciate the game more.


Yep. another +1 for RetroGamer's interviews.

[Rendclaw]

He did a really good interview as bonus material for the Williams Arcade Classics for the Playstation 1 back in the mid 90s... really good stuff.

I simply can't pare down the list of all the games I have played down to five. It just cannot be done.

[buzz_n64]

My top 5
1. Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
2. The Simpsons: The Arcade Game
3. Captain America and The Avengers
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
5. The House of the Dead

[jammajup]

Robotron: 2084 - . Reading the interview with Jarvis a year or so ago in RetroGamer was a treat and made me appreciate the game more.


I have watched a few interviews with Jarvis one of which was on a PS1 arcade collection and he seems a really nice guy and very enthusiastic indeed,he is certainly passionate about arcade games and he had me laughing aloud when he was talking about Smash Tv describing how when a character is killed a huge eye ball flies up into the screen lol

[old_skoolin_jim]

In no particular order (despite the numbers)...

1) Budweiser Tapper (I would love a Harpoon/Sam Adams/Long Trail/"insert craft brewer name here" hack, though)
2) The Simpsons
3) Jr Pac-Man (although I finally just got a chance to experience Baby Pac-Man in Pelham NH last week... it is TOUGH and freakish! Baby gets left in the corner, though. Visuals are too MS-DOS.)
4) Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike (IMO the pinnacle of 2d fighters, and it's not seizure-inducing)
5) Virtua Cop 3 (WHY is this YET to be ported to a home console?!)

[sheath]

From back in the day before emulation and compilations:

After Burner
Galaxy Force II (full cockpit cabinet)
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
Super GT (Deluxe Cabinet, whichever had the seat gyzmo)
Shinobi

Games that would have made a top five impossible but for their excellent console adaptations:

Final Fight
Ghouls N Ghosts
Golden Axe
R-Type
Strider
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtua Racing
Virtual On

[Howie6925]

My faves:

Twin Cobra
Daytona Usa
Donkey Kong
Pac Man
Castle of the Dragon


honorable mentions:

Smash Tv
House of the Dead
Toki
Final Lap Twin
Double Dragon
Gauntlet
Street Fighter
Rampart
Super Sprint
Hypnodrome
Track and field:Hyper olympics '84
Ghost and goblins
Space Invaders
Galaga

[goatdan]

Let's see here... In no particular order:

Rush 2049 - It's the best racing game, home console or arcade, ever made. Period. The only game in my top five that I don't own, but one that I will definitely get in the future.

Galaxian - I don't know why, but this is my favorite shooter game. I like it far more than Galaga. I think because you can't memorize in it, you just have to react.

Area 51 / Maximum Force - If I had to pick just one, it would be Maximum Force, but luckily you can put them both in the same cabinet, which is exactly what I did! The best light gun shooters ever, thanks to the plethora of bonus stages you can unlock with good shooting.t

Ms. Pac-Man - It's a classic. Not much more to it than that, I love this game.

Battle Balls - It's sort of like Tetris, and sort of like upside down Bubble Bobble, and it's super fun! I can't believe this never got a home console release, but I got ridiculously addicted to it in the arcade, and have loved it ever since.

Honorable mentions:

H2Overdrive - The spiritual successor to HydroThunder is better than the original I think and almost as good as Rush 2049. Amazing, but I probably won't own one of these any time soon (it just came out last year). Thankfully, Dave and Busters has four networked...

Track and Field - The best multiplayer arcade game ever made. I want one.

Robotron 2084 - If I can ever find one of these to own, it might squeeze it's way onto the top five. I LOVE twin stick shooters, and Robotron remains one of the best if not the best all these years later.

CarnEvil - It's my second favorite light gun game after the Area 51 / Maximum Force combo. It doesn't have all the special things, but the gameplay itself is just as much fun if not moreso. I have a soft spot for shooters, and also really love the House of the Dead series.

Sega Super GT - This arcade-y racer has a grand total of four courses and the gameplay is insanely hard... I wouldn't have fallen in love with it if not for being at a location I worked at, but you can really get better and better at it, and watching someone who is great fly around the track is absolutely amazing. It's great.

Fast Draw - This is the best laser disc game ever made in my opinion. It's the perfect use of the technology -- way more fun than the Mad Dog series, but still something really special.

Jr Pac-Man - I like this almost as much as Ms. Pac-Man (and I've got the conversion kit for my machine so I can swap it in on a whim!). The larger levels with the additional strategy are just plain old fun. A relatively unknown entry into the series, but one of the best.

...I think I'll stop there. I could go on -- I tend to love arcade games and arcade style games the most of anything, and having worked at a bunch of arcades in the past, I am very familiar with a lot of games that I really loved...

AND, this doesn't include pinball machines, which are arcade games too (But everyone else did video so I left them off my list). I could name 25 pinball machines with no problem!

[MachineGex]

1. Gravitar - Hands down my favorite because of the challenge!
2. Space Duel - Two player Asteroid game, you got my money!
3. Ms Pacman - There is a reason everyone loves this game!
4. Missle Command - getting to see a pattern???
5. Mr. Do! - Much better than Dig Dug

[katrincarroll]

I am a big fan of Arcade games i share my favorite Arcade game :

* Metal Slug 3
* Sengoku 3
* Magical Drop 2
* Radiant Silvergun
* Pop'n Music

[leslie gamer]

are cobra command laer disc game nemesis paperboy alein sdrome hang on tiger heri 1942

[SegaAges]

Star Wars Trilogy Deluxe
Top Skater
Steep Slope Sliders
Surf Planet
Initial D

[IKilledLassic]

I'm 30, so I virtually missed the Golden Age of Arcades. Most of my arcade experience existed in Time-Out, which was eventually bought by Sega in the late 80's, early 90's. That being said, my top 5, in no order:

TMNT- I've seen the ending hundreds of times, but no matter where this arcade game was, I needed to sink five bucks of quarters into it. Raph or Don.

Final Fight - I loved Double Dragon, but Final Fight brought it to another level. It changed the landscape of beat em ups.

Golden Axe - funny story behind this. Was at a resort in Orlando, doing the Disney thing, my bro and I go to the arcade room after going in the pool. The operator left the coin door open for this and another game called Crackdown. Played both of them until morning. There were massive fights on who would be the Dwarf.

Dragon's Lair - I can't lie, I sucked at this game. But, I remember the crowds of three deep, quarters lined up on the bezel, waiting to get a crack at the game. I could watch for hours.

Gauntlet - Classic. Need I say more?

Street Fighter II - The Best.

Wait, thats six. Oh well.

Honorable Mentions:
Shinobi
Arch Rivals
Paperboy
RoadBlasters
Smash TV
Rampage
WWF Superstars
P.O.W.
Mortal Kombat
RoboCop
Archnoid
A.P.B.
Aliens Vs Predator
Aliens
The Simpsons
X-Men

[BydoEmpire]

1. Ms Pac Man
2. Frenzy
3. Star Wars Arcade
4. Tron
5. Millipede

Runners up: Afterburner, Gauntlet, Sinistar, Battlezone, Missile Command, Zoo Keeper... probably a couple dozen more...

[Casati]

favorite:
Berzerk
Dig Dug
Millipede
Qix
Tempest


wasted most of my quarters on:

Boot Hill (77 Midway)
Space Duel
Space Invaders
Star Wars Arcade
Tron

[mosesshirai]

5. Stun Runner. Played the sit-down version back in the day. It was like it was taking my quarters and I wanted it to.
4. Arkanoid. I still remember how the specialized controller felt. Man that game was hard.
3. Ms. Pac-Man Mini version. I played this with an old girlfriend. best date ever.
2. Virtua Fighter 3: I used to manage an arcade in the midwest and we had a VF tournament. I remember being kind of jaded and going home early and I regret it to this day.
1. Darius/Ninja Warriors 3-screen games. That was when arcades ruled. Please let the new darius come out here

[Ninjamohawk]

Turtles in Time
Daytona USA
Star Wars Trilogy
Outrun 2
Silent Scope

honorable mention

Time Crisis 2

[IronBuddha]

1. Galaga, This game was in my uncle's pizza shop back when I was kid so I was lucky enough to play this game everyday for months maybe even over a year. It was the first time I had to work for something as well, my mom would give me quarters for doing chores just so I could play it.

2. Street Fighter 2, when I was allowed to go to the arcades on my own this game was brand new. I remember playing some game and I kept getting bumped into and realized it were from the people waiting around to play this game. I was curious so I went over and pretty much just watched people play for hours. I got myself in trouble for being gone for so long. But this game was what started my love for fighting games.

3. Ghosts and Goblins, I got to play this game at my cousins pizza shop. I remember my mom getting upset because this game would eat up quarters quick.

4. CyberBall 2072, The local arcade had a tournament for this game. I was young (9 or 10) but the guy who ran the place let me join because I was a regular there and he knew I was pretty good at this game because I beat his friends at it. I remember people getting so pissed off that a young kid was beating them, I still remember the final guy before we started telling me isn't my mommy looking for me. It felt so good beating him, I won $50 in coins for winning it.

5. Time Pilot, the movie theater and the arcade were right next to each other, but the movie theater had this game and not the arcade. So I would go to the theater just to play this game, I remember it was nicer playing a game while smelling buttery popcorn then the smell from your typical arcade LOL

So that's my list. These games are my personal top five because as you've read they're very nostalgic to me. I have nothing but love and respect for the well known hugely popular titles, but these 5 games I have the most fondest memories of.

[lookfun78]

Mine are: 1. pac man 2. frogger 3. x-men 6 player version 4. simpsons 4 player version 5. this is a tough one but I go with dragons lair.

[Lady Jaye]

In no particular order:

Galaga
Spy Hunter
Moon Patrol
Daytona USA
Defender

[bohproper]

alright lets give this a try....
5. Tempest
4. Inital D (pick one lol)
3. Dig-Dug
2. Soulcalibur 2
1. Quantum