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Collector_Gaming
08-17-2011, 08:26 PM
I am not talking whats your favorite classic game.
I am asking whats your favorite arcade cabinet.

While on my last adventure at the famous Fun Spot arcade looking at their arcade museum of amazing classic arcade games. Its really neat to see such wonderful artwork and design and engineering involved to make these amazing works of art.

Sure to some random guy or gal you see a box with a TV in it and a joy stick and a series of buttons.

To me I see someone that sat down thinking long and hard in designing what would sell their game at a arcade in hopes of standing out from the rest

Good examples for me that I played this past weekend are as such

Battlezone
http://media.gamespy.com/columns/image/article/115/1151159/gamespys-top-50-arcade-games-of-all-time-20110223012248773.jpg
you'd put your coin in and you'd peer into a pair of goggles while you grip 2 joy sticks. The idea was to make you feel like you were actually in control of a real tank with controls being that you'd move the joy sticks together forward to move forward and back to move back and foward and back combo to steer giving it that ultimate realism feel.

http://www.emuparadise.me/MAME/cabinets/sharrier.png
Space Harrier. More specifically this style of cabinet
Where you'd have to sit down and be in control of the joy stick in a jet fighter style feel.
The whole machine moved with the control of the joy stick which was in a way ahead of its time at the time period.
Was actually surprised when I played this thing at not only the fact that it moves being such a old game but how responsive it was.

http://www.retiredguyonline.com/images/MC%20cabinet.jpg
missile command which was a cabinet that made you feel like you were in a goverment facility at the helm of control of a legion of missiles used to save the world from evil.


Whats your favorite cabinets?

NE146
08-17-2011, 08:49 PM
Definitely Taito Space Invaders part 2 (the mirrored version with bright red cardboard background and blue moon).

Unfortunately it's relatively unknown in the states and pretty hard to find any info on it even today.. there's basically no good pics of it on the net aside from some scraps I found.

But it's the most beautiful SI cab in my humble opinion :)

stargate
08-17-2011, 09:29 PM
I owned a Space Invaders Deluxe. Not sure if it was the same thing.

For me it was Discs Of Tron - Environmental version. Completely submersive feeling. I remember walking into that thing was like walking into another universe.

Baloo
08-17-2011, 09:47 PM
I'm going to second Discs of Tron, even though I've only played the upright cabinet. Both Discs of Tron and Tron are excellent looking cabs, and look awesome in any dark arcade. Illuminating neon glow just like the movie and sweet panels and glowing joysticks and a neat monitor setup makes for quite an eye-popper.

Collector_Gaming
08-17-2011, 09:51 PM
so people can understand what your talking about
http://www.donnunn.com/spiel/images/discs_of_tron.jpg
which i can understand why you guys like that one. Those style cabinets i love because just like you mention specially in a dark setting arcade they make you feel you just entered a whole new universe of wonder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMKzcVFA4Lw
wow now i gotta find this cabinet!

stargate
08-17-2011, 10:58 PM
so people can understand what your talking about
http://www.donnunn.com/spiel/images/discs_of_tron.jpg
which i can understand why you guys like that one. Those style cabinets i love because just like you mention specially in a dark setting arcade they make you feel you just entered a whole new universe of wonder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMKzcVFA4Lw
wow now i gotta find this cabinet!

Back in the day in the arcade by my home, the cabinet had a curtain to block out the outside light. Not sure if the arcade owner installed that himself.

Oh, and on a side note, the game and controls kicked ass.

NE146
08-17-2011, 11:05 PM
I owned a Space Invaders Deluxe. Not sure if it was the same thing.

Nope.. it's actually pretty interesting how they're different. I just wish there were some example pics online. The Midway background is a lot darker wheras the Taito background is bright red. The artwork is arguably better too on the bezel and moon, and even the control panel.

On that note I guess I have to say I'm a fan of the Star Wars cockpit cabinets too. Great atmosphere in those :)

goatdan
08-18-2011, 02:19 AM
Galaxian springs to mind. Yeah, it's simple, but the fact they used the green T-molding always made it really stand out to me. I love the game too, so that doesn't hurt it at all.

Honorable mentions to Ms. Pac-Man, Maximum Force and Carnevil. All of their dedicated cabinets are absolutely great designs, I think. I love the Hydra controller too, although that isn't the cabinet specifically.

stargate
08-18-2011, 04:15 PM
Oh, another one I forgot is Star Trek. They had a sit down model dubbed 'The captain's chair'. A big white cabinet with the controls on the arms of the chair. For its time (1982), it was actually a pretty sophisticated game and it made you feel like you were Kirk at the helm of the USS Enterprise. The pic below is similar to the one I played back in the day, but I could swear it was completely enclosed. I could be wrong.

http://i55.tinypic.com/1589zf9.jpg

ownerizer
08-18-2011, 07:16 PM
http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/8/4/9/3/5/8/a_med_climax_wow.jpg.jpg

Is Afterburner cabinet old enough?

Collector_Gaming
08-18-2011, 07:21 PM
http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/8/4/9/3/5/8/a_med_climax_wow.jpg.jpg

Is Afterburner cabinet old enough?

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/8/19/illallowit128636711781732679.jpg

they had this one at Fun Spot too but wasn't working at the time

stargate
08-18-2011, 09:46 PM
http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/8/4/9/3/5/8/a_med_climax_wow.jpg.jpg

Is Afterburner cabinet old enough?

Yes, and that cabinet/game was SICK. Like a carnival ride, only more bad ass (and no creepy carnies).

InsaneDavid
08-18-2011, 10:10 PM
The pic below is similar to the one I played back in the day, but I could swear it was completely enclosed. I could be wrong.

Yeah, they usually have an overhead tinted piece that goes from the display to the back of the seat. The monitors in those things have a tendency to catch fire, same goes with the other Sega vector games that used the same monitor.

stargate
08-19-2011, 06:27 PM
Yeah, they usually have an overhead tinted piece that goes from the display to the back of the seat. The monitors in those things have a tendency to catch fire, same goes with the other Sega vector games that used the same monitor.

Which undoubtedly added to the realism of getting hit with a Klingon torpedo.

XYXZYZ
08-20-2011, 05:59 AM
I love the artwork on Space Duel. I also love the shape of the old Atari cabinets like Dig Dug and Centipede. I like Centipede's artwork, too.