Research request: beating arcade games

[K. Thor Jensen]

Hey, I'm writing a chapter for a book on game culture coming out from Soft Skull this Fall. My essay is about narrative closure in arcade games - the desire to find an "end" and get there, to beat the machine. My example: obsessed with beating Double Dragon, 1987 or so. I'd like to hear from y'all if you have time, on arcade games that did that to you. Also would like to know, if anybody knows these offhand:

1) first arcade game that had a definite THE END ending where you could play no further after beating it

2) first arcade game that had a THE END ending but then restarted/looped harder

3) first arcade game that let you CONTINUE from the last point in your narrative

but what I really want to know is games you were obsessed with FINISHING, even if they couldn't be finished (an example I've heard a lot is SPY HUNTER, even though there is no "end" to it.)

so post here or get me on the AIMbox: kthorjensen and let's talk about it.

[goatdan]

I was obsessed with beating TMNT until I did. I'm not sure if it was because I liked the characters or I loved the game, or a little of each.

[98PaceCar]

I believe the first game that had a continue function was Rock Ola's Fantasy, but I'll have to verify that. I know Moon Patrol was another early game that had a continue buy in..

The main games I was obsessed with getting to the end of were mainly fighting games, in particular, the Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter series games. I remember that you could get "special credits" if you managed to beat Street Fighter II without losing a match. Always wanted to get that, but never quite made it! With Mortal Kombat, it ended up being a desire to beat the game with every player. Was able to do that on MK1 and MK2, but lost interest/time to do it when MK3 and MK4 were big. No real reason to do it other than to see the ending for myself.

I always wondered what happens when you get to Earth in Gyruss as well as what the end of 1942 was, but never took the time/money to see if I could make it that far. I got frustrated with the games that I couldn't beat on one credit. I did go through a couple of the "scroll-to-the-right-and-kill-everything-that-moves" games back in the day, but that was a rare occasion and was usually because I was with a friend and we wanted a co-op game to play. Paying $5 to beat a game was not something I wanted to do often.

Now that I have my own arcade and have bought several of the scrolling fighters, I can say that I'm still not interested in playing them through to the end. I've completed several, but when you aren't putting money into the game it becomes more of a repetitive, button mashing fest and isn't really all that much fun. I guess the challenge of games like this is doing it as cheaply as possible and when you aren't paying, there's really no challenge at all.

I do find that I'll spend more time on the classics trying to get further than I used to. But most of them don't have a true ending with the exception of a few that will crash if you get too far (pac man comes to mind, not that I can get that far). The only one I'm pretty obsessed with finishing right now is Tempest. I'd love to see all 99 levels of the game, but I think it's going to be a long time till I can see them all! Good thing it's on free play!!

98PaceCar

[Nature Boy]

The first game that *really* drove me like that was Ghosts 'n' Goblins. But I never had the money to keep playing (nor was I ever really that great at it).

The next was Gauntlet (which I don't believe has an ending). But even now the desire is there for both of those two games - and who knows, maybe someday I will beat GNG :)

[jammajup]

When i encounted coin-op games in the early 80`s i played them to beat
my score,i recorded my scores on pieces of paper and in the end i had over 500 scores(see my webpage if anyone interested).I never thought about completing the game as i was never that good. LOL
From a beating score point of view its better that games `loop around harder` than finish of course.
TANK was the first game to have a ROM
ASTEROIDS the first to let you put your name on a high score table
GALAXIAN the first to have a color monitor
Im not sure about the first to end or loop though....

http://www.jammajup.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gifs/gtani.gif

[K. Thor Jensen]

I know that BLASTER has an "ending sequence" (the PARADISE level) and then loops you back to level 10 - that's the earliest I can find for that. I've never beat PAPERBOY but I've read that after 7 days the game just ends - can anybody confirm that? The evolution of fighting games in the early 90s is an interesting part of this essay - that, I think, is when it really started to become more commonplace to beat a game in the arcade - that there was a finite goal set that you could accomplish.

Gauntlet doesn't have an ending, it gets randomly-generated levels after I think 100. I was also obsessed with beating Gyruss but never did it.

[Chunky]

gauntlet, all my freinds would save up $10.35.

35 cents was for the free that the curency exchange charged you for a roll of quarters...because the donald ducks hotdog stand ran out of quarters every damn time.

we played and played for hours and hours. i can't remember how high we got, but we sucked big time.

[Ed Oscuro]

Let me just say that Jammajup has the biggest (and most awesome) sig pic I've ever seen.

I would have to put a vote in for wanting to beat Gauntlet. Yeah, you can't do it, but you really want to! :P

[chrisbid]

i never got through these but Gyruss and Moon Patrol had end goals

[98PaceCar]

i never got through these but Gyruss and Moon Patrol had end goals

I believe both of these just repeat at a harder level. I know for sure that Moon Patrol does, not certain on Gyruss. One of these days I'll find out!

[Arcade Antics]

i never got through these but Gyruss and Moon Patrol had end goals

I believe both of these just repeat at a harder level. I know for sure that Moon Patrol does, not certain on Gyruss. One of these days I'll find out!

As K. Thor mentioned above, Gyruss just keeps going and going. When you make it to earth, you go back to the beginning of the sequence but the boards are tougher and more random. I was able to get back to earth "way back when" and was a little let down when there wasn't much fanfare behind the goal. :)


I've never beat PAPERBOY but I've read that after 7 days the game just ends - can anybody confirm that?

Seems to me I've played through more than 7 days, I'll try and confirm later today.

[rbudrick]

I know that the NES gauntlet is beatable....dunno about the arcade one tho. And I don't know a solitary person that has done it.

-Rob

[JaredCenter]

Also would like to know, if anybody knows these offhand:

1) first arcade game that had a definite THE END ending where you could play no further after beating it

2) first arcade game that had a THE END ending but then restarted/looped harder

3) first arcade game that let you CONTINUE from the last point in your narrative

but what I really want to know is games you were obsessed with FINISHING, even if they couldn't be finished (an example I've heard a lot is SPY HUNTER, even though there is no "end" to it.)



The answer to #1 is Pac-Man. Level 255 is the last level. Half the screen becomes scrambled, then the game shuts off when you complete it. Though it is a different ending from what most gamers are use to, many arcade veterans consider this an ending in a game.

The answers to #2 and #3 is Vanguard.

One game I am obsessed with finishing is Twin Cobra, but my challenge in this game is different from many others who play it. I'm trying to beat it without losing a life.

[jammajup]

you mean like this?http://www.jammajup.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gifs/pacsplit.gif

@_@

[98PaceCar]

I think it would also be interesting to reseach the affect that adding a true ending to a game had on arcades. From an operator standpoint, I'm sure it made sense as it eliminated people that could play a game for hours and days on end, for one credit. But, as a gamer, I think the quality of games suffered as a result. As opposed to rewarding a player that had skill, games rewarded people that had a roll of quarters in their pocket. I don't think this really changed until SF2 and MK1 came out. There are a few notable exceptions, but not too many.

[NE146]

1) first arcade game that had a definite THE END ending where you could play no further after beating it

That I don't know. Maybe like they say above.. Pacman with the 255th screen crash? But I don't really know if that's truly the first one... I'm sure there were games prior to that that had similar game ending bugs, but Pacman was the most popular one where people actually played to that point to find it. I mean.. who knows, maybe Taito Space Chaser or Crazy Balloon crashes late in the game.. but who'd know that? :P


2) first arcade game that had a THE END ending but then restarted/looped harder
but what I really want to know is games you were obsessed with FINISHING, even if they couldn't be finished (an example I've heard a lot is SPY HUNTER, even though there is no "end" to it.)


Officially? I don't know. But I know from my perspective and to answer your second question, the first game I can recall that I spent nights wondering about getting to "THE END" and seeing what was there was SCRAMBLE. And of course when you do get to the end, it does loop back (although I could never do it as a kid LOL). But yeah, SCRAMBLE.. mmm boy that was one of the first games I remember that seemed like a "journey" and there was something at the end you had to do. What was there?? I think it predates most other games mentioned here as well..


3) first arcade game that let you CONTINUE from the last point in your narrative

Not sure... Maybe Lunar Lander? Or wait... was it Super Cobra?

[jammajup]

I think it depends on the individual playing,not everybody would be on the same game with 1 credit (although of course it did happen),if a game had no ending but `looped around`you could just as easily get an individual constantly inserting more credits to get further so from an operators viewpoint thats goods for him too,i do remember in the early 90`s having a somewhat heated debate with a shop owner regarding the purpose of his cabinet in his diner,we said it was for our enjoyment he said it was for his profit(yes we was on it a short time with same credit).

[MoreEbolaForYou]

the nes paperboy ends after sunday. not sure about the arcade.