Buying an Arcade Machine: Which should i get?

[dieourumov]

I know you guys are going to suggest a bunch of fighting games, but fighting games don't really interest me. I want to get one of these good ones so here is a poll, please vote in the poll and reply if you have something to follow up.


EDIT: added pac-man

[goatdan]

I voted Ms. Pac-Man, only because I own one though.

I would suggest picking a couple things you are interested in -- perhaps the four above -- setting yourself a price range and then going to an auction and seeing how close you get. A Ms. Pac-Man in good condition will set you back at least $1000 usually, but a Donkey Kong or Frogger you can usually snag for under $800. Decide what you're willing to spend and then see if anything matches. If not, re-examine what you want.

Don't overpay unless you're positive you know what you need. That always sucks.

And when in doubt, look at pinballs ;)

[Videogamerdaryll]

Ms. Pac-Man

[Sothy]

Cabal

Id come over and whup ass on it.

[Pantechnicon]

Ms. Pac-Man, IMHO, has the best combination of pleasing retro aesthetic in the cab design and color as well as better replay value (you do intend to play it, right?). That would be probably be the machine you could display in your house for maximum coolness. Even your non-gamer friends would be hard-pressed to be critical of such a piece: "OMG! You've got a Ms. Pac Man machine!"

I myself have a Pac-Man cab which I got for cheap. As luck would have it, it was retro-fit with a Ms. Pac JAMMA board. Given the choice, I'd probably rather have a whole Ms. Pac machine. Pac-Man is historically cool, but Ms. Pac is all-around cool.

[NE146]

I voted Ms. Pac-Man, only because I own one though.

I would suggest picking a couple things you are interested in -- perhaps the four above -- setting yourself a price range and then going to an auction and seeing how close you get. A Ms. Pac-Man in good condition will set you back at least $1000 usually, but a Donkey Kong or Frogger you can usually snag for under $800. Decide what you're willing to spend and then see if anything matches. If not, re-examine what you want.

Don't overpay unless you're positive you know what you need. That always sucks.

Don't ya think that a grand for a Ms. Pac is overpaying? Doing some basic shopping around for that common cab should yield you a little better results ;)

[punkoffgirl]

I vote for Ms Pac Man as well. I'd love to own that cab.

[Lothars]

ms pacman definitly

my parents have on at there place and it's awesome i love it, eventually i would love to buy it from them or so.

[tholly]

any of the games you listed are solid choices, but id probably go with the pac-man or ms. pac-man

[Sylentwulf]

Ms. Pac-man just for playablility. Personally, with a grand, I would (and did) do this:
http://www.electricquarter.com/arcadecab/arcadecab.htm

[NESVIDIOT]

I have to say Donkey Kong, for me it would be something that I'd even refinish if it wasn't really clean. I love the classic Nintendo cabinet look. The cocktail tables are really nice for all of the mentioned machines as well though usually harder to find. I'm surprised you didn't throw in Galaga. For the right price a really nice machine and an awesome classic game. I love mine, and am collecting resources right now to begin a resto on it.
What ever you choose to spend your money on I hope you find a nice clean machine! Enjoy

[BrokenFlight]

If I was getting an arcade machine I'd get Street Figter 2. There used to be one in the local chippie. Ahh, the memories. I used to do the childish thing of pushing the buttons with no money in it.LOL I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad right now.

I voted for Pac-man because it's a classic. Ms pacman is probably better but I don't know anything about that.

[Mayhem]

Robotron. Sorts men from boys ;)

[Sylentwulf]

That's another thing to consider, cocktail cabinet instead of upright. A nice cocktail can go in your living room as a table for drinks etc... An upright really can't go anywhere inconspicuously, and isn't exactly functional as a piece of furniture :)

[Darth Sensei]

Robotron or Asteroids. Maybe Defender or Joust.

[AlexKidd]

Of the ones you listed I picked frogger,but personally i'd prefer a galaga or metal slug.

[Leo_A]

Why are you asking us? Its your money and you're the one that is going to be playing it. What do you like?

[Captain Wrong]

Why are you asking us? Its your money and you're the one that is going to be playing it. What do you like?

I was thinking the same thing.

Still, I voted for DK though it's kind of a toss up between that and Ms. Pac. Seems like I see more Ms. Pacs though.

Also, AFAIK you can only do the Multi-Kong mod on DK Jr., so really I'd go that route and have Dk and Jr. all in one.

[boatofcar]

If the cabinet is in good shape, definitely Donkey Kong. You can't beat the original Nintendo cabs for DK and Popeye.

[imanerd0011]

I voted Pac Man, but I personally wouldn't buy any of those games unless they were VERY cheap! They are all ported to every single system known to man. I would try to get an Arcade game that was never available on any system, or has an experience that can't be duplicated. I would suggest The Simpsons, or Area 51.

[Crush Crawfish]

METRO-CROSS.

Oh wait, it's not on there. From that list, I'd go with either frogger or Donkey kong.

[Nesmaster]

Ms Pacman

[goatdan]

Don't ya think that a grand for a Ms. Pac is overpaying? Doing some basic shopping around for that common cab should yield you a little better results ;)

It really depends. A Ms. Pac-Man in great condition in my opinion is worth at least $1200. A poor condition game might be worth less, but bringing it back up to pristine condition will probably set you back quite a ways.

Of course, my Ms. Pac-Man cabinet was free, and personally I wouldn't have paid $1000 for it, but unless you want a fixer-upper, I think that a grand is right about the price you'll be wanting to pay.