Arcade games started in the 1980s. First they became popular in Hong Kong, then gradually spread from coastal cities to the mainland. By the early 1990s, the number of arcade gamers skyrocketed. Many people saw the business opportunity, and suddenly the streets and alleys were filled with game arcades, and the area around the school was a golden zone. Many speculators were competing, which was enough to make some people rich. At that time, there were no computers, Internet, VCD, or even cable TV. Home game consoles are also not popular, especially the quality of games cannot be compared with arcade machines. Therefore, arcade games had no choice but to become the favorite of young players, which also contributed to the glory of arcades in that era.
arcade game machine
arcade currency
As an ordinary player born in the 1980s, I can’t help but feel guilty when I think back to my arcade career. I remember when I deducted all my breakfast money and pocket money to donate to the arcade owner just to play a few games. Every time I think about it, I feel more happy than sad. Sadly, after 2000, PCs and various consoles gradually emerged, and arcade stores closed down one after another. So far, arcade machines have basically become extinct. Many children born in the 90s and 00s have never even played arcade machines. As an inseparable memory of the childhood of those born in the 1980s, I believe that arcades have an indelible mark deep in the hearts of many hardcore gamers. Today I have simply collected a few classic arcade games from my childhood, let’s review them together!
1. Breakthrough type
1. Dinosaur Fight
The game is set in the 26th century where dinosaurs and humans coexist. In this work, the role of props has been greatly enhanced. All firearms and props have the concept of ammunition. When the ammunition is used up, it can only be used as a one-time throwing prop. You can even grab the boss's weapon to counterattack. Therefore, the game playability is quite high.
Dinosaur Kombat
The beginning of the first level of the game
Dinosaur Fight Game
My favorite is the one wearing a hat. His kicks are straighter and his running is handsome and flexible. Moreover, there are no blind spots in the trick, and the difficulty increases from the fifth level.
2. Famous generals
In the year 2026, crime is rampant on the earth. Most of the criminals have special abilities that ordinary people do not have, and they are called "criminal supermen", so the anti-crime team led by Captain Commando - Commando appeared. Capcom's original characters appear, the world view is set in a theme park, and the story is about defeating the ambitious people who want to dominate the world.
General game screen
General game screen
General game screen
General game screen
The progress of the game in terms of graphics and feel can be said to be a leap forward. The game is highly balanced and supports up to 4 people playing the game at the same time. Each character has a distinct personality and unique moves. The game advocates cooperation. Another thing worth mentioning is the introduction of the concept of mounts. The protagonist can ride on a huge walking machine to fight the enemy. Although it is powerful, due to its slow movement and huge size, the possibility of being attacked is also greatly increased. This system has been used by many works in the future. Learn from. The arcade game "Master" established the typical structure of Capcom's side-scrolling customs clearance and can be called a classic.
3. Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2" is the sequel to the game "Swallowing Heaven and Earth" of the same name by Hiroshi Motomiya. It is definitely one of the most popular works in China. The background of the story is the Battle of Chibi, which is familiar to all Chinese people. There are five characters in the game for players to choose from. But surprisingly, they are not the Five Tiger Generals of Xishu. Instead, Ma Chao is replaced by Wei Yan. Bows and arrows are added for the fun of the game. Hand Huang Zhong. The enemy characters are basically quite satisfactory. Only the three beautiful sisters of Wu Guo and Lu Bu in the last level are a bit too big of a joke.
game screen
game screen
game screen
game screen
4. Peter Pan (Captain Hook)
Captain Hook
Invincible before entering the field
Game protagonist must kill
Game protagonist skills
"Captain Hook" is an arcade game released by Irem in 1992. It has the characters of Peter the Boss, Dual Swordsman the Second, Clown the Clown the Clown, Doll the Doll, and Fatty the Fifth. It can be operated by 1-4 people, and the goal is to rescue the victims. Kidnap the children and destroy the evil Captain Hook. Among them, the boss, fourth, and fifth are more powerful. The other two have poor attack power and are difficult to pass alone, but the other three can easily pass the level. The story background of the game is to eliminate the evil Captain Hook. The protagonists have different bloodletting tricks, but they are not very powerful and consume a lot of blood, so fewer people use this trick! But this game has a special skill. You can block a special move while jumping, and you are also invincible when you rush forward. This game can be played in an infinite loop, and even experts can play it for more than N hours.
5. Journey to the West: The Legend of Disaster
Journey to the West
"Journey to the West" is an arcade game produced by developer Yixiang Electronics and released in 1997. The game uses the characters in Journey to the West as the game characters. Through fighting, you can pass through the levels and achieve the goal of final victory.
game screen
game screen
The most fun thing about this game in the arcade is that it can be played by four people, which is so fun. There are many choices for Sun Wukong, and White Dragon Horse is also good. I still remember their attribute moves, such as Tumu Kung, Heavenly Palace Fire, Earth Kung Fu, Ice and Fire Palm, Shadowless Knife, as well as the treasure system and combined skills. You can grab things to eat when you pass the level. Keep the accumulated weapons to fight the big BOSS.
6. War of the Three Kingdoms
War of the Three Kingdoms
"Three Kingdoms" is a famous Three Kingdoms action game. Although many players believe that the graphics of "Three Kingdoms 2" were not as good as those of "Three Kingdoms 2", but from a technical level, "Three Kingdoms" is much more complex in terms of system. In addition to fighting, players can use the Upanishad to activate various magics, and there is also a rage system similar to fighting games. After "Three Kingdoms" became popular, IGS has successively launched various new versions, including "Three Kingdoms - The Rise of the Wind," "Three Kingdoms - Heroes of Troubled Times," "Three Kingdoms 2" and "War of the Generals", etc., all of which have been well received by players. I remember that the first version of hidden characters in China at that time required cheat selection. For example, Zhuge Liang was: →→B←↓→C←↑→D←←B. You can also use the Holy Fire Token to change the items in the second inventory to more than 300...
War of the Three Kingdoms
War of the Three Kingdoms
2. Battle type games
1. Street Fighter
street fighter
"Street Fighter" is a fighting stand-alone game series first launched by Japan's CAPCOM in 1987. The first generation of the game was released on August 30, 1987. The main characters in the game include Takashi, Ken, Chun-Li, Gale, Kasugano Sakura, Alex, Vega, Akuma, etc. The Wave Fist and Shoryuken are still fresh in my memory. At that time, I was competing against people coin by coin. The most popular character was the Big Boss General because of its simple operation. Of course, the red-haired and white-haired characters (Takashi and Ken) were also frequently chosen.
street fighter
street fighter
street fighter
2. The Haoxue Temple Clan
Goxueji clan
"Goxueji Clan" is a fighting game produced by Atlus and released in 1993.
"Goxueji Clan" has eight players to choose from, two bonus rounds, and some new elements in fighting games such as double jumps and transformations. The old lady will draw energy from her younger opponents and rejuvenate them.
game screen
game screen
game screen
3. Samurai Soul
Samurai Soul
Samurai Shodown is a cold weapon fighting game launched by SNK in 1993. It is also one of SNK's signature games and has since launched a series of works. "Samurai Shodown" was one of the first fighting games to break the rules of the classic "Street Fighter 2". It adopted a different fighting system and improved many operations, including graphical effects, such as the revolutionary zoom effect. Samurai Shodown was the most innovative fighting game at the time. Its sequel, Samurai Shodown, was also enthusiastically praised by critics and game fans.
Samurai Soul
Samurai Soul
4. King of Fighters
"The King of Fighters" is a famous battle-type fighting arcade game released on the MVS game console in 1994 by the Japanese company SNK. It is referred to as "KOF" and is also the name of the world-scale fighting competition held in the plot. It was originally a fighting competition held on the stage of Nan Town in the company's other two works, the "Hungry Wolf" series and "Fist of the Dragon and Tiger 2". "KOF" is the official abbreviation, taken from the first letter of each word. The trademark is registered under the name of SNK Corporation. As of 2022, a total of 15 official King of Fighters game works have been released.
King of Fighters 97
King of Fighters 98
King of Fighters 2000
The main characters of The King of Fighters
Among arcade players in the King of Fighters series represented by King of Fighters 97, no one dares to say that King of Fighters 97 is the best, because there are always players who play this game better! The King of Fighters 97 is unprecedented, and the subsequent 98, 99, etc. have disappeared in the light of 97. The only failure of 97, I think, is that when selecting characters, you cannot choose random, which is the question mark. After choosing 3 people, you can't change them no matter how many rounds you play. After PKing for a long time, I feel tired of the characters. King of Fighters 98 does this very well.
Okay, today I simply selected a few games that were popular in game arcades at that time, and that’s all. Do you guys have any that you visit often? Welcome to the comment area to discuss together.