Rare arcade games you've seen

[NE146]

No, not Solar Fox... it had a maze with the dots in it. I think the maze was sort of light blue and the dots yellow, but I'm not positive.

 

The place where it was is now a large thrift store, but it still has the wood floor from the skating rink. Is a little weird to go in there... makes me want it to be like it was.

 

Space Chaser? I still play that game to this day If so, it came out before Pacman so I wouldn't even call it a clone.

 

Edited February 20, 2009 by NE146

[pinball22]

Unless you have more to go on, that will be tough. There were literally hundreds of Pac-Man clones back in the day.

 

Tempest

 

Yeah, hence my failure to figure it out. I really want Google to develop a direct brain interface so that you can google a mental image. I was hoping KLOV could help me, but their genre search for the "Labyrinth/Maze" category is broken... clicking on it returns no results.

[Kurt_Woloch]

There are a few games I've seen that are pretty rare (which I didn't know back then, of course...)

 

First, there was the Data East game "Manhattan", actually running on their DECO system.

 

At the same time, in another arcade, I saw "Sheriff" by Nintendo. It was the color version as shown here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff_(arcade_game).

Actually, I didn't know Nintendo was a company back then, so I thought the title was "Sheriff Nintendo". Of course, I learned better not too long afterwards when Nintendo put out the Game&Watch games.

 

One of the later games I saw I would consider rare was "Parasol Stars" by Taito, the sequel to "Bubble Bobble" and "Rainbow Islands". As I learned later, there really wasn't an arcade version of that game, rather they put the NEC PC Engine version (or was it Neo Geo?) into the arcade.

 

Other games I saw which I didn't consider THAT rare were "Turtles" by Konami (which actually there were some home versions of by Entex and Philips), "Splash" (can't remember the company name), "Super Space Invaders '91" and "Super Burger Time".

 

Most of them I saw in the Prater of Vienna, which is a big amusement park which is open all year long (but more attractive from April to October than in other months, when many of the rides are closed). It contains about 100 rides, arcades and restaurants. In the early 80's, there were about 10 arcades in there with video games (and some more which only had gambling machines). From the mid-80's on, however, they closed down one by one, and today there are only 3 or 4 of them left... and others have converted from video games to gambling, such as the "Fortuna Halle" at the entrance near the Praterstern, which converted to gambling in the early 90's.

[retrorussell]

Unless you have more to go on, that will be tough. There were literally hundreds of Pac-Man clones back in the day.

 

Tempest

 

Yeah, hence my failure to figure it out. I really want Google to develop a direct brain interface so that you can google a mental image. I was hoping KLOV could help me, but their genre search for the "Labyrinth/Maze" category is broken... clicking on it returns no results.

You're sure it was a ship? And not a car (like Exidy's "Crash" or Sega's "Head On"), or a piranha (as in GT's "Piranha")? Those were both Pac-Man like games.

[retrorussell]

There are a few games I've seen that are pretty rare (which I didn't know back then, of course...)

 

First, there was the Data East game "Manhattan", actually running on their DECO system.

 

At the same time, in another arcade, I saw "Sheriff" by Nintendo. It was the color version as shown here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff_(arcade_game).

Actually, I didn't know Nintendo was a company back then, so I thought the title was "Sheriff Nintendo". Of course, I learned better not too long afterwards when Nintendo put out the Game&Watch games.

 

One of the later games I saw I would consider rare was "Parasol Stars" by Taito, the sequel to "Bubble Bobble" and "Rainbow Islands". As I learned later, there really wasn't an arcade version of that game, rather they put the NEC PC Engine version (or was it Neo Geo?) into the arcade.

 

Other games I saw which I didn't consider THAT rare were "Turtles" by Konami (which actually there were some home versions of by Entex and Philips), "Splash" (can't remember the company name), "Super Space Invaders '91" and "Super Burger Time".

 

Most of them I saw in the Prater of Vienna, which is a big amusement park which is open all year long (but more attractive from April to October than in other months, when many of the rides are closed). It contains about 100 rides, arcades and restaurants. In the early 80's, there were about 10 arcades in there with video games (and some more which only had gambling machines). From the mid-80's on, however, they closed down one by one, and today there are only 3 or 4 of them left... and others have converted from video games to gambling, such as the "Fortuna Halle" at the entrance near the Praterstern, which converted to gambling in the early 90's.

[retrorussell]

There are a few games I've seen that are pretty rare (which I didn't know back then, of course...)

 

First, there was the Data East game "Manhattan", actually running on their DECO system.

 

At the same time, in another arcade, I saw "Sheriff" by Nintendo. It was the color version as shown here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff_(arcade_game).

Actually, I didn't know Nintendo was a company back then, so I thought the title was "Sheriff Nintendo". Of course, I learned better not too long afterwards when Nintendo put out the Game&Watch games.

 

One of the later games I saw I would consider rare was "Parasol Stars" by Taito, the sequel to "Bubble Bobble" and "Rainbow Islands". As I learned later, there really wasn't an arcade version of that game, rather they put the NEC PC Engine version (or was it Neo Geo?) into the arcade.

 

Other games I saw which I didn't consider THAT rare were "Turtles" by Konami (which actually there were some home versions of by Entex and Philips), "Splash" (can't remember the company name), "Super Space Invaders '91" and "Super Burger Time".

 

Most of them I saw in the Prater of Vienna, which is a big amusement park which is open all year long (but more attractive from April to October than in other months, when many of the rides are closed). It contains about 100 rides, arcades and restaurants. In the early 80's, there were about 10 arcades in there with video games (and some more which only had gambling machines). From the mid-80's on, however, they closed down one by one, and today there are only 3 or 4 of them left... and others have converted from video games to gambling, such as the "Fortuna Halle" at the entrance near the Praterstern, which converted to gambling in the early 90's.

Oops.. meant to actually reply to that one.

Splash! was by Gaelco, and from what I recall was sort of a soft-core porn game with nude pics revealed by playing a Qix-like game.

I used to play quite a bit of Turtles.. I remember seeing it on the Magnavox II.

I believe Nintendo's first arcade game was Space Firebird, which was also licensed to Sega/Gremlin.

I BARELY heard of Manhattan.. there were some good games on the DECO system but mostly crap.

Thanks for the memories! Keep 'em rolling!

[keilbaca]

I didn't grow up in that era but...

 

I have seen many recently, from a couple collectors. There's a place here in Pittsburgh called Pinball Perfection that has:

 

Star Castle

Journey

Cabaret Wizard of Wor

Sinistar

Gyruss

 

and many many more...

 

... and in the PAPA headquarters next to the Carnegie Museum, they open the place up two times a year, one for a world pinball tournament. They have Tattoo Assassins.

Edited February 20, 2009 by keilbaca

[pinball22]

Oooh! I didn't see NE1's post before I posted my last one... that's it!!

I had a vague feeling it started with an S, but I wasn't sure. Thanks!!

[NE146]

You're sure it was a ship? And not a car (like Exidy's "Crash" or Sega's "Head On"), or a piranha (as in GT's "Piranha")? Those were both Pac-Man like games.

 

He hasn't replied yet whether it's Space Chaser or not.. that one of course is definitely a ship, blue background, yellow dots. It all fits

[Prodos8]

Played Discs of Tron at Disneyland, Anaheim, CA. Don't think I've every played since then, around '84. It was the Cabinet version.

[pinball22]

Heh, now we both posted at the same time again.

 

BTW, I don't think I've ever actually mentioned this in 5 years/over 800 posts, but I'm a she.

Edited February 20, 2009 by pinball22

[Tempest]

First, there was the Data East game "Manhattan", actually running on their DECO system.

I'd kill for that. I've always wanted it for my DECO cab. I don't think it's been dumped or released either.

 

Tempest

[Lord Thag]

The two rare games I used to play (that I loved) were Star Fire and Zwackery. Star Fire is a great, ignored first person shooter, ala Star Raiders. It was a great year with the 2600 homebrew got released. It's still the my favorite homebrew

 

Zwackery is one of those ultra obscure games that just doesn't emulate. Buttons, spinners, joysticks, and a quirky 'everything but the kitchen sink' games that isn't like anything else. Good stuff!

 

I also used to play Discs of Tron in one of those super rare (and unbelievably awesome) stand-up environmental cabs. You have to have played one to understand.

[frogstar_robot]

I believe Nintendo's first arcade game was Space Firebird, which was also licensed to Sega/Gremlin.

 

I think I remember playing that one. Galaxian clone wasn't it? And couldn't you at intervals hit a special attack button and rise up the screen and smash into your enemies rather than shooting them? It's a funny thing but I've played a good many of the titles others are mentioning. I only ever saw a Red Baron once. Pity too, it was a fun games. At one time or another I've seen most of Atari's vectors. I don't believe Black Widow was all that common either though someone was always playing it at the Gold Mine. Come to think of it, that Gold Mine had Thayer's Quest as well as Space Ace and Dragon's Lair though not all at the same time. They packed that location so tight with games that they'd round out their floorspace with what had to have been seen as B-List titles at the time. The same mall had another Gold Mine in another wing, it was smaller but I also played M.A.C.H 3, Firefox, and a "holographic" title that was a cowboy themed gun game there.

 

A mall in Ashland, KY had the only Exterminator cab I've ever seen. It broke down a lot but was really fun when it was working. Smashing cartoon frogs with a semi-realistic rendered fist was hilarious and fun.

 

At the time, I didn't appreciate these places being the wondrosities that they were.

Edited February 21, 2009 by frogstar_robot

[frogstar_robot]

The two rare games I used to play (that I loved) were Star Fire and Zwackery. Star Fire is a great, ignored first person shooter, ala Star Raiders. It was a great year with the 2600 homebrew got released. It's still the my favorite homebrew

 

Kings Island in Cincinnati Ohio had a GREAT arcade in it back in the early eighties. I played a few rounds of Star Fire there. I saw my first PaperBoy there though that wasn't a rare title.

[retrorussell]

I believe Nintendo's first arcade game was Space Firebird, which was also licensed to Sega/Gremlin.

 

I think I remember playing that one. Galaxian clone wasn't it? And couldn't you at intervals hit a special attack button and rise up the screen and smash into your enemies rather than shooting them? It's a funny thing but I've played a good many of the titles others are mentioning. I only ever saw a Red Baron once. Pity too, it was a fun games. At one time or another I've seen most of Atari's vectors. I don't believe Black Widow was all that common either though someone was always playing it at the Gold Mine. Come to think of it, that Gold Mine had Thayer's Quest as well as Space Ace and Dragon's Lair though not all at the same time. They packed that location so tight with games that they'd round out their floorspace with what had to have been seen as B-List titles at the time. The same mall had another Gold Mine in another wing, it was smaller but I also played M.A.C.H 3, Firefox, and a "holographic" title that was a cowboy themed gun game there.

 

A mall in Ashland, KY had the only Exterminator cab I've ever seen. It broke down a lot but was really fun when it was working. Smashing cartoon frogs with a semi-realistic rendered fist was hilarious and fun.

 

At the time, I didn't appreciate these places being the wondrosities that they were.

Yes, Space Firebird has play mechanics exactly like you described. It was like Galaxian but the enemies were ALWAYS attacking, never sitting in formation. Some required several shots to kill, and a number would count down as you killed the enemies, showing you how many you had left before the stage was completed.

I remember once me and my sister spending a night at my mom's friend's house at the Oregon coast back in about '82 or'83, and he had Red Baron and Space Wars. We were in seventh heaven!

Technos' first games in the US were weird: Mysterious Stones and Dog-Fight, which I saw at Sea-Tac Mall's Gold Mine arcade.

A fairly rare game (but probably Century {not to be confused with Centuri}'s best game behind "Hunchback") is Dazzler, a game much like "Turtles".

Also rare is a maze game called "Guzzler" involving a weird blue thing that soaks up water and shoots it at foes made of fire. Notable for giving you a chance to stop a spinning wheel to gain an extra life, after you lost your last one.

Last one before I hit the hay:

Mayday. A blatant Defender clone.. though the gameplay was a little different, the sounds were ripped off completely. Played this at Kellogg Bowl in Milwaukie, Oregon. They got a number of rare games there back in the day.

Thanks, everyone, for the many posts on this subject!

[MattG/Snyper2099]

Got-Ya

This one has to be up there as the strangest game I've ever seen. The only one I've ever seen period counting ebay and arcades is in my friend Chuck's garage. It's a rock paper scissors pac man clone.

 

 

 

(http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9775)

[cougar302b]

Got-Ya

This one has to be up there as the strangest game I've ever seen. The only one I've ever seen period counting ebay and arcades is in my friend Chuck's garage. It's a rock paper scissors pac man clone.

 

 

 

(http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9775)

Came up as a 'Star Wars Arcade' game.

[retrorussell]

I've seen a clip of Got-Ya on YouTube. Never seen it anywhere before. Somehow, the game strikes me as creepy!

A few more I'll throw out there..

Exidy's "Hard Hat". Not a very good game but as common with Exidy games, good music.

Exidy's "FAX". Early trivia game with some long-haired character climbing up ladders to ascend to higher levels of intelligence as you continued to correctly answer questions. Not as big a bust as Professor Pac-Man but died a quick death nevertheless, because it was too expensive to produce enough machines and trivia didn't really catch on in the video game market.

Meadows' "Gypsy Juggler". Played this a lot back in the late '70s at Malibu Gran Prix.. not that great of a game. You control this guy that juggles eggs, up to 4 at a time. When one would splat on the ground a chicken would walk out of it while peeping. Cracked me up to no end.

Lastly, Rock-Ola's "Eyes". One creepy game where you play an eyeball(!) that shoots other eyeballs. Rock-Ola (originally a jukebox-only company) didn't have many good games. My favorite of theirs was probably "Jump Bug".

[cougar302b]

I've seen a clip of Got-Ya on YouTube. Never seen it anywhere before. Somehow, the game strikes me as creepy!

A few more I'll throw out there..

Exidy's "Hard Hat". Not a very good game but as common with Exidy games, good music.

Exidy's "FAX". Early trivia game with some long-haired character climbing up ladders to ascend to higher levels of intelligence as you continued to correctly answer questions. Not as big a bust as Professor Pac-Man but died a quick death nevertheless, because it was too expensive to produce enough machines and trivia didn't really catch on in the video game market.

Meadows' "Gypsy Juggler". Played this a lot back in the late '70s at Malibu Gran Prix.. not that great of a game. You control this guy that juggles eggs, up to 4 at a time. When one would splat on the ground a chicken would walk out of it while peeping. Cracked me up to no end.

Lastly, Rock-Ola's "Eyes". One creepy game where you play an eyeball(!) that shoots other eyeballs. Rock-Ola (originally a jukebox-only company) didn't have many good games. My favorite of theirs was probably "Jump Bug".

Rock-ola also had a great game called Fantasy, you might remember the one they had at the old Westgate theatre.

[Tempest]

Exidy's "FAX". Early trivia game with some long-haired character climbing up ladders to ascend to higher levels of intelligence as you continued to correctly answer questions. Not as big a bust as Professor Pac-Man but died a quick death nevertheless, because it was too expensive to produce enough machines and trivia didn't really catch on in the video game market.

I've been looking for one of these for awhile now. I played on at a CGE many many years ago and for some reason I liked it. I also think I played it once a long time ago in an arcade, but it might have been some other trivia game (they all look the same).

 

Tempest

[Kurt_Woloch]

Yes, I know... this game hasn't been emulated yet, since apparently no one got hold of a tape of it. But that was back in 1981, 28 years ago.

 

First, there was the Data East game "Manhattan", actually running on their DECO system.

I'd kill for that. I've always wanted it for my DECO cab. I don't think it's been dumped or released either.

 

Tempest

[shadow460]

Probably the rarest arcade game I've played is the full-room version of the Lost World. I'm not talking about the sit down cabinet with curtains on it--there's one that's bigger. In the one I'm thinking of, the stages are in a totally different order. The guns have force feedback, and instead of lives you have a health bar. Each time you get shot you get blasted with pressurized air. Also during the loading screens, your chair spins around 180 degrees. When the next scene is loaded, you spin back around for more action.

 

I don't know how rare these are, but the less common ones I've been on are:

Indy 500 from Sega

Strikers 1945

Full motion versions of SCUD Race (in Australia) and 1998 Sega Rally

Viper Phase 1, which is kind of like a sequel to Raiden

Amidar

Space Duel

Championship Sprint

Mad Dog McCree

 

Out of those I played Indy 500 and Strikers absolutely senseless. Strikers especially was a game I could get into and play for hours. I also stuck to Championship Sprint when I found it available to play. I much preferred that over Super Sprint.

 

Oh, yeah, a couple more:

Star Castle, which I played a few times in the arcade

Star Wars Episode I Racer: Arcade from Sega, which is very different from the LucasArts home version. I played a sit down cab of that, and it is something you just have to experience. Let's just say it is well worth the $1 per play--especially on the course from the movie.

Edited February 22, 2009 by shadow460

[Zwackery]

The Jamesway in Culpeper, VA would get weird stuff up along the wall in the front. Only place I ever saw Super Cobra. The most unusual one I recall was Zoo Keeper. The arcade in town was pretty good about adding in less known games into the popular ones, so that's where I played a lot of Reactor. Some drug store had a Space Duel set up near the front.

 

The arcade in the Charlottesville, VA mall had a bunch of unusual titles for a fairly small room, like Satan's Hollow, Major Havoc, Cloak & Dagger, and Krull.

 

The arcade at King's Dominion, outside of Richmond, VA, was huge and full of all kinds of strange stuff, including Discs of Tron (environmental cab), Venture, and Leprechaun (they had a minicab set up elsewhere in the park for little kids with the Pot of Gold ROM at an insanely easy difficulty level).

 

The arcade in the Steubenville, OH mall had quite a line of vector games including Armor Attack, Lunar Lander, Star Castle, and one where you controlled a knight from an overhead perspective who had to fight another knight while avoiding falling into two pits/wells on the screen (technically I think the wells were on an overlay). It's also where I encountered just about the rarest game I have ever seen, Zwackery.

 

In the mid-90s when I lived in Matsuyama, Japan, I saw a bunch of very exotic stuff in those arcades: Dig Dug II, Elevator Action II, Rolling Thunder 2, and a bunch of stuff I have no idea what the names in English might be.

[retrorussell]

The Jamesway in Culpeper, VA would get weird stuff up along the wall in the front. Only place I ever saw Super Cobra. The most unusual one I recall was Zoo Keeper. The arcade in town was pretty good about adding in less known games into the popular ones, so that's where I played a lot of Reactor. Some drug store had a Space Duel set up near the front.

 

The arcade in the Charlottesville, VA mall had a bunch of unusual titles for a fairly small room, like Satan's Hollow, Major Havoc, Cloak & Dagger, and Krull.

 

The arcade at King's Dominion, outside of Richmond, VA, was huge and full of all kinds of strange stuff, including Discs of Tron (environmental cab), Venture, and Leprechaun (they had a minicab set up elsewhere in the park for little kids with the Pot of Gold ROM at an insanely easy difficulty level).

 

The arcade in the Steubenville, OH mall had quite a line of vector games including Armor Attack, Lunar Lander, Star Castle, and one where you controlled a knight from an overhead perspective who had to fight another knight while avoiding falling into two pits/wells on the screen (technically I think the wells were on an overlay). It's also where I encountered just about the rarest game I have ever seen, Zwackery.

 

In the mid-90s when I lived in Matsuyama, Japan, I saw a bunch of very exotic stuff in those arcades: Dig Dug II, Elevator Action II, Rolling Thunder 2, and a bunch of stuff I have no idea what the names in English might be.

and one where you controlled a knight from an overhead perspective who had to fight another knight while avoiding falling into two pits/wells on the screen (technically I think the wells were on an overlay).

Oh yeah! "Warrior" by Vectorbeam/Cinematronics, circa 1979. Played it a bit at Electric Palace in Beaverton Mall, but kept falling in the pits. D'oh! And yes, the wells were on an overlay.

Zwackery was definitely a weird one. Played it once and didn't really care for it.

I recall a really bad Asteroids clone once called "Meteoroids". It was in color but it was utterly awful in every possible way. I think it was by Venture Line. Didn't play it but watched the demo, and decades later played it on an emulator. Horrid!