With a new year upon us, you are likely to come across an anniversary or two out there in relation to some of your favorite video games. Since we cover arcades here, we\u2019re going to look at the games that were released 50, 40, 25, and 10 years ago \u2013 guaranteed to make you feel old!<\/p>\n
1975<\/h2>\n
Since 2022, we\u2019ve been able to add 50 onto these counts, although chances are that some of these will be a bit obscure to most gamers\/collectors out there.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nHamanoya Annex Daiichi Hotel, Japan, 1975 (Source: yomogi2017.xyz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Notable games turning 50:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Anti-Aircraft II<\/em><\/a> (Atari) \u2013 A break from the typical Pong game, blast planes out of the sky. This had a hardware-activated Easter Egg that by making an adjustment to the board, turned the planes into UFOs \u2013 this being the first real Easter Eggs I know of in an arcade game, quite some time before Atari\u2019s Adventure had such a thing.<\/li>\n
- Avenger<\/a> <\/em>(Electra Games) \u2013 The earliest example I know of, of what could be considered a vertical scrolling shoot \u2019em up. It was also the first game to offer a \u201cBonus Buy-in\u201d of 3 players for 2 quarters, something done frequently in pinball.<\/li>\n
- Bullet Mark<\/a><\/em> (Sega) \u2013 One of the earliest light-gun games, although not the first, coming in a deluxe cabinet and featuring realistic, mounted Tommy Guns.<\/li>\n
- Crash \u2018N Score<\/a><\/em> (Atari) \u2013 Kind of a demolition derby game, drive into pylons for points<\/li>\n
- Destruction Derby<\/a> (Exidy) \u2013 Released the same month as Atari\u2019s Crash \u2018N Score, this came with more of an attitude as you would crash cars, not numbered pylons. It even had a stick shift. This would serve as the basis for Exidy\u2019s wildly popular Death Race<\/em>, released only months later in \u201976.<\/li>\n
- Drop Zone 4<\/a><\/em> (Meadows) \u2013 A predecessor to Atari\u2019s Canyon Bomber, but would reward you with a free game if you didn\u2019t hit anything.<\/li>\n
- F-114<\/a> <\/em>(Allied Leisure) \u2013 While not technically a video game, the cabinet looks like it fell out of the \u201990s. This was a popular EM racing game that used a motion seat and it did have visuals\u2026just not digitally created ones. It was the industry\u2019s first real motion simulator.<\/li>\n
- Gun Fight<\/a> <\/em>(Taito\/Midway) \u2013 First widespread game to use a CPU, and it was a grandfather to the \u201ctwin stick shooter\u201d, with one stick for movement, another for shooting. It was also the first Japanese video game licensed in the US.<\/li>\n
- Hi-Way<\/a><\/em> (Atari) \u2013 This was the first sit-down video racer and the last fiberglass cabinet to come out of Atari.<\/li>\n
- Indy 800<\/a><\/em> (Atari\/Kee Games) \u2013 The first 8-player video game, and first game to break the $5000 cost barrier. It also had a color monitor, which wasn\u2019t a first, but very rare at the time.<\/li>\n
- Maneater<\/a><\/em> (Project Support Engineering) \u2013 An unforgettable game cabinet from a forgettable company, this attempt to cash-in on Jaws had a model that used a molded Great White Shark head for it\u2019s cabinet.<\/li>\n
- PT-109<\/em><\/a> (Mirco Games) \u2013 Basically Atari\u2019s Tank<\/em>, but with boats. This also could be considered the \u201cfirst\u201d arcade game to use a CPU like Gun Fight did, but it was a flop, so few people knew what it was.<\/li>\n
- Shark JAWS<\/a><\/em> (Atari) \u2013 One of a few different games attempting to capitalize on the JAWS hype.<\/li>\n
- Shooting Trainer<\/a><\/em> (Nintendo) \u2013 The only arcade game that Nintendo would release this year is not a video game in the same sense as these others (it was more of an EM game).<\/li>\n
- Ski<\/a><\/em> (Allied Leisure) \u2013 Way ahead of its time from a hardware perspective, the first skiing arcade game also used a swivel foot controller, 20 years before Namco would do so with their own skier video game.<\/li>\n
- Steeplechase<\/a><\/em> (Atari) \u2013 The first horse racing video game, supporting up to six players who only had one button for a controller<\/li>\n
- Super Flipper<\/a><\/em> (Chicago Coin) \u2013 Licensed from an Italian company (and considered to be Italy\u2019s first original video game), this was also the first digital pinball game put into a pinball cabinet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
1985<\/h2>\n
I wasn\u2019t around for the \u201970s games, but I was up and about for 1985 \u2013 although I don\u2019t recall visiting an arcade for the first time until a few years later. 1985 is generally seen as the year that Nintendo saved the industry from the doldrums it had been experiencing throughout 1983 & 1984. Sure, they do deserve a lot of credit, but not all of it \u2013 especially not in arcades, as there were other influential games which landed in that space which did just as much, if not more, to bring people\u2019s interest in video games back.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nFunland, Toronto, 1985 (Source: City of Toronto Archives)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As you\u2019ll notice from the list below, it was the output from Japanese game studios that really started to turn things around in North America. Japan didn\u2019t quite suffer from the crash like we did, although certain anxieties about inbound legislation changes on arcades in Japan motivated Sega and Nintendo to get into consoles \u2013 the latter eventually leaving coin-op altogether. But the NES wouldn\u2019t have had a lot of its memorable arcade ports without some of these titles:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Armored Scrum Object (ASO)<\/a><\/em> (SNK) \u2013 An early SNK shoot \u2019em up that came with Xevious vibes<\/li>\n
- Baraduke<\/a><\/em> (Namco) \u2013 An action platformer that will make you think of Metroid<\/li>\n
- Choplifter<\/a><\/em> (Sega) \u2013 A Sega conversion from a popular PC game, with entirely new graphics and enhanced gameplay with new levels<\/li>\n
- Commando<\/a><\/em> (Capcom) \u2013 Vertical scrolling run\u2019n gun in the vein of Front Line. This would influence the likes of Ikari Warriors<\/em>, which would come along the next year. Capcom licensed this to Data East for the US release.<\/li>\n
- Crack Shot<\/a><\/em> (Exidy) \u2013 A shooting gallery light-gun game that would be overshadowed<\/li>\n
- Dig Dug II<\/em><\/a> (Namco) \u2013 The wildly different sequel to the influential digging game, somewhat obscure as it wasn\u2019t a hit.<\/li>\n
- Dragon Buster<\/a><\/em> (Namco) \u2013 A side-scrolling RPG that could be seen as influential to games like Zelda II<\/em>. Namco\u2019s first game with a life bar.<\/li>\n
- Exed Exes<\/a><\/em> (Capcom) \u2013 Vertical scrolling shoot \u2019em up with an alien bee theme<\/li>\n
- Field Combat<\/a><\/em> Jaleco \u2013 Obscure game that is a shoot \u2019em up, but it had an early RTS element of allowing you to manage and send out units.<\/li>\n
- Flashgal<\/em><\/a> (Sega) \u2013 This action platformer by Sega was a little bit of a super hero meets super spy game, with beat \u2019em up and shoot \u2019em up elements wrapped into one.<\/li>\n
- Galactic Warriors<\/a> <\/em>(Konami) \u2013 Obscure, but it was a 1v1 fighter that built upon their own Yie Ar Kung-Fu<\/em>, adding more\u00a0 elements (selectable characters, move sets) that would influence the genre, 2 years before Street Fighter<\/em> came along.<\/li>\n
- Gauntlet<\/a><\/em> (Atari Games) \u2013 Brought RPG-like, multiplayer adventure to the scene; highly influential with iconic voice overs such as \u201cRed Warrior needs food, badly\u201d.<\/li>\n
- Ghosts \u2018N Goblins<\/em><\/a> (Capcom) \u2013 A tough-as-nails, but influential, action platformer with a spooky medieval theme.<\/li>\n
- Gradius<\/a><\/em> (Konami) \u2013 Influential scrolling shoot \u2019em up that evolved Konami\u2019s idea behind Scramble<\/em>, giving the world the Vic Viper and complex power-up systems.<\/li>\n
- Green Beret\/Rush\u2019n Attack<\/a><\/em> (Konami) \u2013 Side-scrolling action platformer, in the vein of Commando, just sideways.<\/li>\n
- Gun Smoke<\/a><\/em> (Capcom) \u2013 Like Commando<\/em>, but set in the Old West with cowboys, rangers, and bandits.<\/li>\n
- Hang-On<\/a><\/em> (Sega) \u2013 Sega\u2019s way of saying \u201cwe\u2019re back\u201d, that also showed why arcades were still superior. One model for this was shaped like a bike<\/a>, with a swivel seat; both that and the game itself influenced both racing and motorcycle games into perpetuity.<\/li>\n
- Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom<\/a><\/em> (Atari Games) \u2013 Isometric platforming and the only video arcade game to come from this franchise (it\u2019s seen more action in pinball).<\/li>\n
- Metro-Cross<\/a><\/em> (Namco) \u2013 A unique game that has you running through a futuristic obstacle course across 32 levels.<\/li>\n
- Ninja Princess<\/a><\/em> (Sega) \u2013 One of many games that would play into the interest behind ninjas that became a big pop cultural fad in the \u201980s.<\/li>\n
- Nintendo Vs. System<\/a> \u2013 While not a game, and the not the first time a home console powered an arcade unit, this became a staple of the late 80\u2019s arcade scene and helped promote the NES & its games to consumers (along with the Playchoice-10). VS games were more difficult than their NES counterparts.<\/li>\n
- Paperboy<\/a><\/em> (Atari Games) \u2013 One of the bigger game names of the \u201980s, putting you in the role of a newspaper delivery boy. Used bicycle handlebars to control and a lot of humor was packed into this one.<\/li>\n
- Ring King<\/a><\/em> (Nihon Bussan) \u2013 Punch-Out!! couldn\u2019t be the only boxing game out there, so Nihon Bussan came up with this different take on the sport.<\/li>\n
- Sarge<\/a><\/em> (Bally Midway) \u2013 Designed by Brian Colin, this single-screen war game could be considered an early RTS, with players needing to use as much strategy as they do brute force to gain victory.<\/li>\n
- Space Harrier<\/a><\/em> (Sega) \u2013 Like Hang-On<\/em>, everything about this showed the world that arcades still could do amazing games that home stuff couldn\u2019t. Not just graphics wise, but cabinets with motion and unique controls. I\u2019d argue that games like this and Hang-On were just as important to restoring interest in games as the NES & SMB was.<\/li>\n
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back<\/a><\/em> (Atari Games) \u2013 Released as a conversion kit, this would be the last vector arcade game release.<\/li>\n
- Terra Cresta<\/a><\/em> (Nichibutsu) \u2013 A sequel to the popular Moon Cresta, combining elements of that game with influences from other shooters that had been released in-between the two.<\/li>\n
- The Fairyland Story<\/a><\/em> (Taito) \u2013 A very cute game that would practice some ideas that next year\u2019s Bubble Bobble<\/em> would polish.<\/li>\n
- The Legend of Kage<\/a><\/em> (Taito) \u2013 Another ninja platformer, this would fail to capture the same sort of interest that Sega\u2019s Shinobi would soon grab, but it was still part of the \u201cninja brigade\u201d of games at the time.<\/li>\n
- Tiger-Heli<\/a> <\/em>(Toaplan\/Taito) \u2013 Vertical scrolling shoot \u2019em up that starred a helicopter and used a blast radius bomb that so many other games in the genre would later employ.<\/li>\n
- World Series: The Season<\/a><\/em> (Cinematronics) \u2013 Obscure now, but this was a big hit for Cinematronics, and became influential among the many baseball video games that would soon flood the home\/NES market.<\/li>\n
- Wyvern F-0<\/a><\/em> (Taito) \u2013 Another vertical shmup, but this one did something unusual with the hardware \u2013 it used two monitors, overlaying air objects over the ground ones to create a 3D effect.<\/li>\n
- Yie Ar Kung-Fu<\/em><\/a> (Konami) \u2013 Released months before their own Galactic Warriors<\/em>, this was a more popular (and sensible) 1v1 game that seemed to be a natural evolution of games like Karate Champ<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2000<\/h2>\n
Why 25 years ago and not 30? Well, it seems people are attached more towards that metric than 30 or 20 when it comes to anniversaries, so we\u2019ll just go with it. 1995 was covered back in 2020 if you care to revisit some of the hits from 30 years ago. Frankly, 2005 wasn\u2019t a very impressive year for arcades, so we\u2019ll leave it for now.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/arcadeheroes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img808.jpg?resize=600%2C476&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFunland, London Trocadero, 2000 (Source: Proun)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
2000 of course was an interesting time to be alive, aside from it being a 1,000 year mark in history. It was also a little surreal for some of us, given that I graduated high school that year\u2026 what were the chances, haha. The world didn\u2019t end and the so-called \u201cY2K Virus\u201d was forgotten quickly, probably because the enormous amount of manufactured hype and panic that had caused was embarrassing for many to think about. I knew that the date setting being wrong wouldn\u2019t amount to much of anything. The internet was still an infant, but many of us, myself included, were logging onto it every day. You still had dial-up a lot of the time, so it wasn\u2019t fancy, but there was still some things to do.<\/p>\n
The arcade scene was struggling by this point, unfortunately. Depending on where you live, there are various, complicated reasons for that, besides the obvious (and overplayed) one that home consoles and PCs had matched or surpassed the graphical prowess of arcade machines in many instances, so many game makers started to move away from joystick games and towards simulator style designs. Still, 2000 saw a very interesting variety of titles, as the industry hadn\u2019t leaned all<\/em> into drivers & gun games just yet:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 1944: The Loop Master<\/a><\/em> (Raizing\/Capcom) \u2013 A great entry into the 194X series, running on Capcom\u2019s CPS-2 hardware. This was the last time that the series got an arcade release.<\/li>\n
- Battle Gear 2<\/em><\/a> (Taito) \u2013 Taito isn\u2019t the first name that comes to mind with arcade racers, but the Battle Gear series is where they made some fun entries.<\/li>\n
- BEMANI Games <\/em>(Konami) \u2013 Konami went wild in 2000 with their rhythm game releases, to the point that it\u2019s a challenge to figure out which game to focus on here (the point isn\u2019t to mention every game released in a given year). Whether it was Beatmania IIDX 4th Mix<\/a><\/em>, Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix<\/a><\/em>, Dance Maniax<\/em><\/a>, DrumMania 3rd Mix<\/a>,<\/em> Guitar Freaks 4th Mix<\/a><\/em>, ParaParaParadise<\/a><\/em> or Pop \u2018N Music 5<\/a>, <\/em>Bemani players had a lot of great games to enjoy.<\/li>\n
- Big Buck Hunter<\/a><\/em> (Play Mechanix\/Incredible Technologies) \u2013 The most popular hunting game in history was birthed 25 years ago, and it\u2019s come a long way since. I wonder if there will be a new BBH this year to celebrate\u2026<\/li>\n
- Brave Blade<\/a><\/em> (Raizing) \u2013 A vertically scrolling shoot \u2019em up with 3D graphics that was Raizing\u2019s last game, unfortunately.<\/li>\n
- Cannon Spike\/Gunspike<\/a><\/em> (Capcom) \u2013 An overhead 3D action where you play as different Capcom characters while blasting bad guys across various stages.<\/li>\n
- Capcom Vs. SNK: Millennium Fight<\/a><\/em> (SNK) \u2013 What better way to celebrate two fighter genre giants than by pitting characters from both brands into one game?<\/li>\n
- Cart Fury<\/a><\/em> (Midway) \u2013 No cute characters here, this was more serious racing. This is one of the last F-1 style racers released to arcades, not counting PC games put onto pro simulators with slight modifications (and we can\u2019t forget the more recent Racecraft<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Confidential Mission<\/a><\/em> (Sega) \u2013 A light-gun game with a strong James Bond feel & theme to it, since you play as secret agents with a bevy of cool gadgets, and you hve a license to kill.<\/li>\n
- Cruis\u2019n Exotica<\/em><\/a> (Midway) \u2013 The 3rd entry into the Cruis\u2019n series threw in some fantasy locations into the mix, and came in an enhanced cabinet over its predecessors. Was eventually succeeded by Cruis\u2019n Blast<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Dark Silhouette: Silent Scope 2<\/a><\/em> (Konami) \u2013 Despite getting a lot of traction out of their Bemani games, Konami had other aces up their sleeve, like Silent Scope, which offered a style of light-gun game that only works exceptionally well in the arcade format.<\/li>\n
- Dead or Alive 2 Millennium<\/a><\/em> (Tecmo) \u2013 This would be the last time that the DOA series would grace arcades until DOA5 Arcade would come along in 2013, although the latter would only see a coin-op release in Japan.<\/li>\n
- Dragon Blaze<\/a> <\/em>(Psikyo) \u2013 This one was like a spiritual successor to Namco\u2019s Dragon Spirit<\/em>. It was naturally enhanced with graphics of the era, and Psikyo elements like multiple characters.<\/li>\n
- Deer Hunting USA<\/a><\/em> (Sammy) \u2013 Before Big Buck Hunter became the de facto hunting video game, Sammy had a few hunting games like this and Turkey Hunting that tried to carve out their own space on the market.<\/li>\n
- Gauntlet Dark Legacy<\/a><\/em> (Atari\/Midway) \u2013 The final time that Gauntlet would grace arcades, this was an upgrade to Gauntlet Legends that added a lot more content and characters. I\u2019ve had one of these since I opened my arcade in 2008.<\/li>\n
- Gigawing 2<\/a> <\/em>(Capcom) \u2013 A fun and well-designed shoot \u2019em up with 3D graphics.<\/li>\n
- Golgo 13 \u2013 Kiseki no Dandou<\/a><\/em> (Namco\/Eighting\/Raizing) \u2013 This Japan-only take on the sniper light-gun game is based on the titular manga\/anime series.<\/li>\n
- Guilty Gear X<\/a><\/em> (Sammy) \u2013 While the Guilty Gear series doesn\u2019t have the same level of recognition as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, it is just a tier below those perhaps, offering compelling characters & gameplay that has built up a loyal fanbase.<\/li>\n
- Mars Matrix<\/a><\/em> (Capcom) \u2013 One of the first games I had at my own arcade, this was among Capcom\u2019s last US arcade releases. A fun shoot \u2019em up that is based on a war between Earth and Mars.<\/li>\n
- Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 \u2013 New Age of Heroes<\/a><\/em> (Capcom) \u2013 A successful and popular follow-up to Capcom\u2019s other mash-up of heroic characters. I\u2019ve had an MvC2 for years\u2026<\/li>\n
- Metal Slug 3<\/a><\/em> (SNK) \u2013 Arguably the best entry into the Metal Slug series, this defined and influenced run\u2019n gun games in such a way that even MS sequels have always been compared to how they stack up against MS3.<\/li>\n
- Mission Craft<\/a><\/em> (Sun) \u2013 Notable as a weird (and unlicensed) shoot \u2019em up game, using hacked elements from several games to give the world a kind of scrolling Starcraft shooter.<\/li>\n
- Battle Gear 2<\/em><\/a> (Taito) \u2013 Taito isn\u2019t the first name that comes to mind with arcade racers, but the Battle Gear series is where they made some fun entries.<\/li>\n
- Baraduke<\/a><\/em> (Namco) \u2013 An action platformer that will make you think of Metroid<\/li>\n
- Avenger<\/a> <\/em>(Electra Games) \u2013 The earliest example I know of, of what could be considered a vertical scrolling shoot \u2019em up. It was also the first game to offer a \u201cBonus Buy-in\u201d of 3 players for 2 quarters, something done frequently in pinball.<\/li>\n