Good 80's "hidden gems" for arcade?

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Just looking for a few tips for games outside the usual compilations we see from Atari, Williams, Namco, and Konami.

I'm totally fine with "This is repetitive but I'm having a good time".
Bonus points if the game actually has a few themed areas or levels.

I used to not give this era much of a chance but I want to now.

[WelshMegalodon]

Raimais
Sylvalion
Xain'd Sleena

[JBC]

Demon's World / Horror Story is a cute little Toaplan auto scrolling platform/shooter where you control a Ghostbuster with shades and a mustache I always call Lenny. It's simple but pretty fun and has a cute visual style. Jumping requires good timing and alot of the gameplay consists of avoiding powerups so you don't lose your preferred weapon.

[Obscura]

Well loved and less "hidden gem" on these forums but not so well-known outside of here, Ninja Spirit absolutely rules.

[trap15]

MAD PLANETS

[dan76]

These might not qualify as hidden gems but maybe you haven't heard of some of them.

Mr. Do! had some interesting sequels.
Mr. Do,s Castle
Do RunRun
Mr. Do's Wild Ride.

Wild Ride is probably the most unknown. You run around a rollercoaster dodging cars and picking up cherries. It's tough!

Road Runner by Atari. It's a nightmare to configure in mame, you need a trackball. It has a similar look to Gauntlet. I loved Atari graphics from around that time. I know you don't want Atari suggestions but it's doesn't get mentioned a lot.

Metro cross. A weird futuristic side scrolling skating game where you have to jump over barriers.

Mikie. Top down classroom game where you have to budge other students off their chairs and avoid the teacher.

Food Fight. Another one where you really need a trackball but it's playable with a controller. Single screen game where you throw food a chefs and try to reach the ice cream.

Pacland. The greatest early side scrolling platformer. Should've been a bigger hit than it was. The PCEngine version was done by the guy who made the arcade and he fixed a couple of things.

Toobin. You're on a rubber ring going down a stream paddling through gates. Pretty fun.

[BrianC]

Road Runner and Food Fight use analog joysticks, not trackballs.

[Vexorg]

Some of the Cinematronics vector games (Star Castle, Rip Off, Armor Attack, etc) are worth a shot.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Excellent start, thanks gents!
Just trying to step out of my mid '90s comfort zone.

[orange808]

Gravitar

[Dochartaigh]

I don't know if it's hidden or not, but I love Rastan from 1987. Used to play the crap out of that at the shore.

[boagman]

I don't know if it's hidden or not, but I love Rastan from 1987. Used to play the crap out of that at the shore.

That game used to beat the ever living *tar* out of me on location. The Sega Master System version is a travesty.

[boagman]

Oh, and to contribute to the thread, Atari's Xybots is always cool if you have the real cabinet, and KLAX is always a favorite. Major tip of the cap to the Atari Lynx version of the game.

[JBC]

Those statues carved into the mountain range of Rastan's first stage really captured my imagination as a kid, along with the image of the character sitting triumphantly on his throne, a king by his own hand. It wasn't until a short while later that I realized he was a homage to Conan the Barbarian. I've been a Conan fan ever since and I still fire up that rom from time to time. Stage 1 music is unforgettable.

[dan76]

Road Runner and Food Fight use analog joysticks, not trackballs.

Yeah your right. Weird because our arcade had them both in the same cab - I think Road Runner replaced Food Fight. Anyhow, it was a cab with a track ball.

[louisg]

Food Fight is AWESOME. I can't vouch for the arcade since I mostly have played the 7800 one, but it's great. Xybots is also really neat-- it's a window into early FPS-like game design. I also second PacLand-- remember it's before Super Mario Bros! I'm seconding Raimais and Ninja Spirit, too.

I think Black Widow is a great Robotron alternative, and Major Havoc is neat-- I think that inspired Thexder by way of MSX's Theseus.

Time Pilot '84 is one of my personal favorites. People talk about the original, but the second has a lot more going on-- ground targets, lock-ons, hidden areas and other secrets. It's fantastic.

If you're open to non-shmuppy genres, I'd recommend Lock-On and Speed Buggy, both by Tatsumi. Especially Speed Buggy. The control emulation might be a bit iffy in MAME still, but the C64, Amiga and ST versions are all good.

Rally Bike by Toaplan is one of the best dodge-the-blob racers ever. It's like if you took Zippy Race and made it all 16-bit with varied stages and a boogying soundtrack. There are powerups, too.

Toki is a neat one. It's a platformer, but with a bit of a run n gun feel due to the powerups. That one is probably getting more attention now though due to the remake.

Lost Tomb by Stern is fun. And Frenzy, the lessser-known sequel to Berzerk, is pretty good too.

Are Night Striker and Burning Force hidden gems still? Hmm.

Don't forget there's an arcade Bloody Wolf

[dingsbums]

Mutant Night
Psychic 5
Mirai Ninja

[BrainΦΠΦTemple]

dunno how obscure baraduke is, but that's a pretty good ass game

[GaijinPunch]

Are Night Striker and Burning Force hidden gems still? Hmm.

Night Striker most definitely not. Pretty sure it's pretty lauded on both sides of the pond.

[GaijinPunch]

Yeah your right. Weird because our arcade had them both in the same cab - I think Road Runner replaced Food Fight. Anyhow, it was a cab with a track ball.

Anarchy in the UK.

[Jeneki]

Xybots

Whenever I think of Xybots I also think of Crack Down (1989) as they both have a smaller window play area, and the location I went to had both games right next to each other. I loved both of these.

[louisg]

Are Night Striker and Burning Force hidden gems still? Hmm.

Night Striker most definitely not. Pretty sure it's pretty lauded on both sides of the pond.

Strange! I remember how surprised I was when I discovered it in the 00s. I already knew Burning Force because I'd rented the Genesis port, but Night Striker blew my mind because I thought I knew all the railed shooters from that era.

[boagman]

Xybots

Whenever I think of Xybots I also think of Crack Down (1989) as they both have a smaller window play area, and the location I went to had both games right next to each other. I loved both of these.

Crackdown pissed me *right* the heck off, not because of the game itself, but because THERE WERE NO CRACKDOWNS TO BE FOUND IN THE ENTIRE DETROIT AREA!!!!! Nobody had it around here...*nobody*. No arcades, no street operators, *no one*. In fact, the only time I ever saw it "in the wild" was on my Senior Trip in high school to Wet and Wild in Florida, where they had a single machine. I poured money into that stupid thing, and just got annihilated by it, and loved every second of it. I was MAJORLY PISSED that I couldn't find it back home. I still think it's pretty darned cool, and am very impressed with the no-hit runthroughs I've watched on YouTube which allowed me to retroactively enjoy the game. Not an easy title, to be certain.

Xybots wouldn't get the attention it does from me if it didn't include the ability to turn 90 degrees at a time, which really brought something new to the table at the time. I was always impressed by that game.

[boagman]

Are Night Striker and Burning Force hidden gems still? Hmm.

Night Striker most definitely not. Pretty sure it's pretty lauded on both sides of the pond.

Strange! I remember how surprised I was when I discovered it in the 00s. I already knew Burning Force because I'd rented the Genesis port, but Night Striker blew my mind because I thought I knew all the railed shooters from that era.

Honestly, NS should only be played in the environmental cabinet. You can play the upright, sure, and the game itself is plenty impressive in its own right (I'm *very* partial to it...), but the environmental cabinet was just *stellar*. Especially for enjoying the music and sound, it was the far superior experience. No, there wasn't any motion or anything, but it made the experience far better.

[GaijinPunch]

Strange! I remember how surprised I was when I discovered it in the 00s. I already knew Burning Force because I'd rented the Genesis port, but Night Striker blew my mind because I thought I knew all the railed shooters from that era.

I actually started to translate an interview w/ the creator of the game over 10 years ago. I actually think I have a lot of it still on paper as I did it on a plane straight from a book. One tidbit is that the game did not sell particularly well, and more units actually went to the US than anywhere. He did say the number (I think it was 777) but don't quote me on that. Not sure if it was the time, but the PCB is quite pricey now (especially if you have the stick), and as long as I can remember (00's on) it and any merch related (replays, cds) have been highly sought after. I think the PS/SS ports did fairly well as well.

I was lucky to have a video store which had an arcade in it walking distance from my house as a kid. It was tough in the 80s.

Crack Down (1989)

Crack Down is dope. Have always loved it. Luckily for me, I had an arcade or two with it. I totally sucked at that game. Quite difficult. I owned the PC for my last few years in Japan. Best I could do was up to 4-2.

[Limbrooke]

Phozon and Bomb Jack for me.

[louisg]

Strange! I remember how surprised I was when I discovered it in the 00s. I already knew Burning Force because I'd rented the Genesis port, but Night Striker blew my mind because I thought I knew all the railed shooters from that era.

I actually started to translate an interview w/ the creator of the game over 10 years ago. I actually think I have a lot of it still on paper as I did it on a plane straight from a book. One tidbit is that the game did not sell particularly well, and more units actually went to the US than anywhere. He did say the number (I think it was 777) but don't quote me on that. Not sure if it was the time, but the PCB is quite pricey now (especially if you have the stick), and as long as I can remember (00's on) it and any merch related (replays, cds) have been highly sought after. I think the PS/SS ports did fairly well as well.

I was lucky to have a video store which had an arcade in it walking distance from my house as a kid. It was tough in the 80s.

Whoa, nice. Yeah, I had an arcade at the local college, an arcade across town, one at the nearby mall, and still managed to miss it!

I'd love to read what you've got of the interview.

How about Ninja Princess? That one needs more attention. Brilliant run n gun IMO. The SMS port is cool, but the character is so generic compared to the arcade original. There's a lot of great 80s Sega stuff that nobody remembers. The arcade Wonderboy 2, Quartet, Hot Rod (which I totally loved), Sindbad I remember being cool...

There are lots of 80s maze games we might be forgetting as well, like Crush Roller, Pepper II, or Amidar. Crush Roller has a pretty awesome NGPC port.

[BrianC]

Q*Bert's Qubes. Not as well known or as common as the original, but a nice game in its own right and more puzzle like than the original.

I wish Amidar had more ports available. The 2600 version is ok, but could be better. That game has more clones than it does ports.

I should look in to the Sega Ages Memorial selection v. 2 for Saturn. That one has Ninja Princess.

I like what I played of the SG-1000 port of Sindbad Mystery (a game I keep forgetting I have on cart), but I'm not sure how it compares to the original.

[GaijinPunch]

I'd love to read what you've got of the interview.

One of these days I think I will finish it as it needs to be shared. The interview is from early 2000's. I found it quite interesting. I still have the source material... now I just need to find the time.

[louisg]

Reactor!