If you grew up anytime during the eighties, chances are you used to go to video arcades. These palaces of video fun were all the rage back in the day for kids and teens, and it was long before Playstation 3 and X-box 360 turned video games into home arcades. The only home games we had were Atari, and the games for that were fun, but not very good. Everybody loved the video game arcade, and it was the place to hang out with your friends and play games. Here are the top ten classic video games of that era for me:
Frogger - Frogger was one of those games that was purely addictive. You simply could not help but to keep feeding it quarters and trying to outsmart those alligators. A great game that is just as fun today.
Donkey Kong - The original Donkey Kong in the arcade was a blast, and it was a game that most people could step right up to and enjoy. Once you got the basic premise, it was rather easy to get through at least a few rounds.
Defender - Defender was a classic arcade game that intimidated me at first, because of the multiple buttons. I figured it would be hard to get your hands to jump from button to button. The game was rather easy, however, once I gave it a try. The idea of blowing stuff up and saving those pods was brilliant, and the game was always among the most played.
Pacman - When Pacman first came out, it was a National obsession. The graphics were incredibly clear to a generation that had not been exposed to graphics. The game itself was addictive and never-ending. I remember that learning the pattern was all the rage among each of us kids, and we spent hours and allowance doing just that.
Centipede - The simplest idea on the planet made for a game that incredibly hard. The levels would get progressively harder as you went along, and soon became nearly impossible. This game was a wonderful challenge that we relished.
Galaga - Galaga was the first classic arcade game that I actually got really good at. It was the upgraded version of Space Invaders in my mind, and was a huge upgrade. The idea of having a double shooter was awesome, and the fact that one side of your shooter could be hit without ending your turn was really cool. This was among the best in my opinion.
Bubble Bobble - This was a game that I hated liking, but I did. Capturing little beings in a bubble, and then popping the bubble was a heck of a lot of fun. Games should be this fun all the time.
Ms Pac Man - While Ms Pac Man was the follow up, it was the better of the two games by far. The boards were far more interesting, and the gameplay was much more challenging. This game took my quarters every single weekend.
Asteroids I loved Asteroids at the arcade simply because it was the large, blown up version of my Atari game of the same name. I also loved the sounds, and the exciting beat as it increased in speed and difficulty.
Space Invaders This was the game that started my video game craze, and to this day, I still love playing it. It is a great premise, which is of course shooting little ships and aliens, and a shooter that has a feel all its own. As often as I play shooting games, I still think about the sound that the ship would make when I would fire during Space Invaders. It was the original classic arcade game that made me love games in the first place.
Image Credited to Wikipedia Commons User Joshua Driggs
