Arcades in the 80s - An experience like no other. Check this out

[Meghan54]

Meh, you only like arcades because that's what you had when you were a child. I'd gladly take almost any game console newer than the NES over an arcade place.

Well, I spent a bit of time in arcades in the '80's and certainly wasn't a child, teen, or twenty-something during that time, although the kids in those places made me quit going to them before the arcade's heyday died out.

 

[Jeffg010]

Mortal Kombat I spent so much freggen money on that game in arcades.

 

[Zebo]

I was there from the get go - Tempest, Centipede, Pacman, donkeykong, joust, Galiga etc. Have to say my favorite was Tempest although I could finish 1943 on 2-3 tokens.

 

[dabuddha]

I remember an arcade called Texas Games in Arlington. You paid like 5 bucks and you got to play all the games as much as you want from 6pm - 11pm. There was a taco bueno right next to it as well which made the whole thing even sweeter!

 

[Zebo]

Meh, you only like arcades because that's what you had when you were a child. I'd gladly take almost any game console newer than the NES over an arcade place.

You can't skip school and stay at home can you?
You can't play pool and air hocky at home can you?
You can't get lucky at home can you?
You can't listen to music, hang out wih your friends and eat pizza at home can you?

Believe me at home we had a pong coffee table way back in the 70s dad got for us, an atari, a intellivision etc and nothing compared to the arcade experience. You had to be there to get it.

I lived about 5 miles from beach and all the kids were in the arcade back then.

 

[GasX]

sniff..... now I am all nostalgic.

Didn't see Time Pilot. That was my all time favorite.

 

[foghorn67]

The side panel of Galaga was in there for 1 second.
Honestly, that game rocks.

 

[NuclearNed]

God I really miss arcades. They still have a lot of arcades in Hong Kong. They have the typical music games and driving games. But they also have a lot of fighting games and a few "gambling" games (horse racing, poker, etc.). But they don't have pinball. I sorely miss pinball.

Oh man do I miss pinball, specifically old school 80's pinball. Today's newer machines just don't measure up. They're missing the character of the old machines. Remember Haunted House? Show me any new pinball machine that is anywhere near as fun.

 

[Zebo]

I wish they had arcades these days. I'd like to give my kids $20 ea so they GTFO for about 12 hours of peace and quiet. Course nowadays you have to worry about freaks and pedos.

 

[ScoobMaster]

Oh man do I miss pinball, specifically old school 80's pinball. Today's newer machines just don't measure up. They're missing the character of the old machines. Remember Haunted House? Show me any new pinball machine that is anywhere near as fun.

Hey Ned. I am a pinball lover too. I know it isn't the same, but Pinball hall of Fame - The Williams Collection recreates some of theses classic tables as close as possible. I received it as a Christmas present this year and the memories came flooding back instantly upon playing. It won't replace a real table, but the look and SOUNDS are spot on!

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Arcades were a haven, you could go play Galaga, Rampage, Moon Patrol, Elevator Action, etc... Graphics meant shit, the games were fun, and kept you pumping quarters in. Battlezone was a big drain on my wallet back then. And Tempest and Joust and....

 

[spaceman]

they still GOTS arcades like this.
salisbury
hampton beach
100 other beach towns im sure.

 

[BillGates]

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/6560/

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/4320/

 

[BillGates]

^arcade pics / memories

 

[ViviTheMage]

I was a few years too young to have been into arcades . Co worker of mine has about 30 of them in his basement I putts around on though

 

[dwell]

I remember when I was a kid there was an arcade behind our video store. I dumped a lot of cash in that place. Great memories to this day. It was the height of the early 80's.

I remember one day I was playing Asteroids or something and this kid told me the 2600 game Adventure had a secret room with the programmer's name in it. I traced the rumor back to some guy who worked at a Deli at the shopping center the arcade was in and had him write down instructions on a napkin then went home and did it. Amazing. Kids today would just go to gamefaqs

My dad had a change jar in his drawer and I would pilfer the quarters from it every day. One day I thought I spent all my quarters and halfway home I realized I found one more in my pocket and walked all the way back to play one last game of Missile Command.

In the 90's I would play a lot of Mortal Kombat II in shady arcades like Playland in Times Square and the arcades in Penn Station. It would get brutal sometimes with inner city kids talking shit. Sometimes it would end up with a physical fistfight. Sure makes the Xbox Live trolls look like wussys.

 

[Born2bwire]

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/6560/

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/4320/

Ahhhh... Sinistar.

Run Coward!

 

[trmiv]

That mall arcade is pretty much perfect, just like the one at my local mall growing up. We also had one at another strip mall called "Goldmine" that was rustic themed like it was...well... a gold mine. Not as many fancy lights, but it had the dark arcade thing going for it. I remember always trying to con my older brother who could drive to take me there.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

We had the Nautilus at Merritt Square Mall, the entrance even looked like the side of the sub.

A few comments-

Fuck you Sinistar! Hungry bastard, who you callin' coward?!?

Joust was so fun, and I could a loooong time on a quarter.

What was the name of the one where you crawl around the perimeter like a spider shooting stuff? I met 2 heart stoppingly hot girls, they were coaching me through it. Both were amazing at that game.

"Knock out! Great fight for an up and coming boxer!"

Being stoned and pressed up to the periscope of Battlezone was one of the greatest video gaming memories I have. The immersion factor was always unbelievable for me.

The crowd around Dragon's Lair that 1st weekend, it was unreal.

Discs of Tron was my game though. I could play so long on a quarter that my GF would have to drag me away because the movie was starting. Leaned back, a speaker by each ear, a good sized screen, and a dark booth, good times

 

[spaceman]

We had the Nautilus at Merritt Square Mall, the entrance even looked like the side of the sub.

A few comments-

Fuck you Sinistar! Hungry bastard, who you callin' coward?!?

Joust was so fun, and I could a loooong time on a quarter.

What was the name of the one where you crawl around the perimeter like a spider shooting stuff? I met 2 heart stoppingly hot girls, they were coaching me through it. Both were amazing at that game.

"Knock out! Great fight for an up and coming boxer!"

Being stoned and pressed up to the periscope of Battlezone was one of the greatest video gaming memories I have. The immersion factor was always unbelievable for me.

The crowd around Dragon's Lair that 1st weekend, it was unreal.

Discs of Tron was my game though. I could play so long on a quarter that my GF would have to drag me away because the movie was starting. Leaned back, a speaker by each ear, a good sized screen, and a dark booth, good times

tempest

 

[NuclearNed]

I remember when I was a kid there was an arcade behind our video store. I dumped a lot of cash in that place. Great memories to this day. It was the height of the early 80's.

I remember one day I was playing Asteroids or something and this kid told me the 2600 game Adventure had a secret room with the programmer's name in it. I traced the rumor back to some guy who worked at a Deli at the shopping center the arcade was in and had him write down instructions on a napkin then went home and did it. Amazing. Kids today would just go to gamefaqs

My dad had a change jar in his drawer and I would pilfer the quarters from it every day. One day I thought I spent all my quarters and halfway home I realized I found one more in my pocket and walked all the way back to play one last game of Missile Command.

In the 90's I would play a lot of Mortal Kombat II in shady arcades like Playland in Times Square and the arcades in Penn Station. It would get brutal sometimes with inner city kids talking shit. Sometimes it would end up with a physical fistfight. Sure makes the Xbox Live trolls look like wussys.

My dad's coin jar suffered a lot in the 80's. When the local arcade got PunchOut, I think I would have sold my sister for just a few extra quarters.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

tempest

Thanks! That was driving me mad.

 

[nageov3t]

I never got into arcades... home video games are better in every conceivable way.

I am, however, always down for a good old fashioned pinball machine first thing I'm buying if I ever find myself owning a house.

 

[AMDZen]

Actually the golden age of arcade games was in the 90's.

 

[NuclearNed]

Actually the golden age of arcade games was in the 90's.

Blasphemy.