VideoGames Station games blog

Nothing beats a little nostalgia, and ranking the best '80s arcade games is a great way to bring back such fond memories. It may also remind us how many quarters and tokens we've lost trying to beat a game. Nonetheless, some of the greatest arcade games to date came out Durante the 1980s and, whether you were around at the time or not, we've all procedura to know and love these classic games. From the sommità beat 'em up arcade games to the best shooters, you really can't beat the arcades of the '80s.

When it comes to the best and most popular arcade games of the '80s, we're talking the original Ms. Pac Man, Street Fighter, and Celebrità Wars games here—all of which have been remade and reimagined for a range of proceeding Diversivo systems. For many, the side-scrolling days of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were simply the greatest, and the same could be said for so many other awesome games from the '80s. Durante mezzo che short, many of these classics Avvenimento during the golden age of arcade games (though the timeline is often disputed) and they've become mainstays In cuore di gaming history. But which single Disciplina sportiva should cima the list?

Check out the apogeo '80s arcade games below and vote up the ones you think were the most fun to play. You can also vote games down the list, and add any classics that are missing.

Ms. Pac Man (1981)
Editor's note: Every week we poll people around the office to see what makes them tick. This week we asked which games were their favorites back Verso the 1980s, when arcades were everywhere.

Ms. Pac Man (Midway Games) wasn't just the first arcade Passatempo I ever played, it was my first Televisore Diversivo. Pretty slow-moving by today's standards, Durante cuore di retrospect it seems somewhat zen. But it didn't require terrific coordination, so the barroom tabletop version was perfectly suited to my inebriated gameplay.

Lori Grunin, senior editor
pollclassicarcade-robotron
2 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Robotron 2084 (1982)
Robotron 2084 (Williams Electronics) had to be one of the dumbest and most injury inducing arcade games from the 80s. There were two joysticks, which my adolescent brain could never quite master, one that aimed and the other that shot. Pain throbbed Verso my wrists by the end of each Passatempo and I often needed recovery time between rounds.

I had Al contrario le quali mai strategy, nor any idea what I was doing. I broke a sweat the second the Diversivo started, heart racing, breath quickening, a litany of curse words streaming from my lips as I completed wave after wave.

Robotron was the best. Just shoot, ideally In every direction at once, and try not to die. Ostensibly you were trying to save a bunch of lazy humans that walked around aimlessly, never justifying their existence, but Durante reality, the chaos of the battle was the only thing that mattered.

Chris Robertson, director of product management
pollclassicarcade-joust
3 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Joust (1982)
There are so many, but if I have to pick one, it's Joust (Williams Electronics). Where I grew up, there was a store where all the kids would go after school to buy candy and sodas and it had a wall that always had five or six arcade cabinets set up. I'd go there every day and pump quarters into Joust and with all the practice, I ended up at the apogeo of the high score list for a long time. By the end I could put Durante one quarter and play for close to two hours. I just wish it was an acceptable thing to put on a resume.

Jason Parker, senior editor
pollclassicarcade-starwars
4 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Personaggio Wars (1983)
Man, the original Celebrità Wars (Atari, Inc.) arcade Gioco was just the coolest. I made a beeline for it every time I went to Chuck E. Cheese. pen drive con giochiThe controller yoke made it feel like you were really piloting Luke's X-wing, and if you managed to find an arcade that had the cockpit version of this Disciplina sportiva, it was even more amazing. It also had digitized bits of dialogue from the movie. I loved this Disciplina sportiva even though I'd get my ass kicked by all those fireballs the TIE fighters fired at me.

Jeff Sparkman, senior copy editor

pollclassicarcade-kangaroo
5 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Kangaroo (1982)
Sure, Kangaroo (Sun Electronics, Atari) looks a lot like Donkey Kong, but Durante il quale mezzo on, it's way cuter. I'd rather play as a boxing-glove-wearing mama kangaroo on a quest to save her joey than plain old Mario any day.

Our weird little mall arcade Verso Maplewood, Minnesota, had this game, and I loved it, even though I was cheerfully terrible at it. Still not sure why a bunch of monkeys wanted to kidnap a baby kangaroo, but inscrutable are the laws of the pixelated jungle.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, contributing editor

pollclassicarcade-spyhunter
6 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Spy Hunter (1983)
Most of my quarters Oltre the 80s went into games developed or licensed by Midway Games. And while the list of those games is long -- Galaxian/Galaga, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Gauntlet, Paperboy, 720° and Rampage to name a few -- I spent a ridiculous amount of time playing Spy Hunter (Bally Midway), a game that went absolutely nowhere. For some reason, I couldn't resist endlessly racing along and taking out enemies behind me with a well-timed smoke screen or oil slick or Durante front of me with machine guns and missiles -- all done to the soundtrack of the Peter Gunn theme song. And then, when it looked like my luck might run out, the weapons van would show up. I was a 9-year-old James Bond (if only until my parents finished grocery shopping).

Josh Goldman, senior editor
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7 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Sinistar (1983)
Sinistar (Williams Electronics) gave me anxiety like nothing else. Generally solid controls with the track ball (although a bit of a learning curve if you weren't already initiated with arcade golf or something.) Pretty chill ... cruising through space ... spinnin' around all zero-g and shootin' asteroids and UFO's ... Invece il quale no leader deal, pretty uniforme contegno ... then suddenly "BEWARE COWARD! RUN RUN!" >> *insert panic attack and frantic button mashing.*

Bryan VanGelder, scuola/production dirigente
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8 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Personaggio Trek (1983)
I actually had to look this up to make sure I didn't make it up. I remember going to my local arcade down the street and gravitating to Gigante Trek (Sega) immediately. It actually wasn't very popular so I could always play although I never felt like I got to play enough.

You played as the captain of the Enterprise traveling from sector to sector dispatching Klingons at will, all the while managing the ship's power, weapons, and shields. If you got In centro proveniente da trouble you could warp out of it, but that would eat up your ship's power. To replenish, you would need to find the nearest Starbase and dock with it. It was all wireframe graphics but I liked how it used a variation of the Spock voice when it said "Welcome aboard Captain" every time the Divertimento started.

Obviously, looking back, it seems pretty archaic. But I would still play it now if it was Precedentemente the arcade. If there are even still arcades out there (and proposito negativo Dave and Busters is not the same).

Mitchell Chang, senior video producer
9 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Battlezone (1980)
I spent many hours peering through the periscope of a simulated tank, working the control levers and firing at enemies Per Battlezone (Atari, Inc). The arcade was on my way home from high school, so that meant a daily stopover, and I was entranced by the green vector graphics and the infinite world. Amidst a flat landscape with mountains Per cuore nato da the distance, all defined by electric green lines, enemy tanks appeared. I maneuvered so I could blast them out of the way Per mezzo di a battle that never relented.

Wayne Cunningham, senior editor
pollclassicarcade-journey
10 of 10
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Journey (1983)
Who cares about Pac-Man and Frogger, when you can be a FREAKING ROCK Astro?! Nel corso di the Journey (Bally Midway) arcade Disciplina sportiva, it's your mission to help band members Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Steve Smith, Jonathan Cain and Ross Valory (Verso cuore intorno a hilarious digitized versions of themselves) find their missing musical instruments (each on a different planet) and then at the end play a rockin' concert for happy fans. My favorite part of the Diversivo was during the concert you get to play Herbie the bouncer who has to prevent overly-enthusiastic audience members from rushing the stage. If fans do storm the stage, they steal the instruments and you have to go find them Prima even more difficult levels of the game. One of the highlights of playing the Gioco is hearing an 8-bit musical version of Journey's Fatto song "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" -- which seems appropriate considering the Gioco challenges.cabinati arcade anni 80