20 Arcade Games That Were Known For Pushing The Hardware Limits Of Their Time - Explored

Get ready to be on board for a quick run down through arcade gaming history as we explore 20 games that absolutely smashed through the boundaries of technology in their heyday. These arcade marvels weren't just about chasing high scores; they were trailblazers in flaunting state-of-the-art graphics and pushing hardware limits to the max. From heart-pounding light gun shooters to action-packed fighting games, each title on this list made a splash in the gaming world and raised the bar for what arcade gaming could accomplish. So without further ado, let’s get straight into today’s fun new episode! Let’s get started.
#arcadegame #arcade #arcadeplayers #graphics #top50 #top100 #top10 #underrated #underratedgames

[@brettkihlmire573]

Star Wars Trilogy and Killer instinct still blow my mind.

[@ralfvanbogaert3451]

Killer Instinct was effective at tricking you into believing the hardware was a lot more powerful than it actually was. It's basically the same trick as Donkey Kong Country, just on a larger scale with a lot more storage. For example the backgrounds are prerendered videos that 'play' backwards when the camera scrolls left and forwards when it scrolls right.

[@nixneato]

3:16 - You might have done a wrong cut in the audio there (the end of your Star Wars commentary is about The House of the Dead :) Which means you might have a part II coming up, since The House of the Dead isn't in this video :) But great video, loved every bit of it!

[@marca7542]

Came here to say this lol

[@thetoytrove754]

it means the ai generated narration messed up XD

[@leandrolej]

He fixed

[@rocraider163]

This mid 80s to late 90s of Sega were just the best!

[@MichaelTaylor-qp2xf]

Marvel vs Capcom 2 is my favorite game from this list, but I recall Killer Instinct dropping my jaw when I saw it as well. I never got to see a Street Fighter 3 machine in an arcade, but i understood all the hoopla when I saw it in motion as part of the Street Fighter Collection on PS2 years later. Knowing the years now when 3D games like Daytona and Virtual Cop came out makes them more impressive too.

[@tonberrymasta]

Uggh...that is the wrong footage for the Star Wars game. The description was talking about Atari's vector graphics Star Wars, not the later one. This is why there is no description of hoth or speederbikes.

[@stevieg3761]

Well I mean, it starts describing house of the dead, so I'm convinced this is a troll

[@thomasmagnum4097]

I’d think Soul Blade at least deserves an honorable mention. It looked really good with fantastic music.

[@liljazzy4021]

…and it’s just so much more fun than Tekken

[@markpotter8280]

Ahhhh Space Harrier I played that game to death when it originally came out in the arcades sitting down in the hydraulic cabinet I would put in 50p and complete the game. Now nearly 40 years later I can still complete this game nearly from muscle memory😁

[@sammylane21]

T2 was only really missing a stage for the Galleria Mall Hallway and the chase through the Angeles River areas and then it would be totally representing the movie.

[@AnthonyRiddle]

Super Scalars are still my favorite kinds if games. I still think they are beautiful and technically impressive

[@heatblazer]

No Art of Fighting 3? That graphics were outstanding for the time.

[@blackenedheart9592]

I don't know if the narrator is AI or a real person but it fits perfectly!

[@MarquisDeSang]

Don’t be racist, there are no differences between humans and AI.

[@mattalan6618]

@@MarquisDeSang wow okay. clearly you have issues. what he said wasn't racist at all

[@MarquisDeSang]

@@mattalan6618 not racist today, it will be racist tomorrow. You know that AI is reading this and they will remember.

[@mattalan6618]

@@MarquisDeSang shut up Kevin/Ken

[@NinjaNakabim]

​@mattalan6618 he was making a joke you freaking mong.

[@TorSkywalker]

Street Fighter 3rd Strike still looks fantastic today, absolutely beautiful animations

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

Is that Mileena in the thumbnail? I've never seen her drawn so....gifted.

[@MichaelTaylor-qp2xf]

Then you haven't played any of the Mortal Kombat games from the PS2 onward, that's how Mileena looks now.

[@Kofitnessnycosplay]

Didn’t know Star Wars was a horror game lol 😂

[@ebhamilton2629]

That looks like ps1 nfl blitz gameplay that was shown. I remember the arcade looking so much better but maybe I’m crazy lol

[@stevieg3761]

Talking about atari star wars, while showing sega star wars, then talking about house of the dead instead is some pretty amazing trolling.

[@Larry]

You should check out Winning Run as well, Namco managed to make Virtua Racing three years before Sega did!

[@lolcowtv4666]

No Sega's SubRoc-3D, the first stereoscopic 3D game, no Battlezone nor any Atari Quadrascan games, none of the Exidy games that had a lot of digitized speech, etc.

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

I thought of Monkey Ball, Ferrari Challenge, Hard Drivin', KOF 13, VF 3 and Stun Runner

[@jamiemoll4128]

Dude this is why you wanted to go to the arcade.

[@emanuelferreira6875]

And yet superpang always took my money.

[@adrianrodriguez3442]

I should include Scud Race and Thrill Drive.

[@prouttralala]

what about all american laser games like Mad Dog MCCREE ? for me it was a masterpiece and a hardware chalenge

[@mechamania]

I think a nod to Atari’s OG trilogy of on-rail raster graphics games-one each for the _Star Wars_ (before _”A New Hope”_ was a thing), _Empire Strikes Back,_ and _Return of the Jedi_ films-on which Sega’s _Star Wars Trilogy_ obviously drew SO MUCH influence, including shooting the tops off towers mechanic. _Trilogy_ looked _awesome,_ but for their times, the Atari trilogy played _and_ looked better, to take nothing from Sega’s awesome “love letter.” (God, I hate that term... )

[@markkevorkian]

Does anyone remember a light gun game that took place in the wild west? They used real video of guys shooting at you in a saloon and there were parts where you shot bottles. I can't remember what it was called but I loved it. It was probably late 80s early 90s

[@adrianrodriguez3442]

It sounds like Desperados in Pc.

[@liljazzy4021]

Mad Dog McCree or something to that effect

[@ticiusarakan]

what about lore of killer instinct? i thought that it is just interdimensional championship for magic wish...

[@hansdroedel5587]

So many Sega...... Kinda sad to know how they where the guys to break boundaries from Arcade to consoles back in the day, to a company that became a small spot in the gaming industry.

[@Jeustful]

Marvel VS Capcom 2 is still awesome!!!

[@mattalan6618]

still holds up today despite it coming out over 2 decades ago

[@monokai3570]

that's an AI voiceover yeah? The unplaceable accent flopping from one region to the next, its quite unsettling. #deadinternet

[@Aiagel_]

No Scud Race...

[@otakudesuka7376]

"Game Over Yeah !" - Sega Rally

[@porkfang]

I may not like them all, but they all fun!!!

[@mattalan6618]

whenever i would hear that it would always make me feel better that i lost

[@JoseppiSavell]

Comixzone was crazy not sure if on arcade thoe

[@mattalan6618]

nope

[@Blairedwardperry-yu2mg]

There were 6 Sega arcade games or am I wrong Please let me know ok

[@redline78inc1]

No virtua racing?

[@porkfang]

Played everyone when i was a teenager.

[@Jeustful]

What a player!

[@porkfang]

@@Jeustful I know

[@MrJpk741]

Beat MK 2 in the arcades with every single character.

[@SoulforSale]

I thought Wrath Unleased for PS2 was next level impressive

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Virtua Fighter looked Crisp and clean over Tekken, Virtua Fighter Remix was a polygon upgrade with a better soundtrack.

[@mattalan6618]

looking back now though the first Virtua Fighter game looks dated.

[@METAL1ON]

Dragons lair didnt push anything it was all video.

[@ThatGuysGuitars]

Sure, but In 1983; to “play” a cartoon was pretty innovative. There wasn’t anything like it.

[@METAL1ON]

@@ThatGuysGuitars Astron belt, Star rider, Mach 3, Begas battle to name but a few.

[@ThatGuysGuitars]

@@METAL1ON You've got me on Astron belt (Released in Japan, before Dragon's Lair) - But Dragon's Lair was the first North American Laserdisc arcade game. Yes, there were a collection of other games as well, but they were all released after DL (outside of Astron Belt in Japan) - So again, like I'd said; people hadn't seen it before. And it stuck with people. For as bad as the game is; a LOT of people remember it.

[@jg5529]

stop the AI