20 Underrated ARCADE Games from the 80s and 90s

[@JohnRiggs]

The BEST games available on iiRcade - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIu1dparnZWqe6c

[@Qbert2803]

Roc'n Rope was one of my favorite games of all time

[@RichardCraig]

Wrestlefest... easily my favorite wrestling game of all time. Nothing is better than seeing your characters grapple and slamming the buttons as fast as you could! It was one of those games you could tell people were playing from across the bowling alley just from the sound of all the button-slapping.

[@canadairishguy]

Punch, punch, back up to dodge the return punch. Move in for the third punch then special move. Wash, rinse, repeat. Once you learned this, you mastered the game. In spite of this, I played anyways cause it was fun. All the wrestler selection.

[@kristianTV1974]

Blueprint was an early game from Tim and Chris Stamper who went on to become the founders of Rare (Goldeneye, Donkey Kong Country etc..). Before that they were Ultimate, who are probably most recognised as a top UK home computer developer of the early 80's.

[@43bigsteve]

Good to see Cowboys of Moo Mesa getting some love. That game was fun but never gets talked about.

[@hillbillyhippie3164]

Remember when we carried coins in our pocket.

[@leefischer5814]

Then we would go to the pay phone and call for a ride and while waiting go to the News stand and pick up a magazine... Pepperidge Farm remembers😂. Man it's weird when you could start a history class for youngsters on what a dial up Modem, Pay Phones, and Rotary Telephones are among other things!

[@NateB1976]

Forget about the coins in our pockets. What about the the dollar to coin machines we all used??? Or dollar to tokens?

[@TheGingerburger]

Still do because I'm Welsh/British 😂 we have £2 coins which is about $2.40

[@TromaDogg]

Bezerk remembers...'COIN DETECTED IN POCKET'

[@limzog9]

Narc was a funny game

[@skykitchen867]

Lady bug was my all time favorite. It had the elements of pac man with much more. When the arcade I played it at closed, I bought it and it now sits proudly in my game room :)

[@jimmybrazell2645]

The one game I always looked for in the arcades was Crazy Climber. The dual stick set up for each side of the body was very different.

[@TromaFiend]

Quartet is a game that I've been trying to remember the name of FOREVER! Thank you so much for this video.

[@the_bogeyman.]

Same here. It took me decades to find out the name.

[@8ByteBrian]

The video rental store around the corner from my house, had Saturday Night Slammasters (which me and all my friends got together and played Friday & Saturday Nights) & Quartet, which I spent more quarters on then I can count; & thanks to your channel (in a different video)helped to remember the name of it after 20yrs! We also had a bigger arcade at our local mall, where Centipede, my all time favorite arcade game, kept my high score before it finally shut down.

[@DerekDavis213]

On the topic of Mr Do, an uncommon game in that series was Do Run Run. Very fun! On the topic of Jungle Hunt or Jungle King, there was another Taito game of that era: Front Line. It had unique controls and was very fun.

[@DrTedNelson]

They never showed up in arcades near me, but I played the hell out of the Atari 2600 ports of Kangaroo, Crystal Castles and Roc N Rope. I remember playing Guzzler once in Florida in 81/82 - I was there on vacation with my grandparents, and there was some remote gift store/alligator farm that actually had that inside. The wide range of establishments where you could find arcade games in the '80s was nuts.

[@SoundsOfSushi]

I spent so many quarters playing great games like Bubble Bobble, Gauntlet, Black Tiger, Magic Sword and Rastan. The arcade I went to had Rastan on really loud. The music was epic.

[@Turanga1i1a]

Oooohh yes! The arcade game room was one passionate past time for me! The smell emitting from those machines was pure bliss! I also loved playing the non-mainstream games: Crazy Climber, Bump n' Jump, Space Firebird, Bara Duke, Looping, and Tutankham!

[@7easton7]

Bump n Jump was fantastic...

[@bk9509-o2o]

It's funny how, while arcades aren't nearly as around as they once were, my nieces and nephews still love to play arcade machines when they are available, whether at movie theaters, bowling alleys, Top Golf, etc. Even though they have Xbox and Switch which both offer far superior games these days, the fascination of dropping quarters into machines isn't completely lost on modern day children.

[@sanfordarbogast737]

the home consoles just can not compare to the thrill of beating a level on an arcade machine and having a bunch of strangers cheer you on

[@josebrown5961]

I remember going to the arcade in the 90s and having PC games at home. The change clerk at the arcade once asked me why I still came. The home versions of the arcade games sucked then. That arcade is now a Scientology office…

[@wayneglanville8318]

I like the words “enjoy someone’s art” spot on.

[@damienx0x]

This is pure nostalgia for me. I'm 48 years old and absolutely love arcade games. I have a huge collection, with Hyperspin front end, and X-Arcade dual joysticks.

[@richardadams4928]

You could make a pretty good selection of awesome obscure arcade games by just looking at the Colecovision library. They did an impressive job of finding licenses that Atari had ignored or overlooked, often because they were arcade busts or modest successes. Cosmic Avenger, Ladybug, Venture, Mr Do, Carnival, Looping, Pepper II, Front Line, Frenzy, Victory, Buck Rogers. None of these was Pac-Man or Defender, but they were terrific games.

[@thenostalgiabusiness]

Fantastic list. I actually modded a vertical screen Arcade1Up recently and was having trouble separating the wheat from the chaff since the image I used had so many roms. I was more of a 90's arcade guy, so I knew about the classics, like Galaga and Donkey Kong, but never knew about stuff like Guzzler, Roc'n Rope, and Congo Bongo. Those are all on my vertical cab, so I'm definitely going to check them out now.

[@JohnRiggs]

Arcade Games Featured: Willow G.I. Joe Blue Print Cowboys of Moo Mesa A.P.B. Quartet Crime Fighters Congo Bongo Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Roc'n Rope Mr. Do's Wild Ride Devil World Guzzler The Real Ghostbusters Jungle Hunt / Jungle King Missing in Action (M.I.A.) Kangaroo WWF WrestleFest Crystal Castles Reactor Games Featured in the Opening: Dragon Breed Bag Man Haunted Castle Hook Kickle Cubical Domino Man Journey Assault

[@8ByteBrian]

John thank you so much for this video! Your video helped me to remember playing an arcade game I loved at my local rental store back in the 90's, Quartet! I had been unable to find anything about that game & I couldn't remember the name of it or even a picture trying to figure out what the heck it was called & it drove me crazy for years to remember it! You are the man!

[@AndroidFerret]

I thought Willow was available on SNES

[@dajuanmenzies1292]

Bucky O'Hare was dope too and dungeons and dragons.

[@DrWho2008t101]

I remembered this as if it was yesterday. Thanks for the video!

[@RedceLL1978]

Solomon's Key. Not on the list but one of the best.

[@fuzzyargy]

Thanks Big JR some classics there i had totally forgotten about!

[@jwill7998]

Three Wonders always gets overlooked. Solid game.

[@theusher2893]

Word.

[@JohnRiggs]

Love that one! Have it on my Capcom collection for PSP

[@bankbank]

not overlooked at all

[@jal051]

I agree. I think it's because the machine had 3 games and they don't know how to categorize it.

[@vibesandstuff76]

Finally! Someone remembers Devil World. I've been trying to remember the name of that game for so long. It's one of those forgotten games that I actually loved playing. The thing is, no one ever knew what I was talking about when I'd bring it up. Now that I've done a Google search, I think it may have been called Dark Adventure when I played it, but still the same game.

[@greatgoen2125]

I watch the old Starcade game show and see my old favorite games that are no longer around. Man I do miss old arcades.

[@michaelfitzsimmons8393]

I remember that too. It broadcasted from San Francisco, only 30 minutes away from where I grew up. I so wanted to be on that show. Used to watch it every weekday afternoon after school on WTBS.

[@mdjans35]

Good list. Nice to see Wild West C.O.W Boys of Moo Mesa and Crime Fighters get some love. I played the hell out of WWF Wrestlefest too, whenever I could find it.

[@reagandow850]

I’m loving these retrospective videos John.

[@pokey4200]

My childhood dog was named Montana after Moo Montana... Loved Cowboys of the Moo-mesa... 😁

[@dougclendening5896]

The pacing of the video and your comments is great! Much better than the other videos that play the games too long and don't have anyone speaking.

[@jasonbuckenberger3122]

GREAT video man! Wonderful trip down memory lane ... God, I hadn't thought of Congo Bongo or Jungle King in decades!! Lol Between Congo Bongo and Ikari Warriors, I'm pretty sure I paid the rent a couple months for Straw Hat Pizza in Spokane Valley. LOVED WWF Wrestle fest too!! Outstanding work sir!

[@JohnRiggs]

I love the name Straw Hat Pizza. We didn't have one in Yakima.

[@brutaljustin1349]

Crystal Castles is the kind of arcade game where emulators don't do it justice. I didn't like playing it until I got my Arcade1up Centipede cab which actually has a trackball.

[@rbtrbj]

This is a really good video! I played a lot of Kangaroo and Jungle Hunt in arcades as a kid. There was also a Jungle Hunt in a Ground Round restaurant we used to go to many years ago. I still play them on the 2600 and ColecoVision. APB I have on Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for PS2. That's a tough game.

[@CapitaineMontreal]

Congo bongo was on Commodore 64!

[@patchgatsby9138]

One thing younger folks will never understand is how gritty a lot of arcades were. You could buy alcohol in some states at 18 until 1984 and they didn't even enforce that. Arcades were filled with cigarette smoke and drunk teenagers. Being in a busy arcade at night at 8 or 10 years old felt so awesome (and maybe a little scary, I was from the suburbs).

[@chansadres]

Your video is right on time John! Made my own 2 player bartop arcade. Took me some time but now it's ready I can check most of these games out! Where I live, there were no arcades but I can remember the Bubble Bobble arcade game at the local fastfood joint. Really loved it.

[@johnsonnavinr2522]

Thank you for the cowboys of moo mesa nod. My friends and I still talk about it to this day. It was at Fuddruckers in Fargo ND when I was a kid. Sadly both are gone now

[@leefischer5814]

Just be thankful you got to experience that man, it was slim pickins getting someone who was headed towards Jamestown, ND for me to play the paltry few games they had and I remember those 80 mile round trips fondly😁

[@8BitVintendo86]

Awesome arcade games! I’m hoping most of these are on My Pandora’s Box 12 Arcade stick plug n play coming soon :) Awesome video!

[@JohnRiggs]

Many of these (if not all) are on mine so we'll hope so! Along with 52 varieties of King of Fighters and Street Fighter :)

[@PlayasGuide]

Hey John. I'm loving this Must Play series that you've started. Tons of fun games that don't always come to mind, and some I've never heard of. It's making me want to go play them.

[@dashalpha]

OMG, APB, I loved that game so much, played it a ton in the arcades back in the day. It's one of those games that is difficult to play well today and feel right due to the controls.

[@JohnRiggs]

I loved the murmmered voice.

[@bartdunbar5108]

Nice to see Congo bongo get some love. I like that game so much it is my keyring

[@moetthepoet]

Willow is one of my favorite arcade games, I don't hear people talk about it almost at all. I have a copy on my Pandora's Box along with the Cow Boys of Moo Messa you mentioned, which is also great. For me others I'd include are Black Tiger, 3 Wonderers, Combatribes, Off Road, Super Qix, and the arcade version of Tetris by Atari

[@tonysmith8379]

Great video. The sound effects are like a time machine, that take you back in time, being a teenager having an awesome time.

[@josephkarl2061]

Thank you for covering Blueprint! I played that once about 30 years ago, and it's one of those games I'd love to see on something like the Switch again!

[@JohnRiggs]

Totally!

[@mattmtdc]

Great list, glad someone else remembers games like Blueprint, Quartet, and Roc'n Rope! Crime Fighters is excellent, seems to get overlooked when talking about beat em ups. Hadn't heard of Devil World. Thanks for sharing!

[@7Wounds]

This is what I love about your channel. I'm building a cabinet and will definitely be playing a lot of these! I love your underrated game videos

[@SpecialAgentBillMaxwell]

My favorites that no one ever talks about: Bank Panic, Teddy Boy Blues, Lost Tomb, and for some reason I can't explain, Pepper II.

[@blatherskite3009]

10:48 Gottleib cabinets always seemed to have beefier sound than other games :) I have similar fond memories of another Gottleib arcade game called "Mad Planets" which had this incredibly bassy synth-riff going on and the kind of raw synthesized sound effects that are pure arcade nostalgia-fuel for me. Sadly that game never saw any home versions (iirc) due to it having a non-standard control method: a combination of a joystick to move & shoot and a spinner to turn your ship to face any direction instantly. Home systems simply couldn't replicate that back then, but it would be pretty easy nowadays with twin-stick controllers being standard on most home systems.

[@pb7379-j2k]

Mad Planets had amazingly good gameplay IMO. It has the same controls as Tron which would make it a great addition to a Tron/Satan's Hollow Mame control panel.

[@leefischer5814]

Great list Riggs😁 Can't wait for the next video, I love this series.Smash TV was one of my go to games back in the day.

[@JohnRiggs]

love those twin stick shooters.

[@toryficarola]

I use to loooove The Real Ghostbusters arcade machine at my local Bullwinkles. So happy you mentioned it!

[@SkotNealey]

Reactor was in the Arcade?!?!?! I had that game for my Atari and, for something so simple, it was very addictive!

[@JohnRiggs]

It was! Trackball game if I remember. I had it for Atari 2600, too.

[@bland9876]

Jungle Hunt was an arcade game? I always see that game mentioned as a 2600 game.

[@elialexander-tanner5784]

Oh man you just took me back! I loved APB as a kid. Probably only got to play it a handful of times but I remember it...so unique!

[@btetschner]

I have not seen (or heard of) many of the arcade games on the list, but they look really cool. Thank you for the video.

[@adreanmarantz2103]

Thanks for including Reactor! My local arcade also had this game cranked. This game had great sound effects esp. the bonus chamber bouncing noises and the reactor shinking noise, so cool.

[@_zoinks2554]

Thanks for bumping this Riggs. Missed it when it came out. I'm in your age group and going to those dark, smoke filled arcades of the 80's was the best. I became a pro at Karate Champ and Time Pilot at the corner store as well! My school lunch money went right into the cabinets! Good times and good memories.

[@LivingwithPerks]

Thanks for this list. I'm always looking for good lesser known arcade games!

[@deadninjastorage6160]

Bag Man was a arcade game that I played a lot when I was a kid. Very simple concept but it was tough as nails. Nice list brutha

[@A_friend_called_Five]

Cool video. I have played a few of the games on your list, but thank you so much for including A.P.B. I used to love playing that game, it had a unique feel to it.

[@ChadCWatson]

I’m really glad you covered Devil World aka Dark Adventure. A lot of people don’t know about that game. I used to play it a lot back in the day.

[@cadburybunny]

KANGAROO!!!!! WRESTLEFEST!!!! 👍👍 Oh man ... I just got transported back to being a kid for a few minutes watching this ... thanks for the nostalgia ... and now I HAVE to find versions to play on an emulator.

[@SkotNealey]

i loved Kangaroo! I was so stoked that my sister bought me this game for my Atari 5200!!!

[@chefjrmz]

I had it for mine too! Loved it. Unfortunately I also had Congo Bongo on my 5200 as well. To this day one of my most hated games. So glitched.

[@ininvideos]

Thank you for mentioning the arcade game Guzzler. I played the game at a roller skating rink in fourth grade. I tried to find the arcade game on Google inputting the objective and describing the game. Failed. I smiled when I saw Guzzler in the video.

[@BobGenghisKahn]

Very good list. Good to see APB get some love! One of my favorite lesser known games is Lucky and Wild.

[@2strong2cool]

Best part of APB for me was just driving off into the wilderness. Wrestlefest was brilliant fun. And seeing Express Raider inthe intro brought back some of my earliest arcade memories. Good times

[@ColombianMusclePapi]

Thanks for the Congo Bongo discovery. I never knew about this one. Awesome

[@michaelfitzsimmons8393]

I really do miss arcade games being just everywhere. From our Straw Hat Pizza where we played Crystal Castles and Cloak n' Dagger (where the movie was derived), A&W Restaurant with Phoenix, 7-Eleven where we had Gyruss, Elevator Action and Donkey Kong 3 to our local Safeway which had a Jungle Hunt. The 80s were really one of the best decades to be alive!

[@GentleGiantAudio]

So many treasures forgotten over the years. When I think of all the arcade game art and music assets and gaming concepts that didn't get their due (even in their day) and remain obscure, largely forgotten, it makes me a bit sad. Glad we have content like this to remind us. NICE

[@dashalpha]

and Crystal Castles, my son absolutely loves that game on the AtGames Legends Ultimate! We take turns trying to one-up each others high scores. One of my favorites games from that time period. Had the Atari 2600 version growing up, yeah, nowhere close to the arcade version. Trackball is a must for this game, hence the AtGames arcade is perfect for it!

[@jeff15]

Love these reviews. Wish it was longer. Thanks for sharing.

[@JohnRiggs]

20 is plenty of games at one time, but there'll be a part two sometime.

[@jeff15]

@@JohnRiggs it's what i meant. I want more series. Can't wait. Long live John Riggs !!!!!!

[@bigandyt-man3010]

For me its a shooting game called Beast Busters, zombie shooter that was only at one arcade far from where i lived, and anytime i got to go i would dump so much into that one game. One that plenty have heard of was Mad Dog McRee, the Full Motion Video games, on PC especially, was my youth.

[@PajamasandMore]

Great video. Glad you mentioned Crystal Castles I love it so much.

[@ibookboyuk]

Thank you so much for doing this video. I've always liked going down the arcade and I've always liked arcade games. Some really good games in this video.

[@chriswilloughby48]

Nice. An old one I love is Xevious. I love the crystal clear sound/music and the will toward 3D with the 'rotating' sprites, like the spinning dark rectangles that ping when you shoot them. They look polygonal but I'm pretty sure they are completely 2D. Also the doppler sound of the bombs making the ground seem to be in the distance.

[@bland9876]

Xevious had music? that one is even cooler on the ds cuz you can see some hints on the bottom screen. When popping in a Namco disc i always preferred the one were you play as a blue dragon dropping fireballs on the enemies below you. I think that game was called dragon spirit but I could be wrong.

[@TheRosswise]

Boogie Wings is a good one that most people don't know about.

[@ArtificialOrangeStudios]

Believe it or not, there was actually a third version of Jungle Hunt called Pirate Peter, where all the graphics were changed to a pirate theme, but otherwise was the exact same game. Look it up, it's insane and Taito approved.

[@Imajica69]

Thanks for the video. Totally hadn't thought about Cowboys of Moo Mesa since it was on TV when I was a kid. Wow, memories. Had no idea that it was an arcade game also.

[@deliciousfirstsip]

I've been looking for some good arcade games. Thanks for the list

[@FrankiePinewater]

You have some good ones here dude. I spent a lot of time in Funspot growing up, which has most of these. Roc'n Rope is one where I always remembered playing it, but could never recall the name, so thanks for that!

[@4sightfilmsLLC]

You have some great classic games on here! Nice video!

[@robertcatania1120]

WrestleFest was my favorite Arcade game growing up. Definitely dumped a lot of quarters into that one.

[@richard7645]

Sure did brah 🤜

[@theelfkilla]

a game you never hear about is Rastan 3. Not part 1 or 2 but 3. It had 2 monitors and the sprites were huge. I loved playing Rastan 3 in the arcade. And also "Do Run Run" is another game that is always left out when people talk about Mr. Do games

[@azolivas]

holy moly! I completely forgot about Quartet but then when I saw it I was immediately brought back to my childhood! THANK YOU!!!!!

[@rusk8n4s8n9]

Great video sir. Always played Moonwalker and Aliens when I went to the Merrit square mall or was it Melbourne square mall? Both in central Florida. Shitholes now. I loved Hyperdyne Sidearms at the youth center at Patrick airforce base. I could beat that game by myself with 1 quarter no deaths. Did it every day for a month I think. Think I was 12 years old. 42 now. So much fun. Now I drive myself nuts going for platinums on PlayStation 3 and 4. Insane. I love video games. Be safe and I love your videos.

[@FiveJayGaming]

HOLY CRAP COBOYS OF MOO MESA!!!! Looooooooved the show and the arcade game! I think I only ever ran into the arcade game once, but it was at a Circus Pizza for a birthday party and I played a LOT of it that night!

[@velvetaeon2774]

APB takes me back, apparently I had totally blocked it from my mind. I remember playing it late at night in a downtown Seattle arcade. Thanks for the memory jostling! Happy Holidays ☃️ Riggs family

[@hutt0048]

Thanks for this, i think a part 2 is needed

[@JohnRiggs]

With thousands of arcade games, there will be.

[@mattvjmeasures]

I remember APB, Mr. Doosl's Wild Ride, Moonwalker, but the rest were new to me. Great video, thanks,🙂

[@TheBoz87]

I think i've spent so much money in wrestlefest as kid that i could have bought one.

[@jasonbuckenberger3122]

Same

[@JohnRiggs]

haha, I'm with you. Earthquake solo, but my tag team was always Jack Roberts and Mr. Perfect.

[@TheBoz87]

I was always a Dibiasi and Warrior tag team guy. I’m curious as to how Retromania is going to be since it’s a spiritual successor to it.

[@theflyingninja1]

Loved it, but I was always pretty gutted my boy Ravishing Rick Rude wasnt in it.

[@nayyarrashid4661]

@@JohnRiggs there was one guy playing it in an arcade and during the final match against Legion of Doom inserted another quarter and selected them and carried on his playthrough with them. Legion of Doom made the game seem pretty easy. It was one of the best wrestling game back then and even now.

[@TeacherDaniel]

Enjoyed the video...wow didn't know Rush Attack had a sequel...

[@markplotkin1166]

Remember when the arcade guy used to give u quarters before change machine came along

[@jasonhans864]

Qix, Aerosmith Revolution X, Mappy, Pooyan, Pengo, the list goes on and on. Love the video so many games from so long ago. :)

[@MidnightBanshi]

Oh John, you just wing me back to my childhood. Loved all the Mr. Do! games, although the original was still my jam. Roc'n'Rope.... you played this too? Way too much fun! Yet more reasons why the 80's were amazing!

[@ChillyB7uk]

Thanks for a great list of games I've never played before! My favourite is definetely Cowboys of Moo Mesa, absolutely love it!!!

[@Renkaru]

Super Turbo is an arcade game I still play to this day, and try to get better and better. It a game I could never get tired of.

[@DanHemsath]

I remember actually beating G.I. Joe in the arcades, although I don't even want to think about how many quarters I plugged into that thing. I'm not sure if Smash T.V. is too common or not, but that was one I played to death. Also loved Night Striker by Taito. Great game, even if it's basically Super Thunder Blade. But Zuntata's killer musical score and the variable levels and multiple endings really made it stand out. A nearby arcade actually had a sit-down cabinet for it which was amazing! All-time favorite obscure arcade game.

[@JohnRiggs]

damn! must have taken $20 in quarters.

[@matthewgipson9165]

The bowling alley down from my house had WWF Superstars on one side and The Main Event on the other. These were two of my favorites then.

[@TimHeinz-htimba]

One game I played a lot at a local roller skating rink was a game called Zookeeper. The zookeeper runs around the outside perimeter of the wall replacing bricks in the wall, while the animals inside the walls are knocking chunks of the wall out and escape. In some ways the gameplay is similar to Tempest. If animals do escape, you have to jump over them or wait until a net appears and you can use the net to throw the animals back into the zoo. I spent many quarters on that game. They announced an Atari 2600 version of the game and possibly even a 5200 version of the game but that was basically when the video game crash happened. So the game never did get released.

[@Axiom-ug3js]

OMG John you took me waaaaay back with several of this titles another of mine was Rocky & Pocky…thanks for this video

[@ThePunkRockMBA]

YES! The Willow arcade game was fantastic. Could never beat i think the 3rd stage though :(

[@jonathanjollimore7156]

Yea that was a favor of mine I found it after I saw the movie

[@Ticonderous1]

Rygar Ghosts n Goblins Dragons Lair Always got my money ...

[@retrorewindllc9363]

Hey thank you for all you do for the retro community !!!! Your vids are always playing in my store!!!!!

[@paulfarrow19751]

Fantastic, not played Hook or MJ Moonwalker before, just completed them both, great video!

[@cdc0477]

There's something magical about arcade cabinets, you take a Mame set up with a couple of usb controllers, and no one notices, but then you put it in a real cabinet with a crt, joysticks, big buttons and a trackball and nobody can resist