Arcade games from the Soviet Union

[@guaposneeze]

The "Soviet NeoGeo" doesn't look like such a bad platform. For being made by two guys in a shed without access to the outside world, it was really only like five years behind the massively larger industrial base of the West. If more developers had access to the platform and it got upgraded over a few more years, I can easily imagine somebody eventually making a good game for it. If the Soviets managed to hang on for like five more years, a bunch of interesting stuff would have gotten made in the alternate history. It's kind of a shame that whole branch of tech development just got chopped off before any of it was actually any good.

[@GamingPalOllieMK]

As a 40 year old guy who grew up in Yugoslavia and visited the USSR as a kid this is beyond fascinating to me. Here in Macedonia, which was part of Yugoslavia back in the 80's we had a flourishing Arcade culture, we had all the popular and even niche arcade games available here and throughout the 90's Arcades were HUGE in Macedonia even when Yugoslavia disbanded arcade culture didn't diminish. Whether through bootlegging or legal means, we had it all, from the hang on bikes and sit in cabinets to tabletops, bootleg and original arcade cabinets. Arcades in Macedonia and probably Yugoslavia as a whole were places where not just kids, but mostly teenagers and often bullies would hang out, they weren't places just for us nerdy kids, just about anyone would play games there. It was a fascinating time and something I will forever cherish about my childhood. The fact that ALL popular and not so popular arcade games were available here is something that never fails to fascinate me to this day. Almost every neighborhood in my city, Skopje, had at least one if not 2-3 arcades. That's how popular a business arcades were in the 80's and 90's here and they were chuck full of all kinds of games. When I went to the USSR in '88 I was surprised at the lack of arcades there, normally whenever I'd go to new places here I'd always look for an arcade and there were barely any in the USSR, but the arcades you guys did have were so surreal and amazing in their own way. I remember an arcade in Chop, Ukraine where our train stopped, they had this Safari game you showed in your video as well as many electro mechanical games too. For some reason tho, I keep thinking I played Battlezone there too, but I'm probably remembering it wrong because as you say, you guys didn't have any of those games in the USSR.

[@chiroquacker2580]

I'm American but if I had a time machine I would love to experience the flourishing Arcade culture of 1980s Macedonia. It sounds like it was pretty awesome. 😁

[@GamingPalOllieMK]

@@chiroquacker2580 I've been trying to get a video made for years now on the subject but I just can't find anyone who has photos or videos of the time and people who are pretty much open encyclopedias on the subject like one of my best friends refuse to be interviewed. I mean I lived through it but having more than one account on all that transpired here with arcade gaming would be great.

[@Harakengard]

As a western european, this doesn't surprise me : while i was born way after Yugoslavia's split, my father went there 3 times for vacations and he told me he even found coke there. Quite a popular country for vacations back in the day so that may have also contributed to the development of arcades here (although the fact it didn't try to extend its influence like the USSR and was more focused on keeping it all together certainly was the most important one).

[@GamingPalOllieMK]

@@Harakengard I was born 1983 and we've had coke as far as I can remember, we also had our own version of coke called Kokta which is still around and I don't think anyone even drinks it ever, but Pepsi and Coke were always around. I remember a Coke commercial with Michael Jackson when I was little where some kid was calling for him "Michael!? Michael!?" and I thought the kid was saying "mayko! mayko!?" as in looking for his mom, I was very little then. We had satellite TV so us kids grew up on UK's Sky One and DJ Kat and all the cartoons DJ Kat aired as well as fun factory on the weekends :) good times As a kid I was a HUGE fan of Alf for example because alf aired in Macedonia subbed and I had a ton of Alf toys. I remember when I went to Moscow I met a little Ukrainian girl there and I gave her one of my Alf toys and she gave me her toy in return :)

[@aleksandarl6975]

'77 kid here, i loved arcade scene in my town, there where few arcade places we kids loved to hang out and play, coins where cheap so machines where almost allways occupied and you had to wait your turn, and if you played more then 2-3 at the time everyone would get mad for having to wait. I was banned from playing NMK/Taito USAAF Mustang in 2 arcades becouse i was good at it and could beat the game over and over😂. We used to share tips and tricks when playing or watcing someone play, sometimes even take over for a bit to help beat level boss etc. Good times. I loved tinkering around electronics and got to play alot in exchange for occasionaly repairing broken joysticks, butons, coin acceptors power supplys and small issues with boards that didn't need machine specific parts to be replaced. Even Yugoslavia was comunist country we could get goods from the west, you could buy (expensive doh) Commodore 64, ZX soectrum, and a bit later Amiga, coca cola and pepsi where in every store, Western music records/cassetes where re-isued under licence by Yu record companies, and some western european products where avaliable for puchase in duty free shops, but only if you where able to pay in foreign curency, like US Dollar or west German Mark. It was comunism and doomed to fail, but at least we had alot softer version then the USSR. Software piracy was perfectly legal, you could mail order cassette with about 20 games from the computer magazine for about double what blank cassete would cost.

[@ExtremeWreck]

It's always cool seeing videos like these talk about obscure parts of retro gaming not many would know about.

[@metal_kitsune]

Really appreciate you putting these videos out about Russian video game history. Cheers from America.

[@daffers2345]

I live in the United States. This kind of content is really fascinating to me. It gives a glimpse of Soviet life from an "on-the-ground" view -- not from government, propoganda, the military, or even religious perspective. It's just "stuff that normal Soviet people had when I was born." I love it and want to see more. :)

[@st1ka]

Damn dude, you deserve so many more views

[@RussianVideoGameComrade]

Thank you my friend ❤️

[@PaulRudd1941]

​@@RussianVideoGameComrade Da tovarish! This Canuck loves your content. I've never thought about this before!

[@PhonePhone-sf8te]

Just got this recommended to me so I'm sure this channel is going to blow up. Also hi st1ka, been following you for a while too.

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

St1ka!

[@st1ka]

@@PhonePhone-sf8te haha thank you

[@chainsawpantherproductions7758]

So much charm and uniqueness in these games, and I'm very impressed on the ones running on what you said was an 8080 cloned chip, that's amazing! I was checking out some Russian synth pop/new wave style music a year ago actually and in one of the videos, it showed pictures of an old abandoned Russian arcade, fast forward to present and I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled up this video and your channel in general. I'm actually currently working on an open world kinda game and putting an arcade within it, I would love to do a couple of these Soviet Style games for sure now!!

[@CzowiekPixel]

Thanks for making that video, I loved learning about this subject. I'd love to get more info on TIA-MC1 and hope that lost games will be found someday! Best wishes from former Polish Pepole's Republic ;)

[@be-noble3393]

Parallel development is always an interesting history. Thank you for the work you are doing.

[@zerodelgato3842]

I did not know i needed a soviet and russian videogame channel. You sir have a subscriber

[@arostwocents]

Agreed. I subbed just seeing it on the home page while watching something else. As long as he doesn't take in the fake accent with emphasis totally wrong like so many popular channels (he doesn't) there are loads I already am going to watch here! ❤

[@jamesorion1986]

Same here. I'm a deep southerner from the US who is an old school videogame nerd who has always been fascinated with Russian History so this is a great discovery.

[@juhopuhakka2351]

he has 2 semper fi to all

[@nodeSVN]

I can see why Sea Battle was and still is popular. The gameplay looks quite engaging for a mechanical arcade, and periscopes are always a fun gimmick.

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

fr, I could even see myself playing that today...i love those old mechanical games! and yeah, looking through a periscooe type of thing is always fun...there is a modern video arcade called Operation Blockade where you actually have to physically turn around inside a simulated gun turret. It is basically a more advanced version of Beach Head.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

I remember playing it in the late 70's. I was only 4 And will never forget how imposing it was! It was more experience, than long term game. The cabinet was just so imposing, it was crazy! Like standing in front of a giant skyscraper. LOL Take care.

[@TheVileBile]

This is a cool video. Had no idea any of these machines existed. Very well edited and put together!

[@tip36c]

Thank you so much. What a great look into an amazing history.

[@PossumMedic]

The transit and ice cream comparison really helped! Thanks for the vid!

[@alexlozven]

I loved the 'Arkanoid' arcade cabinet and the mechanical 'UFO', very impressive designs. Greetings from Mexico

[@Manetho72]

Wow, that file footage of the Soviet Union actually looks pretty nice. No bums, no beggars, no criminal elements, and everyone looked nice. Not at all what we were told.

[@ArtemyMalchuk]

USSR had a heck ton of problems of its own, but the ones you mentioned weren't among them, or at least nowhere as rampant.

[@mrdeatheli]

Those machines are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing this fascinating history! Subscribed!

[@Omegajunior2658]

I thought I never saw any arcade machines from the former Soviet Union like those before in my entire life. They look pretty cool and interesting. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@robertkalinic335]

Fisherman cat and the crow look so innocent until they start beating each other hobo style, kinda looks like if you asked military institute to make game for toddlers. I wish they could develop it into full blown story, they were cooking something exceptional.

[@bes03c]

It has a distinct charm.

[@beeaye7944]

Why do I feel like this should be remade by some indie developer?

[@adamrobertson2367]

It’s funny you say that. I couldn’t help building lore in my head about that cat and its world while watching that bit. Soviet Heathcliff.

[@kendalljenkins9938]

The electro mechanical games are really cool. In the US most of these games were trashed when the micro-processor games took over, but many of these games were actually fun and innovative. I always love seeing them working and getting played.

[@PhilBurnell1982]

Excellent video Komrade

[@SniklasTv]

You guys mentioned UFO and I received a core memory of my childhood watching it with my dad in polish. Thanks

[@SmoMo_]

What a great video! Thanks for making it

[@lawrencemoody738]

I'm pretty Sure I watched this entire show with my mouth wide open.This is unbelievably an eye opener. It's like an alternate universe

[@mrsplitfoot23]

I just found your channel today and already watched 5+ videos. The history you cover explains so much and the reason why Russian Hackers/Techromancers are so damned clever and feared. It's a well deserved reputation.

[@Snowflame512]

I just subscribed to your channel! A Very interesting and fascinating topic! Bravo!

[@holden5478]

Ok, I have no idea what the point of Astro Pilot is, but that is one really cool looking mechanical game.

[@AquaShibby3000]

This video was utterly fascinating.

[@LucasTheodore-q8l]

Hello, 👋 I believe it is a pleasure to make new friends and new things all over the world and your comments are worth a look

[@dc9662]

I love your channel. You've given me a chance to see something I may never have have known about. I appreciate your talent, as well as all of your hard work. I can't wait to see whatever you have in store for us next.

[@KORUPTable]

Very interesting! Thank you for your informative video

[@rich213sal]

I appreciate your channel buddy, way to enlighten us😊

[@MinstrelKrampf]

Wow, 2 of my favorite things mixed together! Vintage video games and Soviet Memorabilia! Who would have thought that a channel like this existed! You even have videos on the Agat, and I remember actually reading the Byte magazine article back in the 1980s! I even wrote to Radio Moscow to see if they would answer a few questions about the Agat, but they didn't like my question, so they made up a different question and attributed it to me! Oh, those were the days!

[@alexsilva5841]

Love the channel! Keep up the great work my friend!

[@garten]

Thats some quality content. Always nice to know other cultures. You deserve so much more views!

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Fascinating stuff..have a sub! I can remember UK arcades in the early 1980s still had quite a lot of electro mechanical games.

[@jamesburchill7522]

Excellent work man. Thanks for this.

[@cityside75]

I haven't subscribed to a new video game channel in a while. Finally, something with NEW information to a longtime US gamer like me. I look forward to more videos!

[@Nivek74]

This is fascinating thank you

[@emoldandriel]

This channel is extremely fascinating

[@DrymouthCWW]

Rare find! Subbed!

[@chrisprescott2273]

What an interesting video. I love the arcade cabinets. So many interesting designs. I especially liked the breakout game with the geodesic ball shaped cabinet.

[@adamrobertson2367]

Your channel is absolutely amazing. What an interesting window into late Soviet amusement tech. It really puts things into perspective. I love the explanation of the naming conventions for the cloned machines and games. Also, I’ve never wanted to throw a bat at some sticks more than I do at this moment.

[@TroyTheCatFish]

Underrated AF

[@cassiofonte8172]

Just discovered your channel and it's awesome! Really well presented as well. Thanks!

[@BlloodySunday]

I've waited for this Video since I found your Channel ❤

[@tomevil6]

Very interesting! Great video! I always enjoy your videos!

[@robbyrobot3303]

Love the designs of the cabinets. And even sanctioned, Russia birthed the most enduring video game of all time with Tetris.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Sanctioned...eventually but that story has so many ups and downs, it was tough to see, who owned the rights to what and where! I'm guessing you have already seen it but the Gaming Historian's video on the history of Tetris, is a must! Also it's made in a fun style! Cheers from Montreal Quebec Canada

[@CallousCoder]

Very good video! It’s always nice to have a historic look behind the iron curtain. Well deserved subscription!!!

[@brittislove]

incredible video! I had no idea about these

[@RetroCave-wr9tl]

Fascinating. I wasn't aware of the TIA-MC1. I hope the rest of the games are found.

[@KawaiiFaceman]

Thanks for this really good documentary about arcade history !

[@hrs_95]

Thanks dude, your videos are a gem.

[@skidart9063]

I find this Fascinating. Ty for sharing

[@gigteevee6118]

This is a whole other world, you have a new subscriber! Wars have nothing to to with mutual bonds ❤

[@Rammspieler]

Not gonna lie, but I think a reboot of Fisherman Cat as an open world Arkham-style beat 'em up would be the greatest thing ever.

[@RussianVideoGameComrade]

😂😂😂

[@safetystephen]

Wonderful video and thank you. Our family favorite is Konek Gorbunok!

[@parrata]

13:04 I remember reading an article about Soviet games back in the late 2000s and I wanted to play this one so much. It wasn't possible back then, but I remember a lot of the electro-mechanical ones had simulators, not too different from the .exe simulators of Game & Watch games we had back then. I think some people were porting it to MAME, but by what you are saying, a different solution emerged. Edit: now that I think about it, it's weird to already feel nostalgic of "retro-gaming", as in, playing what are already considered "old" games. I feel this way about Nesticle, PC ports of Atari Activison games, discovering "text adventures" were a thing or diving into "abandonware" sites and using early builds of DOSBox to play my findings when they weren't Windows XP-compatible. Probably some people in the future will feel this way about using RetroArch, shaders, SD card carts and Anbernic handhelds as kids.

[@Joseph-z7s3b]

I am soon to be 54. I only say that to show that I grew up during the tail end of the cold war. Growing up I was fed a steady diet of "Russians are bad", but I never bought it. The Soviet system was bad, but I never thought that the ordinary people were any different than me and I was always curious about many things within Russia. This video has answered one of my questions about life there during the 80's... what kids/teenagers who were just like me doing with their spare change. The sad thing is that here in the states the narrative has come back to "Russia is bad." Imagine if all of the worlds flag poles had no flags on them. Just people. What that be like?

[@ajthesquirrel]

It would look like Texas or California circa 2024. 😂

[@PhillipBlackburn-ik5bb]

Ok boomer

[@Joseph-z7s3b]

@@PhillipBlackburn-ik5bb "Ok boomer." Wow, that's clever. How's that working out for you? The term "boomer" is most always applied to people of child bearing age at the end of WW2. This may shock and amaze you but that war ended in 1945...a full 30 years before I was born, so I am not a "boomer." More of an asshole than anything else. Anyway, thanks for talking to little ol' me Gen Z.

[@ajthesquirrel]

@@Joseph-z7s3b I make comments about this all the time lol. How much brain power is required to say two harassing words through text? He might as well have just said, “okay f*gg*t,” or “okay r*t*rd.” Phillip, thanks for contributing a complete thought. Other people like me actually appreciate people who can publicly share their thoughts while having the self esteem to put them out there. Screw the degenerates. Seeking knowledge should never be shamed.

[@daffers2345]

Growing up, we heard a lot of "The Soviets were always a bunch of faceless atheist evildoers. So let's send them Bibles." The USSR fell when I was very small, so I don't remember MUCH except being annoyed that schoolbooks still had maps including the USSR. As an adult have been told, and can of course see, that almost all of them were regular old humans like the rest of us. They wanted to provide for their families and have fun, but they were stuck under a system that blocked them from seeing the outside and blocked the outside from seeing them. These types of videos are SO fascinating to me, because they show a piece of another country's life from the regular person's perspective.

[@jonathanwpressman]

This is a great vid. Thanks.

[@Kourumeme]

Galloping ghost arcade and the Soviet arcade museum are two examples of how arcade places are represented to the community in dofferent aspects. Good video

[@RockyBergen]

AMAZING VIDEO!!! So subscribed.

[@Releasethebats123]

Great video. Just subscribed!

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

This is so fascinating!

[@tb7771]

As a 53 year old gamer since 1977 these look awesome! Brilliant video!

[@chainsawpantherproductions7758]

Also funny you mentioned Monkey Island, I had just fired that game up and started playing it for the first time the day I discovered your video here, talk about coincidence!

[@huyminlao7814]

Wow, "Cozy Basement"have an English version? Cool!

[@007sarabond]

Great video, really cool piece of tech history.

[@sega.maniac]

Прикольно , cozy basement теперь на английском ))) 😮🤩👍

[@djcactus]

Great as always

[@sean4967]

this is amazing! those machines look so cool

[@chrisnizer]

Tetris, one of the most popular video games worldwide originated in Russia. Thanks for the video my friend, Semper Fidelis!

[@mattbuchanan4330]

Thank You, your Coolness Level is Very High.

[@FelixRPetrov]

Лайк, подписка. Плакал, ностальгировал.

[@jamesorion1986]

Absolutely fascinating. I was always a generation behind console wise until the N64, but I had it easy compared to you guys. Truthfully I would love to try a few of these one day. I'm a southerner from the US who is an old school videogame nerd who has always been fascinated with Russian history so this channel is an instant subscription for me. Best regards from Arkansas USA!

[@arostwocents]

Wonderful video. Really fantastic. I wish there was emulation of all these so we could play them ❤❤❤

[@RussianVideoGameComrade]

Check out my patreon page. TIA-MC games are available through emulation

[@dazhigh9208]

Great video, they's something really cool about the eletric mechanical arcade machines. i think its the extreme wiring and relay count alone. Cool Video and well worthy of a like and sub. Cheers Dude Peace out from me and my dog Max from the east coast of the UK. 🙂

[@Larry]

I'm quite surprised how primitive the video arcade games were, especially as Soviets had access to hardware clones of the NES and the ZX Spectrum. Also amazed how innocent a lot of them are, no propaganda per say. But I suppose this was the Gorbachev era.

[@jaytv4eva]

Arcade cabinets were only for top brass and scientists working for the soviet union at the institute or labs. No one else had them. They did end up with bootleg Taiwanese Famicons n Spectrum Machines in the 80s

[@jaytv4eva]

Also, all games they made HAD to be related to work, not leisure.

[@Larry]

@@jaytv4eva i never knew that, was it some sort of educational law?

[@ПавелЕрмаков-м3ц]

​@@Larry Soviet arcade machines could be found in large stores and “palaces of culture.” Perhaps I don’t understand exactly what they are writing to you, but it seems that you are being misled

[@ПавелЕрмаков-м3ц]

​@@Larry And this is the time before Gorbachev. What kind of propaganda did you expect in arcade machines?

[@theautoguy96]

That last game looks really cool. Some of the electro mechanical stuff is really neat.

[@Greg-yu4ij]

In 1986 I bought an Amiga and played arctic fox on it. This was a tank game but it simulated tv guided missiles in a 3d battle space. Obviously if I could play that I can’t imagine what kind of simulations were used by the military The fall of the Soviet Union was celebrated at the time because we had been living under a nuclear threat for years. However in hindsight it wasn’t good to lose our competition. We distinguished ourselves by being the land of the free, but we soon became a nanny state All that technology advantage was turned against our own people and now I believe we are under the watchful eye of an AI so powerful you can’t even imagine. As we slept satanic forces hungry for power took over the world’s governments. They turned us away from God and the government tried to become our new God. What started out as a wonderful and magical time became twisted and perverted. I pray to God for help, and I hope that we can once again live in peace and freedom under God

[@LeftEarth2]

The ALF system was also mentioned on video from _Laird's Lair_ - 5 more failed consoles that never left Europe. Viktor won't let me share the video link. I was sending Laird's Lair viewers to this channel too. 😂

[@OvisMilitaris]

Japan: "Hey, those were our arcade machines." USSR: "You are correct. Ours, comrade. OURS."

[@exidy-yt]

Amazing how consistantly the Soviet arcade industry was about 10 years behind the west! That car-racing arena game would have been popular around 1980 in my arcade, and even the 'Nintendo Hard' difficulty of the last Soviet-era games was about 10 years behind the Famicom, LOL. Thank you for a fascinating look at my childhood hobby from the point of view of a very closed and mostly unknown society!

[@rcary]

I love the last game. That would be a great machine to reproduce for todays collectors. I think the soviet machines had a cool look and very retro looking and definitely desirable. Thanks for the video! 😀

[@bulbx1273]

Very interesting, thanks !

[@WaldoBagelTopper]

You forgot the popular game Bostroishka - where you have to beat your opponent by casting as much disrespect as possible upon their father's mustaches and work boots.

[@molybdaen11]

In the Soviet union, dragonflies ate full grown fishes too. 😅

[@theflyingninja1]

Fantastic video. I've been hugely intrigued by Soviet media ever since i watched Pirates of the 20th Century. Die Hard on a ship, 8 years before Die Hard even came out

[@burbercat3558]

Nice collection. Think I played a few of those or similar in UK when arcades were popular. Was young enough to just about play the shooting games before they were phased out.

[@yaroslav257ify]

I like your videos in English(I've been following your videos in Russian before). And by a way, the level of your English is very good 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼.

[@takeohtyme]

You look like a randomly generated RPG character, and I'm all for it.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Yoooo recommend actually recommended something cool!!! Thanks dude, going to go smoke a doobie and then watch this :)

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

Not gonna lie, that Submarine/Sea Battle game looks really cool! to be fair, the graphics are better than most early video arcade games, LOL! (I realize that is because the objects are real and not video). I really like some of those old games from the earliest ages of arcades, racing games with an actual little car cut out of metal were cool too. There was a similar game in the 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead, in the arcade at the mall, the one guy played after he had gotten bitten & infected by a zombie. Anyhow, cool video! I blew a lot of quarters at the arcade from around 1986-1997.

[@danhester4408]

What's fascinating to me is that even if the technology wasn't all that impressive, the cabinets and physical display aspects of the games are quite detailed and interesting.

[@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145]

Interesting stuff! In the late 1980s a friend of mine had a mini arcade in his basement. His dad has a lot of $! Mostly older machines they had several electro-mechanical games from the 60s & pinball machines. I found the e-m games absolutely fascinating! Yes the Soviet kids were playing outdated games by USA & Japanese standards but I would have really loved the to play more e-m games.

[@PaulKostrzewa]

Great video... subscribed! :)

[@PaulRudd1941]

This is absolutely fascinating! If I could subscribe again, I would!

[@RussianVideoGameComrade]

Thank you 🤜🤛

[@arostwocents]

Cant find them to play online anywhere on Android. Any hints?

[@netanelaker4437]

7:18 forget the game noise. THE SCREECHING CRT SOUND IS INSANE

[@vornnachn8156]

thank you. this is special.

[@tommiegun1980]

Very interesting to hear and learn as an so called westener how the soviet union arcade scene was back in the day👍... Very coool to see thanks.