Arcade Longplay [154] P.O.W. - Prisoners of War

[@mrgiskard]

Some of the best sound effects of the 80s here - the punches and KO sound tremendously satisfying!

[@dsgb1981]

P.O.W, Double Dragon, Golden Axe, & T.M.N.T took all of my money each time I went to the arcade!

[@DEACONDRWILL]

dsgb1981 - Don’t forget about Rastan too.

[@bryancolebrook2379]

We need remakes urgently!

[@toastedjoe1013]

Along with Operation Wolf and Bad Dudes

[@ram64man]

Agreed a free world beat them up with a dec3nt story shouldn’t be that hard to make

[@Aguanga_cowboy007]

Candy machine

[@SireSquish]

Such a pleasure to watch a game played so skilfully. Great job!

[@Jaimas]

When I was playing this game, there was always a fun exploit me and my friends used to use. If you wait a while in an area, three rifle guards run on-screen, fire a burst off, and "motivate" you to move ahead (due to the fact that guns kill in one hit, this usually cost you a life). If you were quick, however, you could hit and kill one of the guards, allowing you to steal one of their rifles - this worked on every level, even those without rifle dudes. They trivialize the green berets and last boss.

[@FretzlemaniaPod]

Had this on NES, one of the very first games I ever played. Love it.

[@tont760]

The beginning when they light the fuse to blow out of their prison cell always seemed to define this game.

[@edwardgaines6561]

Every time I was at the arcade, I would pass that demo screen. Classic, but also...how did they sneak in that TNT?

[@gb9884]

The friendly fire in this game is hilarious

[@yellowblanka6058]

The most devastating weapon in a Green Beret's arsenal....the Chorus Line Kick.

[@donluchitti]

The punch samples in this game are still juicy sounding to this day. After 15 seconds in, okay I'm already done missing them but still, thanks for bringing back the memories

[@silverliningsfilmandmedia]

The sound in this game was so visceral and powerful. I actually thought the NES port of this game was quite good.

[@seanwilkinson3975]

Apparently you're an "unsung hero" in this game, because for all your brutal hand-to-hand combat and destruction of enemy troops and equipment, you're anticlimactically and unceremoniously airlifted away to safety, without even a congratulatory cutscreen. Hell, there's not even a shot of him with his head out the side door of the helicopter, looking wistfully over the carnage below, or even a wave of "I made it!" to the player. Talk about thankless work! Boo, hiss, we want an ending, fire the director, and all that.

[@rcslyman8929]

Well, I mean, it's Snake. The file's going to be buried in the rubble, along with our country's dirty little secret.

[@allegin1978]

This game is making me cry. Obviously man tears though :)

[@renrezcrypto6155]

Kawaiiiiiiiiii

[@ShaneBales]

The sound effects in this game are amazing.

[@GoranOldmanvich]

this is game from my childhood... ty my man fudo, give me two chips

[@uwaniharbison6689]

I so totally miss all of those video arcade games machines they may have been quarter guzzlers,but they had one thing in common they were all fun to play with and playing them was very relaxing.

[@2927bronxny]

ONE OF THE BEST ARCADE GAMES EVER ( I remembered my childhood in one second )

[@salc6921]

How did he get captured in the first place if he can take all these guys out?

[@marcelosinico]

Sal Canete It was a trick. Easiest way to get inside the base. ;)

[@captainmartin1219]

+Sal Canete I think he got captured intentionally to assassinate the enemy leaders or something.

[@gb9884]

+marcelosinico Breaking into prison.

[@Tranquilino30]

Emperor Palpatine Make sense.

[@billyriggs3348]

Sal C lol chill

[@20thcenturyfoxyoutube]

played this a few times as a kid, totally forgot about this title. wow the memories this one brings back.

[@taekwondotime]

This game was amazing. Very rare where I lived. I think it got banned from most arcades in Canada because it "broke all the rules" so to speak. The main character can use a gun to shoot enemy soldiers. At the time, only gun violence against "aliens" was allowed. If you look at similar games, the player never gets a gun in Double Dragon. Golden Axe is set in a medieval fantasy world setting. TMNT is comic book characters and such. P.O.W. was about a real life war scenario with human on human combat and all the realistic weapons like knives, guns, and grenades. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure it got banned from most places for being too realistic and too violent. :) (Keep in mind this was 1988 and the world had never seen games like Call of Duty, etc.)

[@rcslyman8929]

"FF7... FF7... Come in. This is Snake." "Go Ahead, Snake." "Operation Intrude N313 is a success..."

[@XdreamR]

i like the sound it makes when you hit them and they die and fly out the screen haha

[@kohnfutner9637]

Parfait

[@jc_malone8217]

I remember playing this on nes, but didn't know it was on arcade too. Thanks for sharing this!

[@power_of_Christ_God]

Arcade was always better than Nintendo back then.....

[@yellowblanka6058]

Well yeah, there really was no comparing multi-thousand dollar arcade hardware to little home commodity consoles. The 16 bit arcade ports were far closer, but they still fell well short in a lot of areas (animation, onscreen enemies, colors etc.)

[@Makron5]

the nes version was entirely different it seems like

[@alexojideagu]

Yet there are plenty of deluded American NES fans claiming the NES version is better. They say the same for Double Dragon. Pisses me off.

[@bubbythebear6891]

Rush n attack was better on NES. Contra was too.

[@almcroof2146]

Double Dragon vibe is strong in this game

[@Seiko180]

but with better frame rate

[@thomassanders566]

I love the suspension of disbelief in some video games. If the guy could beat up all of these dudes by himself in the first place, why was he ever a prisoner of war?

[@Jaimas]

According to the story of the game, and I'm being serious on this, he got himself captured on purpose, so he could break out and kill the enemy commander.

[@adrianorivera6284]

@@Jaimas That sounds like MG 1 (1987) really

[@deoglemnaco7025]

Actually, that goes against the law of war. Assassination is frowned upon. Who is the real bad guy now????

[@notquitehuman5097]

@@deoglemnaco7025 You have to get pragmatic sometimes.

[@edwardgaines6561]

@@deoglemnaco7025 Assassination is frowned upon? I didn't know war had a honor code to it.

[@vileimarsilva8224]

Jogaço,um dos grandes clássicos dos anos 80!

[@UedersonThec]

First time i see this one. I didn't even knew that there was another version of this game (to me there was only the nes version haha). It is great!

[@toojvaj8757]

love this game as a kid played it all the time at the roller skating rink lol

[@Khaos969]

used to love this game in the 80s

[@patrickoakley7890]

The machine gun sound effects were fucking godly back in the day. As a kid I used to mimic the sound all the time, for no reason.

[@tikohc1978]

omg i remenber this one ..so good game

[@alebalboa77]

Um clássico imbatível...Muito nostálgico.

[@gabrielsylvestre3708]

This is where Final Fight and Streets of Rage came from. My kid arcades: Superman, Michael Jackson Moonwalker, Double Dragon, T.M.N.T.II, Shinobi, Adventure Island, The Simpsons, X-Men, Rygar, Street Fighter II (Chun Li).

[@PANTYEATR1]

i was 10 when i was playing this in the arcade...what a throwback💪

[@DeadRaymanWalking]

As a kid, my family and grandparents were at a hotel. In that hotel's game room there was this game, and I think the attract mode's sound was on. I started mimicking the sound effects of the game :-P

[@jllovit]

I think the devs were also responsible for Street Smart.

[@deoglemnaco7025]

I like how he clutches the M16.

[@lucifer1978b]

I have this PCB in my arcade right now, love this game and music

[@magalhaes5243]

Não sei por que, mas esses jogos me trazem mais satisfação do que os atuais. Seja pelo gráfico, simplicidade ou efeitos sonoros, são bem mais divertidos.

[@jasonleslie203]

I loved this game back in the day

[@bryancolebrook2379]

I remember this game! I had an amazing childhood.

[@InspirationHouseNetwork]

“Those motorcycles tho! 😳💥” (-James)

[@joeyzapata6786]

Wow, this takes me WAYYY back.

[@stephenp4285]

I see shades of the intro to "The Eye Of The Tiger" in Stage 3's music. It's no wonder the soundtrack got redone for the NES.

[@ratoim]

10:55 What a glorious chain reaction! 🤯💥

[@reijiminato8762]

Metal Slug (setting) + Golden Axe (gameplay style)

[@dimitrisbam1132]

man you re good! maybe best side scrolling beat em up of all times!

[@darrenclements6028]

P.O.W Prisoners Of War Chuck Norris style action ABSOLUTELY AWESOME and STUNNINGLY AMAZING arcade game

[@xDTHECHEMISTx]

This game was so bad ass back in the day my mom liked it, came home and told me about it. aint that some shit? lol

[@crydevoe]

I played this so much as a kid, this and centipede and bad dudes

[@bigroy38]

This,Mat Mania,&Rolling Thunder!!!!

[@doriangreen3231]

The way those motorcycles fall apart so easily you'd think they were made by Chevy.

[@SantiagoRodriguez-jd9sm]

Your a bitch Dorian... You must take the bus

[@boiledliddo]

haha, remember playing this long ago in arcades. fun times

[@Wardner213]

I used to play this game in 7-11. It made me wish they had Double Dragon.

[@hanchiman]

23:52 This is Snake :D

[@ia3525]

Hanferd more proof kojima isn't original.

[@hanchiman]

Israel Alvarado I think he did admit he took alot of inspiration from Hollywood movies, especially from John Carpenter movies.

[@saturn1returns]

Hanferd "this is Snake" *slides on stomach like a snake*

[@nicktubara]

Kept you waiting huh :P

[@bl00derly]

oh thanks, i couldn't retrieve the name of this game in my memory (i also never could beat it) thanks for this longplay

[@eidolusgad3818]

I played the heck out of P.O.W. on NES.

[@johnnyjackson3775]

They should remake this for the PSN and Xbox Store

[@freakyfornash]

There is a fan-made OpenBor homebrew remake of this. You can also now download it on the Nintendo Switch & PS4 as well.

[@Tomahawk52]

Grenade Seargeant: throw them! Grenadiers: yes sir! (throws em, kills the sarge)

[@CarlosNavarro-cp9go]

Man, I used to play this all the time with my brother......80s

[@captaincommando2602]

The golden years of SNK.

[@Azumarito]

What a way to start a level, dang was that good!

[@universal6527]

Man 👨…… those good old bodegas,pizzerias and even a laundrymat…. Would have arcades in them...... Blessing us with hits like this. I can only imagine how fed up some of these store owners would be with us kids at those times….. We would be in our own zone…..with an audience at times….. Lmao! 😆😆😆😆😆😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 those are still and always will be the times….

[@shadowman2192]

The first arcade game I ever beat

[@mrsethcorbin]

I remember a game called P.O.W... but I don't remember it being like this ! This looks a lot better

[@josephrob5819]

This game makes you wonder how he got caught in the first place lol

[@wesleyhempoli5548]

stop copying comments like u always do

[@FinancialHealth-ku1ry]

@@wesleyhempoli5548 He alwayz does dat

[@edwardgaines6561]

@@wesleyhempoli5548 Let him think out loud. It's pretty funny to think of the reasons why.

[@lucasmr3215]

22:36 AM i crazy or i Just begin to hear sonic 3 minor boss theme? it sounds really familiar...

[@ia3525]

Lucas de Medeiros Ribeiro this game had it all! from sonic to this is snake!

[@edwardgaines6561]

Good ear! It does sound similar.

[@Albert8044]

P.O.W. Prisoners Of War is definitely a reference to the Chuck Norris movie Missing In Action movies.

[@15KHz]

I LOL'd how the CPU has such a stupid AI, from 19:00 to 19:10 they killed themselves and the prison chief also kills their own subbordinates from 22:37 to 22:58. If you saved some bullets from the gun, you could've killed the boss with one shot, and also kill him MULTIPLE TIMES, each kill worth 10000 points each! Also, stabbing the enemies gives the same score as killing them, so throwing them a knife without killing them and then finish them will give double the points. Great video! ;)

[@freeyourmind8849]

those guerrillas died with honor. If dying only sounded so sick.

[@GeorgeNadaYT]

Lmao all those soldiers jumping out of the chopper🤣

[@samjones9127]

Played it at a video store in the 80s' Great game.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

He sure was lucky to get sent to the only POW camp where almost none of the guards are armed.

[@jordith01]

I love how getting shot in this game sounds like getting punched in the face. Good ol' SNK overexaggerated sound effects.

[@frankdavf4599]

This Game IS the doble dragón of SNK. I used to complete It with just one Coín. Great Game.

[@BrianBeeby]

This is what happens when a paramilitary outfit with no ammo forces Chuck Norris to shave his beard.

[@jon.m.100]

AMO ESTE VIDEOJUEGO. ME RECUERDA MI NIÑEZ. HASTA ME HACE LLORAR.

[@willwalker7103]

When Double Dragon meets The A Team😀👍

[@VideoGameStupidLC]

22:38 Kinda sounds like the boss theme from Sonic and Knuckles. Now I know where Sega got the beginning part from at least.

[@Ynffy]

High explosive motorcycles.

[@theburgerkingbandit]

wasted a shit load of quarters playing this game + i was pissed off when this arcade machine was not placed in our convenience stores in our town, but was found inside a fucking laundromat! ahh memories. just thinking of those times makes me remember how the laundromat owner would get mad when we'd leave our bikes laying all over the walk-in entrance to the laundromat + not using his washers or dryers

[@homersimbson]

the simple moves were mind blowing back then .. ah good times

[@reijiminato8762]

Wow. Even the enemies in this game tend to kill their own. Interesting!

[@김세열-v3x]

The Wars of Prisoners

[@JLConawayII]

This is what I expected when I bought the NES version. Imagine my disappointment.

[@1Dub79]

Yeah! NES couldn't quite replicate the arcade games.

[@calstonjew]

I liked the NES game. What it lacked in graphics and sound it made up for in gameplay and Engrish. It had more bosses, frogmen and you can throw grenades at a helicopter gunship.

[@JLConawayII]

@@calstonjew Yeah after I played it a bit I started to enjoy it more. I think my expectations were just way too high.

[@Ultradude604]

Use the code to get something like 20 lives. It's much more like the arcade

[@runitback5066]

@@Ultradude604 Is this not the arcade version? Oh wait never mind I get what you’re saying.

[@josephwintrich7294]

The NES version was a little different and DID have a variety of boss fights too. The Arcade version a loach shows up and a dozen foot soldiers jump out for nearly every boss.

[@oscuro8961]

this was awesome game back then I always played this at arcade

[@gilbertoramelboliviarevoll5483]

El mejor juego del. Mundo entero p. O. W

[@bigwilly43729]

Moms were really mad at anthropomorphic turtles using ninja weapons back in the day, but we had games like this. 🤔

[@hermanthetosser4219]

Would've loved this if this ever got a megadrive release

[@randypeppercorn1865]

I believe this was the first arcade beat em up that allowed the player to pick up a gun, though I could be wrong.

[@willwalker7103]

Yo this was my favorite kick Ass game of all time.😀✊👍

[@lothburke2243]

I spent a few cola cups full of 20s on this game .. epic !

[@icaliver]

So this is Bloody Wolf meets double dragon how intriguing.

[@livendapast]

Good job. This brings back memories.

[@theusher2893]

This was a badass brawler. Equally good was the NES port, had some excellent music and great graphics.

[@illyrian4life]

it wouldnt be an arcade game without the exploding motorcycles

[@alexparty2002]

That flying kick 😂👍

[@jamesl.anderson1384]

Michael J. Fox And Sean Penn This time They's fighting for They life. P.O.W. Prisoners Of War

[@terrylee6544]

I loved this on the NES.