Must-play Arcade HIDDEN GEMS!

[@djisgod9904]

You have rapidly become my favorite retro games KZbinr. Between you and retro game Corp I have a constant feed of geeky videos to watch. Keep up the good work.

[@disconinja108]

Yes, TechDweeb you kicked Retro Game Corpses ass simply by one thing: you don't do that stupid Contra test in every video. Thats why we automatically fell in love with you ❤

[@joshsadowski8869]

They are the same person

[@KatDoomsong]

@@joshsadowski8869 That's why we never see Techdweeb's face... You cracked the case! 🤣

[@EightPieceBox]

Nice to see someone in this community who appreciates old arcade and DOS games. I got into MAME about 25 years ago. This was back when you could actually try every game MAME could run. Having grown up on arcade games in convenience stores, it was a crazy time!

[@claudiobrt652]

Sengoku Blade is my favourite and an absolute gem for fans of shmups. With its stunning hand-drawn art, fast-paced gameplay, and a cast of unique characters, it’s both challenging and endlessly fun. The mix of feudal Japan and fantasy-steampunk vibes gives it a fresh style, and the epic boss fights keep you on your toes. Plus, the soundtrack is pure fire.

[@Joshin-kf1vz]

I just got the Trimui Smart Pro as my first retro handheld last week, so the timing of this is great! I didn't play arcade games growing up since home consoles took over when I was old enough to start playing video games, so this is a whole new world to me. Glad to have you as a guide, I'll check these out!

[@ShubNiggurath]

Fun fact, if you saw the amazing animations/sprite art of In the Hunt and thought, “hmm, that looks like it was made by the same people who made Metal Slug”… you’re right!

[@salemite]

Came to the comments section to share that. ❤️❤️❤️ My understanding is this was the last game those original MS creators made before moving on to start the Slug series. You can see a lot of the legacy of In the Hunt in some of the water levels! One of my favorite shmups.

[@Aaron-ge7ho]

Thanks for sharing the info. Never had heard about this one before but, while watching our Dweeb friend talking about it, it indeed left me wanting to burn some quarters in Metal Slug by having very similar aesthetics and mechanics by what it looks!

[@hong10ly70]

Yes look like its the same people who made métal slug

[@carlosgustavoborrazgutierr4613]

Oh my god, I need more of these videos.

[@denzelwashingmachine1950]

@TechDweeb- Love these videos! It's a great way to keep the retro scene alive and to discover some "new" games that we'd probably never get to enjoy otherwise. Thanks again!!

[@Metal-Josh]

“Compooper” always love that. That, and “USB-A hole”…. I’ve worked with some A-holes

[@Fallub]

I have been waiting for this episode for so long. Thanks.

[@fullyproblematic]

It's kind of magical to be able to play all these thousands of arcade games on a handheld, and not have to shell out quarters or tokens. I've played In the Hunt before, and it's as tough as it is gorgeous, but never heard of Stone Ball and Wizard Fire. Definitely going to give those a go. Thanks Dweeb!

[@RetroGamer-cn9or]

Can't wait to try these games because I've never seen them before (and I'm arcade aged). Please give us more of these because there's an ocean of arcade games out there.

[@ToyKeeper]

The arcade is a fantastic place to find hidden gems. They tend to be really good, they're compatible with people's busy schedules, and hardly anyone has ever played most of them.

[@ViktarTheBarbarian]

Man, in The Hunt. I played it at a buddy's birthday party on the PS1 back in 1998. This was before I ever played Metal Slug and it just checks all my personal boxes for arcade shooters. Fantastic game! You can get it on Nintendo Switch nowadays.

[@remy333]

The arcade version of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker is incredibly close to the mechanics and style of WizardFire. WizardFire is also a sequel to Dark Seal. In Japan, WizardFire is called DarkSeal II. Give em all a try if you haven’t already. Moonwalker is VERY different than the Genesis/MD version. 🍻

[@TechDweeb]

YES! Moonwalker is so good. I actually played that one back in the day, at the height of the MJ hype train. I really appreciate the tip my friend! Thank you!

[@ASMRwithJandro]

Great list of arcade hidden gems. Never seen these games before. Thank you!

[@YoelFievelBenAvram]

Rampage without needing quarters is cathartic. Highly recommended for brain off fun.

[@greyATK]

I would watch a whole hour of you presenting these arcade games. Thanks for sharing five of them :D

[@westsidelester]

My brother and I played real life Stone Ball one time. We didn't really have a name for it, and we didn't use clubs or keep score or anything. But he did throw a rock at my head. I won a trip to the hospital!

[@jessvrabec7921]

Me and my cousin played clay ball 😂. They were doing construction. And had to dig several feet and all ofbit was clay. We played in those mounds for hours. Ruined whole outfits...

[@ruxcooking]

Thanks techdweeb. Never heard of any of these.

[@SicketMog]

1CC'd In The Hunt (arcade version) when I was like 7-8. Probably one of my biggest feats in gaming. Pretty difficult but those graphics and animations make it easy to replay; doesn't get any better. This is good content so yes please keep these types of videos coming too. Had never heard of Stone Ball before but it looks fun. Edit: hidden gems idk if they are (maybe too famous?) but Air Gallet, Rapid Hero and Viper Phase 1 are three that immediately come to mind for those into vert shmups.

[@gweeen_tea]

Oh man. Bringing me back. I don't know if this is a hidden gem but I really enjoyed playing Avenged Spirt. It's a really tight platformer that was really tough where you play as a ghost that can possess any enemy in the stage. It's a lot like Kirby if it was a difficult quarter muncher (It could have been really easy. I have not played it since I was a kid) Another really good arcade game I don't hear many people talk about is the New Zeland Story. You play as a Kiwi that has to save his friends. Your main power is popping these water bubbles that can wash enemies away. I found that one on an old PC gaming service called GameTap. It was Turner Entertainments version of Steam essentially. They had a ton of arcade games you could just play in the app without having to download anything.

[@marumisu9560]

"If you try it at first, you'll hate it, but if you can play it for 5 minutes eventually it will click" That's exactly what's so hard about finding hidden gems. It's difficult to be objective when you have 2000 games to look through and the game is terrible at the beginning, so you just want to move on to the next one.

[@sendoh873]

This channel just keeps getting better and better

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

Here here!! 😊

[@JohnnyFiction]

Wizard Fire is one of the greats of arcade games. Everyone would watch just to see which ultimate spell people would choose

[@Tachiguro]

More plz :) love all the games you showed so far, thanks a lot!!!

[@chilly6470]

Stone Ball looks fantastic. As a huge fan of SEGA Soccer Slam, it's right up my street.

[@nunyabusiness896]

I first learned of In the Hunt around 99 or so when I saw it at a grocery store mini arcade. I remember assuming it must’ve had an SNES port and looking on ROM sites for it. Later, I learned it had a Playstation port and got a copy. The Playstation arranged soundtrack is great, though the limited lives makes it near impossible.

[@InterferenciasRG]

Thank you! I just dusted off my psp go and I needed something to start playing again! Love your channel dude

[@zauche81]

Wizard Fire is actual the second part ... You also have to play the first part "Dark Seal" (also called "Gate of Doom").

[@berrie-nice-to-meet-you]

I've always wanted to get more into arcade games but I'm always intimidated by how many there are (just like social interactions, come to think of it), so this is great!

[@matthewwierzbicki146]

The Outfoxies is a great lesser well-known arcade game. Chaotic fun with two assassins chasing each other around trying to wipe each other out. Great channel!

[@uncaringbear]

Handheld retro gaming is so focused on console games, so it's nice to see some love for arcade games. Paying quarters for short game sessions made for some interesting game designs, and the difficulty levels reflect this. If you like short, intense and super hard game play, arcade games are awesome! Another cool thing is that arcade games were often designed with excellent graphics and animations to attract and interest potential players. Along with the great eye candy, they're also really polished and accessible for that same reason. Except for the really freaking hard part! My personal favourite arcade game goes way back to the early days: Battlezone. 3D vector graphics and so immersive!

[@marccaselle8108]

I play arcade games on my anbernic rg351p.

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

They’re designed to be addictive so you put in more coins.

[@Aaron-ge7ho]

@@RetroGamerDesigns Also, people nowadas used to forget that you can set most arcades difficulty for a more cool and relaxing trip instead of the full aggressive hard experience most entertainment center owners were used to let their games to force kiddos to spent all theirs and their mom's money to keep going in the game. They'll kept being hard as hell, but more... "permissive" sometimes - if not just give you an extra hit or another life before the next coin with these "tweaks".

[@actionvestadventure]

In the Hunt is pretty great. I picked that up ages ago on the Sega Saturn not even knowing it was an arcade port. But some of my fav arcade games: Aliens, Mad Planets, Night Striker, Assault, Prehistoric Isle, Rastan, Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder... to name a few i can remember.

[@hawkeyeuofi2000]

This is exactly what I wanna do but don't have time to. Thx for combing the list for me!

[@VRBug]

I love Gemini Wing! Great top down shooter with awesome power up mechanics ❤

[@joeyjojojunior4886]

I always thought In The Hunt was the underwater version of Metal Slug. Great game.

[@RickshawXL]

Yay! I needed a video like this! Thanks Dweeb!

[@jessehoffman3818]

Shout out to in the hunt! That game is so good. I'm glad someone finally gave it the love it deserves

[@DjFIL007]

Thanks for mentioning “Magical Error wo Sagase!” This is going to be a great time waster during potty break 😅

[@KattKirsch]

Great video, thanks so much! Honestly, the arcade and the simple, clean gaming experience it can provide is, I've come to realise, exactly the kind of play I'm after. That said, I can't believe I didn't know 4 of the 5 of these! Really deep cuts here, genuinely impressed and excited to play them! As for deep cuts. I feel like everyone says The Outfoxies these days, but still, what a weird game. Zed Blade for the Neo Geo is one of my favorite horizontal shooters, but never gets any love. I enjoy the gameplay, but the visuals and music are simply unbelievable! And my last two are updated classics, Blasteroids and Off The Wall. They're both incredibly fun, and I haven't seen mention of them since I played them in arcades millions of years ago. Fully intend to build an arcade machine one day for these kinds of retro-updates-to-retro-classics, lol.

[@Pridetoons]

Stoneball and Mutant Football are the only type of Videogame sports games I want to play.

[@SstylerMA]

I'm so excited to get my first handheld 😁😁 just ordered a powkiddy x55 from aliexpress 3 days ago, Can't wait to get lost in all those games maaaan!!

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

Enjoy, buddy! You’ll never look back…well you kind of will, at retro games!!😊

[@Aaron-ge7ho]

It's a really great starter device. Should feel more like a plastic toy than other expensive ones, but its big screen, good ergonomics and cheaper price against others in the same performance & confort level worth any quarter you won't spent while playing all these retro wonders (and maybe you would be able to try even some PSP on it if everything was set accordingly to keep the performance high while game requiriments low)!

[@c-28-akshajvijil45]

A MINUTE AGO my luck is insane love your videos techdweeb!

[@DraktonTube]

What a brilliant creator. Thank you for making this fantastic video. Looking forward to the rest!

[@King_Midas]

Love the video. If you haven't tried it, play Bubbles by Williams. Simple controls, just a stick and no buttons at all. Try to clean the sink and make it down the drain safely! Simple, but very addictive.

[@borbilla6254]

Ohmy, this game looks gorgeous! Thankyou^^

[@vanessak8935]

Thank you for the recommendations, Dweeb!

[@nahumreigh]

I'm loving all of these already! I hope you got Daraku Tenshi: The Fallen Angels on your future lists.

[@salitz91]

Saw Tyrian. Instant updoot. Great video TD!

[@MichaelBecx]

Wizard of Fire looks so cool! Gonna play it later tonight

[@zauche81]

Try also "Dark Seal" (is the first part)

[@davidmacias1270]

Excellent list! Going through my rom list

[@2580rae]

At this point…you gotta do “my hidden gem” playlist 🤩

[@TechDweeb]

I have one! It's linked in the description :)

[@leviathon1113]

CPS1 Cadillacs and dinosaurs.. Most underrated beat'em up.

[@jinstinky501]

It got a cartoon show. It's not underrated, you're just young. :)

[@leviathon1113]

@jinstinky501 A bit hubris to presume im young. However, irrespective of the short-lived cartoon, there are 0 people on these popular emulation/gaming channels that ever mentioned or even include the game, which by definition makes it underrated. I would wager that you wouldn't even find more than a handful of people reviewing the game other than game footage.

[@jinstinky501]

@leviathon1113 there was a world before the internet, youngster.

[@piratesephiroth]

maybe before youtube. nowadays everyone knows it

[@Aaron-ge7ho]

@@piratesephiroth even before internet be a thing and people could upload their own homemade videos in a platform where them all keep available for everyone in the world and their mom's cats 24/7... Cadillacs and Dinossaurs always was a blockbuster and pretty popular cabinet in the arcades. Maybe back in the day it was less famous than Final Fight and TMNT, but still a big hit in the long list o successful games Capcom had published in the 90ies. PS: maybe it's comics weren't and keep not being so known worldwide, but the short lived cartoon and kind of obscure Sega CD/Mega CD game came from there (comic book) instead of Capcom's game - that also was made in colab with Marvel, as the Punisher one, to capitalize and try push a bit more the sales of their printed stories.

[@RonaldBradycptgmpy]

I love videos like this dude! Thank you for taking the time to make this one. I really like the Dungeons & Dragons beat em up games that were in the arcades put out by Capcom, I don't hear Too Many people talking about them although I know people know they exist. And maybe someone in the comments can help me out, but there's this really cool first person 2D fantasy fighting game that kind of reminds me of something like for Honor or Might and Magic Dark Messiah but older. Keep up the good work dude

[@TechDweeb]

Thanks buddy! Are you thinking about Hexen or Heretic?

[@19main89]

Just got my RG35xxSP last Thursday so this video is helpful to know what games I could add in my library. Love the device for gba,snes and ds emulation. It's my first retro handheld so I'll look out for newer videos!

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

Great handheld! You’ll love it.

[@19main89]

@RetroGamerDesigns it has been serving me well. Configuration is still a thing but I already know that once I have everything set up to my liking I will never have to look back at all the settings.

[@OtakuSpielplatz]

In the Hunt is fantastic! I still have it for the SEGA Saturn.

[@condi_tv]

Thanks for making my Monday morning better Tech Dweeb

[@TechDweeb]

My pleasure buddy

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

Not sure if it’s an arcade classic or not but Parodius is a great side schmup. I was always surprised how weird it was.

[@TechDweeb]

Definitely!

[@sarahdaviscc]

Thanks Dweeb. I love these hidden gem videos.

[@AmadorUmpierreDXHG]

Great vid, definitely discovered a couple new ones.

[@bryan.t777]

in FBNeo, Ketsui and DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Black Label, Batsugun and Battle Garegga. Surprisingly the H700 is strong enough to play these at 60ftp. Most of the Cave shmups work great with exception of Akai Katana has a hard time playing.

[@Aaron-ge7ho]

I simply love Battle Garegga! And its Saturn version (the one i used to play when was young) is simply amazing with arranged soundtracks and all the options you can adjust. as difficulty and guest players.

[@c3vlar34]

About a month ago one of your handheld review videos popped up on my KZbin. Then I was hooked. Did some research and I ordered the PowKiddy X55 from litnxt. This is why I wanted it. For games from my childhood and games I never got to experience that are complete bangers. Love these videos

[@TechDweeb]

Nice! Hope you love it!

[@briandemodulated]

I really love the G. I. Joe arcade game. It's a third-person shoot-em-up somewhat reminiscent of Cabal or Nam 1975 except that you're always moving forward. Lots of action, a zillion enemies, excessive kabooms - it's a really good time.

[@zacthegamer6145]

I love arcade games

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

So. Nostalgic!

[@SolosKnifeReviews]

Great video, Tetris Grandmaster 2 will always be my favorite!

[@baltimorebigman5999]

This was awesome thank you👍🏽🔥

[@Newspeak.]

I've been diving into the NEO GEO catalog lately and found this cute em up shmup I'd never heard of called Captain Tomaday. You play as a tomato and instead of bullets you shoot your fists out. You can use both fists at the same time or you can use one while the other charges up a charged shot. I cant remember the name of the format but its like a vertical shmup that still fills the whole screen on the flip so its perfect for it. I also appreciate that its autofire unlike alot of other neo geo shmups.

[@R1SKbreaker]

Looking forward to more arcade hidden gems!

[@JordiLA]

I like when my virtual friend recommend me games to try!! ❤

[@b.s.4478]

Thanks for the nice vid! More HIDDEN GEMS please! xD

[@lostworldvideogames]

Fun fact: My mom met my new dad at the laundromat

[@silverbandit721]

Congrats homie!

[@JahWillBlessKwaz]

Second best place to meet women after the Supermarket

[@remy333]

Which laundromat? I would like to be your next dad. I have 14 retro handhelds. 👋

[@suhtangwong]

Fun fact: how I met your mother

[@Aequalis-r6h]

Pokemon Rowe is good

[@VorkKnightOfGood]

If you're taking viewers suggestions, Sega's Jurassic Park, Lost World and Ocean Hunter aren't available outside the arcades. Capcom's Gun Survivor 2: Code Veronica is technically also available on the PS2, but only in Europe and Japan. I suppose light gun shooters won't be very fun to play on handhelds, but you might want to give them a try the next time you review a mini PC or laptop 😅

[@doncristobal33]

Kinda wanna try them all, interesting list!

[@DarthPhillius]

Some great classics that brought me back. I'd have added Alien Vs Predator and Moonwalker to that list (as soon as you said isometric arcade game Moonwalker came to mind). I remember the good old days of playing arcade games then going home hunting for Amiga conversions of my favourite games as they were usually the closest you could get to perfect.

[@adrian_veidt]

Yay more games Imma add to my collection. Play it one time and then most likely not gonna finish it so it piles up 😜

[@snygg-johan9958]

Awesome!! More retro arcade game tips plz :)

[@angryretrogamer7313]

I play stone ball all the time on my super console x. That game is fun. I can't wait to try wizard fire, hopefully my scx has it. I recommend Pops Pops. It's a music trivia wheel of Fortune like arcade game. I also recommend Night Slashers, it's one of my favorite beat em ups. There's just so many good ones it's hard to pick one to mention. Thanks for sharing your favorites TechDweeb

[@CapnRetro]

At 6:00 you forgot to mention, it's set in a post apocalyptic/waterworld setting. At one point I even saw a stadium. That game looks really good. And the background has moving layers, which makes it even more pretty. Edit: My hidden gem for arcade is Willow. A simple side scroller. I love the movie, the NES game, and this arcade game. I'm a Willow fan.

[@supergluehotty]

I hope you and others see this. My number 1 hidden gems is Guwange. I usually don't like shoot em up scrolling games, but this shootem up scrolling game is so satisfying. What is happening? I don't know. It's Japanese, but artistically, it is gorgeous

[@MashTec]

Uhh, awesome! I like formats like this ;) 👍🏻 please more hidden gems.

[@richxps]

Great video as always. Just started in the hunt and it’s fantastic

[@ToyKeeper]

I played some of the predecessors to Fast Lane, basically other early clones of Sega's original "Head On" from 1979... and man, it's tough! Dodge 'Em for Atari 2600, Car Wars for TI-99/4A, maybe some others... amazingly difficult games. But it inspired a much easier, more popular game too... Pac-Man!

[@islandboy7271]

These are all awesome!

[@blakeandcamp]

Wizard Fire looks incredible but it's so frustrating to play because enemies will just spawn directly on top of you causing you to lose tons of HP.

[@sharommohamad2249]

Arcade is where the home at...gaming heaven

[@kobeeater3636]

My local childhood laundromat had a Neo Geo arcade cabinet that I would stare at because I never had any extra quarters available lol😅

[@RetroGamerDesigns]

I felt your pain before. I’d alway go to each machine in an arcade and press start just in case someone had left an unused coin in there.

[@michaelfrost6503]

Re: Wizard Fire- also check out Arcus Odyssey and Light Bringer

[@CFWhitman]

Usually at least one of the games I am familiar with, but I didn't know any of these.

[@potatuue]

Man cooked another video, thanks G

[@spike17spiegel]

I need to try out more Arcade games.

[@robinhood1543]

Bought my rg35xx last week after i saw your video reviewing it, and OMG i cannot stop playing Pokemon Unbound, Devil's crush, Dragon's revenge, and Flicky. most of my playtime is Pinball games now! i cant stop!!!! i wont stop! can we have more pinball games please?

[@Aaron-ge7ho]

Sonic Spinball; Pokemon Pinball; Metroid Prime Pinball and Space Cadet are musts for the lovers of this genre!

[@EightPieceBox]

My favorite obscure arcade game is I'm Sorry. It's weird, a little perverse, but actually a good twist on Pac-Man from Sega.

[@redinthesky1]

Tyrian is awesome.

[@khfan9504]

can't wait for the next video

[@ogrejd]

"Fast Lane" is basically a souped-up version of the classic Atari 2600 "Slot Racers". :0

[@Punko1969]

It's actually more like Dodge 'Em for the 2600 imo. The first level is pretty much the same layout. Dodge 'Em unfortunately only had one layout though. I loved the game back in the 70s, but never knew Fast Lane existed until today. I will definitely be checking it out.

[@KatDoomsong]

@@Punko1969 Came here to say basically the same thing. Dodge 'Em is the first Atari cartridge I bought with my own money as a kid. Yes, I'm old. Also, In the Hunt reminds me of the fancy (but awesome looking) descendant of Seaquest on the 2600.

[@Punko1969]

@@KatDoomsong We may have lived the same childhood lol. Although I'm not sure whether I saved up allowances to buy Dodge 'Em, or if I talked my parents into buying it. My allowances did end up primarily being saved to buy new games or to be turned into quarters at an arcade.

[@sd3693]

Ooo! Wizard Fire is a built-in on my Legends Ultimate! Thanks for the pointer!

[@simonday9013]

Dive alert on the neo geo pocket colour. Great little hidden gem.

[@jkjkl567]

I'm telling Mom, you're up wayyyy too late 😂

[@wowmartiean]

Up late? It's 8am for some us

[@Mou91BLN]

The for the awesome video! ❤👌🏻 I will test some of them. 😁

[@Booneface]

Definitely going to check these out..... let's hope my rom set has em!!

[@mrsockesocke]

Balcube is a nice hidden gem game