re: Arcade Memories...What games do you remember playing the 70’s and 80's?

In the 7th grade (circa 1985) my best friends parents went to the mall almost every weekend. I’d tag along and my buddy and I would go the arcade - Timeout - and spend hours. Things I remember:

The sound was like heaven
The dude with the change belt was God racking out those quarters
If they had a dollar changer, you had to use it just right and your dollar had to be perfect or it wouldn’t work
There was an order to things…turns went in line of the quarters being placed on the machine
Dragon’s Lair made the biggest splash
I played them all..but some like Defender were hard AF
Gauntlet was awesome…one of the first multiplayer and “Continue?” games I remember that would suck you dry
We had the full sit down Spy Hunter game…I loved that damn thing.
Zaxxon was one of the first 3D games I remember…loved it
I can still beat the HS for Donkey Kong and Galaga when I run a cross them.
Joust and Qbert were awesome

Fun times.

ETA: reading this thread reminded me of some skateboarding game where you rolled around and did tricks but then had to go and compete in one of 4 events…halfpipe, downhill, etc. The screen was huge and when your time ran out it would say “Skate or Die!” and you could hear it throughout the arcade.

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Sinistar

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"I live" still gives me goosebumps

Foosball and galaxia!

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ETA: reading this thread reminded me of some skateboarding game where you rolled around and did tricks but then had to go and compete in one of 4 events…halfpipe, downhill, etc. The screen was huge and when your time ran out it would say “Skate or Die!” and you could hear it throughout the arcade.

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The game was called 720°..loved that game!


There was also a game called Skate or Die for Commodore64 and Nintendo. I wore that game out as a kid. Good Times!

I had the record on crazy climber.

The main object and skill, be able to slap the left/right flippers hard enough, and quick enought to not "tilt" the pinball machine but save the ball from going right down the middle. That's a "Pinball wizzard" in the making. And the sound of the "POP" when you got another free game made everyone look at you and come see if you had any game.

I grew up in Gulf Shores (well, spent half the year there every year from 5-18.) Where the Hangout is now, there was I think a Tacky Jack's on stilts. Not sure if that was always the restaurants, but below the restaurant, on the ground, was an arcade with the best air conditioning in the world. Could be a 110F outside and inside it was 50F.

I had a little job for Coastal Video where I would ride my bike up and down Beach Rd and hang flyers at all the condos on Thursday and Friday afternoons for like $50 and whatever 3 movies I wanted for the weekend.

I'd dump that $50 into Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat and Virtua Fighter. I was badass with Lau in Virtua Fighter.

Those were great times. 12 or 13 years old hanging at the arcade and walking the Boardwalk when it got dark or heading to that little carnival/go cart track across the street.

Halcyon days.

I've tried to find pictures of that arcade from the mid 90s, and I haven't been able to.

Anyone else remember it?

Oh cool Arcade trivia: The reason 3 lives became the standard when home consoles (like the NES) became common was because companies like Namco and Nintendo made most of their money off cabinet sales, and the arcade owners thought no one would come to the arcade if you could play the game at home with infinite quarters. So the 3 life was a compromise.

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I've tried to find pictures of that arcade from the mid 90s, and I haven't been able to. Anyone else remember it?

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I mentioned earlier in the thread, there used to be an arcade called Games By The Sea. This would have been in the early -late eighties. It didn’t have a restaurant over it at the time, but Hurricanes change the landscape every decade, so maybe we are talking about the same place. I was spending most of my time at the Flora Bama after 1992- so I didn’t see Gulf Shores for about 10 years. I do remember the go cart, carnival place across the street as well. It opened up in about 83-84 maybe? I spent about of time in that 2 -3 block area every summer from 82-89.