Have you ever seen these unique classic arcade cabinets?

in #gaming7 years ago (edited)

10351326_796483490390540_7614501889071586594_n-e1421228132259.jpg
As a child of the 80's I grew up in arcades. The sounds and flashing lights bring back a strong sense of nostalgia. Most games had a pretty standard control style (joystick and 2-3 buttons) and shape. However, some games did some original and creative things with their cabinets and controls. Here's some of my favorite standouts.

Paperboy

df92ba192c66d9b723cf28ac438d781d--retro-gamer-arcade-machine.jpg
Paperboy is an arcade classic, partially thanks to its unique controller. Its bicycle handlebars! There's no port or console experience that can match actually playing Paperboy the way it was intended in the arcades.

Star Trek

003dfbb9bc9f678076b5478827d40aa1.jpg
This cabinet mimics sitting in the captain's chair of the Enterprise, with your controls set on the arms of the chair to your right and left. Definitely a unique and special cabinet.

Afterburner

28def707662c432d19c590a40ce4e9ea.png
This is the deluxe version of the Afterburner arcade cabinet, where the entire cockpit rocks you forward and backward in sync with your controls. Its like a video game and amusement park ride combined into one!

Burgertime

086ff09314cea0e2192c639454044fe0.jpg
Another classic title, this is a fairly unassuming entry. I've just always loved the way the top of the cabinet follows the shape of Peter Pepper's hat. Simple, but memorable.

Cocktail cabinets

arcade-cocktail-cabinet-plans-woodworking-design-online-cocktail-arcade-cabinet.jpg
A mainstay of the early arcade days, cocktail cabinets were often found in bars and restaurants so you could sit down and enjoy your drinks or food while gaming. I miss the days of sitting at one of these with a Coke and greasy cheeseburger.

Time Traveller

da37fd77afbb41e0a9503e65443ea069.jpg
This was a crazy and ambitious game when it was released in 1991. It featured a futuristic and minimalist white body, a smaller shape and the whole game was played through 'holograms.' In reality, it was a laserdisc game much like Dragon's Lair, and the holograms were achieved by using mirrors and optical tricks to make it look like the figures were real holograms. The effect was surprisingly effective, but the game was definitely a gimmick.

Punch-Out!

punch_out.jpg
Years before this became a NES classic, it was an arcade machine. The game was a bit different, with your boxer being represented with a green grid so you can see through to your opponent. This is why there is a green grid skin for Little Mac in Smash Bros for Wii U. This unique cabinet features two screens stacked on top of each other, the top one serving as a marquee displaying information about the fight so onlookers can get a sense of what's going on.

S.T.U.N. Runner

StunRunner01.jpg
The sit-down version of S.T.U.N. Runner features a memorable and futuristic cabinet that mimics the style and shape of the futuristic vehicles in the game.

Top Skater

Top-Skater.jpg
I've never had a chance to play Top Skater, mostly because I thought I'd break my leg on the crazy thing. It used a big screen TV as the monitor and the controller was a skateboard mechanism you stood on. Unique and very memorable.

Gauntlet

160a5a13b9b523aa8655cf0ff4eb0dc0.jpg
This was amazing in its day. Not only does the machine feature beautiful artwork, but it allowed 4 people to play cooperatively on the same machine. I believe this was the first of its kind.

X-Men 6-Player Cabinet

x-men-6p-500x667.jpg
Taking this concept to the extreme, the deluxe version of X-Men allowed 6 players at the same time. The game spanned across 2 monitors to make room for everyone. The machine is absolutely massive.

Boonga Boonga

Boonga-Boonga_ARCADE.jpg
And I have to mention this. Its Japanese and apparently you poke the character on screen in the butt with a giant finger controller. I don't know what else to say about this.

Decorative-Line-Black-PNG-Image.png

What are some of your favorite arcade cabinets, or games with unique control schemes? Let's discuss!

As always, resteems, upvotes and comments are appreciated.

Sort:  

This post received a 2.1% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @retro-room! For more information, click here!

This post has received a 10.20 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @retro-room.

I do remember a lot of these! My town had a SEGA world at the time, and on tuesdays nights they did £5 entry for unlimited freeplay!! a few ones that stand out were 8 player Daytona, virtua fighter, jurassic park the lost world shooter, SEGA rally.

They did have Top skater too - it was pretty cool!

Only huge arcades could host the 8 player Daytona. I've come across it before, and it pretty much takes up a whole wall, but its amazing to see it fully loaded up with players.

it was pretty amazing, nothing else quite like it at the time, i found this picture and even though its just carpet it gave me massive nostalga

segaworldsouthamptoncarpet.jpg

That's awesome! Game collectors would KILL to get their hands on carpet like that for their game rooms!

Man I'm so angry that these never made it big here in czech republic, I would have spent my years allowence in a day on these when I was a child :D

Great post! Would you mind if I included it in today's "best of gaming"?

Yeah, I would often splurge on the big impressive games as a kid and once my stack of quarters started to dwindle, I'd play stuff like Ms Pac Man so I could stretch out my arcade time.

If you're ever in the US, there are still some arcades around that offer pretty much the same experience today that you'd have in 1986. A pilgrimage to Funspot in New Hampshire is on my bucket list. It looks amazing.

Yes, please feel free to feature this post. Its always appreciated!

I played paper boy on the amiga but wish I had of known about that epic controller on the arcade version. After burner was amazing.

Oh my GOD i love playing arcade game ❣️❣️

The star trek
Street fighter
Gran turismo
Punch out
Final fight
And turtles in Time