-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
What arcade games were the most egregious quarter-munchers?
- Thread starter Satyamdas
- Start date
Seraphis Cain
bad gameplay lol
Here's a full playthrough on YouTube, check it out. Music's pretty good. Plus you can hear the weird, out of place German dialogue for the enemies. :lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcfu40mXTYk&feature=related
Not really. Metal Slug games aren't a cakewalk by any means, but it doesn't take long to have the game down pat and one credit clear it.
zerokoolpsx
Member
Sunk so many quarters into this one.
ThatCrazyGuy
Member
We were kinda cool with our arcade operator back in the day. He told us MK2 and NBA jam/blitz made him so much money. Also Revolution X for some reason, and the D&D games. And pool tables, haha.
Besides fighting games, I threw tons of money into Rush 2049, Scud Race, and Crazy Taxi.
Besides fighting games, I threw tons of money into Rush 2049, Scud Race, and Crazy Taxi.
Family Fry
Member
For me as a kid growing up there were LOADS, always munching my 10p's but THIS ONE I swear always stuck in my head as being the hardest of them all.
The wee man with a disc as I used to call him, otherwise known as Rygar!
God damn that game, I mean LOOK at the picture that's pure death right there!
The wee man with a disc as I used to call him, otherwise known as Rygar!
God damn that game, I mean LOOK at the picture that's pure death right there!
Jake Tower
Banned
Yes! One of my greatest gaming triumphs happened playing WrestleFest.
Man I LOOOOOOVED me some Rygar too! I loved the sound effect whenever you bopped an enemy with your yo-yo weapon dealie.
I remember being so hype for Rygar on the NES and then the crushing disappointment when it turned out not to be an arcade conversion. Was still kinda fun, I guess, but nowhere near that classic coin-op!
Dakota47
Member
This. You had to learn the game by trial and (mainly) error and it cost double of what you would usually pay (at least in the arcades where I used to go as a kid).
Megadragon15
Member
Double Dragon.
Surprised at the Metal Slug mentions. I can clear that game without continuing, and I didn't exactly make it my religion. Double Dragon is easy, too, due to the busted elbow, but even ignoring that move the game seems doable.
NARC is legitimately bad, though. A nonstop stream of enemies with no care whatsoever in their placement. Far cry from all the 2D action games built around being cleared without continues.
NARC is legitimately bad, though. A nonstop stream of enemies with no care whatsoever in their placement. Far cry from all the 2D action games built around being cleared without continues.
Herbspiceguy
Member
House of the Dead
To Far Away Times
Member
Yeah, just gotta learn the levels a little bit. If you know what's coming the game isn't that hard. I haven't beaten it, but if I was really into the games I'm sure I could do it.
Metal Slug 3, however, that game is impossible. =P
MrCunningham
Member
These two were purely designed for eating quarters:
but, for me, this one here did more than eat quarters:
It ate dollar coins:
I remember one of the local arcades near me charging a dollar per play for Daytona USA way back when it was new. I probably spent hundreds of dollars on this thing in the arcade. Funny how times have changed... these days I won't even look at most games to purchase unless they are on some sort of 30-60% off sale...
but, for me, this one here did more than eat quarters:
It ate dollar coins:
I remember one of the local arcades near me charging a dollar per play for Daytona USA way back when it was new. I probably spent hundreds of dollars on this thing in the arcade. Funny how times have changed... these days I won't even look at most games to purchase unless they are on some sort of 30-60% off sale...
To Far Away Times
Member
^^^
Robotron is a totally fair challenge. It's really addictive though, so it's not hard to spend a ton of money on it.
Daytona's a good one too.
Robotron is a totally fair challenge. It's really addictive though, so it's not hard to spend a ton of money on it.
Daytona's a good one too.
The worst offender was X-Men US. The Japanese version had power-ups in the level so that you could restore health and mutant powers, but those were taken out of the US version to satisfy operators.
You could use Mutant Powers by either using a stored power up or spending health. In the Japanese version, Mutant Powers would use up your Item first THEN your health. In the US version, it always used up your health first.
You could use Mutant Powers by either using a stored power up or spending health. In the Japanese version, Mutant Powers would use up your Item first THEN your health. In the US version, it always used up your health first.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
This game made a billion dollars! That's four billion quarters!
This horseshit. Never played them out of principle but once as a kid each.
That ain't the game being unfair so its a good quarter-muncher, now quarter up!
ClivePwned
Member
every arcade game I played between about 1979 and 1985. I really sucked at them.
yeah, metal slug 1/2/x are very fair, in 3 the boss in level 4 and the final level 5 boss are both poorly designed, their both bullet sponges and the hit box on boss 4 is too small
same with contra, mortal kombat 2 on the other hand...
That is fucking disgusting.
Haunted
Member
Now that's just dirty.
I don't know why, but 3d fighting games introduced high damage as a standard and ring outs. I remember kicking people off the machine in 2 rounds, with 3-4 seconds for each round. It sometimes took people longer to choose their character.
A busy VF/Soul machine must have been a goldmine to arcade operators.
A busy VF/Soul machine must have been a goldmine to arcade operators.
Seven Force
Banned
X-Men COTA is standard Capcom CPS2 fighter fare up until Magneto, who I'm pretty sure was designed solely to take players' money.
The later stages in Turtles in Time come to mind, too. The Arcade version of Neon Night Riders is fantastic, but god damn, that shit is cheap.
The later stages in Turtles in Time come to mind, too. The Arcade version of Neon Night Riders is fantastic, but god damn, that shit is cheap.
the androgyne
Member
but, for me, this one here did more than eat quarters:
I remember one of the local arcades near me charging a dollar per play for Daytona USA way back when it was new. I probably spent hundreds of dollars on this thing in the arcade. Funny how times have changed... these days I won't even look at most games to purchase unless they are on some sort of 30-60% off sale...
Back when it was new? A new arcade opened just near me recently (yay!) and it has Daytona USA for $3AU a pop (nay!). Thankfully with the XBL release i have more than got my money's worth for that game, even including the monies i spent on it as a child
ihearthawthats
Banned
wrestlefest tied coins to to your lifebar rather than the normal lives like a normal fighter or brawler.
deejay8595
my posts are "MEH"
Super High Impact!
Beating Gauntlet and Gauntlet II on one credit was already highly improbable, considering they didn't have endings.
Crime Fighters could be configured in service mode to have a regular lifebar. Not that it would've helped much.
Parallax
best seen in the classic "Shadow of the Beast"
Super High Impact!
Fuck this game. And smash tv. And most of all, that damn gauntlet..
Ikari Warriors deserves a mention, too.
Yeah, and Victory Road too.
I'll throw a vote in for Pigskin too
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Oh yeah I gotta agree with Terminator. That thing is cheap in making you lose credits.
Rambo wasn't even that insidious.
Rambo wasn't even that insidious.
Why Zangief is playing hockey? Lol!
Of All Trades
Member
On the Terminator front the T2: The Arcade Game gun game was just ferocious bullshit throughout, but particularly at the 2/3 point when you have to defend a vehicle from a randomly appearing helicopter that would 1-hit the vehicle, ending the game.
It also had a "bad" ending if you didn't literally destroy everything in Globotech or whatever the office building was.
It also had a "bad" ending if you didn't literally destroy everything in Globotech or whatever the office building was.
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
I nostalgia'd right when I opened this thread.
Fuckin' NARC. Luckily I had the NES version.
For me though, SF2 variations takes the cake. Took so many quarters that I ended up getting the whole machine some years ago.
Fuckin' NARC. Luckily I had the NES version.
For me though, SF2 variations takes the cake. Took so many quarters that I ended up getting the whole machine some years ago.
PansenHansen
Banned
The only one.
Noisepurge
Member
But not unfair or cheap. A one-credit-run is entirely possible and completing it with a moderate amount of deaths is normal
(or atleast making it to the final boss)Shellshock929
Member
IrishNinja
Member
You should really try to find a way to play Rastan 3. Really good game. It actually used dual monitors in the arcade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_Blade:_Rastan_Saga_Episode_III
holy crap, there was a Rastan 3
i gave up after Saga!
Frankenstrat
Member
Noisepurge
Member
now you're just posting what ever arcade games you remember
Final Fight is definitely not a cheap game, just beat it in Korea in an arcade with like 5$There was also a female character named Sophia.
Seriously, it's a damn good game. It even had branching paths and, if I'm remembering right, multiple endings.
EDIT: Also for some reason, all the enemies speak German. Weird.
Never even heard of this. Was this game inspired by golden axe 3 because it looks like it.
Well at least you could use your special attack anytime you wanted to even if your health was at 1.
KennyLinder
Member
Daytona USA
SEGA Rally
SCUD Race
Virtua Racing
House of the Dead
Crazy Taxi
Street Fighter II
Afterburner
R-Type
SEGA Rally
SCUD Race
Virtua Racing
House of the Dead
Crazy Taxi
Street Fighter II
Afterburner
R-Type
Warm Machine
Member
It is a complete memorization game. Nothing more. It took a good deal of cash to remember it all but once you did you could beat the game with a single quarter.
The worst was the Konami beat em ups. The hit detection was intentionally crappy and the enemies were too fast in comparison to your own attack speed. None of their games in this vein were any good at all. People flocked to them because of the multiplayer.
In contrast, the Capcom beat em ups were fair and pattern driven and had very clear enemy behaviors.
Gauntlet also sucked quarters but since it was map based and could be overcome with actual strategy I would argue that it gave the player a lot of chances to get better.
Working on Arcadecraft and doing our research you really do see how the arcade industry shifted, changed, and homogenized.
1 quarter per play to 1 quarter to start and then 1 to continue. Then two player simultaneous so they could make twice the money in the same time. Followed by 4 player machines and then 50 cent/ 1 dollar cabinets. Past 1987 finding a game that was single player only is actually pretty hard and became more the domain of the home console than arcade.
Many operators set those games to 3 rounds out of 5 instead of the usual 2 out of 3 to prevent this. I don't know why early 3D fighters had such insane damage, maybe they thought that without traditional combos the damage for each move needed to be higher but people found combos anyway!
SpinningBirdKick
Banned
Double Dragon was easy when you knew how.
It can be completed from start to finish on one credit easily.
Bad Dudes Vs Dragon Ninja on the other hand was a real beast and took plenty of my cash, particularly the bosses.
MrCunningham
Member
Back when it was new? A new arcade opened just near me recently (yay!) and it has Daytona USA for $3AU a pop (nay!). Thankfully with the XBL release i have more than got my money's worth for that game, even including the monies i spent on it as a child
Well, back in 1994 it was quite rare to see a game that cost a dollar per play, but I am not surprised by the three dollar price, given how expensive everything in in Australia. I guess Daytona USA wasn't really an unfair game in that it tried to do what it could to sap your money, but in 1994 there was absolutely nothing like it on home consoles, home PC's or otherwise so the game was an immediate draw to play.... especially with the 2-4 player cabs.
True, but I still remember this game being viciously hard in after the first few waves, much harder than Smash TV.... Though I did love Smash TV.