Part One: Pinball machines
1. Bally: Elvira Scared Stiff
This one is obvious. It is my all-time favourite pinball table, and I already own one. It features funny dialogue, a feature selection wheel on the backboard, and has a nice set of game features to follow as you aim to get "SCARED STIFF!". Mine's modified so that the skulls at the back light up as you collect the Deadhead family. What a beautiful machine.
2. Stern: Shrek
See: http://www.sternpinball.com/games/shrek/shrek
This machine is so funny and also has good, interesting gameplay. It features voice work from the film series actors, and also contains a mini playfield featuring Donkey, which you sometimes play while the main table is running multiball, which is an intense, crazy experience. I love it when you get an extra ball, and hear Shrek complaining "oh I suppose this means you'll be staying longer!"
3. Stern: Pirates of the Caribbean
See: http://www.sternpinball.com/games/225/d
I've had a lot of fun with this table. There are a lot of features to explore and follow, and I especially like the pirate ship at the top which appears complete when you start, then as you launch balls at it, bits are removed, making it look more and more ragged before it "sinks".
4. Midway: WHO dunnit
See: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=3685
A pinball game with a murder mystery to solve! Every time you play, the clues are randomised, and you need to shoot various ramps and targets to help gather evidence, figure out (or guess) the murderer, then chase and catch them for many, many points. There are also slot machine reels embedded in the table, and a phone which rings. It's an unusual table!
Part Two: Arcade Games
The local multiplayer is important, but not always essential. Co-op > competitive.
1. Bubble Bobble
2. Bubble Symphony
3. Bubble Memories
4. Rainbow Islands
Rainbow Islands is perhaps a little too tough, especially if you try to collect all gems in left-to-right order on every world, but it still needs to feature alongside Bub, Bob, and the others.
There were a few versions of New Zealand Story, I am thinking of this one. Don't forget the little secrets where if you press fire enough in certain places, a portal opens and you get dragged into a portal to another dimension!
6. Rod-Land
Another single-screen two-player 2D platform action game, to go with my Bubble Bobbles. I had some good, fun times playing the C64 version of this with my brother. Here's a gameplay video.
7. Power-Drift
Crazy roller-coaster-esque racing game from Sega, with some great music. Here's a gameplay video. It recently came out on 3DS as part of the Sega Arcade Classics compilation they released in North America, and the 3D feature works really well, but it's much better in a real cabinet with steering wheel and pedal controls.
8. Hang-on
I just want this machine for the attract mode music. I don't want to play the game. I just want to walk into an arcade and hear this music, because to me, that's what arcades sound like. Just this little, repetitive piece of music.
There actually was an arcade in Shenmue containing this machine. It really makes it feel like an arcade. I don't actually think much of the game itself, though.
9. Mr Do
10. Mr Do's Castle
Mr Do is one of my all time favourite games. You move to dig, you evade monsters that you can drop apples onto the heads of, or throw a ball at them to beat them.... it's much better than Pac-Man or Dig-Dug. I can play the game until it wraps round to the first level. I can get "EXTRA" and hear it play the Astroboy theme. Ah, I really like this game.
Mr Do's Castle was the sequel, and features lots of platforms and ladders and digging holes in platforms for monsters to drop into. It's not as good, but I want it alongside Mr Do.
11. Bomb Jack
Collect the bombs in lit order for massive points. :) It plays chiptune Mrs Pepperpot song on level 1, then chiptune Beatles' "Lady Madonna" on level 2. Here's a gameplay video (wow, these World Record attempt people play in such a weird and skillful way!!)
12. Pac Land
This is a 2D platform game based on Pac-Man which I actually liked a lot more than Pac-Man (then again, I was introduced to Pac-Man through the Atari 2600 version). Here's a gameplay video.
It's a lot of fun (up to a certain point), and there are little secrets like - if you run back into the last fire hydrant on the first level, you get a little helmet that means if you get hit by little ghosts falling from bomber aeroplanes, you get points instead of getting killed.
The point where it stops being fun is when it introduces swimming pools into the levels which you jump over by use of a springboard - you need to run at it, jump, then wiggle the joystick back and forth to stop yourself from falling too fast. If you run too slow, you won't make it. If you wiggle too slow, you won't make it. If you slip while wiggling, you won't make it. And it's exhausting and joystick breaking! There is a point where there are a load of these swimming pools in succession, and they just aren't fun!
13. Ninja Warriors
This extra wide screened game from Taito isn't that good to play, but I like level 1 music "Daddy Mulk" by Zuntata so much, especially the way it builds up and builds up to a crazy rocking shamisen solo. Wow, such a great piece of music! Here's a gameplay video.
Apparently the very talented and skilled fellow playing the shamisen is Katsunari Sawada, so I just decided to go and check out more of his music via Spotify. :D
14. Puzzle Bobble 4
The best Puzzle Bobble. It's just as good in the Dreamcast port, but such a lovely game. It features a nonsensical story mode and cameos from other Taito characters! Here's a gameplay video.
15. Bad Dudes vs Dragonninja
President Ronnie has been kidnapped by the ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?
Pfweh! Pfweh! Yee-ah! Huh! Gaaddit. Pfweh! Pfweh! Huuuh! Huuuh! Augh!
I dunno, this isn't the best or most classic side-scrolling beat-em-up, but I don't feel like the arcade would be complete without it. I can usually get to the 2nd stage, maybe even the boss, on the first credit.
16. Gauntlet
Another one where I mostly played home computer / console versions of the game, because in the arcades, this game is too much of a harsh, blatant money eater. Completely best played with friends.... who you will get mad at, when they shoot the food. Again, no arcade is complete without it. Here's a gameplay video.
17. A.P.B.
This is a funny top-down driving game where you're a policeman who needs to catch a quota of criminals, not blow up or run into other cars without your siren on, and shake confessions out of serious criminals. Here's a gameplay video.
There have been a lot of home versions of this game, but the thing is, you really need a steering wheel with full free rotation (i.e. not limited to a certain amount left/right like a normal driving wheel), two pedals and two buttons - for siren, and gun. With such a weird control setup, there's never really been a home console version I've been completely happy with.
18. Mazan: Flash of the Blade
This was a motion-detecting game where you had to pick up a rubber sword and slice and defend yourself from on-screen enemies, all feudal Japan style. Here's a gameplay video.
Ah, this game got physically tiring after a while, but it was so much fun, and was actually quite accurate at detecting your movement, providing you were standing in the right place.
19. Ninja Assault
A light-gun game where you (and a friend) play two ninjas with guns who shoot everything. The voice acting is legendary. English dialogue read by a Japanese cast. Here's a gameplay video.
20. Hyper Bishi Bashi Champ
This is the best mini-game compilation game, so funny. There are just 3 buttons per player, which you use to play all of the games. Especially good when playing with friends, and you're wondering what crazy game they'll throw at you next. My favourite game - "Happy Wedding Athlete", and I'm not going to spoil it by describing what happens. Here's a gameplay video.
21. Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune
Which version? I dunno - I guess 5 is the new one? Let's just have a full wall of Wangan Midnight machines linked together. Arcade driving, very drifty, persistent game / character / story mode progress stored on little cards you get from the machine. Actual cards made out of card, special blue ink marking your progress, magically updated every time you play.
22. Fighting Mania
The Hokuto no Ken game, with 6 punch pads you need to hit in time, and making you perform your 100 crack fist "a-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta! Wa-taa!" at end of level bosses.
Unfortunately, in a lot of arcades, there were folks who mistook this for a "hit the thing as hard as you can" machine, so I saw a lot of broken machines. :( :( :(
Ooh, ooh, I might want a Fighting Mania 2 machine as well. I've never seen one in real life!
23. Arm Champs II
24. Sonic Blast Man
A balanced arcade does contains some other machines that let strong people demonstrate how strong they are. Here are two fun ones.
Arm Champs II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrakGmbZj0k
Sonic Blast Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TBJBCmDQ7M
25. Wani Wani Panic / Gator Panic / Wacky Gator
All arcades need a "whack-a-mole" type game, but I think the Namco alligator-hitting game is the best. Here's a gameplay video.
26. Police 24/7
This is an arcade machine that takes up a lot of room. It's a lightgun game with motion tracking, and you physically move to duck behind objects, in shootouts against criminals. It's a good game, plus you really give your thigh muscles a workout, hahaha! I really wished there would be a decent home version of this, using Microsoft Kinect, but they never made one. Here's a gameplay video.
27. Taiko No Tatsujin
I don't really know which one specifically, I've only ever seen one genuine Taiko no Tatsujin machine in real life and don't remember which one it was, mostly played home console versions. I guess I'd need to look through song lists to choose. Anyway. I'm going to make my arcade a bit noisy with a Taiko no Tatsujin machine somewhere. Here's a gameplay video.
28. Hologram Time Traveler
This game is not good. It's like Dragon's Lair without the beautiful animation - all 1990s FMV and bad acting. But... it works with holograms! You just spend ages walking around the machine, looking at it from all angles, going "oooooooh how does this work??", rather than actually playing it.
A few of these Side Scrolling Beat-em-ups (maybe 3 or 4):
29. Punisher
30. X-Men
31. Captain America And The Avengers
32. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
33. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Turtles In Time
34. Captain Commando
35. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
36. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom / Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara
37. Knights Of The Round
38. Vendetta
39. The Simpsons
40. Final Fight (any of them will do)
Some fighting games (a few will do):
41. Super Street Fighter II Turbo / one of the Street Fighter Alpha games
42. Marvel Super Heroes
43. Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
44. Marvel vs Capcom
45. X-Men vs Street Fighter
46. King Of Fighters '98 (or another mid-90s to early 2000s KOF)
47. Soul Calibur (or maybe Soul Edge)
48. Guilty Gear X (or maybe Guilty Gear XX)
49. Tekken 3/4/5 (I am not sure which)
50. Some more SNK; Last Blade / Mark of Garou / Fatal Fury / Samurai Showdown
51. Tech Romancer
Part Three: Other things
1. Air Hockey table
2. Penny pusher machines. Buckets and buckets of 2p coins, cool collectible trinkets sitting on top.
3. Mini basketball ticket redemption machine
4. Love tester machine, because hahaha.
5. Crane game containing sweets that have probably been in there way too long to be safe. XD
6. Crane game that plays Oxygene pt 4, containing a bunch of cuddly toys.
7. Change machines!
