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Author Topic: Try to remember...  (Read 3311 times)

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gildahl

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Try to remember...
« on: March 11, 2019, 09:20:23 am »
I think it's generally recognized that Space Invaders in 1978 launched the golden age.  For those of us old enough to already be regulars at the arcade before the golden age, what were the games that drew you in--and in particular,  what was the the very first arcade game you recall playing (from before the "GA")?  For me, I think Sea Wolf may have been the first, with Night Driver, Wild Gunman, and Fire Truck (played co-op with my brother) the ones best remembered. 
« Last Edit: March 11, 2019, 02:05:32 pm by gildahl »

yotsuya

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2019, 09:29:12 am »
Night Driver, Space Invaders, Atari Football, and Sky Raider under the rodeo grandstand at the Arizona State Fair is my earlier memory of seeing games in the wild. I was hooked.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

JDFan

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2019, 10:06:43 am »
Pong
Gun Fight
Stunt Cycle
Sprint
Sea Wolf

nexusmtz

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2019, 10:22:18 am »
My early memories weren't of Arcades, but of machines in the lobby of various stores. Haunted House, Pong, Fire Truck, Sea Wolf and Boot Hill stand out.

javeryh

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2019, 01:34:55 pm »
Pac-Man is the first game I ever remember dropping a quarter into.

Mike A

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2019, 01:38:00 pm »
Depthcharge for me.

lilshawn

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2019, 01:58:45 pm »
My early memories weren't of Arcades, but of machines in the lobby of various stores. Haunted House, Pong, Fire Truck, Sea Wolf and Boot Hill stand out.

I was pretty limited for as far as I could go and our city was pretty small at the time. The local mom and pop corner store down at the end of the block was owned by a couple of chinese folks whose son I went to school, and was friends with. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time. They had a moon patrol machine in the dark back corner. I must have put piles of my own money in there as well as some of theirs. they'd give me some quarters marked with X's that I could use to play.

get 'em hooked with some free ones, then they will put their whole allowance in there. gawdammit it worked!

I didn't see a real arcade until I went with mom to vancouver to visit my grandmother who lived in burnaby. The large mall we went to had a huge, multifloor arcade called "Circuit Circus" when I'd realized there were more games like the moon patrol back home.

pbj

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2019, 02:17:41 pm »
I'm not old enough for your criteria but I need to get my post count up.

Earliest ones I remember are Demolition Derby and the Star Trek cockpit.  I had it in my head that you lasted longer if you drove in reverse in Demolition Derby.  Many years after I played that Star Trek at the Santa Monica Pier the same exact unit showed up on Ebay and went for ~$2,500. 

slickam

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2019, 03:47:54 pm »
I'm not old enough either, but the first for me was the Lunar Lander on free play in what's now called the Telus World of Science Edmonton. I haven't been there in years, so I don't know if they still have it, but in the late 80s and early 90s we used to go there every month or two, and I'd try to get in at least a couple games each time.

Gilrock

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2019, 04:24:14 pm »
I remember having the Pong home system with the paddle controllers.  Not sure there were any video games before that.  Later I remember an Asteroids at the local 7-11 which later was changed out for Asteroids Deluxe.  The Zero's Pizza had a Wizard of Wor.  And a local arcade called FunSpot which had many different 80's games.

Le Chuck

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2019, 07:54:45 pm »
Babe’s Burgers in SW Missouri, near Joplin, had a Galaga. I was smitten. Stogies, up the road a piece, had a Flash Gordon pin that is still on my grail list

Titchgamer

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2019, 09:01:48 pm »
The First I ever played was a space invaders cocktail cab in my local pub.
But the first game I remember playing in a actual arcade I think was Daytona USA.

J_K_M_A_N

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #12 on: March 11, 2019, 09:14:56 pm »
I believe one of my first was the original Breakout. Also, Atari Football and Sprint. Those are the oldest that I remember playing.

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Mr. Peabody

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #13 on: March 11, 2019, 09:33:41 pm »
I think it's generally recognized that Space Invaders in 1978 launched the golden age.  For those of us old enough to already be regulars at the arcade before the golden age, what were the games that drew you in--and in particular,  what was the the very first arcade game you recall playing (from before the "GA")?  For me, I think Sea Wolf may have been the first, with Night Driver, Wild Gunman, and Fire Truck (played co-op with my brother) the ones best remembered. 

I saw all those but didn't much care for them. Pac-Man was the first to get my attention. I was no good at it, and didn't care for that. Money wasn't being dumped in my pocket, and outside was free - and freeing.


I had it in my head that you lasted longer if you drove in reverse in Demolition Derby.

Hah, yeah. We thought that because of some demolition derby movie scene on TV.

Howard_Casto

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Re: Try to remember...
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2019, 09:46:47 pm »
Yeah it was Ms. Pac-man for me.  We used to have this little general store near the house (think Ike Godsey from the Waltons) that had a Ms. Pac-man in it.  I had to stand on a milk crate to play.... must have been 3 or 4.