If you wanted to see the very best video games had to offer back in the ’80s and ’90s, you would head to the arcade. Home consoles were not quite capable of delivering the best in graphics in their early years, instead, graphical showcases were found in stand-alone arcade cabinets with their hardware dedicated to a single game.
Due to consoles not having the power to handle arcade-like graphics and sound, many games were not brought home. Sadly, as a result, many great games were left in the arcades, never to see love unless you find the arcade machine itself. To look back at some of the greatest arcade games that never seen home ports, here are the 10 best to look out for the next time you’re at Chuck-E-Cheese.
10 Blood Bros. (1990)
Blood Bros. is part of a rare genre that doesn’t get a lot of love: the gallery shooter. Gallery shooters are similar to run and guns but you are stuck on a single plane of the screen in the foreground and must take out enemies in the background.
Some of the most notable games to come out of the genre are Sin and Punishment, Wild Guns, and NAM-1975. In Blood Bros. every building in the environment is destructible and will come down if shot enough. You can pick up powerups for different weapons and do a dodge roll to evade enemy fire.
9 The Cliffhanger Edward Randy (1990)
The Cliffhanger Edward Randy is a super-fast action platformer where you take control of Edward Randy, an Indiana Jones-type action hero who also has a whip. The whip can be used to take out enemies with but can also be used to swing on platforms with.
Majority of the game takes place on vehicles that are moving. You must stay on these vehicles or you will take damage, your whip can be used to swing from vehicle to vehicle, giving the entire game a chaotic feel as if you are in an action scene in a movie.
8 Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (1993)
Starting off as a kid’s cartoon show, Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa was later turned into a video game. The game is a run and gun that lets you control one of four cows, all with different weapons and abilities. Your character can shoot, pick up different weapons, and ram into enemies with your horns.
There are countless bulls or cows that are thrown at you, all with plenty of color and personality with the bosses in the game consuming the entire screen due to their size.
7 Mystic Warriors (1993)
Made using the same engine as Sunset Riders, Mystic Warriors plays very similarly to the cowboy-themed run and gun but with a ninja theme instead. There are four different characters to choose from, each throw shurikens and when close to an enemy they will do a melee attack.
While every character’s attack looks somewhat different, they all control relatively the same. Like in Sunset Riders, there will be some upper levels that enemies will come from, you can jump on to these platforms giving the game some verticality.
6 Dyna Gear (1994)
Dyna Gear is a platformer run and gun hybrid similar to the Ghouls n’ Ghosts series. You have two characters to choose from: Roger who is faster but doesn’t jump as high and a Wolf who can jump higher but isn’t as fast as Roger.
Each level is filled with dinosaurs that all want to take you out. Each weapon you pick up is some sort of melee weapon you can throw like a spear, ax, or sword. The bosses are large dinosaurs as well and will take some time to learn their pattern before you can beat them.
5 Out Zone (1990)
Out Zone is an overhead run and gun set in the future and, like many arcades, is vertically oriented. You are only given two weapons in the game, a normal fast-firing shot that lets you fire in all eight directions and a spread shot that forces you to face forward while firing.
You have an energy meter at the top of the screen that is always depleting and once it is empty you die. There are energy pickups found throughout each stage and you must continuously search for them to keep your character alive.
4 Osman (1996)
Osman is an action platformer that has some great graphics for its time. You control a very acrobatic martial artist who can do a variety of punch and kick combos to take out enemies. You are also given a special attack that you can occasionally use – the screen flashes and you do a barrage of punches and kicks.
Throughout the game, you will come across large boulders that have their own gravitational pull. You will spin around these areas, attacking enemies and trying to successfully land on to the next platform.
3 Ninja Baseball Bat Man (1993)
Ninja Baseball Bat Man is a very wacky beat ‘em up with large colorful sprites. The game has a baseball theme, with each character you choose being a baseball player. Many of the enemies in the game are also baseball themed with evil baseball mitts, balls, and bats that carry their own smaller bats. Each level is packed with personality as you fight large well-drawn sprites and over the top bosses.
Overall, the game really stands out thanks to its quirky style and charming sense of humor.
2 Gun Force 2 (1994)
Gun Force 2 is a run and gun from the same developers who would go on to make the Metal Slug series. Like the Metal Slug games, Gun Force 2 is filled with sprites that are very intricate and some of the best you’ll see anywhere.
This game is very fast-paced and you are given the option to fire in all eight directions, something that the Metal Slug series could’ve desperately used. Bosses are made of many different moving parts that are all well-drawn and are a sight to behold.
1 Boogie Wings (1992)
Boogie Wings is one of the most creative shoot ‘em ups there is and one that really should have seen a release on consoles. You start by flying a jet that has a hook on a chain attached to it. The hook can be connected to any enemy vehicle in the game which can then be used as a projectile.
Once your ship is taken out you jump out and can begin shooting enemies on foot before hopping into another vehicle. There are things constantly happening in the background of each level, giving the game a lot of personality.
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