HISTORICAL LISTING OF OUR GAMES
.jpg&height=153.096)
1943: THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
Capcom - 1987
Uncle Sam wants you! Jump into the cocpit of a P-38 Lighting and take off to fight off hoards of enemies figthers over Midway Island. Midway was a famous battle that turned the tide of WWII against the Japanese and gave the United States a foothold in the Pacific. Yuour mission is to seek out and then destroy the infamous Japanese Battleship Yamato. Of course 1943 has plenty of action, great boss levels and powerups to help you and your P-38 survive. Fun fact: 1943 has cheats on almost every level. Your mission could also be to figure out what those are!
.jpg&height=153.096)
ASTEROIDS
Atari - 1978
What better way to spend an afternoon than to blast large asteroids to smitherines! Asteroids is one of those games that define the golden age of arcade gaming with over 70,000 units sold. It was extremly popular with gamers and was very influential with programmers. Over the years it has been ported to home systems and continues to be very popular today.
ASTYANAX
Jaleco (1989)
Armed with a mighty, powerfilling, axe, players take on multiple levels of creatures based off ancient Greek and Arab mythology. As your adventure unfolds characters can destroy enivronment items, such as columns, for health boosts and other power ups. So, for endless, axe-swinging action look no further than Astryanax! Travel through the realm defeating the Demon Overlord's minions and possibly bringing peace back into the world. Fun fact: In Greek mythology, Astyanax is the son of Hector, the crown prince of Troy.
ATARI STAR WARS
Atari (1983)
This game was groundbreaking with its digitized voices of Luke Skywalker, a fantastic musical score straight from the original soundtrack and fluid graphics and gameplay. A truly cinematic experience for players that allowed them to relive some of the most iconic scenes from the movie. Fun fact: In 1986 David Palmer scored 31,660,614 points in 7 hours, a world record.
BATTLEZONE
Atari (1980)
Load sabot! Target acquired! FIRE!
Jump into the controls of a tank and head off across the playing field looking for enemy tanks to destroy. Don't worry about being bored, the enemy tanks are out hunting you too! Using vector graphics the player is placed onto a battlefield complete with mountains in the distance, a crescent moon in the sky and even an erupting vocano. Use the dual controls to move your tank in any direction, firing the main gun with the button on the right yoke. Flying saucers and even missiles can be destroyed for bonus points. Fun fact: A version of Battlezone was developed for the US Army as a trainer for Bradley Infantry Fighting vehicle gunners. Only two were made, one was delieverd to the Army and never seen again; the other placed in the trash outside of Midway USA's headquarters. That cabinet was saved however by one of the original programmers and is in his personal collection to this day.
CENTIPEDE
Atari (1980)
Centipede was created in 1980 as a fixed shooter arcade game. It was also a huge commercial success from the golden age of arcade video games. The player fights off a host of digital critters such as centipedes, spiders, scorpions and fleas, which drop down, bounce around the screen, and weave their way quickly towards your Bug Zapper.
COLUMNS
SEGA (1989)
Columns was SEGA's answer to Tetris and runs almost identical to it's gameplay. A big difference however is the ability to match gems of like colors diagonally. If, after settling from a match, gems are then matched they too disappear. There are random "Special" gems too. These gems destroy all like colored gems that it gets matched to.
CONTRA
Konami (1987)
Contra allows for simulataneous play by two players who jump and shoot their way through seven levels. Set in the year 2633 A.D., characters start thier journey by being dropped in the jungle, fending off the first stage of enemie defenders. The game does a great job of switching between a side scrolling view, a 3D perspective, a fixed screen, and even vertical scrolling action. A rifle with unlimited ammo is your base weapon but this can be upgraded to a machine gun, laser gun, a gun that shoots a corkscrewing fireballs, and a multi-shot gun. Fun fact: The charatcers in Contra were inspired by a real life hero in action movies that almost everyone knows! Arnold Schwarzenegger's likeness from the movie Predator was the inspiration for the artists from Konami.
CRUIS'N WORLD
Midway (1996)
A sequel to the popular Cruis'n series, Cruis'n World expanded the series by offering more cars, locations around the world and introduced stunts and special moves. Fun fact: The developers sent teams around the world to take photos of the actual sights and tourist locations which were then programmed into the game. It was runner-up for Arcade Game of the Year in 1996!
DIG DUG
Namco (1982)
Grab your bike pump and head for the undeground to build your own maze while avoiding monsters and blowing them up, literally, with your air pump. Dig Dug was the first game to allow players to create their own mazes. Where Pac Man had a preset maze players navigated, Dig Dug was an open maze world. Very popular upon its release, the main character's movement would cause the music to play only stopping once the character did. But, pumping up the baddies with air until they explode is not the only tool in your aresnal. Players also can cause large rocks to fall and squish monsters too, sometimes two or three at a time! Bonus items appear if you can make two rocks fall while squishing stuff, giving you bonus points. Beware though! All monsters can travel through the ground towards your Dig Dug, only beingvisible by their floating eyes. Fun fact: Dig Dug's design and progrmming team was made up mostly by the junior members of the Galaga team.
DONKEY KONG
Nintendo (1981)
One of the most iconic games from the 1980's, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's latest in a series of attempts to break into the North American market. It introduced what would become two of Nintendo's most recognizable characters, Mario and Donkey Kong. Using cut scenes to move the story along and multiple stages for players to advance through, Donkey Kong is always a barrell of fun!
.jpg&height=153.096)
DONKEY KONG JR.
Nintendo (1982)
Junior to the rescue! Nintendo took a bold step and reversed roles from the previous Donkey Kong. Now, in Donkey Kong Jr., Mario became the bad guy and Donkey Kong, the one who needed to be rescued. Also a platformer, Donkey Kong Jr. became a fan favorite and saw many ports to home game systems over the years.
FROGGER
SEGA/Gremlin (1981)
Guide your frogs home! A beautiful game for it's time, Frogger presented a challenging game that involved timing and strategic movement of your frogs as you guided them across the road while avoiding all the dangers to your hopping friend! Fun Fact: In 1982 Frogger won the title of the game with the most ways to lose your character!
GALAGA
Namco (1981)
Easily considered one of the most popular aracde games of all time, Galaga built off the succes of its predecessor, Galaxian. Adding new features to the gameplay such as your ship being captured by a tractor beam and then returned as a dual fighter, it clearly continues to be a classic and is right here at RAM Arcade for you to fight off the Galaga forces!
GALAXIAN
Namco (1979)
In answer to the popular Space Invaders, Namco blasted its way into the arcade genre with Galaxian. Over 40,000 units were sold by 1982. One of the first to feature RGB color graphics, players fought off wave after wave of alien invaders. Fun fact: the lead designer was inspired by Star Wars and enemy ships were originally in the shape of TIE Fighters.
GAUNTLET
Atari (1985)
A truly cooperative game, Gauntlet allowed four players to assume the roles of a Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard, and Elf, in an endless quest for loot and the destruction of monsters. Each level would get progressively harder which only reinforced the need for players to help each other by sharing food, potions and ganging up against the endless horde of bad guys. Fun fact: In 1986 at the Golden Joystick Awards in London, England, Gauntlet won Game of the Year. Also, upon release, one arcade operator in California reported it earned over $15,000 in sixteen weeks! That is 60,000 quarters!
JOUST
Williams Electronics (1982)
Joust was one of the first games to incorporate true, two-player cooperative gameplay and helped popularize the concept word-wide. Wanting to avoid the present trends of creating space shooting games, Joust was a pleasent departure as it presented players with the opportunity to control flying ostriches against enemy knights. Just watch out for the flaming hand in the lava!
MARIO BROS.
Nintendo (1983)
Grab your tools and set off into the sewers to defeat the critters as they attempt to swarm the city! An fun and addictive game, Mario Bros. centers around running and jumping through each level as you defeat enemies. Unlike many of the games that feature Mario jumping on enemies to destroy them, Mario Bros requires a different set of skills where players have to bump their enemies from below. Once bumped, they flip over allowing Mario a certain amount of time to hit them again to flip them off the screen. Mario's brother Luigi is playable in two player mode.
Fun fact: Mario reportedly got his name changed from Jumpman to Mario after a landlord Nintendo of America had who used to barge into the office demanding that the rent be paid.
MERCS
Capcom (1990)
Special Forces from the eighties! Join a group of covert operatives tasked with rescuing the president from a crashed plane. Fight through multiple levels of enemies while wielding your basic gun or upgrade to an assault rifle, a shotgun, a grenade launcher, or even a flamethrower! Players can even get the chance to use enemie vehicles on certain stages. Powerups are plentiful too. Make sure the intelligence briefing is accurate, grb your equiment and save the President!
Fun fact: Mercs is the sequal to the always popular arcade game Commando which was released in 1985.
MISSILE COMMAND
Atari (1980)
Deep inside your bunker klaxons come to life as ballistic missiles are detected entering the upper atmosphere, directly over your home cities! Use your trackball to manuever your target crosshair to launch your anti-ballistic missiles, destroying those raining down upon your citizens! Higher levels offer extra enemies to shoot down such as bombers and satellites, which also shoot missiles at your cities. Bonus cities are awarded as players reach certain point levels.
Fun fact: Maybe not so fun for the lead designer of the game who reported he suffered nightmares of cities being detroyed by nuclear weapons while working on the project.
MORTAL KOMBAT II
Midway (1993)
The second in the Mortal Kombat series, Mortal Kombat II was a critically acclaimed success winning multiple awards annually for the next decade or more. Having expanded the storyline and introducing new characters, the game also featured new finishing moves and fatalities. So, get ready to "FIGHT!"
Fun fact: At the time is was introduced, Mortal Kombat II was the focus of major controversy due to its depiction of blood and gore, minimal compared to some shows on TV these days!
MR. DO'S CASTLE
Universal (1983)
Climbing ladders, leaping monsters with horns, knocking out blocks, and collecting cherries are just some of the fun things you do while playing Mr. Do's Castle. Wielding his trusty hammer, Mr. Do navigates the maze, with your help of course, breaking blocks and breaking heads in his endless quest inside the castle. Fun fact: If you find and collect the blocks with all the letters that spell EXTRA you gain an extra life!
NEOGEO-MULTI VIDEO SYSTEM
SNK Corporation (1990)
The NeoGeo system was the most advanced and powerful arcade system of its time. The total appeal of the NeoGeo system was the fact that you could have up to six games available in the arcade cabinet through the use of game cartridges. This allowed arcades to save on cost and floor space while still offering the player multiple game options. Popular titles included Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Showdown, The King of Fighters, and Metal Slug, just to name few. Fun fact: The NeoGeo system is the longest supported arcade game of all time. While cabinets were only made until 1997 game cartridges continued to be made until 2004.
NBA JAM
Midway (1993)
Get on the court and be ready to play some fierce two-on-two basketball! NBA Jam features exaggerated slam dunks, the ability to push, shove, or elbow your opponnent out of the way, super high jumps and a host of secret players. Photorealistic characters portray actual NBA stars from each team in the league. So, gear up and get ready to take your opponnents to the hoop! Fun fact: The lead programmer, who just happens to be a Detroit Pistons fan, programmed it so that when there was a close game between the Pistons and Chicago Bulls the Bulls would choke and lose the game.
MS PAC MAN
Midway (1982)
Building on the earlier success of Pac Man, Ms Pac Man featured a female character, one of the first to do so, and improved the gameplay. Considered one of the best games ever made in America, Ms Pac Man is and always will be, close to the heart of players around the world. Fun fact: Names considered were Super Pac Man, Miss Pac Man, and Mrs. Pac Man.
PAC MAN
Namco (1980)
Actually started in 1979, Pac Man was to be a game that appealed to almost everyone; men, women and children. Most games had war or sports themes at the time and Pac Man was a welcome and fun change in the genre. Considered to be one of the best of all time, Pac Man created a culture all its own and continues to be a world-wide phenomena. Fun fact: Supposedly the character was created in the shape of a pizza with a slice missing, a favourite meal the designers and programmers ate while working the project.
POLE POSITION
Namco (1982)
The most popular game of 1983, Pole Position raced into arcades and is considered to be one of the most influenctial racing games from the '80s. Pole Position set the standard for racing games and inspired multiple imitators. Arguablly the most important racing game ever made, Pole position offers excitement and thrills on the track. No license required, just come in and see if you have what it takes to hold the Pole Position.
PUNCH OUT!!
Nintendo (1983)
Punch Out!! is unique in that it incorporates two monitors to achieve the zooming in and out effect. Having made too many monitors for the first production run of Donkey Kong, Nintendo decided to use them for Punch Out!! Introducting characters such as Piston Hurricane, Glass Joe, and Mr. Sandman these characters continued to have recurring appearances in future releases.
Q*Bert
Gottlieb (1982)
A quirky game, Q*Bert has enjoyed a dedicated fan base. It was easily Gottlieb's most successfull arcade release and is one of the most identifiable characers from arcade games. Players must jump on each square to change its color, once all the sqaures are changed in this way, the next level becomes available. Higher levels become harder and combine the need for the character to touch each sqaure once or twice in order to advance.
RAIDEN II
Tecmo (1990)
The alien Crystals have invaded earth and using their advanced technology, have taken control over most of the weapons on the planet. Taking place in the year 2090, the only thing left to defend eartht from total annihilation is the Fighting Thunder ATtack Craft. This is no ordinary aircraaft! It incorporates the Crystal's own technology, giving them a taste of their wn medicine. A top down scroller game,Raiden II is fast paced flying against a mulitiude of enemies. Boss levels are challenging, the graphics are gorgeous and it sports an excellent soundtrack.
Fun fact: The developer's company was not doing so well after a bad release of a previous title. Due to a limited budget they had to use older technology but were able to figure out a way to really push the limits and produced Raiden II, a fantastic game that is loved by many.
ROBOTRON 2084
Williams Electronics (1982)
Want a frenetic and fun experience? Then play Robotron! Set in the year 2084, players are in a world controlled by killer robots that have turned against humanity! Although not the first to use dual controllers, Robotron is certainly the most memorable. Players are presented with multiple options on each level, having to decide on a strategy to out manuever a multitude of enemies, possibly rescue civilians or just battle it out by destroying all the robots. Fun fact: One of the game's designers came up with using the two control stick layout of the game after suffering an accident which injured his hand. Unable to use a traditional one stick and button layout while prgramming, he started using two instead. The concept stuck and was used once the game released.
SEA WOLF
Midway (1976)
Up periscope! Players have the opportunity to hunt for ships using an real, working preiscope. Incorporating several lenses and mirrors, being able to grip a real periscope and the ability to pan left and right to find your target is quite the experience! Sea Wolf utilizes a rather complicated sound board that has close to thirteen different controls that are used to generate all the sounds in the game. Fun fact: Sea Wolf was the first game to use the term 'High Score' Alan Radue set the world record high score of 11,300 on October 2, 2011. It still stands today.
.jpg&height=153.096)
THE SIMPSONS
Konami (1991)
Maggie has been kidnapped by Mr. Burns and his hired thugs! One thing he did not count on though was that the Simpson stick together! Jump on in for some great simultaneous four player fighting fun as you fight your way though town whie looking for Maggie. Each character has their own signature move or you can join up for some amazing dual action combos between family members. Your ultimate goal is to reach the reactor plant, defeat Mr. Burns and get Maggie back! But beware, Mr. Burns means business, Maggie has mistankingly taken a diamond he stole as her pacifier which led to her kidnapping. All players will certainly feel as though they are in the shw for the rcade game is wierd, quirky and sometimes frustrating. Fun fact: The Simpsons arcade is the best arcade game ever made that is based on a TV show.
SPACE ACE
Cinematronics (1983)
Take on the dreaded Commander Borf's and his diabolical plan to turn all humans on earth into infants through the use of his Infanto Ray. Partially hit by the Infanto Ray our hero is an adolescent that can revert t his more heroic, adult form, when the needs arises. Players navigate the story by using the joystick and fire buttons to activate ther actions. You will need to be laert however so you can react quickly to whatever situation the story places you! One small mistake and ZAP! you lose a life. Featruing film quality animation the game is complety run off a laserdisc. Fun fact: In order to save money on production costs, all character voices are those of the programmers who made the game.
SPACE INVADERS
Taito (1978)
Space Invaders was one of the most influencial games ever made. It was an immediate success as it introduced the fixed shooter and set the standard for many games that followed. It is credited with ushering in the popularity of arcade games and was the inspiration for many of the designers and programmers that followed. Fun fact: In today's numbers, Space Invaders has grossed close to 13 billion in worlwide sales. Quite a number!
SPY HUNTER
Bally Midway (1983)
Inspired by the James Bond movies, Spy Hunter allows players to get behind the wheel of you G-6155 armoured car and race down streets while fighting off enemy cars, trucks, helicopters and even boats! That is correct, boats! Periodically a boathouse will appear and when driven into, the car switches to a boat and you are off racing across the water. Using an actual sterring wheel, gear shift and gas pedal makes the experience even more thrilling! Let's not foget the amazing soundtrack that was produced by Henri Mancini for the show Peter Gunn. Fun fact: A version of Spy Hunter is included as an Easter egg in the first release of Microsoft Excel 2000.
.jpg&height=153.096)
STARGATE
Williams Electronics (1981)
Stargate is the sequel to the very popular Defender arcade. Building off their earlier successes, the programmers added som enew features such as shielding for your ship, a bunch of new enemies and most importantly, stargates that when used teleports your ship to any human in trouble. Plus, some fun special stages that appear first on the fifth stage and then every tenth stage afterwards. Fun fact: Many of the enemy names are based on inside jokes between members of the programming team. For example, the aliens named Irata are named after a major competitor of the time, Atari!
STREET FIGHTER II
Capcom (1991)
Credited with revitalizing the Arcade industry in the early 90's, Street Fighter II is regarded as not only one of the best games ever but is the most influential fighting game ever made. It set the standard others would imitate for years to come. It's combination moves system became the standard all other fighting style games would follow. Players can choose from a variety of characters who can be made to punch, kick, leap, crouch, run, guard, in addition to other moves that help them win each round. RAM Arcade will be holding regular tournaments featuring Street Fighter II so stay tuned! Fun fact: Capcom has manufactured over 200,000 Street Fighter II arcade machines and the game has grossed over 10 illion in revenue since it's release!
.jpg&height=153.096)
TEMPEST
Atari (1981)
The entire goal for a player in Tempest is simple, survive the onslaught! One of the first games to use Atari's color Quadrascan vector display. Players could also experience a first in gaming: the ability to choose your starting level. Selecting a higher starting level just made the game harder to play. Fast paced and frenetic, Tempest offers a rotating 360 degree controller that allows players to move their ship around the edge of each geometric surface.
TERMINATOR 2-JUDGEMENT DAY
Midway (1991)
If you want to live, come to RAM Arcade to fight off the Terminators and save Haddonfield! Released at the same time as the mmovie, the arcade game follows the same storyline. Players take on the role of reprogrammed T-800 cyborgs which have to protect John Commer from the newer T-1000 cyborgs, who are now trying to kill them both. Consiting of seven stages, players progress by eliminating the enemy T-1000s as well as a host of other tanks, trucks, and flying craft. Two players can shoot their way through the game using fully automatic machine guns that continuously fire as long as you hold the trigger down. The voices in the game are those of the actors from the movie so be prepared for Arnold to make comments while you play. Get ready to be reprogrammed to fight for humanity and get into RAM arcade for some great fun while doing it!
TETRIS
Atari (1988)
A fun, challenging game, Tetris has a wonderful look and feel. Players stack falling shapes into matching horizontal blocks. Don't leave any gaps though because the blocks will stack up and then prevent others blocks that are falling to have enough room to be rotated into position!
TIME PILOT
Konami/Centuri (1982)
There is a lot of space out there! Players control their jet in an never ending scrolling field. Levels are completed once the mothership is defeated. Each level represents a different time period, presenting enemiessuch as biplanes, WWII fighters, Helicopters, and jets. Fun fact: Yoshiki Okamato, the game's developer, originaly was directed to create a driving game. He did not want to make a driving game so instead worked on Time Pilot, pretending to work on a driving game while his supervisor was present. Time Pilot was evetually accepted by Konami and was a popular release during 1982.
TUTANKHAM
Konami (1982)
Grab you hat, satchel, and... laser gun!? Take on the roll of an explorer while you search for treasure in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Dodge or eliminate asps, vultures, parrots, bats, dragons and curses. If any of them touch you, even just once, you are done for! But, you have a trusty laser gun to keep you safe. Gather the keys on each level in order to unlock the doors you will use to get to advance in the game.
VANGUARD
Centuri (1981)
The evil Gond empire has gone to far! Hiding in their asteroid fortress you must pilot your starfighter through the tunnels of the massive rock while fighting off hordes of Gond ships and other enemies. Not only do you have the entire Gond arsenal to worry about but the asteroid is always moving and you must navigate this always shifting maze. Luckily, your ship is capable of shooting in four directions, top, bottom, left, and right. Fun fact: Listen closely to the music or sounds made when you gain a power-up. That's right, it is Queen's Freddie Mercury's Vultan song he wrote for the movie Flash Gordan!
ZAXXON
Sega (1982)
Strap in and make sure all preflight checks are done because your are in for quite a ride! The first game to use isometric projection, which simulates three dimensions from a third-person point of view, players fly through a fortress while shooting enemy gun emplacements, rockets, fuel tanks, and aircraft to earn points. There is of course an altimeter to check your altitude but if you can't use that, just look at your plane's shadow, it will tell you how close or far away from the ground you are! Fun fact: Zaxxon was the first video game to be advertised on television.