We live in an age where we are spoilt by the selection of video games at our disposal. You do not even have to own a gaming console to play games, there are millions of games of skill available online, just waiting to be discovered. It does not matter whether you are wanting to play the latest video slot game or reminisce with a game of classic Pac-Man, you will find it all online.
In terms of the 5 best nostalgic arcade games, we make no apologies for beginning with Pac-Man. This arcade game is developed by Namco and was first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. It was soon released in the United States by Midway and the maze game was a huge hit. The aim of the game is to make Pac-Man eat all the dots inside an enclosed maze while avoiding four colored ghosts. By eating the large flashing dots, the ghosts turn blue and can safely be eaten, with the award of bonus points.
Remaining with Namco, we move on to Galaga. This is a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan. Like Pac-Man, this arcade game was published by Midway in North America in 1981 and was one of the leaders in terms of space shooting games. Players control of a spacecraft at the bottom of the screen and the object of the game is to shoot and kill all the aliens that appear on the screen. As the game progresses, the enemies become more aggressive and begin diving down, toward the player quickly.
Many gamers will know Donkey Kong from a selection of games, such as Mario Kart 64 but he started life in his own arcade game, released by Nintendo in 1981. The aim of the game is to move the character across a series of platforms, avoiding obstacles along the way. However, Donkey Kong is actually the villain in this game and players control Mario, who is tasked with the rescue of Pauline from the clutches of the ape. Donkey Kong is one of the best nostalgic video games because it led the way in terms of platform gaming and saw the birth of two of Nintendo’s most popular characters.
There is no way we can write a list of the 5 best nostalgic video games and not include Space Invaders, even though a lot of fans may be more familiar with the new versions available on social media sites and mobile platform. This original game was first released by the Taito Corporation in 1978 and became a hit around the world. It was licensed and produced in the United States by Midway and was one of the earliest shooting games to hit the mainstream market. The premise of the game was extremely simple, to control the green icon at the bottom of the screen and shoot the descending aliens using a laser. The laser cannon can only move horizontally across the bottom of the screen but is protected by a series of defense bunkers.
Finally, we come to 1942, a video arcade game released by Capcom in 1984. Set in the Pacific theatre of World War II, the goal of the game is to reach Tokyo and destroy the Japanese aircraft. Controlling a plane called Super Ace, players must shoot enemy aircraft and avoid being hit. At the time of writing, the series of video games to follow 1942 is Capcom’s 18th best-selling franchise.
