The gaming industry has come a long way over the past few decades, with significant advancements being made that have changed the face of gaming as we know it today. Back before the 80s, young people would visit public arcades to get their latest gaming fix, yet today this activity is mainly reserved for visits to the seaside or amusement parks.
While the latest gaming technologies are fuelling the growth of the gaming market, there is one area of gaming that’s become incredibly popular in recent years, and that is retro gaming. Perhaps fuelled by the nostalgia of simpler times when games were simpler to play, gamers are now queueing left, right, and center to get their hands on an old retro gaming device.
Looking to try out a retro gaming device yourself? Below, we will take a look at some of the best retro arcade games you should try.
Donkey Kong (1981)
Released in 1981, Donkey Kong is a classic that features Mario, the Italian plumber, in one of his earliest formats. In this simple puzzle game, Mario must navigate the path by jumping over barrels, angry gorillas, and other obstacles to get to the tower and save the girl.
The simple puzzle-solving nature of the game and romantic element where Mario must save the girl is simple, fun, and a timeless classic, which has kept the game going even today. While today’s Mario games are much more advanced and feature some impressive graphics, sometimes you just need to keep it old school after a frustrating day of tech glitches at work.
Jurassic Park – The Lost World (1997)
This game was a classic in arcades everywhere and accompanied the release of the highly popular sequel to Jurassic Park. Unfortunately, it was the Jurassic era where Steven Steilberg dominated the screens and dinosaurs didn’t have hybrid features that allowed them to work with humans.
Fans could jump into the game cubicle and battle it out with light guns against the dinosaurs in an exciting arcade environment. While if you asked a teenager to jump in a game cubicle and play this today, they would probably look at you with sheer unamusement, this really was the game to play in its heyday, in which the simpler Jurassic Park days are duly missed.
Pokies
Pokies were a classic in physical arcades and were one of the simplest forms of gambling. You simply put in your coins, pulled the levers, and watched to see if your symbols matched in a winning combination. With all the sophisticated games available in casinos today, it’s hard to believe that pokies are still popular. Yet, thanks to the incorporation of new technologies, they are one of the most popular casino games today.
Looking to play? You can now play pokie games online at a variety of great online casinos, in which the game has been completely transformed. While it is still the simple classic that players know and love, the graphics and sounds have been taken to another level, making the game sometimes seem more like a video game than just a simple game of pokies.
What’s more, in recent years, there have been some fantastic, themed games to hit the market, with games revolving around the latest blockbuster hits, favorite TV shows, and not forgetting, classic retro titles too.
Pac-Man
Today’s kids still sit in school doodling pac man on their notebooks, and with good reason. The game Pac-Man was legendary in its heyday and was originally released in 1980 by Japanese manufacturer Namco Limited.
What made this game stand apart from other classic video games is that it did not feature any form of violence. Instead, the Pac-Man character was inspired by a pizza with a slice missing and was made to appear cute and colorful so that the game would also appeal to women.
For those that don’t remember the game, you simply navigate a series of Mazes as the Pac -Man character, trying to avoid the ghosts that would gobble you up if you took too long. It was that simple.
Space Invaders
Released in 1978, Space Invaders was one of the earliest video games to be released, featuring descending aliens, mysterious laser beams, and classic flying saucer-style spaceships. To this day, Space Invaders is classed as one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, and with good reason.
Perhaps it was a form of escapism at the time, or maybe it was released during the height of alien conspiracy and mysterious crop circles appearing across the world. Whatever it was, there’s no denying that Space Invaders was a quality game that offered excitement at every corner, even though the aliens were highly pixelated…
Galaxian
Released in 1979, Galaxian was a classic space-themed game that involved dive-bombing aliens. Think Space Invaders but much better. With iconic sound effects and classic twitchy movements, the game was a hit for its time. Today, this game can often be downloaded in different forms on PCs and apps for those that want to get a fix of the retro classic.
Overall, there was something about gaming back in the late 70s and beyond that was simple, fun, and just easy to play. While today’s video games are highly interactive and entertaining, there’s something about picking up a retro game that soothes the mind and takes players back to a more straightforward place. So, what are you waiting for? Grab hold of a retro device and get playing the classics above.
