MAME Arcade Games
A trial and review of the top MAME Arcade Games.
It has been a few years since I played arcade games on MAME and I felt like a go again on my Apply Mac however the MAME emulator has stopped working due to Apple no longer supporting 32 bit applications in later releases of Mac OS.
I tried unsuccessfully to install another MAME emulator but gave up and decided to install a MAME emulator on Linux Ubuntu. I pulled out my old Apple Mac (2009) from under my desk on which I had installed Ubuntu linux a couple of years ago and installed the MAME emulator.
I looked up an article on the web for the top MAME games and came across RetroDodo’s article on 20 Best Mame Games of all time. I decided to trial each of these games as seen below.
Donkey Kong
Fun Factor: 8/10
Ease of Play: 8/10
I played this old classic for about 5 minutes but could not make it past the first stage. I have played this over the years but the first time was on the Nintendo hand held consoles of the 80’s. I remember they came in an orange case which was the double fold up Nintendo. I will definitely play it again and attempt to get past the first stage as my next goal.
Space Invaders
Year Released: 1978
Fun Factor: 5/10
Ease of Play: 8/10
This old classic dates from 1978 and was my first experience of games on a home console. The Atari was probably the most popular console of the 80’s and I spent many hours playing this game. It can get a bit monotonous but nevertheless had a good 5 minutes of fun.
MS Pacman
Fun Factor: 7/10
Ease of Play: 10/10
Another great classic that brings back memories from the 80’s. This was probably the most played arcade game in its time. It was easy play and made it to the second screen in my first go but I lost interest after a few minutes and ended the game. It did put a smile on my face and I called my wife over to look as this was one of her favourite classics.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Year Released: 1989
Fun Factor: 9/10
Ease of Play: 10/10
It’s amazing how arcade games improved from the start of the 80’s decade the end of the 80’s. This was released in 1989 and I am impressed by the graphics of this game. I spent a good 20 minutes playing this which shows I really enjoyed playing this as my attention span on a game is usually about 5 minutes.
It’s the typical left to right play of fighting the baddies and then killing the big baddie at the end of the stage. It’s a good thing having unlimited credits as this can take a few lives getting it done.
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
Year Released: 1989
Fun Factor: 9/10
Ease of Play: 10/10
This is an awesome game and the graphics blow me away. It was released in 1992 but I never played this release at the arcade. I do remember the original Golden Axe well and this is even better. I just love the fire breathing praying mantis! This will definitely be one of the games I come back to again and again.
Green Beret
Year Released: 1985
Fun Factor: 9/10
Ease of Play: 7/10
I had this game for my Spectrum computer and just as well as I would not have been able to afford playing this at the arcade. I was surprised at how rusty I was playing this again considering I could clear stage after stage at one time ( 35 years plus ago!).
It’s hard to believe this was released in 1985 as the graphics are fantastic for this time. This has to be one of my favourites of all time with great background and game play. I will definitely keep playing this game as its pretty addictive.
Dig Dug II
Year Released: 1985
Fun Factor: 3/10
Ease of Play: 5/10
I can’t see any appeal in this game which I played for about 30 seconds before getting bored. I can vaguely remember this game but would not have spend any money on it I don’t think. There are far better arcade games to play although this might have some appeal to some due a to a cuteness factor.
Outrun
Year Released: 1986
Fun Factor: 8/10
Ease of Play: 5/10
Another one of my favourite arcade games made all the more fun that you had the seat and steering wheel in a box giving you an in car experience. The raw graphics surprised me as I don’t remember it being that bad but it’s fun nevertheless and quite addictive. A steering wheel is a definite must for this and I may get one in future although the thought of getting it working puts me off somewhat.
Frogger
Year Released: 1981
Fun Factor: 2/10
Ease of Play: 4/10
Ok it was released in 1981 and so isn’t bad for its time but it has zero appeal to me. Basically a frog trying to cross the road with really jerky animation. I lost interest after 30 seconds.
Robotron 2084
Year Released: 1982
Fun Factor: 7/10
Ease of Play: 6/10
This is pretty good for a game released in 1982. It can be quite addictive to play as you try to rescue some hostages from some bad robots. I quite liked the ability to shoot in four directions but it’s not easy to play and you have to be very alert of the surroundings as you try to avoid what I think are mines and the robots determined to catch you. It’s not a game I’ve ever played before but definitely will play again.
Sunset Riders
Year Released: 1991
Fun Factor: 7/10
Ease of Play: 9/10
I’ve given this 9/10 for ease of play as it’s especially easy in the first few minutes of the game to get a handle on it the very first time playing. It’s a typical shoot the bad gas and has great scenery and interesting characters as you progress through the game.
Killing the bad guy at the end of stage can be tricky and I found myself using up quite a few lives to get through. I’ll be playing this game again and I can highly recommended for its good fun factor too.
Green beret looks good!