One of the most popular coin-operated arcade games was Pole Position, developed by Namco and licensed to Atari. Its design is based on the same concept as Pac-Man, and it features a car-racing cockpit complete with a steering wheel, gear stick, and brake and accelerator pedals.
Arcades have declined in popularity over the past decade, but their legacy lives on in retro arcade games. With the popularity of gaming consoles, many games can now be played on alternative platforms. Companies like Arcade1Up and iiRcade have created home arcade cabinets. Many of these games can also be played on console ports.
Other classic arcade games include The House of the Dead, which involves careful shooting at waves of zombies. Sega followed up this original game with sequels, and a complete remake will be released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. Another game that emphasizes driving is Crazy Taxi, which challenges players to navigate traffic and jump off ramps while avoiding other cars. It also features the soundtracks of Bad Religion and The Offspring.
The 1980s were the golden age for the arcade game industry. These games' popularity soared, with titles such as Asteroids and Space Invaders becoming instant classics. Popular video games also began to make their way into movies, cartoons, and songs. The decline in popularity of arcade games began in the late 1980s, as home video game consoles became more affordable. But despite their decline, many of the games they created remain popular decades later.
Another popular classic arcade game is the Street Fighter series. This series of games is made up of three very similar games. The sequels to Street Fighter introduced more characters and earned over $10 billion in revenue. The games were developed by Technos Japan and featured two-player co-operative gameplay, martial arts twins, and a wide range of enemies.
The classic was also one of the first arcade games to hit the market. This game incorporated vector graphics, wraparound maps, and two threat types. It quickly became the No. 1 selling game in the arcades, outselling Space Invaders. Atari subsequently released three sequels, but Asteroids Deluxe was the most popular. Blasteroids was another classic arcade game released in 1987, but it used raster graphics.