100 Favorite Arcade Games for MAME - RYM/Sonemic (2024)

Underrated racing game.

It's pretty much on the list for its great opening. Recommended for Bond fans.

Admittedly, not one of the best run and gun games but there's just something about the over-the-top nature of this game that makes it a lot of fun - outside of the dog enemies.

An unlicensed wrestling game by Konami with some familiar faces.

A Blood Bros knockoff but a very fun gallery shooter.

There are quite a few games like this that involved water skiing and swimming but this was the first I played and my favorite.

Classic.

It doesn't have perfect controls but it's a lot of fun.

Great beat-em-up with a generic name.

A must play for beat-em-up fans.

A take on the power ball game from American Gladiators.

This probably only makes the cut because I'm a fan of the series and this movie in particular.

Basically an isometric Donkey Kong, almost as much fun and just as difficult.

I'm a sucker for games set in the old west, and while the gameplay is a touch janky, it's also a lot of fun once you get used to it.

Crazy that this game came out in 1982.

Classic of the shmup genre - to me anyway.

Another Blood Bros clone set in the 1930s which makes the cut for said setting.

A possible F-Zero influence.

An NFL Blitz precursor that was the best American Football arcade game at its time of release.

Being on horseback is what makes this unique.

Who would have thought that a game based on manual labor would be so fun?

One of the greats of the early 80s.

Undeniable classic.

A not as good Castlevania type action platformer elevated by its Ancient Egyptian setting.

Basically an updated Chase HQ.

The original is also great but I personally associate it more with the NES.

Great shmup.

Another Capcom beat-em-up classic.

Fun and influential top down run and gun game.

A nice run and gun + beat-em-up combo that I assume was way better than the Saturday morning cartoon.

A spiritual successor to Sega's Buck Roger game.

An isometric sort-of dungeon crawler that is less repetitive than most beat-em-ups.

One of the best mini-game themed games ever.

A must play for any Rampage or War of the Monsters fans.

One of my favorites of the shmup genre.

A hidden gem (maybe not anymore) of the beat-em-up genre.

Pac-Man for the thinking man.

Really cool first person tank game with no tank-like controls and movement.

A fun mixture of a lot of sports (this could be a debate) with pretty visuals.

A top notch beat-em-up.

Classic.

Platformer fans have probably played this already, but highly recommended.

High quality action platformer.

Top notch isometric platformer game.

Part of the Fire Pro Wrestling series, it's a shame that the future Fire Pro games didn't have the bigger and brighter sprites from this game.

I'm about 75% sure that the first issue of this game didn't even have an ending and it had to be included in future versions.

Absolute classic that still influences games today like Crossy Road.

A great weapon based 2D fighter with vibrant visuals.

If Altered Beast was a beat-em-up made by Konami.

Simple but brilliant.

The underwater environment is the perfect setting for a horizontal shooter due to the action not being too frenetic, but it's still very challenging.

A great combination of pong, tennis and human air hockey or something. Great game. If you like this check out Battle Flip Shot, which is sort of a similar game.

A trippy beat-em-up with unique gameplay and a crazy art style.

Absolutely beautiful art design.

A must play for horror gamers that like beat-em-ups.

Capcom seemingly made an endless amount of fantastic beat-em-ups with unique features and styles. This is one of the more under-appreciated ones.

Highly recommended for NFL fans, it's basically the football version of Run And Gun.

A Capcom beat-em-up based on the power loader suit from Aliens, and just as good as that premise sounds.

Maybe the weirdest beat-em-up ever, but also a great game with insane enemies.

While it's a classic, it does drag some and become a bit repetitive, but most classic beat-em-ups can be guilty of that. It's a shame this never hit consoles when kids were subjected to one crappy Simpsons game after another in the 8 and 16 bit eras.

In my opinion, better than the NES classic. Griffey Jr Baseball (SNES) fans will love this game.

Out of all these top down on-foot shmup-ish games, this one is unique because of the variation in the weapons and enemies.

A Metal Slug clone but a damn good one.

Basically a Sunset Riders sequel based on some obscure Cow cartoon. Strange concept but perfectly executed.

Doesn't disappoint for a Konami game based on the classic 1986 movie.

One of the greats.

Beautiful art style with fighting game styled boss fights for this beat-em-up game.

For whatever reasons, this is the shmup that I probably play the most.

A must play for fans of 50s Sci-Fi and Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

Capcom went to great lengths to make unique and clever beat-em-ups that should be ridiculously repetitive but they remain as fresh for as long as this type of game possibly can.

A great idea for a beat-em-up and great execution.

A great action platformer with varied level design and enemies.

Usually anything with the "New __" or "___ Returns" title suck but this game improves on the 80s classic and is a ton of fun.

A first rate (and very very unofficial) Strider sequel of sorts.

Great platformer shoot-em-up with top notch art design.

One of the greatest videogames ever that makes you want to keep failing - the furthest I've got is level 5.

The unique setting sets it apart from others of the beat-em-up genre.

A must play for fans of the SNES classic Wild Guns. This lacks the old west steampunk elements but they're similar styled gallery shooter type games set in the old west. The gameplay is on point.

A Ninja themed (sort of) Sunset Riders game by Konami. This description doesn't do the game enough justice, the screenshot might though.

NBA Jam on Ice, made by Midway, the same developer. The best hockey game of the 90s that isn't NHLPA 93 or NHL 94 for the Sega Genesis.

The Genesis port is legit if you can't play the arcade version.

A Smash Bros type of fighting game that preceded the N64 classic.

One part top-down shooter, other part pinball. Somehow it works perfectly.

This is a great example of a game greatly improving playing via emulation because it's such a quarter burner. This has up to 4 players, so if you have three friends that are goofy enough to play this game, it's a blast.

There were so many variations of this game but this was the one I played first as a kid.

A must play for anyone that loves horror movies and fighting games.

The best non-licensed Indiana Jones game ever. While the controls aren't perfect, the variation and insanity of the gameplay is truly impressive.

The best 5 on 5 arcade basketball game. It doesn't have an NBA or Players Association license but the team colors are identical to the real teams, as are the player likenesses. Underrated and a must play for sports gamers.

A must play for all film noir fans that are gamers.

The second iteration is the best but this was the one I played the most and I was halfway decent at it - this includes all the arcade Capcom Vs fighting games of the 90s.

A precursor to the Metal Slug series, a fantastic Contra style 2D shooter.

The first game is also a classic but the sequel is the better game.

If you can't find a way to play the arcade, the SNES port is superior to the Genesis version. The old west setting puts this over the top for me.

This beat-em-up is my favorite and holds my attention for the longest. I really wish this would have came out on the 16 bit systems.

Incredibly fun top-down shooter with varied locations and multiple pathways.

Far and away the best wrestling game of its era and still one of the greatest wrestling games of all time despite some key omissions like Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper and The Undertaker, to just name a few. It's a shame there weren't console ports of these games. Its predecessor WWF Superstars is a great game and featured the Macho Man Randy Savage.

Out of all the early 80s classics, this one is by far my favorite. It's hypnotic and addicting.

This includes the entire series. I probably played the third game the most, the entire original series is obviously great.

The entire arcade series, including the NBA Hangtime games. This one started it all and was shockingly good for a basketball game, which didn't have a Tecmo Super Bowl type of masterpiece game at the time.

One of the best party games of all time, one of the most fun sports games ever released. Deceptively easy at first and then it gets insanely tough but never frustrating.