Coin-op conversions: from the arcades to your home
Arcades experienced immense popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as social hubs where people gathered to enjoy video games. Before the rise of poker machines, individuals frequented pubs or dedicated arcades to play video games known as coin-operated machines or coin-ops. These machines required players to insert coins to start playing, creating a pay-to-play model that was both thrilling and addictive.
As home video game consoles and computers advanced, many popular arcade games were adapted for these platforms. The transition allowed players to enjoy their favorite games in the comfort of their own homes. Systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, and various home computers saw ports of arcade hits, often with slight modifications due to hardware limitations.
Coin-operated machines not only provided entertainment but also influenced game design, community building, and the overall trajectory of the gaming industry.
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Sarge
DOS19893.3/5
Sega Rally Championship
Windows XP/98/95Windows 10/1119953.8/5 Sega
Shinobi
DOS19894/5 Sega
Side Arms Hyper Dyne
DOS19883.8/5 Capcom
Sky Shark
DOS19893.7/5 Toaplan
Space Ace
DOS19894.2/5 ReadySoft
Space Ace 2: Borf's Revenge
DOS19913.7/5 ReadySoft
Space Commanders
DOS1983remake3.8/5 Columbia Data Products
Space Harrier
DOS19893.7/5 Sega
Space Harrier is a 3rd-person view rail-shooter developed by Sega in 1985. Space Harrier was a hit in the arcades, and later it was converted for a number of platforms, including DOS (4 years later!). The sequels - Space Harrier 3D and Space Harrier II - were never ported to DOS.
Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
DOS19833.5/5 Sega
Star Wars
DOS19884.2/5 Atari
Stargate
DOS19833.6/5 Williams Entertainment
Street Fighter 2
DOS19924.3/5 Capcom
Street Fighter II is a classic arcade fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It was first released in 1991 as a sequel to the original Street Fighter. Street Fighter II is widely regarded as one of the most influential and iconic video games of all time, credited with popularizing the fighting game genre and shaping the arcade scene of th...
Strider
DOS19893.6/5 Capcom
Super Hang-On
DOSMac OS19883.9/5 Sega
Super Hang-On is an abandoned motorcycle arcade racing game, developed by Sega, designed by Yu Suzuki and published by Data East for DOS in 1988 (the arcade was released in 1987). Super Hang-On was converted for a great number of platforms including Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, Genesis, Macintosh, Nintendo 3DS, ZX Spectrum.
Super Street Fighter 2
DOS19964.3/5 Capcom
Super Street Fighter II is an enhanced version of the iconic arcade fighting game Street Fighter II, developed and published by Capcom. It was released in 1993 as an upgrade to Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting and introduced several new features, characters, and gameplay mechanics to the series.Super Street Fighter II expanded the roster wit...
Tag Team Wrestling
DOS19863.5/5 Technos Japan
Taito's Super Space Invaders
DOS19914.2/5 Taito
Super Space Invaders is a video game developed and published by Taito Corporation, released in 1991. It's a sequel to the classic arcade game Space Invaders, which was originally released in 1978 and is one of the most iconic video games of all time.In Super Space Invaders, the core gameplay mechanics remain similar to the original Space Invaders, ...
Tapper
DOS19843.9/5
The Simpsons
DOS19913.8/5 Konami
The Typing of the Dead
Windows XP/98/9519993.9/5 Smilebit
The Typing of the Dead is a distinctive video game, essentially a typing adaptation of the classic rail shooter arcade game, The House of the Dead. Initially debuting in 1999 as an arcade machine, it later became available on other platforms as well.In The Typing of the Dead, players wield a keyboard to dispatch approaching hordes of zombies and ot...
Thunderblade
DOS19893.4/5 Sega
Toobin
DOS19894.1/5 Domark Software
Toobin is an abandoned action game developed by Domark Software and released in 1989. Toobin runs on DOS but was also published for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy Color, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum. It's a conversion from a popular arcade game (at the time).
Total Carnage
DOS19943.8/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
Trog
DOS19904.3/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
Turbo OutRun
DOS19904.1/5 Sega
Turbo OutRun is an abandoned DOS action racing game set in North America, developed and published by Sega in 1990. Turbo OutRun is a conversion from the arcade classic of the same name and it's the sequel of the popular OutRun. The OutRun games are regarded as iconic and representative of the late 80s/early 90s, often cited by retrowave enthusiasts.
Virtua Cop
Windows XP/98/9519974.2/5 Sega
Virtua Cop 2
Windows XP/98/9519974.2/5 Sega
Virtua Cop 2 is an abandoned light gun first-person rail shooter game designed by Yu Suzuki, developed and released by Sega in 1997 for Windows, and also published for Saturn, Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. Virtua Cop 2 is the second title in the Virtua Cop series that became much popular in the arcades at the time.
Volfied
DOS19914.3/5 Taito
Volfied is an arcade game developed and released by Taito Corporation in 1989. It's a puzzle game that gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The game is named after the fictional planet "Volfied", where the gameplay is set.In Volfied, players control a small spaceship called "Challenger" and must eliminate 80% or more of the playfiel...
X-Men: Children of the Atom
DOS1997demo4.2/5 Capcom
X-Men: Children of the Atom is a fighting video game developed by Capcom and released in arcades in 1994. The game features characters from Marvel Comics' X-Men series, including popular mutants like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Magneto, among others.The gameplay follows traditional fighting game mechanics, with players selecting a character and ...