Favorite obscure arcade games?

[Cosmiken]

This looks SIIIIICK. I had no idea there was a Crocodile Dundee style arcade beat em up. It looks pretty decent.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

Thanks to this thread, I finally recalled this game!

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

Thanks to this thread, I finally recalled this game!
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Zero Team is so damn good! Such an underrated gem!


For me, it's probably not that obscure nowadays since it's been somewhat "discovered", but I've always had a soft spot for Breakers Revenge.

 

[DjQuick2008]

I always liked the G.I Joe Arcade as well as Bucky O'Hare (awesome beat'em up style game) and a TOTALLY obscure gem....Cowboys of Moo Mesa. (Think Sunset Riders with Bulls/Cows)

I have that cowboys of moo mesa on a handheld was a great find

 

[sandogma]

I loved playing Lucky & Wild with my cousin back in the day. It was a two seat cabinet. One seat for the driver with a steering wheel, pedals and a mounted gun. The other seat had a mounted gun as well. It was so much fun!

 

[thecrow2313]

Zero Team is so damn good! Such an underrated gem!


For me, it's probably not that obscure nowadays since it's been somewhat "discovered", but I've always had a soft spot for Breakers Revenge.
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One of my favorites including these series

 

[nattybohman]

It’s really not THAT obscure, but I’m always shocked how many people don’t know about Dig Dug II. It’s, in my opinion, better than the original game, while being very different and fun.

I loved Dig Dug and I remember seeing Dig Dug II, but being confused about it as a kid. I never understood what I was supposed to do in the game. If I remember correctly, your character was on an island.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

One of my favorites including these series

Nice pick! Kizuna Encounter is great and super underrated.

 

[Cosmiken]

I just remembered about that sweet Fist Of The North Star machine where you have to do punchies. I wish I could find it again someday. Last time I tried playing it I was too young and short to reach the top paddles.

 

[DjQuick2008]

very good streets of rage like game.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

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very good streets of rage like game.

ALL Atomiswave stuff seems to be sadly forgotten, since little of it was ported. It’s a shame, but games that lived and died in the arcade alone are often doomed to be forgotten.

Post automatically merged: Jun 12, 2025

I loved Dig Dug and I remember seeing Dig Dug II, but being confused about it as a kid. I never understood what I was supposed to do in the game. If I remember correctly, your character was on an island.

Yup!

The game is isometric in nature, and the drill that was once used only for basic traversal has become something more puzzle-like in nature. The core of the game is to use the drill on those black dots to cut apart the island and have the parts with monsters on them fall into the ocean, using your pump as a last resort for when a monster can’t be taken out any other way. It’s very different, and definitely off putting, but it’s an amazing action puzzler, and learning how to disassemble each area to get the best score is super satisfying, especially with you getting a higher multiplier for more enemies killed at once.

Right now, it’s easy to emulate, on all consoles thanks to Arcade Archives, and is even on the handheld “Namco Museum DS” collection if you want to take it with you. That’s where I first played it, actually, and it’s been a favorite for me ever since.