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Space Invaders
The first blockbuster video game. Established the shooter genre. -
Asteroids
Atari's most successful coin-operated game. -
Centipede and Pac-Man
The rise of the arcade is in full swing with two of the best selling arcade machines of all time. -
Donkey Kong
The most highly contested game of all time. Subject of the documentary King of Kong. Gave birth to the character Jumpman who would later become Nintendo's Mario. -
Dig Dug and Donkey Kong Jr.
Dig Dug is rated as the sixth most successful coin-operated video game of all time. Donkey Kong Jr. renamed Jumpman to Mario and is the only game in which Nintendo's mascot was featured as an antagonist in any of their games. -
1942
Capcom's first hit game -
Nintendo Entertainment System
The North American release of the NES for home play effectively ended the golden age of the arcade though later games (mentioned below) still garnered some popularity and widespread temporary return to arcades. With the availability of games at home for a high upfront cost but no continual cost of play, arcades became more of a novelty. -
Street Fighter II
Credited with starting the fighting game craze of the 90s -
Dance Dance Revolution
Pioneered the genre of rhythm and dance in video games.
