There are a wealth of great arcade games out there. Problem is, you can never keep up with the hundreds of new games coming out. Here are FAQ's to some of my personal favourites, plus those which looked pretty interesting...
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Daytona USA |
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Mace - The Dark Age |
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AD&D - Shadow over Mystara |
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Street Fighter II |
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Tekken 3 |
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X-Men vs Street Fighter |
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Golden Axe 2 |
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Mortal Kombat - Flyer |
The latest game FAQ's may be found by going here. For the benefit of those who don't know much about these games, or are just interested, I have provided a description and opinion of each game.
Daytona USA
What's it like
powering a 750+HP NASCAR stocker around Daytona's high-bank turns? Or drafting inches off
the car ahead of you at 200+ MPH? Daytona USA(tm), Sega's newest Virtua Reality racing
game, provides all the adrenaline pumping thrills of world class stock car racing.
With its industry leading 32-bit three-dimensional polygon graphics and some nifty
audio/mechanical systems, Daytona USA(tm) supplies everything but the smell of the pits.
(excerpt from an ad for Daytona USA)
Although it was
released some time ago, and just about everybody knows what is is, it's still a great
game. At the time is was revolutionary, and it is still one of the more playable car
games in the arcades (better than Scud Race IMHO, which is coined as 'Daytona 2').
For those of you who haven't been brave enough to have a go, it features analogue
accelerator and brake, 4-gear transmission and a force-feedback steering wheel. This
means you can feel the wheel jerk as some guy hits you from the side, or when you smash a
wall.
Why is it good? Well, up to 8 players can go head to head for a start. The game's built-in 'catch-up' mode means the guy behind always goes faster, making the race more challenging and exciting. And once you are used to the track and car controls, it becomes very easy to navigate the car. I know the FAQ tells you to brake to XXX kph etc etc, but it is much easier to power slide round corners by dropping to 2nd gear. Trust me, once you get used to the game, you will enjoy it.
To find out more, visit this Daytona site.
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Mace - The Dark Age
Mace is a fairly new release, in the genre of 3-dimensional fighting games similar to Virtua Fighter. Having only played the game a few times, all I can say is the graphics absolutely kick ass, as do the characters. The game plays alot like Soul Edge, aka Soul Blade, but uses moves more similar to Mortal Kombat, with finishing moves and a combo count.
Here's the story:
It's 1273 a.d. Europe, Asia and Arabia are ravaged by unchecked war, poverty, and despair. Among the greatest warriors of the time are Seven who have made a pact with the demon Asmodeus to live forever. Not content with just immortality, the Seven now hunger to wield the ultimate power: the dark magic of the Mace of Tanis, controlled Asmodeus. Opposing them are warriors who see the Sevens' reign of terror ended, heroes whose families have been destroyed, and those who seek to prevent their native lands from corruption Asmodeus and the Mace.
Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it. The best thing about this game is that it's not too tough (any fool can push all the buttons and make it up to the 3rd level), and the characters look awesome. Apparently the best is the Hell Knight, although I prefer Al' Rashid or Lord Deimos. The FAQ provided on this page gives only a limited amount of combos and finishing moves, although I can't guarantee their validity.
This game is coming out for the N-64, which I may be forced to buy... :-) Here are some images of the game:
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OK, so the pictures don't look that great, but it IS just a BETA pic for the N-64. To check out the some more pics, go the this Mace site. Otherwise check out this very cool looking promotional flyer with real arcade screen shots.
So, you may be asking: Why all the fuss? Yeah, it's not exactly the most original of all games. However, it does draw from the best aspects of games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Virtua Fighter, with the added bonus of great graphics (better than I've ever seen on any other game), cool looking moves, and all important playability. Even if you don't want to play it, the game will definitely be a must-watch.
AD
&D - Shadow over Mystara
"Welcome to the D&D world". Shadow Over Mystara is the long awaited sequal to the original, Tower of Doom. It's a scrolling game, like the classic Double Dragon or Final Fight. This is one awesome game, one of my all time favourites. You can play as one of 6 characters, each having their own skills and abilities. These are summarised below:
Cleric -
The cleric is most useful for his healing properties. Unable to use edged
weapons. A+B allows the cleric to turn undead..
Dwarf -
Powerful but slow fighter, with the most health. Can use any weapon, and find hidden
treasures in empty chests.
Elf
- Has spells and can use any sword. Sword and sorcery make for a powerful mix.
Also has unlimted arrows.
Fighter - Fast
attacker, and can use any weapon. Fighter can dual wield if he picks up a short
sword.
Mage -
The boss killer. Powerful spells can clear a screen and aid others. Useless
alone.
Thief
- Detects traps and picks locks. Can use any sword and has an unlimited sling.
Can also double jump (Chun Li style).
In order to even think
about getting somewhere, you will need to work as a team. Two or three players is
best, as the bosses at the end of each stage get harder as more players join in. My
suggestion is a Fighter/Dwarf, Mage, and Cleric. You will definitely benefit from
having a mage. My personal favourite is the Dwarf. He has the most health and
strength. By doing a 'fireball' move, he sweeps through any enemy. And by
pushing down, then up + attack, he can kick a dragon's butt to the next millenium.
Other faves include the mage and thief.
Why do I like this game?? Well, although the graphics aren't the flashest, it is one of the few story-type games still on the market (and no, Street Fighter does not have a decent storyline, just look at the movie). It makes playing exciting by giving various options for paths, and by having secret weapons and armour, and secret rooms. The addition of spells is a definite plus. If you liked D&D or AD&D at all, you will enjoy playing this awesome game. Basically, because there are so many cool secrets to find out you will want to keep on playing.
Secrets and backdoors:
The FAQ contains a basic walkthrough of the game. I have
played for countless hours, missing meals and lectures in the process. A full game
can take up to 3 hours. I have completed the game 5 or 6 times, but never without
cheating (using backdoors) and never with more than one other person. Basically, the
game is near impossible to finish without using the 'cheat', unless you're incredibly
good. I've only seen one guy do it alone with the Cleric, on one credit.
Sheesh. OK, there are two cheats for the game, one of which will remain 'anonymous'
because it can easily crash the game if you're not careful, and we wouldn't want the
D&D machines all over the world to stuff up, would we? Plus it's way too
powerful, and arcade owners would get rid of the game because it didn't make enough
money. Don't email me asking for this, because the answer is NO.
However, I will tell you the other cheat. It requires you to use the Mage and the
Thief. All you do is name yourselves CAP (after the war-machine) or equivalent, so
that each wears a corresponding hat. Then when you get to the harpy stage, the Thief
must charge the Shadow Elves until one drops a hat. You use this to swap hats, so
the Mage wears the Thief's hat and vice versa. Then, when you are hit, your health
will still drop to almost zero, but never drop below that (you can still be killed if
bitten or held). 
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Street Fighter 2
OK, so this is the oldest game in the world, but it is a
classic. It would have to be the most-played arcade game in history, the most
popular, the greatest number of spin-offs (yes, even more than Pac-man). And yet
people still play it today. Why? It's not extremely difficult and pretty darn
addictive. I don't want to talk too long about SF2, as there are thousands of other
sites with SF information, to the point of overkill. Instead I'll tell you my
personal opinion.
I started playing this
game in 1991, and was pretty hopeless. Couldn't execute a 'fireball' (are yoooou
ken?) or 'dragon punch' (aaaaare u ken!). Haha. Anyway, after stuffing around
with Guile and Chun Li, I found a better player : Blanka. Sure he has his
weaknesses, especially against Guile, but he kicks everyone else. This is primarily
due to his quickness and strength, and ease of combo. Once you work out what to do
and what not to, it is easy to finish the game. Here are a few clues:
Do:
Counterattack moves, such as jumping over Ken or Ryu's fireballs, or
executing the roll into one of Chun-Li's jumps. Use the following combo, and if it
hits, will cause the other player to go dizzy: Jump and charge back, 3rd punch when
coming down, crouch and 2nd kick (on ground), then roll with 3rd punch. You'll need
to practice this as Blanka moves so fast.
Don't do as Donny Don't does:
Jump around and attack too freely, as Blanka is vulnerable to
air-attacks like the Dragon punch and Blade kick. At the same time, don't stand in
the corner and block all the time, or you'll be fireballed to death. As previously
discussed, Blanka's best trait is his counterattack, so wait until your opponent makes a
mistake and capitalise. Of course, on the first few levels it is better to just
attack as they will just stand there and let you.
Specific strategies:
Chun-Li is easy to beat by using the electric shock whenever she
jumps at you. Zangief can be beaten cheaply by jumping backwards in the corner and
kicking him. All-out attack Honda, but use counterattacking moves on Dhalsim, Ryu
and Ken. Guile is difficult, but I have found a strategy that works every time
against the machine. Just block down until Guile jumps at you. Then push the
3rd kick (aerial defense) followed by a roll as soon as he lands. If he tries to
sweep you, you can sweep him back after his first rotation. Try to avoid jumping
directly at him as he will blade kick you out of the sky, and sometimes the machine cheats
and does it without charging.
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Hey, that's a bit unfair isn't it?
Tekken 3
Although I have only played this 4 times, it looks pretty cool, and I really enjoyed the playstation version of Tekken 2. It is again similar to Virtua Fighter, but with many more characters. The graphics look ok, but nowhere near as good as Mace. This game is jam-packed with moves, as can be seen by viewing the FAQ, making for an interesting challenge. As it is fairly new, I have little experience with it but it deserves a mention because it will be a great game when it comes out for the console platforms. Plus, if you ever get good, it will be a great spectacle.
Take a look at: Promotional Flyer 1 Promotional Flyer 2
X-Men vs Street Fighter
X-Men vs Street Fighter is one of the many Street Fighter spin-offs produced by Capcom. It combines Street Fighter Alpha and X-Men: Children of the Atom into one game. It employs the X-Men style double size screen, where the players can 'super jump'. In my opinion, this game is much better than any of the other spin-offs for two important reasons. Firstly, it's very playable. People will find it easier to execute the fireball than in other versions, as the machine is less strict on accuracy. It contains a super bar for some wicked looking power moves. The game is played by selecting any two characters from the X-Men and/or SF series. These players are swappable during a round, and can execute dual super moves. There are several differences from SF2, for example air blocking, various long combos, and a tonne of moves.
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OK, ok. If you really knew what was going on here you'd know these were X-Men - Children of the Atom pictures. So I didn't have any X-Men vs SF ok? If you get some, send 'em to me.
Golden Axe 2
This game would have to be my all-time favourite. I must have played it over a hundred times, and still I want to keep playing! It is a sideways scrolling game with depth, like Final Fight, Double Dragon, and D&D. You get to choose from four different characters, and up to four can play at any one time. The choices are:
Trix
- The fast-moving pixie with a three-pronged pitchfork. Magic ability is food, or
health (6 potions).
Centaur - Half
horse, half woman with a staff. Good jumping attack. Magic is a boulder storm
(4 potions).
Ax
- Male fighter from Golden Axe. Wields a broadsword,. Magic is a spiritual
attack (8 potions).
Ogre
- Commanded by a dwarf riding on his shoulders. Slow moving, he attacks with an
axe. Magic causes an earthquake (13 potions).
The Ogre is the slowest moving of the pack. He is also the strongest, requiring the fewest shots to take out enemies. His magic is an awesome spectacle. The little dwarf on his back is Gilius from Golden Axe. The Fighter is a good all-round character, with great strength but a poor aerial attack. The Centaur has the best aerial attack, but her size makes her difficult to handle. The pixie is the fastest player, with a great reach. He is also the weakest.
My personal opinion is that Trix is the best character. His healing ability is instrumental because the life bars are so small in this game. Each tree/plant gives a player two life bars. His quickness is also a definite bonus. By pushing forward twice and attack, you execute a running charge with the trident outstretched. Because his recovery time is so good, you can repeat this on bosses until they fall. They will be dizzy, and your friends can come over and help you piledrive the sucker.
Strategy:
When playing, the best way to clear enemies (and you will have many
on you at once) is to jump - attack. This also allows you to hit fallen
enemies. If using Trix, utilise his multiple-charge tactics. This makes it
easier to take out the bosses. And when playing with two people, always attack the
boss at the same time when he is dizzy. This will execute a piledriver, doing
massive damage. If you use 4 players, a spinning piledriver ala Zangief will
transpire, doing greater damage. If you are riding a creature, the boss will go
dizzy after you charge him down twice.
It is best to play the game with two players. This is because
there are the same number of enemies when you are by yourself. The numbers increase
greatly when 3 or 4 players come in. The boss's health also increases. I have
completed the game on several occasions (no cheating whatsoever!) on just one credit, with
another person. I used Trix, and my friend used the Centaur. To do well you
basically need to cover each other's backs. The last guy (Death Adder) is a real
bitch to kill, he gets up again twice! First time we got that far, we didn't expect
him to get up the second time and got massacred. You will also need to conserve
health (ie don't use any!) and let Trix get all the potions.
My favourite path is to take is the forest, then the city. The
rest of the game gives you no choice. The caves are worse because you get fewer
riding animals, and it is too dark to see. The ship is very difficult, I have tried
this a few times and have never made it past.
Some bosses are very difficult to kill, for example the boss at the
end of the 'bar' stage. Use the pixie's multi-charge trick on him. Also, the
skeleton king is very tough. The best way to eliminate him is to save the
skeleton horse found in the city stage. This way you can get him stuck in a
corner and finish him off without getting touched.