Arcade games ruled the video game industry in the early years. Even when consoles were getting into the homes of fans, a majority of the games were based on hit arcade titles.Pac-Manis a giant one that comes to mind and it has been ported to more consoles than one can count.
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Decades after its initial release, it even made its way to thePS1. Was it the greatest version ofPac-Manthat fans could buy? No, but thePS1did have several high-profile arcade games that were great on the console though. From obscure titles to big names, these examples are some of the best.
8Batman Forever: The Arcade Game
Batman Forever: The Arcade Gameis a name that is right on the nose. It was released a year after the film came out in 1995, which brought along with it somemovie tie-in games. They were typical action platformers and were not that good.
This arcade game was ridiculously zany and thus made it a more memorable experience. After making its way to arcades, it was only a few months later before fans could enjoy this oddball campy brawler at home in 1996.
7Captain Commando
Captain Commandois one of Capcom’sbest brawlers and it was a one-and-done situation. The titular character did go on to cameo in other games such as theMarvel vs Capcomseries. It was released in arcades in 1991, got ported to the SNES in 1995 with some downgrades, and then the PS1 version happened in 1998.
This PS1 copy was only released in Japan and it has never been localized since. Thankfully, it’s easier to playCaptain Commandoon modern consoles than ever before thanks to theCapcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle, which was released in 2018.
6Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolutionwas a phenomenon in arcades that mixed the dancing scene with the arcade scene. Players woulduse their feet to match up arrows to the beat of the music. The first edition of Konami’s popular franchise first hit arcades in 1998 and then the PS1 in Japan a year later.
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That PS1 port would not get released in North America until 2001, which is wild considering the PS2 was already out by then. Support for this series was much better on the PS2, but the original PS1 game still holds a special place for fans who first got into the groove at home in 2001.
5Gauntlet Legends
Gauntlet Legendswas the latest edition of this long-running co-op RPG brawler that lit up arcades in the 80s. This game hit arcades in 1998, then the Nintendo 64 in 1999, followed by the eventual 2000 PS1 port. It played similarly to all of the other games that came before it except that it was now in 3D.
Players could choose a character andgo through a series of dungeons and levels, leveling up as they went. Players could jump in and out of co-op locally, which was one of the few action RPGs that supported co-op on this scale even this late into the PS1’s lifecycle.
4Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash Of Super Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroesis the first game in what would become the blueprint forcrossover fighting games. It was another 1998 arcade game that then hit the PS1 in 2000 after also getting onto the Dreamcast earlier. Players could choose from a cavalcade of fighters from both Marvel’s and Capcom’s history, including Mega Man and Wolverine.
It was not Capcom’s first attempt as the series technically began withX-Men vs. Street Fighterand thenMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. Those were more focused experiences until the brand would widen its potential to more properties, jumping into the fray withMarvel vs Capcom.
3Sexy Parodius
Sexy Parodius, despite its name, is not that sexy of a title. The late 90s and early 2000s were filled with games trying to be more scandalous such asDead or Alive Xtreme Beach VolleyballandBMX XXX.Sexy Parodius, in contrast to those later examples, was much more innocent as a horizontal shooter.
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Instead of being scandalous with lewd graphics, it was just plain wacky and colorful. Every good arcade collection needs a horizontal shooter in it and this is one of the best for arcade ports. Unfortunately, it was only released in Japan in 1996 on both PS1 and Sega Saturn although import enthusiasts don’t have to fear as there’s no real need to translate it.
2Strider 2
Strider 2is an odd game to have made its way to arcades first. It was an action platformer that was more common in the 80s and 90s. Thanks to consoles, the genre burned brighter than ever before. Fans of the series wouldn’t have to wait long to play it at home as it was in arcades in 1999 and then on PS1 in 2000.
There’s an interesting fact about later ports of this exact version which would get released on the PS3’s digital store. The PS1 version came with two discs that includedStrider 2along with a home arcade port of the first game. On PS3, the discs are mislabeled to have the opposite game on their respective covers.
1Time Crisis
Time Crisisis a classiclight gun gameseries that first premiered in 1995. What made this series unique among a heavy crowd of light gun games was the pedal. Players could duck into cover and then pop out with the use of this pedal in arcades.
The PS1 port would not come with a pedal but it did come with the system’s first big light gun peripheral. It was a downgraded experience to be sure, but there was still a fun novelty in playing a light gun game at home.
