Top 150 Arcade Games Results Thread

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

Countdown Update:

150. Arch Rivals
149. Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
148. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
147. Super Off Road
146. Primal Rage
145. Moon Patrol
144. Mortal Kombat 4
143. Submarine
142. Big Buck Hunter
141. Toki
140. Vs. Baseball
139. San Francisco Rush
138. Sunset Riders
137. NBA Jam
136. Golden Tee Golf
135. WWF Wrestlemania
134. Hogan's Alley
133. CarnEvil
132. Kung Fu Master
131. Berzerk
130. Tekken 5
129. Puzzle Bobble aka Bust A Move
128. Time Traveler
127. 3 Count Bout
126. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
125. Mr. Do!
124. Crisis Zone
123. Captain America and The Avengers
122. Joust
121. Track & Field
120. P.O.W.: Prisoners Of War
119. Area 51
118. Virtua Cop 3
117. Dig Dug
116. Gauntlet
115. King of the Monsters
114. ESP Ra.De.
113. 1942
112. Mercs
111. Street Fighter III: The New Generation
110. Out Run
109. Mappy
108. The Real Ghostbusters
107. Street Fighter Alpha 3
106. Saturday Night Slam Masters
105. Virtua Fighter
104. Elevator Action
103. Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
102. World Heroes
101. 10-Yard Fight
100. Cruis'n Exotica
99. Tetris
98. Frogger
97. Mat Mania
96. Cruis'n World
95. Defender
94. Arm Champs II
93. Centipede
92. Yie Ar Kung Fu
91. Burgertime
90. Cabal
89. Hang-On
88. Ninja Gaiden
87. Crazy Climber
86. The House Of The Dead III
85. Arkanoid
84. Race Drivin
83. Tron
82. Revolution X
81. Mortal Kombat 3
80. Golden Axe
79. Dungeons And Dragons: Shadows Over Mystara
78. Marvel Super Hereos
77. Samurai Shodown
76. Time Pilot
75. WWF Superstars
74. Paperboy
73. Star Wars
72. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
71. 1941: Counter Attack
70. Virtua Tennis
69. Die Hard Arcade
68. NBA Maximum Hangtime
67. Silk Worm
66. Dead or Alive

Here are the clues to the next five games.

* Death Gets People From Different Time Eras To Face Each Other

* Defeat Skorne

* Grand Prix Master

* Watch Out For Rocks And Saucers

* We Are The Champions

[Big DSR Energy]

* Death Gets People From Different Time Eras To Face Each Other

Now THAT's Time Killers.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

65. Asteroids

Asteroids is a video arcade game released in 1979 by Atari Inc. It was one of the most popular and influential games of the Golden Age of Arcade Games. Asteroids uses vector graphics and a two-dimensional view that wraps around in both screen axes. The player controls a spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers. The object of the game is to shoot and destroy asteroids and saucers while not colliding with either, or being hit by the saucers' counter-fire.

Asteroids was inspired, in a roundabout way, by the seminal Spacewar!, the first computer-based video game. In 1977 a stand-up arcade game version was produced as Space Wars, which included a number of optional versions and added a floating asteroid as a visual device. Asteroids is essentially a one-player version of Spacewar!, featuring the "wedge" ship from the original and promoting the asteroids to be the main opponent.

The game was conceived by Lyle Rains and programmed and designed by Ed Logg. Asteroids was a hit in the United States and became Atari's best selling game of all time. Atari had been in the process of releasing another vector game, Lunar Lander, but demand for Asteroids was so high they stopped further production of Lunar Lander so they could begin building Asteroids. The first 200 Asteroids machines were sent out in Lunar Lander cabinets. Asteroids was so popular that video arcade owners sometimes had to install larger boxes to hold the amount of quarters that were spent by players.

Asteroids is also the first game to use Atari's "QuadraScan" vector-refresh system. (A full-color version known as "Color-QuadraScan" was later developed for games such as Space Duel and Tempest.)

The objective of Asteroids is to score as many points as possible by destroying asteroids and flying saucers. The player controls a ship that can rotate left and right, fire shots straight forward, and thrust forward. As the ship moves, momentum is not conserved — the ship eventually comes to a stop again when not thrusting. The player can also send their ship into hyperspace, causing it to disappear and reappear in a random location on the screen (with the risk of self-destructing or appearing on top of an asteroid).

Each stage starts with a few asteroids drifting in random directions on the screen. Objects wrap around screen edges — for instance, an asteroid that drifts off the top edge of the screen reappears at the bottom and continues moving in the same direction. As the player shoots asteroids, they break into smaller asteroids that frequently move faster and are more difficult to hit. Smaller asteroids also score higher points. Periodically, a flying saucer appears on one side of the screen and moves across to the other before disappearing again. The saucers are of two kinds: Large saucers fire in random directions, while small saucers aim at the player's ship.

The minimalist soundtrack features a memorable deep-toned electronic "heartbeat", which quickens as the asteroid density is reduced by the player's fire.

Once the screen has been cleared of all asteroids and flying saucers, a new set of large asteroids appears. The number of asteroids increases each round up to a maximum of twelve. The game is over when the player has lost all of his/her lives.

Like many games of its time, Asteroids contains several bugs that were mostly the result of the original programmers underestimating the game's popularity or the skill of its players. The maximum possible score in this game is 99,990 points, after which it "rolls over" back to zero. Also, an oversight in the small saucer's programming gave rise to a popular strategy known as "lurking" — because the saucer could only shoot directly at the player's position on the screen, the player could "hide" at the opposite end of the screen and shoot across the screen boundary, while remaining relatively safe. This led to experienced players being able to play indefinitely on a single credit. This oversight was addressed in the game's sequel, Asteroids Deluxe, and led to significant changes in the way game developers designed and tested their games in the future.

On some early versions of the game, it was also possible to hide the ship in the score area indefinitely without being hit by asteroids.

The Asteroids arcade machine is a vector game. This means that the game graphics are composed entirely of lines which are drawn on a vector monitor. The hardware consists primarily of a standard MOS 6502 CPU, which executes the game program, and the Digital Vector Generator (DVG), vector processing circuitry developed by Atari themselves. As the 6502 by itself was too slow to control both the game play and the vector hardware at the same time, the latter task was delegated to the DVG.

The original design concepts of the DVG came out of Atari's off-campus research lab in Grass Valley, CA, in 1978. The prototype was given to engineer Howard Delman, who refined it, produced it, and then added additional features for Atari's first vector game, Lunar Lander. When it was decided that Asteroids would be a vector game as well, Delman modified a Lunar Lander circuit board for Ed Logg. More memory was added, as was the circuitry for the many sounds in the game. That original Asteroids prototype board still exists, and is currently in Delman's personal collection.

For each picture frame, the 6502 writes graphics commands for the DVG into a defined area of RAM (the vector RAM), and then asks the DVG to draw the corresponding vector image on the screen. The DVG reads the commands and generates appropriate signals for the vector monitor. There are DVG commands for positioning the cathode ray, for drawing a line to a specified destination, calling a subroutine with further commands, and so on.

Asteroids also features various sound effects, each of which is implemented by its own circuitry. There are seven distinct audio circuits, designed by Howard Delman. The CPU activates these audio circuits (and other hardware components) by writing to special memory addresses (memory mapped ports). The inputs from the player's controls (buttons) are also mapped into the CPU address space

The main Asteroids game program uses only 6 KB of ROM code. Another 2 KB of vector ROM contains the descriptions of the main graphical elements (rocks, saucer, player's ship, explosion pictures, letters, and digits) in the form of DVG commands.

Due to its success, Asteroids was followed by three sequels:
* Asteroids Deluxe (1980)
* Space Duel (1982)
* Blasteroids (1987)

The Killer List of Videogames (KLOV) credits this game as one of the "Top 100 Videogames." Readers of the KLOV credit it as the seventh most popular game.[citation needed]

The gameplay in Asteroids was imitated by many games that followed. For example, one of the objects of Sinistar is to shoot asteroids in order to get them to release resources which the player needs to collect.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

64. Gauntlet Legends

Gauntlet Legends is an arcade game released in 1998 by Atari Games. It is a fantasy themed hack and slash game, a sequel to 1985's popular Gauntlet and 1986's Gauntlet II. Its unusual features for an arcade game included passwords and characters that could be saved, enabling players to play over the course of a long period of time.

In ages past, a corrupt mage named Garm used a set of Runestones to summon a demon named Skorne (It is not stated what Garm intended to use Skorne for; however, as Gauntlet Legends introduces Garm as a "greedy young mage", it can be assumed he wanted Skorne for his own personal gain.) However, Skorne crushed Garm and imprisoned his soul in the Underworld. Skorne, fearing the power of the Runestones, scattered them throughout the four realms, so that they could never be used against him. The player(s) must defeat the end bosses of each of the four realms to obtain the four keys which allow access to Skorne's temple. While traveling through each realm, he/she/they must also collect the Thirteen Runestones from where they have been scattered. The complete set of Runestones allows him/her/them to pursue Skorne to the Underworld in order to finally destroy him.

A new aspect of the Gauntlet series is established in Legends: the ability to level up the player's character(s) as the game is played, increasing their abilities through experience earned by slaying enemies and acquiring treasure, similar to the character progression methods in many role-playing video games. The four primary attributes are:
* Strength - Determines damage dealt by physical attacks.
* Speed - Determines character movement and attack rates.
* Armor - Determines amount of damage character takes from enemy attacks.
* Magic - Determines the range and effectiveness of magic potion attacks (see Items below).

Attributes increase with each level attained; increases can also be purchased from the Items menu with gold acquired in gameplay.

The stock fantasy characters from the original Gauntlet return for Legends; as before, each has greater starting ability in a single attribute than their fellows.
* Warrior - Strength
* Wizard - Magic
* Archer - Speed
* Valkyrie - Armor

Character progression is saved through a password system; a player can progress all four characters to a maximum level of 99, and each of their attributes to a maximum of 999.

There are many categories of items in Gauntlet Legends, as well as some unique ones. Most are contained in treasure chests and barrels scattered throughout the game, but some can be found lying in the open; most can also be purchased from the Items menu between levels. Gold is distributed through the game in a similar manner.
* Amulets: Amulets add power to each standard attack, but can only last up to 90 seconds. Various types are fire, acid, electric, and light, and there is no apparent difference in attack power. The only catch is that the character cannot equip multiple amulets simultaneously.
* Breaths: Breaths allow the character to damage all enemies within a small semicircle in front of him/her, and come in increments of five, but cannot exceed 15. Like amulets, they come in fire, electric and acid breaths, however there is no light breath.
* Shields: Shields form an indestructible wall in front of the character. In addition to preserving the character's health, it also damages any enemies that come in contact to it. They come in two varieties, fire and electric.
* Shot Multipliers: There are only two types (3 way and 5 way) and they allow the character to shoot 3 or 5 shots at once, as opposed to the standard 1 shot.
* Potions: Potions exist for one main reason, but can serve several others. The primary function of potions when one's character is at an early level is to kill Death, a character who is hidden in various chests and barrels and drains 100 health from any character he comes in contact with. They can also be used to attack several enemies at once within a certain radius, increasing in range and potency as the player character's skill with magic increases. Potions can be used three different ways: thrown, dropped at one's feet, or used as a momentary shield (similar to the Shield items, but only a few seconds in duration).
* Keys: They open chests and certain doors, and appear in chests, barrels, and on the ground.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

63. Mario Kart Arcade GP

Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade-only sequel to Nintendo's Mario Kart series, developed by both Namco and Nintendo. Designed for the Triforce arcade board (also used for F-Zero AX), players can race as one of eleven characters in twenty-four tracks. On certain machines a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card, which can be inserted into the machine again later to retain unlocked items and records.

This game's arcade cabinet houses a camera that will take a photograph of the player's face. The photo can be customized and then will be displayed above the player's character during multiplayer races.

The game is noted for being the first Mario Kart to feature playable crossover characters: Namco's Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Blinky. The game received a sequel in 2007 in the form of Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. It is unlikely that either game will receive a console release.

Mario Kart Arcade GP contains eleven playable characters, including Namco's Pac-Man, Ms. Pac Man and Blinky (the red ghost).

There are 6 stages in Mario Kart Arcade GP, each with a different theme, from the beach theme in the Mario stage to the jungle theme in the DK stage. Each stage has four tracks; the first two are in normal mode, and the final two are "reverse" versions of the first two, however these are not mirror versions as seen in the other Mario Kart games; instead, you race on the same track but in the opposite direction. The player can earn the reverse tracks by beating the two normal tracks. Also, for the first time in a full 3D Mario Kart game, there are coins scattered around the tracks, and picking up coins makes a player's kart go slightly faster, like in Super Mario Kart for the SNES and Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the GBA. In accordance with Mario Kart tradition, the last course is Rainbow Road.

After finishing all 4 races from each stage, a "challenge game" comes up, in which the player is required to complete a certain task; each of them requires the player to drive to a goal under a certain amount of time while under a certain condition, such as driving backwards through a field of banana peels, or having to hop over obstacles that cause the player to waste valuable time if hit. Each challenge game is different and the entire set of races is not counted as complete if the player fails it. If the player wins the challenge game, then one of each driver's special item is awarded for use in future play.

Completing all 6 Stages will open up “Special Stages”. These 6 Special Stages are the reverse of the previous ones and the level of difficulty increases. The time allowed to complete the Challenge Games is also approximately halved.

When all six Special Stages (including the Challenge Games that has increased difficulty) are completed, all races in 50cc are cleared. Players will be entitled to play the Grand Prix mode now in 150cc. The color of the chassis of the karts will turn to gold. Karts in 150cc have a much higher speed than in 50cc, and therefore requires much better handling skills.

Upon completion of the first 6 Stages, the title 6 Cup CLEAR will be available to the player. If the stages are completed without a single loss, the title Straight CLEAR will be available. After the next 6 Reverse Stages are completed the title 150cc Racer will be available. Upon completion of all 50cc and all 150cc Stages, the title Grandprix Master will be available.

When a player hits an item box, the player is given one of the three selected items chosen at the start of a race. Mario Kart Arcade GP features items new and old.

Winning the Challenge Game will reward a user with a special item. The special item is specifically related (and only available) to the driver that the player chooses. For example, Pac-Man has special items including the Power Pellet, Rally-X, Pooka, and Galaga Boss. All of them are related to popular classical games of Namco.

The six special items rewarded have a similar nature among different characters, e.g. completing the challenge game in Mario Stage will reward the player with an item to make him invincible.

However, the Special item rewarded for Rainbow Stage does not necessarily share similarity across different characters. For example, Chain Chomp for Mario and Luigi is “lock-on shot”, while Thwomp for Bowser which is back-dropping, or Galaga Boss which is forward shooting but without lock-on for Pac-Man, or Conga for Donkey Kong which is radial in nature.

In the course of Special Stages, items rewarded from the races will be labeled with a “+” sign, signifying that is a “plus item”. “Plus items” are the same as the items that players can acquired from normal stages, but plus items usually have longer time spans and increased power.

“Triple items” will be rewarded if player completed a stage in the 150cc Grand Prix races. Triple items are selected items from the normal ones, but they can be fired, dropped or used three times with one hit to the item box. For example “Triple Pie” means player can drop a pie three times instead of one time.

When the game is started, the player is allowed to choose between the normal game or to do a time attack, which is a time trial. The results of the time trial are recorded as the player's name and current title, time to complete and character used. The records of the top players are displayed at the end of each demo game.

If a certain timing is achieved, the player is able to unlock the factory Ghost player character. The Ghost will appear when replaying the same stage and level. Different titles will be awarded to the Player from upon the unlocking of each factory Ghost player, from time at rookie, Time AT-20, Time AT-19, etc. The numerics drop as more factory Ghosts are unlocked, with the highest-leveled title being time at expert, time at maniac and time attacker.

If the Player has unlocked the 150cc stages, the 150cc time attack is available by pressing the red button on the left while selecting time attack from the screen.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

62. Street Fighter II: Champion Edition

Street Fighter II': Champion Edition, released in Japan as Street Fighter II Dash. It is basically Street Fighter II, but with additions like:

* All four boss characters became playable.
* Players could choose the same character to fight against each other, using palette swapping to differentiate the second player.
* The backgrounds of each player's stage were re-colored (a theme throughout most of the updates).
* There were various bug fixes for serious glitches (such as Guile's "Handcuffs"), as well as some balancing of the characters.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

61. Time Killers

Time Killers is a fighting game released in arcades, produced by the game company Strata and developed by Incredible Technologies in 1992.

Life and Death, the two prime forces of nature, have fought a timeless struggle for dominance over All That Is. The incarnate forces of Life and Death clash constantly, within and without all dimensions, planes and times. Both Life and Death enjoy victories and mourn losses in their struggle, but for the most part the two entities are evenly matched.

Death is not content with this celestial balance and craves power and domination over all things. Throughout time Death has launched his most devious, brutal and destructive plans in pursuit of the elimination of Life and the gaining of Eternal Domination. Death infused a portion of his being into mortal creatures of power and evil who performed his horrible machinations. And, to his eternal chagrin, Death has been soundly defeated by an individual and seemingly inconsequential agent of the Life Force.

Throughout time, these warriors have triumphed over Death's earthly incarnations, weakening Death's cosmic balance and enraging it to unfounded heights of frustration and resolve. From these great losses Death plots a devious new scheme that will exact his revenge on those who defeated it and severely weaken the Life Force at the same time.

Death plucks each hero from the time stream at the moment of victory. He approaches the heroes separately, disguised as Chronos, Master of Time and Messenger for Good. Death lies to each mortal, spinning moral fantasies and catering to individual secret desires. Death convinces each warrior to fight seven messengers of Death throughout the time stream in order to defeat evil and preserve Life. A promise of immortality is offered to each mortal if he or she is successful in this false mission. The TIME KILLERS heroes, still fatigued and disoriented from their previous encounters, believe the Master of Deceit and agree to meet the challenge.

Death has orchestrated events that will pit eternity's greatest warriors and Death's greatest enemies against each other. Whichever TIME KILLERS warrior survives these bloody battles will have to face a fully powered and vengeful Death in his own dark underworld. Will Death be victorious and reclaim a hold on All That Is? Or will one of the TIME KILLERS heroes overcome the power of this prime force and become forever immortal? Only time will tell...

Time Killers plays much like Mortal Kombat, albeit slightly more complex, with some similarities to the also-popular Street Fighter II. Rather than the standard layout of punches and kicks of various strengths, a specific button is used to attack with the corresponding body part: left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, and the head. A stronger attack can be executed by pressing both limb buttons at the same time.

One of the most notable aspects of the game is how damage is sustained to the characters during battle. If enough damage is done to an arm, that limb will be torn completely off from the character's body, rendering it useless in combat. It is possible for both limbs to be lost, thus forcing the character to fight with only their legs and head. Damage can also be done to the legs, but unlike the arms they cannot be removed. Sometimes, depending on when the blow is landed, an arm can be taken off with one or two hits.

Another notorious aspect of Time Killers is its Instant Kills or 'Death Move', which, if executed and hit successfully, will lop off the opponent's head and immediately end the round. It is simply done by pressing all five buttons at once. Unlike MK's 'Fatalities', which can be done only after the opponent has been defeated in 2 rounds, they can be done any time the player desires. There is also a 'Super Death Move', which can only be done while next to the opponent and by pressing all five buttons while s/he is stunned while holding the joystick in the direction that moves the character toward the opponent. This attack removes both the arms and the head. When the round ends, any lost body parts (including the head) are 'magically' restored in a display of deus ex machina as though nothing had happened.

Each of the characters in the game hails from a different period, bringing his/her own origins and weapons into the battle. The handbook that was made for the game goes into detail that explains the origins and background of each. A few of the characters are based on historical figures and legends.

* Rancid - A streetwise punk, framed for murder. He is from New Chicago in 2024 AD and carries a chainsaw. His 'X' shaped scar is from a battle he had with a man who was behind the X murders, which Rancid was being accused of. He managed to kill the man before disappearing. With this in mind, it is possible his backstory was somewhat inspired from Charles Manson, who had carved a swastika into his forehead with a knife.

* Orion - A space hero of sorts who was supposedly grown in a test tube and loves riding in the vastness of space in the future period of A.D. 2885. He became a fugitive after escaping from police out of fear when he tried to report an alien attack that left no traces of evidence and now journeys to locate the aliens responsible. He fights with an electric sabre.

* Thugg - A large, very powerful prehistoric caveman who wields a stone axe, having emerged from beyond "The Edge". He led a fierce and bloody battle against a reptilian alien race known as the Troglodytes, who were harvesting humans as cattle for food and slavery.

* Lord Wülf - A heroic knight from the medieval ages. His family was murdered by Count Morbid, who tried to conquer England before he was destroyed by Wülf. He is supposedly based on King Arthur, even hailing from Camelot, England and wields the legendary sword known as Excalibur.

* Leif - An adventurous Viking who carries a large battle axe. He was a constant thorn in the side of the mysterious and undead legions of the Black Army, led by Black Thorn, who aspired to take over the world. It is most likely that he is based on Leif Erikson.

* Musashi - A samurai who fights with a sword. Musashi is a brilliant strategist and the finest general in Japan who lost his once-undefeated army to a horrifying dragon. Musashi himself was protected by the dragon's scale he wore and traveled for many years to find it and avenge his loss. Supposedly based on Miyamoto Musashi.

* Mantazz - A mutant creature, resembling a praying mantis in appearance. She is the queen (as is implied in her background story) of a race of unknown origin from the far-off future of 4002 AD. Having overwhelmed an entire area and spreading quickly, these creatures wanted nothing but to cause death and destruction to humankind; after a fearsome war and the disappearance of their queen, both races managed to coexist peacefully. She fights with her razor claws.

* Matrix - A female soldier from the future time of 3297 AD with a bionic arm in place of a limb she lost in a battle, giving her the ability to tap into the commands of cybernetic foes as a result. She uses a sword made of plasma as her weapon. In her period, all of the robots went mysteriously berserk and began to massacre humankind. She managed to defeat the Master Drone, but vanished shortly after her victory.

* Death - The final boss of the game and the one responsible for the entire tournament and taking each of the fighters from their periods. Being the grim reaper, he carries a scythe. He cannot be defeated in a 2-out-of-3 match normally, and must be decapitated with a Death Move or a Super Death Move in order to beat the game.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

Countdown Update:

150. Arch Rivals
149. Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
148. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
147. Super Off Road
146. Primal Rage
145. Moon Patrol
144. Mortal Kombat 4
143. Submarine
142. Big Buck Hunter
141. Toki
140. Vs. Baseball
139. San Francisco Rush
138. Sunset Riders
137. NBA Jam
136. Golden Tee Golf
135. WWF Wrestlemania
134. Hogan's Alley
133. CarnEvil
132. Kung Fu Master
131. Berzerk
130. Tekken 5
129. Puzzle Bobble aka Bust A Move
128. Time Traveler
127. 3 Count Bout
126. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
125. Mr. Do!
124. Crisis Zone
123. Captain America and The Avengers
122. Joust
121. Track & Field
120. P.O.W.: Prisoners Of War
119. Area 51
118. Virtua Cop 3
117. Dig Dug
116. Gauntlet
115. King of the Monsters
114. ESP Ra.De.
113. 1942
112. Mercs
111. Street Fighter III: The New Generation
110. Out Run
109. Mappy
108. The Real Ghostbusters
107. Street Fighter Alpha 3
106. Saturday Night Slam Masters
105. Virtua Fighter
104. Elevator Action
103. Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
102. World Heroes
101. 10-Yard Fight
100. Cruis'n Exotica
99. Tetris
98. Frogger
97. Mat Mania
96. Cruis'n World
95. Defender
94. Arm Champs II
93. Centipede
92. Yie Ar Kung Fu
91. Burgertime
90. Cabal
89. Hang-On
88. Ninja Gaiden
87. Crazy Climber
86. The House Of The Dead III
85. Arkanoid
84. Race Drivin
83. Tron
82. Revolution X
81. Mortal Kombat 3
80. Golden Axe
79. Dungeons And Dragons: Shadows Over Mystara
78. Marvel Super Hereos
77. Samurai Shodown
76. Time Pilot
75. WWF Superstars
74. Paperboy
73. Star Wars
72. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
71. 1941: Counter Attack
70. Virtua Tennis
69. Die Hard Arcade
68. NBA Maximum Hangtime
67. Silk Worm
66. Dead or Alive
65. Asteroids
64. Gauntlet Legends
63. Mario Kart Arcade GP
62. Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
61. Time Killers

Here are the clues to the next five games.

* Defeat Five Rows Of Eleven Aliens

* Defeat The Alien Queen On The 4th And Last Level

* Defeat The Zagorias Federation

* Save The American First Family From Terrorists Wanting The Release Of Their Leader Who Is A Dictator

* There Is An Option To Change The Music

[Gopher Mod]

So, Space Invaders is coming....

[Al Wilson Lives: Thread Killer]

Is Aliens on the way?

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

Jun 13, 2008 14:47:35 GMT -5 Al Wilson Lives: Thread Killer said:

Is Aliens on the way?

Not exactly......

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

60. Alien vs. Predator

Alien vs. Predator is a beat 'em up by Capcom on the CPS-2 for the arcade in 1994. The default cabinet for the game allowed for up to three players to play simultaneously, although some smaller cabinets only allowing two-player play were used.

This game has never been "officially" ported to any home consoles or any other systems as of today, by Capcom nor Fox, and it remains exclusively an Arcade game in genuine form. A port for the Sega 32X was announced for a 1995 release, but it was never published.

San Drad, California has been overrun by Xenomorphs. Two soldiers were caught in the town during the initial alien outbreak and were abandoned by the rest of their team as well as their superiors, and are cornered by a swarm of xenomorph drones. Before they can be killed, two Predators appear and destroy the xenomorphs, saving the soldiers (who are assumed to be humans but are later revealed to be cyborgs judging by their Character's Profile during the game's attract mode). The Predators offer an alliance with the cybernetic humans, in order to stop the Xenomorph infestation. Eventually, it is discovered that the Alien presence on Earth (and the subsequent swarm that overran San Drad) was the result of an experiment headed by an USCM colonel in conjunction with the Weyland-Yutani corporation. In the end, the Alien Hive on Earth is destroyed in a scene similar to that in the ending of the fourth Alien film, Alien: Resurrection - A military ship is set on a course that causes it to crash into San Drad, destroying the Alien threat along with a good portion of the western US, if the explosion in the ending credits is to scale. The story ends with the veteran Predator (Predator Warrior) breaking off his wrist blade and giving the piece to Linn and Dutch. When asked why the Predators helped, they jokingly light their Plasma Cannon sights at them with the leader saying, "They'll know." before departing into space. Indicating their hunting season is over...for now.

The game was based on an early draft script for the movie adaptation of the series and was intended to have been a tie-in to the movie. Although the draft script was later rejected in favor of a different script (as well as production problems that delayed the filming of the movie until its completion in 2004), Capcom had already completed the game thinking that the film would be released around the time of the game's completion. The film never transpired and the game was later released as a stand-alone storyline to the series.

The game featured four characters: Two Colonial Marines that allied with a pair of Predators. Each character had varying levels of speed, strength, jumping ability and direction, and different attacks.
* Predator Hunter
A hunter from beyond. This young warrior seeks to prove himself by hunting the most dangerous creatures known. He will destroy himself rather than be defeated.

* Predator Warrior
A warrior from the stars, who lives for combat. He searches the galaxy for worthy game to hunt. Equipped with powerful weapons, his honor will not let him take unfair advantage during a hunt.

* Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa
A cyborg who leads the 13th Colonial Marine Corps. She is a master of ancient martial arts which she combines with her super strength for lethal effect. Always equipped with a Japanese Katana, the blade represents her soul.

* Major Dutch Schaefer
A cyborg created to fight extraterrestrials. He lost his right arm in the 2nd Alien War, and has since had it replaced with a smartgun rig. He lives only to avenge himself against the aliens!

Alien vs. Predator features a control setup with an 8-way joystick and three buttons: Attack, Jump, and Shoot. Aside from their hand-to-hand moves, each character also carries a gun. Linn uses a rapid-fire pistol, Schaefer has his built-in smartgun, while the Predators both use their signature shoulder-mounted plasma casters (Shoulder Cannons). Guns have semi-limited ammunition, represented by a meter near the bottom of the screen. When the meter is depleted, the character is unable to fire until it fills back up. Linn's gun refills the fastest, but she is completely defenseless while she reloads her gun. Schaefer and the Predators can still fight while waiting for their guns to cool down.

In order to provide a large array of enemies for the players to fight, the game takes some deviations from the established Xenomorph biology. The differences can be explained in their nature as experimental subjects.

* Facehuggers, Chestbursters, & Infectoids
One interesting note about the aliens in the game is the effect of their Facehuggers. Their gestation period is fairly long, but unlike other Xenomorph broods, the victim is often reduced to a zombie-like state (known as Infectoids), and will move around and attack intruders. In addition, in some cases a chestburster will suddenly emerge from an infectoid, killing the host and leaving the smaller (but faster) chestburster alien as a new foe.

* Warrior
The Alien Warriors are typically based on the designs in Aliens, with a humanoid build and ridges along its cranium, and typically a black exoskeleton, although some brown warriors are seen. This breed is also known to spit acid. Its main attack is the stinger on the end of the tail.

* Stalker
These xenomorphs are similar to the creature in Alien³ and are slightly more dangerous than the average Warrior. Of note is that this species does not spit acid while the Warriors do - This is reversed from movie canon, where the Warriors were never observed doing this, while the xenomorph in Alien³ was.

* Royal Guards
Also known as Praetorians, a name popularized in the later Alien vs. Predator PC games. They are almost as large and powerful as the Queen, and are typically encountered more frequently the closer the player gets to the Queen. Royal Guards are capable of spitting acid.

* Chrysalis
A very large Xenomorph with a green exoskeleton and a hard, tan carapace on its head, back, and forearms. It sometimes moves/attacks by rolling itself along the ground in a ball. It gets its name from the chrysalis that it is seen gestating in when it first appears. This alien is very similar to one that appears in an Aliens arcade game made by Konami. Both Xenomorphs were the first bosses of their respective games.

* Razor Claws
Another large breed with a purple coloration and large, sharp claws on its fingers. It is known for its great speed, making it hard to defeat or even keep up with. It is fond of using that speed to make dashing attacks in which it uses its namesakes to cause massive damage and slice its victims in half. The birth of the Razor Claws was a result of a genetic malfunction in the cocoon process.

* The Queen
Appearing at the fourth level and the last level of the game, the Queen is quite similar to her appearance as well as behavior in the movie Aliens. She possesses long, spindly limbs and a thin body with an extremely large and crested head. The inner mouth displayed by her species is especially long in the game. Much like her role in the movie, she is very large and powerful and quite hard to defeat.

There are several broods in the game about which little is known. These include:
* Defenders -- A bluish brood with an apparently hardened arm carapace and head that can defend itself against most projectiles and hand-to-hand attacks.
* Smashers -- A Green-brown brood that rams enemies with a reinforced skull carapace.
* Arachnoids -- A strong purple and black brood that uses powerful jump attacks.

They are assumed to be special variants of the Warrior and Stalker aliens created through experimentation, much like the Chrysalis and Royal Guard minibosses.

The player also faces several types of soldiers and in one case, a Predator.

* Power Loader
In one case, the player has to battle a human soldier in a Power Loader, a robotic suit designed to aid humans in moving heavy loads that was first used in the movie Aliens. It has been referred to as a Forklift On Legs and that is basically its purpose. However, the one in this game seems to have been modified for battle purposes.

* Mad Predator
A Predator (or two Predators, if the game is played by two or three players) infected by the altered Facehuggers that produced the Infectoids. Rather than making this Predator zombie-like, the infection seems to have driven him insane. He represents a critical turning point in the plot and is significantly stronger than the Predators that the player can use.

Like similar games, weapons can be found in containers, or taken from fallen enemies. Linn and the Predators will throw most weapons, but Schaefer can use them all.

The various guns and the flamethrower will run out of ammunition after a few short bursts of fire, but picking up another weapon of the same kind provides more ammo.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

59. Time Crisis 3

Time Crisis 3 is the third installment of the Time Crisis arcade series. Like its predecessor, Time Crisis II, it allows for two players to cooperate in a link play environment, has the Time Crisis signature pedal system for hiding and advancing. It was later ported to the PlayStation 2.

Time Crisis 3 incorporates a new type of weapons system allowing the player to switch between the standard issue 9-round handgun, a fully automatic machine gun that can hold 200 rounds, a shotgun with 50 rounds for close quarters fighting, and a 5-round grenade launcher with splash damage. Only the handgun has unlimited ammunition, so players must shoot yellow-clad soldiers to obtain additional ammunition for other weapons, and use the extra weapons wisely.

The game also refines the crisis flash system which life-threatening shots are brighter making pedal-releasing advisories easier.

This title was later released for the PlayStation 2, together with a side story featuring Alicia Winston as a player, who is only an unplayable supporter in the arcade version of the game. Unlike Time Crisis and Time Crisis II, the home console port features plot elements, features, and weapons not found in its arcade counterpart. As with the PlayStation 2 version of Time Crisis II, players can access the Crisis Mission exercise menu through prolonged gameplay.

One morning in the Mediterranean coast, the Zagorias Federation invaded and occupied 80% of Astigos Island despite protests from other countries and heavy resistance from the Lukano Liberation Army. First the Lukano Liberation Army discovers that the Zagorias Federation is utilizing Astigos as a vehicle to advance onto Lukano. Although Daniel Winston was kidnapped in the midst of his discovery of Zagoria's plot to use tactical missiles to advance onto Lukano, VSSE ruled that the missiles would also pose a threat to Lukano's neighboring countries as well. Anxious about the situation in the Mediterranean, the agency sends four-year agents Alan Dunaway and Wesley Lambert to remove the threat.

Along the way, they meet a resistance fighter named Alicia Winston (the Lukano trooper liable for leaking Zagoria's plot to the VSSE), who directs them to the area where the missiles are located. While Alan and Wesley make their way to the train, Alicia went hand-to-hand against Jake Hernandez, in which she learned that Daniel's kidnap was done through an act of treason against Lukano. With the forces of good reunited, Alan, Wesley, and Alicia once again had to split up to distract enemy forces. As Alan and Wesley provocated the enemy force, they are stopped by Wild Dog, armed with a switchable weapon arm and a new apprentice named Wild Fang, a younger person who introduces himself by kicking boxes at the agents. After Alan and Wesley defeats "the wild pair," Wild Dog commits suicide by detonating himself in spite of being severely beaten. Meanwhile Alicia managed to reach her desired "Point B" secretly and swiftly.

Reaching Daniel Winston, Zott stops Alan and Wesley, but was cut-off by Alicia's sniper rifle. Left with no choice, Zott attempts to escape into the missile silo at the expense of immolating the corridors of Astigos' military library, but not without Alan and Wesley subduing them. Dramatic tensions between the forces of good and Zott leads Alan and Wesley to confront Zott at the missile silo with Alicia confronting the traitor Hernandez at the V-TOL launchpad.

The forces of good triumphed with Alan, Wesley, and Alicia wiping out both Zott and Hernandez unilaterally and the tactical missiles destroyed, removing the Mediterranean threat.

Players must play the PlayStation 2 version of the game as Alicia Winston to unlock footage not seen in arcades.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

58. Space Invaders

Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978. It was originally manufactured by Taito and licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders was one of the earliest shooting games and featured two-dimensional graphics. The aim is to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon. In designing the game, Nishikado drew inspiration from popular media; Breakout, The War of the Worlds, and Star Wars. Though simplistic by today's standards, it was one of the forerunners of modern video gaming.

Space Invaders is a two-dimensional shooter game in which the player controls a laser cannon by moving it horizontally across the bottom of the screen and firing at aliens. The aim is to defeat five rows of eleven aliens—some versions featured different amounts—that move horizontally back and forth across the screen as they descend towards the bottom of the screen. The player defeats an alien by shooting it with the laser cannon—also earning points. As more aliens are defeated, the aliens' movement and the game's music speed up. Defeating all the aliens brings another wave that is more difficult. The aliens attempt to destroy the cannon by firing at it while approaching the bottom of the screen. If they reach the bottom, the alien invasion is successful and the game ends. A special "mystery ship" will sometimes move across the top of the screen and will award bonus points if destroyed. The laser cannon is partially protected by several stationary defense bunkers—the number varies by version—that are gradually destroyed by alien fire.

Space Invaders was created by Tomohiro Nishikado; he handled planning, graphic design, and programming. The game was in development for a year which was divided between designing the game and developing the necessary hardware. Nishikado was first inspired by Atari's arcade game Breakout, and aimed to create a game that featured the same sense of achievement from completing stages, but more complex graphics. Early enemy designs included tanks, combat planes, and battleships. However, Nishikado was not satisfied with the enemy movements; technical limitations made it difficult to simulate flying. Human beings would have been easier to simulate, but Nishikado felt shooting humans was immoral. After seeing a magazine feature about Star Wars, he thought of using a space theme. Nishikado drew inspiration for the aliens from H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and created initial bitmap images after the octopus-like aliens. Other alien designs were modeled after squids and crabs. The game was originally titled Space Monsters, which was inspired by a popular song in Japan at the time ("Monster"), but was changed to Space Invaders by Nishikado's boss.

Space Invaders was a very popular video game that influenced the video game industry. In Japan, specialty arcades opened with nothing but Space Invaders cabinets. The game is considered one of the most successful arcade shooting games. By 2007, it had generated almost US$ 500 million in revenue. The game is also attributed to a shortage of yen in Japan, which led to an increase in production of 100-yen coins. Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto considers Space Invaders a game that revolutionized the industry, and was never interested in video games before seeing it. As one of the earliest shooting games, it set many precedents and helped pave the way for future titles and the shooting genre. Space Invaders was the first video game to include some kind of intermission between gameplay, and popularized the concept of achieving a high score. Excluding the dedicated Pong home consoles, the 1980 Atari VCS version was the first official licensing of an arcade game and became the first "killer app" by quadrupling the system's sales.

Retro Gamer and The Observer attribute the expansion of the video game industry from a novelty into a global industry to the success of the game. Retro Gamer stated popular series like Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, and Tomb Raider would not have been possible without Space Invaders. The Observer commented that the popularity of the home console versions led to a large number of home programmers that later became industry leaders. Game Informer considers it, along with Pac-Man, one of the most popular arcade games that tapped into popular culture and generated excitement during the golden age of arcades. In 2007, Guinness World Records ranked it the top rated arcade game. Space Invaders has inspired the development of several games. Arcade games, like Namco's Galaxian and Galaga, were modeled after Space Invaders's gameplay and design. In 2003, Taito released Space Raiders, a third-person shooter reminiscent of Space Invaders.

The game has appeared in numerous facets of popular culture. Several television series have aired episodes that either reference or parody the game or its elements; for example, DangerMouse, That '70s Show, Scrubs, and Robot Chicken. Elements are prominently featured in the "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" segment of "Anthology of Interest II", an episode of Futurama. A French street artist known as Invader has made a name for himself by creating mosaic artwork of Space Invader aliens around the world. In 2006, the game was one of several video game related media selected to represent Japan as part of a project done by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. In the same year, Space Invaders was included in the London Science Museum's Game On exhibition meant to showcase the various aspects of video game history, development, and culture. At the Belluard Bollwerk International 2006 festival in Fribourg, Switzerland, Guillaume Reymond created a 3 minute video recreation of a game of Space Invaders as part of the "Gameover" project using humans as pixels.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

57. Silent Scope

Silent Scope is an arcade game that puts the player in the shoes of a sniper during a series of terrorist incidents. Unlike most first person shooters, this gun for this game is mounted to the machine, requiring players to physically alter their position to shoot. Other notable characteristics of the game include:

* The Gun: The gun itself is not a light gun, but mounted on an oversized joystick. The featured sniper rifle in the game is based upon the HK MSG-90.
* Gun Scope: The gun used in Silent Scope arcade machines is shaped as a sniper rifle, and its scope features a small LCD display to show a zoomed-in view of the current area.
* Time Limit: Players are constantly fighting against the clock at the top of the game, time is increased after clearing an area of all enemies.
* Life Recovery: To recover life lost in the game, players must look for beautiful women and train the scope on them.
* Auto-reload: Players do not reload the gun, the magazine is reloaded automatically after every five shots.
* Bosses: Bosses have a set amount of hit points (normally 5 or 10 unless they are in a vehicle) they can be killed with one shot if the player hits them in the head.

The American First Family, including the President of the United States, were returning from a function in Chicago, Illinois when their convoy was ambushed by terrorists. In the resulting confusion, the terrorists managed to capture the entire first family, and are demanding the release of their leader (the dictator) in exchange for the safe return of the president. Washington officials have decided to resolve the problem quietly, using military force.

The player's first assignment is to assist police at the scene of the kidnapping, where officers are trading fire with terrorists on the ground and on top of several high rise structures. With these units gone, the player is presented with options on how to proceed. Throughout the remainder of level one and level two, players assist in recapturing the president's daughter and the first lady, choosing which of three paths to take. The first path, the Tower Building, will let the player battle Scorpion, who is armed with a rocket launcher and has the first lady hostage. The Air Battle sets the player against the Scorpion Bros., who pilot a fighter plane. While the Stadium mission lets the player battle Cobra, who is running through a stadium while carrying the president's daughter on his shoulder. If you choose the first two paths, you will proceed to the highway to shoot at terrorist in their vehicles and battle Cobra, who first tries to shoot at you, but after defeating you, tries to ram you with a huge truck. If you choose the Stadium, however, you will proceed to a hotel to shoot terrorists and battle Hornet, an expert sniper.

The player is then given two choices on how to sneak into the enemy base. Afterwards, the player battles a pair of bosses, Tom and Jerry, before entering the enemy base. The last level presents new challenges. Once inside the enemy headquarters the player's backup comes under fire, leaving the player alone in a dark house to find the terrorists. After a series of dark corridors and staircases, the player will reach the warehouse, where he will face several tough terrorists. After defeating the terrorist, the player battles the hardest boss of the game, Monica, who moves fast and has full body armor. She will first try to scratch the player, but after loss of her helmet or the loss of too much of her health, she will go near the president and shoot at you with her sub-machinegun. Eventually, the player will defeat Monica and secure the president, but the player is then forced to take out the leader of the terrorist group. This is by far the most challenging part of the game, as the player only has one bullet and the leader is on a boat swaying in the distance. A shot that misses him or fails to hit him in the head results in the instant loss of the game.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

56. Cruis'n USA

Cruis'n USA is an arcade racing game released in 1994. It was developed by Midway Games and published and distributed by Nintendo.[1] It's the first game in the Cruis'n series and it features locations around the United States.

It was released on Wii's virtual console in Europe on March 28, 2008, making it the first third party developed N64 game to be released on the service. It became available on the virtual console in North America on March 31, 2008. The HOLLYWOOD sign (found in the Beverly Hills track) was removed from the Virtual Console version for unknown reasons.

Although Cruis'n USA was advertised as running on Ultra 64 hardware (based on the Nintendo 64's hardware), it was actually implemented on the Midway Games reality engine.

Along with Killer Instinct Gold, it was planned as a launch title for the Nintendo 64. Neither game made it out for Nintendo 64's launch, however, primarily because the arcade versions of both games were done on hardware that was very different and somewhat more powerful than the console. Cruis'n USA, although impressive in arcades in 1994, got panned in 1996 when it was finally released on the Nintendo 64 due to the fact that the port was less polished than the arcade version and its technology had already been surpassed by other games.

Like in most racing games, players race down one-way courses consisting of streets vaguely based on real-life locations. While racing, they do their best to avoid various road hazards such as oncoming traffic and construction. Players chose between seven different cars to race with. As in most racing games, the car can simulate either an automatic or manual transmission. Automatic increases the speed of gear shifts, while players using the manual transmission must switch during races. Players who reach first place move on to the next track, like in most racing games. Unlike most racing games, there is the option to change the music by pressing the music button.

Cruis'n USA features fourteen courses to race on, but only eleven are on the menu screens unless using a cheat code to get to them.

* Golden Gate Park (Easy)
* San Francisco (Expert)
* US 101 (Easy)
* Redwood Forest (Expert)
* Beverly Hills (Medium)
* L.A. Freeway (Easy)
* Death Valley (Expert)
* Arizona (Easy)
* Grand Canyon (Expert)
* Iowa (Medium)
* Chicago (Expert)
* Indiana (Medium)
* Appalachia (Medium)
* Washington D.C. (Expert)

addition, there is a map displayed between races that tracks your progress. Five routes, including four Interstates, are depicted on the map, and they are (in west-to-east order): U.S. Route 101, Interstate 40, Interstate 25, Interstate 80 and Interstate 70. Notice that the Interstate routes are not correctly traced, the star for the Grand Canyon appears somewhere in the Midwestern United States, and I-25 is never portrayed in actual gameplay (for example, in the Grand Canyon course, the scenery immediately transforms from the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore at one point, and the Rocky Mountains are not at all included in the transformation). Also, the Gateway Arch appears at the end of the Iowa course, even though St. Louis, Missouri is too far south to be included on the route.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

Countdown Update:

150. Arch Rivals
149. Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
148. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
147. Super Off Road
146. Primal Rage
145. Moon Patrol
144. Mortal Kombat 4
143. Submarine
142. Big Buck Hunter
141. Toki
140. Vs. Baseball
139. San Francisco Rush
138. Sunset Riders
137. NBA Jam
136. Golden Tee Golf
135. WWF Wrestlemania
134. Hogan's Alley
133. CarnEvil
132. Kung Fu Master
131. Berzerk
130. Tekken 5
129. Puzzle Bobble aka Bust A Move
128. Time Traveler
127. 3 Count Bout
126. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
125. Mr. Do!
124. Crisis Zone
123. Captain America and The Avengers
122. Joust
121. Track & Field
120. P.O.W.: Prisoners Of War
119. Area 51
118. Virtua Cop 3
117. Dig Dug
116. Gauntlet
115. King of the Monsters
114. ESP Ra.De.
113. 1942
112. Mercs
111. Street Fighter III: The New Generation
110. Out Run
109. Mappy
108. The Real Ghostbusters
107. Street Fighter Alpha 3
106. Saturday Night Slam Masters
105. Virtua Fighter
104. Elevator Action
103. Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
102. World Heroes
101. 10-Yard Fight
100. Cruis'n Exotica
99. Tetris
98. Frogger
97. Mat Mania
96. Cruis'n World
95. Defender
94. Arm Champs II
93. Centipede
92. Yie Ar Kung Fu
91. Burgertime
90. Cabal
89. Hang-On
88. Ninja Gaiden
87. Crazy Climber
86. The House Of The Dead III
85. Arkanoid
84. Race Drivin
83. Tron
82. Revolution X
81. Mortal Kombat 3
80. Golden Axe
79. Dungeons And Dragons: Shadows Over Mystara
78. Marvel Super Hereos
77. Samurai Shodown
76. Time Pilot
75. WWF Superstars
74. Paperboy
73. Star Wars
72. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
71. 1941: Counter Attack
70. Virtua Tennis
69. Die Hard Arcade
68. NBA Maximum Hangtime
67. Silk Worm
66. Dead or Alive
65. Asteroids
64. Gauntlet Legends
63. Mario Kart Arcade GP
62. Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
61. Time Killers
60. Alien vs. Predator
59. Time Crisis 3
58. Space Invaders
57. Silent Scope
56. Cruis'n USA

Here are the clues to the next five games.

* Crazy Through & Crazy Drift

* Dammit Dural....Just Die Already

* O = Offense & X = Defense

* Play As Officer Bob's Patrol Car

* The Ultimate Kombat

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

55. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, released in arcades in 1995. It is an update of Mortal Kombat 3 and was later updated into Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Midway has also released an online version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS. The game was released to the marketplace in North America accidentally on October 19, 2006. It was then taken off, before being released officially on October 20, 2006. The game was released in Europe on October 21st. A near arcade perfect-version of UMK3 also shipped with the premium versions of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for the PS2.

Gameplay was identical to MK3 but introduced a few new elements. Two new tournament modes were introduced. One was entitled 2-on-2 Kombat Mode which was similar to an Endurance match but with human players on both sides. There was also a new eight player tournament mode. "Chain combos" could be started by using a jump punch (vertical or angled) or a vertical jump kick which created more comboing opportunities. Some characters were given extra combos and some combos were even damage reduced. Combos that knock opponents in the air would no longer send one's opponent to the level above in multi layered levels. Only regular uppercuts would allow for this.

Some characters were given new moves. Stryker now has a "rapid fire gun" special move and his grenades have been given a significant delay. Kano's cannonball move could be performed in two ways; one would make Kano move straight ahead like in MK3 and the other moved diagonally. Liu Kang and Sonya have new combos which can knock opponents in the air, leading to more combo possibilities.

Some character moves were altered a bit, in most cases to balance the gameplay. Stryker's grenades were given a significant delay which reduces his bombardment abilities. Kabal could not perform his ground saw move after a spin. This makes little difference though as any moves performed on someone after the ground saw can be blocked. Sub-Zero was toned down a bit as he can no longer create an ice clone next to the opponent to freeze him on the spot. If he tries, the statue will not form. Smoke's spear is disabled after 4 combo hits. Also worth noting, the spear actually comes out of the compartment on his chest, whereas in MK3 it was actually summoned from behind him. When Shang Tsung juggles an opponent with his fireball, there is now a minimum of two other hits needed before another fireball can be performed. Performing a roundhouse when one's opponent is in the corner pushes the player's character out of the corner. Sonya's MK3 Friendship, which had her waving her arms back-and-forth in a silly manner, is removed. Now she simply does her victory pose and a row of flowers grow out of the ground. Other notable alterations include: Cyrax's air throw adds to the "combo meter", Sheeva's ground throw activates damage protection, performing Liu Kang's bicycle kick special drains the run meter, Jax's projectiles have a longer recovery time, and both Sektor and Robot Smoke's Teleport Punch can now home in on their target better than the previous game.

Additionally several miscellaneous features were added and changed to UMK3. The original red portal background used for the "Choose Your Destiny" screen is now replaced with a blue portal and an extra "Master" difficulty is added as well. In the additional "Master" difficulty setting, "Endurance Matches" return, in which the player can face as many as three opponents in a given round. These were not seen since the first Mortal Kombat. Shao Kahn's Lost Treasures are introduced after either the main game or the 8-player tournament are completed. These Lost Treasures are selectable prizes, some are extra fights, others lead to various cutscenes or other things. The smallest alterations to the game include character announcements when Shang Tsung transforms and the "Toasty!" sound is now played during the game's end credits, when Dan Forden's image is shown.

Some elements from MK3 were subsequently removed for this update to free up ROM space. The only bios featured are for Kitana, Jade, Scorpion, and Reptile (the ninja characters who weren't featured in the original MK3 and don't have to be unlocked via Ultimate Kombat Kode in this game). All of the bios and the full body portrait of each character from MK3 are removed. The bios that are featured use their versus screen portrait with text on a background of the battleplan/portal. Like the bios, all of the character endings show the player's character's versus screen picture accompanied by text, instead of using original art as MK3 did (a spelling mistake, however, in Sindel's ending is corrected). The storyline pictures and accompanying text have been removed (beginning with "These are the words of Raiden" and explaining the plan to conquer Earth and the Tournament warriors' struggle). Finally, The Bank, the only stage missing from MK3, was removed completely from the game.

In UMK3, the CPU AI was improved. However, it introduced two flaws: while backflipping away from an opponent, if the player performs a jump kick, the CPU will always throw a projectile. This leaves the CPU vulnerable to attacks such as Sektor's teleport-uppercut, which can easily lead into a devastating combo and if the player walks back-and-forth, not getting too close to the CPU opponent and not walking too far away from it, the CPU will mimic the player's walking movements the entire round and never attack. This gameplay flaw remained and was not corrected for Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

This game is rated M on the Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Genesis, Saturn, and SNES versions. On the last three versions, it is rated M for Realistic Violence and Realistic Blood and Gore; for the Nintendo DS and Xbox 360 the M rating is for Blood and Gore and Intense Violence.

Returning characters are:
* Cyrax (Sal Divita)
* Liu Kang (Eddie Wong)
* Kabal (Richard Divizio)
* Kano (Richard Divizio)
* Kung Lao (Tony Marquez)
* Kurtis Stryker (Michael O'Brien)
* Maj. Jax Briggs (John Parrish)
* Nightwolf (Sal Divita)
* Sektor (Sal Divita)
* Shang Tsung (John Turk)
* Sheeva (Stop motion)
* Sindel (Lia Montelongo)
* Smoke (Sal Divita)
* Lt. Sonya Blade (Kerri Hoskins)
* Sub-Zero (John Turk)

New characters are:
* Jade (Becky Gable)
* Kitana (Becky Gable)
* Scorpion (John Turk)
* Smoke, robot form (Sal Divita). Smoke was originally a hidden character in MK3, but is now a normal playable character.
* Reptile (John Turk)

Unlockable characters are:
* Mileena (Becky Gable) - Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat code or beat the game with Kitana.
* Classic Sub-Zero (John Turk) - Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat Kode or beat the game with Jade.
* Ermac (John Turk) - Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat Kode or beat the game with Reptile or Scorpion.
* Human Smoke (John Turk) - Unlocked by holding a special button combination after choosing Smoke or defeat Mileena.

In the arcade version, upon activating all three hidden characters, sometimes the "Choose Your Fighter" screen (and sometimes even the "Choose Your Destiny" screen) will be messed up. It happens much more often in outdated emulators than in the actual arcade version. Also, by unlocking all three hidden characters, the Blue Portal stage is added to the cycle as the first background in any mode.

Boss & sub-boss are:
* Motaro (Stop motion)
* Shao Kahn (Brian Glynn)

Including all of the original backgrounds from Mortal Kombat 3, minus The Bank and the Hidden Portal (which were removed), UMK3 includes several new backgrounds:

* Scorpion's Lair (aka Hell): This stage also contains a new stage fatality, where the opponent is uppercut into a river of lava.
* Jade's Desert: In a reference to his MK3 ending, Cyrax is seen stuck waist-deep in sand in the background. He will still be there even if he is in use.
* River Kombat (The Waterfront)
* Kahn's Kave (The Cavern)
* Scislac Busorez (Blue Portal): A combination of the background from the UMK3 "Choose Your Destiny" screen, The Pit 3 bridge, and the mountains and bridge from The Pit II in MKII. This stage is added to the permanent level cycle when Mileena, Classic Sub-Zero, and Ermac are unlocked. When unscrambled, "Scislac Busorez" spells out "Classic Sub-Zero." This stage appears in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on Super NES and Genesis titled Lost, along with on Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
* Noob's Dorfen: An obvious knock-off of The Balcony stage, can now be played using a Kombat Kode unlike having to fight Noob to see it in MK3. When unscrambled, "Noob's Dorfen" spells out "Boon's Forden."

Before reaching any of the original MK3 backgrounds in 1 or 2-player mode, the game must cycle through all of the UMK3 exclusive backgrounds twice. Jade's Desert also serves as a placeholder where The Bank stage used to appear once the player reaches the original MK3 level cycle. The background music used for The Bank is also incorrectly played on Jade's Desert during the MK3 level cycle.

The following displays the Kombat Zones where a character can be uppercut into different backgrounds.
* The Subway ¨ The Street
* The Soul Chamber ¨ The Balcony
* Scorpion's Lair ¨ Kahn's Kave

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

54. A.P.B.

A.P.B. ("All Points Bulletin") is a 1987 arcade game by Atari Games. In the game, the player assumes the role of "Officer Bob," a rookie police officer. It was developed during the Golden Age of Arcade Games.

The object of the game is to meet (or exceed) the daily quota of busting various types of law-breakers. The player is given an overhead view of Officer Bob's patrol car, number 54. The player controls the car with a gas pedal and a steering wheel. Along the way, the player must refuel the patrol car (by driving through filling stations) and beat the time limit for the day. The player gets "demerits" for accidental collisions, running over pedestrians, failing to make quota, bonuses for a "perfect day" and each arrest over the quota. Picking up donuts extends the time limit for a day.

The game begins by having the player ticket common misdemeanor infractors (such as those littering) by pulling up behind them, pushing the siren button and having them pull over. Eventually, the game gives the player the task of ticketing serious criminals. Every other day, starting on the third day, the player can go after an A.P.B. ("All Points Bulletin"). When a criminal is caught and returned to the station, the player must "persuade" (that is, beat) a confession out of them before the Captain enters the room. This is done by filling the "Confess-O-Meter" by tapping alternatively on the "fire" and "siren" buttons.

The game ends when the player reaches his demerit maximum. When this happens, it shows the player being pulled over and cuffed by other officers with the message "TOO MANY DEMERITS. YOU'RE FIRED."

The game cabinet is more or less a standard upright. The main controls consist of a steering wheel, a siren button, a "fire" button (gun) and an accelerator pedal. The cabinet has two lights on top, red and blue, which flash when the player presses the siren button. The cabinet has a detachable seat which can be used to convert the cabinet into a sit-down game.

The game enjoyed moderate success in the marketplace, as most Atari games did. Its high-resolution graphics and novel cabinet design, with the flashing lights atop, added to its initial appeal.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

53. Virtua Fighter 3

Virtua Fighter 3 is the third game in the Virtua Fighter series. Two new Japanese characters were added to the roster of fighters: Aoi Umenokouji, a beautiful Japanese woman and a childhood friend of Akira Yuki who used a nimble form of Aiki-jujutsu as her fighting style of choice, and Taka-Arashi, a Sumo wrestler from Japan. This would be the only game in the series in which Taka Arashi would appear; the series' current producer, Hiroshi Kataoka later explained it was due to the technical implications of having a substantially larger character.

Sega had made several announcements that a port of the title would appear on the Sega Saturn. However, lagging sales and the coming launch of the more powerful Dreamcast effectively halted such a plan. It can be assumed that had the game been released, it would have had significantly reduced graphics to accommodate the Saturn's weaker hardware. Other rumors suggest that the Saturn version might have had to accommodate a 3DFX-powered upgrade card, in order to enable an 'enhanced' port of the game to run that would not have been possible on stock Saturn hardware.

It was the launch title for the arcade board Model 3 from Sega. Developed by Yu Suzuki's Sega-AM2, it was a revolutionary game from a technical standpoint, with its detailed graphics earning widespread praise from critics and gamers alike. Characters' eyes now appeared to track the opponent's position, their muscles could flex and relax, the fighting arenas featured stairs and slopes, and Dural, the robotic final boss, was made of a metallic surface that reflected the environment around it.

The gameplay also continued to innovate. This itteration was the first in the series to introduce undulation in the stages, such as a staircase in the Great Wall stage, a stage set on top of a sloping roof and interestingly a raft constructed of individually moving elements on a bobbing water surface.

However, the biggest addition came in the form of a fourth button, the Dodge, (the series had previously used only three - Kick, Punch and Guard), which was used to evade enemy attacks. By pressing the button with the joystick in neutral, your character would move into the screen (i.e. away from you), by pressing the button with the joystick held up the same would happen, but by pressing the button with the joystick held down, your character would move out of the screen (i.e. towards you).

This 'evasion' technique enabled players to dodge incoming attacks, creating opportunities to counter-attack almost immediately. Virtua Fighter veterans were at first resistant to this change, but were soon won-over with the extra strategy and freneticism it added to bouts. The evasion feature would later be used in other 3D fighting games as the 'sidestep' feature.

Virtua Fighter 3 proved to be a success in the Japanese arcades, dominating the charts and surpassing rival Tekken 2. A Sega Saturn port was announced, but the Saturn's hardware could not handle the game and the graphics were forced to be reduced. While both Virtua Fighter 3 and the Sega Saturn were popular in Japan at the time, the Saturn failed to grab market share outside of Japan and Sega's support shifted to a new console (the Dreamcast).

Virtua Fighter 3 was followed by an updated version called Virtua Fighter 3tb (Team Battle), that featured battles between teams of various fighters, one after another is defeated. This "team battle" version was later released on Sega's Dreamcast console, being one of its launch games, becoming one of the best-selling Dreamcast games in Japan. Critics contend that the rush to have the game ready by launch resulted in a graphically inferior conversion. It is also true that this port of the arcade game was handled by developer Genki while the AM2 division was busy developing the Sega Saturn one, which may have contributed to the Dreamcast port's noticeable inferiority.

Virtua Fighter 3 was intended to be a launch title for the Dreamcast in North America, but it was delayed. Althrough it did eventually come to North America, it wasn't nearly as successful as it was in Japan. This may have been because Soul Calibur (which was arcade perfect and had dazzling visuals at the time) had arguably claimed to be the Dreamcast's stable fighter in North America.

A certain portion of the VF fanbase considered the most refined game of the franchise to be Virtua Fighter 2. Subsequently Sega removed both undulating stages as well as the Dodge button for later games. It is unclear whether this was due to technical considerations or simply commercial reasons.

Returning characters are:
* Akira Yuki
* Jacky Bryant
* Jeffry McWild
* Kage-Maru
* Lau Chan
* Lion Rafale
* Pai Chan
* Sarah Bryant
* Shun Di
* Wolf Hawkfield
* Dural

New characters are:
* Aoi Umenokouji
* Taka-Arashi