Best year for coin ops....

jonathan1138

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Just posted something in a FS thread that had me thinking, and it was probably sparked from the recent charts of manufacturers by year (great charts by the way).

In your opinion - what was the best year for coin ops?

I easily vote 1983. The sense of awe from the titles during that year - Every game from that year (well mostly) are in my top list, and in fact, i see my collection is comprised of them - Star Wars, CC, Dragons Lair, Spy hunter, if i could Elevator Action and or Crossbow, the list can go on (Mario Brothers, Food fight....)

I think 1983 games had an incredible amount of imagination, ingenuity, fun. Now other years were great - but 83 was the peak.


Agree? Disagree?
 
I think the year 1979 was the best.

But I operate on the Arcadia calendar, which has 72 months per year. So for me the year 1979 ended on Dec 31, 1984.

/Damn, that was a good year!
 
I'd go 1980:

Armor Attack Cinematronics 1980 Videogame
Asteroids Deluxe Atari 1980 Videogame
Astro Fighter Sega/Gremlin/Data East 1980 Videogame
Battlezone Atari 1980 Videogame
Berzerk Stern Electronics 1980 Videogame
Centipede Atari 1980 Videogame
Crazy Climber Nihon Bussan Co. Ltd 1980 Videogame
Missile Command Atari 1980 Videogame
Pac-Man Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Phoenix Centuri 1980 Videogame
Radar Scope Nintendo 1980 Videogame
Rally Taito Do Brazil, a division of Taito 1980 Pinball
Rally-X Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Red Baron Atari 1980 Videogame
Rip Off Cinematronics 1980 Videogame
Space Invaders Deluxe Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Space Panic Universal 1980 Videogame
Space Zap Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Star Castle Cinematronics 1980 Videogame
Stratovox Taito 1980 Videogame
Tempest Atari 1980 Videogame
Warlords Atari 1980 Videogame
Warp Speed Meadows 1980 Videogame
Xenon Bally Manufacturing Co. 1980

or 1982:

Baby Pac-Man Bally Midway 1982 Pinball
Bagman Valadon Automation 1982 Videogame
Black Widow Atari 1982 Videogame
BurgerTime Bally Midway 1982 Videogame
BurgerTime (DECO) Nihon Bussan/AV Japan 1982 Videogame
Dig Dug Atari 1982 Videogame
Donkey Kong Junior Nintendo 1982 Videogame
Eyes Rock-Ola Mfg. Corp. 1982 Videogame
Gravitar Atari 1982 Videogame
Joust Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) 1982 Videogame
Jungle Hunt Taito 1982 Videogame
Jungle King Taito 1982 Videogame
Kangaroo Sun Electronics 1982 Videogame
Kozmik Krooz'r Bally Midway 1982 Videogame
Millipede Atari 1982 Videogame
Moon Patrol Irem 1982 Videogame
Mr. Do! Universal 1982 Videogame
Pac-Man Plus Bally Midway 1982 Videogame
Pengo Sega 1982 Videogame
Pole Position Atari 1982 Videogame
Pooyan Stern Electronics 1982 Videogame
Popeye Nintendo 1982 Videogame
Q*bert Gottlieb, D., & Co., a Columbia Pictures Industries Co. 1982 Videogame
Quantum Atari 1982 Videogame
Robotron: 2084 Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) 1982 Videogame
Satan's Hollow Bally Midway 1982 Videogame
Sinistar Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) 1982 Videogame
Space Duel Atari 1982 Videogame
Star Trek Sega 1982 Videogame
Super Pac-Man Bally Midway 1982 Videogame
Super Zaxxon Sega 1982 Videogame
Time Pilot Centuri 1982 Videogame
Tron Bally Midway 1982 Videogame
Tutankham Stern/Konami 1982 Videogame
Wild Western Taito 1982 Videogame
Xevious Atari 1982 Videogame
Zaxxon Sega/Gremlin 1982 Videogame
Zektor Sega 1982 Videogame
Zoo Keeper Taito 1982 Videogame
 
A vast majority of my games are from 1980-81, so I'll say 1980.
 
I'd go 1980:

Armor Attack Cinematronics 1980 Videogame
Asteroids Deluxe Atari 1980 Videogame
Astro Fighter Sega/Gremlin/Data East 1980 Videogame
Battlezone Atari 1980 Videogame
Berzerk Stern Electronics 1980 Videogame
Centipede Atari 1980 Videogame
Crazy Climber Nihon Bussan Co. Ltd 1980 Videogame
Missile Command Atari 1980 Videogame
Pac-Man Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Phoenix Centuri 1980 Videogame
Radar Scope Nintendo 1980 Videogame
Rally Taito Do Brazil, a division of Taito 1980 Pinball
Rally-X Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Red Baron Atari 1980 Videogame
Rip Off Cinematronics 1980 Videogame
Space Invaders Deluxe Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Space Panic Universal 1980 Videogame
Space Zap Midway Manufacturing Co. 1980 Videogame
Star Castle Cinematronics 1980 Videogame
Stratovox Taito 1980 Videogame
Tempest Atari 1980 Videogame
Warlords Atari 1980 Videogame
Warp Speed Meadows 1980 Videogame
Xenon Bally Manufacturing Co. 1980

Don't see how you beat that list in my humble opinion, but it seems to depend on when you were at your peak in the arcades. 1980 was about it for me (12-13 years old) and most of my faves are on this list.
 
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