Games that trigger old, long lost memories

Torin

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So, I was down at Grinkers playing Gravitar yesterday and I was sure that I had never played the game before this year. I decided to enter into the 9000 point planet and the green maze came up. That's when the memories came flooding back from who-knows when. I just know that I've definitely played that screen before and I just thought it was cool as hell to have something like that happen after probably close to 30 years!

Anyone else have something like that happen?
 
Super Pac. Every time I hear the attract, I'm taken back to the Corner Arcade in Clear Lake, WI. One of my favorite afterschool hangouts.

Star Wars. When I was 13, Johndale Video in Amery, WI had this game. I was playing that game when this girl I had a crush on came up behind me and hugged me from behind when I was playing it. She smelled like Juicy Fruit gum and hairspray. I could feel her chest against my back and I sprang a woodie faster than Frizz in a kilt on a windy day. I made out with the same girl next to the juke box to the song "I ran" by Flock of Seagulls later that afternoon.

That was a great day.
 
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Star Wars. When I was 13, Johndale Video in Amery, WI had this game. I was playing that game when this girl I had a crush on came up behind me and hugged me from behind when I was playing it. She smelled like Juicy Fruit gum and hairspray. I could feel her chest against my back and I sprang a woodie faster than Frizz in a kilt on a windy day. I made out with the same girl next to the juke box to the song "I ran" by Flock of Seagulls later than afternoon.

That was a great day.


Coolest MFing story ever, bro!
 
To add to this thread, a lot of games remind me of places and people. I have an affinity for Mr. Do! now, even though I rarely played it back in the day.

But when I was 10 or 11 or so, my family and I went on vacation to Disneyland. It was a long drive up from Phoenix to Anaheim, and we got in around a late dinnertime. The motel was near Disneyland, so we could see it, and my sister and I were really excited because we knew the next day we'd be there.

Since my baby brother was sleepy (side note: he's 32 now), my mom stayed at the motel while my dad, sister and I went to find something for dinner. There was a Pizza Hut nearby, so we decided to grab dinner there.

We went it, and there I saw the gaudiest, most-beautiful arcade game I had seen to that point- a dedicated Universal Mr. Do!. While my dad ordered, my sister and I made a beeline to the game (more me, she was looking at the jukebox). After ordering, my dad came over, fished out a few quarters, and let me play a few games of Mr. Do! while we waited for the order. That was the only time I played Mr. Do until I was much, much older.

I don't remember much from that particular Disneyland trip (been there at least 10 times in my life), but I will always remember that first encounter with Mr. Do!.
 
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I played Elevator Action twice when I was a kid; both machines had been in restaurants. Always reminds me that going out to eat was *the* thing we did as a family for fun. Worked for me.

Also, I remember both machines had the sound effects volume loud, and the music fairly soft - which is the "right" way to play Elevator Action. I don't hold out much hope that they'll program separate volume levels on the ArcadeSD, but maybe someday...
 
My couple

Spy Hunter upright: Early 1980s, NH or VT dog track with my grandmother.. She taught me never to bet on a dog (or horse) that took a crap right before the race.. As they don't have anything to run for :)

Must have dumped $20 in quarters in that game.

Krull: Winter Haven Florida, early to mid 1980s.. Gold Mine arcade at some mall, you had to walk through a huge barrel to get into the place.. Played Krull till my hands stopped working!
 
Tron in Westerville mall. At funway freeway arcade. I walked in a thought " what the heck is that"! It had the upper monitor. That was a first for me. Man I loved that arcade. BMX and video games, all summer! The 80's ruled!
 
Sun, naps on buses, and Space Wars / Space Invaders will always go together for me.

Summer of 1979 our family and grandparents took the trip from Kelowna BC down to California to visit the Magic Kingdom. A lot of firsts on that trip - first trip on a plane, first trip to California, and first time playing Space Wars and Space Invaders in the game room at the Anaheim Howard Johnson. I loved inputting the environmental conditions on the Space Wars keypad, and always flubbed the button controls on Invaders. On our third day there I slept through the entire bus tour of Beverly Hills, but I made up for it by dropping more quarters on my grandfather's tab.

Oh, and I also saw the Venus probe ("Death Probe") featured in the Six Million Dollar Man abandoned on a Universal back lot. Very cool.
 
Tron in Westerville mall. At funway freeway arcade. I walked in a thought " what the heck is that"! It had the upper monitor. That was a first for me.

We keep hearing rumors of people having the original ones...but not too much substantial evidence (at least, none that I've seen). Very cool. Westerville Mall in what state?
 
Stunt Cycle....only played it once in my life...i believe 1976 time frame??..I was 6 yrs old....it was at a local pizza place...we went there one night and my dad gave me some quarters to play...it blew my mind...at a mere 6 yrs old, in some bizarre way, i totally understood INSTANTLY how to feather the throttle to get the perfect jump....and i just thought it was the coolest thing ever...here I am now 44 yrs old and have never seen one or played one since....would be cool to own one but I wouldn't consider it my "grail".

And one other game...which again..I played once but stuck with me FOREVER not because of the enjoyment of it..simply because I can not for the life of me remember the name of it...id call it more of a frustrated memory....1985 or so..I am at the local arcade, Diamond Jim's, which i'd go to the mall once a week to hit up the arcade....and i played this game that had the almost exact game play as Xenvious...BUT...all i can remember it had a more of a redish/orange-ish terrain you fly over....and i think but not sure there was volcano's with lava flowing out that you fly over....i just have vague memory of it and the game was there ONLY one week..so the next week i went to play it it was gone....totally forgot the name of it.....and no lie, for DECADES it haunted me.."what the hell was that game!!!??!!"...every now and then id look up yotube vids..or ask questions on some sites and i just couldnt get a name.....then about a month ago when I got into this hobby I joined a facebook page and again asked (posted) the question on the members wall...next day i got a response....the guy said it might be Vulgas.....looked it up on youtube...and there it was after 29 yrs thinking about it i finally got a name!!....so i watched the vid over and over to see if it jogged any memory to make sure it was Vulgas....so im about 80% sure that was it.....i slept good that night hahah
 
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