How popular were SEGA games BITD?

[roothorick]

You have to keep in mind, this was also when Sega was one of the big boys. I know, hard to imagine now days.

If it's any consolation, they're still huge in the Japanese arcade world, and remain a major player on this side of the ocean as well. They're accomplishing great things -- look up Let's Go Island 3D and Operation G.H.O.S.T.

 

[yaggy]

I operated out run, afterburner & power drift til about 1995 and their coin buckets were still heavy. Very rarely do you see a game still earning high 8 years after it was manufactured. That says a lot about how well crafted the gameplay and controls were. That said, they needed a lot of mechanical maintenance, grease, new pots, alignment, nylon gears, re-cabling, locktite and extraction of stripped screws. Oh and throw in re-welding the wings on those afterburner controller shafts! That was fun.

 

[metahugh]

Sega was one of the big time companies for me back in the day.

It all started with Shinobi, I found one in the local 7-Eleven. What an awesome game that was, the music was the standout for me. Surprisingly I didn't play it that much yet it sticks out in my mind.

Next I happened upon a Sega Afterburner at the local movie theater. Doing the barrel rolls was the high point for me.

Next up I found a Sega Golden Axe at my local arcade. It to this day is the only game I was able to complete from start to finish in one quarter. I love Golden Axe, I rode my bike miles and miles to get to that arcade.

I never remember seeing Outrun that much but I played one at the Kings Dominion Amusement park in VA. I also got to play G-LOC and Afterburner Deluxe there.

Of course Sega came out with some really cool arcade games in the 90s. Manx TT, Daytona, Sega Super GT, Tokyo Wars; all of these stand out.

 

[kcfreeloader]

was power drift the one with the solenoid in the seat that would pop you every once in a while. That seemed to keep my intrest and outrun.

Is it to early in the day to be drinking?

yeah i liked the sega stuff

 

[yaggy]

was power drift the one with the solenoid in the seat that would pop you every once in a while.

that was atari's Road Riot 4x4.
getting shot would trigger the seat knockers.
haven't seen one of those in ages.

 

[gozer5454]

that was atari's Road Riot 4x4.
getting shot would trigger the seat knockers.
haven't seen one of those in ages.

Also Steel Talons had the thumpers in the seats.

 

[kcfreeloader]

that was atari's Road Riot 4x4.
getting shot would trigger the seat knockers.
haven't seen one of those in ages.

ahhh, then i guess it was that one that i liked a lot. But i think the same pizza place had Outrun for a long time and i liked that too. The grocery store had congo bong that i played a lot and the theater had zaxxon that got a lot of play from me (though i don't see now what i saw in it then)

 

[Steve W]

Earlier games like Frogger, Zaxxon and Congo Bongo were successful in my arcade(s)...then Space Harrier and Outrun seemed to be the most popular of the later Sega releases.

If you have never played a Space Harrier CP, you are missing out. One of the greatest coin-op machines ever when it is 100% working.

 

[kcfreeloader]

Also Steel Talons had the thumpers in the seats.

It was definatly road riot that i played. It was a shocker when it started snapping you though!

 

[Schusler]

Earlier games like Frogger, Zaxxon and Congo Bongo were successful in my arcade(s)...then Space Harrier and Outrun seemed to be the most popular of the later Sega releases.

If you have never played a Space Harrier CP, you are missing out. One of the greatest coin-op machines ever when it is 100% working.

That was the hits I remember as well, but I'll also add Pengo, Turbo and Space Fury - at least for our arcade.

My buddy owns a sit-down Space Harrier. I always wanted to play the motion-version one. What's weird - I don't think I played a Space Harrier till the late 80's.

 

[Steve W]

That was the hits I remember as well, but I'll also add Pengo, Turbo and Space Fury - at least for our arcade.

My buddy owns a sit-down Space Harrier. I always wanted to play the motion-version one. What's weird - I don't think I played a Space Harrier till the late 80's.

Yeah Turbo was popular as well in ours there was a very loud CP version I recall in our arcade. I'd never played Space Fury up until a year ago, I'm wearing a Pengo tee right now.

My arcade used to have the UR Space Harrier and that was a cool game but at Funspot was the first time I'd played the CP version and there is no comparison. Beers down at the pub and then some CP Space Harrier and the world is awesome and dizzying.

 

[ModCity]

I remember seeing many, many OutRun, Hang-On, Super Hang-On and Shinobi machines in the late 80s to early 90s.

OutRun was extremely popular, as were both Hang-On games. Shinobi was one you often found in 7-11s and other convenience stores. I'd call them very common. I'm not sure I ever saw a Space Harrier in the wild.

You would see some of the older ones – Zaxxon, Pengo, Congo Bongo – occasionally, but not nearly as often when I was frequenting the arcades.

 

[CHALLENGER]

I'm glad for SEGA. They did have some real good games BITD. I know I made a thread about SNES v.s. SEGA, but I'm glad SEGA was able to hold competition against Nintendo. Because we didn't have games laziness like we do today. ie: EA sports with Madden. Really wish SEGA's 2k sports... They are still owned by SEGA no? Had the rights to the NFL, maybe we would finally have some good Football games that would be worth really buying because EA would be kept on their toes at all times. Look what happened to NBA Live.... Anyhow...

VF and many Sega exclusives were really great back then. I like how SEGA tried their best to keep the games as close to the arcade as possible, even if the graphics and sound were shit. They at least made up for it in content. ie: MK and SF.

 

[awarner]

I loved Outrun. There was a moving car version of it in an arcade I used to go to at the King of Prussia mall (in PA) during lunch. That was the first commercial game I ever finished in public.

I had a Space Harrier that I got for free and fixed it. I played it for like 2 weeks and hated it. But there were a lot of really fun Sega games out there.

 

[Crazy Climber]

The games I REALLY remember playing the F out of BITD
The early years...
Turbo (actually the FIRST arcade game I ever played)
Enduro Racer (can still remember an older teen throwing his cig down and asking me to "borrow" a quarter to play this, my Dad ended up seeing it and told him to give it back to me, funny/strange memory)
Zaxxon (this one was better left a memory - lol)
Frogger (was cool cause my dad would play it too once and awhile)
Up n Down (would kill for a nice one of these in my basment)

The peak of SEGA years....
Outrun (EVERY arcade/bowlarama/you name it had one)
Afterburner (loved the motion cockpit version)
Space Harrier (none of my friends liked this, another one I would LOVE in the line up)
Altered Beast (I was never too crazy about AB but my friends like it so...)
Super Hang on (played this more than Outrun)
Shinobi (was also one of the first master system games I purchased)

Games I remember seeing but didn't really like playing for whatever reason
Quartet (I actually want one of these now - lol)
My Hero (Still sucks)
Thunder Blade (still don't like this one either)

I strangly have no memories of Golden Axe on location...

Newish SEGA games I dig
House of the Dead
Virtua Tennis
Daytona USA

To answer the question, yes, in the mid/late 80's SEGA games were freaking huge, at least for my age bracket (35 now) When the Genesis came out with those arcade perfect ports it was sooooo awesome. I would hate to think thats what made me stop going to the arcades but I guess it's possible....I would say it was probably girls though - lol

 

[yaggy]

I loved Outrun. There was a moving car version of it in an arcade I used to go to at the King of Prussia mall (in PA) during lunch. That was the first commercial game I ever finished in public.

Did it work good? You were playing my machine.
Small world.

 

[copious]

This thread is fun, I can't believe so many fun games that sucked quarters out of me were Sega.....including Congo Bongo

 

[HHaase]

I had forgotten the full cockpit version of afterburner. That version was actually fun to play, the upright I just didn't like. I was big into computer flight sim's those days, and the limited range of movement drove me nuts.

-Hans

 

[DarrenF]

Frogger (was cool cause my dad would play it too once and awhile)

Sega didn't design or develop Frogger. They just had the US distribution rights. It was a Konami game.

 

[JamBurglar]

I remember Congo Bongo being a popular title just because of the cartoony (nintendo-ish) graphics. There were a lot of home ports of that game. Zaxxon was an old staple too with lots of ports for home systems.

Outrun and Afterburner were popular. You'd see them everywhere. They stepped up the graphics, had forced feedback. Top Gun was a big thing and I'm sure that helped Afterburner.

Then when Golden Axe and Altered Beast came out, those were big too. They were cooperative, and they were games you could "beat". I really wasn't used to beating games in the arcade. Aletered Beast was so big that it came with the Sega Genisis when that system first came out. The biggest problem with them is replay value, but they were popular at my local spot for years.

It's hard to say how anything did on a national level but I definately played the hell out of those games, although my memories of Congo Bongo and Zaxxon are hazy.