Why do people collect side scrolling beat them ups like tmnt

jouststar

Active member
Joined
Jun 18, 2003
Messages
664
Reaction score
82
Location
Benton, Arkansas
Why do people collect side scrolling beat them ups like tmnt

Other than nostalgia why would anyone want to buy these games/boards? To me once you go through the game and it is over why would you ever want to play it again?

I am mainly talking about games like TMNT, SIMPSONS, FINAL FIGHT, DOUBLE DRAGON, ROBOCOP, REAL GHOSTBUSTERS...any game that if you put enough credits on it you can go through the levels no issue. To me games like GHOSTS N' GOBLINS, KARNOV, PITFALL...are challenging and you have to use some sort of skill to beat and are worthy of keeping playing.
 
I think you hit the nail on the head with 'nostalgia.' To each, his own.

It's definitely not for me. I actually have a ton of nostalgia for Gauntlet, but I know better. I would end up buying one and it would just sit.

Although, my kids used to love to play through those games when I had a MAME rig. But I know they would get sick of them after playing to the end.
 
Because they are fun to play and extremely social games.

Probably the same reason I've played and beat Super Mario World on the SNES at least 100x, or constantly replay Super Mario Kart and redo all the races to get gold.

I beat it, I know what happens, it's over--but it's still fun.
 
They are super fun for parties and get together functions. I have Smash TV and it's kind of the same thing since you can just keep on playing... but everyone loves it when we have company.
 
If you own them, never use continues, and you won't get tired of them as fast.
 
Well of course, if you credit-feed the game, there's no point. The real challenge is to finish the game without losing a life, or a continue.

Lots of hardcore shmup players will 'loop' games over and over again, as quite a few of them will get more difficult with each loop.

It's all about the challenge.
 
I think it is essentially in the way people are viewing the games.

Take Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, or Tempest etc. Essentially when you play them you go through stages which are more or less a repetitive progression and at the end you have a score that perhaps you are rewarded with and might feel good about.

Take Double Dragon, or TMNT etc. Essentially when you play them you go through stages which are more or less a repetitive progression and at the end you have a score that perhaps you are rewarded with and might feel good about.

They are very much the same. So you could envision perhaps that attempting to see how far you could get on Double Dragon with one coin might be fun. Same as Pac-Man or any game you wish to try.

If you could just continue to the end kill screen in a game of Pac-Man, it really wouldn't be that fun I think (I believe the reunion games allow you to do this). So as others have said, you'll get a lot more enjoyment if you don't continue.

I think the reason home versions of many of these beat 'em ups were fun is that the game only let you continue a set number of times.

Completing Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on a single life/no deaths/no continues were fun challenges for me back in the day.
 
Well of course, if you credit-feed the game, there's no point. The real challenge is to finish the game without losing a life, or a continue.

Lots of hardcore shmup players will 'loop' games over and over again, as quite a few of them will get more difficult with each loop.

It's all about the challenge.

Come to think of it, I had a multi-rotary game set up for a number of years and Heavy Barrel, Ikari Warriors, etc. were fun and you could credit-feed them as well. We would set a credit limit and see how far we could get. I did ultimately sell it though...
 
...any game that if you put enough credits on it you can go through the levels no issue. To me games like GHOSTS N' GOBLINS, KARNOV, PITFALL...are challenging and you have to use some sort of skill to beat and are worthy of keeping playing.

Adjust the dips to Final Fight for 'no continues' and tell me it doesn't take skill to beat on one quarter.

I agree with the other games you mentioned, but atleast Final Fight offers a variety with 3 different fighters to select, each with 3 different styles. Strategy comes into play depending on how you fight enemies (all of whom have different ways of fighting also.) Surviving the game and fighting defensively is a major part of the game. Not just some game you can hack 'n slash the way through.

That's why I think it's the best beat 'em up ever made. Way better than the overpriced Konami 4 player games. Final Fight has way better replay.
 
FINALLY, a voice of reason

ezgif_4_311c731376.gif


Zaxxon continues to suck.
 
Other than nostalgia why would anyone want to buy these games/boards? To me once you go through the game and it is over why would you ever want to play it again?

I am mainly talking about games like TMNT, SIMPSONS, FINAL FIGHT, DOUBLE DRAGON, ROBOCOP, REAL GHOSTBUSTERS...any game that if you put enough credits on it you can go through the levels no issue. To me games like GHOSTS N' GOBLINS, KARNOV, PITFALL...are challenging and you have to use some sort of skill to beat and are worthy of keeping playing.
Can't the same be said for the games you just mentioned with the exception of pitfall?
I think someone mentioned it here already....socialization vs non socialization games.
I always limit my quarters per use to avoid what you are mentioning, $5 per day or maybe a little more, no free play otherwise you're right...there's no challenge and why bother playing again since you're going to guaranteed win all the time?
 
To each his own of course.

I myself make a rule that I do not use the continue function (when its available) and only play as far as I can on one credit.

Interestingly, my 8-year-old enjoys most of the classics that I own, but he has been gravitating a lot lately to either my Joust 2 or my Inferno simply because they are the only 2 games I own that allow for continues.

And as a curious result, he has long since "beaten" my high scores on the above 2 games (using continues of course). But when I point this "unfairness" out to him, he doesn't seem to care ;) ...

Jon
 
Tmnt is a great party game for casuals. It also still earns relly well. Simpsons simply disappoints everytime. Double dragon has awesome music but horrendous gameplay, gauntlet is just boring as shit with unlimited credits.

Final fight is a good challenge on limited credits. But you are right. I would take a side scroller like karnov, black tiger, or bad dudes instead. I do like the combatteibes though. Its really the four player aspect that sells it. X-men just rules though.
 
Well of course, if you credit-feed the game, there's no point. The real challenge is to finish the game without losing a life, or a continue.

Lots of hardcore shmup players will 'loop' games over and over again, as quite a few of them will get more difficult with each loop.

It's all about the challenge.

Exactly !!!

I had Golden Axe and played it so much I beat the game on the hardest difficulty without getting hit once . I scored A+++++++++++++ ,

That was a challenge and fun to master !
 
Most games reset the score if you continue, so one credit and play for score like most other games ?
A lot are hard as hell and most people won't make it close to halfway to the end without entering a new coin every 30 seconds .
 
The way I see it, there are games worth having in your collection for you, and games worth having for others. Golden age score based titles are a lot of fun to master yourself, while 4 player brawlers are going to be enjoyable more to casual guests. Some are possible to beat with 1 credit, but most are cheap and designed to wring quarters out of you. I'm planning on only owning one of these, still waiting on that 6 player xmen to pop in my area
 
Can't the same be said for the games you just mentioned with the exception of pitfall?
I think someone mentioned it here already....socialization vs non socialization games.
I always limit my quarters per use to avoid what you are mentioning, $5 per day or maybe a little more, no free play otherwise you're right...there's no challenge and why bother playing again since you're going to guaranteed win all the time?

No Ghosts N Goblins you can put a 1000 credits in it and still not beat the damn thing. Karnov is not as hard but still you can't just throw credits at it to guarantee you will beat it.

I guess the social aspect is the consensus favorite on why these are collectible. I enjoy social games like Street Fighter, Joust and Killer Instinct...mainly because I like trying to kick ass. Doesn't always go my way but I enjoy them either way.

My biggest issue with keeping these titles is I can either have a pcb worth $400 that I don't enjoy or I can use the $ towards games I do. To each there own.
 
Back
Top Bottom