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6/16/2025, 8:37:49 PM
How I Approached Arcade Games in the 1990s and 2000s
During the time when I regularly visited arcades in the 1990s and early 2000s, my approach to arcade games was guided by a simple yet deliberate method. I would first evaluate whether a game appeared engaging or visually appealing enough to capture my interest. If it did, I would insert a single credit and play to see how far I could progress.
In cases where the game presented a fair and well-balanced challenge — titles such as Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, Marvel vs. Capcom, or Soul Calibur II, for instance — I would return on future visits with the goal of advancing further each time, always using only one credit per attempt. I intentionally avoided spending more than one credit per game, as I valued the experience of sampling a variety of machines during each arcade visit.
Conversely, if a game felt unfair or poorly balanced in its level of difficulty, I would choose not to play it again. Examples of games that, in my view, exhibited this type of design included House of the Dead, Turtles in Time, and Sunset Riders. For these, I would spend a single credit once and then move on permanently.
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During the time when I regularly visited arcades in the 1990s and early 2000s, my approach to arcade games was guided by a simple yet deliberate method. I would first evaluate whether a game appeared engaging or visually appealing enough to capture my interest. If it did, I would insert a single credit and play to see how far I could progress.
In cases where the game presented a fair and well-balanced challenge — titles such as Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, Marvel vs. Capcom, or Soul Calibur II, for instance — I would return on future visits with the goal of advancing further each time, always using only one credit per attempt. I intentionally avoided spending more than one credit per game, as I valued the experience of sampling a variety of machines during each arcade visit.
Conversely, if a game felt unfair or poorly balanced in its level of difficulty, I would choose not to play it again. Examples of games that, in my view, exhibited this type of design included House of the Dead, Turtles in Time, and Sunset Riders. For these, I would spend a single credit once and then move on permanently.
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