Between 1992 and 1993, Electronic Gaming Monthly briefly started reviewing arcade games. And while they quit after only eleven reviews, EGM's critics still managed to rate eleven classic games. Watch as Defunct Games ranks every single scored arcade game, including Street Fighter II: Turbo Hyper Fighting, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, Virtua Fighter, Fatal Fury 2 and more. Join us for a super-sized episode of Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best & Worst Arcade Games!
There's a common misconception that video game magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly didn't spend much time covering arcade cabinets. That they were so infatuated with the console war that the coin-op machines didn't even register. In reality, Electronic Gaming Monthly devoted a lot of pages to the arcade scene in the early days. Sure, it wasn't as much as the usual console previews or even cheat codes, but EGM made sure to devote at least a few pages of each issue to arcade coverage.
For the most part, these spreads were fairly simple. They would usually show the arcade cabinet, a couple of screen shots and maybe two or three paragraphs explaining what you could expect. They would occasionally flesh out the coverage to include in depth strategy guides and move breakdowns, but that was usually reserved for massive arcade fighting games like Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat. With rare exception, most arcade games were given a quick preview write-up and nothing more.
All that changed in the October 1992 issue, when EGM decided to start reviewing arcade games. Instead of tossing them into the regular Review Crew section with all of the console and portable games, they instead chose to highlight one game a month and give it a single-page, single-critic review. This lasted exactly one year and led to a total of only eleven reviews. Just as quickly as they started reviewing arcade games, they stopped. They went right back to showing the cabinet, adding a couple of screen shots and writing a few paragraphs of text. And that's how it went right up until issue 76 in late 1995, when they decided to phase out the monthly arcade coverage.
In an effort to be thorough, I think it's only fair to count down the eleven arcade games reviewed by Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Super Sidekicks
#11
One of the caveats you have to make when talking about EGM and arcade games is the Neo Geo. One could argue that the magazine covered a lot more than 11 arcade games, because they also reviewed 33 titles released on the Neo Geo, starting with Magician Lord in 1991 and ending with Samurai Shodown 4 in 1997. However, EGM clearly establishes a divide between the Neo Geo console and the Neo Geo arcade cabinets. A good example of this is the soccer game Super Sidekicks. They reviewed the arcade version in April of 1993, followed by the Review Crew scoring the Neo Geo AES version one month later. When it came to the arcade version, EGM was underwhelmed: "On the negative side, I was hoping for better graphics. The angle at which you watch the game should be more "ground level" rather than from a hundred feet up. All things considered; Super Sidekicks is a no non-sense-fun-to-play soccer game which will appeal to fans of the genre." The game ultimately scored a 7 out of 10, which is slightly higher than the 6.5 average the Review Crew gave the console version. That's good news, I guess.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
#10
Everybody remembers Capcom for Final Fight and a pair of amazing Dungeons & Dragons games, but the company has a surprisingly long list of mostly-forgotten brawlers from the early 1990s. I'm talking about games like Armored Warriors, Knights of the Round and our number ten game, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. Longtime viewers of Defunct Games may remember when we spoiled the story and ending in a Game Over episode, but for those who missed it, here's what you need to know: It's a beat 'em up set in a world with dinosaurs. What more do you need? EGM had some ideas: "Wowwee, another dinosaur title. Actually, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is a lot of fun to play. The graphics are cool (although nothing to write home about) and the gameplay reminds me to some extend of Final Fight." The editor liked the three-player option and originality, but felt that it falls short with repetitive action and a lack of moves. They gave it a 7 out of 10 concluded that "all-in-all, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is a fresh title which should be a big hit with the arcade crowd." It wasn't.
Mystic Warriors
#9
When you think of 1990s arcade games made by Konami, you most likely picture the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the X-Men, The Simpsons and maybe even Lethal Enforcers. But Konami released a lot of lesser-known arcade games that never found their way to home consoles, including our number 9 game -- Mystic Warriors. This is a zany action game with an Eastern theme and a lot of memorable bosses. Unfortunately, it's also short and kind of forgettable. EGM seemed to like it: "Even though some of the action tends to become a bit repetitive at times, Mystic Warriors has some very original touches. In short, a great title with a lot going for it, Mystic Warriors will be sure to draw many players due mostly to its high excitement level." It's a shame this Konami arcade game never found its way home, yet it's easy to see why they didn't bother. With a score of 7 out of 10, Mystic Warriors is one of EGM's worst-reviewed arcade games.
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
#8
For a lot of us, Golden Axe was a great fantasy brawler from Sega that had two hugely disappointing Genesis sequels. But let's not forget about the lesser-known arcade sequel, The Revenge of Death Adder. This was the follow-up that actually built on the original premise, not only with better graphics and sound, but also by doubling the amount of players and giving us a much bigger and more over-the-top adventure. Electronic Gaming Monthly raved about the graphics: "To say that Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder is graphically intense would be a gross understatement. Sega's new 32-bit hardware system does a stellar job. Quite simply, one must see it to believe it." They also liked the new enemies and four-player option. With a score of 8 out of 10, this forgotten Sega gem makes a strong argument for why it's the best Golden Axe sequel.
OutRunners
#7
OutRunners has the distinction of being the final arcade game reviewed by Electronic Gaming Monthly. They would go on to review hundreds of arcade ports on the Saturn, PlayStation, Dreamcast and beyond, but issue #50 from September 1993 would prove to be the final stop for EGM's scored arcade coverage. To paraphrase T.S. Elliot, EGM's arcade reviews end not with a bang, but a whimper. Getting an 8 out of 10 from EGM, OutRunners was ... fine. "Cool game! Sega must be commended for another impressive coin-op! The overall gameplay is great, featuring a ton of tricky courses with difficult and dangerous obstacles to overcome. The only serious drawback is the inherent repetitive nature of the gameplay." It's a good game. Not one of the best OutRun releases, but certainly not one of the worst. It's very middle of the road, which makes sense for a game ranked number 7. Fun, but there's another Sega racing game that's about to overshadow OutRunners in every possible way.
Virtua Racing
#6
It may look archaic these days, but Virtua Racing ushered in a new era of arcade games. By using plain and simple polygons, this Sega classic is a line in the sand marking a sea change for the industry. It not only proved that 3D graphics were the way to go for all future racing games, but also for pretty much every genre, including fighting games, light gun shooters, tennis matches and more. Needless to say, Electronic Gaming Monthly was blown away with what Sega accomplished. "With the use of everything from air bladders to simulate motion to a steering wheel that features a tension mechanism for added realism, Sega succeeds in creating one of the most realistic racing games ever." They loved the polygonal graphics, the selection of camera angles and how arcades can link cabinets together, concluding that "Virtua Racing leaves all other racing games eating its technological dust." It is one of five arcade games to score a 9 out of 10.
Fatal Fury 2
#5
No company was faster to react to the success of Street Fighter II than SNK. Before Ryu's fireball had a chance to cool down, the Neo Geo maker had started lobbing competing fighting games against Capcom. One of he first was Fatal Fury, a so-so fighter with great graphics and a couple interesting innovations (like being able to jump between the foreground and background). Although it fell way short of Street Fighter II, it was clear that the franchise had a lot of potential and promise, all of which is on full display in the much-improved Fatal Fury 2. In fact, the follow-up was so good that EGM even gave it a pass for being a sequel: "It's a simple fact of life; you make a sequel of a good movie, game or whatever, and immediately the sequel is judged by the merits of its predecessor. Fatal Fury 2 is one of those sequels that is good enough to stand on its own." They liked that it added a bunch of new characters and player-versus-player battles, but concluded that the only thing that matters is that the game is fun to play. Final Fury 2 definitely checks that box, coming away with a score of 9 out of 10.
Mortal Kombat
#4
If you've been wondering what game was big enough to convince EGM to review arcade cabinets, then let me introduce you to 1992's biggest and bloodiest new fighting game -- Mortal Kombat. With its digitized characters and non-stop, over-the-top violence, this one-on-one beat 'em up came out of the gate throwing spears and ripping out spines. It was designed to shock and garner attention, but Electronic Gaming Monthly was able to look past that and find a fun fighting game. "The graphics are absolutely killer, with the blood and guts screen candy merely bolstering what is an impressive play technique already built in. The action is consistent, but never repetitive." They concluded that Mortal Kombat leaves the competition on the canvas, which translated to an impressive score of 9 out of 10 from EGM. If they think that's good, just wait until they get a load of Mortal Kombat II.
NBA Jam
#3
When all is said and done, we're going to spend a lot of time talking about insanely popular and influential fighting games from all of the major players. But that's only part of the story, because we can't talk about the early '90s arcade scene without mentioning NBA Jam. With a four-player setup and ridiculous conceit that had you paying money per quarter, Midway was able to turn this fiery basketball game into one of the highest-grossing arcade machines of all time. It's the game that would eventually go on to become a smash hit console game that forced both Nintendo and Sega to come up with four-player adaptors. Even before the Tournament Edition showed up, EGM was impressed: "Well, what can we say? If you thought Mortal Kombat was cool, do yourself a favor and check out NBA Jam. The graphics will leave you slack-jawed like some kid about to score a two-pound bag of his favorite candy." They loved the impressive (yet accessible) gameplay and amazing four-player action. Their only complaint was the voice announcer, which they called annoying. It scores an "on fire" 9 out of 10, reminding us that NBA Jam was so good, that it made us completely forget about fighting games. At least for a while. Boomshakalaka!
Street Fighter II: Turbo Hyper Fighting
#2
Less than two years after its release, Street Fighter II had already picked up a lot of competition. Not only did they have the stuff from SNK to deal with, but suddenly Mortal Kombat's blood and gore was hogging the fighting game spotlight. Capcom responded with a surprise uppercut in the form of Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. Or, Street Fighter II: Turbo Championship Edition, as EGM called it in January 1993. The point is, everybody was eager for more Street Fighter II, and while it would take another year for more characters to show up, Turbo added enough improvements to satisfy even the most hardcore players. EGM summed it up this way: "With its enhanced gameplay, new moves and improved animation, Capcom's Street Fighter II Turbo Championship Edition is tops in our book." They liked that you had to create new strategies to deal with the pumped-up speed. In fact, they explained that they would have given the game a 10 out of 10, but couldn't bring themselves to do it because Turbo is just an upgrade and not a brand-new game. Because of that technicality, Street Fighter II Turbo earns a 9 out of 10 and lands as EGM's second-best reviewed arcade game of all time. I mean, I would have loved to give it first place, but it's just an upgrade and not a brand-new game. I didn't make the rules.
Sonic the Hedgehog
#1
When you clicked on the link knowing that we were going to count down the best and worst reviewed arcade games, you probably thought that the top spot would go to Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat or maybe even NBA Jam. Titles that not only launched long-running franchises, but also changed the way we played games for decades. Hell, you still see the influence of Street Fighter echoing in fighting games released today. But while betting on Ryu, Scorpion or Shaquille O'Neal may be the safe bet, it's not the right one. Believe it or not, Electronic Gaming Monthly's best-reviewed arcade game is a game they called Sonic the Hedgehog: Tentative Title. Yeah. To their credit, the game they reviewed is actually SegaSonic the Hedgehog, a weird isometric game starring the blue speedster that most likely would have seen a name change had it come to America. Unfortunately, it didn't make its way outside of Japan. Based on EGM's review, it sounds like we missed out on something wonderful: "Yes, yes, YES!!! Every now and then a game comes along that shatters your perception of what a good video game should be ... and this, my friends, is one of those games." They raved about the "you gotta see 'em to believe 'em" graphics, the amazing gameplay and the three player option. The nameless critic goes as far as to say that this is the most fun he's had all year. That's high praise. And yet, it's a game you never hear talked about anymore. SegaSonic the Hedgehog is a novelty only brought up as a trivia question. Snagging a 10 out of 10, this is not just the only perfect score given to a game that never came to America, but it's also Electronic Gaming Monthly's best-reviewed arcade game of all time. Who saw that coming??
