with the dawn of the 90s the arcade
games started to become more competitive
innovative and yet still awesome we
better get going there’s no time to lose
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our series on the top 10
arcade games per decade with our picks
for the top 10 arcade games of the 1990s
for this list we’re looking at the best
arcade games that the 90s had to offer
in terms of commercial appeal critical
acclaim and lasting legacy while most of
these games eventually saw ports to home
consoles we’re focusing mostly on games
that gained popularity in the arcades
you can’t kill me number 10 x-men row
and save the city before Hollywood got
its claws into superheroes video games
were popular medium for these timeless
characters and no game represents them
better than Konami’s x-men vacuum konami
used to be cool
the game allowed up to six players at
once each controlling one of the mutants
in a side-scrolling beat-em-up with the
unique twist of the x-men’s fantastical
powers
the game was simple yet incredibly fun
and playing with friends provided some
of the best times you could have at an
arcade the infamous writing such as
welcome to die is only icing on the cake
number nine
NBA Jam sports games will always be
popular Madden releases practically the
same game every year and still sells
millions NPA Jam was a unique sporting
game in that it was highly exaggerated
meaning players could jump freakishly
high and there were little to no rules
so anything was fair game this crazed
and fast-paced form of sports game gave
rise to other popular ones at the time
like NFL Blitz and it soon amassed a
revenue of 1 billion dollars in quarters
becoming one of the highest earning
arcade games ever sports really do bring
the money
number 8 Metal Slug mission the gameplay
for Metal Slug is quite simple all you
have to do is shoot continuously and we
mean continuously at a constant stream
of enemies to reach the end of the level
however it’s not the fast pace run and
gun style of the game that makes it so
fun although that is a major contributor
but it’s wicked sense of humor
the game was of raw rias with his
hand-drawn animations and the
Schwarzenegger like announcer whenever
you picked up a rocket launcher it was
so successful that it spawned numerous
sequels and began one of the best
running gun franchises in arcade history
mission number 7 mortal kombat 2 the
sequel to the game that had parents and
politicians flipping out and kids
pouring money into machines Mortal
Kombat 2 is a game for the history books
featuring various legendary characters
who battle to the death the game was
notable for introducing series favorites
such as Shao Kahn and katana and for
improving on the brutal fatalities with
more gory effects also in response to
the controversy the first game got the
developers had a little fun including
the satirical friendships and Babel
ities for those who want their games to
be happy and friendly
Liu Kang wins friendship number six time
crisis to expanding on the concept of
sequels perfecting their originals time
crisis to blue its predecessor out of
the water and created arguably the best
rail shooter ever the game features the
popular light gun function and includes
a pedal at the base of the cabinet for
players to pop in and out of cover this
helped immerse players and the
cooperative gameplay made killing with
friends even more fun time to get rid of
them it’s still possible to find this
game in arcades today proving the
lasting legacy that this game had on
both the franchise and on light shooters
in general number 5
Daytona USA
Daytona USA set the bar high for
arcade-style racers and few have been
able to match it the gameplay is basic
you’re in a race trying to keep the
timer at the top of the screen from
reaching zero by getting through the
checkpoints as fast as possible while
the racing was fun it maintained a
constant buttery smooth 60 frames per
second and the graphics were considered
the best of its time when it was
released
remember this came out in 1994 welcome
to Victory Lane this led to it becoming
one of the highest-grossing arcade games
ever and stayed in arcades for more than
two decades
number four The Simpsons arcade game
released during the Simpsons second
season this arcade game didn’t just ride
the show’s popularity it was engaging in
its own right and became a mainstay in
arcades throughout the decade the game
lets up to four players control the
legendary family as they beat up enemies
while attempting to save Maggie each of
the family members aside from Homer has
their own unique weapon and thanks to
its addictive gameplay and the co-op fun
that came from playing as the hotest
family on TV there really was no
stopping the Simpsons in the early 90s
number three Star Wars trilogy arcade
squeaking in at the end of the decade
this game capped off the 90s in style
and is considered one of the decades
best its a rail shooter in which the
player reenact major scenes and battles
from the film trilogy including the
popular Battle of Hoth and the Endor
speeder bike chase Star Wars certainly
was no stranger to the arcades as Sega
Star Wars also proved to be enjoyable
but as far as making you feel like
you’re part of the film’s trilogy arcade
takes third place
your scuse me
number two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
turtles in time here’s another licensed
video game released by the formerly cool
kids Konami this time featuring
everyone’s favorite heroes in a
half-shell
please account picture time game allowed
up to four players to control the
popular turtles at the beat up enemies
across New York and other various
memorable settings set throughout time
praise for staying true to the
characters the game was also a blast due
to it’s exciting cooperative gameplay in
its memorable soundtrack it soon became
Konami’s most profitable arcade game and
for very good reason the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtle our four reptilian heroes
have overcome the arc bill and shredder
before we look at our best arcade game
of the 90s here are a few honorable
mentions
you see the ride high laps in you idiot
number one Street Fighter 2 one of the
best arcade games nay video games ever
made Street Fighter 2 is a true
masterpiece in every sense of the word a
sequel to a game that barely anyone
remembers Street Fighter 2 was a major
game changer with iconic characters
competitive gameplay and complex combos
for pros it’s also notable for having
more re-releases than any other arcade
game bringing in new characters and
refining the character balance with
every new iteration
all-in-all Street Fighter revolutionized
the fighting game genre and redefined
the arcade scene as we know it making it
our number one pick for the best of the
90s do you agree with this list my dream
is just about complete what arcade game
from the 90s is your favorite for more
amazing top 10s published every day be
sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com he
shoots from me
games started to become more competitive
innovative and yet still awesome we
better get going there’s no time to lose
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our series on the top 10
arcade games per decade with our picks
for the top 10 arcade games of the 1990s
for this list we’re looking at the best
arcade games that the 90s had to offer
in terms of commercial appeal critical
acclaim and lasting legacy while most of
these games eventually saw ports to home
consoles we’re focusing mostly on games
that gained popularity in the arcades
you can’t kill me number 10 x-men row
and save the city before Hollywood got
its claws into superheroes video games
were popular medium for these timeless
characters and no game represents them
better than Konami’s x-men vacuum konami
used to be cool
the game allowed up to six players at
once each controlling one of the mutants
in a side-scrolling beat-em-up with the
unique twist of the x-men’s fantastical
powers
the game was simple yet incredibly fun
and playing with friends provided some
of the best times you could have at an
arcade the infamous writing such as
welcome to die is only icing on the cake
number nine
NBA Jam sports games will always be
popular Madden releases practically the
same game every year and still sells
millions NPA Jam was a unique sporting
game in that it was highly exaggerated
meaning players could jump freakishly
high and there were little to no rules
so anything was fair game this crazed
and fast-paced form of sports game gave
rise to other popular ones at the time
like NFL Blitz and it soon amassed a
revenue of 1 billion dollars in quarters
becoming one of the highest earning
arcade games ever sports really do bring
the money
number 8 Metal Slug mission the gameplay
for Metal Slug is quite simple all you
have to do is shoot continuously and we
mean continuously at a constant stream
of enemies to reach the end of the level
however it’s not the fast pace run and
gun style of the game that makes it so
fun although that is a major contributor
but it’s wicked sense of humor
the game was of raw rias with his
hand-drawn animations and the
Schwarzenegger like announcer whenever
you picked up a rocket launcher it was
so successful that it spawned numerous
sequels and began one of the best
running gun franchises in arcade history
mission number 7 mortal kombat 2 the
sequel to the game that had parents and
politicians flipping out and kids
pouring money into machines Mortal
Kombat 2 is a game for the history books
featuring various legendary characters
who battle to the death the game was
notable for introducing series favorites
such as Shao Kahn and katana and for
improving on the brutal fatalities with
more gory effects also in response to
the controversy the first game got the
developers had a little fun including
the satirical friendships and Babel
ities for those who want their games to
be happy and friendly
Liu Kang wins friendship number six time
crisis to expanding on the concept of
sequels perfecting their originals time
crisis to blue its predecessor out of
the water and created arguably the best
rail shooter ever the game features the
popular light gun function and includes
a pedal at the base of the cabinet for
players to pop in and out of cover this
helped immerse players and the
cooperative gameplay made killing with
friends even more fun time to get rid of
them it’s still possible to find this
game in arcades today proving the
lasting legacy that this game had on
both the franchise and on light shooters
in general number 5
Daytona USA
Daytona USA set the bar high for
arcade-style racers and few have been
able to match it the gameplay is basic
you’re in a race trying to keep the
timer at the top of the screen from
reaching zero by getting through the
checkpoints as fast as possible while
the racing was fun it maintained a
constant buttery smooth 60 frames per
second and the graphics were considered
the best of its time when it was
released
remember this came out in 1994 welcome
to Victory Lane this led to it becoming
one of the highest-grossing arcade games
ever and stayed in arcades for more than
two decades
number four The Simpsons arcade game
released during the Simpsons second
season this arcade game didn’t just ride
the show’s popularity it was engaging in
its own right and became a mainstay in
arcades throughout the decade the game
lets up to four players control the
legendary family as they beat up enemies
while attempting to save Maggie each of
the family members aside from Homer has
their own unique weapon and thanks to
its addictive gameplay and the co-op fun
that came from playing as the hotest
family on TV there really was no
stopping the Simpsons in the early 90s
number three Star Wars trilogy arcade
squeaking in at the end of the decade
this game capped off the 90s in style
and is considered one of the decades
best its a rail shooter in which the
player reenact major scenes and battles
from the film trilogy including the
popular Battle of Hoth and the Endor
speeder bike chase Star Wars certainly
was no stranger to the arcades as Sega
Star Wars also proved to be enjoyable
but as far as making you feel like
you’re part of the film’s trilogy arcade
takes third place
your scuse me
number two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
turtles in time here’s another licensed
video game released by the formerly cool
kids Konami this time featuring
everyone’s favorite heroes in a
half-shell
please account picture time game allowed
up to four players to control the
popular turtles at the beat up enemies
across New York and other various
memorable settings set throughout time
praise for staying true to the
characters the game was also a blast due
to it’s exciting cooperative gameplay in
its memorable soundtrack it soon became
Konami’s most profitable arcade game and
for very good reason the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtle our four reptilian heroes
have overcome the arc bill and shredder
before we look at our best arcade game
of the 90s here are a few honorable
mentions
you see the ride high laps in you idiot
number one Street Fighter 2 one of the
best arcade games nay video games ever
made Street Fighter 2 is a true
masterpiece in every sense of the word a
sequel to a game that barely anyone
remembers Street Fighter 2 was a major
game changer with iconic characters
competitive gameplay and complex combos
for pros it’s also notable for having
more re-releases than any other arcade
game bringing in new characters and
refining the character balance with
every new iteration
all-in-all Street Fighter revolutionized
the fighting game genre and redefined
the arcade scene as we know it making it
our number one pick for the best of the
90s do you agree with this list my dream
is just about complete what arcade game
from the 90s is your favorite for more
amazing top 10s published every day be
sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com he
shoots from me
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