Top 10 Arcade Archives Games I’d Love To See

HAMSTER Corporation has been delivering coin-op ROMs via its Arcade Archives series for a long time now. In fact, nearly 500 arcade games have been re-released thanks to this initiative. My Nintendo Switch 2 has quite a few of these downloaded, and now that HAMSTER is (for now) supporting Xbox Series, I’ve been getting a few on that platform as well.

As happy as I am to see a lot of these, I selfishly cannot help but think about what’s not available. I know that licensing and intellectual properties have a lot to do with this, but an arcade rat like me can dream. So… I’m sharing the Top 10 games I’d love to see get an Arcade Archives release.

Before I start, a few rules:

• The games can’t be from publishers spoken for by someone else. That means no Midway games, because Warner Bros. owns those.
• No licensed sports games. Team and player licenses are very difficult and expensive to get.
• No games based on movies or TV. It’d be cool to see Krull or The Three Stooges, but that’s not realistic.

Okay— here we go:

10. Boot Camp (Konami, 1987)

I’m a sucker for Konami’s Track & Field games and their offshoots, but few people remember or talk about this one. Here, players take control of a military recruit who has to complete a series of minigames in “boot camp”, like running, shooting, swimming, and arm wrestling. Succeeding at all of these games leads to the player getting called to duty to take on some baddies in a serviceable beat-‘em-up finale. I played the heck out of this in arcades and on my Commodore 64 in the late 1980s and would love to play it again.

9. Raiden II (Seibu Kaihatsu, 1987)

It’s weird that we haven’t seen this one yet, unless there’s some legal stuff preventing its release. The first Raiden is on Arcade Archives, and it’s solid— but I’ve always been partial toward the sequel. I mean, I can still play it via The Raiden Project for the original PlayStation, but having access to the original ROM would be nice. Maybe we’ll see it in 2026.

8. Alpine Racer (Namco, 1995)

This is another game that I used to play in arcade arcades a LOT. I get that the allure of the game came from the cabinet and its rather unique control style, but it’s still a pretty fun racing game that has mid-90s charm. As Namco and HAMSTER seem to have a good working relationship, I think quite a few Namco coin-ops are possible. You’ll see more shortly.

7. Blades of Steel (Konami, 1987)

Seemingly everyone knows about the classic NES game, but there’s head-scratching when the coin-op original is mentioned. “Blades of Steel was an arcade game?” It sure was. We actually saw it on Microsoft’s Game Room platform, which came and went rather unceremoniously… and it’s fun. C’mon, Konami. Let’s hit the pass.

6. Vanguard (SNK, 1981)

Digital Eclipse made this happen as part of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection in 2018, but it’s very much time for this game to see a standalone release. It’s challenging, it’s kind of like a twin stick shooter (but firing in 4 directions only), and the early digitized voice is still pretty cool.

5. Mr. Do! (Universal, 1982)

At first glance, Mr. Do! looks like a basic Dig Dug clone… but there’s more here than simple imitation. Collecting fruit and bonus letters adds to the gameplay, and the introduction of a limited projectile weapon to dispatch enemies (as well as dropping apples and squishing them) is a fun change from Dig Dug’s air pump. I’m not sure who holds the rights to Universal’s games, but I’d sure like to see this one again. Mr. Do!’s Castle would also be nice.

4. Starblade (Namco, 1991)

This is a nifty rail shooter that’s a very cool arcade experience. The scope of the space battle you’re part of is pretty epic, and the swooping camera that follows your ship provides some immersion. The game has seen Namco releases before, most recently as part of Tekken 5 for the PlayStation 2, but I can see a standalone release here. (Unless the unthinkable happened and Galaxian 3 was a thing.)

3. Mad Planets (Gottlieb, 1983)

When I think back to hanging out in mall arcades in the early and even middle 1980s, hearing sound from Mad Planets was a staple. The game is pretty neat. Blow up planets and save astronauts… it sounds easy, but it isn’t when enemies are there to stop you. The coin-op uses a dial to spin the ship around to aim and fire, and I could see why this one was tough to port… but the standardization of twin sticks means that it’s more possible than ever to bring this game home.

2. Venture (Exidy, 1981)

This adventure game has you, as a sphere-shaped archer, visiting a variety of rooms to dispatch enemies and collect treasures. It’s a simple concept, but a lot of fun to play. After getting ports to consoles like the Atari VCS and ColecoVision, we never saw it again… and that’s a shame. It’s a classic arcade game that deserves to be enjoyed by newer generations of players.

Before reveling #1, here’s a few Honorable Mentions:

• Q*Bert (Gottlieb, 1982): Why haven’t we seen this one yet? It seems like an obvious pick, given the recognition of the character. I’d love to see it.
• Fisherman’s Bait (Konami, 1998): Hey, now. If SEGA Bass Fishing can be played with a controller, than Fisherman’s Bait can, too. It’s not as memorable as Get Bass!, but still fun.
• Gladiator (Taito, 1986): This is a selfish pick, as I’m one of maybe a dozen people who remembers this game… but I played it quite a bit in my high school years, so there’s a soft spot for it.
• Cabal (Fabtek, 1988): Most players probably know this from the NES port that RARE did a nice job with… but the tech exists now for us to enjoy the coin-op original. Wild Guns was inspired by this game!

Okay… it’s time. What game is at the top of my list?

Run and Gun (Konami, 1993)

Since HAMSTER isn’t ever landing NBA JAM, I can’t think of a better arcade basketball game to grab than Run and Gun. This game has plenty of dunktastic action, along with plenty of alley-oops and the occasional blocked shot. No fouls here. There’s no NBA license, but it’s not at all a detractor. Run and Gun inspired console games like Slam ‘n Jam (Crystal Dynamics for 3DO/Saturn/PlayStation) and Konami’s own NBA Give & Go (Super NES) and NBA In The Zone (PlayStation, N64). It’s quality stuff.

Okay, there you have it. We’ll see if 2026 brings any of these. One can only hope!