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Arcade games | The Guardian

December 2024

Forget charades, I have found the worst Christmas game of all time – and I love it
Ellie Gibson
While ostensibly terrible, Santa’s Speedy Quest is also addictive, hilarious, only 79p – and in its own fiendish way, exactly what we need at this time of year

Simon Parkin on games
UFO 50 review – a galaxy of 80s games brought brilliantly back to the future
This bundle of 50 new games from the creator of Spelunky offers an electrifying range of retro genres rebooted, from point-and-click horror to Pong

Atari 400 Mini review – a fascinating adventure in the land of 8-bit
‘A portal to a new world’: when the Trocadero was the centre of the video game universe

The quest for Sky Skipper, the rarest Nintendo arcade machine in the world
How a dedicated collector rallied an international team to track down the long-forgotten 1981 title and painstakingly recreate the original cabinet

Best culture of 2023 so far
‘You can play it for five minutes or play it for five hours’: Guardian readers’ best games of 2023 so far
From new iterations of Street Fighter, Diablo and Zelda to modern takes on 80s arcades and an evil pizza atop a pizza tower, readers share their picks

Remember the Quickshot? Why it’s worth rediscovering the joy of joysticks
The suction-padded joystick was once the games controller sans pareil until it was usurped by the multi-button joypad – but with the return of retro gaming, it’s making a comeback

A beautifully preserved slice of video game history – Toaplan Arcade Shoot ‘Em Up Collection Vol 1 review
Four games from a cult 1980s shoot-em-up developer – from Zero Wing to Truxton – show the value of game preservation

Game over: UK arcades face closure threat as energy bills soar by 1,000%
Some operators weigh up weekend-only opening as soaring energy prices remain stubbornly high

Infinite lives: the company saving old arcade machines
For a generation of players, these colourful cabinets house not just ailing electronics, but formative memories. Meet the people who save them from landfill

Pushing Buttons newsletter
Pushing Buttons: the viral music game that revived my teenage obsession
This ridiculous Trombone Champ is an encore to all of the wild rhythm games I grew up on – and a fitting return for a forgotten genre

When life gives you lemons, video games can be the escape we need
Dominik Diamond
Dominik Diamond hasn’t had the best month – but scampering around in a virtual world full of robot dinosaurs has at least given him a break

Windjammers 2 review – resuscitated sports game brings back joy of the arcade
With its special combos and metres, this frenetic and summery Air Hockey-style game has more in common with Street Fighter than with other sports games

Experience
Experience: I’m the best Tetris player in the world
I’m only 13, but my brother and I both qualified for the World Championships. In the final it was just us, facing off for the title

‘My housemates and I are addicted’: 15 video games perfect for lockdown brain
Guardian Australia staff – and their children! – recommend games they’ve turned to for joy, diversion and much-needed escapism

The 15 greatest video games of the 80s – ranked!
Button-bashing arcade sports vied with the thrill of urban planning, Pac-Man ate up everything, and Super Mario Bros smashed gaming into the mainstream
Capcom Arcade Stadium review – recapture the magic
A bundle of 32 retro games offers classic Street Fighter action, ghostly quests, air battles – with the added bonus of not having to stop when your pocket money runs out
The 15 greatest video games of the 70s – ranked!
From the simplicity of Pong’s two bats and a ball to Space Invaders’ advancing ranks of aliens, the 70s saw the rise of a phenomenon that mesmerised the world