What Makes a Good Arcade Game?

How?

To the point, what needs to be done first is having a difficulty that is challenging, but isn't making you lose your lives within the first few levels. One of my picks for best arcade game ever is Galaga. They ease you in with the aliens being adequate and then by the fifth round, you're in for the fight of your life and getting through a few more before getting a game over. Namco is a good example of giving you a chance but making you earn your right to beat a game or get far compared to others.

There's other things. One is not making graphics blend in with shots in shooters or shots being very small. That's not good design. Neither is overloading your game with enemies. Yes, the point is to get people to spend more quarters back then, but you don't want someone getting frustrated within a few minutes. A game like Robotron can be a bit overwhelming but compared to most, it's not trying to be purposefully pissing you off.

Last is some variety of shaking things up in a game to keep it fresh. No one wants to be bored. Maybe a level goes a different direction. Or that playing with a friend can even the odds. Whatever the case, the best kind of games give you a lot to offer within a ten minute span or more if you're that good in something like Ninja Turtles or driving games such as Daytona USA or Ridge Racer.

Those are some of my thoughts on what makes an arcade game good. What are some of your favorites?