KEITH FEINSTEIN'S TOP TEN COIN-OP VIDEOGAMES keith@videotopia.com Ok... well... I am going to try and keep this to 10, but you know what... that's really hard, but I think I can manage. Let me first say that I will stand by the games on this list until the end of time, but the numbering may change according to mood ;). Let me also mention that I am just talking "favorite" here, not historic, because that is an entire different top 10 (with a number of overlaps), and one that I am also obsessed with. 10. Solar Quest (Cinematronics) A beautiful vector game with a really nice mirrored-in effect. The "feel" of your ship is much more grounded than in Asteroids (of which this game is enormously "influenced" by) and consequently you can really whip your ship around to take out pursuers. 9. Warrior (Cinematronics) MAGNIFICENT backdrop, beautiful scene of the battleground, the stairs, the depth of the pits, the fantastic artwork on the inner walls of the cab. They did a great deal of work on this machine. The sparkling brilliance of the de-rezzing Warriors is entrancing. The only draw-back (besides the fear of running a Cinematronics Vector monitor) is that it is a 2-player game only. 8. Blaster (Williams) Eugene Jarvis's philosophical sequel to Robotron happens to be an incredibly intense contest. Alot of people have said that Blaster isnt all that great, well... I'd say that had to be sour grapes because they can't find one since it's so damned rare, but I play this pup all the time in the exhibit and while, during certain stages (can you say "Robot Grid"?) it becomes hard to even see, its a great game. The 49-way joystick is key, and like Sinistar, isnt likely to translate well in emulation ( I shudder at the very word). 7. Robotron: 2084 (Williams) I just blur my eyes and see the robot's as a big ameoba-like flow.... its the only way I can survive long in this, the near definition of "classic video game". 6. Asteroids (Atari, Inc.) Press "Fire"...Just watch those nova-flares of brilliant vector light fly.... Go Quadrascan, Go! Emulations should be illegal.... your shot is a pulsing, entrancing star... not a single freaking pixel... no one should see the game like that... it's just not right... it makes me sad. Gonna pit the rules... and maybe if we get some time and some freinds together, a nice ROM image of "Zen" Asteroids scoring together and up on the new Videotopia site. 5. Warlords (Atari, Inc.) The upright is much more beautiful of a game, with the half-silvered mirror reflecting the game onto that gorgeous 3-D backdrop. But the true way to play the game is on the 4-player table. 4. Discs of Tron (Bally) I love this game, you ARE playing against someone else.... just in this case that opponent is a collection of algorithims rather than chemicals ;). I have all 3 variants of the game, environmental, original (non-speaking) upright, and the "half-enviro" skinny marquee upright. 3. I, Robot (Atari) An absolute landmark and one of the rarest machines around. Stunningly smooth 3-D, a combo (in my book) of Tempest (3-D shooting segments), Pac-Man (erasing the red tiles), and a puzzle game (due to the design of the "playfeilds". Dave Thuerer knew what he was doing, even if no one else did at the time. (tie) 2. Tempest (Atari, Inc.) Tempest is modern art. A surrealistic masterpeice. The heavens love color-vector graphics. 2. Daytona USA (Sega) There has never been a better racing game. This is a classic. Classic's let you inject your own stly into the game play, and Daytona embodies that quality, the gorgeous graphics, the perfect force-feedback. This game is the definition of "soul", it brings you to the height of multiplayer competition, while the game physics allow you to enjoy the single player game for years (I've had my twin since june of 96 and I still play it with a fervor.... while games without the "spark" that Daytona has become boring after only a few weeks (SuperGT anyone??? I thought not.) 1. Star Wars (Atari, Inc.) This is the greatest video game of all-time. It never gets old, its gorgeous, ( still love the tumbling components of the TIE fighters ) has a harmony of gameplay to controller that only games like Alpine Racer have recently matched, and just has more of that "special something" than any other game in the history of game-dom.... maybe its the Force.... sorry... had to say it. Star Wars was the first game I ever owned, and in the 7 years of collecting, I still do not own a game that can match it in the "I Freaking love this game" dept. I may play Tempest or Daytona more, but thats only because they are relatively short bursts of intensity, Star Wars (when you get reeeaaallllyy good at it) is a game of endurance. After about 45 minutes of play, you have to start playing one-handed, alternating between left and right to give your trigger fingers a break. My best score had me rolling the score over, and then basically just deciding when I should just stop... the fact that the bathroom had a cewrtain appeal at the time had alot to do with the final score. Games I love to death... Tank Defender Quantum Rip-Off Zoo Keeper Alpine Racer Sinistar Space Invaders and many, many more.... this is really a hard thing to do you know....