Star Warslaunched into theaters in 1977, with the first sequel in 1980 and then another in 1983. Considering video game arcades would have their heyday throughout the 80s, it makes perfect sense thatgames based on the hit filmswould be massive hits in their own right.
Every film of the original trilogy would have at least one arcade cabinet based on it, with some having multiple. Then, as the 90s and early 2000s came and went,Star Warswould have a resurgence, and even more games would find their way into whatever arcades were left. With a new arcade cabinet even being made in the 2010s, it’s a safe bet that as long as arcades exist, even in rare form, there will likely be aStar Warsgame somewhere inside of them waiting to be played.
8Star Wars Pinball Machines
The Iconography Of The Movies Converted To Pinball Form
There have been a handful of pinball machinesbased on the legendary film series, including an early 2000s machine that is completely devoted toEpisode 1: The Phantom Menace, but the most well-known machine is definitely the one simply titledStar Wars.
This pinball game has appeared in more arcades than almost any other. As players rack up points, they can select what scenes from the original film they want to attempt to complete, then fire their ball at tie-fighters, bumpers, and a mini Death Star.
Arguably the highest-tech cabinet on the list, which makes sense considering it is also the newest one. This massive beast of an arcade game requires players to climb inside the cockpit chair and pull the door shut behind them.
Then, the rounded dome screen puts players right in themiddle of a space dogfight.The premise of the game is to be the most immersive starfighter experience on Earth, which is what all players will get out of it considering that the actual gameplay is pretty much a generic on-the-rails shooter with very little difficulty.
Unsurprisingly, the third arcade cabinet released that was based on the original trilogy. The big appeal here was that this game moved away from the vector graphics that the first two had used and instead brought in sprites. The game’s premise was that players could use a steering handle to drive a speeder bike all throughout the Battle of Endor.
Being able to see Endor with more detail and color was exciting, but the move also meant sacrificing the 3D movement of the first two and replacing it with more of atop-down 2.5D look and feel.
This arcade cabinet came too late, being released a year after the arguably more advancedReturn of the Jedigame. That said, even without the fancy graphics its gameplay is far more interesting than the simplistic system of the other game.
Players fly an X-Wing with a full range of motion, battling tie-figthers and At-Ats all brought to life through wire-frame vector graphics. The more nostalgic visuals fit perfectly, looking very similar to the special effects used inside the cockpits in the original films.
This wildly popular arcade game was designed to look like the seat inside an X-Wing. Once seated, players would use a control panel and joystick in front of them to blast their way through battlesfrom the originalStar Wars.
The controls would steer a land speeder, pilot an X-Wing, and shoot a blaster pistol in the halls of the Death Star. Being able to experience the intense trench dogfight from the movie redone with fun colorful 3D polygons made this an instant hit.
This Atari cabinet was simple but its innovation shouldn’t be ignored. It allowed players to fly an X-Wing and battle tie-fighters until they could attempt to destroy the Death Star.
It’s a dark and flat game, using simple vector graphics, but it also manages to create a 3D playing field way before it was normalized in gaming. It’s fitting that the firstmajor game based on a movieknown for huge technological advancement would have some big leaps of its own.
With thehype aroundThe Phantom Menacebeing immeasurable, it made perfect sense to put out a new modern arcade machine based on the film. Just like the cult classic N64 game, the premise of the arcade cabinet was that players could participate in the iconic podrace.
The cabinet featured a deeply slanted seat and long handles as a controller, to make it the closest a player can get to actually driving a podracer in the ultra-dangerous race.
One of the peaks of arcades in the 80s and 90s forStar Warsfans, this sequel to the originalStar Wars Arcadetook the idea that made it a success and pushed it further by having missions from all three movies from the original trilogy.
Players sit in a booth designed to look like an X-Wing cockpit and have a new joystick controller that they use to steer vehicles, shoot enemies with a blaster pistol, and briefly swing a lightsaber during a climactic final duel with Darth Vader.
