My Top 5 Arcade Games of 2022

RetroRalph·video·11m 33s·analyzed·Dec 23, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.023

TL;DR

RetroRalph picks top 5 arcade games from 22 acquisitions in 2022.

Summary

RetroRalph documents his 2022 arcade acquisition haul (22 machines) and names his top 5 picks: Afterburner (sentimental/grandfather memories), Robotron 2084 (rare, seminal dual-stick shooter), Daytona USA (Sega nostalgia), Sinistar Cockpit (collectible cabinet variant), and Big Blue Street Fighter 2 (arcade icon). Honorable mentions include a Simpsons-to-X-Men conversion, Nintendo Super System (going to Gerard the Completionist), Q-Bert, and The Grid. Discussion touches on arcade preservation, availability/pricing dynamics, and community figures.

Key Claims

Only about 200 Sinistar Cockpit cabinets were manufactured
medium confidence · Jon discussing rarity of Sinistar Cockpit: 'I want to say they made about 200 of them. So I don't know how many of these are in existence, but I'm one of not many people that has it'
Robotron 2084 is the game that started the dual-stick shooter trend
medium confidence · Jon on Robotron's significance: 'It kind of started a trend of these sort of dual stick shooters, you know, Smash TV is another great one. But Robotron 2084 is kind of the one that started it all, in my opinion.'
The Grid was released at the tail end of the arcade era and did not achieve commercial success
medium confidence · Jon: 'It was really too bad that The Grid didn't take off and it wasn't this, like, amazing success, but it was in the arcades at the way end of the arcade era.'
Nintendo Super System was designed to generate hype for Super Nintendo home console sales
low confidence · Jon speculating on Nintendo's strategy: 'Nintendo's idea was, hey, let's get and build some hype for the Super Nintendo and hope that they buy these games at home.'
RetroRalph's channel has been running for 4 years as of December 2022
high confidence · Jon: 'The channel turned four on December 19th.'

Notable Quotes

“2022 was the most epic year of arcade pickups. Can you believe this? We picked up 22 arcade games this year.”
Jon (RetroRalph)@ 0:00 — Sets the scale of the video's subject matter and establishes 2022 as a major acquisition year
“My grandfather used to take me to the arcade in Lincoln, Rhode Island... Him and I were both into fighter jets... Afterburner is special because it's one of the games I remember playing, and he was kind of watching on the sideline.”
Jon (RetroRalph)@ 1:59 — Reveals emotional/nostalgic motivation behind collecting; humanizes arcade preservation as personal memory preservation
“Robotron 2084 is kind of the one that started it all, in my opinion. It's a great game. Super addictive. It's really fun. The sounds are that classic Harry Williams era 80s game.”
Jon (RetroRalph)@ 2:24 — Establishes Robotron's historical significance in arcade game design and why it's valued by collectors
“That thing is epic looking, and it's an epic game... I want to say they made about 200 of them. So I don't know how many of these are in existence, but I'm one of not many people that has it.”
Jon (RetroRalph)@ 4:17 — Highlights rarity as key collector value proposition for cabinet variants
“You're buying an antique. That's the reality of it. You're buying an antique... they can break just from moving them from point A to point B.”
Jon (RetroRalph)@ 7:23 — Practical insight into arcade collecting challenges and preservation realities
“The Grid is awesome... it was kind of like Smash TV, but... it was a very, very unique game... The biggest Grid fan I've ever met is in New Jersey. He's called Pinhead Company.”

Entities

JonpersonColepersonNick MadsenpersonGerardpersonPinhead CompanypersonRetroRalphorganizationDream Machine ArcadelocationCastles and CoasterslocationGalloping Ghosts ArcadelocationAfterburnergameRobotron 2084game

Signals

?
community_signal: Arcade preservation and collector community increasingly documented in mainstream media; Jon potentially participating in barcade documentary
medium · 'I'm going to potentially be in a documentary next year about barcades. So I mean, that's winning in my book.'
?
event_signal: Pinhead Company organizes recurring Grid tournaments in New Jersey; community gathering and competitive play events
medium · 'He does these Grid tournaments like every now and then... He'll invite you over and you can play The Grid... He even has a Halloween pinball machine.'
$
market_signal: Q-Bert cabinet pricing remained high; Jon acquired without significant discount despite being desired collectible
medium · 'Q-Bert's an honorable mention because Q-Bert is very hard to find... They're expensive. I didn't necessarily get a deal on this one.'
$
market_signal: Robotron 2084 pricing remains high; Jon notes it 'really expensive' and was willing to pay given good deal opportunity from Castles and Coasters
medium · 'The reason why Robotron is on this list is because they're really hard to find. The game is awesome... Super expensive and I found one at a good deal.'
~
sentiment_shift: The Grid experiencing revival in niche collector community despite commercial failure; fan-driven appreciation and collectible merchandising (plushies)
medium · 'It's really too bad that The Grid didn't take off... The biggest Grid fan I've ever met is in New Jersey... He actually just started selling these Grid plushies.'

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.035

0:00

Hey guys, welcome back to the channel. 2022 was the most epic year of arcade pickups. Can you believe this? We picked up 22 arcade games this year. It's kind of insane. So much I had to print the list out. So I'm going to go down the list real quick, and then I'm going to pick my five favorite games of this year, and then I'm also going to have a couple of honorable mentions in there. So here's the list so far. So this year we picked up Afterburner, a Simpsons that we converted to an X-Men, a Robotron, Moon Patrol, the Nintendo Super System, Daytona USA, Satan's Hollow, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, the Sinistar Cockpit, Neo Geo, Q-Bert, Road Blasters Cockpit, The Grid, War Final Assault, two of those, Big Blue, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Big Blue Street Fighter 2, Sinistar Upright, Silver Strike, a Williams Multi, and Akari Warriors 2. That's an insane list for 2022. But now I want to go through my top five of that list, which is, this isn't in any order of like how I, you know, one to five, it's just the order.

1:18

Okay, I'm going to give you the list of my top five. They're not in order of importance, It's just in general. My first one is Afterburner. This Afterburner upright means a ton to me. It has sentimental value and it's nostalgic. I'll give you the reasons. My grandfather used to take me to the arcade in Lincoln, Rhode Island. It was called Dream Machine. Him and I were both into fighter jets. He used to take me to air shows at Quonset Point, but we loved fighter jets. And so we gravitated toward Afterburner. I remember him bringing me there. He's no longer with us, but he did everything with me. We did everything as a kid. He was always around me, always encouraging me to follow my dreams, and he's just a super awesome person, and I feel grateful that he is my grandfather. So Afterburner is special because it's one of the games I remember playing, and he was kind of watching on the sidelines. So Afterburner is probably my number one. Okay, next up is Robotron 2084. The reason why Robotron is on this list is because they're really hard to find. The game is awesome. It's Eugene Jarvis. It's an amazing game. It kind of started a trend of these sort of dual stick shooters, you know, Smash TV is another great one. But Robotron 2084 is kind of the one that started it all, in my opinion. It's a great game. Super addictive. It's really fun. The sounds are that classic Williams era 80s game. So I just love that I got it and they're really expensive and I got one at a good deal. So I probably wouldn't have gotten one as soon as I did. But because I got a good price on it from Cole over at Castles and Coasters, that one had to make the list. so I super excited to have Robo 2084 It sitting right here it not restored yet but it well on the way I probably I say 60 complete Okay my next one was an unexpected one It was my buddy Nick Madsen, and that's Daytona USA right here. Daytona USA is a game I used to play in the arcade a lot, it's super fun, it's head-to-head, now unfortunately this is just the stand-up and not the sit-down, so it does lack a couple features, like it doesn't have force feedback in the steering wheel, it's just kind of like a return to center spring functionality, but still, the game is awesome. It's super fun. It would be more fun to play with someone else, but I'm grateful to have it, and as a crazy Sega fanboy, this is very much at the top of my list, and it was one that was well sought after for me for a while, so I'm grateful to have it. The next one that I never expected to get, and I probably paid a little too much for, is the Sinistar Cockpit. That thing is epic looking, and it's an epic game. It's probably one of my favorite arcade games of all time, and I did not grow up with it. I discovered it later on. It's just awesome. It's so fun. It's stressful. It's anxiety-driven. It's just everything you want in an arcade game. It's just, overall, it's just a great game. But to have the cockpit, which they did not make many of, I want to say they made about 200 of them. So I don't know how many of these are in existence, but I'm one of not many people that has it, so that's a really cool piece that will not leave my collection. So Sinistar Cockpit's definitely in that top list. The next up would be the Big Blue Street Fighter 2. Now, I had a regular Street Fighter 2 in a Dynamo cabinet, but there's just, I remember playing it in a Big Blue cabinet. So it's like, I do remember playing it in both, but the Big Blue was like the iconic, like, oh, when you went into the arcade. That was the one to have. So I got that. I never really did a video on it, unfortunately, but I'm really excited to have that. I don't know what my plans are for it. It's pretty much restored. It might need a couple little things here and there, but it's in good shape. I'm a big Street Fighter fan. I love that game. If you've been watching the channel for a while, you know that's probably one of the games that's very iconic to me. It's very nostalgic for me because it was definitely front and center in the arcades when I was in the arcade. So that's my top five. So now it's on to my honorable mentions. So the Simpsons I picked up for a really good price. That was only $600, right? But we converted it, my buddy Nick and I converted it to an X-Men. It's almost done. I have to finish the control panel. I'm waiting on a couple things. So that was interesting because it was a pickup of the Simpsons, but really my desire was to have an X-Men in the conversion. So that's a really cool one because I love the X-Men, man. The X is just such an amazing beat And if you love X you have to love that game It just so hard not to love There everything it just amazing It a great beat If you never played it you gotta check it out My next honorable mention is one that's not going to me, it's actually going to Gerard, the completionist, and that's the Nintendo Super System that I picked up from Castles and Coasters. This thing's pretty unique. It plays three Super Nintendo games. It has this cartridge-based system inside, and you kind of play the game. It's sort of the play choice 10, but for the Super Nintendo. It's very cool. It's time in the arcades are kind of short-lived. And I think Nintendo's idea was, hey, let's get and build some hype for the Super Nintendo and hope that they buy these games at home. Because that was kind of when that kind of thing was sort of fading away from the arcade in general. So that's a cool game, cool system, cool hardware. But unfortunately, I'm not keeping that one. That one's going to Gerard the Completionist, which I have to call him up and figure out what he wants me to do with it. because I could restore little bits and pieces to it or clean it up. I want to see what he wants, and then we'll go from there. So next year, we'll definitely be delivering that to him, and based on what we talk about, it'll be how I deliver it. So Mason, we're going to be going to L.A. next year. All right, the next one is Qbert. So Qbert's an honorable mention because Qbert is very hard to find. I mean, well, I shouldn't say they're hard to find. They're expensive. I didn't necessarily get a deal on this one. It was one of those I saw it up for sale, and I'm like, it's Qbert, it's pretty iconic, it all worked until I got it home and then it broke, but that's the thing with arcade games, man, you can move them from point A to point B and they can break just from moving them, that's real, that's real talk, they can break just from moving them, so just know you're buying an antique, that's the reality of it, you're buying an antique, but anyways, Qbert sits in the storage unit right now, I'm kind of bummed that it's there, I just don't have the space to feature it here, but maybe if I can reconfigure some things and move some things around for 2023, I can get that in here in the garage. Now, my last one that definitely deserves an honorable mention is The Grid. The Grid, I discovered way late. It's really too bad that The Grid didn't take off and it wasn't this, like, amazing success, but it was in the arcades at the way tail end of the arcades. It was also a game that, you know, it's like a third person shooter game. There was a lot of those on home console and PC at that time, you know, Quake, you had Doom, you had, you know, so you had them all out there, uh, and you could probably play them at home, and the gameplay would be more comfortable, so, but it was very unique, like, it was a very, very unique game, because it was kind of like, it was kind of like Smash TV, but, but like, and there's a truck of kids that just went by, completely disrupted my whole video. So the grid is awesome, there's, the biggest grid fan I've ever met is in New Jersey, he called a pinhead game guy I sorry bro I always forget your I always forget your name Pinhead Company Pinhead Dude Pinhead Guy. I'm looking it up right now.