Arkanoid
Taito - 1986
Generation: 3
Machine: Arcade, and many others
Genre: Vehicle Shooter
Not the original but clearly the best; Arkanoid elevated the breakout genre to its pinnacle. Ever since I played the simple breakout clone on the free Horizons tape that came with the early ZX Spectrums, I've been a fan of the bat, ball and brick games. When Arkanoid came along I was impressed, added to the mix were power ups (and downs), different brick behaviours and the distraction of odd little aliens floating down from the top of the screen. This was the perfect level of evolution for the genre and attempts since to add more or go 3D have all failed. With Arkanoid the balance was just right and there's no better reason to get MAME on your PC.
Jakey 16 Jan '03
Emulator
MAME - Search Google to find the ROM file.
Links
Arkanoid.com - A site filled with downloadable Arkanoid clones.
KLOV - Arkanoid page - The Killer List of Video Games has detailed info on many classic games.
If you like Arkanoid, try:
Asteroids
The last great black-and-white video game. More...
Bubble Bobble
Taito's bubble blowing classic. More...
