#Arcade1Up Announces Its Best Retro Arcade Lineup Ever – Review Geek

It’s hard to break through the wave of CES announcements right now, but Arcade1Up did exactly that today. In its latest wave of replica arcade machines, the company unveiled cabinets with Dragon’s Lair, Killer Instinct, Battletoads, and the X-Men 4 Player Arcade Game featuring new machine designs. Shut up and take our quarters.

Before we get to the traditional home arcades Arcade1Up is most known for, let’s talk new form factors. Do you like Pong and Breakout? Of course, you do. Arcade1Up will soon release a pub-style four-player Head to Head Cabinet featuring eight classics, including Pong, Pong Doubles, Tempest, and Super Breakout. And unlike previous pub-style machine, this one is standing height.

And if you want some classic games in more traditional form factors, then be on the lookout for Arcade1Up’s upcoming Legacy Edition Arcade Cabinets. These new cabinets will focus on BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT, Capcom, and Atari games. While those names have graced Arcade1Up machines before, the cabinets themselves are new. According to Arcade1Up, they’ll have a “mirror image” design of the original formats found in the ’80s and ’90s.

But if you’re looking for completely new games from Arcade1Up, you won’t be disappointed. The company announced three new arcade machines, some with features not found on the originals. And they’re everything we’ve always wanted. Well, nearly everything—we have a wish list. And for the first time since Burger Time, Arcade1Up is changing up the look of its cabinets to more closely resemble the original machines. That even means adding a “coin slot” decal to the front.

Here Be Dragons

First up, is a Dragon’s Lair machine. Yes, that Dragon’s Lair. Until now, the best you could do to bring Dragon’s Lair was the $120 replicade version that stands just a few inches tall. But that’s not the case here. Arcade1Up promises this version will be the exact form and size as the original arcade found in the early ’80s. That means it will look distinctly different from most Arcade1Up cabinets.

And you won’t get just Dragon’s Lair on the machine. It’ll also come with Dragon Lair’s 2, and Space Ace. Arcade1Up says you’ll get accuracy too. The company says Dragon’s Lair will feature the original 4 by 3 HD transfer of the original arcade game.

You’ll Need Some Killer Instinct

Arcade1Up has no shortage of fighters, thanks to a partnership with Capcom. But this time out, the company is dipping into Rare archives (pun not intended). The Killer Instinct machine comes with the original game, Killer Instinct 2, Battletoads/Double Dragon, and Battle Toads Arcade. The latter two aren’t fighter games, but are solid inclusions nonetheless. Battle Toads defined the scrolling beat ’em up genre during the ’90s. And a Battletoads crossover with Double Dragon should hit all the nostalgia buttons.

Whether it’s a fighter or a side-scroller, these games are best when played with others. That’s why it’s exciting to see that, much like NBA Jam, Arcade1up will include online play for these games. That means you go toe-to-toe with anyone else who owns the arcade, long after your kids stopped playing because you win every round of Killer Instinct.

I Call Wolverine!

If you’re a child of the ’80s, there’s probably a few four-player side-scrolling beat ’em up arcade machine you plunked all your quarters into. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and its sequel Turtles in Time) ranks on that list. But the four-player X-Men arcade is possible a tie. And soon you can bring it home.

Arcade1Up’s X-Men Live packs in the famous X-men game, but also includes Captain America and The Avengers and The Avengers in Galactic Storm. The first is a side-scrolling beat ’em up in the vein of X-men, but the latter is the rare Marvel-themed fighting game to come from a company other than Capcom. It’s also notable for being the first modern fighting game to feature helper characters you could call out mid-fight, a staple used by many fighting to follow.

Like Killer Instinct, Arcade1Up knows that these machines are best experienced with others. So it’s also including online capabilities. You can keep playing with other people even when you’re alone in the home.

Arcade1Up didn’t announce pricing and release dates today, but when the company does we’ll be sure to let you know. Still, it’s hard not to love killer entries (pun intended this time) Killer Instinct and Dragon’s Lair. That the company is experimenting with new form factors only raises that excitement. But until the newest machines hit store, you can always pick up Burger Time, Big Buck World, or OutRun.