Top Five Arcade Games That People Like But Actually Are Terrible

[CaptainJivePants]

1. Zaxxon
2. Journey - the band and the game
3. Mappy
4. Q-Bert
5. Frogger

If I could pick 10 instead of 5, I would probably copy this list. Most of these were on the list of ones I cut, and I've been regretting not inclding Q-Bert.

[ebinsugewa]

Defender is a great game, but the controls make it literally unplayable for me.

Both shmups and fighting games are generally too hard for people who aren't masochists to enjoy them, so I can understand the hate. Though I would liken a good shmup to the first five or ten times you play DK (if you don't know about pressing/steering/star/weave etc). You flail around and die a lot, and if you don't keep playing you'll never have any idea that there's so much more to the game that you'll never see.

[Barra]

It is better than Pac-Man but that's akin to saying Miss Congeniality 2 is better than Miss Congeniality, I would rather not see either of them.

I also find Burger Time to be clunkier control-wise than Pac-Man and Dig Dug.

[ChrisP]

For all the over Popeye and Joust, I actually have yet to hear anyone actually enumerate what, specifically, is so bad about them, and I'm genuinely curious about those two in particular.

[TheSunshineFund]

For all the over Popeye and Joust, I actually have yet to hear anyone actually enumerate what, specifically, is so bad about them, and I'm genuinely curious about those two in particular.

I don't care for the gameplay in either of them.  Popeye feels like I should be able to be more offensive, I'm fking Popeye ffs, look at my arms!   Joust I never cared for as a kid, my brother was a fan of it so maybe that's why I never enjoyed it.  I simply don't find either of them enjoyable to play.  It doesn't make them terrible I suppose, just makes them games I would walk past.

[Max]

As for Joust, every once in a while I think I want to get better at the game and give it a shot,  then once I start flapping those wings I rage quit. The entire process takes about 1 minute to complete from "hey this seems like fun" to rage. I pass on Joust.

Popeye: yeah Steve, you're spot on. Popeye is totally defensive. All you do is run away. Of course tricking Brutus a bit to create a delay... is really just a tactic to get a head start on running away again. Run Popeye run! This is another game similar to DK that ends quickly for anyone new to the game too. The average game for typical non gamers lasts less than a minute. Another huge frustration is chasing hearts that suddenly turn direction for no apparent reason. Usually this leaves Popeye flat footed and ripe for a pounding. One bright note is that when you do hit Brutus, he takes quite a tumble around the screen. If you've not paid attention to the tumble he takes, it worth a look. I ignored it for years then finally watched the tumble and laughed. Mind you it's a short lived bright note.

-Pac anything
-Shmups
-Mappy (Mappy to me is like Joust - seems like fun, then the rage quickly sets in)

[BrianD]

In no special order

1. Galaga
2. Space Invaders
3. Joust
4. Any Pac in "fast mode"
5. Tron