Play Arcade Classics Online

I picked up Arcade Classics for the Sega Genesis, a cartridge that came out in 1995. It was published by Sega itself, a compilation that tried to bring a few of their coin-op hits home. This was during a time when having real arcade games on your home console was a big deal, and this collection was one of the ways to get it.

You control different characters depending on the game you select, like the ship in Zaxxon or the hero in Altered Beast. The main objective is simply to beat each game's stages and get a high score. The signature mechanics change with each title; in Zaxxon, you navigate an isometric perspective and manage your ship's fuel, while in Altered Beast, you punch and kick enemies to collect power-up orbs that transform you into stronger creatures. The pacing is generally fast, and the difficulty is authentic to the arcade originals, which means it can be quite unforgiving. It feels like having a small, challenging piece of the arcade right in your living room.