The Star Wars Arcade Games: Still Contain A Flicker of The Force

In the arcades of the early 80s, there was one video game that stood out amongst the rest: it was a little game that allowed you the opportunity to pilot your very own X-Wing fighter, and help the rest of the Rebellion destroy the dreaded Death Star.  The game of course was..... Star Wars.

This game came in 2 flavors, the standard Upright and the fully-enclosed Cockpit. It was a blast to play during its debut in 1983, but as graphics standards improved, it sort of fell out of the limelight.  As the Star Wars saga continued to gain popularity, it attempted to lodge a stronger foothold in the realm of the arcade. It evolved by including a Return of the Jedi game, as well as a Star Wars pinball machine.

And now today, you can even play the Trilogy Arcade game with first person lightsaber fights against Darth Vader himself, or the Episode I racer where you can be submersed into a chariot race-like competition in Anakin's Pod Racer.

But with all of the advancements made in gaming plots, accelerated graphics, and overall Star Wars marketing, did you ever stop and wonder where all of those first-generation arcade cabinets went?  It was almost like they were teleported to another arcade located somewhere beyond the Outer Rim territories..

You'll be glad to know that although you rarely see them in today's arcades, many of the machines are still alive and well, and have found their way into the homes of private game collectors.  In recent years, there was even an ESB upgrade invented which you could add to the existing boardset- it allows you to fly through the legs of the Imperial AT-AT walkers for big points... There is also a level where you have to dodge asteroids. One of the most incredible updates regarding these machines is, their value has really taken off due to their nostalgia and lack of availability.  The cockpit machines will bring over $1000 alone!

As we begin our journey into 2008, these first-gen machines will be celebrating their 25th birthday. Therefore, beforethedarktimes.com wanted to honor their continued existence, and the fans dedicated to keeping them alive. Below are the images of the game, provided by many of its enthusiasts who reside at klov.com. Be sure to take close looks at the different pictures- apparently there were variations in the side art, as well as with other attributes of these machines.  It was no doubt due to the different production locations churning these out for quick delivery!

beforethedarktimes.com greatly appreciates the members of that site (and others) contributing to this honorarium of a timeless arcade classic.

credits (klov.com): jowseph, keiths3, DogP, Matty-T, jeff, kspiff, ElGwako2006, metahugh, stationzebra, Mongo, questor, ArcadeMaze, b_koenig, Lindsey, rm, Level42, avidgeek, Phetishboy

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