The Machines

My challenge will take place on my two upright MAME arcade cabinets. The first was converted from a JAMMA cabinet in 2007 and features a two player, six button control panel and a horizontally-aligned monitor. The second is a conversion of a DECO Cassette System cab and is designed for old school gameplay with a vertical monitor and single player control panel with a four-way joystick and just two buttons.

I love these machines but they often don’t get the attention they deserve, so one of the primary reasons for this challenge is to make the most of my cabs and learn the nuances of the games I have chosen.

The Challenge

100,000 points. In the world of gaming it doesn’t sound like a lot does it? However if you look at the Golden Age of arcade gaming from the late 70’s to the mid-80’s, a score of over 100k on most games was quite a challenge. It’s rarely a record-breaking score, but for an average gamer like myself a score of this magnitude on games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man would represent a significant achievement. While not showing a mastery of the games, it will show an understanding of the game mechanics beyond the ability of a casual player.

So the challenge I’ve set myself is to focus on 40 games, a mixture of bona fide arcade classics, personal favourites and a few more leftfield choices. The aim is to gradually improve at these titles until I can achieve the magic 6-figure high score. I’ll be sharing my progress here with pictures, gameplay videos, tips for fellow gamers and occasional diversions on to related (and unrelated) topics.