The 19 Best Data East Arcade Games

Coin-op brawlers, maze chases, run-and-guns and a cult disc-throwing duel, all from one Tokyo studio that rarely played it safe.

1. 1
   BurgerTime

   The 1982 maze game where chef Peter Pepper walks over giant burger ingredients while dodging sausages and eggs.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja

   The 1988 beat 'em up that sent two street fighters to rescue President Ronnie from ninjas.
   943pts
3. 3
   Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja

   The 1991 prehistoric platformer in which two club-wielding cavemen fight dinosaurs to rescue their tribe's women.
   800pts
4. 4
   Chelnov

   A 1988 auto-scrolling platformer about an atomic runner, known in the West as Atomic Runner.
   771pts
5. 5
   Windjammers

   The 1994 flying-disc sports game whose fast duels made it a cult favourite and later got a sequel.
   771pts
6. 6
   Fighter's History

   Data East's 1993 one-on-one fighting game with weak-point mechanics.
   692pts
7. 7
   Lock 'n' Chase

   A 1981 maze game in which a thief grabs coins and locks doors behind him to trap the police.
   692pts
8. 8
   Heavy Barrel

   A 1987 top-down run-and-gun in which players assemble the pieces of a super weapon.
   600pts
9. 9
   Sly Spy

   A 1989 James Bond-style action game that mixed skydiving, swimming and motorcycle stages.
   600pts
10. 10
    Tumblepop

    A 1991 single-screen action game in which ghostbusting kids suck up monsters with a vacuum.
    600pts
11. 11
    Two Crude

    The 1990 brawler, called Crude Buster in Japan, where two muscle-bound heroes throw cars and enemies around.
    491pts
12. 12
    Night Slashers

    A 1993 horror beat 'em up where three monster hunters fight zombies and vampires.
    491pts
13. 13
    Gate of Doom

    A 1990 fantasy beat 'em up seen from an angled view, with four heroes against a dark sorcerer.
    491pts
14. 14
    Wolf Fang

    A 1991 mech shooter, also known as Rohga, where players build their robot's weapons and legs.
    360pts
15. 15
    Midnight Resistance

    A 1989 run-and-gun with rotary aiming and keys collected to buy weapons between stages.
    360pts
16. 16
    Karate Champ

    The 1984 martial arts game with twin joysticks that helped define the one-on-one fighting genre.
    360pts
17. 17
    Captain America and the Avengers

    The 1991 Marvel beat 'em up with Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Vision against the Red Skull.
    360pts
18. 18
    RoboCop

    Data East's 1988 arcade adaptation of the film, a side-scrolling shooter through Detroit's streets.
    0pts
19. 19
    Karnov

    The 1987 side-scroller starring a fire-breathing Russian strongman who later became a Data East mascot.
    0pts

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