Before microtransactions and battle passes, there was the quarter. The best parts of any ’80s or ’90s mall were the arcade machines, designed to keep both the fun and coins flowing. Here are the arcade legends that drained our allowances one “Play Again” screen at a time.Mortal KombatBrutal difficulty and unforgettable fatalities kept players feeding machines just to see every finishing move.cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});NBA JamFast paced, exaggerated basketball with booming commentary. Competitive matches regularly ended in rematches and more coins.Pac ManSimple maze design, escalating ghost AI, and that addictive “just one more run” loop made it impossible to walk away.Space InvadersTechnically late 70s, but its dominance carried into the 80s. The increasing speed of descending aliens created pure tension and repeat plays.Street Fighter IIThe king of competitive arcades. Winner stayed, loser paid. Mastering combos required both skill and a steady supply of quarters.Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesA side scrolling beat em up built for co op chaos. Four players meant four times the spending.The SimpsonsAnother co op classic where button mashing through waves of enemies often required multiple continues.Time CrisisThe pedal mechanic and relentless enemy waves meant even skilled players were rarely one credit clear heroes.X MenThe massive six player cabinet was a spectacle. It was also a coin vacuum during chaotic boss fights.Cruis’n USAFlashy cabinets and competitive racing made it a magnet for repeat challenges.Dance Dance RevolutionA late 90s phenomenon that turned arcades into performance spaces and wallets into empty shells.Donkey KongTight platforming and escalating difficulty meant most players burned through lives fast chasing higher scores.GauntletConstant health drain was literally tied to coin consumption. The game announced when you were about to run out.Metal SlugBeautiful animation and unforgiving enemy placement meant most runs ended quickly without deep pockets.The post 14 Arcade Games That Emptied Our Pockets in the ‘80s and ‘90s appeared first on Den of Geek.