Most of us, maybe even all of us, have been to a pizza place, either it be Rocco’s, Round Table, Pizza Hut, you name it. There were always several arcade machines in a corner, the handles and buttons having been molested by several greasy hands over time, the coin slot having been eroded by many coins going in, the machine itself being stained over the years by misuse. However, for me at the local Round Table’s Pizza, there was a favorite of mine. The only reason I always wanted to go there. I spent a large chunk of childhood here, wasting several quarters over time, for one game in particular.

That’s right, Sunset Riders. This game was possibly the most mind-wasting and money-burning game I have ever played. I must have given that one machine over fifty dollars in the course of all the time I have played it. Nostalgia goggles aside, this game is a fast-paced shoot-’em-up set in the Wild West. Not much else to it besides playing one of the four main characters, all of them buddies looking for a bit of cash. Vigilantes. There isn’t much anything going on story-wise, and that’s part of the game’s charm. It cuts right to the action. Also, if you notice in the title screen, it properly shows each character. Nice touch.

(continue reading…)