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A while back, we looked at some classic Commodore 64 games we would like to see available for the C64 iPhone app, and since then some have rather brilliantly been released.  This has kept us happy, but also made us think of some other games we would like to see ported over to the iPhone.  So here is our list of classic arcade games which would be great to play on the iPhone.

Spy Hunter.

Frustratingly difficult, but if you played it in the sit-down cabinet with the yoke-style steering wheel and the Peter Gunn soundtrack in your ears, then it was a brilliant arcade experience.  Seeing as far more complicated driving games have been perfectly playable on the iPhone, there is no reason why this shouldn’t be too.

Star Wars.

Another arcade classic which benefited from being played inside the sit-down cabinet.  The music, the sampled speech, the multi-directional controller and the fact you could picture yourself inside an X-wing – important for a 9-year old – made this the ultimate arcade experience for many people.  For the truly dedicated, you can still buy an as-new arcade version, but it’s likely to be a little cheaper on the iPhone!

Could it work on the iPhone though?  Well, perhaps with careful use of the accelerometer, yes, as aside from movement there is only a fire button.

R-Type.

Is this the best shoot-em-up arcade game ever?  Upgradeable weapons, frantic gameplay, good music and even better soundFX – what more could you ask for?  This would be a great port to the iPhone, as there are several shooters out there already which perform admirably, just without the retro appeal.

Bubble Bobble.

This is one arcade game which has played extremely well on the majority of its ports, with even the Spectrum version being brilliant to play.  Now, if the old Spectrum can do it, then surely the iPhone can!  Perhaps the controls would be a little awkward, but the music would more than make up for any annoyances.

Just watch the video below and you’ll have to be very hard-of-heart not to want to play this one again…

A.P.B.

Is this a far off dream?  A top-down driving game which never really appealed as much on, say, the PC as it did in the arcade.  Could it be adapted well?  The recent Grand Theft Auto plays in a similar way at times and there really are very few controls aside from steering and siren.  How about it Atari?