5 Forgotten Arcade Games Based On Popular Cartoons

Some of the most enduring arcade games are based on cartoon shows, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "The Simpsons." Often delving into the memorable worlds from their respective stories and boasting a similar art style, these games are classics of the medium. But for every celebrated arcade game based on a popular movie or television property, there are numerous ones that haven't been able to stand the test of time. Even games based on some of the biggest animated series of their era have largely fallen out of our collective memory.

To be clear, just because a game has fallen to the wayside in the decades since its release doesn't mean it's bad. With so many games pumped out every year, some are just inevitably going to lose their resonance over time. This ranges from games published during the arcade scene's 1980s heyday to titles that hit arcades in the 1990s. These are five forgotten arcade games based on popular cartoons that, for one reason or another, just haven't had the same cultural staying power as their contemporaries.

Popeye has a special place in gaming history because the classic cartoon character led to the creation of Mario. 1981's "Donkey Kong" was originally planned as a Popeye game, but Nintendo failed to get the rights and had to come up a character of their own. The company did eventually make an arcade game based on the brawling sailor the following year, simply titled "Popeye." It features three different stage layouts while retaining the same basic premise for players to progress and post a high score. Players control Popeye as he receives items from Olive Oyl while avoiding his antagonists like Bluto and gaining the power to temporarily fight back if he obtains a can of spinach.

With its gameplay mechanics and overall aesthetics, "Popeye" feels like a sequel to "Donkey Kong," albeit with significantly redesigned characters. The arcade game was ported to a variety of home platforms, including the Atari 2600 and 5200, and the Nintendo Entertainment System. The arcade version features a slightly more vibrant and detailed presentation than "Donkey Kong" had, reflecting improvements in the hardware. A simple but fun arcade title that speaks to Nintendo's early '80s success in the medium, "Popeye" is a fun bit of gaming history that many people seem to have forgotten about.

While the first two "Ghostbusters" movies got console-based video games, the franchise's long-running animated series "The Real Ghostbusters" got its own arcade game. Released in 1987, "The Real Ghostbusters" is a shoot'em-up from an overhead perspective. Across ten levels, players blast through waves of paranormal entities before facing a boss ghost that drops a key allowing them to progress to the next stage. Players can get a variety of power-ups to help them advance, including Slimer, who temporarily defends them from enemies that get too close.

Compared to the abysmal movie tie-in games (which everyone regretted buying), "The Real Ghostbusters" is a generally fun arcade title. The arcade version allows for up to three players to work together and use their proton packs to zap waves of rogue phantoms. The game was later ported to early gaming computers, like the Commodore 64 and Atari ST, but considerably nerfed to run on home platforms. A precursor to experiences like "Vampire Survivors," the arcade version of "The Real Ghostbusters" was the best game in the franchise for years.

"G.I. Joe" was a huge animated property throughout the '80s and the military-themed animated series got its own arcade game in 1992. An on-rails shooter like "Space Harrier," another '80s arcade game that no one seems to remember, "G.I. Joe" had players launch an explosive attack on the show's terrorist organization Cobra. As the Joes battle Cobra through a variety of environments, they take on familiar antagonists from the cartoon, including Destro and Baroness. This culminates in a showdown at Cobra Commander's secret hideout to defeat him and foil his latest plot to take over the world.

Supporting up to four players controlling either Duke, Roadblock, Scarlett, or Snake Eyes, "G.I. Joe" is a thrilling title for fans of the franchise. The action is fast and furious and the difficulty is relatively accessible while rewarding for shoot'em-up enthusiasts. Unlike a lot of other cartoon-inspired arcade titles of its era, the game was never ported to any home platforms and hasn't been re-released since. That goes some way to explaining why "G.I. Joe" hasn't enjoyed the continued cultural resonance of several of its contemporaries.

The 1991 animated series "Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars" may have only run for 13 episodes, but it still received video game adaptations. This includes an arcade game released in September 1992 simply titled "Bucky O'Hare." A side-scrolling beat'em-up with shoot'em-up elements, the game lets players choose between four different characters from the show, including Bucky himself. It revisits the series' overarching story, with Bucky and his friends battling an army of toads trying to conquer planets on behalf of the malevolent artificial intelligence program Komplex.

With a vibrant presentation and the main voice cast reprising their roles, "Bucky O'Hare" is on par with contemporaries like "The Simpsons." The gameplay is fun and engaging, accessible even to those unfamiliar with the animated show. Because of the series' brief run compared to shows like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and its relative obscurity, the game isn't as widely remembered. The show also spawned a 1992 hidden gem for the NES, but the arcade game is the stronger adaptation of the two.

In the wake of Nintendo's "Mario Kart," Nickelodeon got into the racing scene with its "Nicktoons Racing" series starting in 2000. This led to an arcade game installment of the series, "Nicktoons Nitro," being released in 2008. The arcade title retains the series' core premise of main characters from several of Nickelodeon's popular animated shows being whisked from their worlds to participate in a vehicle race. The 2008 game includes characters from "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "The Fairly OddParents," "Invader Zim," "Danny Phantom," and "Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius."

We're willing to bet that most of you aren't aware that Nickelodeon has a racing game series, let alone one that made it to arcades. "Nicktoons Nitro" plays out like any other modern arcade racing game, though it's kind of clunky and doesn't look great, even by the standards of the time. By 2018, Nickelodeon had shifted back to console-based kart racers, starting with that year's "Nicktoons Kart Racers," which spawned its own series. "Nicktoons Nitro" is an odd 21st century arcade title that feels like an animated all-star jam session on wheels. This wasn't the last time that Nick took a leaf out of Nintendo's book – "Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl" is basically the network's answer to "Super Smash Bros."