One of the most surprising aspects of the Xbox Live Arcade is how popular it has become. It seems ironic that such a powerful system is being used by millions of gamers to play titles from a bygone era, with only the most minimal of graphical updates. It just goes to show that spending millions on a new title and incorporating every technological buzzword means little when it comes to actual gameplay.

Titles like Joust, Pac-Man, and Time Pilot retain the same addictive quality that made them cultural icons to begin with, and the transition to a new platform has done nothing to diminish their excellence. Instead, it has turned on a whole new generation of players to the once great age of arcade games that found countless millions lining up quarters on the rim of a machine.

Since Xbox Live Arcade is obviously here to stay, I think I’m going to take this opportunity to beg Microsoft to secure the right to some old favorites of mine that deserve to be unearthed and given a new lease on life. What follows isn’t just a list of classic arcade games, but some titles from ancient computer systems as well.

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

Oh, how I loved this game. Developed by the Bitmap Brothers, Speedball 2 was, and still is, one of the best action-sports game ever created. Originally released on the Amiga computer system back in 1990, Speedball 2 single-handedly destroyed at least four of my joysticks from clinical abuse. Essentially a game of football with elements of rugby and squash thrown in for good measure, Speedball 2 found you controlling a team of nine players with the simple goal of throwing a glowing ball into the opposition’s goal. What made it so fun was that you could beat the hell out of the other team, attacking with dives and fisticuffs, inflicting damage that took away from player health that could eventually lead to a hover-ambulance carrying off an injured player. Add to this an arena made out of steel that would randomly spawn powerups and money tokens used to upgrade your teams various attributes and you had this amazing hybrid of sports, fighting and RPG. It was just awesome and addictive and the graphics still hold up 16 years later. Now imagine it arriving on Live Arcade with enhanced graphics, HD resolution, 9v9 multiplayer with a ladder league and wow. Just…wow. I’d be the happiest guy on the planet.

Stunt Car Racer

Another Amiga classic, Stunt Car Racer is the game that launched Geoff Crammond’s career, allowing him to tackle serious simulations that ultimately led to the Grand Prix series on PC, arguably the best Formula One simulator ever created. Stunt Car Racer was one of the first 3D racing games made, as well as one of the first to allow multiplayer over two linked Amiga’s. The real fun of Stunt Car Racer was the actual tracks, which defied the laws of physics in just about every regard, but found your tricked-out car getting serious air over impossible jumps, landing with a crunch, and more often than not, losing control and dropping 15-stories to the ground below. When linked up with another Amiga, Stunt Car Racer upped the fun level to a new high. It’s amazing to reflect back on racing games and see that so many titles have focused on standard gameplay mechanics, but very few have ventured into sheer madness like Stunt Car, with the noticeable exception of Trackmania.