HIGH SCORES AND NOSTALGIA

Still Remember Your Best High Score? Relive 10 Arcade Games From the Past

Credit: Matt & Chris Pua

While today's virtual recreation options are many and varied, the arrival of arcade games in the early 1970s revolutionized the entertainment world and left a mark on entire generations. It's impossible not to feel a bit nostalgic when thinking of these incredible games. From the revolutionary Pac-Man to other iconic Donkey Kong, we all had our favorites. What was yours?

Today, we have compiled 10 of the best arcade games to bring back the joy and excitement they once gave us. Let's play!

Credit: Kvalifik

Outer space and its possibilities were a recurring theme in the 1970s games. You probably already know which one we are talking about now. You guessed it right: it's the unforgettable Space Invaders.

Released by Taito Corporation in 1978, this game was so fun and addictive that it quickly became a hit. With a classic format, players had to shoot a laser at invading ships coming from the top of the screen. Space Invaders was one of the first games to track high scores, which unleashed a competitive fever among players.

Adrenaline, tension, and fun were combined in this great game that defined the idea of "shooting games" and marked the childhood and adolescence of many of us.

Credit: Senad Palic

Continuing with the space theme, another classic arcade game appeared in 1979, the mythical Asteroids by Atari.

If fighting against various enemies and obstacles was your thing, you've played Asteroids. In this classic, players had a ship that traversed space among asteroids and enemy flying saucers. Avoiding collisions with asteroids and attacking rival ships was a big challenge.

However, the level of difficulty didn't make Asteroids players any less passionate. From the beginning, this game found success, gaining a loyal fan base and becoming one of the best-selling games of its time.

Credit: Roger Ce

This list would never be complete without mentioning one of the most popular games of all time: the legendary Pac-Man.

Pac-Man, played around the world by people of all ages, genders, and nationalities, was a revolution in the world of video games.

Released by Namco in 1980, this arcade game was an instant hit, and it elevated its iconic and colorful characters to global fame: the one and only Pac-Man and his "adversaries" Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. Do you remember them all?

Credit: Kelly Sikkema

In 1981, Nintendo launched a game that would become an absolute success: Donkey Kong.

In this classic arcade game, a particular character named Jumpman had to overcome stairs and other obstacles to save the damsel Paulina from the formidable Donkey Kong. But do you know who this Jumpman was? That's right! He later became the iconic video game figure known as Mario Bros. While he was not yet called Mario in this game, it marked his debut as the popular character we know today.

Donkey Kong was one of the first arcades to include a series of diverse and challenging levels, and it became one of the best-selling games at the time!

Credit: Ben Neale

In 1981, Sega released a game developed by Konami that quickly conquered gamers. In Frogger, players used the famous joystick to control the little frogs through congested routes and tricky obstacles and get them back home. As the game progressed, the obstacles increased in speed and difficulty, making it not only fun and addictive but also very dynamic!

Due to its simplicity and lack of violence, this game was a hit regardless of the gender and age of the players.

But there is one thing that will instantly bring this game to mind: its iconic music! Do you remember it?

Credit: Isaiah Schultz

Two years after the successful Pac-Man, the arcade witnessed the debut of the iconic Ms. Pac-Man!

That's right, Pac-Man's girlfriend also had her own game, and it had nothing to envy the original. Released by Midway in 1982, Ms. Pac-Man came out as a sequel game and was one of the first video games to have a female protagonist.

This game was very well received by gamers at the time, as it had everything they loved about Pac-Man, plus several improvements. A bit more challenging than the original, Ms. Pac-Man featured the beloved female protagonist and the four ghosts, this time called Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue.

Credit: Justice Thompson

Of course, we can't forget to include a video game celebrity: the one and only Mario Bros.

As we already mentioned, Mario's first appearance in a game didn't even feature his name in the title, and he went by a different name. But his character in Donkey Kong was so well received that Nintendo decided to develop a video game for the beloved Mario.

Mario Bros., released for arcades in 1983, had not only Mario but also his co-star, his funny little brother Luigi, fighting and jumping in each level against obstacles and enemies.

Mario Bros. became a very popular arcade game in its time and was the starting point for the development of the legendary franchise that now bears that name.

Credit: Joey kwok

When it comes to fighting games, Street Fighter II -released in arcades in 1991 by Capcom- gets a special mention among arcade classics.

Unlike Street Fighter I and other games that preceded it, Street Fighter II allowed the players to choose from a diverse group of characters, all fighting to become the best warrior in the world. At the same time, each character had unique abilities and characteristics. If you had the chance to play it, you probably remember some of them, such as Ryu, Ken, or Chun-Li.

In addition to its multiplicity of characters, Street Fighter II presented innovative features like the "combo system" (allowing players to apply several attacks in a row) and the "versus mode" (with which you could challenge a friend to play). Thus, this game marked the path that fighting games would take in the following decades.

Credit: Carl Raw

But in 1992, we welcomed a game that, for many experts, not only surpassed Street Fighter but also became an emblem of fighting games.

We are talking about the unforgettable Mortal Kombat, with its legendary and fearsome characters that include Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Raiden, and Sonya, among others. In addition, each character had an interesting backstory that revealed a certain depth in the characters' crafting.

But what really set Mortal Kombat apart was its unusual level of graphical violence, which naturally attracted many gamers. Do you remember the "fatalities"? Did you have a favorite character?

Credit: Karsten Winegeart

If sports games were your thing, you probably played NBA Jam. This classic was released in 1993 by Midway Games and was undoubtedly very well received by the public.

Among its best features was the possibility of choosing between real NBA players of that time, making fans get excited every time they could play.

On the other hand, the graphics style and the game speed were some of the most valued features among the players.

Remember the "Boomshakalaka!" and "He's on Fire!" by Tim Kitzrow? What a time!

THE SYMPHONY OF GRAMMAR

Get In Tune And Discover These 10 Fascinating Musical Terms!

Credit: Miguel Alcântara

A quote often attributed to Hans Christian Andersen says, "Where words fail, music speaks." As beautiful as this phrase is, the truth is that music and language are definitively intertwined: Don’t you sometimes feel enthralled by the beautiful sounds of words, by the incredible music that comes with language? Not only that, the vocabulary used by the world of music is filled with beautiful terms with extremely interesting meanings. We have selected 10 of the most fascinating musical terms we could find. You might be surprised to see the different meanings that music gives to a few everyday words, as well as some classical terms inherent to this medium. In any case, we hope this article will help you bring more music to your vocabulary! Enjoy!

Credit: Clark Young

We’ll start this list with the term that surprised us the most. A woodshed, at least for those of us with no musical background, is a small building used to store firewood. Although this is not a popular term (particularly after the advent of modern heating systems), it can be easily inferred from context. Having said that, "woodshed" is a widespread word for musicians, although not for the meaning you are probably thinking about.

Curiously enough, musicians use this word not as a noun but as a verb: "Woodshedding" describes practicing in solitude for several hours to improve your skills. The name comes from the need to find a secluded place in which you won’t be bothered, like the amount of privacy an isolated woodshed separated from the main house would provide.

Credit: Baher Khairy

Just like their architectural counterparts, a musical "bridge" is a passage that connects two points in a composition. However, it should be noted that, in the music world, there are two different meanings associated with this term, one related to classical music, and one commonly used in modern popular music.

In classical compositions, a bridge’s function is a more faithful representation of an actual bridge: It is used to smooth the transition between two sections, to prevent an abrupt modulation in the piece. On the other hand, the modern usage of the bridge serves an entirely different function: It is used to provide some contrast to the original section while remaining similar enough to provide a safe return to it.

Credit: Jacek Dylag

The musical term arpeggio describes the act of individually playing the notes that comprise a chord in a progressive succession. The result is a beautiful cascading effect that has been frequently used by both classical composers as well as more mainstream musicians. The word comes from the Italian arpeggiare, which translates to "playing on a harp".

A few examples of compositions that include arpeggios are the opening of Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata" and, perhaps more surprisingly, the first chords of the U.S. National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". A more modern example could be the American rock band Kansas’ 1977 hit song "Dust in the Wind", which features a gorgeous arpeggio throughout the song.

Credit: Larisa Birta

The Italian word allegro, which is a quintessential term in the world of classical music, literally translates to "cheerful." We can think of no better word to describe the happy and shiny feelings this type of tempo produces in the listener.

The term allegro indicates a type of tempo, which is to say the pace or the speed that a certain composition has. Other common indicators are Andante ("Walking-pace") or Presto ("Quickly"). You might have noticed that, while some indicators describe technical aspects like speed, others like Allegro focus on feelings or moods. Therefore, for a piece to be considered played in this tempo, it must bring joy and cheerfulness to the audience.

Credit: Colin Michael

Until the time comes when large-caliber artillery is commonly used by orchestras, the word canon shouldn’t be confused with the similarly-spelled "cannon". In music theory, a canon is a composition in which a single melody is repeated by multiple parts after a given interval. Usually, the melody is initially played by a leader, also called a dux, and it is then successively played by followers, known as comes.

Canons are usually performed by choirs, with different voices coming after each other. You might be surprised to learn that some cherished childhood songs are actually canons. For example, the camping hit song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or the nursery rhyme "Brother John".

Credit: Samuel Sianipar

Just like a canon, a fugue is a type of composition based on imitation and repetition. However, a fugue is slightly harder to explain. In this composition technique, the repetition is based on a "subject," which in itself can be composed of several melodies. While this is repeated throughout the piece (usually in different keys), it is usually accompanied by variations or melodies inspired by the original subject.

In that sense, the etymology of this word is rather interesting and can help us understand what this technique is all about. The English word "fugue" came into prominence in the 16th century, and was inspired by the Italian word fuga and the French word fugue. Both of these words can be translated to "escape" or "to flee", which is definitely an appropriate name for this technique: The initial melody seems to trail off as the piece progresses, with the accompanying melodies continuously chasing after it.

Credit: Joey Nicotra

Don’t worry, this entry does not involve tasting any instruments. In popular music, especially in blues and rock, the noun "lick" describes a commonly played pattern, composed of a series of notes that are played during solos or for accompaniment. Licks are particularly used during improvisation since they can be both common ground for all musicians participating and a safe place to land after a particularly complicated bit.

Although they are used in relatively modern music, the truth is that licks have been around since Medieval times. Granted, at the time, these patterns were known as ostinatos, but they were pretty much the same. Ostinatos are ever-present in classical music, being featured in compositions by heavy hitters like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.

Credit: Jens Thekkeveettil

Did you ever want to pay homage to your favorite artist but were short on time? Then the medley is the piece for you! A medley is composed of segments of already existing pieces, re-arranged in a way that both showcases all pieces and creates an original composition.

You might be familiar with at least a few medleys since they are pretty popular nowadays. Most of them include songs connected through the same theme, whether it’s the same artist, year, or genre. Medleys are particularly common in the world of musical theatre since they are a great form of overture.

Credit: Curtis Potvin

In more ways than one, music works just like any language in the world. It has its own syntax, grammar, and alphabet. In that sense, a phrase is exactly what you would expect it to be: a single unit, composed of one or many notes (which, in terms of this comparison, could be considered both words or letters).

At the end of the day, what defines a phrase is that, just like a sentence, it makes sense when isolated from the rest of the piece. In other words, a phrase needs to have a defined beginning and end in order to maintain coherence when heard on its own.

Credit: John Matychuk

Are you anticipating what this final entry is going to be about? Don’t let the title mislead you. The "anticipation" coined by musicians is not exactly the one you might feel before your favorite band takes the stage. In truth, this term doesn’t have that much of a positive meaning, since it describes a harmonic dissonance in a musical piece.

These musical concepts might be a bit complicated to sum up in this short entry, but here goes our best attempt: an anticipation happens whenever a note that belongs to a chord is played early during a succession. Simply put, if a note is played one step early and then remains the same during the progression, then we can consider this an anticipation.