Arcade Classics is a 1996 Sega Genesis compilation developed by Al Baker & Associates. It bundles two Atari coin-op originals — Missile Command and Centipede — onto a single cartridge, preserving the mechanics that made both titles quarter-eaters in the early 1980s. Two players can take turns on the same keyboard or use separate gamepads.
How to Play
Missile Command
Move a targeting crosshair across the screen with the D-pad (arrow keys) and fire interceptor missiles from your three ground-based silos using buttons A, B, or C (keyboard: S, X, Z). Each button fires from a different silo — pick the one closest to the incoming threat to intercept it in time. Protect your six cities; when all are destroyed, the game is over. Press Start (Enter) to begin.
Centipede
Guide your shooter across the bottom of the field with the D-pad and fire upward with A or B (S or X). The centipede winds down through a field of mushrooms; hitting a body segment splits it into two shorter ones, each with its own head. Fleas drop additional mushrooms; spiders move erratically across the middle of the field. Clear all centipede segments to advance to the next wave.
Tips
- In Missile Command, protect your outermost cities first — losing both flanks early narrows your defensive angle on harder waves when missiles arrive faster.
- In Centipede, target the head of the centipede when possible. Body hits split the worm and multiply the number of heads you need to track.
- In Missile Command, each of the three buttons fires from a fixed silo — learn which is which so you can direct fire without thinking about it under pressure.
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