Hyper Dyne Side Arms (Capcom, Arcade 1986)
This game blew me away as a kid when I first saw it. That two mecha could transform into starfighters and form one big robot was too cool. At the time, I was unable to get enough powerups to make that happen.
If I recall correctly, it was a drugstore called Skagg’s that had this game. Mom would ask me to go and I would be excited to go so that I could look at this game. After my quarter was gone, I’d still just love to watch the screen. It was so great how stores and convenience stores would have arcade games by the entrance. I miss those days.
When I bought my PC Engine in Osaka in 2001, Side Arms was one of the first games I bought for that system. Neat stuff.