As a child of the 80's I grew up in arcades. The sounds and flashing lights bring back a strong sense of nostalgia. Most games had a pretty standard control style (joystick and 2-3 buttons) and shape. However, some games did some original and creative things with their cabinets and controls. Here's some of my favorite standouts.

Paperboy

Paperboy is an arcade classic, partially thanks to its unique controller. Its bicycle handlebars! There's no port or console experience that can match actually playing Paperboy the way it was intended in the arcades.

Star Trek

This cabinet mimics sitting in the captain's chair of the Enterprise, with your controls set on the arms of the chair to your right and left. Definitely a unique and special cabinet.

Afterburner

This is the deluxe version of the Afterburner arcade cabinet, where the entire cockpit rocks you forward and backward in sync with your controls. Its like a video game and amusement park ride combined into one!

Burgertime

Another classic title, this is a fairly unassuming entry. I've just always loved the way the top of the cabinet follows the shape of Peter Pepper's hat. Simple, but memorable.

Cocktail cabinets

A mainstay of the early arcade days, cocktail cabinets were often found in bars and restaurants so you could sit down and enjoy your drinks or food while gaming. I miss the days of sitting at one of these with a Coke and greasy cheeseburger.

Time Traveller

This was a crazy and ambitious game when it was released in 1991. It featured a futuristic and minimalist white body, a smaller shape and the whole game was played through 'holograms.' In reality, it was a laserdisc game much like Dragon's Lair, and the holograms were achieved by using mirrors and optical tricks to make it look like the figures were real holograms. The effect was surprisingly effective, but the game was definitely a gimmick.

Punch-Out!

Years before this became a NES classic, it was an arcade machine. The game was a bit different, with your boxer being represented with a green grid so you can see through to your opponent. This is why there is a green grid skin for Little Mac in Smash Bros for Wii U. This unique cabinet features two screens stacked on top of each other, the top one serving as a marquee displaying information about the fight so onlookers can get a sense of what's going on.

S.T.U.N. Runner

The sit-down version of S.T.U.N. Runner features a memorable and futuristic cabinet that mimics the style and shape of the futuristic vehicles in the game.

Top Skater

I've never had a chance to play Top Skater, mostly because I thought I'd break my leg on the crazy thing. It used a big screen TV as the monitor and the controller was a skateboard mechanism you stood on. Unique and very memorable.

Gauntlet

This was amazing in its day. Not only does the machine feature beautiful artwork, but it allowed 4 people to play cooperatively on the same machine. I believe this was the first of its kind.

X-Men 6-Player Cabinet

Taking this concept to the extreme, the deluxe version of X-Men allowed 6 players at the same time. The game spanned across 2 monitors to make room for everyone. The machine is absolutely massive.

Boonga Boonga

And I have to mention this. Its Japanese and apparently you poke the character on screen in the butt with a giant finger controller. I don't know what else to say about this.

What are some of your favorite arcade cabinets, or games with unique control schemes? Let's discuss!

As always, resteems, upvotes and comments are appreciated.