Afterburner II (Genesis / Mega Drive)

The Afterburner games were some of the earliest examples that I remember of an arcade game that seemed more like an amusement part ride.  The units for them could sometimes be gigantic with their cockpit-like set up.  Granted the home experience wasn't quite as bombastic, but Afterburner II on the Genesis was pretty darn fun.  Looking back it seems strange that your machine guns were constantly firing, and players were pretty much just dodging enemy missiles while shooting their own.  I guess gamers at the time were to busy thinking, "I'm flying a jet plane!" to think about some of the more nonsensical aspects of the game.

Quartet (Sega Master System)

For some strange reason I found the arcade version of this game intriguing.  I'm not sure why, but I always found myself watching people play it and being fascinated.  Looking back on it, Quartet is a very simple run and gun game with not a lot to it, and yet I would always make time for it at the arcades.  It could have been the four player coop that caught my attention, since the only other game that I had seen doing that was Gauntlet.  When I play the game nowadays, it's mostly for the sake of nostalgia.  It certainly doesn't hold my attention like it once did, but I'll continue to have fond memories of those times in the arcade, and later the Master System, with it.

Shatter (PC)

Usually I'm not a big fan of these Arkanoid / Breakout clones, but Shatter is pretty darn fun.  I think the game's music helps a lot with this.