Are arcades dead to you?

[spman 0]

What killed arcades were those fucking ticket redemption games. That's one mankinds all time greatest money making scams, and killed Arcades completely when operators realized then could make buy three skee ball machines, a basketball game, and one of those games where you have to stop the moving light on the right spot, for the price of one new Arcade game, and make a zillion more dollars to boot.

[AndrewTS 0]

Correction on my last post. They still have DDR, apparently broken, though, curtained off in another area along with Star Wars Trilogy Arcade. So I guess they'll fix it and make it available again.

 

Ghost Squad is quite good...but...another on-rails shooter? More arcade gun games need to steal from Time Crisis and offer at least ducking and cover.

 

I also tried Ranger Mission. Not as good as Ghost Squad, but the gun and the ability to just pump to reload made it a blast. I was blasting every enemy in sight almost--even got all the enemies in one area!

 

I notice that I seem to have better luck when I don't bother with the sight. Maybe its my height? Anyone else have better luck without using the gun's sights?

[AndrewTS 0]

What killed arcades were those fucking ticket redemption games. That's one mankinds all time greatest money making scams, and killed Arcades completely when operators realized then could make buy three skee ball machines, a basketball game, and one of those games where you have to stop the moving light on the right spot, for the price of one new Arcade game, and make a zillion more dollars to boot.

 

Interesting theory.

 

Granted, that means a lot of people are seriously stupid enough to think it's worth it to spend ton of money on a game and earn tickets for stuff that they could buy with real cash outright with less money/time spent.

[Rendclaw 0]

A lot of little kids do, and those who want to get something tangible for their efforts.

 

I went to Pinball Pete's in downtown A2 on sunday and I spent a total of 50 cents. On Raiden II and Donkey Kong.

 

Yes, Donkey Kong.

 

There is a Gameworks up by the Palace of Auburn Hills, but I was disappointed by their selection of games. Dave and Buster's used to be something good back in the day, but its Chuck E. Cheese for adults now. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Another thing that has killed arcades are the DDR games and all of their ilk. Yeah, I said it.

 

And of course, the ever increasing abilities of the consoles, but thats the obvious answer.

 

I think the best arcade in my immediate area is a little putt-putt course right down the street.. It has a multi-machine or whatever they are called, I forget. I was having fun playing SF II and SF II CE, though I couldn;t play Defender on it.

 

I know, I am an old stick in the mud who can;t get out of the 80s and the early 90s. Sue me.

 

A good arcade will have about 25-30 machines and a good balance of old and new. Every time I walk into an arcade, its geared way too much to the newest machines, and I know its what makes them money.

 

As I have said before, my best times arcade wise are when I was an 11 year old kid going to the mall, and when I moved to Orlando when the Fun Machine arcades were around.

[Jingus 0]

In my experience, there's only three subtypes of arcades left in most areas:

 

1. Dave & Busters. They do at least have a good selection of games, lots of machines from various eras. But they're way, way, WAY too expensive, like a dollar per play on most of 'em. Back in the day, $5 would last you all night; now it might last you five minutes, if you suck at games. Plus, their Over 21 age limit is really fucking annoying and seems to ban half the clientele a place like D&B should be attracting.

 

2. Independently owned mall arcades. Yeah, they're still around. Problem is, they also suck most of the time. Usually you've got a bigass DDR machine up front being stomped on by emo kids, and then a pretty sad collection of anywhere from a dozen to about twenty other machines. And most of them are either years out of date or games you never wanted to play in the first place. The employees are usually incompetent and rude, many of the games are often broken in some way, and judging from the customers it seems like having a juvenile arrest record is a prerequisite for getting in.

 

3. Not "arcades" at all. There are some businesses, mostly movie theaters but some others do it too, that'll plunk down a whole bunch of quartermunchers. Surprisingly, if you find a good one, these can actually be your best arcading experience. Sometimes you'll luck out and find a cluster of games that were picked out by someone who's actually a gamer, and then you're kicking ass on Street Fighter 2 Turbo while your buddy curses the escort mission on Terminator 2, meanwhile a bunch of kids are flailing away at some damn dance machine while their dad plays Tron with a look of wispy nostalgia in his eyes. And then the mom plays that one inevitable shooting game where you're not shooting at people, because the mom is the only one in the group who doesn't already know that those always suck.

[AndrewTS 0]

What's this "age limit" thing for Dave & Buster's? I've never been to one and it sounds crazy.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I don't quite know the details since it never affected me, but I believe you have to be of legal drinking age to enter after a certain time or accompanied by an adult. It seems rather silly. I've been to two D&B's - I really liked the one in Maryland (at the White Flint mall near DC) because it had a lot of fun arcade games, notably some machine that was full of classics like SFII (which I unknowingly started a tournament by playing). I was at another one in NYC, it was ok but the video game to ticket redemption game ratio was way out of balance. I'd do a few races in Daytona (and why they still use the first one I don't know, but it's fun to have 8 people) and then wait around for someone to stop playing House of the Dead 4. The one in Maryland had at least 4 pinball machines as well, this one only had one and it wasn't all that fun (something about the New York Giants).

[Black Lushus 0]

I may be wrong, but I believe you have to be in there with an adult if you're under either 18 or 21...I know I read a sign there that states SOMETHING to that effect.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Some of those places have open bars, so you can't get in if you're under the legal drinking age. I found out the hard way when I tried going to a GameWorks with some buddies a few years ago, yet couldn't get in thanks to the fucked American drinking age limit. I was 19 at the time, which incidentally is old enough to drink basically anywhere in Canada.

[Ripper 0]

After 9pm here the kids have to go. They can go in all day though, its just that they have the Adult time after 9.

 

Dave and Busters here is a fucking club man. People get dressed up to go. Dressed up as in the women come half naked and ready to drink and dance. And play that motorcycle game so their asses are up in the air.

 

I swear all of the kickass in the world started when I stopped being single.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Oh that's right, I remember hearing that it's after a certain time when the bars open.

[Carnival 0]

I may be wrong, but I believe you have to be in there with an adult if you're under either 18 or 21...I know I read a sign there that states SOMETHING to that effect.

under 18 needs an adult, cuz we serve alcohol.

 

I wish my D&B was a club like place. But then again, what the fuck am I gonna do in the ref shirt. Kill myself. Probably.

[Black Lushus 0]

haha, Rendclaw is spot on with his assessment of Chuck E. Cheese...I don't know why, but I found it very amusing to see that they serve beer and wine there.

 

Ethan, it sorta was clubbish at first, but has since died down.

[Golgo 13 0]

The nearest mall arcade would be great if more than half the machines were turned on. It's a moderate sized room and they have a good ratio of old and new with a nice mix of fighters.

 

One of the old corner stores I used to go to had Tekken and one of those Neo Geo machines with multiple games on it, particularly Metal Slug. Another one that was nearby before it shut down had one machine which never mattered to anyone and the other which was always a Capcom fighter.

[GeneMean 0]

After 9pm here the kids have to go. They can go in all day though, its just that they have the Adult time after 9.

 

Dave and Busters here is a fucking club man. People get dressed up to go. Dressed up as in the women come half naked and ready to drink and dance. And play that motorcycle game so their asses are up in the air.

 

I swear all of the kickass in the world started when I stopped being single.

 

 

Man, Dave and Busters used to be the shit when I lived in Houston. Just like you described only instead of motorcycles they had that horse racing game with double booty bouncing action.

[Guest rockaustin]

Aww man, the arcade was my favorite thing in the world when I was a kid. There was this one gigantic arcade called Milford Amusement Center, which was 2 hours away from my home in CT. It was 2 floors filled with games, billiards, bumper cars, lazer tag, etc. That place was heaven. I remember seeing Street Fighter 1 there, X-Men vs Street Fighter, Street Fighter 2 on a HUGE screen; I swear Blanka must've been my size.

 

They had every fighting game you can imagine and that's just like 5% of what the whole place consisted of. There was Nathans Hot Dogs attached to it which changed to a McDonalds. The place was basically a Chuckie Cheese for bigger kids and teenagers. I wonder what happened to that place, the last time I've been there was when Flubber just came out to theaters and McD's was giving out special green straws.

 

A second place that I've been to once when I was about 7 was a place I can't remember the name of or the location, but it was basically a aircraft hangar turned into a big ass arcade filled with bumper cars, playground equipment, and tons of games. That place was cool.

 

One more was my friend's 12th birthday, it was basically a giant room with a huge miniature golf course, big inflated bouncy things, and yes GAMES!

 

Arcades were good fun, they really need to think of something that would rake in cash and revive the arcades.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

What killed arcades were those fucking ticket redemption games.

 

Having worked at two arcades, what, really hurt the industry, imo, was when home console games became just as good in terms of graphics/etc. as their coin-op counterparts. I remember reading some industry magazine in the mid-90s that said "arcades will NEVER die because people will still come for socializing." I laughed and tightened up my browneye to prevent any more smoke from entering.

 

The ticket redemption games were actually good money-makers. Young kids loved them, and for a few dollars the parents got a cheap babysitter while their brats got a crappy reward for their skee-ball efforts. Many parents did bitch about the "money wasted," but a few understood that this was just a form of entertainment.

[fazzle 0]

There's a couple of arcades around here, but really, there's no point in going.

 

Games are too damn expensive, and there's no real, "regular" game anymore. All arcade games have to have some fucking gimmick, motion, special controllers, something. You can't just so and play a game anymore.

[World's Worst Man 0]

People can play regular games in their homes, and not have to pay for three lives, that's probably why the arcades have shifted to the gimmicky stuff. I bet once the gimmicky stuff becomes established in the home (as it has with the Wii, with dancepads, guitar controllers, etc), even those arcades will fall off the face of the Earth.

[NoCalMike 0]

The closest one to me is the Golfland/Sunsplash in Roseville. The condition of the arcade is continuously shoddy due to regular maintenance staff turnover and the huge influx of kids/teens with little respect of property that's not their own.

 

The rec room at Sac State is my choice arcade for the time being. The small selection of fighters, DrumMania, Initial D and occasional game of 9-Ball is enough to keep me satisfied. I'd make more trips to the Milipitas Golfland if it wasn't too far out from where I live.

 

Does Sunsplash still do $5 unlimited gaming on Wednesday nights?

[Jingus 0]

I may be wrong, but I believe you have to be in there with an adult if you're under either 18 or 21...I know I read a sign there that states SOMETHING to that effect.

In TN, the rule is that you have to either be above 21, or be accompanied by an adult above the age of 25. It's pretty damn ghey, especially since I really doubt that the money they make off beer sales is more than what they'd make if they just let kids come in and play the games. And they're super dicks about carding, if you blatantly walk right past the doorman to go outside and then turn right back around and walk in, get your ID out.

 

haha, Rendclaw is spot on with his assessment of Chuck E. Cheese...I don't know why, but I found it very amusing to see that they serve beer and wine there.

Depends on the state. Once again, TN kinda sucks; no alcohol of any kind at the Cheesemeister. Also, beer is the only alcoholic drink that's legal to sell in restaurants or anywhere that's not a bar or a liquor store. Yeah, even wine is verboten.

 

 

To me, nothing zaps the fun out of arcades more than those damned DDR machines. I don't get the appeal. I had a Power Pad back when they first invented this technology, it sucked then, and a buncha flashy graphics and Japop tunes don't make it not suck now.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Putt-Putt has a bunch of games, but most of them are the deer-hunter type or shoot 'em ups. There is one fun game called "Percussion master." I like that one.

[BUTT 0]

The Fast and the Furious arcade game is everywhere. I swear, it's in my local Wal-Mart, it's in movie theaters. It must be the biggest non-DDR arcade success of this decade.

 

 

In my local K-Mart, on the other hand, they have Capcom's Alien vs Predator. Seriously, a game from 1993. Although it's a definite step up from the game they had there two years ago: TIME KILLERS.

[Black Lushus 0]

In my local K-Mart, on the other hand, they have Capcom's Alien vs Predator. Seriously, a game from 1993.

 

you're not knocking the greatness of this game...are you??

[AndrewTS 0]

To me, nothing zaps the fun out of arcades more than those damned DDR machines. I don't get the appeal. I had a Power Pad back when they first invented this technology, it sucked then, and a buncha flashy graphics and Japop tunes don't make it not suck now.

 

Motion controls sucked back then too, you know. And unless you just see big fat slobs on it all the time, I don't see why you'd object. Typically when those machines are in use it seems to be mainly young girls using it.

 

Having worked at two arcades, what, really hurt the industry, imo, was when home console games became just as good in terms of graphics/etc. as their coin-op counterparts.

 

This is the theory I mainly subscribe to. I know it fairly true for me, mainly because I am horrible at playing fighters with joysticks. It seemed like beginning of the end was Playstation. When a game takes about a year to come to console and the graphics and sound are severely compromised? Sure, I'll pick the arcade game. If it's coming out on console in two months and has extra features? Well, I'll play it if it's there, but if it's busy or there's another game I want to play, ah well.

 

Besides, my Pocket Change (where I mainly got to play fighters) had a bad habit of yanking fighting games shortly after putting in a new machine. I swear the Street Fighter Alpha machine was there like a week.

[Black Lushus 0]

being a fan of the Double Dragon arcade game, i remember being severely and utterly disappointed with the NES port.

[CanadianChris 0]

being a fan of the Double Dragon arcade game, i remember being severely and utterly disappointed with the NES port.

Good call. One of the worst conversions ever.

[Jingus 0]

In my local K-Mart, on the other hand, they have Capcom's Alien vs Predator. Seriously, a game from 1993. Although it's a definite step up from the game they had there two years ago: TIME KILLERS.

As I recall, the AVP arcade game was one of the few decent games made from either the A or P franchises. But oh yeah Time Killers was one of the most godawful wastes of silicon ever.

Motion controls sucked back then too, you know. And unless you just see big fat slobs on it all the time, I don't see why you'd object. Typically when those machines are in use it seems to be mainly young girls using it.

As far as I'm concerned they still suck now (don't get me started on the Wiimote). And yes, big fat slobs. Great big fat fucks. All the time. Including the young girls. But mainly I hate 'em because 1.they take up space that could be filled by two or three real arcade games, and 2.the kids who obsess on them tend to be incredibly loud screaming annoying little bastards.

Good call. One of the worst conversions ever.

Eh, it wasn't as good as the arcade game, true. But considering how limited the NES's hardware was, they couldn't even come close to duplicating the Double Dragon arcade experience. Also, except for Renegade and Urban Champion and other primitive crap like that, DD was pretty much the only side-scrolling fighter on the console at that time, so there wasn't much to compare it to. It was pretty damned popular back in the day.

[AndrewTS 0]

But considering how limited the NES's hardware was, they couldn't even come close to duplicating the Double Dragon arcade experience.

 

Double Dragon II?

[BUTT 0]

DD2 was nothing like the arcade game. And it was 50 times better for that reason.

 

Double Dragon 3 was also better, but that's only because the arcade version was terrible.