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General discussion (archive)Do you still go to arcades?(60 posts)(60 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted August 14, 2013
I used to live at the local Aladdin's Castle in the 70's and saw the transition from pinball machines lining both sides of the arcade to 2 pinball machines and a ton of video gaming machines (I'm a life-long pinball player). Sadly, I only see either machine during the rare occasion in which I go into a bar.

It does seem like, in parts of the US at least, the Dave & Busters (for adults) and Chuckie Cheese (for kids) chains are the most likely "arcades" that I'll have a chance to see in the forseeable future.
Posted August 14, 2013
We still have Chuck E Cheese where I live. I don't think they're owned by Atari anymore. They have over-priced but decent pizza and tons of arcade games. They have pinball, driving games, rides for the kids, shooting games, fighters, little ticket games and a little playground. You pay about 20 cents for coins and then you can play any game for 1 coin.

They can be very hit or miss. My last place I lived, the Chuck E Cheese wasn't half as good as the one I'm at now.

With a coupon (which are always available) you can get a large pizza, 4 drinks and 75 game tokens for $31.49.

I used to go through that much money in an hour by myself at the old arcades. And that's without feeding my family.
Posted August 14, 2013
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timppu: They have pretty much disappeared here too, a long time ago. The only places I know having some coin ops is the local amusement park (Linnanmäki), and a few of the biggest movie theaters.

And in all these places, the coin ops are rather old, like Sega Rally 2, some Time Crisis games etc. I presume new coin ops haven't been made for a long time? When I went to see Pacific Rim in the movie theater, I looked a bit at Outrun 2 arcade, and kept thinking how it looked like some older PC driving games on GOG.

Yeah and the pricing is a problem... If I played them a bit, I would have used the amount of money it takes to buy a couple of GOG games. I would be interested to try out that certain Star Wars coin op though in one movie theater, but I just didn't dare to put two euros or so just to try it out.
They are still being made. Japan, for example, has a very big and booming arcade culture, so most new stuff is created and stays there. For example, they have some CRAZY gundam multiplayer arcades over there. Seriously high tech stuff.
Posted August 14, 2013
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Marzooker: I still visit them just like I did back in the day, I still say no console game will ever be like an arcade game.
I would if we have them. I miss the local arcades! All those Neo-Geo cabs were incredible. :(
Posted August 14, 2013
If arcades still existed, I'd still go to them.
Posted August 14, 2013
I would if they were any good around where I live. There are two but all they have are racing and shooting games, not even good ones either.

I'd really like to go to that 5-storey arcade in Japan though.
Post edited August 14, 2013 by QuantumLeapFrog
Posted August 14, 2013
I loved arcades. Sadly they all disappeared. Last one I remember was in one of the main cities. Used to have an arcade centre travelling in with the yearly fair but that one disappeared eventually as well.
Posted August 14, 2013
First I thought I haven't seen one in ages but I remember the mall has a bar with bowling, billiard, darts and a room with some shooter arcades from what I saw. But I only go there rarely to play bowling. It's too expensive for my taste. Spend a couple of hours there and with that money you could just buy a game for PC.

3 years ago while on holiday at the Black Sea I also found an arcade in a mall and played some shooter for about 10 minutes. Not the type of game I played in arcades while growing up so nostalgia didn't really hit me. It was cool but not enough to warrant spending lots of time and money on it.

Edit: I'd like to own a couple arcade machines. Now that would be awesome!
Post edited August 14, 2013 by Aningan
Posted August 14, 2013
Funny, I've had this conversation with 3 different groups of friends this week.

My answer is an absolute .... NO!!!

The games are expensive as h*ll, they all seem to be some version of a simulator (skiing, driving, shooting, dancing), and they last like a minute (if you're lucky). If I took my kids it would probably run me $100+, including the overpriced pizza and soda.

Back when I walked to school uphill in the snow (both ways), I could go in with 20 bucks and play a wiiiide variety of games and stick around for hours and hours. I get it, they can't really compete with the home consoles....but the prices they charge are absurd for what you get, imho.
Posted August 14, 2013
It's hard to find one.
Posted August 14, 2013
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timppu: They have pretty much disappeared here too, a long time ago. The only places I know having some coin ops is the local amusement park (Linnanmäki), and a few of the biggest movie theaters.
Also the booze cruise ferries to and from Sweden. Okay, I haven't been to one in a while, but I'm pretty sure that they'll keep those Sega Rallies on board for as long as they work. We also had a Sega Rally machine and a few pinballs at the military, in the cafeteria, although I didn't see many people using them.
Posted August 14, 2013
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aluinie: Almost all gone in my area although think a caravan park still has a few machines but i dont venture there.
not flamingo land is it?! OH THE HORROR!
Posted August 14, 2013
Not since the days of Tempest, Astroids, table top Breakout and at the very latest Dragons Lair. Coincidentally, my kids went to Brighton Peer over the weekend and stopped for a blast in the arcade there. All they were interested in were to 2 pence coin drops - the one's with the sliding shelfs.
Posted August 14, 2013
I know 3 arcades where I live, sadly none have any of the famous 2D fighters like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, only 3D fighters like Tekken and MvC 2.

But they great Shooters where they rifles with Iron Sights and Syphon Filter is still awesome.
Post edited August 14, 2013 by Elmofongo
Posted August 14, 2013
I got no rose tinted glasses on for this subject. Even before they turned into a breeding ground for desperate junkies looking to score their next fix they were comprised entirely of overpriced deliberately unfair games that were the digital equivalent of blatantly rigged fairground attractions.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Do you still go to arcades?(60 posts)(60 posts)
(60 posts)