Video Game Arcades

[tedward]

When I was a kid - Arcades were full of loud driving games such as daytona and sega rally, 2d fighting games and the newly introduced 3d fighting games and plenty of light gun games - by now I was expecting to see some impressive almost life like racing games in arcades.

But todays arcades are full of dancing games and of all things - girls.

How things change hey?

[Snake Spirit]

You got THAT right...things have changed dramatically.

I too remember the day when the sit down version of Spy Hunter had lines longer than hell with people waiting to play it, and Dragon's Lair was the big thing. MY pet fave was Wizard of Wor, a maze shooter where you took on monsters and sometimes the Wizard hmself. Then there was Gorf, another big fave of mine, and I could go on and on about those days, but sufice to say that you are right, that arcades have changed. Not only that, but there are hardly any around anymore, since consoles and PC's took their own place among the kings of gaming. But those were the days though, weren't they? :)

[jediknight]

I'd rather plop down 50 bucks for my own game than drop a dollar on someone else's. Arcades amazed us because we could never get get that kind of system at home. Now, with Xbox, you have HDTV and in game 5.1 surrond sound (taking the place of the daytona games that you could sit down with the speakers behind you.) Also Games could do stuff back then that consoles can do better and cheaper now. It costs a lot of money to mass develop arcades where it only takes a few bucks to create a dvd for the masses.

It's a shame though, arcades offered a setting of social interaction now being replaced by the online business. What's it all coming to? Everquest for xbox, thats what :p

[tedward]

Yeh Daytona was light years ahead of any home system at the time - and now many arcade machines are powered by modified home consoles.

[Fanible]

There are some arcades out there that would appeal, but they're expensive at the entry or for any use of the machines.

I went to an arcade in Denver that had numerous advance arcade shoot em up machines, racing, space exploration. All very large, sit downs, stand ups and privacy rooms attached.

It was intrigueing, and fun, but I hear what you're sayin.

You'd think that from how advanced the games were in a lot of great arcade places, that they'd be the same today, but with just more advanced games.

But there's actually more money to be made sticking with mainly releasing your games via console and PC to answer your confusion.

[Snake Spirit]

Man have times ever changed:
I remember my day back in the 80's: Kids were lined up to play the sit down version of Spy Hunter, Pac Man and Dragon's Lair were the big money grabbers, and Bally Midway was pretty much the Microsoft of the arcades. They had a huge monopoly on pinball and video games. Some of my fave games were Gorf, Wizard Of Wor, Gladiator, and Rush N' Attack, a definite Cold War era game because of the intentional alternate spelling of the word "Russian."

You're making me miss those days terribly, Tedward :(

[DangerMouse]

Ya know Snake, you can actually buy those games, and I mean the ACTUAL arcade games, for around $200 to $500.

Theoretically, you could use an extra room of a house to set up an 80's style arcade complete with Devo, Aldo Nova, Quarterflash, Big Country and Golden Earring blarring from stereo speakers.

Oh that and copies of "Dynamite" magazine laying around.:D

[JAE]

Yeah my buddy bought a Ms. Pacman machine that had a upgrade chip in it. That thing played over 50 versions of Ms. Pacman! A dream come true for a kid that would spend all of his allowance playing in the arcades.

[Snake Spirit]

Yeah I could buy the games but I don't have the room right now, OR the money :( There IS a farmer's market near us in Quakertown Pennsylvania that sells old games in their original cabinet for the amount that Dangermouse quoted. Just last week I was playing "Pleiades" and "Phoenix" and Ikari Warriors, which used to be another big fave of mine.

There's also MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) for the PC and the myriads of ROM'S that abound for it when the original game licensees aren't witch hunting each website that has them for download. Not usre if it's OK to speak about MAME on this site, because I was warned about it at another website, something about piracy ware or something...but anyway emulators are great too.

[Fanible]

Could always go work at an arcade joint and play every game in there for free. I use to work at a Captain Bogey's a long while back, and I'd close, and play all the arcades with some friends. Good times.

[Snake Spirit]

You lucky duck you, Fanible...:eek: