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Get outside of the big cities though and you'll see that they are dying. Down in my area we've had the two best arcades close down in the last year, and the other arcades have been stacking up on more redemption/purikura/horse racing/other retarded shit like that games.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaneda
It's still much better then the way it is in the states, that's true, but it's starting to hurt.
True that it isn't the golden ages anymore, but I do think there should still be some decent arcades close to you no matter where you are.
I don't know where you are in Kyushuu but maybe this arcade locator can point you to something: http://www19.atwiki.jp/karishooterwiki/. Hundreds of arcades listed and that's just for ones with shooters.
I think it would be funny/interesting/sad to see a site like that for the States.
If that were true net cafes wouldn't exist - I think that's what arcades have really become to an extent. Oddly enough, in Japan they have linked deluxe cabs for stuff like Half Life, RTSes and rogulikes, but for whatever reason they never made it over here to their home territory.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Holliday
Arcades are still going strong in Japan, but that scene is slowly fading too; new games come out very infrequently, and you get the sense they're kept afloat by UFO Catchers, and cheesy pachinko & digital slot machines. The lack of a similar phenomenon may explain why arcades couldn't hang on here to the same extent.
I'm in Hyuga City in Miyazaki, fairly rural area (well comparitively, it isn't US levels of rural, but it's a very very small city for japan. Looks like the only arcade they have listed for me is the one that is my regular (not that I was expecting any surprises). It's an ok arcade I'll admit, but the only regular crowd it has is the Tekken 6 dipshits. Can almost never get any competition in SFIV and they still haven't gotten Blazblue nor KoFXII.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaneda
Also I'm still pissed that they haven't gotten Jubeat yet. That game is soooo fucking good.
When the time comes for Razing Storm on PS3, I don't think arcade owners will lose much to the home version. Using the GC3 is a far cry from the heavy recoil MG on the arcade which does kick the experience up a tad, but the GC3 will do for playing at home. Best of both worlds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshi
Arcade guns are easier to do rapid semi-auto fire with than a GC3. (i.e. handgun in TC4, which is important when you're taking out Wild Dog's 3 wall trap).
My GW needs to dump their old Guitar Freaks 1st Mix and get the new GFXG when that's out. I don't even touch the redemption games except for Super Shot basketball. GW is usually packed on Thursday nights when they have the $10 Play Your Way from 8pm-12. If you do this, I recommend getting there a tad early (maybe 7:50) to try to be among the first few in line and avoid waiting 15-30 mins. to purchase your timed play.
In SoCal, you had Arcade Infinity, SHGL (closed a few years back :( ) and there's a Nickel City in Carmel Mountain somewhere.
Out here in Southern Illinois, I have yet to see an "arcade" thats isnt more than 5-10 misc games thrown in a room at the mall. Granted the one the next town over has a Raiden II machine, is busted half the time I go in, so its not a real arcade.
Actually, the restaurant I'm helping open has an "arcade" in it, which consists of 4 different BIG BUCK HUNTER cabs, a Guitar Hero Arcade, FaF:TD Bikes and some Tank game I've never seen before along with tons of redemption games like Deal or No Deal, Stacker and numerous outher coin sucking machines. I tried to tell the guy to get a IIDX or DDR machine in there thinking it might actually do decent business, but he took that as "oh, I'll get this Guitar Hero Cabinet, it sounds about the same!"
Better than nothing, but its a pretty pathetic scene here.
Agreeing with the DC/Naomi argument.
This is something I am very passionate about. Brace yourself for wall o' txt.
I wouldn't say the arcade is dead, or extinct in America. I would tag it with "endangered", however. It's shocking to think about it. Even in the late 90s there was an arcade in every mall or at least a stand alone one every 3 or 4 miles in major metropolitan areas.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Holliday
While those days will never return, there are arcades. But they are reserved to very specific areas. There are a lot of locational quirks that go into keeping an arcade alive. It takes a place with good foot traffic (a college town) or an area where people are willing to drive great distances to play.
Ground Kontrol (www.groundkontrol.com) in Portland, OR is the best example in the 'States today of how to keep an arcade alive and thriving. I have been lucky enough to visit the place and it's enough to make you want to move to Portland (if you're a die hard arcade junkie).
JP release only. A lot of mom n' pop arcades in the US have purchased machines anyway, however. Much like SFVI. I'm fortunate to live within 20 mins of Arcade UFO (www.arcadeufo.com) in Austin. Though it doesn't matter much anymore as the game is out on major consoles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Holliday
LOL. KOF XII is superior in the arcade. It does not contain the silly infinites contained in the home versions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Holliday
In general, I think all arcade versions are superior to console ports. The only way to get the true experience is to play it on the hardware the game was originally conceived on. The only exception would be arcade hardware that is console based. Even then there are extras and tweaks that were not in the original arcade release.
And then there is the issue of online play. I LOL at anyone who bitches about fighting games or shoot em' ups with poor online play. ALL ONLINE PLAY IS POOR WHEN COMPARED TO ARCADE CABINET PLAY. I do not care how good the net code is or if the players live next door. Sitting next to someone at an arcade cab is the only way to play (or next to each other in the living/gaming room with a console if you must). There is no lag and the human connection is there. Even in Japanese arcades (or Japanese style in the case of UFO) you can still shout across the arcade at your opponent with a linked cab or stand up and give them a dirty look over the row. XBL and PSN can go fuck themselves. And I understand that not everyone can walk down to an arcade, but don't think for a second that online gaming will ever be as precise or human as sitting in an arcade.
I feel you. There are two options: move to a city with an excellent arcade/s or start your own.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Holliday
See my rant above.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Holliday
Road Trip!Quote:
Originally Posted by wip3outguy7
LMK. Any excuse to go to that place is a good one.
An arcade opened up in Miami this year.
It's small and SFIV is on consoles built into cabs
3S is there but it's on those atrocious P360 sticks.
The game selection is less than ideal.