Old School Arcarde Culture

[ewraught]

One of my favorite passtimes is seeking out functional video games from the eighties and earlier. Given the strength of Arcade cutlure in Japan I thought this would not be hard. However, I have yet to even run across a cabinet running Galaga, let alone a functional Gyruss machine. Anyone seen such things around? I always say our generation can claim two culture creations as our own, Hip-Hop and Video Games. THe former I can find in spades, but I guess TV game have pushed out the old school heads out of the arcades...

[Frost]

my question is why? Sure playing old games like pac-man and q-bert brings back memories, but have you tried them recently? The kinda suck and ya get bored real fast.

[mr. sparkle]

my question is why? Sure playing old games like pac-man and q-bert brings back memories, but have you tried them recently? The kinda suck and ya get bored real fast.

Frost,
My fave was the original Dragon's Lair which ran on an interactive video disc.




Dang I pumped a lot of quarters in there!

Night Driver and Sprint were also faves


space invaders still rocks


asteroids can still get the blood pumpin'!


Galaga is still a gas!


To top it off, you can't beat Centipede!


Video games did not exist when I was a young kid. As a pre-teen, I saw my first Pong game and I was hooked immediately. Wasn't long before I pumped endless quarters into Night Driver. I don't think any of these games are boring at all. If I play these at all, it is for pure nostalgia--however, some are still pretty tough.

Pac Man was always for the sissies - bring on the Galaga!!

Pedal to the Metal baby!

[Dood_Mon_Dang_]

I still play asteriods every once and awhile. All of it's remakes can't step.

[kamome]

my question is why? Sure playing old games like pac-man and q-bert brings back memories, but have you tried them recently? The kinda suck and ya get bored real fast.

I think the genius of these games is that they still hold entertainment value despite their age. You don't get bored of playing Space Invaders or Galaga--they're pure action. I get more bored playing those RPG games like Final Fantasy. Despite the nice graphics, I just can't sit for hours to watch the story unfold.

[GomiGirl]

Galaga!! Fantastic!! My cousin had one of these in his house (the table-top version) and one summer all the cousins took turns and we managed to make it to the end.. ie to the mother ship.

I even remember one of my own finest hours when I had 4 ships of my own firing similtaneously..

What a great game..

[ewraught]

Just like Hendrix cannot be improved upon, the classics are classics for a reason and will never be boring. Although the technology has improved how many SF2 clones can you play?

[Neo-Rio]

Galaga!! Fantastic!! My cousin had one of these in his house (the table-top version) and one summer all the cousins took turns and we managed to make it to the end.. ie to the mother ship.

I even remember one of my own finest hours when I had 4 ships of my own firing similtaneously..

What a great game..

Never knew Galaga actually had an ending...
My firebutton finger got RTS at about level 30.

I DO remember playing "1942" all the way to the end in the arcade.... all the way to Okinawa from Midway, where I was greeted with a huge plane to blow up.
After that, I was told "We give up!" and that was the end!

Now THAT was a game!
It seems that the Japanese thought nothing of making a game about world war II and pitting the player as a US fighter plane.......

[mr. sparkle]

now let's go WAY back...

TAAAAAANK!


tank rocks!

let's not forget

TEMPEST!!!


perspective-ish

rock on...

[noigeaR]

emulators are a great thing, but i think nothing can replace playing the original games on the original hardware. it's just not the same if you load the games from an explorer window instead of putting a cartridge into the console and pressing a button instead of inserting coins into an original arcade cabinet is less expensive but it also ruins much of the atmosphere. it's nice to see the ending of some games without having to declare bankruptcy though

my list of classic arcade favorites: outrun, elevator action, moon patrol, exerion, galaga, street fighter 2 and pacman (the game for sissies, as mr. sparkle calls it)

[cstaylor]

Pac-Man was no game for sissies... and neither was Ms. Pac-Man. Many winter weekends were wasted learning the patterns in that game.

[kurohinge1]

... I DO remember playing "1942" all the way to the end in the arcade.... all the way to Okinawa from Midway, where I was greeted with a huge plane to blow up.
After that, I was told "We give up!" and that was the end!

Now THAT was a game! ...

Agreed! I almost scored a stand-up arcade game of 1942 for $300 at a massive auction of about 1,000 machines (pinball, video games & even pool tables) in Sydney about 10 years ago. I was out-bid, though.

It's not quite the same playing them on a computer ...

A table-top "spacies" or asteroids game would make the perfect useable coffee table ...

[ewraught]

Emulators are great for practicing your moves. But nothing is like the original cabinites. I'd work on my Tron and Punch-out all week and then head out to 47th St or Chinatown in NYC and try to take the title. Obviously, there is serious arcade video game culture in the various NY communities, particularly the asians ones. And enough old heads that they keep original Mr. Do! and Spy Hunter machines going for those of us who can shave. But no luck so far in Nippon alas. In HK they've got Emulator cabinites with 300 games, but mostly new fighter clones. Though they got Track and Field! And I have two words for you, TIME PILOT!

[bejiita]

Eh, there's always eBay. Dig Dug cocktail table currently going for $76!

Once you're bored, rip out the guts and cram your PC into it.

[Neo-Rio]

A table-top "spacies" or asteroids game would make the perfect useable coffee table ...

I wonder why the cocktail cabinet games died out? They were a real fad at the time. I suppose in many establishments it just added to the electric bill, and didn't really pay for itself unless it was played continuously. Then you had drink spills.... and very few of the games were suited to a cocktail cabinet... what with one person looking at the screen upside down and all.
Sprint 1 rocked though....

I think 8-ball and table soccer has always held up well in comparison.

But man... pinball machines look like they're going away for good....

PACHINKO REMAINS SUPREME

[kurohinge1]

And what about air hockey - that was also great.

I reminds me of a previous post where I mentioned this great TV-mouse game that was around about the time of the winter Olympics in Japan ...

... Early last year, my out-laws in Japan bought this little game with two mouses (mice?) that hooks up to the TV and you can play either air hockey or curling.

But a real air hockey table (with the real risk of serious finger damage for the inexperienced) is alot more fun. I've seen these still around in some game centres and bowling alleys.

[Neo-Rio]

I think the main decline in arcades is the fact that most crap games were just 1-player anti-social affairs..... and then the fad wore off. Nowadays you can be anti-social at home if you want.
What surprises me the most is that here in Japan, even if you do play against someone in a game center, you don't even get to see who it is.... unlike back home where you share the one screen. Well screw that.

There is no escaping social gameplaying with billiards, air hockey, fussball, table tennis, or air-hockey.

I STILL enjoy cocktail Gauntlet and Sprint though..... although competitive games are usually far more popular than cooperative ones.

[kotatsuneko]

i dunno if they are a hokkaido only company but try and find the multicoloured sign of "sugai"

they dont always look like arcades from the outside, more like karaoke..

theres a good few in hokkaido, the biggest being near the street running n/s thru tanuki koji 2 or 3 i think its massive, and has half of one BIG floor dedicated to old games , a good 60 or so machines at a guess..

[ewraught]

If I want social activity I wouldn't go to the arcades at all, but when you want to duke it out with Sinistar, well who needs anyone else. Plus I have made friends over double dragon. Though not Karate Champ or SF2 since theirs too much pride at stake there...