Fun N' Games in Wayne NJ Closing

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I was at the Willowbrook Mall today, when I noticed a large sign in the window of the exterior arcade "Fun N' Games" that said something to the effect of "everything inside is on sale - we are closing".

To the best of my knowledge, Fun N' Games is one of the few operating "arcades" left in Northern New Jersey, and one that I've enjoyed since I was a youngster.

While I haven't participated in any, I've been aware that they held game tournaments on a semi-regular basis, and the condition and upkeep of their machines was always excellent, controllers, buttons, monitors, etc, were always in good working condition. A testament to their in-house repair staff.

Now, I'm not really sure if anybody on the DP Arcade forums knows or knew anybody who ran that establishment, or whether or not there was any bad/good blood ... but I felt that this was worth mentioning either way.

Truly a sign of the times for North Jersey and "arcades" in general.

(The DP store is only about 20 miles... er did I say 20? Make that 7, yes, 7 MILES AWAY [thanks Joe] from Fun N' Games.)

I didn't see prices listed on any of the games, but like the sign said - everything was for sale. So, people who are interested might want to drop them a line.

www.funngamesonline.com (http://www.funngamesonline.com)

[Goblin]

Too bad this is the end of an era. I work 5 minutes from here and eat lunch at the mall probably once a week although I doubt I've been inside the arcade in 15 years. I'm actually surprised that this didn't close years ago. I might have to walk through one last time to check things out and see if I can pick up another cabinet for the house.

[Videogamerdaryll]

Holy Shit.....Wow!!..that's truly Sad..Another one gone....I went in there a few months back to check out the pinball machines..

I don't even know of another arcade in the/that general area.(besides Joes-digital press stores line of arcade machines)


Ahh,man..I might have to take my butt up there to bid my farewell..


In-Arcade Game List
Fun N' Games has a variety of games from the classic to the most recent and popular games on the market. Here is a list of all the new and older games that we have for you:

COMING SOON

Ghost Squad
House of Dead 4


NEW GAMES

Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (http://www.funngamesonline.com/game_images/)
Maximum Tune Midnight (http://www.funngamesonline.com/game_images/Maximum%20Tune%202.JPG)
Soul Caliber 3 (Updated) (http://www.funngamesonline.com/game_images/Soul%20Calibur%203.JPG)
Tekken 5 (Updated) (http://www.funngamesonline.com/game_images/Tekken%205.JPG)


RACING

Artic Thunder Ultra
Daytona 2 DLX
Fast & Furious
Indy 500
Initial D Version 3
Need for Speed
Super Bikes


MUSIC

Dance Dance Revolution 8th Mix Extreme
DDR: SuperNOVA
Drummania - 10th Mix
In the Groove 2
In the Groove 2


CLASSICS

Defender 2
M.Command/Millipede/Bowling
Ms.Pacman/Galaga


SHOOTERS

Area 51/Max Force Duo
B.Head 2002
Big Buck Hunter Pro
Crisis Zone
House of the Dead 3
Lethal Enforcer 3
Police Trainer 2
Silent Scope 3
Target Terror
Time Crisis 3
Time Crisis 4


MISC

Air Hockey
Grid
Mega Touch 2006


PINBALL

Lord of the Rings
Pirates of the Caribbean
Simpsons


FIGHTING
Capcom vs. SNK 2
King of Fighters
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Soul Calibur 3
Street Fighter 3rd Strike
Street Fighter Anniversary


SPORTS

Blitz 2000
Full Court Fever
Madden Football 2007
Madden NFL
NBA Showtime
PGA Tour Golf
Virtua Tennis 2
World Series 01


.................................................. ....................................
Joe: if you ever expanded,got into a full Arcade location LMK as I have some machines here that could be of use..

[Vigilante]

Man does that SUCK! If for only the fact of arcades which disappear. That place has been going downhill for years. Lots of kids and drug addicts hanging arround the place with nothing to do.

Every time I went there, I played a round of Ms Pacman, then left. Too many racing, fighting, and dancing games.

Only other sort of arcade is SportsWorld on Rt17, but that place sucks too.

[portnoyd]

Holy fuck. I have easily dropped $1000 playing MvC2 there alone. This sucks. There goes the last decent arcade unless you want to drive forever to Eight on the Break, and even that place kinda sucks.

[Balloon Fight]

Holy fuck. I have easily dropped $1000 playing MvC2 there alone. This sucks. There goes the last decent arcade unless you want to drive forever to Eight on the Break, and even that place kinda sucks.

8 on the break has some sick marvel competition though. :p

[zektor]

Oh my god. I lived at Fun N' Games. I used to cut class in high school and spend the day there...in my bad years :) We all used to make a night of going there...all of my friends. This is just really sad news to me. Maybe I'll swing over later today and say "goodbye". :(

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

*UPDATE*

No direct confirmation of this info - but Joe is under the impression (and I have no reason not to trust his info) that they're going to move to a new location.

That'll be cool - not having the mall property will be a double edged sword I'm sure ... good for cutting down on transient loitering ... but bad for cutting down on transient spenders.

[Greg2600]

ARGGGGGGHHH! This stinks for sure. While I'm no longer a frequent visitor, I often pop in every few months to play the older games. The Fun n Games website does say that they are moving to a new location. If so, I don't know why they would be selling off all their games, particularly old stalwarts like Daytona USA and Indy 500, which I loved? While I agree that the alleyway next to the arcade had some undesirables, they were more potheads than drug addicts. Willowbrook is crawling with cops, you won't get away with doing drugs in the open there. My guess is the rent got ridiculous, or perhaps the owners have bigger designs and need more space. Very sad regardless, although at least I know about it before hand. Plaza 46 Game Room in Totowa closed several years ago, and I had no idea. There was another arcade over on Route 17 in Rutherford, which had a ton of really old games, and that closed and I had no idea, 3 or 4 years ago. It's not just arcades though, most of the small entertainment centers have gone to the wayside.

[Rob2600]

Does anyone remember The Purple Room in Willowbrook Mall?

[digitalpress]

(The DP store is only about 20 miles away from Fun N' Games.)

Actually I am about 7 miles away (http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?do=nw&go=1&r=&aoh=&aot=&aof=&1a=387%20Piaget%20Ave&1c=Clifton&1s=NJ&1z=07011&1y=US&1l=cfIybzJcdMqEX8%2f7qGrv6A%3d%3d&1g=Rq014kYo%2bdRRrx8ZDXJxkg%3d%3d&1pn=Digital%20Press%20Videogames&1pl=973%2d772%2d1111&1v=ADDRESS&1ffi=1&1n=&1qn=Digital%20Press%20Videogames&2a=&2c=Wayne&2s=NJ&2z=&2y=US&2l=8TgeY9qxBpnzyBAmJCywFQ%3d%3d&2g=hzRyK5vmUGbEeIPmRuFrsg%3d%3d&2pl=&2v=CITY&2ffi=&2n=Passaic%20County&2qn=willowbrook%20mall&panelbtn=2&1qc=&q=digital%20press%20videogames&2pn=willowbrook%20mall&2sb=Willowbrook%20Mall%7c1400%20Willowbrook%20Mall %7cWayne%7cNJ%7c07470%7c40891296%7c%2d74262023%7c9 73%2d785%2d1655%7cUS&2qc=Shopping%20Centers%20%26%20Malls) from Fun & Games.

I'm gonna miss the place. I haven't been there in awhile but I've spent countless hours there over the years, especially in my Montclair State college days (and when my office was right across the street at Wayne Interchange Plaza).

[Greg2600]

According to www.superauctions.com website.....


After more than 33 years, Fun’n’Games has lost their lease and decided to call it a career! Everything will be sold to the highest bidders in individual lots, regardless of price! Looking for new, late-model pieces in excellent condition? Then this is the auction for YOU! Go to our website at SuperAuctions.com to see all the photos–the pride of ownership really shows here! All units are immaculate, late model, route-ready and in 100% working order.
PRIVATE AUCTION • NO MINIMUMS • NO RESERVES

IMMACULATE UNITS INCLUDE: Konami Dance Dance Revolution 8th Mix and Dance Dance Revolution Supernovas (3) • Raw Thrills Fast & Furious (4) • Global VR Need for Speed (2) • Sega Initial D’s (2) • Betson Super Bikes (2) • Namco Time Crisis 3 & 4’s (4) • Namco Max Tune Midnights (2) • Konami Silent Scope 3 • Sega House of the Dead’s (2) • Bally-Midway Arctic Thunder Ultras (2) • Sega Daytona 2’s (2) • Stern Pinballs including Pirates of the Caribbean, Simpsons Pinball Party, Lord of the Rings – just to name a few! • PLUS Parts, Kits, Display Cases, Signage, Support Equipment, Changers, etc., etc.

Sounds like Willowbrook kicked them out, which is really unfortunate.

[Rob2600]

According to www.superauctions.com website.....

We should participate in the auction and try to get $10,000 arcade games for $50. :)

[Rob2600]

I knew one of the guys who worked at Fun N Games and a bunch of regular customers. I used to work with some of them!

By the way, if it hasn't been mentioned already, check this out:

Time Out Amusement Center - old arcade photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/petromyzon/sets/553223/)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Actually I am about 7 miles away (http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?do=nw&go=1&r=&aoh=&aot=&aof=&1a=387%20Piaget%20Ave&1c=Clifton&1s=NJ&1z=07011&1y=US&1l=cfIybzJcdMqEX8%2f7qGrv6A%3d%3d&1g=Rq014kYo%2bdRRrx8ZDXJxkg%3d%3d&1pn=Digital%20Press%20Videogames&1pl=973%2d772%2d1111&1v=ADDRESS&1ffi=1&1n=&1qn=Digital%20Press%20Videogames&2a=&2c=Wayne&2s=NJ&2z=&2y=US&2l=8TgeY9qxBpnzyBAmJCywFQ%3d%3d&2g=hzRyK5vmUGbEeIPmRuFrsg%3d%3d&2pl=&2v=CITY&2ffi=&2n=Passaic%20County&2qn=willowbrook%20mall&panelbtn=2&1qc=&q=digital%20press%20videogames&2pn=willowbrook%20mall&2sb=Willowbrook%20Mall%7c1400%20Willowbrook%20Mall %7cWayne%7cNJ%7c07470%7c40891296%7c%2d74262023%7c9 73%2d785%2d1655%7cUS&2qc=Shopping%20Centers%20%26%20Malls) from Fun & Games.

I'm gonna miss the place. I haven't been there in awhile but I've spent countless hours there over the years, especially in my Montclair State college days (and when my office was right across the street at Wayne Interchange Plaza).


Haha, damn me and my crappy mental-distance-estimations!

I should have just map-quested it. LOL

[mgriff]

Man does that SUCK! If for only the fact of arcades which disappear. That place has been going downhill for years. Lots of kids and drug addicts hanging arround the place with nothing to do.

Every time I went there, I played a round of Ms Pacman, then left. Too many racing, fighting, and dancing games.

Only other sort of arcade is SportsWorld on Rt17, but that place sucks too.

FYI, Sportsworld no longer exists, it was leveled and a furniture store was built in it's place...

[Apollo]

November 24th is when the auction is...damnit I fucking hate Black Friday even more now. I'm going to be working at Toys R Us trying to survive being trampled while theres an arcade cabinet auction going on.

[RCM]

truly sad, I dug that place and would go every once in a while. There was another place on rt. 17 called the Videogame Room, something like that, which was leveled a few years ago. totally fucking sad.

[digitalpress]

Does anyone remember The Purple Room in Willowbrook Mall?

I do. Right about where the food court opening was eventually added. The Purple Room was really small and from what I remember, really really dark. I remember cigarette smoke, the thumping of Jungle Hunt, and a single Dragon's Lair machine near the entrance shortly before the place closed down.

Ah, Willowbrook Mall. Good times, though I've managed to steer clear of the place for the last 3 or 4 years.

[VintageOpus]

Possibly relocating in 6 months

[Rob2600]

Ah, Willowbrook Mall. Good times, though I've managed to steer clear of the place for the last 3 or 4 years.

Me, too. :)

[Greg2600]

truly sad, I dug that place and would go every once in a while. There was another place on rt. 17 called the Videogame Room, something like that, which was leveled a few years ago. totally fucking sad.

Yes that is the place I was talking about earlier in the post, but I couldn't remember the name. Across from a Burger King and Wendy's and next to a Popeye's. It was leveled and nothing is in its place. The correct name of the joint was "Great Escape."


FYI, Sportsworld no longer exists, it was leveled and a furniture store was built in it's place...

Wow, I totally missed that one closing up too, although not a surprise. They never bothered replacing any of the games, which mostly stunk. The Lazer Tron game was fun in its day, and the only reason to go there.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Yes that is the place I was talking about earlier in the post, but I couldn't remember the name. Across from a Burger King and Wendy's and next to a Popeye's. It was leveled and nothing is in its place. The correct name of the joint was "Great Escape."



Wow, I totally missed that one closing up too, although not a surprise. They never bothered replacing any of the games, which mostly stunk. The Lazer Tron game was fun in its day, and the only reason to go there.

I live pretty close to the ex-arcade "The Great Escape" ... and in my briefest experiences with the place, I can say without hesitation it was the polar opposite of Fun N' Games - it was dark, dirty, smelly, almost every single cabinet had damaged or broken hardware ... and I never even remember the place being "staffed". It was kind of like one of those 24 hour laundromats...sometimes there'd be somebody in there to help you with getting change, and sometimes there wouldn't.

I'm not saying that anybody else was even comparing the two locations in terms of quality - but if Fun N' Games rated on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say the place was a solid 10 for most of it's existence in terms of the quality, variety and working order of games and pinballs, and Great Escape a 2 or 3 for being a veritable craphole. (from the brief impression that I had of it)

Was Great Escape ever a clean, inviting, well maintained place in it's early days?

[Flack]

I live pretty close to the ex-arcade "The Great Escape" ... and in my briefest experiences with the place, I can say without hesitation it was the polar opposite of Fun N' Games - it was dark, dirty, smelly, almost every single cabinet had damaged or broken hardware ... and I never even remember the place being "staffed". It was kind of like one of those 24 hour laundromats...sometimes there'd be somebody in there to help you with getting change, and sometimes there wouldn't.

Heh, you just described half the arcades I went to as a kid. The only nice arcades I went to back then were at malls, and even some of those were pretty dark and scary. The arcade near my house had an unguarded cigarette machine in the back that took quarters (and maybe tokens, who knows). Half the time, part of the thrill of playing a game was worrying that you might get abducted at some point during the game.

[Greg2600]

Alright, you want to talk about an old dumpy arcade! Well, does anyone else remember the kiddie amusement park up on Route 46 in Pine Brook, NJ? After Googling I found the name was Kiddie Karnival, and closed in 1987 to expand the highway. I remember there was one room, which I think was a shack or garage, that had early 80's games like Space Invaders, Tron, etc. It was like a county fair that never moved.

[Vigilante]

I'm going to try and make it to the auction to see if there is anything cheap I can buy myself for christmas.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Alright, you want to talk about an old dumpy arcade! Well, does anyone else remember the kiddie amusement park up on Route 46 in Pine Brook, NJ? After Googling I found the name was Kiddie Karnival, and closed in 1987 to expand the highway. I remember there was one room, which I think was a shack or garage, that had early 80's games like Space Invaders, Tron, etc. It was like a county fair that never moved.

Dude, I used to go there ALL THE TIME!

What about - right across the highway from "Kiddie Land" (I think it was called at one point if memory serves) the "Game Room" that was on the top floor of that old church - which is currently a fancy schmancy restaurant.

I remember asking my parents to take me there one day during what used to be it's operating hours only to find out that it had closed!

Man, that was a sad sad day in my childhood.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Peeked in on the now empty ex-arcade last week and seeing it completely bereft of machines made a little bit of me die inside.

:(

[Apollo]

Tell me about it. Whenever I pass the furniture store on Rt. 17 where Sportsworld used to be, I get all sad and feel emotions.

[Mangar]

Those pictures made me envious. I've never been to an arcade even remotely that nice and well maintained. I grew up in Keansburg, NJ during the 80's, (Self Explanatory for NJ Natives, but for those who are not - It's sort of a white trash shore community, with rides, a boardwalk, and tons of arcades. Not exactly the safest of places.) and dark and scary wasn't the half of it. I can remember an actual knife being pulled on me over an argument with a 20 something year old over who's turn it was at Donkey Kong.

Being a smart 11 year old, I decided that it was in fact HIS turn.

[Greg2600]

Yeah, we gave up on Keansburg by the end of the 80's too. 10 years later they spent money and fixed it up, and the riff raff rarely hung out there anymore (they have Sleazeside for that!). Speaking of arcades, I remember going to the one in the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City a lot. The game room was next to the bowling alley. In one instance, I was playing WWF Wrestlemania Arcade, and some kid puts in a quarter during the match and demands me tag him in. A) I ignored him and B) I never could figure out how to do that. So he didn't get to play and threatened to beat me up. Then I told him I'd take him to see Michael Jackson and he ran away.

[Rob2600]

Greg and I visited the Fun N Games arcade a week before it shut down. We recorded a video tour and just posted it on YouTube for posterity:

Fun N Games arcade, Willowbrook Mall 11/17/07 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Plxe_cab1I)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Great video Rob...people should check it out, especially those who fondly remembered the arcade.

On a semi-related note, with the recent closing of the FYE stores, the KB Toys, and the Suncoast Video store at Willowbrook ... I'm finding less and less reasons to stop by there.

Sure, there are like 10 Gamestop/Software Etc./EB/Funcoland's there ... but at this point, I'd rather support Joe's retail efforts with the lion's share of my game purchases ...

Sad, that was once my favorite mall. Not to big, not too small, great arcade, nice food court, and plenty of stores that served the movie/music/game/entertainment loving consumer. Soon it'll consist of just women's clothing stores and Gamestops.

[Rob2600]

Great video Rob

Thanks!


On a semi-related note, with the recent closing of the FYE stores, the KB Toys, and the Suncoast Video store at Willowbrook ... I'm finding less and less reasons to stop by there.

there are like 10 Gamestop/Software Etc./EB/Funcoland's there ... Soon it'll consist of just women's clothing stores and Gamestops.

Wow. I remember in 2001, there was already an Electronics Boutique, EB Kids, Funco Land, and two Software Etc. stores, all within one shopping mall. Now, there are even more video game stores?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Thanks!



Wow. I remember in 2001, there was already an Electronics Boutique, EB Kids, Funco Land, and two Software Etc. stores, all within one shopping mall. Now, there are even more video game stores?

Woah, double post!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Thanks!



Wow. I remember in 2001, there was already an Electronics Boutique, EB Kids, Funco Land, and two Software Etc. stores, all within one shopping mall. Now, there are even more video game stores?

Actually, there are only 4. One Funco, one EB, one GameStop and one Software Etc. (which I think has been re-branded to Game Stop).

(I was just exaggerating for comedic effect.)

[Rob2600]

Actually, there are only 4. 1 Funco, one EB, one GameStop and one Software Etc. (which I think has been re-branded to Game Stop).

(I was just exaggerating for comedic effect.)

Willowbrook Mall was getting so overrun with video game stores that I actually believed you!

[Videogamerdaryll]

I went to that Mall Tonight.....Sad to see Fun N' Games (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1311264#post1311264)closed..the windows were all blacked out.

The doors from inside the mall to get out near the old Fun N' Games (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1311264#post1311264)were tied off shut..



................................
They closed Kay Bee and the FYE next door it too..

Gamestop on the lower floor still open..Gamestop upstairs still open and Software etc next to the food court(they were all DEAD.

I have no clue why this mall has three gamestores in it,two right near each other...

[jnoble]

Like you guys, I'm a long time old-school arcade junkie. So I have very strong nostalgic memories of the arcades from my youth, but the Willowbrook Fun N Games is the grandaddy of them all.

The very first arcade game I ever remember playing was there....I remember very clearly my grandfather holding me up so I could see the screen and play 'Indy 500' in all it's glorious black and white graphics. And then riding on his shoulders walking out.

When I got older, my grandparents would get me a game card every year that allowed me four free credits a week on any game in the place. Being that I rarely if ever had any money on me, and we would go to Willowbrook Mall only once a week on a Saturday,this was something that I had to make count. Games that cost 50 cents to play would count for two credits.

I fell in love with my favorite arcade game of all time, Spy Hunter in that place. They used to have four of them in a row against the right wall walking in. A bar-table version of Demolition Derby was in the back at one point next to Donkey Kong. I never cared much for the pinball games, but I did like High Speed and it's sequel.

They were really good at keeping up with the latest releases,even the ones that weren't popular sequels, like Empire Strikes Back and the infamous Spy Hunter II, which really let everyone down. That game just SUCKED out loud and was gone soon.

In 1988, Hard Drivin', the sit down version debuted there....everyone was lined up to see it,and it seemed like the coolest most realistic driving game ever made. I was a little disappointed, the car seemed to drive and accelerate too slow for a Ferrari. Plus it was really easy to fly off the road and explode which pretty much screwed you to make the lap before timing out. Then Race Drivin' replaced it and it became my go-to game for a couple years.

My weekly visits to that place and the mall became more infrequent after I started college. It seemed like the crowd became more and more sleezy and ghetto/inner city punk.... that, or I was just getting older and noticing these things more.

My last visit there was around late summer, early fall. I walked around, maybe played something or other and walked out. Arcade games lost their soul somewhere in the mid-90s. What they gained in graphics and sound they lost in imagination and spirit. On the occasion that I did visit FnGs was more or less out of nostalgia then being really interested in any of what they had to offer.

I can still close my eyes, and go back in time to the mid '80s and see Paperboy facing the side door next to Roadblasters. Rampart was around the bend, always curious what anyone found interesting about that one.
A good afternoon always started off eating Roy Rogers chicken with my mom and grandparents, and then we'd all part ways so they'd go shopping and I'd head right to the arcade, making up my mind on the way what game I'd use my card with it's precious four credits on.

Thanks for this great forum, no-one else on the internet would be interested in reading things like this! :-D

[Flack]

While in Boston (Framingham, actually) last week I stopped by an arcade named Fun and Games. Is this related, or a coincidence? They weren't huge, but did have Laser Tag as well as several games and Skee Ball.

[Cowutopia]

Holy shit I just heard about this from some guys over at www.the-nextlevel.com/board.

I am fucking STUNNED.
I used to work up 46 in Fairfield and I'd skip out for long lunches there ALL THE TIME, not to mention drag all my friends to movies there just so I could play some games. It was the closest place around for Air Hockey (I am in Paramus) since Sports World bit it. The 3rd Strike action was AWESOME.

Crap. I had the high score on the Ms. Pac Man cab. I used to go there just to watch people play the fighters, and always drop some money into Drummania or Virtua Tennis or Pinball. I think I'm going to fucking cry.

There's just..nothing left around here. 8 on the Break is a pain in the ass to get to AND it kind of sucks. I feel so empty. What the fuck am I going to do.



PLEASE inform me if anyone finds out if they're relocating. Please.
Also, the Palisades has some fun Laser Tag for small groups, and some air hockey tables in the waiting room along with some other junk games.
There's also a GREAT laser tag place WAY up 23 north called Laser One that is HUGE, with two floors, and has unlimited tag from 6-11 on thursday nights.

Palisades tag is 8 bucks but on weekdays you get 4 dollars off if you bring a scorecard.

[Cowutopia]

Man and I was going to try to write an article on the competitive fighter scene too. I had talked to a few 3rd strike players, there were some really good ones.

[Cowutopia]

If anyone knows where to contact the former owner I'd like to do an interview with him, and you could save me some phone calls. :)

[Rubentron]

I started going to Willowbrook Mall in the early/mid 80s. I had no idea about the closing and found out last month when I showed up for a quickie Japanese lunch at the food court and some arcade action. I was truly upset to see the place closed down. I can't imagine the hours and money I spent in that place over the last 20-something years! Until just last summer it was the place my friends and I would visit whenever they were back in NJ for a visit. Just a shame.

[TonyTheTiger]

Willowbrook Mall was getting so overrun with video game stores that I actually believed you!

It would be more awesome if they weren't four of the same store.


Great video Rob...people should check it out, especially those who fondly remembered the arcade.

On a semi-related note, with the recent closing of the FYE stores, the KB Toys, and the Suncoast Video store at Willowbrook ... I'm finding less and less reasons to stop by there.

Sure, there are like 10 Gamestop/Software Etc./EB/Funcoland's there ... but at this point, I'd rather support Joe's retail efforts with the lion's share of my game purchases ...

Sad, that was once my favorite mall. Not to big, not too small, great arcade, nice food court, and plenty of stores that served the movie/music/game/entertainment loving consumer. Soon it'll consist of just women's clothing stores and Gamestops.

To be fair, Suncoast should have gone out of business years ago considering just about everything in the store had a mandatory $10 markup. And Kay-Bee Toys is just a relic. I went into the one in the strip mall on Rt. 46 by Best Buy not too long ago and I smiled a bit because it just felt so quaint.

FYE was a coin toss. Sometimes you'd find good stuff for good prices but other times (especially with the games) you'd find something for double what it should be.

But if it's true that Fun 'N Games is actually just moving to a new location I'll breathe a sigh of relief. Especially if it's nearby.

It's pretty sad, really. The Great Escape, Sportsworld, another arcade I can't remember the name of in Edgewater, NJ, and a few others. I remember specific things about all of them because I can say "That was the first time I ever played Mortal Kombat 3" or "That was the first time six of us beat X-Men." Welcome to die, NJ arcades. Welcome to die. :(

Though, has anyone been to Wildwood recently? I don't know if it's still there (it was a couple years ago) but in the Boardwalk Mall in Wildwood there was a GIANT arcade. This place ruled. If you wanted to play it, they had it. There wasn't a whole lot of actual competition so to speak but the sheer volume of machines more than made up for it. How often do you find arcades with every Mortal Kombat, Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, and every Konami beat-em-up?

[digitalpress]

I think Fun 'n Games should move into the laundromat's space next door to my store. Then we'd have a game store, a comics/cards/action figures store, and an arcade all on one block. Then someone could take over the nail salon and the hair stylist and put in a decent bookstore and maybe an indy music store.

C'mon, I can dream.

Oh wait, since I'm dreaming - throw in a really good liquor store that also sells cases of soda. Put that where the pharmacy is now. OK I'm done.

[Greg2600]

Tony, I spent a week and a half every summer in Wildwood from 1989-1997, and can honestly say I was never really excited about their arcades. More or less the atypical boardwalk arcades (almost all Point-based) found in Wildwood, Seaside (except Flashback), Ocean City, Point Pleasant, etc. On the other hand, I wasn't really into playing vintage games while I was there, so I may have forgotten about those. In addition, just about everything in Wildwood was and likely still is a total rip-off. It cost our family (including airfare) only a few hundred dollars to go to Disneyworld in Orlando one time than Wildwood.

The problem a Fun n Games will have is the rent will be very high in a mall, and while a location within town is much cheaper, there is little parking and many towns have ordinances preventing outright arcades. Perhaps in a strip mall somewhere?

[TonyTheTiger]

Well every arcade in shore points has a good percentage of space taken up by skeeball and other ticket games where 10,000 earns you a blue pencil and 100,000 can buy a shitty toaster but the one I'm talking about is big enough where that doesn't matter.

As for the cost, NJ in general is expensive. But I don't remember the arcade machines being ripoffs. They weren't $.25 machines but what are nowadays? Just don't expect to get particularly great food in the area. I know a handful of places but in general it's all tolerable at best.

[videogamerman2k]

I just found this forum, and I still to this day, cannot believe that Fun N' Games is no more! That arcade sure was pretty good for the most part, though I'll admit that it did get worse towards the end of it's time, due to having too many of the same games that I really didn't care for, and that most of the good games they had that I liked were ones that I could already play at home on my console systems. It also didn't help that this arcade would almost always be swarmed with teenagers, who did pretty much nothing, but hang out, and loiter almost the whole time, which would get annoying at times.

I first went to this arcade during the mid 90's, though I didn't start going to it as often as I could, until very late 1999. I felt like I was in heaven when I was here then, as arcades were still pretty good in the late 90's, though were nowhere near as good as they were during the golden ages from the 80's, to early to mid 90's. I would come here at least a few times a year (I couldn't go here too often, as I don't live that close to it), though would be often disappointed with it, while hoping it would still be as good as it was when I first started to visit this place on a semi regular basis. I was one of the gamers who would come here basically for nostalgia reasons, over being interested in really playing the games here (especially since the games became so expensive to play), as I would often exit this arcade almost as fast as I would enter it.

I will admit that I found it pretty hard to take when I last went to the Willowbrook Mall (which was just after F.N.G. closed down), and saw the windows of this arcade "blacked out". I was also pretty upset that this arcade was in my opinion, starting to barely get a little better than before, and was about to (according to their website) get one of my all time favorite games in The House Of The Dead 4, which has yet to get a console release, and got Time Crisis 4, which I also like, and cannot play at home now, since I currently don't have a Playstation 3 system. I do hope that this arcade will relocate as they say they will one day, even though arcades (especially mall ones) are becoming as rare of a sight as payphones are these days. I also wonder what will become of the spot where Fun N' Games was located, and if it's somehow possible that the Willowbrook Mall will get another arcade in the near future? That would be pretty good, since this mall having an arcade would be better than not having one in my opinion, even if it won't be nearly as special as Fun N' Games was.

[annelid]

I used to live in Oakland, NJ and moved out of there around 1986 or so.
Anyways, does anybody remember the arcade(s) that used to be in that shopping center where Shoprite is?

There was one that the entrance was a Clown's mouth (freaky I know)..and the other was down the mall near where the Movie theater was (was being the operative word as it's gone now). ( btw, that movie theater is where I saw my 1st pg movie..in 1980...Mothers Day..the Troma film at! )The arcade next to the movie was a lot smaller but had fun games and all. I remember seeing the Kiss, Ted Nugent and Playboy pinball machines there...*big pinball fan here*.

I moved a town or 2 away and really never came back to Oakland until a few months ago. All my childhood hangouts are gone.

The roller rink - gone.
The movie near the roller rink - gone. I think it's a blockbuster now.
Sears Surplus - gone
The 2 fore mentioned arcades...gone and gone.
The 5 & Dime store near the train tracks (where I used to get my baseball cards and wacky packages stickers from) - gone.

Sigh.

I know there used to be a arcade in the Wayne Hills Mall. I'll swing by there tomorrow and see if it's still around.
I did goto a local Pizza place in Wayne and they had 2 new Pinball machines there! :)

[kevin500]

Now a days everybody wanted to play games.
not only the kids even the youth is attracted by this games.
So that's why no of games are gonna to be introducing day by day.
And i also really enjoyed playing games.
===================================
kevin500

a place for Drug Treatment.

New Jersey Drug Addiction (http://www.drugaddiction.net/new-jersey)

[jnoble]

I used to live in Oakland, NJ and moved out of there around 1986 or so.
Anyways, does anybody remember the arcade(s) that used to be in that shopping center where Shoprite is?

There was one that the entrance was a Clown's mouth (freaky I know)..and the other was down the mall near where the Movie theater was (was being the operative word as it's gone now). ( btw, that movie theater is where I saw my 1st pg movie..in 1980...Mothers Day..the Troma film at! )The arcade next to the movie was a lot smaller but had fun games and all. I remember seeing the Kiss, Ted Nugent and Playboy pinball machines there...*big pinball fan here*.

I moved a town or 2 away and really never came back to Oakland until a few months ago. All my childhood hangouts are gone.

The roller rink - gone.
The movie near the roller rink - gone. I think it's a blockbuster now.
Sears Surplus - gone
The 2 fore mentioned arcades...gone and gone.
The 5 & Dime store near the train tracks (where I used to get my baseball cards and wacky packages stickers from) - gone.

Sigh.

I know there used to be a arcade in the Wayne Hills Mall. I'll swing by there tomorrow and see if it's still around.
I did goto a local Pizza place in Wayne and they had 2 new Pinball machines there! :)


My grandmother lives in Pompton Lakes and I used to go to that Shoprite when I was a kid in the '80s. I absolutly remember that arcade. I can't recall the name or any of the games it had, but I clearly remember it was at the end of the building facing the hallway. It's probably been gone since the early to mid '90s. I haven't been in that store in forever. My grandmother still shops there. When I was young, I thought it was cool that they had an elevator in the parking garage with some shlub being paid to sit in a chair and push the buttons all day for people:p

[jnoble]

..was also owned by the Fun N Games in Willowbrook. I used to get this card every year for my birthday that allowed me 4 free credits a week on any game I wanted. It worked at the Wayne Hills arcade too. I remember there was this black dude who worked there who always was nice and gave me way more credits on a machine than I was allowed. And then he got arrested along with some other people in a drug bust, I remember my mom reading about it in the paper.
The games they had that I recall was Paperboy, the very rare cartoon-graphics sit down version of Cobra Command, Star Wars, Mario Brothers, and before I stopped going there around 1991-1993, Out-Runners. That's another mall that I havn't been back to in forever!

[kainemaxwell]

I used to go there often with friends down when I lived in Verona. Not so much when I moved up to Dover, but I always stoppe din there to play games when I was at Willowbrook, even if I didn't plan to. Last times I was there though it seeme dlike the staff was having trouble handling all the kids, along with all the teenagers outside smoking and hanging out trying to dodge the cops.

Makes me kinda wish the arcade in the Rockaway Mall didn't finally close down either.

[SurfKahuna]

If this was in my neck of the woods I would seriously consider the SF Anniversary cab :).

[jnoble]

I used to go there often with friends down when I lived in Verona. Not so much when I moved up to Dover, but I always stoppe din there to play games when I was at Willowbrook, even if I didn't plan to. Last times I was there though it seeme dlike the staff was having trouble handling all the kids, along with all the teenagers outside smoking and hanging out trying to dodge the cops.

Makes me kinda wish the arcade in the Rockaway Mall didn't finally close down either.

To be honest, I'm stunned the arcade at Rockaway lasted as long as it did. By all rights, it should have been gone 6 years ago. Arcades are by and large a thing of the past, and that one in Rockaway was never that great. There was one game in there however that was there from the beginning and they never took it out in all the 18 years that place was open: a very rare sit-down version of 'RadMobile" .. I wish I could have bought it from them before they closed!:) I remember rocking that game back circa 1991/92!

[DMB]

OMG I was playing on the computer thinking about Kiddie Karnival trying to find any info I could. I remeber going as a young child with my dad. Does anyone remeber the small four caged ferris wheel, it was multi colored and did not work?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Now a days everybody wanted to play games.
not only the kids even the youth is attracted by this games.
So that's why no of games are gonna to be introducing day by day.
And i also really enjoyed playing games.
===================================
kevin500

a place for Drug Treatment.

New Jersey Drug Addiction (http://www.drugaddiction.net/new-jersey)

Yes Kevin500, I would strongly suggest some of that drug treatment.

[Klisk]

I hate to bring this thread back to life, but it still pains me to this day that this arcade is closed, especially considering I grew up at that mall, and still go weekly. I remember lurking and reading this thread when it was first started, haha. I even just bought a house in Wayne. I have fond memories of the area, even though I always lived in Paterson.

It doesn't look like it's coming back, does it?

I keep hearing rumors from people that the owners plan to open a new arcade in the section where the Westbelt mall used to be (you know, the junky mall in the same lot next to Willowbrook) once it's rebuilt/revitalized. I think it's wishful thinking, though. :sob:

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Yeah man, I'm still a weekly walker of the Willowbrook Mall ... it was my childhood hang-out for sure and I've enjoyed many an evening at Fun & Games.

It sucks that it's gone, really does. The games and pinballs there were SO well-maintained ... whoever the tech guy(s) was/were, my hat goes off to them for years of excellent service.

I have no insider info as to whether or not the owner is going to resurface with anything in this area but I recall hearing that he moved to another state. (maybe even somewhere in this thread).

[annelid]

Holy bringing back a thread from the dead!

If any of you are familiar with the Wayne Hills Mall (or as I call it the wayne hills mausoleum) the arcade in there is gone (as is pretty much every other store).

Sigh.

[portnoyd]

Wayne Hills has been dead for 10 years. Only thing with anyone going into it is the Burlington Coat Factory. You know it's bad when the McDonalds leaves and has been gone for years.

The arcade closed in 2001/2002, something like that? I spent so much time in that arcade growing up.

Meanwhile, Preakness turned into the defacto Wayneite mall of choice. Funny how in the early 90s, it was the opposite.

[annelid]

Well if you goto the Wayne Hills Mall, you'll see a blue false wall in the middle part of the mall. All the other entrances have been blocked off.

The only things in there now are a Quiznos, GNC, Payless and Burlington Coat Factory.

:(

[Enigmus]

Well if you goto the Wayne Hills Mall, you'll see a blue false wall in the middle part of the mall. All the other entrances have been blocked off.

The only things in there now are a Quiznos, GNC, Payless and Burlington Coat Factory.

:(


So, a new "Dixie Square"? That's sad to see those things close and be abandoned. The only life that there now is food and a clothes store. Truly a shame. :(

[portnoyd]

Well if you goto the Wayne Hills Mall, you'll see a blue false wall in the middle part of the mall. All the other entrances have been blocked off.

The only things in there now are a Quiznos, GNC, Payless and Burlington Coat Factory.

:(

Holy shit, the Waldenbooks finally closed too?!

A fake wall. Wow. That's impressive. And it's not like Wayne is short on money either. What the hell happened? (Other than everyone abandoning the mall)

[GOLDEN KEYS]

malls that are half abandoned just creep me out. when i was young and my family would go to san diego we would sometimes stop for the night in yuma, az. it's about halfway between here and there. there is a decent sized mall there and we would usually stop there if we were in town.

about a year ago, i went through there and decided to stop at the mall. about half of it was sectioned off and all of the big stores (sears, jc penney, etc.) were closed. my wife and i were the only people inside who weren't mexican. the food court was gone, instead there was a filibertos knock off place where a store used to be. there were probably only 10-12 stores open and maybe 50 people tops in the mall. we were in and out of there in about ten minutes.

[BlackandBlue]

Well if you goto the Wayne Hills Mall, you'll see a blue false wall in the middle part of the mall. All the other entrances have been blocked off.

The only things in there now are a Quiznos, GNC, Payless and Burlington Coat Factory.

:(

I used to go there when I was a kid (I grew up in Wayne). That mall was always sketchy. Doesn't surprise me that its half in the bag now.

[Klisk]

A fake wall. Wow. That's impressive. And it's not like Wayne is short on money either. What the hell happened? (Other than everyone abandoning the mall)

I said it earlier in this thread, but I just bought a house in Wayne, pretty much walking (well, moreso biking) distance from Wayne's Hill Mall, actually. I'm near the A&P on Valley.

Regardless, from what I've heard (and who knows if it's true), but the owner of the Wayne's Hill Mall wanted to knock it down and open section 8 housing. Wayne, as you would expect, refuses to let the guy do this since they want to keep the town clean. However, the owner has since decided to be spiteful. Instead of fixing up the Wayne's Hill Mall and actually, you know, making it nice again -- He's decided to indefinitely leave it as a desolate wasteland until the town bends and let's him build his ghetto apartments. It's a stalemate.

I forget where I read it, but supposedly the FnG owner's son wants to re-open an arcade around here. Unfortunately, Willowbrook isn't having it. He also said he wanted to open another one in the Wayne's Hill Mall should it ever be revitalized, but that isn't happened.

I've also heard that FnG was originally supposed to re-open in Willowbrook's sister mall (What is it called? Westbelt mall? It's in the same damn parking lot, and there's a Chipotle there now...) Well, FnG was supposed to re-open there when THAT mall got rebuilt. It's been years now and it's still a demolition site. I don't think that mall is ever coming back either.

I have some money saved up, and I'm actually considering having a talk with the staff at Willowbrook. If I can get them to lease me the place I'll re-open an arcade there. Unfortunately, from the people I've spoken to, this is a no-go. As noted before in this thread, Willowbrook wants a more family friendly mall, and FnG closing down had less to do with it not making money and way more to do with Willowbrook purposely being tough about renewing their lease.

North Jersey definitely needs an arcade, though. I'm not going to happy until I see another one in the Wayne area. So we'll see, I suppose. I'm tired of having to make a trip to 8 on the Break or Chinatown Fair every time I want to play Blazblue, or some other game. X_x

[portnoyd]

Klisk, that's basically what I heard about Willowbrook. That closing FnG was a "get the kids hanging out here at midnight the fuck away" move.

The Wayne Hills Mall thing is a shocker though. Section 8 housing? Hell will freeze over before that happens. All the Wayne-ites will go berserk if that happens.

I'd love a new FnG. Seriously love it.

[TonyTheTiger]

It was one of the only arcades in the area that actually had decent upkeep. Places like Sports World, while it had a nice selection, had far too many machines with broken sticks or unresponsive buttons.

[Rob2600]

There's Barcade in Brooklyn. Roughly three dozen classic arcade cabinets from the early and mid 1980s, and they're all 25 cents. Greg and I went a couple months ago and it was fun, but crowded with Williamsburg hipsters.

[portnoyd]

It was one of the only arcades in the area that actually had decent upkeep. Places like Sports World, while it had a nice selection, had far too many machines with broken sticks or unresponsive buttons.

Sportsworld sucked for that reason and imo, the poor selection of games because it was trying to do too many things at once. Kinda glad it closed.


There's Barcade in Brooklyn. Roughly three dozen classic arcade cabinets from the early and mid 1980s, and they're all 25 cents. Greg and I went a couple months ago and it was fun, but crowded with Williamsburg hipsters.

The problem with that is you have to go into the city. If they open one of these in northern NJ, I would be there constantly.

[Greg2600]

Sportsworld's laser tag was fun, otherwise it was a waste. If I was the FnG's guy I would never go back to Willowbrook. Should look into one of the many small strip malls around. One problem is that many towns actually prohibit arcades.

[Klisk]

Klisk, that's basically what I heard about Willowbrook. That closing FnG was a "get the kids hanging out here at midnight the fuck away" move.

The Wayne Hills Mall thing is a shocker though. Section 8 housing? Hell will freeze over before that happens. All the Wayne-ites will go berserk if that happens.

I'd love a new FnG. Seriously love it.

Yeah.... There's so many nasty things I could say about Willowbrook, and that's even BEFORE they pressured out Fun'n'games. Now I'm pretty venemous about the place. If you're actually a regular inside the mall it's definitely noticeable that they're changing things inside as well. But the changes seem backwards. I'm kind of confused as to what kind of shopping community they are trying to attract.

It's funny, though. Wayne is the first type of town to go and complain that kids having nothing to do but get in trouble. Then when the arcade closes - Which is pretty much a haven for a lot of kids, hell - I grew up in FnG when I was as young as 6 years old - Well, then they'll go and claim that this has nothing to do with it. ROFL This is a whole other rant I could go into, though.

Anyhow. When I was a little kid it was always my dream to work in an arcade. Small dreamer, right? Now I'm starting to realize that I want to own one. It's a tempting proposition and a risk I wouldn't be against taking.

I'd really prefer seeing a new FnG, though. But the owners are so impossibly tough to track down, and I can't think of anyone more experienced. People still see Saif around, though..


Sportsworld's laser tag was fun, otherwise it was a waste. If I was the FnG's guy I would never go back to Willowbrook. Should look into one of the many small strip malls around. One problem is that many towns actually prohibit arcades.

You mean Walktag? They even messed that up. I never understood the point of laser tag where you can only walk. X_x

There's plenty of strip malls in Wayne with vacant shops, though. There's plenty of space for an arcade here alone. The issue at hand is the fact that the willowbrook spot was pretty tough to beat. It was the perfect location since kids are always hanging out at the mall, yet it's not in the mall which means you can stay open late, and you even get random passerby's who otherwise were just going to go shopping at Sears/Macy's/whatever. A strip mall would be a lot lower traffic. Which lowers the likelihood of success. Asides from your really dedicated hardcore/classic gaming crowds not many people are going to go out of their way for an arcade. Location is immensely important now. It's all about high volume.

Anyone else remember the arcade that was in the strip mall near the Best Buy / Barnes and Noble? I think there's a Gamestop there now...

I also think it's important to really select the right games, though. There's certain games we all know everyone wants to play, but then there's less obvious choices. A lot of arcades make the mistake of filling up with racers and ticket games. It's more important to get the newest fighters and keep the hardware well maintained, I think. I've spoken to quite a few west coast arcade owners over the past 6 months, and they all point their success at the competitive fighting game crowd, saying that fighting games like SFIV bring in the biggest cash and most loyal customers. They also hold regular tournaments which keeps those people coming. They have their classic games as well, but supposedly that isn't their bread and butter anymore keeping them afloat.

If I was to set up an arcade my idea would be to have about 4 pinball machines, a solid group of classic staples that you can't NOT have - Since, y'know, who doesn't love them? Maybe one setup of Maximum Tune, and then likely dedicate the rest of the space to Viewlix-based fighters / 3S, MvC2, etc. I think it's also obligatory to have at least 2 DDR machines and a Pop'n Music of some type, but otherwise avoid the stuff no one will ever play like the gimmicky motion-sensor games and what have you. There is something to be said about having good light gun games, but then I just think of the monstrosity that is Dave and Busters. (Which is, like, 90% lightgun games.)

But if you notice, this pretty much sums up what FnG's was doing. They really knew their stuff, and it was always the pleasure to go into the arcade. The staff was always familiar and friendly/remembered you if you were a regular, and it was just solid. Every time I go to the mall I walk past the arcade with some sort hope that maybe I'm just dreaming that it closed. :(

[GCB2KT]

Damn Fun N' Games......I spent many evenings there during late middle/early high school playing MVC2 and House of the Dead 3. I was a huge Mallrat at Willowbrook around 2006/2007, my friends and I used to practically live at both the mall and in Fun N' Games on the weekends. It's a fucking shame that they closed, and I heard it wasn't due to poor business either. Mall management shut it down because they felt it was "lowering the status" of the mall, which is total bullshit in my opinion. Around late 2007 (about the time the economy tanked and Fun N'Games shut down) many of the stores that my friends and I used to frequent inside Willowbrook such as the 4 different Gamestops, the two FYE stores and the Suncoast Video shut down and we found ourselves hanging out elsewhere. Willowbrook is now a shadow of its former glory, nothing but a plethora of generic women's clothing stores. Ironically, I work at Willowbrook now and I walk past the empty space where Fun N'Games once was almost every morning. What really annoys me is that other than being used as a haunted house during the month of October, the space has sat vacant for almost 6 years while hoards of mallrat kids crowd the main entrance (which wouldnt be a problem if they had a place to hang out). To be honest I do not believe that closing the arcade helped the problem of, "loitering" at all.....totally counter-productive.

R.I.P. Fun N' Games