Arcade Annoyances

[Darth Sensei]

What did people do in Arcades that just irritated you to no end?

I remember when Super Mario Brothers came to our arcade coupled with Duck Hunt. It wasn't hard at all to make games last a long time on it which was maddening when you were waiting to play it. However, there was always some idiot who would spend forever looping in 5-2 (I think) through the 1-up and get the coins and then kill himself. The end result was that he had to do it 5 times to get an extra free guy. Some people would spend hours just doing the same looping level and it was incredibly boring.

The worst part was that these were the guys who didn't need all those free guys to begin with. :angry: :angry:

Any of you folks have similar memories?

D

[chadtower]

Yeah, hanging out in the arcade at 12 and having a guy come up to me and say "hey, you looking for <weed/pills/beer/whatever> today?" Always happened. ALWAYS.

[NE146]

People beating me in Street Fighter 2 back in the old Golfland days :(

[SpasticFuctard]

Yeah, hanging out in the arcade at 12 and having a guy come up to me and say "hey, you looking for <weed/pills/beer/whatever> today?" Always happened. ALWAYS.

I demand to know where these guys were when I was at Fun n' Games! :angry:

SF

[chadtower]

I demand to know where these guys were when I was at Fun n' Games! :angry:

SF

Doesn't matter, man! They are NOT coming between me and my quarters! :bad-words:

[kai123]

I hated the people that smelled like ass :ass: and they would always come up to play. Then I would beat their ass at whatever fighting game we were playing. :2gunfire:

[Zubiac666]

Some dorks always used to beat me up at the arcade.
Here in austria the arcade is something like a madhouse for ex-prisoners.

*Remembers in fear*: Played "Samurai Shodown" with Gen An.Moron entered arcade,watched me playing and said something like "Hey,u look like the guy u are playing with already.....let's see if u fight that well too..(insert moronic laugh).
:beaten:

[Sniderman]

I hated trying to play the hottest newest game and there'd be a crowd of people standing around you, watching. Always unnerved me and I'd end up sucking.

Even worse were the little kids who would get BETWEEN YOU AND THE GAME to watch! I HATE that! Usually, they'd crowd in on the side, or even duck under an arm to watch. This one little punk kept crowding his way in *front* of me to stand there and watch the screen while I played *over* him. I finally got tired and slightly bodychecked him into the machine. He hit his head and ran off crying. :evil: I feel bad now, but at the time, it felt great.

[rbudrick]

I remember when I was about 8, I wanted to play Commando at the local Penny Arcade (or was it Funspot then?...Bah, whatever). This tall (6' something) guy, real preppy-like was playing it...my sister and I busted out laughing...the guy was spread-eagled while playing....like his feet were in front and center of the machines to his left and right. It was SOOOOOOO funny to our young minds.

--Rob

[IntvGene]

I hated buying a roll of quarters, and then having my friends get bored after two game, and getting stuck with all that change.

My other problem seems to be more of a modern phenomenon. I see a great old game, so I go up and put in my money, only to notice that the controls are busted or incredibly faulty. I especially find that this happens every time we try and play a SF game. Almost never do the joysticks and all 6 buttons work well.
:angry:

[Balloon Fight]

I absolutely hate it when little kids come up and just mash the buttons to try to win. Or when they go inbetween the large arcade machines, and block your view.

[Bratwurst]

Dickheads that clustered around the machines to do that funny thing called 'socializing.' One of the arcades I was fond of was the Terminator 2 gun shooter, and I'd always catch someone ramming one of the guns back and forth trying to break it. Eventually Player 1 was rendered useless.

[SpasticFuctard]

Ah, to live somewhere that 'socializing'!='vandalizing'

Farkin' kids.

SF - Make the world a better place, eat a baby today.

[Chunky]

The token was on the glass, learn the unlisted rules of arcade etiquette. that means my turn.

you have one token on the glass, do not stick 10 in when it comes to your turn. Then sit back for ten games. Argh!

[kingpong]

Two things bug me in the arcade...

1. People who join in when I'm playing a game. What makes you think that I want you to join in my game? There's nothing worse than to be playing a fighting game, getting close to the end, and then some putz comes up and sticks his quarter in. I've just walked away from games when that happened. Most people will ask, but even that is bad enough - why would they think I would want to play against somebody?

2. People who beat on the coin slot and have to get the attendent when they have a stuck quarter, all because they didn't know to use the coin slot on the right instead of the one on the left. Never use the left coin slot!

[NE146]

1. People who join in when I'm playing a game. What makes you think that I want you to join in my game? There's nothing worse than to be playing a fighting game, getting close to the end, and then some putz comes up and sticks his quarter in. I've just walked away from games when that happened. Most people will ask, but even that is bad enough - why would they think I would want to play against somebody?

Yeah you're supposed to ask first for sure. "Mind if I challenge?" etc. Personally I welcome it :D But yeah if you're just starting out or don't want anyone playing, it's definitely poor taste these days to just jump in without asking.

HOWEVER, back in the sf2 heyday, there's no way you could play a game by yourself.. no way sir. Believe in my "training" days, I tried and tried to play a game privately at Golfland in Sunnyvale. It simply was unheard of... When the SNES version came out I thanked my lucky ass stars LOL

[Flack]

I always hated those kids that would hang on a machine, not playing it but acting like they were. You would always have to walk up and be like ... "are you playing this?" knowing that they weren't, and then there would always be that story, like their friend went to go get some more tokens but he'll be back.

Also I hated it when like a friend and I would be playing Tekken (ok, who am I kidding ... Karate Champ) and then some other kid would come up and put their token on the glass. I'm here with my friend, playing a game, not trying to challenge the whole bowling alley!

The worst, WORST thing was when you put your last token or quarter into a game only to have it say, "Credits: 1/2"

[Raccoon Lad]

What annoys me about my local arcade (2 blocks from my apartment) is that Galaga and Ms. Pacman are 25 cents, but EVERYTHING else is 50 cents.....including Pac-Land and Tetris!!! x_x

[RoboticParanoia]

What's annoying is that the nearest arcade I have only has two games: Galaga and Super Mario Bros. The next nearest one is an hour away.

[Blendo75]

What's annoying is that the nearest arcade I have only has two games: Galaga and Super Mario Bros. The next nearest one is an hour away.

You sure that's an arcade and not a grocery store?

[RetroYoungen]

I hate the guys at one of my local 'cades who are so obsessed with every fighting game in the place that when it's empty, they'll just walk up, plunk their quarters in and challenge me, without a word. Then they'll beat me down because I suck at fighting games. But really, if I have no time at all to get any game time, how will I get any better?

Also, those little bastards who crowd around me talking really loud to each other who are on OPPOSITE sides of the screen. But this is the kicker:

"Hey, dude this guy's good! You should pick up on his game when he leaves so you can play that level!"

Geez, those assholes. They're the guys hurting arcade attendance. :angry: :grumble: :shameful:

[Darth Sensei]

I remember people trying to steal the quarters from the marque (sp) area of the game. You always had to watch your quarters, which was particularly difficult if you were actually playing the game.

D

[Captain Wrong]

I always hated those kids that would hang on a machine, not playing it but acting like they were. You would always have to walk up and be like ... "are you playing this?" knowing that they weren't, and then there would always be that story, like their friend went to go get some more tokens but he'll be back.

Yeah, I fucking hate that. I've always found it to be young kids who were clearly dumped there by parents too cheap to pay for a sitter. Sometimes I wonder if they even bothered to give the kids any money to actually play a game. Cockpit driving games are the worst. I guarantee in any given arcade 1 in 4 of the people sitting in one of those is actually playing the game.

And this...
Even worse were the little kids who would get BETWEEN YOU AND THE GAME to watch! I HATE that! Usually, they'd crowd in on the side, or even duck under an arm to watch. This one little punk kept crowding his way in *front* of me to stand there and watch the screen while I played *over* him. I finally got tired and slightly bodychecked him into the machine. He hit his head and ran off crying. I feel bad now, but at the time, it felt great.

Wow, does THAT bring back memories, heh heh heh.

[VACRMH]

I usually don't mind too much if someone comes in while i'm playing... or if someone mashes buttons next to me.

But if someone screws with my controlls, or if they're busted when I start playing... :angry:

[Bratwurst]

Also, those little bastards who crowd around me talking really loud to each other who are on OPPOSITE sides of the screen. But this is the kicker:

"Hey, dude this guy's good! You should pick up on his game when he leaves so you can play that level!"

Doesn't the countdown still speed by if you hold down a button after you lose all your chances? That's a good deterrent. :D

[goatdan]

I don't mind people coming up and challenging or joining in my games. in fact, that is one of the reasons I still like going to the arcades around town.

The things that I hate :angry: about arcades:

- As someone already mentioned, the little kid that comes up and gets _between_ you and the game to watch. They used to populate nearly every arcade, but have been reduced in numbers greatly lately.

- Arcades with really beat-up pinballs or any game for that matter. (I'll admit it, I often go to arcades to play pinballs. In fact, I stopped at a Laundromat tonight to play Medieval Madness for a little while.) I hate the arcades where you put in your 50 cents only to find out that half the targets don't work and the rubbers are mostly broken off. I have a few of them on a little list, and I will never return to them.

- Arcades that overprice all of their games. I will not play a Ms. Pac-Man for 50 cents, no matter how much I love it. I will not play a game that I could play on MAME for more than a quarter. I will not play a dedicated arcade game for more than 50 cents. I'm sorry, but I can't go to an arcade and drop a dollar into a game to play it for a few minutes, _especially_ if it is a Street Fighter III or something. A lot of arcades around here seem to like to do that. It's absolutely ridiculous. I will visit an arcade over and over if their games are reasonable, but I won't even play once if they are overpriced. Except, of course if the game is Rush 2049.

- Places that have DDR or any other game turned up SO freakin' loud you can't hear _anything_ else when you play. The arcade I used to frequent did this. When someone dropped in their money on DDR, you couldn't talk to someone else without yelling. I like DDR, but that is completely unneccessary.

Things that I like about arcades:

- Places that have Rush 2049. Might as well get that out there ;)

- If anyplace has Battle Balls (it's a JAMMA Puzzler) they automatically become the best arcade ever (tm). I actually bought the JAMMA board, but I need a cabinent to play it in...

- Places that have multiple pinballs. I never get sick of pinball, and it is one of those things that if you like it, you want to play every game ever created and own them too. I don't even have enough space for the game I have, so off to the arcades I go.

- Places that have classic games that aren't common. I love finding random old games and playing them. I espeically like finding random old games I have never heard of and playing them.

- Places that offer deals for tokens. I'll get $20 worth and play for however long and then return three or four times on the same tokens.