arcade are dying ?????

[racecar]

after the 2 month of absent i retured to the local mall, to find out that the arcade is closing down, i ask the manager, and he said that they are moving and selling their system due to lack of $$ ,even ones in big malls.
reason for being that ALMO$T every game own a gc,xbox ,ps2 etc..
also with mylast effort imanage to come up with $ 600 and take home gigawing (arcade game| cabinet)and capcom vs streetfighter.

[Gamereviewgod]

Arcades aren't dying....they're dead.

[MegaDrive20XX]

You know...I almost wanted to put my 2 cents into this subject..and this what I feel.


Yes, the arcade is dying, the more I see them, the more Dance Dance takes over....Fighters are everywhere...except it's the same thing at each one..not the good 2D fighters...and why do I keep seeing Mortal Kombat 4 sitting in the back next to NFL Blitz all the time?...no one is using it..junk it out...

Pet peeve I have about arcades, broken arcade pads on the likes of Guilty Gear XX and SVC Chaos...yet Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is running perfectly...

Dayonta USA still sitting here...with San Fran Rush next to it...

One Tekken 4 cabinet...

and I beat up-covered in Ice Cream goop Konami's Fighter Revolution or Fists of the north star something (I can't make out the name because the gloves and the cabinet are covered in this ice cream some kid spilled all over it..)

I just don't even bother, it's too depressing...

I have heard legends about modern arcades who take care of their stuff...but I still haven't seen a single one..

Screw it, the Arcades are dead man...:(

What I wouldn't give to have 50 cents and walk into a 90's nostaglic Arcade..now that is worth my time

[QBert]

Dying is right.
I just went to a mall on the weekend and the arcade there is gone too.
It's really a damn shame and I miss the "good ole dayz".

I'm pouring out a little liquor for these gone arcades...... :(

Qbert

[tholly]

yes, they are dying / dead.....that is why we have to pick up the slack...save machines from being destroyed and restore these games to their former glory and have home arcades where machines will not be abused

[fahrvergnugen]

Sunnyvale Golfland Fo Life

[Aswald]

Unfortunately, arcades do seem to be dying- very much so.

One problem is the comparative technology. Back "in the day," the early 1980s and even later, there was just no way a home system could compete with an arcade machine. That is, arcades were always a few steps beyond home systems.
But today, are arcade games really that much better? I've seen and played the X-Box and Playstation 2 games, at a kiosk, and then observed arcade games at the Sangertown Square Mall. While a close look WILL reveal a difference, it's hardly the same as, say, the arcade Zaxxon to the CV or Atari 5200 versions.

Another, bigger, problem is the lack of innovation. Back then, years ago, when you went to the arcade, there was always something NEW! WOW! Pong with FOUR paddles! Hey- check out this new game, Zaxxon! Listen to that voice in Space Fury, and color vector! Mr. Do! Q*Bert! Snap Jack! Joust, Pole Position...but for some years, it's been the same ol' thing. Sequel, sequels, just adding more of the same...if not for Mario 64- on a HOME system- the 1990s wouldn't've had much of anything to show for itself.

Of course, as the years go by, it gets harder and harder to come up with something new. Arcade games must be of the sort you can play at one time, so, for example, extensive RPGs are out. As a result, certain new ideas could ONLY have appeared in home format.

And evidently the advantage arcades had- a chance to get away from one's parents- doesn't seem to matter so much nowadays.


Hmmm...an Internet comic called "Goblin Hollow" has an arcade which some kids entered- but the "cool, new games" were games from the early 1980s, such as Donkey Kong and Galaga.

http://utlt.keenspace.com/d/20040903.html

[max 330 mega]

yes its all too true and sad.... theres an arcade at my mall, and im so thankful. but as the years have passed..... the arcade has become less and less. the only thing we have that draws them any business is DDR (grrrrrrr burn in hell!) a marvel vs. capcom 2 , soul calibur 2 and a tekken tag cab that was converted into a svc chaos.. i really fear that it wont be long til they will pack up and be gone for good, that will be a sad day.

[Aswald]

You're right- it will be sad.

[sniperCCJVQ]

Arcade are dead since the early 90's

In the 90's, they lived on the artificial respirator with MK and SF and some other title but that's it.

[Aswald]

Was it largely the lack of new games genres? Arcades did seem to get a bit stale in that way, what with all of the clones and sequels and all...

[The_EniGma]

emulation is killing it,

Why go to the arcade when u can sit on ure fat ass playing mame on xbox and constantly hammering the back button for more \£££

arcades are over


thank the creator of mame

[Mr.FoodMonster]

This is why I'm glad I have Pete's around. They do take care of their stuff better than the majority of any other arcade (or gameroom for that matter) and the staff is always friendly. They get a lot of buisness being right downtown of a college town, so they are not going out of buisness anytime soon.
DDR to Tron to Guitarfreaks to Donkey Kong to Datona USA2 to House of the Dead to CvsSNK2... and the list goes on...

[brykasch]

GamesTM had a great article about this in the last issue, really made me sad. Playstation really killed the arcade, once you could get the game at home, and parents didn't have to drive their kids to a mall where there ar e too many other dangers, that was it. To me I still support the one local one here in Springfield at the mall, yeah it has ddr, fighters etc, but it has a few oldies, virtua tennis, air hockey, the latest snk games, its clean and well run, I loved being able to compete against other players especially in the mk days.

[Milk]

I'd still go to the arcade if any of them had fun games. I live on Staten Island, and the only arcade left is a crappy kiddie laser tag place, where the only good game is Gauntlet Legends. Emulation isn't anywhere near as fun as playing on a real arcade cabinet.

[Goodwill Hunter]

Was in Sheboygen, WI last weekend, stopped in at a mall and found an actual Aladdin's Castle still up and running! Half the games were ticket-spitting games (spend $20 to win a 5-cent toy from China!) but there were still some genuine arcade games there. Man-o-man I blew through a ton of tokens at the Aladdin's Castle in Southlake Mall in Merrillville, IN when I was young. It brought back a ton of memories for me. I played a few gun games, but mostly got the AC tokens to save as keepsakes. It's sad they're on their way out, but the only thing constant is change....but I preferred when change at the arcade meant a few extra quarters from Dad!

Rich

[calthaer]

THE ARCADE ARE DYING! Somebody set thems up the bomb!

They've been gone ever since they started charging $.50 per game.

[Shinji008]

THE ARCADE ARE DYING! Somebody set thems up the bomb!

They've been gone ever since they started charging $.50 per game.

Consider it from the standpoint of the owner...a New Machine costs say... $600 so you need 2400 people to play it to pay it off. Crap for MVC2 it can go well over a $1000 and that is 4000 users before profit. And by that time, the game is obsolete and you need to upgrade it. So I think it is really hard for an arcade to make any money even if it were to draw a moderate crowd.

Thus why the world aches for the first ever topless arcade, where the strippers come play the games with you. Brilliant!!!

But on a serious note, I think that the only remaining hope for arcades is in places like Jillians and Dave & Busters. But only if they get some more classic type games and less carny stuff like Festers Shock Crap.

[NintendoMan]

Yep, too many people just own a console. I still like to go to the big arcades like Dave + Busters. They have all the new ones, as well as a few older ones.

[SoulBlazer]

I do go to my local Dave and Busters quite a bit. Nice mix of games, good food, the chance to play pool. All makes for a nice day.

[Sylentwulf]

Makes me appreciate living 15 minutes from funspot a little bit more.

[YoshiM]

Was in Sheboygen, WI last weekend, stopped in at a mall and found an actual Aladdin's Castle still up and running! Half the games were ticket-spitting games (spend $20 to win a 5-cent toy from China!) but there were still some genuine arcade games there.

Was Sheboygan a rest stop on your way to Green Bay or something? Heh heh.

Yeah, the Aladdins you went to has been slowly going down hill. It didn't used to have as many redemption machines and it used to get more modern games in on a regular basis. They recently took an original Ms. Pac-Man out, which has been an AC staple in that location for over 10 years. Once in a blue moon they actually get a new arcade machine (I think they got the new Tekken, but I'm not sure) but any different machines are usually beat-up hand-me-downs from seven years ago.

I guess there's a decent arcade at the Blue Harbor resort. I havent't been there yet but I heard positive things about it.

[Flack]

Consider it from the standpoint of the owner...a New Machine costs say... $600 so you need 2400 people to play it to pay it off. Crap for MVC2 it can go well over a $1000 and that is 4000 users before profit.

You're way low.

The going rate for a new Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga machine is $3,000.

The new Golden Tee with a small screen is $4,000 -- big screen, $5,000.

[fishsandwich]

I agree with the earlier post... arcade games used to be way ahead of the home consoles, so to experience cutting-edge games, you had to go to the arcade.

Now many of the new arcade games ARE based on home consoles... the Dreamcast, PS2, X-Box, and Cube all have arcade counterparts with basically the same hardware.

Internet gaming has replaced the multi-player arcade experience.

I am sad to see them go. :puppydogeyes:

Fish Sandwich

[captain nintendo]

80's and early 90's rocked. :rocker:

Arcades were a place to hang out and play the latest and greatest games.


Arcades have sucked and needed to die since 94 ish.


R.I.P. Arcades of old :(

[Kepone]

The only arcade in this town closed down after a devastating fire. They never recovered from it.

It's quite sad. I remember in the early 90s, they had the Simpsons arcade game. Used to spend quarters on that machine when I was 13.

[Disconnected]

The only decent arcade around here is Coconut Grove down by the beach boardwalk. Its pretty big with lots of good games. Then there is Special Effects in Scotts Valley which hasn't gotten new games in years. Im surprised they are still in business. It's sad to see them shut down, but the business mdoel doesn't work anymore with modern consoles. Restoring the old machines and opening like classics arcade would be good idea.

[youngamer]

Theres this one arcade in up state pa and its called "Take Five" and they have the simpsons, space invaders, :) and popeye there in really good condition.

[Dahne]

Downstairs in the student center, San Francisco State has a big open area with several places to eat, pool tables, and, most importantly, a nice little row of arcade games. DDR, Time Crisis, Raiden Fighters, Ms. Pac-Man, Puzzle Fighter, a couple of the Capcom Vrs. machines.

It's a surprise that I'm ever anywhere else.