Game Galaxy Arcade/Game Store, NASHVILLE, TN SECOND LOCATION OPENING DEC 12 !

[DreamTR]

This is a great store, and I really hope it becomes a success. But is there a market in Nashville for this? I didn't really think of Nashville as a city full of hardcore gamers. Maybe the big cities like NYC, Chicago, LA etc. but certainly not Nashville.

We've been open since November, we are inside a mall, built in traffic...out rent is decent, and we have games no one in the state has not even out on console..(Tekken 6 BR and Blazblue)

Arcades never really "died", people just were not progressive to the changes....there are gamers everywhere. I think everyone does not realize, we have a console section for people that want to meet/play in public, and our rates are so cheap that it becomes the "hangout" to be. There are more gamers now than any other time in history, but not everyone wants to go to random people's houses all the time....

[Ed Oscuro]

We only have two sets of racing games, and it's definitely not smart just to have classics only.

Of course; didn't say that it should be classics only - that'd only make the gap worse. What I mean is there's a gap between the "classics" and the 3D era stuff. There aren't many games from the years 86-94 there, although the ones that are are good picks. Apologies for not looking at the post where you stated what was getting played most. I'd sacrifice a couple of the classics to get at least one MVS and put a Magical Drop in there (since Bubble Bobble is doing well, and a straight-up puzzle game would be nice). Plus, you can get rid of that Aero Fighters and put in one of the MVS sequels, freeing up some space for a better game like Raiden Fighters Jet.

Ultimately you're going to make the decisions on what to get based on what's getting money, but there are some genres absent and nearly an era underrepresented, while there's simply too many (so I think) of the so-called "Golden Era" games. If I was running an arcade, I'd only put in the pre-crash games that were must-plays. Actually, I'd put in a Space Invaders for that reason. Time Pilot '84 is by far my preferred game, but I don't know how many people like to play it - probably not tons. Again, just ignore anything that doesn't match up with your observations (definitely interested to hear them all)!

Have you put up a list somewhere near the entrances of what games are inside? That way people wouldn't just see some game they didn't care for and turn away - it'd also be a great "ambush point" for asking random questions to people about their impressions.

[XYXZYZ]

So how's business? Are you making any money so far?

[DreamTR]

Of course; didn't say that it should be classics only - that'd only make the gap worse. What I mean is there's a gap between the "classics" and the 3D era stuff. There aren't many games from the years 86-94 there, although the ones that are are good picks. Apologies for not looking at the post where you stated what was getting played most. I'd sacrifice a couple of the classics to get at least one MVS and put a Magical Drop in there (since Bubble Bobble is doing well, and a straight-up puzzle game would be nice). Plus, you can get rid of that Aero Fighters and put in one of the MVS sequels, freeing up some space for a better game like Raiden Fighters Jet.

Ultimately you're going to make the decisions on what to get based on what's getting money, but there are some genres absent and nearly an era underrepresented, while there's simply too many (so I think) of the so-called "Golden Era" games. If I was running an arcade, I'd only put in the pre-crash games that were must-plays. Actually, I'd put in a Space Invaders for that reason. Time Pilot '84 is by far my preferred game, but I don't know how many people like to play it - probably not tons. Again, just ignore anything that doesn't match up with your observations (definitely interested to hear them all)!

Have you put up a list somewhere near the entrances of what games are inside? That way people wouldn't just see some game they didn't care for and turn away - it'd also be a great "ambush point" for asking random questions to people about their impressions.

Actually, Bubble Bobble does not do that well. Snow Bros does. I think we actually have a very good amount of 86-94 stuff in there. If you actually break it down we have a pretty decent amount of stuff from that era.

Also, we had Time Pilot 84. No one played it. We had a Neo Geo MVS, no one played it. All they want is KOF. We have Strikers 1945 Plus which is in a Neo cabinet already. The golden era games are there specifically for people who bring their kids in, and want to play some of the oldies. Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Gaplus, Spy Hunter, Paperboy, all do well. Heck, we just got Hyper Sports in, and that game is doing better than Track and Field ever was, but the whole idea is for us to have something for everyone. Our demographic is really lower income families, and they love their King of Fighters, Tekken, shooting games, and Street Fighter.


XYX: We've been profitable since we opened. We started with 65 or so machine and picked up almost 40 more if that tells you anything. Profitable in the sense that we don't "owe" anything on the games, but we do have a few that are on revenue sharing.

[Ed Oscuro]

Okay, that explains a lot. I really didn't see Snow Bros. outpacing Bubble Bobble, wow!

Will be interested to hear how Strikers Plus does...it's not my favorite in that series due to the technical limitations and screen format, but it's from a good series regardless.

Are you going to have a certain classic whip-and-jump platformer showing up in the arcade soon, by any chance?

[DreamTR]

Ed OScuro: We're going to have VS Castlevania up and running. Not sure about Haunted Castle. All depends on the number of cabinets I can obtain in the next few months...I choose not to understand why certain games make money there and others do not. I know one thing...Japanese cabinets are easiest to have, but the hardest to obtain in this area, and hispanics love KOF and Snow Bros.

[XYXZYZ]

We had a Neo Geo MVS, no one played it.

Man, them Nashstonians ain't got no culture. What games were in it?

[DreamTR]

Man, them Nashstonians ain't got no culture. What games were in it?

Well, technically it only had Samurai II, and this one now has Strikers 1945 Plus.

We have one more with just KOF 98 and KOF 2003 but I am in the process of getting a Japanese Neo 25 4 slot, so I'll put Metal Slug in there and some other crap..

[Ed Oscuro]

Magical Drop 3! I'm telling ya, it fills a niche.

[DreamTR]

Magical Drop 3! I'm telling ya, it fills a niche.

Trust me, they won't play that game here, ...

[An Hero]

Any plans for a Mario Kart Arcade GP?

[DreamTR]

Sure, if someone hands me $$$$$, Lol....I'm not a corporate guy here...

[Ed Oscuro]

Yeah, I'm guessing that the early 2000s are about the cutoff for machines to come down in price enough that mere mortals can get them for local arcades...anything newer is going to retail for a couple thousand dollars, a price at which you could get a few good old arcade machines to offer up just as good a revenue stream. Personally, I find that the late 90s - present "big gigantic cabinet" type games (like a huge House of the Dead 3-ish that I saw in England, in a gas station of all places) are flashy but quickly outdated, and they don't offer up enough of a variation in play that I'd want to keep going back once I'd cleared them or whatever - and they take up valuable space that again you could put a couple other cabs into. Just my rambling thoughts on the subject.

[DreamTR]

Yeah, I'm guessing that the early 2000s are about the cutoff for machines to come down in price enough that mere mortals can get them for local arcades...anything newer is going to retail for a couple thousand dollars, a price at which you could get a few good old arcade machines to offer up just as good a revenue stream. Personally, I find that the late 90s - present "big gigantic cabinet" type games (like a huge House of the Dead 3-ish that I saw in England, in a gas station of all places) are flashy but quickly outdated, and they don't offer up enough of a variation in play that I'd want to keep going back once I'd cleared them or whatever - and they take up valuable space that again you could put a couple other cabs into. Just my rambling thoughts on the subject.

That's why I like the fact arcades are affordable =) Games and going to them. I love people that complain about 50 cents for a game, though. Everyone expects everything to be 1981 prices, and racing games for 50 cents seems fair to me.

[DreamTR]

Updated list.
Games that have been removed:

Gyruss
The Grid (3 player)
Make Trax
Moon Patrol
Defender (repair)
Nintendo Red Tent (repair)
Super Qix
Primal Rage (moved to other location)
Lethal Enforcers (moved)
Guardians of the Hood (moved)
Rolling Thunder (moved)
Guerrila War (moved)

[DreamTR]

Major Updates!

[Baloo]

Looks like an awesome place. Now if only they had an arcade like that around here...

[Ed Oscuro]

Nice website. The rockets look sorta like ones used in Project Nike (Ajax, Zeus, etc.); can't place the game that art is from but it reminds me of the recessed control panels on my Stratovox cocktail

Good news on the updates. I like the list of games! I only saw Maximum Force recently but it looks pretty good. And Blazblue looks like a good choice, although I hope they don't make it hard to upgrade as some people are already calling for increased animation.

Solar Assault, Dimahoo, Virtual ON...wow. Especially at Solar Assault.

Was the game store a separate location earlier and now merged with the arcade?

[DreamTR]

Nice website. The rockets look sorta like ones used in Project Nike (Ajax, Zeus, etc.); can't place the game that art is from but it reminds me of the recessed control panels on my Stratovox cocktail

Good news on the updates. I like the list of games! I only saw Maximum Force recently but it looks pretty good. And Blazblue looks like a good choice, although I hope they don't make it hard to upgrade as some people are already calling for increased animation.

Solar Assault, Dimahoo, Virtual ON...wow. Especially at Solar Assault.

Was the game store a separate location earlier and now merged with the arcade?

No, we were always an arcade....just had game store stuff with it...

[RadiantSvgun]

Is that a red Namco Excellena I spy in there?