Where Have Your Long Lost Coin-ops Resurfaced?

[Ascending Wordsmith]

Have you ever spotted one of your favorite coin-ops that you haven't seen in awhile? It's usually in an obscure place...

Some time ago, I was at the bus station picking up a relative. As always, I arrive 15 minutes early so she wouldn't have to wait. Our bus station isn't a fururistic glass and steel building like large cities have. It's merely a brick and cement building with a medium sized parking lot where people come and go on Greyhound buses. In other words, it's nothing special. But this day turned out to be somewhat special. In the bus station, adjacent to the snack bar, is a gameroom. I strolled into the gameroom; it had a foosball table and a few games that I vaguely remembered, but in the corner sat one of my favorite coin-ops. In the room sat...


Road Blasters

Needless to say, I pumped $2.00 into the machine (@ .25 per credit, it was a bargain). I felt like I was back in 1988 as an 11 year old kid. Unfortunately, my cousin's bus arrived (lol) and my time of re-living the good ole days of arcade magic were cut short. But it was nice to see that some of the older coin-ops are still making appearances in places across the city.

Where have you seen your long lost, favorite coin-ops resurface?

[ashbourn]

rampage loved playing it so much i got one in my basement
some space fighter game i played when i was real little i saw again at a hotel when i was on vacation i wish i could spell the name it is real weird.

[The Young Game Collector]

funny, i am remaking a bunch of arcade machines for my church. I may keep one, and they have road blasters...

[Tempest]

I saw Rally X at a Pizza Hut (it was a cocktail of all things) last year. Pretty cool since I haven't seem one of those in years.

Tempest

[Captain Wrong]

I think I spentd $10 playing Asteroids at a laundrymat in Louisville a few years ago. I was so happy to find the real deal again after so many years of 2600/emulation.

Every now and again I run into a Ms. Pacman or Galaxian. Why can't it ever be Tempest or Robotron???

[Trixie]

I just played Ms. Pac-Man in my mom's laundromat! It was quite a flashback! Sadly, they had the machine set on "warp speed 6," so the game ended pretty quickly.

[NE146]

By the way, here's a great site for locating some in your area:
http://www.classicgaming.com/locations/

I make it a point to try and locate as many classic arcade games in my vicinity. :P I found a Joust at a pizza joint the other day. I guess also I've been lucky in that there was a great "classic" arcade called "Hi-Score" here for a while (unfortunately it closed last year... the owner's say temporarily until they can find a new location). So I've been able to play Tempest, Joust, Tapper, Space Invaders, Stargate, Defender, Robotron, Pacman, Donkey Kong, Tron, Battlezone and all the goodies in their true form in one place here or other. Not to mention at Microsoft, a lot of the guys there collect as well so they got a couple of machines themselves. Aside from collectors though, here in Seattle there is:

Flying Pie in Issaquah: Pacman, Gorf, and Ast. Deluxe
Gameworks: a couple of classics (but in crappy generic mini-cabs)
Illusionz arcade in Issaquah: DK, Joust, Tron, MsPac, Stargate, some others
Arcade in Factoria Mall: Mspac, Bosconian, and other rotating games
Quarters: some I cant recall.

[bargora]

I've heard that Tempest machines melt down over time, and I'll bet it's hard to keep a Robotron in working joysticks. Especially if you're grabbing the joysticks and rocking the machine back in forth in anguish or blind rage...

I saw all kinds of GREAT SHIT in the main arcade at Cedar Point amusement park. Red Baron! Space Invaders! Gauntlet! Space Harrier! Bunches more that I don't remember! Unfortunately, no hardcore semi-modern to modern shoot-em-ups, and surprisingly, not a single fighter.

And I saw a cocktail Ms. Pac-Man the other day at a bar--not that Ms. Pac is a long-lost.

But the memories of Showbiz Pizza Place circa 1982 still haunt me--has anybody seen a working OMEGA RACE in the last ten years?

[Raedon]

There is a Pacman and Super pacman at a dirt mall out in the sticks. Used to be a Galaga machine in the mall but it stopped working and got replaced by a tekken tag.

I haven't seen a Vector game outside of a personal collection or auction in 10 years or so.

[CrazyImpmon]

I once spotted a Starwars arcade machine I9the old Atari version, not the monster sized Sega model) at Deer Acres about 10 years ago. And at my favorite summer campground (Timberlake, near Battle Creek) it had Pac Man/Ms. Pac Man combo and Bust-a-Move (original) and the year before that Road Blaster and STUN Runner (stand up version) I look forward to next summer.