Well, for one, home console graphics caught up with arcade graphics. For two, it started costing a minor fortune to play games in an arcade, that you could easily play at home. Thing with arcades is they have to stay AHEAD of home consoles. But they're not. I remember going to the arcade and playing SFII, Punch-Out (with the fists that you pushed in and out), Hard Drivin' and other games with superb graphics and/or unique controls. Huge racing games with 4 seats/wheels/gas/break/shifter, skiing games with skis, snowboarding games with snowboards, etc. They just don't seem to be innovating or pushing the graphics envelope with arcades anymore, probably because all the companies quit making arcade games. That and spending $20 for 30-60 mins of gameplay was just ridiculous. If you look to Japan though, don't they still have huge arcades? I know a lot of them are pachinko parlours, but they still have some mad cool arcades last I remember seeing.
I remember I got really good at T-Mech... could get nearly halfway up the ladder with the Assault Mech and the 2 (then later 3 or 4) initial quarters. Never did beat the game, but I got to the 2nd-to-last level on only a couple bucks... sadly, I never see it anymore, even at laser tag places where it used to be a mainstay. But back to the topic at hand, I think the problem is that there's not much creativity anymore. Because when you look at it, every time there's a new creative game, there's an increased number of people in the arcades, on all the machines, while waiting to play the new hotness. But there hasn't been a real novelty since DDR. Before that, Crazy Taxi. The 70's and 80's were chock full of novel games, multiple ones coming out every year. If you want to start an arcade, best fill it with some of the classics, and the ticket-spitters, as many as you can cram in. Ski-ball will never die. Some of the pseudo-3/4 view 2D side-scrollers were good, but was there any substantial difference between TMNT and The Simpsons (other than the fact that you took damage like a water balloon in The Simpsons, and the bosses were a lot harder in TMNT). Air hockey is probably the 2nd biggest moneymaker at the theater arcades after DDR.
Yeah. Air Hockey, Original and Mrs. Pacman, Asteroids, Centipede, Galaga, Tetris and Ski ball. That would make me cream my pants.
Damn it man, we have all that at Funspot. Need I go there and take pictures? It is a mecca for arcade geeks wanting to relive the glory days. It has three floors of arcade machines, with half a room (big ass room mind) devoted to pinball. Bowling, both candlepin and ten pin with a bar right off the bowling alley. Upstairs from there is an indoor putt putt. Lots of ticket spitting machines, kiddy machines, three air hockey tables. Some newer games, some older games, and an in-building restaurant that serves pizza. Not part of Funspot, but acrossed the street is a Go-Kart track down the road are a couple water parks not to mention the Weirs Beach and the drag down there with at least three or more arcades on the strip. Those ones featuring mainly newer games. There are all kinds of arcades out on the coast too, mainly at the strip in Hampton.
I really don't get very nostalgic for old games I use to play, over and over.. except maybe River City Ransom. I don't mind new 'retro' games, which I'm downloading frequently over XBox Live.. but I can't play Pacman, Asteroids, Paperboy, etc. anymore.
This weekend is as good as any to get some, maybe I can convince my sis to go an bring her camera, do some bowling on Saturday. I'll see what I can do.
I am gonna try to go and take photos of the biggest "arcade" in the city too. Sadly, it's a mixture of a pool hall, multiplayer internet computer place, and bar. But it's still a cool place to hang out.
I have my own arcade game room in my house. I bought 8 different arcade machines off Ebay the past few months, you can get good 80's and 90's machines for about $200-400 each.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/BvHzVE22ngDZGfPho251GA That's about an arcade in Chicago. I've never been there, as for a long time I assumed it was some kind of gay sex club.
While JohnM is known for making over the top claims, people buying arcade machines for their own homes isn't that uncommon. A couple of friends of mine just in the last few weeks bought a working arcade machine that they intend to obtain various boards for.
There are also those total MAME conversions, that are pretty damn cool. Still, nothing beats having the original machines and the art on them.
