Arcades: More like fighting game parlors

And I don't mean "family fun centers". I mean arcades that are meant to cater to gamers.

As those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area might know, we have two new such arcades: GameCenter in San Mateo, and SouthTown Arcade in San Francisco.

Most of the games there are fighting games, with a few shmups (Ikaruga, Border Down, Espgaluda II), one Light Gun Game (Virtua Cop 3), some puzzle games (Tetris The Grand Master 3, Mr Driller), and various other assorted crap (Metal Slug, Windjammers, etc.).

The majority of income goes into the fighting games—you see people going at it all the time on those games, and discussing their strategies and CMOAs.

But the same cannot be said for games of other genres there. You'll see people who can maybe last half a stage in Ikaruga, play TGM using World Rule and Easy Mode, and freak out over the bullet count in Espgaluda.

As a non-player of fighting games, it's given me this worrying conclusion: Unless you play fighting games, arcades really are dead.

Let's face it, shmups and other potentially-competitive games have no place left in arcades; they're better off going straight to home and handheld platforms than being "quarter munchers" for people to play once or twice at most. Why put in a game that people will play for 5-10 minutes tops when you can put in King of BlazTekken IV Ultra Hyper Arcade Edition and pull in more players than some Bullet Hell crap that people only know by its True Final Boss or the fact that it's Nintendo Hard?

If you don't play Fighting Games, you may as well be banned from ever going to a non-family arcade again.

Whenever I (rarely) go to an arcade usually I just play Area 51 and other Light Gun Games.

And??????

When I played Killer Instinct back in 1994 and that voice in the intro said "available for your home in 1995, only on Nintendo Ultra 64," I knew at that very moment that arcades were going to die.

Personally, I don't think the fighting game genre is impacted as badly as other genres by console ports.

Sure, you could play at home, but you miss out on being able to play with other players, unless you host a meetup of some sort.

And there's various online services that serve to provide human competition, provided that you have an Internet connection.

But a major part of what keeps the genre going is the community—some people simply find it more enjoyable to play against their opponents in person rather than facing completely unknown people online.

With other genres, whether you're in an arcade or at home makes little difference. If anything, playing single-player arcade games at home can be advantageous, not just in regards to saving money, but also not having to deal with bratty little kids and their overprotective parents or dumbass arcade operators who think jacking off is more productive than fixing arcade machines.

edited 11th Aug '11 6:12:20 AM by TsundeRay

I don't even know if there are still arcades here. Although, I would like to go to one. I had quite much fun with playing Light Gun games several years ago.

If I went to an arcade, I'd probably be there primarily for one of the various rythym games they'd have there, such as Dance Dance Revolution. Barring that, I'd head for the driving games. Shooters come after that.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and fighting games don't even rank. I know they're there, I just don't play them.

edited 11th Aug '11 6:44:41 AM by Sabbo

At least you have arcades, pretty much the only times I see working arcade machines is in ski resorts.

The only games I ever see in arcades, largely, are peripheral heavy games: light gun shooters, dance games, racers, stuff like that.

You know, the reverse of you happened in my country instead. Indonesians have very little fighting games, most of them are more shmups. I mean, it's probably because Indonesian has something against 'violence in videogames'... But I wish I was in your place, Tsunde Ray.

Figuring out where a arcade is in Berlin will be tricky. "Arcade" doesn't net me much. No problem in itself, after all they are mostly called "Spielhalle" here. But exactly this is a problem. Because "Spielhalle" can also mean a casino.

...How should I figure out an arcade under the lots and lots of casinos?

Arcades always were fighting game parlors since Street Fighter 2 was released. And then there was a dancing game phase before Guitar Hero took over.

The arcade I go to had a really big racing game scene when initial d came out. Anyhoo, is the problem necessarily that nobody plays the other games? I mean, I don't recall seeing a new arcade machine that isn't a fighting game... People like playing new things.

I lament not being able to play a Beat 'em Up at an arcade anymore.

Arcades are pretty much dead in the West.

Meanwhile Japan gets Gundam Vs Gundam Extreme.....

We need something as cool as Stunt Driver (or whatever arcade game it was based off of) or Hydro Thunder, I say.

edited 11th Aug '11 4:32:43 PM by RocketDude

Whoa this must be a thread necro from 1994...

Here in the Chicago suburbs, we have at least one Gameworks and at least one Dave and Busters. (For the uninitiated, they're chains of large entertainment centers. The former started in 1997 and has struggled, while the latter dates back to 1982 and has had more success. Both have adequate restaurants/bars, and include additional entertainment options such as ticket-driven games and billiards.) There's a modern arcade in Brookfield that charges an entrance fee. And despite all odds, some old arcades still exist in the suburbs of Niles and Lombard.

Not sure about some of those arcades, but from what I've seen, fighting games aren't the only draw. I've spent more money at my local Gameworks on a virtual bowling game, a recent Pac-Man variant, some pinball machines, and billiards tables.

Do these arcade have a future? I don't know. (Every now and then, I'll go to one with a friend or two. But unlike that time in the late 80s when I was obsessed with Capcom's game Black Tiger, they don't mean much to me...)

The fact that people are still opening arcades suprised the hell outta me.

Fuck yeah, Hydro Thunder!

edited 11th Aug '11 6:21:48 PM by BetaRay

Hydro Thunder, yessssssss. I remember pumping probably hundreds of dollars into a downhill Luge game too. You sat in a luge-like chair, and steered through leaning, and using the dual brake system. Like the real thing, minus the danger. It was glorious.

In my country (Philippines) the term "arcade" has come to encompass Computer Cafes as well. Especially with the advent of DotA-like games, which are best played when most (if not all) players are in the same room. Traditional arcades are still going strong, and all the major malls has at least 1 arcade available.

Arcades in Philippines also offer more services than the traditional fighting machines such as Karaoke, pachinko, and ticket collecting (for prizes).

When I moved away from the Chicago 'burbs to SC, I think what I missed more about not having access to a Showbiz Pizza (Chuck E. Cheeses now, I believe) was not having the arcade games. To me the pizza itself was kinda "blah", and even when I was in my pre-teens I could do without the stupid anamatronics show.

I probably spent hundreds of dollars there in arcade tokens, a lot of it in an Atari post-apocalypse road racing game (I can't remember the title for sure, and the "Road Warriors" I remember it as doesn't help any in a google search).

Fighters have been the most hype things in arcades since the 90s. And the fact you have 2 thriving arcades nearby(not family fun centers) is something to be happy about, not complain. Plus can you blame them? catering to fighters I mean. Fighting games were birthed in acrades and are probably the most social-intensive games you can find there, nothing is like some joe waltzing up next to you on a machine, chugging in some quarters and then getting a NEW CHALLENGERS HAS ARRIVED! on your screen while your heart is racing at just whether this guy stands a chance of kicking your ass, with a crowd watching by anxious to see your skills be put to the test.

In a way, I'd say that fighting games are what kept arcades from dying out sooner then they did.

edited 11th Aug '11 8:35:30 PM by Vertigo_High

Over here in Singapore the majority of space in most arcades is taken up by sports games of all stripes, TCG based games (which most of them are licensed to sell cards for) and light gun games. Fighters are usually limited to SF, KOF and (occasionally, which is a surprise) the original Blaz Blue. Luckier places get the newest Gundam pods... unlocalized.

edited 11th Aug '11 10:37:47 PM by Recon5

Where I live, there's 2 things that could count as arcades. The one I go to has Pump It Up! (the rhythm game similar to DDR but with 5 pads instead of 4), which I'm the only one that I see playing it, and some light gun games that get played pretty often (It's near a military base, and many of the locals around here like to hunt as well). I think there's a fighting game or two, but no one plays those.

Big well known arcades are mostly going to have a fighter focus, but as other people said, at least you HAVE an arcade.

Oh, and Initial D is awesome. I miss the machine that was in an old spot that closed.