How To Save The Arcade Scene In The U.S.

Reality Check · May 9, 2004

We all know that the arcade scene is dying. Companys like Capcom, Namco and Midway has shut down their arcade divisions. So is their a way to save our arcades? I have two suggestions.

Arcade Exclusives

One thing that could draw people to arcades are games that can only be found in arcades. Now, Arcade games are being ported to consules which has extra. Take Soul Calibur 2 for example. The consule version of had extra characters, weapons and modes. Now, Did you think people will play the Arcade version anymore if the consule version has more to offer? I think not. If there games that were arcade only like most Neo*Geo games than arcades will see a bit more life.

Varity

When people do go to arcades there choices are limited. Mech, racing, light gun shooters and fighting games. That's it. There nothing that people haven't seen before. Games like DDR is what arcades need right now. Something new and not the same old thing.

Well, I said what I think could save it. What about you?

SNKJorge · May 9, 2004

Reality Check said:
Games like DDR is what arcades need right now. Something new and not the same old thing.

You really need a 'Reality Check'.

galfordo · May 9, 2004

I'm afraid there's no way to save them.

BeefJerky · May 9, 2004

xtoo_short20x said:
You really need a 'Reality Check'.

Seconded.

In the golden age of the arcade era did they have shitty dancing (Read: Look even more ridiculous than usual) "games"? The answer is no.

While the arcade scene does need exclusive content it needs to be more innovative than it has been lately. The people could give a damn about varity.

evil wasabi · May 9, 2004

No chance, arcades are fucked.

K_Dash · May 9, 2004

I don't really understand how people hate on DDR, its exactly what the arcades need to attract people. I've only played it a couple of times but I can understand the attraction of them. It takes skill to actually to get good at those games, just like a fighting game or a racing game, the only difference is that it takes a different set of skills to become good at it. Thats one of the reasons why Japan still has a thriving arcade scene since they contain so many different types of games, ranging from your typical fighting game to dancing games to even fishing games involving a real rod. Is it just that the older guys don't like change, even if their willing to lose an important part of gaming history?

Arcademan · May 9, 2004

K_Dash said:
I don't really understand how people hate on DDR, its exactly what the arcades need to attract people. I've only played it a couple of times but I can understand the attraction of them. It takes skill to actually to get good at those games, just like a fighting game or a racing game, the only difference is that it takes a different set of skills to become good at it. Thats one of the reasons why Japan still has a thriving arcade scene since they contain so many different types of games, ranging from your typical fighting game to dancing games to even fishing games involving a real rod. Is it just that the older guys don't like change, even if their willing to lose an important part of gaming history?

Well said, K_Dash!

Japanese aren't afraid to try something new. I think the American market needs to learn more from its Japanese counterparts

BeefJerky · May 9, 2004

K_Dash said:
I don't really understand how people hate on DDR, its exactly what the arcades need to attract people. I've only played it a couple of times but I can understand the attraction of them. It takes skill to actually to get good at those games, just like a fighting game or a racing game, the only difference is that it takes a different set of skills to become good at it. Thats one of the reasons why Japan still has a thriving arcade scene since they contain so many different types of games, ranging from your typical fighting game to dancing games to even fishing games involving a real rod. Is it just that the older guys don't like change, even if their willing to lose an important part of gaming history?

What fighting or driving game ever made unwashed dorks and ugly chicks bring bigass fans and all that weird ass Japanese snacks/drinks from Suncoast to the arcade with them?

I don't go to the arcade to be startled because some obese girl is jumping around on that goddamn annoyance of an arcade game and making a sound like a charging hippo.

Spike Spiegel · May 9, 2004

K_Dash said:
I don't really understand how people hate on DDR?

Because they're ignorant. I thought that DDR was gay.... until I tried it. I love the game, and I see why so many others do, too. Hell, without DDR, there may not even BE arcades anymore.

Sad, but true. I wish fighting games were still huge, but they just aren't. Not in the States, anyhow. Sad.

Spike

Arcademan · May 9, 2004

BeefJerky said:
What fighting or driving game ever made unwashed dorks and ugly chicks bring bigass fans and all that weird ass Japanese snacks/drinks from Suncoast to the arcade with them?

I don't go to the arcade to be startled because some obese girl is jumping around on that goddamn annoyance of an arcade game and making a sound like a charging hippo.

I can see the appeal of games like DDR however the game room I work at doesn't and will not get one. And I admit, your observations on the dancing games are dead on. Worse than the obsese girl may be an obsese guy trying to dance on one of those :eek_2:

My opinions about DDR and Poice 991, MoCap Boxing and even Prop Cycle...I want to be able to play a game without doing any exercise :loco:

BeefJerky · May 9, 2004

Arcademan said:
I can see the appeal of games like DDR however the game room I work at doesn't and will not get one. And I admit, your observations on the dancing games are dead on. Worse than the obsese girl may be an obsese guy trying to dance on one of those

My opinions about DDR and Poice 991, MoCap Boxing and even Prop Cycle...I want to be able to play a game without doing any exercise

Police 911 rocks hard. I played DDR twice and I couldn't believe it was even worse the 2nd time around. Unfortunately they got rid of the Police 911 and Galaga cabs at the only arcade around here (one of the malls) so I officially don't go to arcades anymore, dunno why I'm even arguing about DDR at this point. Elephant Girl is no longer on the list of problems.

BIG · May 9, 2004

Seriously,guys should NOT play DDR...ever.

Arcademan · May 9, 2004

Spike Spiegel said:
Because they're ignorant. I thought that DDR was gay.... until I tried it. I love the game, and I see why so many others do, too. Hell, without DDR, there may not even BE arcades anymore.

Sad, but true. I wish fighting games were still huge, but they just aren't. Not in the States, anyhow. Sad.

Spike

Also a good observation. DDR and its clones tapped into a new customer area and brought people into arcades and fun centers that they otherwise wouldn't have anything to do with. Similar thing happened a few years back with the advent of Golden Tee Golf and its tournament system.

I miss the days of the classic games. Fortunately I still work in a place that's kind of stuck in the past with games like Street Fighter 2, 2 Neo-Geos and a sit-in moving G-Loc :make_fac:

BeefJerky · May 9, 2004

B.I.GPSYCHE said:
Seriously,guys should NOT play DDR...ever.

Amen.

Ghost-Dog · May 9, 2004

B.I.GPSYCHE said:
Seriously,guys should NOT play DDR...ever.

At least, not in public. Get a console version and a dance pad for the love of God.

K_Dash · May 9, 2004

BeefJerky said:
What fighting or driving game ever made unwashed dorks and ugly chicks bring bigass fans and all that weird ass Japanese snacks/drinks from Suncoast to the arcade with them?

I don't go to the arcade to be startled because some obese girl is jumping around on that goddamn annoyance of an arcade game and making a sound like a charging hippo.

I feel sorry for you man, over where we have it, we have hot looking girls playing the game at times, especially during the summer when they tend to wear skirts and low cut shirts and whatnot. Too bad some of them are underage though. :crying:

shirt · May 9, 2004

I can't fucking believe this outbreak of acceptance toward DDR type games. Arcades are almost completely dominated these days by these or their derivitives (mix, drum, TAMBOURINE simulators, the fucking one where you wave your hand over a pad, never bothered to figure out exactly what it was. Anyway, you name it the idiots made it). I cringe whenever I walk into an arcade these days, what with the countless anime fags (who would NOT be at the arcade otherwise if not for their little simulators) lined up out the door to play these pieces of shit . It's just embarrasing, and a smack in the face to the scene I once loved so. Fortunately for the time being, there are still a couple arcades I go to that still have a fair amount of fighter competition. But for how long...

EDIT: I can slightly understand that these games are bringing good business to arcades, but it is honestly a big IF for me whether it's worth it or not. And I've NEVER seen even a slightly attractive girl playing DDR.

SNKJorge · May 9, 2004

It's not that I hate DDR. I don't care for it.
It's the people that play on them. It is ok for
Japanese to go ahead and play this kind of game, they actually don't look
stupid, and most of them are pretty good at it.

Now if you look at the arcade scene here in the US, the only thing you see on a
DDR machine, it's some extremely overweight kid, sweating like a pork, no
fucking style at all. They scream and sing along the songs, to a point where
the game is not fun at all. That's what I call fucking stupid.

K_Dash said:
I don't really understand how people hate on DDR, its exactly what the arcades need to attract people. I've only played it a couple of times but I can understand the attraction of them. It takes skill to actually to get good at those games, just like a fighting game or a racing game, the only difference is that it takes a different set of skills to become good at it. Thats one of the reasons why Japan still has a thriving arcade scene since they contain so many different types of games, ranging from your typical fighting game to dancing games to even fishing games involving a real rod. Is it just that the older guys don't like change, even if their willing to lose an important part of gaming history?

BeefJerky · May 9, 2004

K_Dash said:
I feel sorry for you man, over where we have it, we have hot looking girls playing the game at times, especially during the summer when they tend to wear skirts and low cut shirts and whatnot. Too bad some of them are underage though.

Well enjoy it, I need to find a better place to chill during the day that's not the mall, because I either A) only stay for like an hour because i get bored, B) the guy at suncoast keeps trying to push sales on me because I'm the only person there, C) "moustache girl" (at Software Etc) may return and stab me for calling her out on the moustache, D) the Indian dude at Mark's Imports (an almost head shop in the mall) might actually tell me to get out because I haven't bought any thing in months.

I won't continue on that but yeah. You get the idea.

roker · May 9, 2004

DDR = Lowest Point of the Arcade Scene

Since we're talking about DDR, here's a video for all ya'll:

http://content.collegehumor.com/media/movies/4westddr.wmv

Loopz · May 9, 2004

DDR is an easy target, since our arcades as we knew and loved them have died.
However, the operators left are clinging to whatever cash they can get their hands on, so I understand why they're going after that glassy-eyed otaku crowd.
It's not their fault they know practically all the lyrics to the J-Pop CDs they own.

Arcades cannot, will not, EVER be like they once were. There will be certain areas/subcults where they can continue to exist, especially near universities.
The great fighting game craze of 1991-1999 will simply never return. Now that home consoles meet or exceed what the arcades can offer, the motivation for going is GONE.

XBL is as close as we'll ever get.

SouthtownKid · May 9, 2004

This DDR talk makes it sound like one group of unwashed nerds is replacing the old group of unwashed nerds. I guess if there were many arcades near me, I could get a little riled up about it, but who cares. I remember when I was a little kid playing Asteroids and Pac Man, there were people complaining about the death of pinball and the coming of the souless video games. I remember thinking they needed to get over it. Now it's our turn to get over it. Acting like grumpy old men won't slow the process. At least we have the hardware to keep playing all the games we loved. I have no idea how the fans of pinball dealt with it.

Charles Franklin Fernandez · May 9, 2004

SouthtownKid said:
I have no idea how the fans of pinball dealt with it.

Simple, they just filled their garages with pinball machines.

rarehero · May 10, 2004

as much as I hate ddr,
it does bring the younger crowd,
and does introduce them to other arcade games.
I figure it can't be bad.
because now companies try to streamline profits by releasing arcade games
if they even do and then release them to consoles soon after to get
more bang for the buck.
things like virtua cop 3 and out run 2 scare me a bit since they are big name
games, that most arcades can't spend money on that will probably just skip
the US arcade scene compeletly.
sit down cabs are expensive. and I can't imagine shooters being cheap either.
anyways. mainstream consoles suck.
I miss the old days of being fascinated at seeing a new game at arcades and
praying they would port it to the snes or something so I could rent it out.
just so I could play a stripped down version of it.
nowadays?
so sad..

Atro · May 10, 2004

DDR ?

Everybody knows the only succeed arcades nowadays are Sega racers and a few other games.

How To Save The Arcade Scene In The U.S.

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