You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Alex79 »

You know how it goes, your long lost uncle who everyone in the family has forgotten about dies suddenly whilst fishing for giant squid in the Bahamas. Bizarrely, he owned a little gaming cafe just minutes down the road from where you live. How you've never heard of it before is a mystery, but due to flash floods all the games in there have become wrecked overnight. What a disaster! But, he's also left you exactly the right amount of money to renovate the building and purchase exactly 12 games to put in there! How fortunate!

So, you've got the keys, you've got the funds. Which twelve games are going in your dream arcade?

Here's mine...

Outrun (full sit down car version)
House Of The Dead 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Metal Slug 3
Sega Rally (sit down)
Darius Gaiden
Marvel Vs Capcom 2
Super Street Fighter 2
Donkey Kong
Sunset Riders
Guns N' Roses Pinball
Terminator 2 Pinball

Very difficult to pick just twelve, mind. I've gone heavy on the nostalgia to be honest.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Flabyo »

Galaxian.
Pac Man.
Star Wars (sit down).
Power drift.
Gauntlet 2.
Street Fighter Alpha 3.
Soul Calibur.
A DDR machine of some sort.
Aliens vs Predator.
Ghouls n Ghosts.
Daytona (8 player setup... heh)
Point Blank.

Mix of ones I spent a lot of time on as a kid and ones that I think are still great fun to play now.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Alex79 »

Oh yeah, Powerdrift was brilliant fun! I remember really enjoying the Amstrad conversion too, which was unusual for an arcade port, as I was usually sorely disappointed!
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by duskvstweak »

This is some Stardew-level escapism. Can we turn Arcade Tycoon into a thing?
I didn't spend too much time in the arcades growing up and, when I did, I was more into pinball machines. But, I'd be happy to have

DDR
Street Fighter IV
Crazy Taxi
X-Men Arcade
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Ms. Pac-Man
Simpsons Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Marvel vs. Capcom II
Bubble Bobble
F-Zero GX
Space Invaders
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by ratsoalbion »

There is an Arcade Tycoon game on Steam (mixed reviews). This was quite cool:
https://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/03/take ... -on-xblig/
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by duskvstweak »

ratsoalbion wrote: October 31st, 2019, 5:29 pm There is an Arcade Tycoon game on Steam (mixed reviews). This was quite cool:
https://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/03/take ... -on-xblig/
Hey hey! Nice!
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Stanshall »

Great idea, basically my dream these days. I'm only going to name games I've actually played in the arcade.

Street Fighter 4
Sega Rally
OutRun 2
Dodonpachi DaiOuJou
Ketsui
Espgaluda
TMNT
Warlords (tabletop)
Star Wars
Super Off Road
Time Crisis
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Alex79 »

Stanshall wrote: October 31st, 2019, 5:39 pm Great idea, basically my dream these days.
Yeah I've often idely wondered what it would take to open a little arcade cafe. Just hot snacks and 20 nice machines. I think it would be a real money spinner, and a real labour of love. Maybe a retirement dream, haha.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by ratsoalbion »

You need to be quite talented and knowledgeable in a number of areas to maintain the cabs properly though: https://twitter.com/ArcadeClubTech

(Or pay someone to do it)!
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Stanshall »

OT: Absolutely no chance of it happening for that reason, as well as the small issue of financing the enterprise, but if I ever get a windfall for some reason, I'm definitely up for getting a cab and a few choice PCBs. I intermittently think of Joshi (formerly(?) of this parish) and his arcade cab building projects and carpentry/electrical engineering skills. I'd love to do that in a couple of years. Just depends if we have kids or not in the end, to be honest.

Back to the thread.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Alex79 »

Oh yeah for sure, but I bet its something you could get good at by practicing and learning from guides and stuff. I really like the idea of getting in to it.

Hahaha, like any of us are ever going to be retiring.

:cry:
User avatar
ReprobateGamer
Member
Posts: 290
Joined: February 11th, 2017, 12:35 pm
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by ReprobateGamer »

I think I'd largely be following the ilk here - but I'm pondering if I'd swop out the Star Wars game for a full motion Afterburner cabinet ...
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Flabyo »

The original Star Wars vector cabinets are notoriously hard to keep running, you just can’t get the parts anymore. No one really makes that kind of monitor now, the tech left the cathode ray behind many years ago. I think the full service manuals can be found online as pdf though, so at least you can see what you’d need to do, even if you can’t actually do it anymore :)

A lot of those hydraulic cabs are a pain to maintain too, but more for the fact they’re engineering projects rather than electronics ones, a whole different set of skills.

And as for DDR machines... I hope you like laser discs.
User avatar
stvnorman
Member
Posts: 911
Joined: March 19th, 2013, 8:09 pm
Location: Keysoe, Bedfordshire, UK
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by stvnorman »

Despite all of the above, in order of necessity...
1. Star Wars
2. Shao-lin’s Road
3. Elevator Action
4. Out Run
5. Enduro Racer
6. 1942
7. Kung Fu Master
8. Pit Fighter
9. Operation Wolf
10. Gauntlet
11. Bubble Bobble
12. Track and Field
User avatar
ColinAlonso
Member
Posts: 585
Joined: September 6th, 2016, 9:13 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by ColinAlonso »

Was never really into (or near) arcades when growing up. But I would definitely have Outrun, Outrun 2, Daytona USA, Puzzle Bobble, Point Blank and a Taiko no Tatsujin machine.
User avatar
Michiel K
Moderator
Posts: 1295
Joined: October 13th, 2015, 9:37 pm

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Michiel K »

Love the thread concept! Hard to think of picking just 12, though. Mine would have to include a Hydraulic Galaxy Force II cab, for sure. I'll spend some more time thinking about this one.
User avatar
ReprobateGamer
Member
Posts: 290
Joined: February 11th, 2017, 12:35 pm
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by ReprobateGamer »

Flabyo wrote: October 31st, 2019, 7:33 pm The original Star Wars vector cabinets are notoriously hard to keep running, you just can’t get the parts anymore. No one really makes that kind of monitor now, the tech left the cathode ray behind many years ago. I think the full service manuals can be found online as pdf though, so at least you can see what you’d need to do, even if you can’t actually do it anymore :)

A lot of those hydraulic cabs are a pain to maintain too, but more for the fact they’re engineering projects rather than electronics ones, a whole different set of skills.
Actually I meant the most recent Star Wars arcade game rather than the original game ... tbf I wasn't clear.

And I know people whom the engineering aspect of arcades would be a challenge ... :ugeek:
User avatar
DomsBeard
Member
Posts: 3689
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 5:03 pm
Location: Doms Chin

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by DomsBeard »

Hmmmm

1. Star Wars 1980's Sit Down
2. Daytona 8 player
3. Street Fighter 2 Turbo
4. Super Sprint 3 player cab
5. TMNT
6. Point Blank
7. Pacman Battle Royale
8. Aliens
9. TIme Crisis 2
10. Parodius
11. Mortal Kombat 2
12. Lost World Jurassic Park
User avatar
Michiel K
Moderator
Posts: 1295
Joined: October 13th, 2015, 9:37 pm

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Michiel K »

Okay, so It'd be a mix of games you can't properly experience at home in the same way, some random favs and some evergreen mainstays that you can basically keep on playing forever (competitively):

1. Galaxy Force II (Deluxe Sit Down)
2. F-Zero AX (Deluxe Sit Down)
3. Crystal Castles
4. X-men (2-screen, 6 player edition)
5. Super Street Fighter II Turbo
6. A 5 slot Neo-Geo MVS Cab with - Metal Slug - Twinkle Star Sprites - Samurai Shodown II - Windjammers - The King of Fighters '98
7. DariusBurst (Deluxe Sit Down)
8. Donkey Kong
9. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
10. Toki / Juju Densetsu
11. Final Fight
12. The House of the Dead 2

Yeah, I cheated the system with that MVS cab.
User avatar
Sinclair Gregstrum
Member
Posts: 921
Joined: April 4th, 2013, 4:09 pm
Location: Dore, Sheffield
Contact:

Re: You've been left an arcade by your long lost uncle!

Post by Sinclair Gregstrum »

No 'The Simpsons' anyone??

Essential 90s kid nostalgia choice surely!
Post Reply