Sub-Zero

While I enjoy modern video games, to me there was always something special about going to the arcades when I was younger, and seeing arcade games that were at least one generation ahead of anything that was available on home video game consoles at the time:



Does anyone else miss going to the arcades and seeing arcade games that were only playable at an arcade?

Michael Corvin

Definitely. Dragon's Lair was always the one to watch. I never did pony up the $1 (or whatever it was) to actually play it.

My friends and I went to Dave and Busters and played through the entire Halo arcade game one night. That was pretty fun. Also played some of the competitive version of Pac-Man on the giant LED screen. Can't play that at home. So there are still some unique games out there, but you gotta seek 'em out.

Spiderbite

I miss arcades but I don't miss the massive amount of quarters I had to pay.

We have a place near us (ironically near our Dave & Busters) which has about a dozen or so old and new arcade games and then probably around 30+ old and new pinball machines.

Going there quells any thirst I have for missing an arcade. Especially when all the new pinball and arcade games cost a buck a play!

And Dragon's Lair was 50 cents when it came out when I was a kid. Never played it because of that reason. I watched people put so many quarters in that game only to die within seconds!

The Questyen

I miss the nostalgia of the time in my life as a kid when I would go to arcades but the actual games themselves no.

majorjoe23

This is kind of a golden age for arcade game fans, since so many are available on eshops, through emulation or from companies like Arcade1Up.

I’ve got an original Frogger cab, which I love, and I recently bought a Silver Strike cab that I’m going to mod with pretty much every arcade game.

RichC2

A big thing too was arcade machines were generally stronger than what was available at home.

But yeah, other than those shitty Dave and Buster/Main Event exclusive titles I can't think of a whole lot of new arcade games. I do approve of our glut of barcades though. I mean there's also Killer Queen, but even that's like 8 years old now.

fujishig

Same, I miss the arcade (well, I mostly miss the awesome bowling alley I'd be stuck in while my mom bowled but which had a ton of games) but I don't miss the cost. It's worse now too with so many places not even using quarters but "points" cards which obscure the cost of each play.

And then there are genres that are either completely missing from the home or are otherwise just dead, like Dance Dance Revolution type games (I don't think we've had a console release in like a decade), sit down driving/vehicle games, and light gun games. That's usually what I play with the kids when we go to the arcade.

But the true money waster (and probably top money maker) are those ticket machines. My wife loves the coin dropping one. It's a scam on both ends, both getting the tickets and then redeeming them. When I was little the Fun Factory in Ala Moana had a motorcycle that I don't think anyone ever won.

Nick Danger

I never understood how people got good at arcade games. I was living on $83 a week, and there was no way I was going to spend fifty cents on a game that would kill me in under a minute.

Mike86

There actually is an arcade in my home town. It’s not open year long though, and I haven’t gotten a chance to go to it. I think the guy who owns it just has it as a side hobby.

I can’t remember for sure when it’s open. I want to say it’s only like Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the school year (like August or September until like May or June). In the summer it’s closed, and during that time he does maintenance on the machines.

fujishig

Pre Covid I'd take my kids to either Chuck E Cheese (the game choice is not great but you can buy a pass to play unlimited for like an hour and that was worth it just to get out of the house every once in a while) or we'd drive to one of the big mall bowling alley/arcades which are set up with a ton of imported games and claw machines. It's still a treat for them, even if they're used to playing at home. Heck when we go to somewhere like Great Wolf Lodge, somehow that tiny arcade is like a highlight. Go swim!

I feel like my dad, who used to get mad when I'd spend time in the Disneyland arcade.

Goldberg74

There’s no feeling quite like putting your quarter on the lip of the screen and saying you got next on Street Fighter.

Nostalgia.

I have a former student who collects cabinets and has a good sized arcade at his home. I need to visit it.

mhg83

There's a cool barcade in Chicago that I went to. All games were set to free play.

There's also Galloping Ghosts in Brookfield I've been meaning to go for awhile. They have a massive selection of Arcade Games.

mndtrp

I remember going to the arcade, or stumbling across a small collection of games at a motel or something, fondly. I don't really miss them, though. I've been to a few barcades, and the brewery near me has a huge selection of pinball games. Neither of them really hold my attention for long anymore. I'll take the kids over to Dave and Busters once in a while, but wish they still doled out actual tickets to redeem. It used to be fun seeing a giant pile of tickets spew out of a machine when hitting the jackpot.

tonyc3742

Yes. I miss the old games, I miss arcades, I miss getting the Red Token which gives 5 bucks in free tokens.
Dave and Busters near me used to have about 50/50 actual video games and ticket slot machine things, including one of my favorite 'newer' arcade games, which of course I can't remember the name of, a monster truck racing game that tracked your progress with your phone number. They don't have it anymore.
Been to a couple barcades which are fun but usually way crowded, and focused more on the bar part.
For about four years for my son's last day of elementary school, I would take him and a friend to Chuck E Cheese. They didn't have a free pass or unlimited play thing, but I always found enough coupons for mass token volume that it ended up being about a nickel a play. We would close the place down.
I'll fully admit that it's very possible part of my nostalgia is also a product of that time - riding bikes with a friend to the pizza place/arcade/ice cream shop, seeing who's on the high score list, putting your token on the monitor screen to show you have next play.
I do like retro collections on consoles and PC, but I usually only play those for a few minutes at a time.

devilshalo

An old co-worker quit the VFX business (he was an animator) and opened two barcades. Player1 Orlando and then Player1 Vegas.

I miss some of the old stand ups that were hard to find. And I miss the old Japanese style, full floor of table tops.