Comments on: Discuss: What effect/influence could Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's new motion controller have on arcades? (UPDATED)

By: Shaggy

Shaggy — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:44:16 +0000

I personally do think that consoles do have some effect on arcade attendance when it comes to the type of players that regularly frequent arcades. The loyal customers are going to be gamers more than it is going to be the casual audience and the gamers could bring in a bit of money since they would bring it often.

I do agree with all of you though that the companies need to pull out all the stops and innovate. It’s true that innovation is a difficult prospect to undertake but there is plenty of room to do so (if not more) in the arcade industry.

Sequels to arcade games we have seen already can help – H2Overdrive would be the latest example in that realm but I would like to see games that are not part of the stock pillars that we regularly see. Something like you mentioned Phil, like a remix title of an old game but just for arcades could be very cool, especially a brawler that plays like a 2D one but with 3D graphics. But we’ll certainly need more than that where possible.

By: Phil Arrington

Phil Arrington — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:04:55 +0000

To me the Wii is not the blame for people not going to the arcade. Companies, like arcds4ever said, just need to come up with new and better ideas to keep people coming back or bring back some of the old school games that made us or people in general put quarters in the machine. Bring back some of the classics and remix it and put it back in the arcade. An example; TMNT Turtle in the Time Re-mix (HD) something we haven’t seen in a while or seen period.

By: arcads4ever

arcads4ever — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:16:41 +0000

even with the wii and its motion sensor people have to remember that there are still other things that can’t be proper replicated at home. I’ve come up with lots of ideas for arcade games which I hope to design and present to arcade companies hen I finish uni in two years. games like sega’s manic panic ghost, can you imagine hitting your HD tv screen with a hammer LOL. and then theres brick people, ubeat, primeval hunt, fast and the furious super bikes, touch screen games (yeah the ds is touch sensitive but its only a little screen) gaelco’s rolling extreme, gaelco football. yeah even with the wii being out I think theres still room for original ideas for arcade games that can’t be replicated yet. namco’s maxitune is a fine exsample as it very popular with young men which again can’t be proper replicated at home due to needing a seperate screen for each player since its too small for more players on screen at once and requires a steering wheel.

arcade companie just need to give us what we want like a new daytona would be nice or a ghost squad that is a true sequal unlike evolution. a pac man machine that uses a new control scheme.

someone should come up with an atv quad bike game just like gaelco did with atv track which I really enjoyed.

By: editor

editor — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:59:11 +0000

Always an interesting topic – well done

We have a feature based on E3 in the Stinger and agree that the MS Wii want-to-be looks like all the console boys are looking at motion control as their future.

I am surprised by the amount of amusement that dose sneak round the corners of a consumer only event.

I do not subscribe to the claims of Wii killing arcade – the original feature came from Japan that used that claim, and later was proved a intentional miss-representation of what the Capcom CEO had said about why they were re-developing their amusement business.

As far as amusements survival, we have seen some of the best numbers in AM business in ‘particular’ venues in Japan and some surprising records broken at selected FEC’s in the States and Europe. The reality is that if you invest in the audience then you see the benefits of the ‘staycation’ visitors.