This post is just a reminder of some new games that have come to arcades this month which you can be on the look-out for. In case you need a little help in finding an arcade near you, beyond looking in the Yellow pages we can also suggest Aurcade.com and ArcadeFly.com.
First, Terminator Salvation by Raw Thrills’/Play Mechanix. We first broke the rumor that this would be coming to arcades about a year ago and the game is finally here. Some might be wondering why the game is coming out now when the movie it’s based upon also came out almost a year ago. 
The answer according to Raw Thrills’ – game refinement. I’m sure that everyone doesn’t mind having a better game by waiting a little longer and from what I have played, they certainly have fine-tuned the game quite well. The cabinet is very stylish and attention grabbing, the guns are pretty cool too with the clip reloading and the varying force feedback. Graphically it looks really good – I was surprised by the color they threw in there when you expect it to be nothing but drab post-apocalyptic stuff. I have been hearing a lot about how well this game is earning already so we’ll be keeping an eye on how it continues to do. Where it is an arcade exclusive (i.e. much different from the console versions of TS released last May) that helps too. [See the game in action!] [2nd video link, longer footage but older game build]
Another great arcade exclusive that is available now is Namco’s Tank! Tank! Tank! A spiritual successor to Tokyo Wars, this let’s you drive a tank around blasting either your friends in a
free-for-all deathmatch or team up against hordes of monsters together. This is one of my personal favorites that is an original game which is a ton of fun to play. It features a vertical screen, graphics that are colorful and fluid, force feedback in the seat and steering wheel and Namco’s picture avatars. The bright yellow cabinet should be noticeable from a good distance. In case you are wondering why we had this listed as a release last year that is because we were under the impression that the game was to be released in December and didn’t find out until afterwards that it had been pushed back, apologies for that. [See the game in action!]
From Andamiro we had two new games that were released at Amusement Expo 2010, Pump It Up Fiesta!, which is an upgrade kit for PIU’s and Pump It Up Pro 2. PIU is a solid dance game series that has a loyal fan following and I heard nothing but praise from fans on the new modes that each game has as well as the song lists. The cabinets are attractive and the game looks like it’s fun to play although I do admit that out of all the games on this post, these two are ones I missed out on playing at the Expo. [See both games in action!]
Next is Sega Racing Classic by Sega. It’s a remake of the original Daytona USA minus the name and primary theme-song. It also features a nice new cabinet with a 720p screen and 
while we’ve been hearing that they will be offering these for cheap, I still haven’t been able to get a price on it yet. UPDATE: BMI is listing this for $6475. So much for it being priced “well below our other racers” as I was told at a trade show. I’m sorry but this pricing is WAY out of line for what this game is. I have come to think of this as what a Daytona remake on XBLA or PSN would be like right now but with the price sitting in just a few hundred less than other racers out there, the ball has been dropped here. There may not be any surprises from what to expect on the game itself since it’s the same thing as the original Daytona with an HD resolution and a nicer cabinet to play on but that at least makes the game worth a play if you come across it. [See the game in action!]
I think that should cover it for what has come out this month to the US (I’ll need to double check on European availability) and as such I have moved all these games to the “Already Released” columns on our Arcade Releases 2010 list. It’s a pretty nice selection of new games to pick from this month, there’s something for everyone which I think is a good thing. If your favorite location doesn’t have one of these games and you want them to get it, let them know about it. Get out there and play!
Not sure what all the fuss is about Tank! Tank! Tank! We’ve had it for a couple of months now and I’m pretty disappointed with it. Turnover wise Tank!^3 hasn’t performed. It’s been beaten by games like Let’s Go Jungle.
Tank’s biggest downfall is the single player missions. Sure the bosses rotate but aside from that there’s very little to keep me coming back. All you get is your two stages then Game Over – no incentive to keep trying to get though levels.
Question: what would be the going rate for a single play of Terminator at the rate shown in the vid? (Lease for 30 months @ $277/month.)
I’m guessing most places will charge at least $1
You make a good point on how short it is, which is a problem I have with a few other Namco games. I have a Chase HQ2 and it would be much better if it had more than 5 tracks. Your version of Tank has two stages and not three? All of them I have played have three although that is still short. Hopefully they will remedy this with some of the promised updates to the game.
Our Tank seems to have 3 single player missions – the spiders, dragon and building monster. But you only get to play 2 after which it goes to Game Over regardless.
I spent some time at Funland at the Trocadero in London yesterday, and UK readers may be interested to know Tank! Tank! Tank! can be found there.