I have been sitting on two press releases for upcoming rhythm arcade title, ReRave by Step Evolution and Coast-To-Coast Entertainment. Not because I wanted to but it’s been crunch time for me at the arcade and today in fact we are closed and will be moving machines. That’s another story but I’ve been so busy with that it led to me having little time to update the site with a new story. I guess I can let these press releases speak for themselves but a little prelude. ReRave Arcade is a new touchscreen music title that is available this month for purchase in North America.  I got some hands-on time with it at IAAPA and I thought it was an enjoyable game, easy to get into. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the game at the show and it’s been enough to go overseas. The first press release deals with the game heading to the Phillpines ; the second is for the appearance of ReRave next week in London at EAG. Bandai Namco Europe will be showing off the game there. I’m not sure what else will be at EAG next week, I’ve been waiting to hear more on that front but at least we are sure of this particular game being there.

PRESS RELEASES:

#1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 28, 2011

Contact: Mr. Chris Cotty

Sayreville, New Jersey: Coast to Coast Entertainment, LLC, manufacturers of today’s most innovative video, crane and redemption amusement games announces an agreement with LAI/ Timezone for the exclusive distribution rights of Rerave Arcade in the territories of Singapore and the Philippines.

About Rerave Arcade:

From the highly experienced game developers at Step Evolution LLC comes “ReRave”. ReRave is already a hit on Apple iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone. This new arcade version, which was a collaborative effort between Step Evolution and Coast To Coast Entertainment is quickly becoming a worldwide hit, just like the iOS version! ReRave combines music rhythm, as well as physical dexterity and accuracy to create a innovative gaming experience that is both fun and challenging for all ages and skill levels. ReRave gameplay breaks the barrier of “old fashioned” scrolling and matching symbol play typically found in music rhythm games with its unique, fun and “revolutionary” game movements. ReRave is the first music “interaction and reaction” based arcade game to feature a huge 46″ multiplayer color touchscreen monitor in a internet-enabled cabinet, combined with a real-time global interactive player ranking network with frequent music and software updates!

About Coast To Coast Entertainment LLC:

Headquartered in Sayreville, New Jersey, Coast to Coast Entertainment LLC manufactures coin-operated redemption games, crane machines, skill cranes and video games for the amusement industry. For over 10 years Coast to Coast has supplied the industry with innovative solutions to their coin operated amusement needs specializing in design, manufacturing and distribution.

For more information please visit: www.coastentertainment.com

About Leisure and Allied Industries:

Since 1958, Leisure and Allied Industries (LAI) has been a leading player in the interactive entertainment industry. LAI group pioneered the Family entertainment concept that grew to encompass International Sales, R&D and Manufacturing. Today, LAI is involved in all aspects of the industry from game development to operation of its internationally recognized brand of

‘Timezone’ Family Entertainment Centres (FEC).Timezone Established in 1978, the first Timezone FEC opened in Perth, Western Australia. Unlike the traditional pinball parlors and pool halls of the era, Timezone was the first family oriented video amusement facility. This family emphasis is still a key focus of the brand today. Following its success in Australia, Timezone group of FEC went international in 1995. Today, Timezone has established strong foothold in more than 200 locations, operating in Australia, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Timezone has led the search to deliver the best interactive concepts and the latest technology to its customers. The Timezone experience is ever changing and growing to stay abreast of entertainment trends, as a result a leisure destination for all ages seeking entertainment through interactive game play, quality branded prizes and supreme fun is determined. Presented with the up-market fit-out, a bright, colorful and cosy ambience is created for family entertainment. Customers get to win fabulous prizes from the extensive range of unique and branded quality products from its prize counters. Equipped with the latest and hottest games, Timezone offers its customers from all walks of life a truly fun-filled experience.

For more information please visit: www.timezonegames.com

#2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 12, 2012

Contact: Mr. Chris Cotty

Sayreville, New Jersey: Coast to Coast Entertainment, LLC, manufacturers of today’s most innovative video, crane and redemption amusement games announces that Bandai Namco Games will be showing Rerave Arcade at the upcoming EAG International Expo being held at the ExCel Exhibition Centre January 24th to 26th 2012. Rerave and Bandi Namco Games can be found at booth number 530.

About Rerave Aracde:

From the highly experienced game developers at Step Evolution LLC comes “ReRave”. ReRave is already a hit on Apple iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone. This new arcade version, which was a collaborative effort between Step Evolution and Coast To Coast Entertainment is quickly becoming a worldwide hit, just like the iOS version! ReRave combines music rhythm, as well as physical dexterity and accuracy to create a innovative gaming experience that is both fun and challenging for all ages and skill levels. ReRave gameplay breaks the barrier of “old fashioned” scrolling and matching symbol play typically found in music rhythm games with its unique, fun and “revolutionary” game movements. ReRave is the first music “interaction and reaction” based arcade game to feature a huge 46″ multiplayer color touchscreen monitor in a internet-enabled cabinet, combined with a real-time global interactive player ranking network with frequent music and software updates!

About Coast To Coast Entertainment LLC:

Headquartered in Sayreville, New Jersey, Coast to Coast Entertainment LLC manufactures coin-operated redemption games, crane machines, skill cranes and video games for the amusement industry. For over 10 years Coast to Coast has supplied the industry with innovative solutions to their coin operated amusement needs specializing in design, manufacturing and distribution.

For more information please visit: www.coastentertainment.com

About Bandai Namco Games:

Bandai Namco Games manufactures and distributes Bandai Namco coin-operated games and other leisure equipment throughout Europe, CIS, the Middle East and other regions. They are also a major supplier of reconditioned equipment to all parts of the world.

Bandi Namco is a trading brand of Namco Europe Limited.

Namco Europe Limited, originally a subsidiary of Namco Limited, a multi-billion Yen company involved in the development of amusement machines since 1955, Namco Europe Limited is the coin-operated amusement machine distribution company serving the EMEA region. Namco Europe Limited has a sister company, Namco Operations Europe Limited, a location amusement business with amusement and entertainment venues, pool facilities, bars and bowling halls spread throughout the UK and Europe.

For more information please visit: http://www.namco.co.uk

* BEST OF SHOW AWARD : IAAPA EXPO 2011

Breaking Stinger News – We announce the consolidating of the occasional observational awards we have previously run in our show coverage, with the announcement that The Stinger Report will be promoting for advertiser/sponsor BMI Gaming.com the launch of the ‘Best of Show Award’, which we will support with an official plaque bestowed on the winners. In this first presentation of the new awards we look at the best in show at the IAAPA Expo 2011:

Category One : Video Game

- ReRave (Coast To Coast / Step Evolution)
Embodying the best of the casual game and rhythm game sector in a package that proved compelling

- Power Truck (WAHLAP / IGS)

A popular racing game that comes in a striking package, and offers an attractive variation on the racing narrative

- Storm Racer (WAHLAP / InSoft Development)

A driver like no other on the show floor, with a unique playing element and a striking technical presentation

Since we’re on the subject of gray areas when it comes to arcade matters, I might as well point this out too. IcePagoda on our forums brought it up a few days ago, it’s called Pinball Arcade, a new video pinball program by Farsight Studios and it’s coming to: “iPhone, iPad, Android, Xbox360, PlayStation3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS”. It will come out in 2012 and feature several iconic pinball tables such as Tales of the Arabian Nights, Theatre of Magic, Ripley’s Believe it or Not and more. Now we’ve seen video pinball in arcades before so I wonder if someone would be bold enough to bring this to coin-op at some point. Perhaps with some modification it could work out similar to the UltraPin, just with the new software.

In the meantime for your entertainment, a video I came across on Youtube. This has actually been around since August so better late than never. This is by AndrewMFilms and reminds me of FreddieW’s work, blending real life with the fantasy of video games.

This weekend in Columbus Ohio some fights are going to go down, but of the virtual kind on a number of fighter games. Players from all over the world will gather to compete on titles like Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Marvel VS. Capcom 3, BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2, Mortal Kombat 9 and more. As you might expect, this is more of a console event with a touch of arcade in there but at least one arcade is sending some of it’s top players there to compete on Mortal Kombat 9. That would be the Galloping Ghost Arcade, where they took their best players from their ranked fighting system to send along.

Here’s a trailer for the Seasons Beatings event, more details can be found here at SRK or visit the official SBV site here.

Speaking of Galloping Ghost Arcade in Illinois who sent us this tip, they had some other news to pass along, showing the strength of their business model in making an arcade focused on video gaming work. I’ll let Doc Mack of GGA explain it best: “we’ve had tons of guests stopping by lately Joel Hedge (King of Kong), Larry DeMar (Defender / Robotron), Keith Apicary (comedian), Trickman Terry & Sushi X (EGM), Hector Sanchez (Mortal Komabt 2011)! We’ve been holding weekly SRK.com fight nights (Windy City Showdowns here on Thursday, brings 30 – 780 fighting scene players here every week including WolfKron & 16Bit as well as many other great fighters! We are in the process of opening our 1st expansion which will bring MORE games and pinball to the floor! We hope to be the largest arcade in the US within 6 – 8 months!! We are adding FULL streaming to our arcade floor and will be having a constant live channel with highscore & world record runs! In the little over a year that we’ve been open we’ve had 30 or so world records set…most recently Shinobi, Rastan, Narc, Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon II and many others. We’ve had 4 people inspired by our arcade to open their own following our business model of pay at the door and freeplay too! Also we’ve recently added a high score board from Aurcade.com! And we are up to 287 games on the floor!!“

Emphasis there is mine. Aurcade.com lists Funspot as being the largest in terms of games at 359, with the Pinball Wizard Arcade in NH just barely ahead of GGA with 287 games (update: apparently Aurcade is a little all over the place on this but GGA has 287 according to Doc Mack, 299 for PWA). GGA’s expansion will be quite significant and it shows once again how a video arcade can make it in today’s world, just like some others such as Funspot, Pinball Wizard and Pinballz have been doing.

Newsfeed 1118 via

It won’t be showing up at an arcade venue near you anytime soon, but it’s got kind of the same idea. Although I’m sure if GT5 ever made an arcade appearance it would probably resemble something closer to what Sega did with GRID than this unique cabinet Mercedes-Benz has.

See more pictures @ NotCot.com

Let’s start the week off with a couple of news items coming from the land down under, more specifically from the city of Sydney.

First is an interesting development coming from the big store chain IKEA. They already have a space for kids to play while parents shop but what about husbands/boyfriends who really aren’t that into the whole shopping experience(especially if they know in advance that it will likely take several hours)? The new Manland that was being tested out at the IKEA in Sydney sought to confront that problem by giving the guys a place to relax with free food, foosball, an Xbox, sports TV and pinball. There’s a 30 min time limit per person however and the ladies get a buzzer to let their significant other know that time is up. Whether it was successful enough to keep around and bring to other IKEA centers remains to be seen, if so I’d just say expand it with more games.

Here’s a news report about the Manland and you can also read an article about it here @ Springwise.com.

Also in Sydney recently was an event called Insert Coin(s). Hundreds of people showed up to the event which had food, live entertainment, launch of Resistance 3 for the Playstation 3 and “countless classic video arcade machines.” I have looked around and there don’t seem to be any of the photos of the event online yet unfortunately but it sounds like it was enough of a success to warrant other Insert Coin(s) events there.  Story via Mvcuk.com

A couple of years ago Sega showed off a surprise development at the annual JAMMA show in Tokyo called Heat-Up Air Hockey. It used an overhead projector to create an image on the playfield below, and on top of that, the imagery reacted to the play. It was a great idea but not a cheap one as tables were selling for about $20,000.  This idea you’ll see below is very similar, instead being applied to a pool table (which plenty of venues use in addition to arcades to bring people out to play) and was actually developed around the same time but for whatever reason it went under our radar until now, the CueLight Interactive Pool Table System by Obscura.

Obscura’s website doesn’t list a price and I’ll take a guess that it’s not a couple of hundred dollars to add to a pool table but the fact that it can be added to existing tables is a neat idea – one that I’d like to see applied to air hockey tables, if the price was right. If such a system existed it would certainly be tempting to add to my present air hockey table to spice it up a bit and that’s crossed my mind several times to be honest as the technology is there to make it happen.

Newsfeed 1097 via

It’s near impossible to track down all of the clever T-Shirts that have been made over the years to feature something arcade-related. But I can’t say I’ve ever come across a shirt where the iconic arcade change machine is the center of attention. This could actually serve as a sort of informal arcade employee uniform, they could make a variation of this as well with “got tokens?”

These are only $14 and can be found at ChompingQuarters.com

The Supreme Dalek says: CONFISCATE! (Via Ctatl.com)

(Thanks to Mark Arson for the tip)

UPDATE: Since this story broke, it looks like some fans of Plaza have come to the rescue, covering the fees and allowing Plaza to keep the games. Great news!

I guess I should be keeping count of these stories where a city or state steps into a business with arcade games and makes life difficult for some reason or another. Today’s story comes from Clatl.com, where a non-profit business known as the Plaza Theatre had all of their classic game machines (stuff like Defender, Ms. Pac-Man) confiscated by the Georgia Revenue Department. The games were not the primary part of what Plaza does but they were something that contributed in small part to what they have been doing there. It sounds like the machines were setup on a vendor revenue share type basis, with those machines being owned and operated by someone other than Plaza but apparently no one knew that you had to have certain stickers on the machines showing that some chunk of what they make is going to the state.

This of course doesn’t make headlines like the constant attempts by states and cities to crack down on kid’s lemonade stands but it is part of a trend – as states have been running up huge budget deficits on what amounts to them getting a huge magical credit card, reality eventually sets in, they can’t print money to pay their bills so they are willing to get revenue in any way possible. As more places around the world (several countries in Europe are teetering and the US seems well on its way) have to grapple with the possibility of bankruptcy and collapse, I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear more stories like this, but hopefully something can be done in some areas to change the laws or fees before too much longer. It’s certainly why I have stressed before to always check with local authorities about your upcoming business and make sure you have the appropriate fees or licensing taken care of so you don’t get caught off guard. In regards to Georgia’s budget deficit, a simple Google search shows it’s not roses and lollipops where they seem to be headed.

Now in regards to this, it appears that Plaza was allowing someone else to operate the machines there and neither had any idea about the fee. Hopefully they can work out a solution with the state as it seems like a lot more trouble than it is worth for Georgia to be worrying about a handful of old arcade machines, which tax/fee revenue they would bring in is quite minimal. Of course I’m not a big fan of these fees as it is  – often what happens is the state begins to charge so much per machine that it makes it completely pointless to run an arcade business in certain areas as the overall costs of running machine outweigh the money they bring in. We saw that a short time ago when the State of Oklahoma decided that a 300% fee was a nice sounding, albeit completely arbitrary number to charge on coin-op games and went with that.

If you’re in the Atlanta area, you can find out more about the Plaza Theatre here.

[Busted! Plaza's Ms. Pac-Man Game Seized By The State - Ctatl.com]