In the time that I have worked in an arcade (not just my own but also another local arcade I managed a couple of years back) I have seen a few injuries where people get cut on metal edges sometimes found with certain games. But I have never heard of something like this before. A 5-year old boy in Bahrain made a visit to an arcade there with his parents and after losing a coin in the game and the eject button not giving him his coin back, he put his hand into the coin outlet and got his hand stuck in there for more than two hours. The parents tried for a half an hour to get his hand out and after no success, they called the fire department to come and free the boy’s hand. His hand came out quite bruised and with a severe cut on his finger and the doctors had to operate for several hours to save the finger and rest of his hand. They are not sure how his hand will do but this it is this sort of thing you always worry about when running a business. The article doesn’t say whether the arcade had any attendants present and it’s for stuff like this that I think it’s important for at least one person to keep an eye out in case some one hurts themselves.
Boy gets hand caught inside coin door outlet, almost loses hand
Posted October 21, 2008 by ShaggyCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: arcade, injury
Some Tekken 6 talk
Posted October 21, 2008 by ShaggyCategories: Arcade Games, Arcade Software, Console Conversion, Console Gaming, New games
Tags: arcade, Namco, Tekken 6, New games, console
There’s been a lot of talk about fighters lately and as it turns out - here’s some more. Namco Japan sat down 
and talked about the arcade and console versions of Tekken 6 with Gamepro Magazine (I remember them - a long time ago they used to review arcades and pinball machines when it was OK to do so). They talk a bit about the online features for the game and how it will differ on the consoles from TEKKEN.NET (aka lag on the consoles for a variety of reasons) but they also talk some about extra goodies that the consoles will get in the end. They also acknowledge how bad of an idea it was for them to release Tekken 5 only two months after the arcade release, which soured some relations with operators who essentially got shafted by such a move. It’s all at the link below.
Redemption Education
Posted October 20, 2008 by twistedsupremeCategories: Arcade Redemption
Tags: Arcade Redemption
Ever thought that playing redemption games could teach you anything? No? Me neither. But below is an interesting piece on how a parent has actually noticed the way there kids play redemption games, and how it can teach them how to invest thier money. It’s quite an interesting way to look at it, but one that seems obvious to me, now that it’s been pointed out.
I mentioned in a previous post how I am teaching my eldest daughter about money, saving, and frugality using a “money jars” system. I have been looking for a good way to introduce the concept of investment, risk, and return to her but I realized yesterday that one of her favorite pastimes is providing her with a great introduction to the subject.
Every big mall in Indonesia, and pretty much all over Asia, has a video arcade. In Indonesia, the biggest chain of these arcades is called Timezone. A lot of the games give out tickets based on how well you have performed in the game. A large number of the games are games of chance, for example; the kind of game where you have to press a button that drops a ball into a spinning wheel of fortune which, depending where it falls, could either win you one ticket or one hundred. Some of the games are more skill or reaction time focused such as hitting moving crocodiles on the head with a mallet or metal fish with a magnetic fishing rod.
At the end of your session in the arcade, you can take your collected tickets and exchange them for toys and knick-knacks at the main desk. The more tickets, the nicer the gift. If you are feeling particularly frugal, you can save up your tickets over the months and go for a particularly large item (the biggest thing I ever saw being collected was a portable air conditioner for about 15,000 tickets which must have taken years to save up for).
Big Buck Hunter World Championship Saturday
Posted October 18, 2008 by ShaggyCategories: Arcade Games
Tags: arcade, Big Buck Hunter Pro, Competition, Play Mechanix
Tomorrow a big arcade competition is going down, this time it’s the Big Buck Hunter Pro World Championship. We’ve mentioned this one previously when they held qualifying events and it would sure be fun to go and compete. Whoever wins this is going to walk away with $10,000 extra in their pocket so that in itself should be an exciting final match to watch. Full details are in the press release after the jump.
Kawasaki Warehouse - Location Report, Japan
Posted October 17, 2008 by PointythingCategories: Arcade Games, Beat-Em Ups, Classic arcade, Half-Life, Japan, Jubeat, Location Review, Outrun, Retro Arcade Gaming, Street Fighter, Street Fighter IV, Super Hang-On, Virtual On
Wow, I have just got back from Japan and made a fabulous discovery whilst I was there:
Kawasaki Warehouse
This incredible arcade has been built from the ground up to look like a disused, run-down warehouse complete with rusting doors and peeling paint but is in fact a fantastic site with some great games. The site has some neat touches like the front doors that appear to be rusted shut but open when you approach to reveal a red tunnel which looks like a bit passageway to hell. As you approach the second door you are blasted by a smoke machine. Inside the lighting is great (dim but really asmospheric) and flickering neon signs and faded posters cover the walls. The site is over several floors with Bingo (!!!), an arcade and a Darts bar. I have to say I only had a couple of hours free and never left the arcade floor itself.
Amongst the highlights were:
Original Retro cabinets (All in great working order)
- Street Fighter
- Virtua Racing Twin
- Outrun DLX
- Hang On
- Super Hang On
- Pro Monaco GP
- After Burner DLX
- Space Harrier DLX
- Darius
- Gauntlet 4 Player
- Rad Mobile DLX
- About a dozen cocktail cabinets
- Daytona 2 (4 Player)
- Virtua On (Loved this on the Dreamcast)
In addition I got to play some great recent and new games:
- Street Fighter 4 (Got my ass kicked at least 20 times by some guy!)
- JuBeat - Really interesting game and very funky cabinet
- Afterburner DLX (Played it before but never linked)
- Halflife Survivor (Just couldn’t get used to the controls)
- Initial D 4 (Good fun!)
If you get the chance I really recommend setting aside a couple of hours and heading over there. It is about 10 minutes walk from Kawasaki train station.
Poll time!
Posted October 17, 2008 by twistedsupremeCategories: Arcade Locations, poll
Tags: Arcade Location, poll
I was pleasantly surprised to find that WordPress (the wonderful people that host this site) have now added a poll option, so let’s waste no time in taking advantage of it. I might make this a weekly thing, if I can think of something interesting to ask and/or remember.
Let’s kick it off with a simple one
If you have any suggestions for future polls, please leave your idea in the comments.
ATEI 2009 registration is now live
Posted October 17, 2008 by twistedsupremeCategories: ATEI, Arcade Exhibitions
Tags: Arcade Exhibitions, ATEI 2009
Keeping the exhibition vibe going here’s a reminder for you, if you have not already received one. Registration is now live for ATEI 2009. So don’t delay.
The 65th edition of ATEI is testament to the loyalty of its visitors and the innovation demonstrated by its exhibitors over the years.ATEI will be an indispensable knowledge hub (with free seminars) and networking opportunity, at which to kick off your business meetings.
Having been taken back to its roots, ATEI will be showcasing all that’s exciting about the international amusement and coin-op industry.The low stake gaming element has now moved into the new International Gaming Expo on the ground floor
Positive reports from Preview 2009
Posted October 17, 2008 by twistedsupremeCategories: Arcade Coverage, Arcade Exhibitions, Preview
Tags: Preview 2009
Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all political (although I did watch a very interesting Panorama about the economical meltdown last night), but it’s good to see that even with all the shit that’s happening at the moment it’s not all doom and gloom. That’s the message that is coming out of Preview, read on…..
Despite current difficult trading conditions, the industry turned out to support Preview 2009 in London on 1-2 October. Exhibitors presented a broad range of products including some new and innovative games.
“We were extremely pleased with the number and quality of visitors who came to the show this year,” said Philip Howard, show organiser. “The Wednesday afternoon was particularly busy.”
The UK is currently awaiting news on a stakes and prizes review, which it is hoped will give the market a much needed boost. Meanwhile there seems to be a welcome rise in interest in redemption products and other one-off novelty games.
“The show went very well, we received a considerable amount of interest in Astra’s new products and an excellent response to the innovative edge that Astra’s games offer,” said Richard Barr of Astra Games.
Barrie Knighton of Gemini Games was also pleasantly surprised at how positive this year’s show was. “Our portfolio of digital product was received exceptionally well at this year’s Preview.” he said.
Also check out this video on the Preview website, if not see what was at the show, then for the terrible music.
Don’t expect Tekken 6 BR in the US (officially)
Posted October 16, 2008 by ShaggyCategories: Arcade Games
Tags: arcade, Namco, New games, Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion
This is a quick one: a few of you have asked in e-mails or in our comments section about the fate of Namco’s latest update to Tekken 6, Bloodline Rebellion in the US. I have received word about it from Frank Cosentino at Namco USA:
T6 BR will most likely fall to the same fate as T6. Unfortunately priced beyond what USA operators will pay.
So there you have it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few ops import it in like they did T6, but that obviously is not supported by Namco.
UPDATE: Kevin Williams of the Stinger Report tells us that Namco’s Japanese bosses are “rethinking the UK and US policy on the game”. Expect to hear something more conclusive at ATEI, but I am thinking that they will need to drop the price by a few thousand dollars on the game to get it to sell well.
GlobalVR unveils Sky Bandits
Posted October 16, 2008 by ShaggyCategories: Arcade Games, Arcade Software, New games
Tags: arcade, GlobalVR, New games, Signature Devices, Sky Bandits
Way back in March we talked about a press release from a company called Signature Devices where they stated that they had completed work on a “new turret-based, first person shooter arcade action game” - since then however we haven’t heard anything about that project so we were beginning to wonder what had happened to it. Today GlobalVR answered that question with a press release, discussing a new game called Sky Bandits for the Vortek V3 system which fits the description of that turret-based, action sci-fi game exactly. Set to be released on Nov. 3rd, it will be an upgrade for the Vortek system (the one with a yellow VR headset that is mounted to a cabinet with an extendable arm) which was released in 1999 so it gets this extra support, which is a little unexpected but likely welcome for operators that have a Vortek and want something new for it.
(click on the thumbnails to enlarge)
I haven’t found any video of the game in action yet but I did find these pictures which feature a very green color scheme. The game is based upon Operation Blockade, which I have not played so I do not know how it compares to other turret-based titles, at least the sci-fi element should make it a little different from the WW2 themed games of the same mold. They do mention that there are a number of weapons upgrades and a lot of different kinds of enemies to destroy, which would be good to see in action. No word on how much the upgrade will run for yet, I don’t imagine that it will be much though so if it appears on a Vortek machine near you, let us know what you think.
GVR’s press release is after the jump
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