(Thanks to Slonie for the pic of the location)
SFIV continues to attract crowds and as further evidence to that proof here is a story from the Spartan Daily, a newspaper by and for college students attending San Jose State University in California. The arcade at the Bowling Center in the Student’s Union building has picked up SFIV and it didn’t take long for it to begin attracting crowds, mostly of fans who really enjoy the game, along with some others that found it boring after a while. Either way the crowds remain and it was enough to attract attention for a news story.
My question is now – what is going to be the next game to create this sort of wave in arcades?
[SJSU – Street Fighter IV Brings Battle and quarters into SJSU’s arcade] [Discuss on the Forums]
Here’s my photo of SJSU SF4 setup:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slonie/2858052735/in/photostream/
I don’t expect another game to have an impact like this for a long time.
Something that is completly different to what we have seen. We need a new concept.
You need to look at these games as possible continuations of the arcade interest:
– UBeat
– Castlevania The Arcade
– Tekken 6 Plus
– Justice League
– Dance Dance Revolution 10
– King Of Fighters NEXT
and finally…
– Street Fiver IV Plus!!
I know some of these names will change! But the fact is there are a number of games coming that still have player support. I think the KoF new release could really shake the tree. There is a fundamental issue that arcade has gotten into a number of peoples blood again, and no amount of console white wash will dilute this!
I have seen an amazing upturn in interest in the Stinger Report – and the amount of sites ‘borrowing’ news from us and AH has exploded. Many in the consumer industry are claiming the recent arcade interest is a ‘flash in the pan’ just Street Fighter only interest – but having found out that the console version of SFIV is already looking paired down from the arcade this could be the beginning of something bigger!
Agreed Editor, this could be the beginning of something bigger that the industry needs to support. Think of it as a wake up call to arcade operations, the longer they ignore, the more the blame burdened on them for not moving forward. I am amazed that after almost two months of release, SF4 still had not made it to the UK. However, it is great to see arcade operators in the US directly importing the PCBs and setting up some wonderful custom cabinets to run the game. They have taken the initiative and the game appears to be doing very well.
Also, I never thought the home console port of SF4 was ever going to be spot on, again, making the arcade the place to play the game in a live social atmosphere that no amount of console online play could ever replace. Witness the success of Sega Rally 3, a high end title tailored for the arcade environment, that looks and plays a whole lot better than the console version.
One can only hope that operators in the UK take the initiative soon enough and get SF4 set up, if it’s left too late then its a sign of the industry, at least in the UK, as having given up through its own laziness and unwillngness to support growth through strategic placement and operation of key titles like SF4.