If you are on the prowl for any Tekken Tag Tournament 2 news then here is the latest piece I have found in regards to the game, an interview that Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada had with EDGE Magazine. There is plenty of talk as to why return to the Tekken Tag series, what makes Tekken different than games like Street Fighter and of course, some talk about arcades, including why they still prefer to release Tekken in arcades before they bring it to consoles.
Unfortunately there is the usual “arcades are dead” or in decline thing going on here but aside from me posting the thousands of locations down one-by-one, how about we just leave it at there is a market for fighting games out there (yes even in the US) but not so much for a fighter that surpasses $14k on up to $20k. It’s true that there are very few locations willing or able to spend that kind of money on these kind of games. But I’d be willing to bet good money that a fighter like Tekken or Street Fighter released for $5k-$6k would do pretty darn well in the US, and I’m not a gambling man either, it’s just plain common sense. Also, us arcade operators kind of like having enough exclusive time with our games so that they can at the very least make their money back but in no other genre are arcade versions more undermined by console releases than in the realm of fighters, Tekken being one of the prime suspects in this sort of practice(particularly with Tekken 5). If you disagree with that assessment(it feels like one I’ve made many times before), feel free to comment about it below.
Anyways, with that aside, here the link to the interview for those interested.
I have to agree with you on this doom-gloom view of the arcade scene i keep reading about in the so-called gaming press. I’ve also come to accept the horrible “journalism” that is found in our industry with exception of a couple of sources (arcadeheroes being one of them)… you figure people would do some type of research and not rely so much on anecdotal evidence. oh well, keep up the good work heroes!
So TTT2 will also be more than 10K plus?
Not sure yet but it’s likely. I’m really hoping that they don’t do that – I imagine that it would be easier for Namco America to carry the game if it’s below $10k, that’s why they pretty much didn’t bother to carry T6.
Seems the only defense to their slumping sales is attack – the closed door nature of amusement harder to report after being spoon fed news from consumer publishers. The Google-Journalism of some media liking to write off amusement, so many ignored the Tekken Tag news at AOU.
It’s inevitable. With the current state of the economy and changing attitudes, inconvenience and lack of replay value appear to be factors contributing to the decline of arcades across the U.S. It’s better to play at home than go out. You don’t have to worry standing in line to play or not get enough play time or worry about losing your money quick to a better player. With PS, Xbox and Nintendo online, you can challenge players anywhere, anytime. Nowadays, the tourist attractions are the ones doing well. That’s just something you can’t do at home.
Your argument is anecdotal however, just like Edge and Harada’s argument’s are – they obviously haven’t bothered to research the actual, current state of arcades. The development of new arcade titles continues by many different companies around the globe(and there have been a few newcomers over the past couple of years), new locations are opening in many states and some locations are seeing record years despite the bad economy. It’s true that there have been a few locations that have closed, but I have record of more people opening new locations than closing them recently. I own my own arcade and last year was our best year yet and this year is already outpacing last year. Some other operators I personally know have reported the same thing, despite the fact that you can play a video game on pretty much every electronic device under the sun. Some people still value the arcade culture of competition and live social play that is much different (and superior) to playing against someone online, where you often have to deal with lag ruining the experience. Arcades also have a number of exclusive titles that aren’t available at home, or use exclusive technologies in the control scheme, providing a different and more enjoyable experience in certain cases. So in those instances, playing out can be just as fun as playing at home.