Here’s a bonus that arcades will always have over playing games at home – showing off in public is much more exciting then at home. It’s not really showing off when strangers in public can’t watch and the arcade gives you an outlet to do just that. I have a Sega House of the Dead 4 unit similar to the one shown here and I constantly have to coach people on how to hold the guns since the game is a little finicky over gun distance from the screen (as it is not a CRT) while not alerting the players that they are too close or too far away. If you want to learn how to play, or you just like watching people show off their mad skills on such games, I recommend this video below, which is very similar to what we saw some time ago of a player in Thailand showing off on Sega GHOST Squad.
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The main reason HOTD4 cabs will derp up your aim if the gun is too close is because the game uses sensors bordering the screen (five on top, five on bottom) in conjunction with the gun (which is actually an infrared light camera) to determine where the gun is pointing. If you move the gun too close to the screen, it won’t be able to see all of the sensors and the game will not be able to accurately determine the location the gun is pointing at.
Very similar technology is used for the Wii’s pointer functionality, although less accurate as it uses two points instead of 10 like arcade cabinets.
Yes I know. I constantly have to tell people to aim closer however as they stand too far away. I also have to constantly (about once a week) open the guns and blow the dust out of them so they can recalibrate properly. Probably could do with new gun sensors as the sensor net itself seems just fine
I think it’s the same guy from the Ghost Squad video. Nice touch wearing a Highschool of the Dead shirt to play HotD, LOL.
The House of the Dead 4 is the best game ever!
Detail is incredible – still can’t believe this game is technology from 2005.
I regularly get a “Top Agent” score at the arcades (Rank 2). Been playing this for quite a while, and have yet to see another video game come close to the design, style, detail, and gameplay of this game.
I am terrible at holding two guns – I can only get good scores with one gun.
Also, this game was made for the 62″ Super Deluxe cabinet. I’ve seen all three cabinets in person, and the smallest one (29″) is not in HD and very small (not widescreen), so doesn’t give you the full game experience. The mid-size cab (52″) seems to not be proportioned in 16:9 format, so the image looks “squished”.
The 62″ cab displays the game perfectly the way it was meant to be played.
Also, I downloaded the PS3 version, and it looks great and all, but there is no comparison with the arcade. The Playstation Move is not nearly as exact as the arcade gun, and the Dualshock 3 controller is obviously inferior (and I hate the cursor but you have to use it to see where you’re aiming).
Nothing will ever replace arcade games and their hardware and peripherals. Consoles don’t come close.