The IAAPA 2013 trade show is now over and with that, time to sum up what we have learned and seen from the event.
So far most attention on the site this week was from the announcement of Mario Kart Arcade GP DX coming to Western Arcades. It is good news of course, although there is still work to do on spreading the word around. Many other games apart from Mario Kart have been announced this week, so its unfortunate that everything else gets overlooked.
In fact I think it should be noted that the number of games unveiled this week rival the launch line-ups of new game consoles such as the PlayStation 4 (21 games) and Xbox One (19). The number of new arcade games as listed here for US release – 43. 25 titles in the video category (including two from the pinball side) and 18 from the video redemption side (redemption is often optional on these games if desired so they can work as video-only). I’m not including other titles such as air hockey, basketball games, foosball, mechanical ticket redemption, etc.
Of course home consoles will have greater numbers of releases on a per year basis, the point is that a lot of attention is given to launch line-ups and there is no reason to exclude arcade releases which are just as much video games as anything you can get at home. Looking below you can see why its a disservice to focus on just one title. This is also not the first batch of games to be announced in many years – the industry has been churning out new games every year since 1971.
I also received some more video footage via email, so here’s a video montage that includes some of the games below.
So here is a look at every new game we have learned about this week thanks to IAAPA 2013, listing the games in alphabetical order. Obviously companies would not spend millions of dollars on developing and manufacturing these games if there was no market for them.
Use the tabs to sort between Video Games and Video Redemption games (Videmption) which have the ticket redemption option or component to them.
Aliens Armageddon by Play Mechanix & Raw Thrills. A sequel of sorts to Aliens Extermination. Battle the Aliens that have made it to Earth.
The 42″ fixed gun version of the game (thanks to Luis Canon & Jay Fleming of BMI Gaming for this one)
Allied Tank Attack by InJoy Motion & Barron Games. Battle unique Nazi tanks in an alternate history of WWII. Unique driver/gunner motion cabinet.
Batman by Specular Interactive & Raw Thrills. Pick your Batmobile and take out the bad guys in this open world racer.
Big Buck HD Duck Dynasty Edition by Play Mechanix & Raw Thrills. Released to existing online Big Buck HD games last week, this adds 16 duck hunt style hunting rounds and 4 Duck Dynasty inspired bonus games to the BBHD platform.
Crazy Speed 2 by UNIS. Sequel to Crazy Speed that improves the graphics and adds more cars and tracks
Dead Heat Riders by Bandai Namco. Motorbike racing that is similar to Namco’s Dead Heat Street Racing.
Dinosaur Century by Sealy. 4-player mounted light-gun game. I overlooked this game in earlier coverage as this was at the IAAPA show last year although it used joysticks. Light-guns certainly change the dynamic.
Flashlight of the Evil by Sealy. Unique game that is sort of like a light-gun title but instead uses flashlight controllers and a horror theme:
Funny Table by IGS. Mini-game compilation with unique disc controllers.
Island Hero by Golden Dragon Amusements. Light-gun game that uses water guns.
King of the Ring by Nexersys & Betson. Boxing game that came from a Kickstarter project.
Mach Storm by Bandai Namco. Jet fighter combat based upon the Ace Combat Assault Horizon that uses the famous Gundam pod cabinet previously exclusive to Japan.
For some reason the trailer video Namco produced for this has been pulled from YouTube, so here is another showing the game from the inside.
Mario Kart GP DX by Nintendo & Bandai Namco. 3rd instalment of the arcade exclusive version of Mario Kart now with online functionality. (Thanks to Luis Canon of BMI Gaming for these pictures)
Overtake by IGS, Wahlap & ICE. Racing game with a focus on driving through explosions and other over-the-top situations.
(Video shows the Chinese version)
Shooting Sports by Zeroplus. Kit game (can be installed into any LCD arcade cabinet) with a shooting gallery theme.
Star Trek Pinball by Stern Pinball. Not a video game but still something that belongs in an arcade. Limited Collectors Edition was at the show and it was also announced that actor Karl Urban is providing some voice work for the game.
Storm Racer G by Wahlap & Sega. Racing game along the lines of a Ridge Racing style game.
Storm Rider by Wahlap & Sega. Racing game focusing on motorcycles.
Super Alpine Racer by Raw Thrills and Bandai Namco. The return of Namco’s classic Alpine Racer to arcades. Go skiing on the virtual slopes with modern graphics. Uses a QR Code smartphone system for tracking high scores.
Swamp Attack by Tilt. Chinese made light-gun shooter blasting mutants in a swamp.
Teratoma: The Last Rebellion by Wahlap. Sci-fi mounted light gun game.
Toy Speed by Sealy. Kids go kart racing game.
Transformers: Human Alliance by Sega. Team up with the famous Transformers to defeat the evil Decepticons.
Here is the deluxe model on location at Dave & Busters Orlando:
Under Defeat The Ride by G.Rev & TongLi. This has been available in China for a while but now available for the US.
Video of this cabinet in action (although not from IAAPA):
Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Edition Pinball by Jersey Jack Pinball. Just announced a short time ago, IAAPA 2013 featured several cabinets to play. This will be released next Summer about the same time as The Hobbit Pinball.
Scroll back up and click on Videmption to see what is showing up in the video-meets-ticket space. Some of the games can be set to amusement only if desired.
Barrel of Monkeys by Play Mechanix & Raw Thrills. Redemption game based upon the popular kids toys.
Cast Off by UNIS. Simple aquatic-themed skill based game for tickets.
Congo Bongo by UNIS. Unique driving game where the action is controlled by pounding on the bongo controllers.
Frost Island by UNIS. Team up to blast a variety of undead creatures using water-gun controllers.
Fruit Ninja FX 2 by Adrenaline Amusements. This popular game returns with the sequel and a new data saving feature.
Jetpack Joyride by Adrenaline Amusements. The popular mobile game comes to the arcade with a force feedback jetpack seat and flight stick.
Monster Factory by Adrenaline Amusements. Build monsters to win tickets.
Pinata by LAI Games. Unique concept of bashing the central pillar to win real candy.
Pirates Hook 4-Player by UNIS. Fishing game that uses fishing reel controllers, play for tickets.
Plants Vs. Zombies The Last Stand by PopCap Games & Sega Amusements. Unique entry into the Plants Vs. Zombies franchise that goes into 1st person 3D plus a light-gun.
Rail Rush by Mini Clip Games and Coastal Amusements. The popular mobile/flash game now available with a trackball controller.
ReRave Plus by Step Evolution & Coast-To-Coast Entertainment. Sequel to the touchscreen rhythm game already available to arcades in a sleek new cabinet. Ticket redemption is completely optional. This will also be available as an upgrade kit for existing, larger screen versions of ReRave Arcade.
Ring Em by UNIS. Virtual ring toss game where you play for tickets.
Skylanders Cloud Patrol by Adrenaline Amusements. Based on the popular Skylanders franchise, now on a huge 46″ multi-touch input screen.
Spongebob Squarepants Hit The Beat by Andamiro. Drum-based rhythm gaming for kids using a unique drum controller.
Super Shifter Drag Race Challenge by Benchmark Games. Drag racing for tickets.
Toss Up by UNIS. Virtual Ball toss game to play for tickets.
Treasure Island by Feiloli. Balance board skill game for tickets.
There may be more games than ever, but they’re still almost all light gun games, racing games, licensed games, and licensed light gun and racing games. So that would be why the mainstream gaming press doesn’t cover this sector. Nobody has done anything worth talking about in over a decade (and no, Buck Hunter isn’t worth talking about).
Seeing how the game console industry also is a lot about licensed games and loves certain genres (in particular FPS and twin stick shooting games) I don’t think that is a valid excuse to ignore the arcade sector. Yes the home side does have a much wider range of titles but a lot of the shovelware is given attention. The only thing that mainstream news sources will bother to cover on this sector while claiming to be all about gaming is something like Mario Kart or Guitar Hero Arcade (licenses) when you have much more that is interesting (Mach Storm or King of the Ring being a good example this time around). I’m sure you are familiar with the launch line-ups of the new consoles – a majority of games are ports, sequels or licenses. Just a few original titles, which are not getting rave reviews in every instance such as Knack. They’ve been making most of their money off safe bets just like the arcade industry has, so does that mean that news sites should stop covering them? I am not saying that I want to see the arcade sector continue to churn out racing games. I’ve long been against that but it is what it is for right now. If that really was the reason they ignore it then they are missing out on occasional unique ideas.
And no one has done anything worth talking about in the past ten years? I disagree with that completely. Do you honestly believe that games like Dariusburst Another Chronicle, Elevator Action Death Parade, Afterburner Climax, 2Spicy, Mach Storm, ReRave, Pac-Man Battle Royale or Tank! Tank! Tank! are undeserving of any media attention? What makes something “worth talking about” exactly when again, a vast majority of console games are playing it safe with what works well at home? They change mechanics here and there and maybe add some next-gen tree sway to grab some attention. But they are just as obsessed with remakes, licenses and sequels from what I see. Right now the big selling point I hear from a game standpoint on the Xbox One is a remake – Killer Instinct. Oh and of course they will have Halo at some point and the next 10 years of Call of Duty games just like everyone else 😉
I can’t argue with your logic, the console industry is pretty much just as stagnant. My comment was overly negative I’ll admit. There’s no good reason for the mainstream game press to ignore arcade games other than they all conspired to say “arcades are dead” years ago. Similar to how when Atari started going downhill, the media all jumped on the “video games are a fad” bs since video games were killing their tv ratings.
“Dariusburst Another Chronicle, Elevator Action Death Parade, Afterburner Climax, 2Spicy, Mach Storm, ReRave, Pac-Man Battle Royale or Tank! Tank! Tank! are undeserving of any media attention?”
True, Pac man Battle Royale has shown that people still want to play arcade games. Honestly I haven’t seen any of the others, but I am definitely looking forward to Mach Storm. And of course if Gunslinger Stratos was released here I might change my tune entirely…. *sigh* gonna have to import that one some day when I have money.
No worries, I’m just wanting to make sure that those creative and innovative ideas don’t get overlooked just because of the glut of what is standard. I concede that most of those titles I mentioned are hard to find. That it is ultimately the manufacturer’s responsibility to market their games to a wider audience than just operators. Some are doing a better job of that than they were a few years ago. But still one thing that bristles me when I do see the maybe twice in a year mentions of arcade games on other sites is they leave the impression that the release is just happening in a vacuum. Logically it would make no sense whatsoever for there to be a Mario Kart Arcade 3 game if there was no manufacturing, distribution or operator networks that could support the reason for the release. But perhaps that’s too inside baseball for most consumers to even think about. But those factors are a bit more important in the arcade sector than in the console space where I don’t think I’ve ever read about a distributor for game retail.
I also totally get your overall point. It’s one I have tried to make on the blog on occasion or in my book. There is so much more that can be done in the arcade space. One small example is that it baffles me that we don’t have some sort of mech game series in arcades at the present time, where the possibilities in that genre are far greater than at home. However there is one issue that hangs over risky and original releases, in that ultimately players need to voice that they want different games and also that they are willing to backup that voice with their consumer dollars. As I have found at my arcade though, the best earning games are usually the light-gun/racing titles. I still strive to have some different games but on occasion those will earn half or 1/3rd of what the top games do. I do need to improve my own marketing to spread the word about those titles but if the marketing push from the manufacturers and more gaming media would at least acknowledge the existence of the games, that would make my part MUCH easier to do.
I’ve spent 10 years looking for a new game with a joystick and I’m glad I’m not the only person who realized this.
I went through a game exhibition in my area a couple months back and it reminded me of how much the focus has changed so much, it’s not about skill plays or the genres they used to represent anymore. Arcade gaming has transformed into a mockery of itself under the guise of “amusement” and I can’t help but feel for wanting things to go back like they were in the 80’s. There’s just no developer who’s willing to take the risk anymore.
Hell even the pacman games that came back were a joke. Quick plays and not even phrase on how many levels you can go through, it’s pathetic.
As I replied to Kiwasabi, I think we can all agree we’d love to see more “classic style” skill games. But there are a few out there – not the mainstream but they are there.
One reason why we aren’t seeing games like that though was summed up by Eugene Jarvis to me a few years ago in a conversation we had at a trade show. I asked if he considered doing something like Robotron or Smash TV again. He had to shrug and say “No, I don’t think so. Joystick games don’t make any money anymore.”
And running joystick games at my arcade, including a few new ones do not make as much as Terminator Salvation or Super Cars do. Pac-Man Battle Royale has done well but if it cost as much as a standard light-gun or racing game does ($7500-$8000) then I would say no. Fortunately it was half the cost.
Personally in my view joystick games can work – if the right game is in place. And perhaps if they were to try some different kinds of joysticks, like the Midway style or added some force feedback, it would be more enticing to people.
Here’s what I’m wondering, how would these places turn out if Pacman CE were released for arcades instead? Would the turnout have been any better then Battle Royal? We might be talking real players vs casuals here, but most people will still play it regardless.
I doubt it. One thing about PMBR is that it was made for a competitive multiplayer environment (kind of the same spin Nintendo is saying about their Super Mario World 3D, hey). I think it plays better in the arcade than CE would although there is the question of replayability. The game is lower on that end which is the problem.
Now if we got a new version of Galaga that was arcade exclusive, I think they could easily be a lot of movement on that. Galaga is one of the only classic games that still makes a decent keep every week.
I wouldn’t say that completely true about joystick games not making money anymore, I think it depends on the games and the experience e.g. Street fighter 4 and tekkan, but of course if companies and distributors didn’t take advantage like you mentioned in your other comment arcadehero then of course it would make money. I’d love to see a smash tv sequal released in the arcade and I’m sure they could if they wanted.
I agree with you although the definition of what makes money is different than what the manufacturers consider. i.e. it is very difficult for a joystick game to make as much as Terminator Salvation or Fast and Furious Supercars does in a week. I’ve seen that with my PMBR and Dariusburst. The games do get played more than older joystick games, that is certain. And there have been a few times where Pac-Man has rivaled Terminator. Given that the game costs half as much, that is certainly good but Pac-Man can only be milked so far. Games also have to be consistent in those earnings. If they can’t be, interest is gone (which is why multiple and long location tests are great).
Overall it’s difficult because manufacturers have to make a game people really want to play, it has to sell for a good price so operators will buy it, and gamers need to put their money where their mouths are. That last part is real important. Gamers obviously can only put their money into something that is at the arcade. If they don’t when the opportunity arises, developers will take note of that. Essentially if we want any form of joystick gaming to make a comeback then someone has to produce a game that will hit every note laid out above. Fantastic game at a fantastic price and that gamers play more than once. Without that, game makers will keep producing games that prove themselves on the marketplace.
Also to note, fighting games are presently aberrations. They reportedly make a ton of money in a few venues but that distorts the perspective of the bigger picture for any to truly be a huge success. They are pretty much just used as props at this point. As long as arcades get zero fighting game exclusives or much more reasonable pricing and much longer periods of exclusivity, fighters in this industry will be pointless except to a very small number of arcades out there.
I’m really surprised arcade companies haven’t made any scroll fighter games multiplayer games like TMNT and The simpsons arcade game or the ninja kids by taito. There was that Asian deka dynamite game by sega but that was about it and the great thing about those sorts of games is that anyone can join in
I agree. The Behemoth should release their Castle Crashers arcade machines for real. Another one is Dragon’s Crown. It’s a game I would play at the arcade if I could. I’m not going to buy a PS3 just for that game, though.
Regarding joystick games in general not being around anymore, it’s really due to lack of innovation. Eugene Jarvis is right that twin stick shooters aren’t going to do well in arcades because they’re too complex and difficult. But more casual games like we’re seeing on mobile would do gangbusters in arcade cabinets. And I don’t want to see games coming to arcades AFTER mobile anymore, I want to see honest to God original games that are worth spending money on.
@kiwasabi,
I think you used some generalizations that are off the reservation regarding accuracy.
Simple news flash, a number of mainstream consumer games sites and publications have started again covering arcade releases – most notably EDGE magazine (largest multi-format pub).
Second generalization is the “nothing noteworthy” comment. We would obviously disagree, with the new 4D theaters, large immersive display, but also the development of compelling tournament networks – trying to brush the popularity and interest in the Big Buck championship recently or the play-off on Golden Tee is ignoring e-sport at its best, and shows a level of arrogance that may be blinding you to what is out there.
One final point; the new console wars seem to have proven a great boon to reviving interest in arcade gaming – please do not let our growth be perceived as a threat that has to be countered.
I admit my comment was overly negative. I just see a lot more being possible in the arcade space than what is being offered by the manufacturers. I feel as though they’re complacent to the point that they basically re-release the same experiences for years on end. Believe me, I want to see the arcade sector return to its prior glory more than anyone. And I’m actually working on making that happen.
They actually came with the heat this year and for that they deserve a standing ovation. I don’t think gifs work on this site. So clap, clap, clap.
Also…………..Ultimate Street Fighter 4 is getting a test at “Super Arcade” next month. I think these type of games (fighters and such that are usually target towards a specific hardcore audiences) will never make it to these shows and getting a showcase/test at arcades……like XBone’s Killer Instinct did at Super Arcades.
If prices for SF4 stay high like the way they’ve been, we’ll only see locations in places like California, or some spot where hardly anyone is going to know about it.
To think if we didn’t have all this crap to deal with between costs and what publishers are trying to do with the market, we could get around being openly competitive on other titles like DOA5, Mortal Kombat, Skullgirls, etc, but no it had to be a missed opportunity.
HEY!!!!!!!, we might get Skullgirls AC at some point. Whenever it get tested again.
In my view it would be nice to see a straight up Indiecade……like 100% or at least 75% is the only way I can see a change happening. Hell, even a cheap arcade cab (like 200-500 bucks if possible) of DiveKick is something people would actually play on
That’s why I haven’t really mentioned it. It will be there but it feels like they are just doing a prop marketing campaign and that it isn’t a serious push to sell the arcade board here. I mean there was no point to get excited about the X1 KI test (from an arcade op perspective) since we know there will not be any arcade release. Operators were screwed over by SSFIV and the 2012 update. Personally I have no interest in overpaying for a kit that they will certainly charge way too much for. I’m sure there are a few places left willing to pay their exorbitant prices when the console version will probably be made to be better. Otherwise I imagine most will just put a timer in a cabinet and run the home console version like many are already doing.
SSFIV kits should at most cost $2500. Instead they want $10k I’m not getting suckered into that ever again as the player base dries up the moment they can get it at home and it won’t pay itself off.
$10k and the only real difference is you’re getting a scoreboard during the attract mode.
In my view, since most of these are PC anyway, somewhere down the line, if its not happening already, I can see a great deal of piracy happening with some of these games.
I mean, more and more AC games are getting leaked all the time. I can see some team working on the stuff to get them running on a arcade properly. It worked of KOF XIII.
I think it would be pretty nice if someone made a new Warlords cocktail or a co-op brawler. I just don’t see why the business model has to be so hell-bent on excluding all that.
Dead heat riders is also now at my local arcade but I was very disappointed. The games frame rate is tons better than the original first version and cabinet is very attractive but not only is there now pin registration (the new original dead heat updated cabinets have got rid of the pin feature also) but it appears you only get to play half a track compared to the original. I played San Francisco level and I started near where all the lantern were hanging instead of on the bridge.
Do you think namco has got rid of the AI software?
Halfbrick Studios acknowledged Fruit Ninja FX in the game series’ official website, but there is even no mention of the arcade version of Jetpack Joyride in Halfbrick’s official website or its Facebook or its Twitter. (Maybe no public love from Halfbrick to Jetpack Joyride Arcade?)