(Thanks to Michael Louie for the tips)
News on new arcade locations has been a little slow lately but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t happening ‘behind the scenes’, so to speak. We’ve got four locations to talk about today so let’s jump into it:
UPDATE: Just published a story about two more locations, click here to check that out if interested.
Tappers Arcade Bar Aiming for a Grand Opening In Early April (Indianapolis, IN) – We’ve mentioned Tappers on the site before although it has been a while. Business development takes time, especially if you want to get everything done right to start out with fewest hiccups. For Tappers, they are using the standard bar/arcade model of classic arcades on free play, sales coming from the drinks. With 47 titles on location, players can enjoy classics like Asteroids, Baby Pac-Man, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Galaga, House of the Dead, Joust, Mario Bros., Ms. Pac-Man, NBA Jam, Pengo, Rampage, Space Invaders, Tapper (of course), The Simpsons, Virtua Cop, Wizard of Wor, X-Men (6 player) and more. They have some pinball too, where they do charge a quarter to play on those. You can visit Tappers’ Facebook page here; Indystar.com recently did an article on them that you can read here.
Secret Headquarters Now Open in Evansville, IN – I’m not sure what is going on in Indiana lately but whatever it is, that is boosting the arcade scene. Secret Headquarters just opened last week and in addition to offering comic books and console gaming, they also have a classic arcade room. The titles they currently have include: Area 51, Centipede, Donkey Kong Remix (we posted about that one here), Galaga, Galaga 3, Gauntlet II, Gorf, Jurassic Park The Lost World; NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat II, Ms. Pac-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more on the way. You can check out their Facebook page here; they have received a bit of local press including this article at 1061evansville.com.
Game Vault Opens In Morristown, NJ – Jumping from Indiana over to New Jersey is a new classic arcade in a high foot traffic area in Morristown. Also just opening their doors, they have the focus on classic games like these other locations although they would have the biggest selection of pinball out of them. The space is also a little unusual, looking like a ballroom with high ceilings but that is because it is a former bank. Their game roster of 85 games includes: BattleZone, Centipede, Creature from the Black Lagoon Pinball, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Fix-It Felix, Gorgar Pinball, Gravitar, Gyruss, Joust 2, Marble Madness, Meteor Pinball, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Pacmania, Phoenix, Q*Bert, Robotron 2084, Safe Cracker Pinball(placed next to the old bank vault), Space Shuttle Pinball, Sprint 2, Stargate, Star Trek Pinball (Bally), Star Wars (Atari; they have both the upright and cockpit cabs which is rare to find together), Star Wars Pinball(Data East), Tapper, The Lord of the Rings Pinball, The Simpsons, TRON, Twilight Zone Pinball, X-Men (4 player) and many more. Their official website can be found here; Facebook page here; and an article covering the location can be read at the Dailyrecord.com.
McDonald’s I-Drive in Orlando Gets a Makeover – Also known as the World’s Largest “Entertainment” McDonald’s(there is some dispute on this as the Olympic McDonald’s in London was larger but not sure if it is still around), this location has gone through a renovation and has reopened their doors to the public. They have kept the arcade in place while changing it around, offering a redemption heavy venue and some of the latest video titles including: Angry Birds Arcade (videmption), Candy Crush Arcade (videmption), Doodle Jump Arcade (videmption), Flying Tickets (videmption), Fruit Ninja FX (videmption), Grand Piano Keys (videmption), Harpoon Lagoon (videmption), Jurassic Park Arcade, Mario & Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition, MotoGP, Pink Panther Jewel Heist (videmption), Sonic Dash Extreme (videmption), and more. The Orlando Sentinel has more info.
Congrats to all of the new businesses to open out there, we wish the best of luck to all of them but if you happen to be near any one of these locations, stop by and give them your support!
