Welcome to Newsbytes, a blog post that curates various bits ‘n bytes of news from around the wonderful world of arcade & pinball games.
Pinball Expo 2021
By all accounts I’ve heard, it sounds like Pinball Expo 2021 was a success, with many people getting their first chances to play the likes of Godzilla, Legends of Valhalla, Cactus Canyon, and more. It was last weekend, but I didn’t have enough to run with at the time, so saved it for now. A few videos:
No clue why Chicago Gaming didn’t upload this to their own YouTube channel, but here’s the trailer for the Cactus Canyon Remake. I have heard that some distributors have had an extremely difficult time getting CGC answering the phone or emails for anything that isn’t Arcade Legends 3 though, so not sure what the deal is there.
Also pinball-related, Gary Stern has been inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame and was given the Walter Day Lifetime Achievement Award.
Midwest Gaming Classic Underway
Another popular arcade event opened today, and there is plenty of arcade goodness to enjoy there, including the prototype for ZOMBEEZ. You can watch a Twitch stream of their stuff here; Arcade Random Posting has also been sharing a lot of stuff from the show on Twitter.
Brian Colin’s Next Arcade Game Revealed: Spooky Smashers
While I’d normally put a new game release into its own post, we don’t have much to go on yet, so we’ll put it here for now. It appears that it might be related to his first hit game, Rampage, in some way. The game will debut at a location called Arcade Monsters in Oviedo, FL, where they are holding their first annual Arcade Olympics on the 20th. It appears that this game was developed especially for this arcade by Brian’s company Game Refuge, as the AM logo is on the marquee, although perhaps it could be given a wider release, at some point? A little more info and pics on it are found on the Arcade Monsters Facebook page.
Round1 Japan Getting Andamiro’s Chrono Circle
I’ve had a few people asking me if I’ve heard anything about Andamiro’s new MaiMai-like rhythm game Chrono Circle and if it would be coming stateside. While I’ve been following some things about the game, mentioning them on the blog previously, I have no clue whether or not Andamiro USA plans on importing it. Sometimes they bring along surprises from Asia, other times, they ignore those completely. With new leadership at the USA division, it’s hard to say if they’ll continue that trend or not – for Chrono Circle, if it’s at IAAPA then yes, if not, then I’ll ask, but I will not be surprised if it’s a no. Some rhythm games are tough sells for most US venues not named Round1USA.
Japan is getting it though, per this tweet about Round1 grabbing that and a Taito rhythm game. I don’t know if that guarantees that Round1USA will be getting it eventually, although I would guess that it’s likely. Thanks to Ted for pointing out this tweet that states that R1USA is getting this, so I guess that settles that.
Noisz Arcooda On Test
Since we’re on the subject of rhythm games, here’s one that is coming to both North America and Europe at some point in the near future, the rhythm-shmup Noisz Arcooda. The game is currently on test at CLUB EXA in Japan, where it will be available through the 12th. World Game Circus has some direct capture footage of it to enjoy, right here:
Also since I mentioned exA, they recently posted a how-to-play video about Super Battle Princess Madelyn, but it’s only in Japanese. I also had a “cute” idea for something Gimmick-related that I posted this week, may do another.
IAAPA 2021 Preview Coming
Just a little note that I will be publishing my IAAPA 2021 preview this week, which I plan on doing as a video and blog post. Probably going to be later in the week, in case there are any previews or teases that happen over the next couple of days.
Bub Visits Sega
Very loosely related to arcades, but mainly about old console games, like Darius II on the Master System:
Headlines
Touch Magix launches a new website – Puts a stronger focus on their arcade machines
Brazil’s Pirate Amusement Centers – While I’ve not seen these particular places, I did come across plenty of pirated games the last time I visited.
Back When Mortal Kombat Was Called Dragon Attack – Facebook link from the original cabinet artist
CTM Group Acquires More Of Namco USA’s Operations & Equipment – Not sure if this means that CTM is one of the 3 buyers mentioned in the original press release or if
Taito’s Qix Has Been Ported To The Atari 2600 – This is an amazing feat, given the limitations of the hardware
Let’s end with something that Kieran May shared on the Arcade Heroes Facebook group, a DDR Mini toy:
That’s all for this weekend, hope you all have a wonderful week!
