Welcome to Newsbytes, a curated collection of quick news items from around the world of arcades and pinball. Please note: I am working on a new Location Watch post so for anyone waiting on that, hang tight. Due to the closure of my second arcade, which only wrapped up back on the 10th, I fell way behind on the news, but it’s getting there. I may have to split it into two posts given how much there is to discuss in terms of new locations. Anyways, until then, here is the news:
Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game Trailer
The official trailer is out now for the upcoming biopic about Roger Sharpe and how he saved pinball by getting it un-banned from New York City back in the 1970s. Of course, pinball still has a ways to go as it was recently discovered that the state of South Carolina still has a law on the books banning minors from playing the game – although such a law hasn’t been enforced and it will likely be repealed soon. The movie below will launch on March 17th; I share some thoughts on this trailer in case anyone cares, here(although I did get one thing wrong – the guy at the beginning is not Roger Sharpe himself, just an actor portraying his older self, which is what I was thinking when I first saw it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, but I should’ve checked).
Along these lines, there is also a movie coming out on Apple TV+about how Tetris came into being.
Street Fighter VR On Test In Japan
Capcom has announced a VR version of Street Fighter being placed on test in Japan, the first time the series has landed on the format. The test is for single-player only; It’s possible but unknown at this time if 2-players will be possible if it passes tests. From this trailer, it appears to use gesture sensing tech, although it could still just be using some certain VR controllers:
When I first heard about this, my reaction was “why?,” as out of the various genres in gaming, 1v1 fighting games aren’t what you would call a “natural” fit for the first-person immersive perspective. That said, the trailer makes it look fun, though you’d hope that would just be the case anyway. Tekken VR still comes to mind here, however a reader did point out that there were various problems for that instance that will not be present in Street Fighter’s case. Still, I’m skeptical as I often am in these cases particularly about the potential abuse that fighting games tend to receive from the public.
When you combine the image of a button masher with how problem prone some VR headsets/setups can be with rough use, it doesn’t seem like a winning formula on the surface. To be fair though, this one won’t involve button mashing, so that should be a plus; But on the other hand, one thing that Street Fighter is known for is head-to-head combat, particularly with someone standing right next to you. This game is single player only; perhaps Capcom will offer 1v1 eventually, and maybe the gameplay style they’ve come up with here works with hardware that can withstand the rigors of the public.
Otherwise, I’d rather see them find a way to adapt Augmented or Mixed Reality with the game. It seems like there’s more potential there for a modern Holosseum than with a headset. Do you agree or disagree? I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Speaking of fighting games and Japan, the new En Eins Perfektewelt Anastatsis launches to Nesica 2 arcade networks (only found in Japan and Round1USA AFAIK) next week.
Sega (Or Someone) Testing Out Dungeon Hunter and A New Transformers Game?
Thanks to Jdevy for sending these pics my way; he says they both come from a location where Sega likes to test out games, however, that doesn’t automatically mean the first title is a Sega piece. That game might be a video ball toss game, “Dungeon Hunter”. This title is not an IP I’m familiar with – so I don’t know whether this is based off of the Ubisoft/Gameloft series of the same name. There are what appear to be characters all over it (the bigger one looks like Invader Zim), so I have to assume that it’s something known, but otherwise I’ll need one of you out there to fill me in on this.
As for the other title, this shot intentionally paints out a kid playing a game that uses what are definitely the Transformers: Human Alliance/Shadows Rising arcade gun designs. But the cabinet fixture on the left isn’t immediately familiar to me (nor Jdevy). It could be a new Transformers on test, or something else entirely that just so happens to use the Transformers guns… or a Chinese game that just knocked off the design wholesale (!). Either way, do keep your eyes peeled in case you see a game on test out there that isn’t Transformers: Human Alliance or Shadows Rising, and let us know.
UPDATE: I can now confidently say that the game below is NOT Transformers in any way but is a Chinese made game that is known either as Interstellar Team or Galaxy Squad. If you look at this entry you’ll notice the fixture on the left matches the design of the Interstellar Team cabinet – which also happens to use Transformers arcade guns. It’s still possible that this game is on test out there but who might be looking at bringing it West is still unknown. Thanks to Ted H. for the assist on this one.
A New Skeeball Super Shot Is In The Works
Way back in arcade history, Skeeball branched out into making non alley bowler games that they are known for, one of the most famous of that bunch would be Super Shot. This was an arcade basketball game where the backboard would move back and forth (i.e. closer/farther from the player, as opposed to the hoop fixture moving side to side). I had one some years ago but after a few weeks of operation, a part of the metal frame which moved the backboard got stuck and cracked the metal weld itself, bending it out of shape and making the game unusable.
My issue aside, it was a popular game to be found in arcades for a long time, and per this Instagram post, it’s coming back. Skeeball is currently owned by Bay Tek Entertainment and still produces plenty of games under their label; What I’m curious about is what form this will take, as Bay Tek recently launched Rock The Rim. Could it employ the same moving backboard but make that a video screen (LCD or LEDs?) Perhaps we’ll find out at Amusement expo 2023 in a little over a month from now!
Pump It Up Creation Contest
Want to make something for an arcade game, Andamiro’s Pump It Up, to be specific? Now is your chance as they have begun taking submissions for music and notes (the pattern of notes for a song). More details at the link ^
Headlines
Celebrate 40 Years Of TRON In Chicago – Being the TRON fan that I am, I need to get myself over to Chicago before this closes in May
New For The Neo Geo MVS: The Eye Of The Typhoon – Fans remade an unreleased MVS game
The Endlesss Arcade Machine – Probably not getting a wide release 😉
House of the Gundead Teased As Launching Soon…Again – GA is being super tight lipped about it so nothing to say until there’s more
Dave & Busters Is Now On Roblox – My youngest plays Roblox on occasion but I don’t get it #getoffmylawn
Andamiro USA Wins The D&B Supplier Of The Year Award
ICE Celebrates 40 Years Of Super Chexx With Limited Edition Game
VRStudios Changes Business Model With New Ownership – Not sure if this means no more Football Frenzy VR cabs or not
New For Hologate Systems: RevolVR 3
ESPN Shows Off The Air Hockey World Championships
[Humor] FBI Raids Home Of Man Who Made It Too Far In Area 51 Arcade Game
[Console] Andre From GameXplain Reviews The New Super Nintendo World Theme Park – Bonus: SNW Confirmed For Orlando
[Console] Cosmic Smash Returns As a VR Game – I’ve never come across the Cosmic Smash arcade game
[Console] For The Rich Atari Fan Who Thought They Had It All
[Console] Frogger-Inspired Game From An AH Reader, The Wingless Bee, Now Available
[Console] At Least One Major Company Will Attend E3, If It Happens
[Console] The Obscure NUON DVD Game Console Gets A Controller Solution
