This edition of Newsbytes is not following the normal pattern of these posts as there really isn’t much else to talk about right now but they’re also on the redemption side of things, which I don’t focus on like the video games. As always, since these are games on test, they may not pass muster and could disappear into the prototype ether.
Thanks to Jdevy for the tips! Fortunately both games to discuss here are on video instead of blurry phone pics
Toilet Bowl Toss (Bay Tek Entertainment)
You might think this one is a joke but its not in the sense that it’s faking it for clicks – its more of a tongue-in-cheek joke, like Shoot The Poop or Stinky Feet were. As you can see in this video below, it’s another ball toss game but this time your target is a realistic (excepting for the LED lights part) toilet bowl. There’s not much more to say about it than that…
JJ Bot The Avatar (Smart Industries)
This one has been testing for a while at certain Dave & Busters locations out there and it sounds like it’s been a hit, but that’s anecdotal – I haven’t seen any numbers. There has been a slight name adjustment though, adding “The Avatar” to the end. It makes sense that a setup like this would draw attention, I just wonder if part of the reason for a delay on it being revealed being technical/maintenance issues.
If the video doesn’t start at the right time, you want to jump to 5:43; It’s currently at the brand new Dave & Busters that just opened in West Des Moines, IA. Since Smart Industries is located there, it makes sense for this to show up on test – I would not be surprised if more Smart Ind. games are tested out there in the future.
Will They Release?
Unless these games suddenly pop-up on their respective manufacturer websites here soon, we’ll know if they’re track for a wide release if they are at IAAPA. If not, then they may need more adjustments or they might end up cancelled. JJ Bot also could be a D&B exclusive, which has happened with a few games out there, but if it’s doing crazy well, then I imagine we’ll start seeing others like it from other crane makers in 2024.
What do you think of these two location test games?
Arcade Matt just released a video of him playing JJ Bot the Avatar. He flew to Houston, TX to play it. It looks fantastic! If it makes it to IAAPA (I’m thinking it will) I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s named the best arcade game of the year. Smart Industries has an absolute gold mine with this one, as long as it functions well and doesn’t break down frequently.
Smart has improved a long ways from the time of Shoot to Win and Feed Big Bertha, haven’t they?