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Maou
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"NYC arcades" , posted Sun 27 Apr 04:54:post reply

Hey everyone, any experience with the arcade scene (if it exists) in New York City? My understanding of US arcade culture is that it's pretty intense on the West Coast (and I have the great Versus/SRK guides to prove it) and possibly Texas (??) but that it's essentially nonexistent elsewhere.

Can anyone (pleeease) prove me wrong? I know that where arcade machines exist in America, often in pizza stores or bars or random places, they tend to be dumpy old classic ones that random people who might've owned an 8-bit machine when they were 6 might remember and thus enjoy. But are there any arcades in New York City in particular, for instance, that have people who actually love games and where I might be more like to see, say, 3S rather than Virtua Fighter 1?


edit: maybe the Chinatown arcade? It doesn't exactly sound like a gorgeous game center, but...

double-edit: if no one happens to have any recommendations, we could always spin this off into a sociological discussion of why so many American arcades are apparently seedy and dismal compared with their Japanese counterparts. Not that I know much beyond what I've read given my difficulty in finding said arcades in the US...





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[this message was edited by Maou on Sun 27 Apr 05:49]

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Tai-Pan
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"Re(1):NYC arcades" , posted Sun 27 Apr 06:45post reply

quote:




edit: maybe the Chinatown arcade? It doesn't exactly sound like a gorgeous game center, but...





Well the only arcade I remember in manhattan is @ chinatown. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it wasn't a huge arcade; but it reminded me of old dirty arcade places in my country.





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"Re(1):NYC arcades" , posted Sun 27 Apr 10:27post reply

The Chinatown Fair arcade is very good, the machines are (generally) well-kept and the comp is good.





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minuteman
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"Re(1):NYC arcades" , posted Sun 27 Apr 13:38post reply

Well, it's not NYC but if you are willing and able to drive, there is this place:

http://www.tokyogameaction.com/

It's a great place, I've been. But wow is it out in the middle of nowhere (North-Central Massachusetts).
But really, it's only a scant ~222 miles outside of NYC!

Otherwise, sadly there isn't much that I know of (my closest mall closed the arcade...MIT made their arcade tiny...there is a TILT! in Warwick, Rhode Island though!)





justicekyo
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"Re(1):NYC arcades" , posted Sun 27 Apr 15:10post reply

quote:
Hey everyone, any experience with the arcade scene (if it exists) in New York City? My understanding of US arcade culture is that it's pretty intense on the West Coast (and I have the great Versus/SRK guides to prove it) and possibly Texas (??) but that it's essentially nonexistent elsewhere.

Can anyone (pleeease) prove me wrong? I know that where arcade machines exist in America, often in pizza stores or bars or random places, they tend to be dumpy old classic ones that random people who might've owned an 8-bit machine when they were 6 might remember and thus enjoy. But are there any arcades in New York City in particular, for instance, that have people who actually love games and where I might be more like to see, say, 3S rather than Virtua Fighter 1?


edit: maybe the Chinatown arcade? It doesn't exactly sound like a gorgeous game center, but...

double-edit: if no one happens to have any recommendations, we could always spin this off into a sociological discussion of why so many American arcades are apparently seedy and dismal compared with their Japanese counterparts. Not that I know much beyond what I've read given my difficulty in finding said arcades in the US...



well, CTF is the only real place left here for that...





crazymike
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"Re(2):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 28 Apr 00:36post reply

Wow if NYC has barely any arcades left that is a bad sign of the industry. I always thought being in the midwest it was tough to find games but things might be better on the coasts but I guess I am wrong.





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"Re(3):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 28 Apr 02:48:post reply

quote:
Wow if NYC has barely any arcades left that is a bad sign of the industry. I always thought being in the midwest it was tough to find games but things might be better on the coasts but I guess I am wrong.



Considering the land price & rent in the city, it's hard to run businesses on Quarters. China Town Fair's been about the only real arcade in NY for over the last decade (not counting the long-gone, tourist-bent XS). Back in the early 90's, things were more lively. There was a good arcade in Penn Station and another three in Times Square.

Chinatown Fair has good competition and lots of regulars (why not? after all, it's the only arcade in the city). But it's pretty dark and stingy, not a place you'd want to take your date to after a nice lunch in the area.





[this message was edited by Professor on Mon 28 Apr 03:00]

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"Re(4):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 28 Apr 04:42post reply

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But it's pretty dark and stingy, not a place you'd want to take your date to after a nice lunch in the area.


Then it's a good arcade. Arcades have to be somewhat dirty and dark places. Or at least according to my memories: A group of friends hanging around the latest KOF machine in an underground arcade, with a grumpy owner, faulty joysticks, and fierce competition.





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"Re(5):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 28 Apr 05:52post reply

quote:
But it's pretty dark and stingy, not a place you'd want to take your date to after a nice lunch in the area.

Then it's a good arcade. Arcades have to be somewhat dirty and dark places. Or at least according to my memories: A group of friends hanging around the latest KOF machine in an underground arcade, with a grumpy owner, faulty joysticks, and fierce competition.



That pretty much sums up my memories too. There wasn't much competition though, not much with strangers should I say. What was common at my town's most successful arcade -which we called "El Vicio"- when KOF94 was the hottest thing, was 3 players playing each a single character.





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"Re(6):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 28 Apr 10:50post reply

quote:

What was common at my town's most successful arcade -which we called "El Vicio"- when KOF94 was the hottest thing, was 3 players playing each a single character.



Exactly





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"Re(4):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 28 Apr 13:06post reply

quote:

Chinatown Fair has good competition and lots of regulars (why not? after all, it's the only arcade in the city).



Chinatown Fair is great. Used to go back in my college days. I went there with a friend once, first time we went there actually. He couldn't figure out why everyone kept singling him out and challenging him and kicking his ass at every game he played. At first he thought they were just hazing the new white guy, but then he realized it was cos he was wearing a homemade hoodie with a picture of ken (cut out from a wall scroll) sewn to his back.

Good times.

Good competition too!





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"Re(4):NYC arcades" , posted Wed 30 Apr 10:03post reply

quote:
Wow if NYC has barely any arcades left that is a bad sign of the industry. I always thought being in the midwest it was tough to find games but things might be better on the coasts but I guess I am wrong.


Considering the land price & rent in the city, it's hard to run businesses on Quarters. China Town Fair's been about the only real arcade in NY for over the last decade (not counting the long-gone, tourist-bent XS). Back in the early 90's, things were more lively. There was a good arcade in Penn Station and another three in Times Square.

Chinatown Fair has good competition and lots of regulars (why not? after all, it's the only arcade in the city). But it's pretty dark and stingy, not a place you'd want to take your date to after a nice lunch in the area.



To this day I have yet to ever even FIND CTF.
Though, I should probably mention that I kinda stopped looking after the chicken died.

The very last real Arcade in NYC I remember was on Fordham Road in the Bronx back in 2000. It was a little hole in the wall called Neo Crash that had actually been around for a couple of years prior. It had wall-to-wall anime posters and a row of practically all fighting games at the time, the latest one being Guilty Gear X. Sadly I think the owner got into some trouble with the law or something... and it was soon turned into a furniture store about a year after I found it.

After that, other than CTF I think Dance Dance Revolution tourist traps like XS and Dave and Buster's has been the only game in town since.

Well, that and also XBox/Sony consoles made everybody too lazy to come out and play. XD

Ah well.

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Maou
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"Re(5):NYC arcades" , posted Wed 30 Apr 10:17post reply

I gather through research that Dave and Buster's is just the kinda place where they have ring-toss style games, not a real arcade? Does XS exist, still? Old reviews say it was pricey but current.





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RSJ
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"Re(6):NYC arcades" , posted Wed 30 Apr 10:58post reply

quote:
I gather through research that Dave and Buster's is just the kinda place where they have ring-toss style games, not a real arcade? Does XS exist, still? Old reviews say it was pricey but current.


I think XS is now a Gap clothing store or something.





Maou
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"Re(7):NYC arcades" , posted Wed 30 Apr 11:05post reply

quote:
I think XS is now a Gap clothing store or something.

Gah! This is emblematic of the problems faced by New York (or modernity) at large...





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RSJ
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"Re(8):NYC arcades" , posted Wed 30 Apr 11:36post reply

quote:
I think XS is now a Gap clothing store or something.
Gah! This is emblematic of the problems faced by New York (or modernity) at large...


Like the Professor said, it's hard to pay rent in Times Square on quarters...





Maou
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"Re(9):NYC arcades" , posted Thu 1 May 11:25:post reply

Report from the field: HOT DAMN, Chinatown Fair is awesome! Well, for a US arcade. Lotsa machines, some maniac kids dominating the 3S and Zero 3 machines, none of the dumb old stuff like Galaga or Tekken 2 or whatever usually passes for "modern" arcade games. I didn't even think it was dingy at all for a non-Japanese arcade. This place is going to eat all my quarters.





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[this message was edited by Maou on Thu 1 May 14:30]

crazymike
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"Re(6):NYC arcades" , posted Fri 2 May 11:28:post reply

quote:
I gather through research that Dave and Buster's is just the kinda place where they have ring-toss style games, not a real arcade? current.



I've never even seen a Dave & Busters, what is their target market exactly? I never saw going out and eating a nice dinner and then playing skeeball at the restaurant as something middle-aged people do regularly as depicted in the commercials.





[this message was edited by crazymike on Fri 2 May 11:31]

Variable Savior
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"Re(7):NYC arcades" , posted Fri 2 May 13:31post reply

quote:

I've never even seen a Dave & Busters, what is their target market exactly? I never saw going out and eating a nice dinner and then playing skeeball at the restaurant as something middle-aged people do regularly as depicted in the commercials.



I've been in a D&B a few times - there were people there who were much older than I have anticipated. And there's a woman I work with who goes there - she's like 60 something and likes polka dancing. Freakin bizarre

How is CTF fixed for KoF machines these days? Last time I was there they have five - all the even years (94, 96, 98, 00, 02). I thought it really rather odd





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Maou
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"Re(8):NYC arcades" , posted Fri 2 May 13:42post reply

quote:

I've never even seen a Dave & Busters, what is their target market exactly? I never saw going out and eating a nice dinner and then playing skeeball at the restaurant as something middle-aged people do regularly as depicted in the commercials.


I've been in a D&B a few times - there were people there who were much older than I have anticipated. And there's a woman I work with who goes there - she's like 60 something and likes polka dancing. Freakin bizarre

How is CTF fixed for KoF machines these days? Last time I was there they have five - all the even years (94, 96, 98, 00, 02). I thought it really rather odd

Not much KOF experience, but I definitely noticed 02 and probably 96/98, along with another that was possibly in one of the SNK multi-game machines. 3S, SNKvsCapcom2, Marvel, MarvelvsCapcom 1 and 2, Zero 3, Samurai Spirits 5, Soul Calibur II, Super SF2 X, Rumble Fish 2 (incomprehensible), and Arcana Heart are what I can remember of the fighters. There was another SF III machine with a discolored screen, may have been Second Impact. Also, another copy of 3S inside a Vampire Savior machine...a shame given all the talk of Vampire lately here, which made me want to give it a spin.





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crazymike
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"Re(9):NYC arcades" , posted Fri 2 May 20:34:post reply

On a separate note anyone notice how bloody cheap arcades are starting to get? At a local bookstore they are selling a cabinet as-is for 300. The top marquee says MVS but it has a CPS-2 sticker below the controls so not sure which one it is exactly.

I also saw a working Street Fighter 2 Turbo on Ebay a few miles from me for 350. There is also a Marvel Superheroes cabinet at my local Coney Islander that has been there for years, almost tempted to just offer the owner a little money to take it off his hands, especially with the collectability aspect of it being a Marvel comic book product.

I need to jump in on this mortgage crisis and snatch up a home quick so I can buy stuff like this.





[this message was edited by crazymike on Fri 2 May 20:37]

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"Re(7):NYC arcades" , posted Fri 2 May 21:18post reply

quote:

I've never even seen a Dave & Busters, what is their target market exactly? I never saw going out and eating a nice dinner and then playing skeeball at the restaurant as something middle-aged people do regularly as depicted in the commercials.



I went to one in Los Angeles when I visited more than 2 weeks ago, and it seemed to be like your usual TGIFridays, but with video games. And some of the video games are really old school, like anniversary coin-ops featuring original versions of Galaga, Ms. Pac Man and Space Invaders. Then you have games like 2 Fast 2 Furious Stunt Bikes (I'm not even kidding), gun games similar to Area 51, some interesting, yet flash-in-the-pan games that take up a lot of space, etc.

Barely any kids around... I'd say it's geared towards 30-something people and above. However, the arcade section, although better than most arcades or amusement sections in restaurants nowadays in America, really pale in comparison to most arcades in Japan. Games mostly originated from America in recent times seem pretty lackluster and uninspired, really.





Tai-Pan
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"Re(8):NYC arcades" , posted Fri 2 May 22:26post reply

quote:

I've never even seen a Dave & Busters, what is their target market exactly? I never saw going out and eating a nice dinner and then playing skeeball at the restaurant as something middle-aged people do regularly as depicted in the commercials.


I went to one in Los Angeles when I visited more than 2 weeks ago, and it seemed to be like your usual TGIFridays, but with video games. And some of the video games are really old school, like anniversary coin-ops featuring original versions of Galaga, Ms. Pac Man and Space Invaders. Then you have games like 2 Fast 2 Furious Stunt Bikes (I'm not even kidding), gun games similar to Area 51, some interesting, yet flash-in-the-pan games that take up a lot of space, etc.

Barely any kids around... I'd say it's geared towards 30-something people and above. However, the arcade section, although better than most arcades or amusement sections in restaurants nowadays in America, really pale in comparison to most arcades in Japan. Games mostly originated from America in recent times seem pretty lackluster and uninspired, really.




Yeah..I usually go with friends. The place is pretty decent with a lot of machines. They even have the latest HOTD and Time Crisis cabinets, which is nice.





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"Re(10):NYC arcades" , posted Sat 3 May 02:23post reply

quote:
On a separate note anyone notice how bloody cheap arcades are starting to get? At a local bookstore they are selling a cabinet as-is for 300. The top marquee says MVS but it has a CPS-2 sticker below the controls so not sure which one it is exactly.

What game is in it (if anything?) Make sure you know what you're getting beforehand, don't want to pick up a dead CPS-2, eh? Although Razoola will replace the suicide battery/mod it, anyway.





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crazymike
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"Re(2):Re(10):NYC arcades" , posted Mon 5 May 10:42post reply

quote:

What game is in it (if anything?) Make sure you know what you're getting beforehand, don't want to pick up a dead CPS-2, eh? Although Razoola will replace the suicide battery/mod it, anyway.



Not sure the machine was turned off. But I don't have the space for it at the moment anyway unfortunately.