Poor Japanese Arcades :(

[Nando]

http://www.onlineplayer.jp/modules/content/index.php?page=1941


translate.google.com works well enough if there's a language barrier.

[Ji-L87]

Augh, that's sad T^T   And empty.

Arcades will soon only exist in pop culture history and on wikipedia I guess....

[Nando]

I have great memories of going to the arcade when young, and I clearly recall when the local spots started to die and become irrelevant. Nowadays, the few that are around this area look more like flea market arcades than anything else. Guess Japan is going through that now. Sad

[ccovell]

The only "classic" arcades running in Japan are either the rare big ones with a "retro" corner, or the one-off local ones that you see on Game Center CX's "You should check out this arcade sometime" segment.   95% of the arcades I've run across are the usual wall-to-wall UFO catcher, crappy faddy card battling game, electronic gambling, guitar or DJ sim, and hi-spec fighting game arcades.  Boring.

If you're lucky they might have 1 or 2 token games running on an Astro City (usually Tetris or Shanghai III...)  Plus an increasing number of MAME cabs.
I inevitably sit down at the MAMEcab and choose a game so I can feel like I didn't completely waste my time.

[spenoza]

I was fortunate to be in Japan '98 - '99. I could stop near almost any station and play Metal Slug 2 or X for 50 yen. I think the PSN and Xbox Live need to have a special section dedicated to classic arcade play. I know they have lots of downloadable titles, and some even have netplay, but it would be great to choose a game based on an arcade cabinet and then solicit players on-line.

[soop]

I was fortunate to be in Japan '98 - '99. I could stop near almost any station and play Metal Slug 2 or X for 50 yen. I think the PSN and Xbox Live need to have a special section dedicated to classic arcade play. I know they have lots of downloadable titles, and some even have netplay, but it would be great to choose a game based on an arcade cabinet and then solicit players on-line.

NOOO!O!!!!!! !OOO!!  They already did that on XBL, and it was f*ckING WEAK.  They eventually stopped releasing new games (after falling way behind schedule), but while there were a few decent oldschool games, there was far too much shit, like 2600 stuff (they even released a f*cking TECH DEMO called "vertical blinds which you just press a button to see a sunset) for way too much money.

There were rumours that they were gonna release Sunset Riders, but they were just that.  Rumours.

[Tatsujin]

The only "classic" arcades running in Japan are either the rare big ones with a "retro" corner, or the one-off local ones that you see on Game Center CX's "You should check out this arcade sometime" segment.   95% of the arcades I've run across are the usual wall-to-wall UFO catcher, crappy faddy card battling game, electronic gambling, guitar or DJ sim, and hi-spec fighting game arcades.  Boring.

If you're lucky they might have 1 or 2 token games running on an Astro City (usually Tetris or Shanghai III...)  Plus an increasing number of MAME cabs.
I inevitably sit down at the MAMEcab and choose a game so I can feel like I didn't completely waste my time.

Lol, so true.

But as long the legendary HEY arcade exist, the world isn't that bad at all

[Nando]

On a related note
http://www.indiegogo.com/100-Yen-The-Final-Coin

IMAGINE a world where video games reign supreme. Five story buildings filled with arcade cabinets, old and new, inundate the streets of downtown Tokyo.
 
Welcome to Japan. A place where the arcades of the 80s and 90s not only still exist, but thrive and have evolved into an elaborate, unmatched gaming experience.
 
100 Yen is a historical documentary about the evolution of arcades and the culture surrounding it - from the birth of arcades to the game centers that still thrive today. With a predominant focus on the three major arcade genres, Shooting games, Fighting games and Rhythm games, 100 Yen explores the culture and evolution of arcades through the past and present. All filmed on location in Japan, Canada, and the USA featuring interviews with industry professionals, game programmers and designers, casual gamers and gaming icons.
 
Featuring: Daigo Umehara, Brian Ashcraft, Taito, Clover-TAC, Justin Wong, Aaron In Japan, Gootecks & Mike Ross, Christopher Laporte, Hiro Kawaguchi, Tez Okano and many more...
 
Languages available: English, Japanese, French and Spanish.
(note: English and Japanese with initial release, ensure you specify if you would like to wait for additional languages)