This is also back in the Internet's infancy where the most people had might have been LYNX text access or AOL, so the only advance notice you had of these games coming out was magazines. You'd get like 1 or 2 screenshots, then boom - the machine would be in your arcade and ready to play.
Miss those days.
Some American produced games were tested here near me before general release. Mainly because for one, companies like Incredible Technologies and Midway were one state over, and two, we had 4 major arcade game vendors for the state all right by me along with a few mini arcades in this city located at bowling alleys, etc. Due to that I got to play Mortal Kombat before it seemed to get any real coverage in the game mags back then. Oddly enough Mk took the spot in the local arcade that Narc had maintained for a long time.
I do long for the days where you needed to go out to the arcade to get an experience you can't get at home. that is what made gaming social, and by social, i don't mean wearing some stupid ass headset and having no one around you.
other than ticket earning games, there is essentially no reason to get to the arcade in 2013.