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Golden Age of Arcade Games

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the please-keep-comebacks-away-from-fashion dept.

jayintune writes "2old2play has an article about the resurgence of arcade games in the living room. The article shows that while large companies like MS and Nintendo can make a nice dollar, small developers can now make money off of low budget arcade games with far less monetary risk. Just like fashion, what was once cool is now cool again." That, combined with the Xbox Live arcade rollouts, do seem to be bringing back the oldies but goldies.

58 comments

  1. Even game like Hearts and whatnot... by tcopeland · · Score: 1

    ...are interesting to folks.

    We put Hearts and a couple of version of Solitaire in the first beta of indi and that was the thing that got the most "wow" - not the instant messaging, not the calendar stuff we'd labored over, but the multiplayer Hearts. Ah well.

    --
    The Army reading list
  2. Arcade by engagebot · · Score: 1

    There (used to be before Katrina) a 'penny' arcade in New Orleans that we went to all the time. It was full of pretty current games, all in good shape. The trick was, every game was *actually* still a quarter. They were open until 3am on weekends too. Needless to say the place was always full of people. I understand that the newest games are mad expensive (>$10k), but still. $1.25 in an arcade game just wasn't destined to last.

    --
    Han shot first.
    1. Re:Arcade by ender- · · Score: 1

      There is [or was?] an arcade in San Jose, CA called Nickel City. As you would expect, the games take nickels instead of quarters. And along the back wall was a line of classic arcade games [Defender, Galaga, Pac Man etc] that was totally free.

      I miss that place [I'm in Tx now :( ]

      --
      Nothing to see here
    2. Re:Arcade by Egatlov · · Score: 1

      It's gone now anyway. Another victim of the obscene rents in the 90's silicon valley bubble.

    3. Re:Arcade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go to Brooklyn and check out the Barcade. It's in Billyburg, and they've got a ton of excellent vintage arcade games to play for just a quarter, AND they've got some excellent micro-brews on tap to boot. Lots of good places to put your pint while you play Tapper, too!

      http://barcadebrooklyn.com/

    4. Re:Arcade by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "There (used to be before Katrina) a 'penny' arcade in New Orleans that we went to all the time. It was full of pretty current games, all in good shape."

      Not sure where this one was that you refer to, but, if you like the older games, go try the bar "The Goldmine" down in the quarter. They have a pretty good collection of old games an pinball machines.

      I hang and work with a friend of mine on restoring old pins, and building MAME cabinets out of old arcade cabs we pickup. These old games are a blast to play, and I do sense a slight resurgance....

      Hehehe...my friend's wife is a patient one tho...I mean, collecting old pins can arcade cabs is a hobby that takes up a LOT of room.

      :-)

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re:Arcade by engagebot · · Score: 1

      Gotcha. The one we went to was actually in Metairie on Veterans. Just a few blocks from Clearview. I live in Baton Rouge actually.

      I've got an old Atari Star Wars game myself. Had it since i was about 7 years old (i'm 24 now). My grandfather was a pharmacist and had a drug store and movie theatre back in the 50's. I've got an old pinball game from his store that's so old it doesn't have flippers. Just a whole bunch of holes for the ball to fall in once you launch it. Also an old slot machine that gives out rolls of mints. Pretty cool stuff.

      --
      Han shot first.
    6. Re:Arcade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, if you're in the northeast Dallas area, there's a place called Nickelrama. It's a Nickel arcade, with the most expensive game costing 6 nickels. Chances are you'll find yourself running out of time to play games before you find yourself running out of 10 bucks worth of nickles. It's not all old stuff, but don't expect to get a brand-new game in there. All in all, a great place to go. Only catch is you have to pay $2 to get in, which is the cost of a game or two at other arcades.

    7. Re:Arcade by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      Very interesting..yes, I think I remember that one in Metairie. I myself right now am living in Baton Rouge (after staying on the dining room floor of a friend in Prairieville for awhile). I've got an old Tempest cab. that I have a 4 player custom station on for MAME games.

      I also recently bought an old Playboy pinball machine that I hope to find time in the near future to start restoring...hehehe...maybe by then I'll be in a house again with a place to put it.

      My friend that does most of the restoration, etc...is wanting to open some kind of retro-arcade....I told him we'd need a bar in there too, to make it a little more profitable, but, sure would be fun to hang at the arcade like the old days...

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    8. Re:Arcade by Damvan · · Score: 1

      Nickel City is actually a chain. There is one here in So Cal where I live. $5 to get in the door, then all games are a nickel.

    9. Re:Arcade by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 1

      Since we're on the topic of arcades, anyone in New England should check out the arcade on Old Orchard Beach Maine. It is like a big refuge for pinball, classic arcade games, and carnival type games (i.e. skee ball). Loads o' fun.

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  3. Xbox 360 Arcade by Pyrowolf · · Score: 1

    Russell Carroll has been talking about and predicting on "Attack of the Show" that Indy Gaming would get a boost thanks to the Live Arcade. The idea that you can sit down at a console and snag a game for $5 is the largest part of it, regardless if it's an Indy release, or an Arcade Classic. Most everyday Joe's aren't dedicated enough to build a MAME cabnet, but drop a few bucks on some Midway classics and get the instant gratification of playing immediately instead of getting a game at a retail outlet is an easy choice for most.

    1. Re:Xbox 360 Arcade by docdude316 · · Score: 1

      I can see the Revolution bringing a bigger boost to Indy gaming, as long as Nintendo allows new downloadable games on their virtual console. Think about it, when a developer makes a game for Xbox Live Arcadem they still have to develop it for the Xbox 360. However, with the Revolution you could develop for the NES, SNES or N64 and still be able to run it on the Revolution. I would think that it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to develop a new NES game than a Xbox 360 game.

    2. Re:Xbox 360 Arcade by codemonkey420 · · Score: 1

      I believe developing for the NES isn't as easy as it sounds. Many of those developer packages were probably primative compared to the software packages, libraries, and API's you get today. And if you end up with a software issue or glitch I doubt your going to get too much support from Nintendo when it comes to trouble shooting.

  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many slashdotters are too young to have even seen an arcade, but let me tell you it was a magical place. Rows of Pac Mans, Donkey Kongs, Dig Dugs and even a Turbo or II lined up calling young pimply faced nerds with their 8 bit siren song and flashing lights. Yup, we were God(s) back then! And no chick could resist us ... in fact they intentionally shunned our wing of the mall for fear of being seduced by our musk.

    I truly feel sorry for today's youth, that they'll never know the feeling of playing with a greasy joy stick.

    1. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1

      I'd say that there were two golden ages. One being the one you mentioned with Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, Bump n Jump, Xevious, Sinistar, Rally-X, and Publius(ok, that one's a joke).

      But there was a second golden age. Mortal Kombat/MKII, Killer Instinct, Tekken and the early SFII games. I dropped many an allowance on those games.

      My rise to stardom at the local Mall began when the resident Asian kid was afraid to play against me.

      That's not intended to be a racist statement, but every mall that I ever played at had one asian kid who would kick everyone's ass when they plunked their 50 cents into the machine. Ours was "Ming", he worked at the food court at the Manchu Wok. On his breaks he would come up to the arcade and play. He's spend 50 cents and beat people until his dad made him go back to work. When I got good, he had to bring up more than 50 cents when his break began.

      One more session at KI? Where, oh where are you Ming Doggy Dogg?

      LK

      --
      "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
    2. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Zardus · · Score: 1

      Well, according to this, kids today do know the feeling of playing with a greasy joy stick.

      --
      You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
    3. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey Kano!

      I'm now your CIO. Get back to work!

      -Ming

    4. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by boy_afraid · · Score: 0

      Yes, hours playing Asteroids. I was the master of RASTAN!

      Let us not forget Joust, Goonies, Double Dragon, Karate. I'm getting very very nastolgic all of a sudden.

      P.S. I'm in an 80s timewarp, I'm also listening to Cindy Lauper and Crowded House (Don't Dream It's Over) as I type this.

    5. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You must be quite the youngster yourself if you don't remember girls at the arcade. I remember back when arcades were where teenagers hung out. And I don't just mean the nerds. I mean all of them. The ones who weren't into video games could try their hand at any of the redemtion-style games available like Skee Ball, Skeet Shooting, or any number of machines that measure your strength. It was like a carnival without all the rides and that's the type of audience it attracted.

    6. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by vertinox · · Score: 1

      Ours was "Ming", he worked at the food court at the Manchu Wok. On his breaks he would come up to the arcade and play. He's spend 50 cents and beat people until his dad made him go back to work. When I got good, he had to bring up more than 50 cents when his break began.

      Ah the old days on the mall. You know... When every mall in the states had an arcade, Babbage's, comic book store, and that hobby shop (which I can't remember)

      I think the golden age of arcades for me was when Street Fighter II hit the shelves and went from that to Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Killer Instinct, and then went downhill about the time of Mortal Kombat III.

      Throw in all the Neo Geo games at the time and it was damn fun.

      I remember the days of Street Fighter II Championship edition in which we would wait in lines to challenge the current player. If you were good you could basically stay up there for a while til someone beat you.

      Of course if no one was there and it was me and my friends we'd just put quarters in for both of us and let the first player play against the CPU and then if we were about to loose the second player would jump in and repeat the process.

      Honorable mentions would be King of the Monsters, Operation Wolf, Double Dragon, NBA Jam, and Virtua Fighter.

      --
      "I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
      -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
    7. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by ShortBeard · · Score: 0

      Your Arcade was in the Mall?
      Man, I can't count the times I trudged out route 50 to the small building next to the eletric station. No sidewalks. This was in northern Virginia, so it could be raining and usually was.
      Zaxxon, Donkey Kong, Joust, Dig Dug, Centipede. Whew! take me back.

      Then Tron and Spy hunter came out. I worked at a drug store and they had Spy Hunter. After my shift I would spend a couple of quarters. Would have spent more but I was at work.

      It's been many years since I have played Air Hockey but I reckon I'm still a mean player.

    8. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by lupinstel · · Score: 1

      Ohh don't worry; the excitment of playing with a greasy joystick within the comfort of your own basement is familiar to all Slashdotters young and old.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Cthulhu.
    9. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 1

      I remember getting into arcade games later in college in the mid 80s. There was a section of the student center you walked through on your way across campus that had 10-15 games. I got into some of them, sometimes too much making me late for class!

      Xybots: Fun maze games that was great with a partner for teamwork due to the split screen

      Xenophobe: Fun cartoonish graphics and with good controls. One of my favs!

      Smash TV: One of my all time favs. Great with a partner. Sort of like Bezerk meets The Running Man. "Total Carnage!"

      Road Blasters: Got boring after a while but a good fast shoot-em up

      Black Tiger: I didn't get into this until MAME came along because it was a real quarter eater. Lots of guys I saw were obsessed with it. Closest thing to arcade D&D we had.

      Gondomania: Fun shootem up with nice graphics and lots of cool weapons.

      Gauntlet: A quarter eater that could get annoying fast. I still find myself saying "Warrior needs food, badly" under my breath when I'm hungry like a total nerd.

      APB: A real blast driving all over the place while the Sergeant chews you out in his "grumble grumble" talk

      Heavy Barrel: Scrolling top-down shootem up that was fun just because of the big fat bullets your guy shot and the shrapnel from the grenades.

      ???: I can't remember the name of this tank game for the life of me. You had the two stick style tank controller with a top down angled view and a rotating turret for Doom-like strafing. I became VERY good at this and finished it a few times on one quarter each time. It may have been an Atari game because it used some of the Atari fonts and sounds.

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
    10. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Vindicators. It's on the Midway Classics disc for the XBox or PS2.

    11. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1

      I had completely forgotton APB until your post. I miss those damned games. It's too hard to find a good source for MAME ROMS.

      I picked up a several GB archive once, but only about half of the games worked and of those only about half were any good.

      LK

      --
      "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
    12. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MAME torrent, complete

      Have at it.

    13. Re:Ahh the golden age of the arcades by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the thought, but I can't download it. Members only or somesuch.

      LK

      --
      "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  6. Gaming Roots by keldog42 · · Score: 0

    I find myself playing the $5 - $10 Xbox Live arcade games more often and for longer stretches of time that the triple A titles that I paid $60 for. I hope that the big money publishers (EA, MS Game Studio, Activision, etc.) will learn that isn't uber graphics, well known voice actor, Hollywood titles, and endless sequals that make good games. It is fun and creative gameplay.

    Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to go play Zuma on my $400 console.

  7. Even the lottery is in on it by vasqzr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Michigan Lottery has a Pac-Man instant ticket, along with the regular cash prizes you can win 1 of 30 PacMan arcade games.

    http://www.michigan.gov/lottery/0,1607,7-110-821-1 35347--,00.html

  8. I feel it by fak3r · · Score: 1

    as a teenager who grew up (age wise) in the 80s, I thought of this yesterday when I was talking to a contractor on building a room in my basement. I could just see a couple of machines side by side with a barstool nearby to sit on, and a load of quarters (you know, to complete the experience). I'm sure I want the ones that are in demand, and thus expensive, but Donkey Kong, Defender and Centipede would be oh-so sweet!

    --
    fak3r.com
    1. Re:I feel it by steveo777 · · Score: 1

      It's not the games themselves that are expensive. It's the chassis that runs the bucks. Check out e-bay and you'll find the game boards for relatively cheap. You can even get multiple cart boards for old Atari games like you're thinking of. The Chassis can run upwards of 400 bucks (with the original images, but that can be painted too).

      --
      This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
  9. Re:Public Domain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...but will conitnue lobbying to have most of this IP freed to the public...

    I.P. Freely?

  10. I bought an original Centipede by Anonymous+Crowhead · · Score: 1

    It's in perfect condition and now I see them going for 3-4 times what I paid for in 7 years ago. I never thought of it as an investment. A word to the wise for anyone considering buy an arcade game, espescially an older upright - these things are monsters. They are big and heavy. They are hard to move around, especially up/down stairs and they take up a lot of space. They are loads of fun though and anytime someone new sees it in my house they are always in awe. It takes them back.

    Oh, and if you buy a game with a trackball, make sure you maintain the berrings regularly even if your not using it.

  11. Re:Public Domain by rewinn · · Score: 3, Interesting

    >All the bad stuff remains more or less buried while a veritable trove of glittering jewels of culture are dusted off and appreciated anew.

    We can compare the realm of games to those of music and literature. For every Mozart there was probably a hundred hack composers; for every Shakespeare, a hundred dreadful playwrights, churning out whatever might make them a living. Art & technology has progressed far in the centuries since, but the best work survives because, for all their technological limits (...from our standpoint ...) they hit something really, really important.

    I'm not going to claim that Pac-Man or Hearts are comparable to Hamlet or to Mozart's Requiem, but in their own realm they appeal to our need for play in a way that transcends technology; while their numberless contemporary competitors have all but disappeared because they just didn't quite hit it.

    --
    --- Attorneys Assisting Citizen-Soldiers & Families -
  12. Re:Public Domain by just_another_sean · · Score: 1

    You make a good point in support of the parent post. You mentioned Hearts as a great game. Well the only reason so many people can put out Hearts, Mahjong, etc. is that these are public domain. Either they were never "protected" in the first place or have slipped into PD becuase they are so old.

    Imagine if someone owned a copyright/patent on the rules for chess. We'd have never been able to enjoy all the hundreds, if not thousands of "implentations" that are chess (E.g. classic board, computer chess, online chess, travel chess with little boards and magnetic pieces).

    --
    Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
  13. Re:Public Domain by drsquare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Only on Slashdot could a completely unrelated article about arcade games turn into a rant about copyright. Get over it, there are millions of articles where you can get on your hobby horse, I'm here to read about arcade games.

  14. Re:Public Domain by rewinn · · Score: 1

    >Imagine if someone owned a copyright/patent on the rules for chess

    1. Apply for patent on chess
    2. PTO grants patent
    3. Sue anyone making games on a square board
    4. ???
    5. Profit!!!!

    --
    --- Attorneys Assisting Citizen-Soldiers & Families -
  15. Re:Public Domain by just_another_sean · · Score: 1

    Exactly! :-)

    --
    Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
  16. Re:Public Domain by Eightyford · · Score: 1

    Personally I will not be participating in this sell-out, but will conitnue lobbying to have most of this IP freed to the public that so generously allowed its creators a profit in the first place.

    It's not illegal to copy the idea for a game. Go nuts.

    --
    Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
  17. Re:Public Domain by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

    You realize that public domain != Free, don't you?

    Last time I bought a CD of Mozart sonatas, which are public domain, I still had to purchase the recording. The difference, is that whoever made the recording did not have to pay royalties to the original copyright holder.

    Even if these games were public domain, the company providing them would be completely entitled to ask a fee for that service.

    Copyright means I can restrict who profits from my work. Public Domain means ANYONE can profit from my work.

  18. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  19. Re:You're Only Half Right by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

    The point is: Live! would operate exactly the same if the games were Public Domain. You say that Microsoft is subverting the system, but I fail to see how what they do on Live! affects copyright and Public Domain at all.

    Hell, I'm sure Microsoft would be thrilled if all the games they're pushing on Live! were PD, because it means they wouldn't have to pay anyone for the right to sell them.

  20. Re:You're Only Half Right by irablum · · Score: 1

    Yep, me and the boys are going to pull out the electric guitars and start jamming to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I can see it.

    Ira

  21. Re:You're Only Half Right by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

    Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor would sound damn cool on electric guitar/bass. Of course, that piece sounds damn cool on ANYTHING. (Heard a recording of a kazoo ensemble play it once)

  22. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  23. Re:You're Only Half Right by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

    Here's what you're ignoring: MICROSOFT IS NOT THE IP HOLDER.
    They are up against the same IP restrictions as anyone else trying to set up a similar service. Microsoft is just the first to set up a working business model DESPITE the IP restrictions. Just because noone got it working before doesn't mean Microsoft is 'bad' for pulling it off.

    I'm up for Microsoft bashing as much as the next guy, but you're not making sense here.

  24. Re:You're Only Half Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yep, me and the boys are going to pull out the electric guitars and start jamming to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I can see it.

    You are Nigel Tufnel and I claim my Five Pounds.

  25. Re:Public Domain by writermike · · Score: 1

    I'm not going to claim that Pac-Man or Hearts are comparable to Hamlet or to Mozart's Requiem

    Go ahead. It's okay. No one here is going to fault you for it.

    --
    If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
  26. I concur by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've got a Donkey Kong and Two Pac-Man machines taking up space in my living room right now. I've always prided myself on being ahead of the trend-curve - and dammit - I still gots it baby!

    Now I can justify getting 4 more machines to my sig-other. Oh honey? We need to remodel the living room some more - I'm thinking Sinistar and Robotron. Whaddya think? Honey?....Honey?

  27. Its not the same without an aracde stick by jonwil · · Score: 1

    Which is why I love my OzStick :)
    It has a joystick and 9(!) buttons.

  28. Re:You're Only Half Right by suraklin · · Score: 1

    When mp3.com was around in its original incarnation there was an instrumental rock group that did Fugue and Tocatta in D minor along with a bunch of other Bach compositions. They sound great. I think they were calling themselves the JS bach experience.

  29. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  30. gametap anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    errr .. anyone heard of gametap ...

  31. Re:Public Domain by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 1

    As Zippy the Pinhead once said "Utopia isn't all it is cracked up to be, there isn't anything to complain about."

    --
    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  32. Re:You're Only Half Right by RexxFiend · · Score: 1

    there was this lot.

    They were pretty popular in the 80's. A lot of their music was used for TV shows and documentaries. It had a sort of futuristic, electronic feel to it, even though they were all classically trained musicians. They did a great tocatta on the electric guitar.

    --

    A crash reduces
    Your expensive computer
    to a simple stone.
  33. Re:Even the lottery is in on it - a tip and rant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If your choice matters, give the game a try if you want.

    Otherwise lump the game with other 'amusements' like slot machines where your decisionmaking is at the absolute minimum.... :p

    'tis a shame to see PAC-MAN become a shill for the lottery... :p

    Does this have Namco's blessing?

    It was because of all the Pac-Man 'knockoffs' that Midway put out that Namco parted ways with Midway. This whole mess started with MS. PAC-MAN, a bootleg PAC-MAN game that came out that Midway (somehow) got the rights to.

    Too bad. Midway made some *GREAT* (albeit pattern-driven) games in their heyday.... =/

    Read the story on Wikipedia:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man