General Arcade & Retro Chat' Special Championship Edition

geotrig

Whats the Moto gp vr like ive seen bits about over the year and wondered if it would be any good ? A lot of the ff and and the likes leave me very cold and aren't a patch on some older games ,that been said from the pics I've seen from EAG like you say there seems to be a few video arcades back this year and some interesting machines which is good.

dav09

Yeah Moto GP was extremely busy, snapped a quick pick on the way out but was one of the only video arcade machines I didn't get to play but looks decent for sure. I played Storm Rider 2 DX which is a decent bike simulator but the motion left a lot to be desired.

I have to say the new F&F has to be one of the worst games I've played, really didn't like it but maybe they'll patch it (like they did with the newish Sega Daytona 3). Most drivers now are 10-20k and Dlx versions are 20-50k so they're really enormous investments for any arcade now. It feels like they're all hoping the price a lot (more than current inflation) so I would say they're definitely pricing out a lot of places.

The new dead heath felt okay, I had a low bar going in considering the first was one of the worst games Ive played and the NFS is actually decent too. VR Agent is surprisingly good too.

Inviere

Maybe I'm yelling at a cloud here, but looking at those modern machines does very little for me...theyre all soul-less off the shelf pc's in boxes with fancy lights on them. It's cool to see places trying to preserve the arcade experience and credit to them for doing it, but are kids today actually wowed by these games as we were back in the day?

It's likely the console they got for Christmas is ten times more powerful than any of these machines, whereas arcade games used to offer an experience that was vastly superior to home ports etc

o1s1n

The overuse of lights kill them for me too, Bray Bowl is full of machines like that now and they wouldn't really appeal to me at all. (I suppose I'm not the target audience anymore!)

I think it might be down to the fact that as you said, their consoles/PCs at home are potentially offering a more powerful gaming experience, the only thing that you can't really get at home is the machine itself - So they're tarting them up now to almost look like fairground rides with lights etc as the drawing in factor.

geotrig

The overuse of light and overlybig brash machines is an added extra to draw the youth I'd say like it was to draw us in back in the day !! just a bit more garish these days :P in alot of cases although its a generic enough pc its mostly high enough spece and your home pc doesnt come with the added peripherals that these run in so there will always be a draw alot of the big dlx will always draw people but well arcade dont make as much and pricing is still mad ! there is still interesting machines coming out but a lot og gash as well. sstepmaniax , motogp vr and storm rider looked ok but judging by dav review it was average.

dav09

I actually like the design of some cabs, the new Stepmania DX looks wow! Has crazy LEDs but it's leaps and bounds above let's say DDR Euromix and has much better gameplay too. But certainly some cabinets have just gotten lazy and seemingly just slapped LEDs all over them. Partially the reason I believe not only do they get played more but arcades now are very focused on looking well due to Instagram and Tik Tok, some new UK modern arcades live off people making content there apparently, which is bizarre.

The main issue is gameplay. I can't figure why, it's always been the way I suppose but more so lately. Games have been dumbed down to the point where a lot of machines just have one button. And games that used to have rubber banding to keep it even now are even more dumbed down to where they feel like they're on rails, i.e. a driver that feels like a rail shooter so you have little input.

Japan is a difference kettle of fish, what's amazing is the likes of Pacman Battle Royale, USA and Export Romsets are totally different and they location tested both in different locations in both Japan and USA and they seen the dumbed down one did way better in USA and the more complicated and competitive one did way better in Japan. The exact same with HOTD, two different games completely. There's tonnes of really cool Japanese games still coming out, if you ever get a chance to visit a Japanese arcade (there's probably 10 or so in Europe) definitely do as they're latest releases are super like Initial D The Arcade, Wacca, Dancerush, Wangan Midnight 6, that new point blank.

There's definitely a few new releases in the west that are cool but unfortunately some of them are just dumbed down to the point where they're not enjoyable.

It was shocking the watch the goings on at level up at times lol. A lot of young people really don't get arcade machines, obviously lots do too. But the likes of a credit button now is too much for a lot of people on Time Crisis or Outrun 2. I've seen definitely 20+ times people not understanding Pinballs, keep pressing the top button on modern sterns rather, looking at me trying to figure out how I'm actually playing this game or figuring if the game is broke before walking away. The same with anything else with more than one button it seems, the amount of times I've had people shout at me that games were broken was nuts only to show them that they weren't pressing the right buttons, so I can see where these modern arcade development have come down. I suppose machines now need to feel like an experience that's not like anything you can play on console i.e. unique controls as yeah they're mostly just PCs inside them (and even one big new one has just an android box in it lol).

DaveyDave

Modern games seem very commercial and soulless. When I was in Orlando there was a lot of small arcades around the resorts and theme parks, the likes of Angry Birds, Fast & Furious stuff. Modern Pac Man or Space Invaders that are nothing like the real games. All very gimmicky. I'm happy to have played OutRun 2 SP at Atari Expo in The Square, around 2007? (Think it was called fun expo by then). Bray Bowl had the sit down HotD2 when I was there around 2015.

You're not gonna see the newest House of the Dead or Maximum Tune 6 in these arcades. My knowledge of modern games is nonexistent but the common newer machines definitely seem very flashy/showy for games with no substance.

For me, something like Elevator Action is the kind of gimmick I want and it's why I love arcades. Big machine, something I can't replicate at home. If I ever won the lotto it would have a place next to my array of HotD machines :)

Considering anything 2005+ is basically a basic PC it's a shame there's no modern ports especially given the state of arcades these days. Going through some old photos last night I had a picture of when I got a PS3 in 2014 just to play HotD4. I didn't see the actual machine until the same year at the arcade beside Cineworld. But outside of that, it's not on PS4/PS5/PC etc. No sign of Scarlet Dawn coming to any home consoles. I wish they were more accessible, I'm happy Teknoparrot supports modern games.

I tell ya, I got super giddy and excited when I saw HotD4 in person. Also very surprised to see Silent Hill The Arcade randomly in Portaventura a few years back.

geotrig

I agree and witH you on the soulless aspect of a few titles as dav said the on rails feel dont help these games either ,1 or 2 it kinda works because of the experience but anyway there really is some great big dlx machines still out there and still hold that aura of what arcades machines are all about .

I'll tell you bitd there was people not impressed when sf2 came out with its gimmicky 6 buttons 😂 and thought daytona was a bit flashy as with its bit lit up marquees !! at least the game play won some of these over but the 6 buttons I tell you was and is still unnecessary to some ! :p

Retr0gamer

I moved to Gorey recently and one of the first things I did was head to courtown to check the arcades. Fondly remember spending an entire week as an arcade rat, probably 1993 as MK2 and samurai shodown were new.

I found one cabinet of outrun 2 with the second player wheel broken.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120101735#Comment_120101735

Regardless of flashing lights or buttons bitd, the gameplay was what made or broke the success of a machine. I'd probably agree that SF2 etc really didn't need medium power kick/punch buttons, though at that, you don't have to use them and the gameplay isn't affected either way.

Same with the likes of Daytona, the DX was a flashy cab but the gameplay itself was what won people over. As opposed to the FF drivers today, the whole approach relies on the lights and flashing, with the gameplay being absolutely nothing a cheap console game can't easily surpass.

dav09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120101735#Comment_120101735

For sure, and actually sometimes a DLX cabinets will make a mediocre game good lol. Asphalt 9 is an okay game at its core, but the motion of it in it's deluxe form factor actually makes it super good, I believe there's one at Funtasia in Ireland and that's about it, but it's insanely fun. And there wont be much more of them around as it's a crazy price. Yeah some work and are okay, but mostly I think just the standard rail shooters (Time Crisis, HOTD, and actually one I really enjoyed recently is Sega Golden Gun, not sure if there's any cabs over here seems super rare) seem to really work best on the 'on-rails' formula, I much preferred when games felt like you were actually in control even if they had rubberbanding lol.

I think it's like anything new really people have to adapt, I used to hate many new games at one stage and can see a lot of people write off the likes of rhythm games because they're too flashy and not in a usual formfactor, but many are actually quite fun. Lol that's crazy though I never really thought of that yeah, I suppose it probably depends what era you grew up in too and what you were used to. I can only imagine if one of those folks who don't like too many buttons and cabs being too flashy seen a cabinet like Wacca lol (of which there'll soon be one in Ireland).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kze57O5TBwY

geotrig

wheres the wacca going ?

Mr.Saturn

Is there still a little arcade inside Cineworld Parnell itself beside the screens on the top floor? I vaguely remember it still being there.

dav09

Ah don't think I'm allowed to say yet lol but somewhere not too far from you, but will be mostly modern stuff due to location but nothing redemption, along the lines of stuff like Injustice, Moto GP, jap stuff, etc. to be announced soon.

And last time I was there by Cineworld it was but that was 2 years ago, had a Star Wars Battle Pod.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103032#Comment_120103032

That's been closed since the pandemic. It probably won't be reopened until they eventually finish the refit, all the taps aren't in use in the bar due to it too. The only game playable in there at the moment is the Star Wars pod in the foyer.

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103752#Comment_120103752

Is the bar closed or are they just not offering draught booze?

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103776#Comment_120103776

No draught until after the refit, over priced bottles only. A pity as it was the cheapest place for a pint in Dublin, doubly so with the 20% discount from the Unlimited card.

CiDeRmAn

I had a nice half hour of Raiden DX on my own cab today, and I was thinking there are some great console/pc titles that would work really well on a cab.

I've tried Super Hexagon on it in the past, when I had a pc in there, and it is stunning on the big CRT.

I must try Gridrunner++ and Tempest 2k as well, I imagine Minters games would be a natural fit.

o1s1n

Has anyone bought an Everdrive from Krikzz recently? Really want to upgrade my stone age Mega Everdrive to the new Pro version so I can play some Mega CD games. Retr0 I think you had some issues with a shipment of them a while ago?

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120106109#Comment_120106109

The issues I had was ordering a week before that potato headed nazi **** decided to invade. They actually did send the everdrives out but An Post did their usual **** and since there was no VAT code on the package sent it back to a warzone. I think they did get them back and gave me a refund.

Krizz is in Spain now and manufacturing there so should be no issue but I'd remind him about the VAT code. Even with a war going on Krizz did everything right and had great customer service, it was An Post that fucked everything up.

o1s1n

Thanks! Yeah I was thinking that might have been the cause of your issue. That's great to hear that he's in Spain now, will go ahead and order one on payday.

Finally get get thumb out and play through Snatcher!

Steve X2

Just to add to this. I think An Post might have relaxed their requirements for stuff coming in from Ukraine recently. I had stuff ship from Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk over to me here and they didn't have any real information on them and they sailed on through the An Post gauntlet.

Most of what I had coming in were second hand books and that sort of thing(and marked as such). Maybe there's different rules for that? Dunno :0/

Very weird and sad to be buying up old Ukrainian books and stuff for the family here in case that other mad yolk turn's then all to dust in the future(my partner is Ukrainian and the kids are of course a 50/50 mix of Irish and Ukrainian).

McDermotX

Lads, I think some manufacturing and shipping (at least on some products) still happens in Ukraine.

Haven't ordered from the lad in years, but I know a fella who's been tracking an order direct from Krikzz since early Dec and that definitely shipped via Ukraine - for a N8 Pro IIRC . I guess its possible Krikzz could be shipping certain products from Spain, or at least passing on stuff coming into European distributors if hes based there now. Re: the Mega Pro, who knows ? Probably more info on the Everdrive forum or twitter or whatever, but don't have a presence on either personally.

Likes of Dragonbox would be ideal if they had the cart in stock, cause at least that way, you'd only get stung on the shipping, as opposed to duty getting it from distributors in the UK (Retrotowers for example).

Just passing the info anyway, be great if he was shipping from within the EU.

Inviere

I could be completely wrong here, but I could have sworn I read he was back in Ukraine? Again, I could be wrong here but I'm not certain about Spain shipping at the moment...

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120110959#Comment_120110959

I think he is in Spain with the family but the guys that work for him have the manufacturing up and running again. Apparently one of the universities took all their gear and held on to it. They are based around Sumy so it's relatively quiet there. Krizz is doing prototyping from Spain and some manufacturing but the bulk is in Ukraine.

DaveyDave

On the topic of post apparently Royal Mail aren't taking international parcels due to a glitch. 2 of the 4 parcels I ordered 2 weeks ago haven't shown up and one I ordered this week was rejected.

Jack burton

Parcel motel stopping at the end of the month too

End of an era. I must have gotten hundreds of stuff from the UK delivered to my locker here

The Last Bandit

Parcel Motel completely closing ? Was still handy of moving stuff around Ireland.

Sorely missed alright, buying from the UK is a total disaster now..

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114621#Comment_120114621

So sad to see them go alright, they really were borked by Brexit. Absolute golden age of buying stuff from the UK!

Was it yourself that knew someone who had them bring over an engine? 😂 They transported a few CRTs for me no bother.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114868#Comment_120114868

Indeed they were great. Tended to use Parcel Wizard more later on though as they had less of an issue with large packages. It also helped that the local DPD depot was significantly closer than the nearest Parcel Motel location if I couldn't get it delivered to the house.