Wally
Retired Admin
- Joined
- 19 Ιαν 2006
- Μηνύματα
- 25.854
- Αντιδράσεις
- 4.542
Διερωταται το αρθρο στο τελευταιο Τ3...
ΠηγηWill 2009 be the year of the arcade?
Remember the arcade?
If you havenʼt paid a visit to Londonʼs Namco Station or one of the new breed of uber-arcades recently, then mention of the arcade is likely to trigger rose-tinted memories of button-bashing Konamiʼs original ʽTrack and Fieldʼ or greedily feeding twenty pence pieces into a SEGA OutRun machine at some fleapit fun-palace in Cleethorpes or Southend.
You may also be surprised to hear that the UK arcade scene is far from dead. Ubiquitous home console gaming, far from killing off the arcade, has given it a new lease of life. Though editor of arcade trade newsletter the Stinger Report, Kevin Williams, does agree the age of the single arcade is over, telling T3 that: “The market now represents 'public space' gaming - game experiences in hardware unachievable at home.
“This means motion, big display, unique interfaces and tournament networking for prizes. With this in mind the new developers for 2009 fall into three camps - 'mid-size attractions', 'pure arcade play' and 'gaming terminals'.”
One of the most popular 'mid-size attractions' set to be on show at next monthʼs ATEI arcade trade show in London is bound to be SEGAʼs 'HUMMER' – a humungous 4x4 racer using full motion cabinets and featuring a unique two player driver swapping feature.
"I mean, where else can you take part in a fully realistic Hummer race with four of your mates?" asks SEGA Amusements General Sales Manager, Justin Burke.
Other lesser-known arcade developers such as TrioTech will be showing off such eye-poppingly, body-shaking delights as the 'UFO Stomper' (featuring an interactive floor display) and the epic 'Typhoon' motion simulator cabinet, which goes so far as to simulate effects such as wind, putting you in the game like never before.
”Simulators are proving a big draw to interactive amusement,” agrees Kevin Williams. “SEGA have their 'Mini Rider II' platform that, like the Typhoon, offers film ride experiences with intense motion effects. And another capsule simulator from the UK is the FX Simulator 'X2' platform offering intense motion action with 4D effects.”
Guitar Hero Arcade
T3 is already giddily overexcited about the arrival of 'Guitar Hero Arcade' in the UK next month. An intriguing development of Konamiʼs original 'Guitar Freak' title - unarguably, the game that kicked off our recent love of the virtual air guitar.
Prefer some old school arcade action? Kevin Williams recommends Namco Bandai Gamesʼ 2-player shooter 'Razing Storm' - based on PS3 hardware – which in his opinion, “offers the biggest gun game action for some time, with vibrating machine pistols for the player and ultra-destructible levels.”
Thereʼs also some meaty motorbike games set to rock the arcade in 2009. “SEGAʼs 'Harley Davidson's King of Harley' and Namcoʼs 'NIRIN' urban street bike racer, hope to win the battle,” says Williams.
"ATEI is always a great show and it proves that the arcades are just as important and more popular than ever,” says SEGAʼs Justin Burke. “The arcade always offers that little bit of ʽextra magicʼ when compared with the home console experience. The arcade scene is thriving. And thankfully (for us!) despite the current economic climate good operators will find the budget to invest in good equipment"
Konami, one of the other Japanese arcade giants exhibiting at ATEI in January, will be showing off a number of new cabinets, including DDR X (the latest outing in the Dance Dance Revolution series), GTi Club super mini fiesta, the aforementioned Guitar Hero arcade, U Beat and the rather unimaginatively titled ʽCastlevania the Arcadeʼ (fire that translator!), with plenty more arcade goodness to be announced over the coming weeks.
Finally, of course, an array of ever-more-impressive car racing games is set to appear next year, from the latest in SEGAʼs (hardcore favourite) Initial D series, through to Namcoʼs new Maximum Tune, US developers Raw Thrills latest version of their custom street racers, and Global VR's 'Need for Speed Carbon'.
Τhe Stinger Report man teases T3 with talk of “a brand new concept in game platforms for public space in 2009” debuting at ATEI, “with the first 'Game Gate UV' cabinets on display that bring consumer gaming into a Pay-for-Time package.”
He adds that a number of major arcade players “have signed up to support a machine, which opens a brand new chapter in the amusement industries history.”
Intriguing stuff, weʼre sure youʼll agree. Watch out for T3ʼs full ATEI show report from Londonʼs Earls Court in late January to find out more. Or, even better, why not head down to your local arcade the next time youʼre in town. You actually donʼt realise what youʼre missing!