Arcade Gaming.

[Dave]

OK, so I thought of this after seeing Doc's thread on the WZ arcade. So a shout out goes to him.

With that being said, I must confess something to you guys. I have never, nor will I ever, be a fan of arcade gaming. I don't mean internet games that are marketed as arcade games, I mean physical arcade games. Where you have a huge towering arcade machine before you with a joystick and two red buttons to guide you. I am a gaming fan through and through but I just don't see the draw in these games. Sure, they are convenient and pass some time if you are waiting in an airport or waiting for something. The problem I have is that they are not very fun. Tetris and Pacman are the most common games that you will find on an arcade machine and I have to say that I hate these games with a passion. You can couple this with the most over-rated game. However, arcade games are hugely over-rated also.

The machine games that occupy bowling alleys and airports are just not doing it for me. The problem I have with them is that they are not fun. Is it because I have been spoiled as a gamer with consoles that can pump out huge amounts of physics and graphics but I don't think that is the case. I have never been a fan of arcade games, even at a time when console gaming was much simpler.

However, every cloud has a silver lining and I have found the Silver lining for arcade games. That game is Crazy Taxi.

So, what do you think of arcade games?

 

[The Doctor]

I think arcade games are great fun. However, I play them more for the nostalgia and awesome factor than for the actual games.

It's just a really cool feeling, being surrounded by a beast of a machine with a massive screen in front of you, blowing stuff up or fighting an array of fighters. The games are simple, yet fun. And some arcade games, such as NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, are unavailable on home consoles.

It's more of an atmosphere thing than a gameplay thing. You don't go to arcades for the games; you go for the experience.

 

[Dave]

I think arcade games are great fun. However, I play them more for the nostalgia and awesome factor than for the actual games.

It's just a really cool feeling, being surrounded by a beast of a machine with a massive screen in front of you, blowing stuff up or fighting an array of fighters. The games are simple, yet fun. And some arcade games, such as NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, are unavailable on home consoles.

It's more of an atmosphere thing than a gameplay thing. You don't go to arcades for the games; you go for the experience.

I have to disagree with you and I will try my best to explain to you why.

Firstly, arcade games are all about nostalgia, I get that. The thing is, these games are not superior to the games that you can buy from a shop or arcade games that you can get on a console. I know that the only draw of physical arcade games is the nostalgia and playing something old school. However, is old school really better? I don't think so. I think that the games that are out now, are infinitely better than some of the games that were released back then. So, with that in mind, why play them?

As for the argument about having a beast of a machine in front of you, I am quite sure that my 360 can produce much better games at a much faster rate than an arcade machine can. You can still blow stuff up and fight whatever you want on a games console from this generation. Let me put it you this way, would you rather play Tekken 6, a brand new game that has better graphics, better game play and better all round gaming experience. Or would you rather play the Original Street Fighter. I know what I would rather play anyway.

The atmosphere of an arcade is a bad argument. For example, I can create a much better atmosphere with a few of my friends round, with my 360 hooked up to my 42 inch HD TV and my stereo surround sound hooked up to it. With that in mind, why would you go to an arcade?