London Casino Crew meets (RIP the Arcade)

ill6 · Post by **ill6** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:13 pm

Trocedero is easy to find; go to Picadilly Circus.

tyranid · Post by **tyranid** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:07 pm

Anyone around fancy a game 'n' beer sometime next week (27th May -> 30th) as I have to go into London those days for a training course and no doubt will end up at the Casino Arcade most evenings on the way home

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Sat May 24, 2008 8:53 am

Friday 30th I might be down in the evening to put some more hate into Ibara.

Regs, DEL

Post by **spadgy** » Mon May 26, 2008 12:32 pm

tyranid wrote:Anyone around fancy a game 'n' beer sometime next week (27th May -> 30th) as I have to go into London those days for a training course and no doubt will end up at the Casino Arcade most evenings on the way home

I'd love to do that. Out of the Country 'til Thursday night though, so I'd have to make it Friday too...

mr_m0nks · Post by **mr_m0nks** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:29 pm

argh damn you raiden fighters and strikers 1945 you beat me again!!!!!!

Post by **spadgy** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:29 pm

Any Casinoids up for this? There's an article in The Times next week about the King Of Kong Donkey Kong documentary. Me and two other games 'journalists', are sitting down to watch the movie with a Times journalist, and spouting our mouths off about it as we watch. Then the guy is going to write a feature for the Times will use our rantings as quotes for the article.

They'd also like an ordinary arcade gamer in on it (or Skykid, you could appear in the article as 'freelance games journalist' - it gets your name out there!). We might even meet up at Casino, as it's conveniently located.

I doubt it will be paid, but there will probably be some drinks for us (I hope). It will also have to be an evening, possibly this week or next.

Could be fun, I might be able to negotiate a free press copy of the DVD for you maybe, and you get to be in a national paper as an A1 nerd!

tyranid · Post by **tyranid** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:31 pm

King of Kong is a nice documentary, not something I would watch again though

Post by **spadgy** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:08 pm

Well - Rupert H is doing it with me for now, unless something goes tits up with the date.

And Rupert - the PR lady gave you the thumbs up!

Thanks so much mate...

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:09 pm

I went to Casino for the first time on Thursday, I had a little time to kill while waiting for a train. Ibara was very loud, I was scared and confused.

Tigershark · Post by **Tigershark** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:15 pm

I didn't know about this place. I'll be going but won't tell you what I look like in case you take the piss at my poor skills!

Post by **spadgy** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:29 pm

I've got piss poor skills too! Get down to Casino. If you live in London it's essential for a shooter fan!

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:16 pm

Anyone who was in there on Thursday could have seen my very piss poor Ibara and RFJ skills, curse those empty scoreboards!

Post by **spadgy** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:04 am

Well, me and Rupert H had an unusual night last night thanks to King of Kong. Perhaps this should go in the King of Kong thread but as most of the Casino crew know us I’m sure it will mean more to people here. And there was a Casino based photoshoot, because of how sexy me and Rupert H are.

We went to meet with a journalist at some posh hotel, and watched the documentary, and talk over it and rant, with another friend of mine. The journalist, who was a ‘colourful’ character, took down what we said, and is doing a feature on KoK for a UK national newspaper, using our comments as the qoutes from ‘experts’.

Rupert said some really intelligent things. I talked nonsence. We all swore too much and called loads of characters pricks. Not sure how they will use most of that, but it will be funny to see in a paper.

Before hand, we met with a very nice photographer, who got us to pose all over Casino, for a pic to go with the article. The poses got more and more embarrassing and silly, and the women with the camera even had the courage to lay down on that skanky carpet.

Mr H. Were you secretly enjoying that photography bit? You seemed far more comfortable with it than me!

EDIT: Now we are celebrities, our signatures will be in the trading station for £200 each.

Rupert H · Post by **Rupert H** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:03 pm

Thanks very much for the invite Spadgy! It was a fantastic evening and it was great to hang out with a few beers, a movie and some lively debate. Let me know if anything else like that comes up.

As for the photos... what can I say, the camera loved me

In all seriousness, I really don't enjoy being in front of a camera. I'm willing to do anything however in the name of smack-talking Twin Galaxies in the national press.

Masamune · Post by **Masamune** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:19 am

was pac man craig in casino at the time? coulda interviewd him and asked him to show how DK is really played...

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:43 am

Masamune - Jr Pac Man Craig stays at home these days, he now has a home system. I did drag him and Wayne out to the Donkey Kong Battle Party though. Also met Ash and Marcel there.

Rupert H · Post by **Rupert H** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:26 am

As a matter of interest, what's Craig's score on Donkey Kong? I was trying to find the Japanese high score for the game, but it never seems to be listed anywhere. If it's anything like the disparity between other Japanese/Twin Galaxies scores, that would surely make the whole King of Kong debate null and void.

There's a apparently a site that lists all the Gamest and Arcadia high scores ever printed (URL anyone?), but Donkey Kong is mysteriously missing from the list. Could it be that Japan hasn't beaten the score and is trying to save face by saying they don't compete or is there genuinely no love for DK in Japan?

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:12 pm

Rupert H wrote;

There's a apparently a site that lists all the Gamest and Arcadia high scores ever printed (URL anyone?), but Donkey Kong is mysteriously missing from the list. Could it be that Japan hasn't beaten the score and is trying to save face by saying they don't compete or is there genuinely no love for DK in Japan?

That would be Gemant's Arcadia Record translation. The AIVA ranking list has been taken down by Gemant though.
Old games like DK and Pac Man are not on Gemant's listing. Maybe the Japanese draw a line at 1984...

I also don't know what Craig's kill screen record score was, all I know is that he definitely did it in under two months of play in 1983.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:21 pm

I have the site rip and there aren't very many really old games on the list, the original space invaders isn't there either.

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:08 pm

DEL wrote:Maybe the Japanese draw a line at 1984...

1987

Mills · Post by **Mills** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:35 pm

Masamune wrote:was pac man craig in casino at the time? coulda interviewd him and asked him to show how DK is really played...

hmm, just read an article on bbc.co.uk/news that the console games industry are lacking people/gamers with the right experience for developing the next generation of games titles. Craig's experience could come in handy for a job/career change.

PROMETHEUS · Post by **PROMETHEUS** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:18 pm

Mills wrote:
Masamune wrote:was pac man craig in casino at the time? coulda interviewd him and asked him to show how DK is really played...
hmm, just read an article on bbc.co.uk/news that the console games industry are lacking people/gamers with the right experience for developing the next generation of games titles. Craig's experience could come in handy for a job/career change.

What does Pac Man Craig currently do for a living ?

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:19 pm

^He currently plays Jr Pac Man for a living

.

Yes he needs a career change.

msm · Post by **msm** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:14 pm

i'll be attempting a visit to the arcade tomorrow!

Post by **spadgy** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:09 am

msm wrote:i'll be attempting a visit to the arcade tomorrow!

Damn - I'll be there on Thursday...

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:34 am

I'm there on Thursday too.

Need to tell the arcade owner about his Mum.
If he doesn't buy Tekken 6 and SF4 he'll never get the NeoEmpire crowd back, which basically means a difference of £1,000 per week in video game takings. The guy needs to stop being tight and speculate to accumulate. Otherwise the arcade will fail & close.

msm · Post by **msm** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:13 pm

shame i missed you guys, have fun tomorrow

it was quite a shock how different it is playing on a real arcade machine instead of using a pad and a 14" tv. i'm out of practice and suck at ibara anyway but the screen was so big and close i just couldn't see anything properly, i'm a bit better at mushi but did really badly at that too, my performance was quite frankley pathetic

tried all the other shooters as well but i haven't played them much before so being rubish at them didn't bother me as much.

still it was great to go to an arcade with such cool games

Tigershark · Post by **Tigershark** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:15 pm

I'l be there next week. If you see a suit who's shite. That's me!

Post by **spadgy** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:46 am

msm wrote:shame i missed you guys, have fun tomorrow

it was quite a shock how different it is playing on a real arcade machine instead of using a pad and a 14" tv. i'm out of practice and suck at ibara anyway but the screen was so big and close i just couldn't see anything properly, i'm a bit better at mushi but did really badly at that too, my performance was quite frankley pathetic tried all the other shooters as well but i haven't played them much before so being rubish at them didn't bother me as much.

still it was great to go to an arcade with such cool games

The crossover does take a bit of getting used to, but once you've adjusted to the change it's such an improvement.

I'll see you tonight then DEL. Hopefully your efforts with Casino's illustrious owner will be fruitful!

Hope to see you there next week then. If you know what day you're in let us know

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:53 am

Yeah I'll see you tonight spadgy. I've started up a thread on NeoEmpire about my efforts with John. Hopefully I'll catch him tonight. I've printed off a pic of the arcade when it was madly busy (last year), to show him what he's currently missing.

msm wrote;

it was quite a shock how different it is playing on a real arcade machine instead of using a pad and a 14" tv.

As for playing on a large close-up screen in an arcade, it is indeed a big change from home play, but once you adjust you can play better on a cab, trust me.

shmups.system11.org

London Casino Crew meets (RIP the Arcade)

!

HUGO