Two very different reactions to shmups

[Rupert H]

Yeah, I've got to admit I was pretty ignorant of Casino's existence until Namco closed down so I guess I missed the boat on the golden age of arcade shooting action. I did all my shmupping at home on the Mega Drive and Saturn and I was much more focused on fighting games when it came to arcades.

I guess this "golden age" is highly subjective and dependant heavily on your preferred genre. I can't see many beat'em up fans looking back fondly on their favourite genre, pre-'92, but I've got to agree that that's when creativity hit a nose dive as Japanese developers tried to recreate SFIIs success.

[Chi_Ryu]

The London Namco Wonderpark.

Gt. Windmill Street...?

By 1992 most non-London arcades had closed, and the only place that had games were things like Laser Quest/Quasar and the odd video games store (my local in Reading's Harris Arcade had a Street Fighter II cab not long after release - used to head there after school for a sesh), as well as travelling fairgrounds.

Around 1993-4, bowling alleys (Superbowl and other chains) seemed to gain more machines, too. They (bowling alleys) hit a high point around '96 or '97, when they had a wide variety of different games (including Bishi Bashi ;p). This sems to have contracted a lot for most places, so all that is left in the main is driving games and shooters, and AWPs/SWPs.

[FIL]

The seaside and holidary camps were an exception. Blackpool and (to a lesser extent) Morecambe, kept a good variety of games well into the late 90s.

I can't speak for Blackpool but Morecambe is pretty dreadful for arcades now, its all gambling machines in most places. There are a couple of good machines dotted about the place but nothing really modern except for the usual scally favourites, Initial D, Wangan Midnight, DDR and Fighting Mania.

[spadgy]

The seaside and holidary camps were an exception. Blackpool and (to a lesser extent) Morecambe, kept a good variety of games well into the late 90s.

I can't speak for Blackpool but Morecambe is pretty dreadful for arcades now, its all gambling machines in most places. There are a couple of good machines dotted about the place but nothing really modern except for the usual scally favourites, Initial D, Wangan Midnight, DDR and Fighting Mania.

Ditto for Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne - that entire stretch of coast...

Maybe if cheap flight never happened (I don't mean budget flight - just affordable) we'd still all holiday on our own coasts and arcades would still be popular! Reckon that's probably an overly optimistic view...

[doctorx0079]

The number one reason the arcades died is because you can have a similar experience at home. You can even play over the internet now, imagine that.

I suspect arcades will come back once volumetric ("holographic") displays become practical. It will be a while before you can have one in your home, and people will pay for the novelty again, especially young men.

William Gibson's short story Dogfight is about something like this.

Right now volumetric displays are being used for promoting things, but they aren't practical for interactive applications yet.

[spadgy]

The number one reason the arcades died is because you can have a similar experience at home.

You're of course right that that is the reason, but of course it's quite ridiculous that people think they can have the same experience at home. I'd argue that even with a cab or two at home it's not quite the same as going out, meeting people, the noise, crowd at your shoulder etc. etc...

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm gonna guess that volumetric displays (assuming such things will be all that great compared to wall-to-wall surround displays) won't be expensive long enough for arcade manufacturers to make a big gamble on them before they are cheap enough for home use.

Also, arcade games do allow for internet play, if a connection is available in the area (actually a pretty big "if" since arcade machines are traditionally designed to be able to be placed most anywhere).

[DEL]

spadgy wrote;

I'd argue that even with a cab or two at home it's not quite the same as going out, meeting people, the noise, crowd at your shoulder etc. etc...

Yes, playing them at home is no substitute for going out and meeting people.
I go stir crazy when I stay at home too long. Gotta get out.

doctorx0079 wrote;

...can even play over the internet now, imagine that.

I'm hearing that a number of people are experiencing abuse/racism during online play...