STGs in arcades - No place for them anymore?

[gs68]

As much as I enjoy playing shmups in arcades, I fear that the future of arcades (if you can even call it a future considering the scene is dying out around the world) holds no place for shmups.

Whenever I walk into arcades, the games that garner the most play are usually rhythm games and fighting games. Even at arcades that pander to players that do care about arcades, they aren't exactly profit material. At the now-gone Southtown Arcade, I never saw anyone play Border Down for more than three minutes. (Then again, it's fucking Border Down. Also Ikaruga and Fast Striker appeared there, though neither game lasted as long.) At GameCenter, there's maybe all of three people I know, myself included, who play the only shmup there (Ibara KBL); everyone else is either playing fighting games or Gundam vs. Gundam. Finally, at SJSU, where I attend, there is an arcade with a wall of fighting games, some music games, some driving games, NFL Blitz, Time Crisis 4, Tetris: The Grand Master 2 Plus, and a single shmup: Espgaluda II. Along with TGM2+, Esp2 seems to be the least-used cabinet there, with only one person (that I've seen) making serious attempts at playing regularly, much less for score.

Fighting games have the advantage of being highly competitive--you can play fighting games online, but that comes with latency and (if you are using XBLA) a paid subscription, and even then that can't replicate an in-person fighting game scene and the social aspects of it. Rhythm games have the advantage of ever-growing songlists with every new installment, gimmicks that are expensive or impossible to recreate accurately at home (Pop'n Music's massive controller, Technika's multitouch screen, panel-stomping games like DDR, ITG, and Pump It Up). Yet shmups bear none of these advantages: the community is far and few, tournaments do not exist outside of the occasional shmupmeet (doesn't help that score attacking shmups, due to its single-player nature, is not exactly arcade tourney material to begin with), and it's possible to fully enjoy a shmup at home with a good pad or any kind of arcade stick.

Even compared to the genre's cousin, light gun games, which tend to be your usual fare in Family Fun Centers™, shmups have less appeal to your average layman or kid walking into an arcade, as they are the sort of games that go into standard cabinets rather than the extravagant $1-per-credit cabs that are inhabited by gun games. Suppose we put an upright with a random quality shmup near or next to something like Operation GHOST or Razing Storm, which is not an unlikely possibility (barring the fact that shmups in arcades are rare these days). Guess which game wins?

I fear that as a result, having shmups in arcades these days is rather impractical; all they do is take up a cabinet space that could be used for more lucrative games like more fighting games, sitting there eating electricity and earning maybe 3-4 USD a day (assuming one credit = 0.25 USD, thankfully the norm in arcades like GC).

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. If you truly believe shmups still belong in arcades and aren't just space-wasters, please feel free to prove me wrong, because that is exactly what I want. I would like to think that shmups can be worth having in an arcade, but as it stands I feel that the arcade scene these days is not for people who don't play music games or fighting games, with STG cabs, especially here in the West, having no place to go but into storage units and collectors' homes.

[Eaglet]

Put in Futari BL and hear the kaching kaching.
First hand experience.
DFK BL works wonders too.
Everything with a lot of flashing lights and gold. Pachinko style!

[moh]

stgs in arcades?

there are barely any arcades.. :[

[gs68]

Put in Futari BL and hear the kaching kaching.
First hand experience.
DFK BL works wonders too.
Everything with a lot of flashing lights and gold. Pachinko style!

Fun fact: Facebook HQ has a Futari BL machine. Or at least had at some point; not sure if its status now.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 2307_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 8920_n.jpg

stgs in arcades?

there are barely any arcades.. :[

Indeed; your average family center is more likely to get deluxe cabs of F&F and Big Buck Safari (if they do exist) than get something like even Raiden II or DoDonPachi these days.

[spadgy]

Our local arcade (Casino Leisure in central London) just got tonnes of cabs taken out to be replaced by pool tables. Almost the only regulars at the arcade are the London Shmups Forum lot (big up Team Casino!), and yet still the owners removed almost all the shmups. I guess passing traffic visitors still prefer fighters.

[KAI]

Some ideas:
*More Lolis
*More bullets and flashy lights
*Heavy metal music
*spread the rumor that Shmups players fuck a lot

[gs68]

Our local arcade (Casino Leisure in central London) just got tonnes of cabs taken out to be replaced by pool tables. Almost the only regulars at the arcade are the London Shmups Forum lot (big up Team Casino!), and yet still the owners removed almost all the shmups. I guess passing traffic visitors still prefer fighters.

Oof. Well, not like I'll be going to London anytime in the next year anyway (as much as I'd love to).

[moh]

Some ideas:
*More Lolis

this will bring in business?

[AntiFritz]

Put in Futari BL and hear the kaching kaching.
First hand experience.
DFK BL works wonders too.
Everything with a lot of flashing lights and gold. Pachinko style!

Fun fact: Facebook HQ has a Futari BL machine. Or at least had at some point; not sure if its status now.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 2307_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 8920_n.jpg

stgs in arcades?

there are barely any arcades.. :[

Indeed; your average family center is more likely to get deluxe cabs of F&F and Big Buck Safari (if they do exist) than get something like even Raiden II or DoDonPachi these days.

Doesn't a forum member work at facebook though?

[gs68]

Some ideas:
*More Lolis
*More bullets and flashy lights
*Heavy metal music
*spread the rumor that Shmups players fuck a lot

More lolis, debatable. Maybe amongst people who play stuff like Arcana Heart.

Heavy metal, of course, though that implies people can hear the music over all the explosions and bombspamming.

More bullets, I'm not so sure of that. Danmaku is aesthetically pleasing, I'll give it that, but most people, especially those whose experience of shmups amounts to a few videos on YouTube, have been conditioned to think that even T**h** on Easy is much harder than Raiden II or R-Type on hardest.

[redfield0009]

Hell I'm still trying to find a local arcade. Finding one that has a STG here will be impossible. I took a trip down to Austin earlier this year to check out UFO arcade. The place was as big as my apartment and only had one STG (DDP DFK 1.5). Every other cab was dedicated to fighters, and they mainly had xbox 360s in them with timer boards. No one played DDP the entire time I was there besides myself. I'm still saving up for the day when I can take a trip to Japan and walk into an arcade with floors dedicated to different genres of games.

If arcades were still profitable then I'd seriously think of opening one up. I'd have sections dedicated to genres (STG, Fighters, Run n Gun, Light Gun, Racing), there would be bar food and drinks, and a wall of flat screens at the main entrance that would display the various games running to get people in the door. The only place in Texas where that might work is in Austin off 6th.

[Skykid]

Happy to disappoint you all. I got arcades and shmups coming out of my ass at the moment.



http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... start=3510

[x91]

My English might not allow me to express my ideas on this subject precisely, but from my understanding, this is inevitable. People have more ways of amusement nowadays, who would like to invest pockets of coins and a large amount of time to practice shmups, for what? Glory? the satisfication of self perfection? Nah, ordinary guys just turn around and have their fun easier.

It's hard time for shmups now, and it will keep this way, if not dead.

I hope it can get better but, for me all I hope is that I can clear that damn Ketsui before that cab disappears.

[DrTrouserPlank]

Happy to disappoint you all. I got arcades and shmups coming out of my ass at the moment.



http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... start=3510

Doesn't look much like that shitty arcade at the bottom of West Street.

I'm going to assume this must be somewhere in Japan or possibly even another as yet unnamed planet?

[trap15]

CHINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[MintyTheCat]

Our local arcade (Casino Leisure in central London) just got tonnes of cabs taken out to be replaced by pool tables. Almost the only regulars at the arcade are the London Shmups Forum lot (big up Team Casino!), and yet still the owners removed almost all the shmups. I guess passing traffic visitors still prefer fighters.

yes, that irritated me too... I was back in the UK around Halloween and went to Casino-Arcade especially - they had Progear-arashi and that was about all.... For God's Sake, you cannot do this as the Shmuppers are important Arcaders! I was mighty pissed when they took tatsujin-ou out and dogyuun. Then they take out the dodonpachi Shmups. I check each Time I am around but I won't think 'ah, fuck it I'll just be happy to play King of Fighters...' - we want Shmups if you are reading this, Casino-Arcade...

[Hagane]

The problem is, a good STG player makes the credits last more. Good fighting game players make the credits last less, meaning more money for the owner.

That said, there's no place for arcades anymore. Sadly, consoles have killed them in the West and are doing the same in the East. Skill based games have been losing ground to cinematic "games" for a good while.

[beatsgo]

Put in Futari BL and hear the kaching kaching.
First hand experience.
DFK BL works wonders too.
Everything with a lot of flashing lights and gold. Pachinko style!

Fun fact: Facebook HQ has a Futari BL machine. Or at least had at some point; not sure if its status now.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 2307_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 8920_n.jpg

stgs in arcades?

there are barely any arcades.. :[

Indeed; your average family center is more likely to get deluxe cabs of F&F and Big Buck Safari (if they do exist) than get something like even Raiden II or DoDonPachi these days.

Doesn't a forum member work at facebook though?

From the "Show them if you've got them - Candy cabs"

[shmuppyLove]

I think the difference between fightans and shootans is: you can suck at fightans and still have fun.

Sucking at STGs is not fun.

[Ed Oscuro]

I think the difference between fightans and shootans is: you can suck at fightans and still have fun.

Sucking at STGs is not fun.

This makes sense; however, it is easier to be suck at fightans than it is to be reasonably competent shootan playar, and when you play even competently at shotanz then you can have more fun

Fightan routine play session: Credit in, knock down a few bad guys, get juggled game over man.

[KAI]

It's the otherwise
When I play shootans I don't care if I do a shitty run, but I fucking hate to lose at fightans.

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

Losing bad at fighting games is the worst. At least with a shmup I can usually get past the first few levels. Some people are so good at fighting games there is no point in even playing against them.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I think games like racers & lightgun games will always be more 'accessible' than shmups are, mostly due to how driving is fairly common and how lightgun games have simple mechanics (point 'n shoot, reload).

Shmups, unfortunately, are unlikely to ever replace fighting games as the popular genre. They don't require precision or learning the mechanics to feel fun as you can just blindly button mash (and the cpu AI for the first few stages is usually set to lose to you even if you do that).

[Mortificator]

I don't think that's the cause. Fighters supplanted brawlers as the most popular arcade genre, even though brawlers are more mashtastic.

I got arcades and shmups coming out of my ass at the moment.

Your ass has never been so appealing.

[AntiFritz]

Weren't fighting games slowly dying out before the resurgence with sf4?

[trap15]

Yes.

[Despatche]

if you're seriously worried about the logistics of running an arcade, then it must be understood that there's almost no point in having one at all now

they work in asia. that's really all that can be said.

Weren't fighting games slowly dying out before the resurgence with sf4?

fighting games were either dead after super turbo dropped, or dead after cvs2 and mvc2 dropped; pick one

[Skykid]

I got arcades and shmups coming out of my ass at the moment.

Your ass has never been so appealing.

I took this hot piece of sex just for cj iwakura to masturbate over:

[AntiFritz]

But that's not fumiko.

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

I'm always amazed when I see a shmup arcade cab in wild. Coolest one I've ever seen was a dedicated Zero Gunner 1. Spotted a Donpachi, Raiden Fighters Jet, and a Batsugun once also. Most of the time around here it's just one of the Aero Fighters games in a neglected Neo Geo.