I had never played a shmup in an arcade until today

[janrodricks]

Me and my friend figured we'd go check out the arcade at the MIT student center to see if it was any good. It wasn't...but they had Strikers 1945 (although the cabinet said 'Raiden DX'...). It was pretty fun - I put a couple dollars of quarters into it. My hand hurt alot, ha

[theevilfunkster]

Until last February when i went to Disneyland Paris, I hadn't played a shmup in the arcades since the early 90s. There's loads of arcades where i live but they've all replaced the arcade machines with gambling machines. I might make another trip to Paris to play that Raiden Fighters arcade.

[Badaro]

It's been quite a while for me too... last ones I remember playing in a real arcade were Aero Fighters 2 and Blazing Star.

Recently a large arcade opened in my city, but it has NO shmups. The closest thing they have is Galaga.

[]s Badaro

[icycalm]

In the Akihabara Don Quixote, on the 7th floor, they have all the games on freeplay. You just pay 400 yen ($4) per hour and play anything you want. Even Outrun 2!

Lots of shmups of course. I was playing Espgaluda the other day.

[SheSaidDutch]

I've never played a shmup in an arcade

I only ever saw fighters and racers back inthe 90's

[jp]

I've played Ghost Pilot and a couple other shmups in arcades back in the 90s. I think I recall playing R-Type at a Wal-Mart during that time.


But other than that... nothing.

[janrodricks]

In the Akihabara Don Quixote, on the 7th floor, they have all the games on freeplay. You just pay 400 yen ($4) per hour and play anything you want. Even Outrun 2!

Lots of shmups of course. I was playing Espgaluda the other day.

Whoa. That sounds awesome

[Molloy]

There were three Raiden cabs in my town in the early 90's. There was also an Air Buster in a nearby village.

I think there probably isn't a single shmup in the whole of Ireland and this stage. The arcades here are appaling.

They're even getting hard to find in London. Casino has Raiden Fighter and Funland has Raiden 2 and Strikers 1945. I've heard they've been getting some of the newer Cave shmups now though. Must pop over for the weekend sometime.

[yojo!]

the disaperance of arcade places made me buy 2 cabs and many PCBs.

[professor ganson]

Me and my friend figured we'd go check out the arcade at the MIT student center to see if it was any good. It wasn't...but they had Strikers 1945 (although the cabinet said 'Raiden DX'...). It was pretty fun - I put a couple dollars of quarters into it. My hand hurt alot, ha

Strikers 1945 Plus is the only shmup I've played in the arcade since 1982 or so when Galaga and Centipede were my favorites. Defender was also very fun back in the day, but not a good value because I couldn't live more than a minute or so, as I recall.
Playing Strikers 1945 in 2004 didn't quite compare to playing Galaga, Space Invaders, and Asteroids back in the early '80s, but it was still very fun.

[Fighter17]

Around my city, there is Aero Fighters 2, and that's it.

[janrodricks]

I'm sure there's got to be at least one DECENT arcade in all of Boston. And I'm going to find it goddamnit haha

My friend said there used to be a sweet arcade in Chinatown, but it got closed down

[dementia]

Last Shmup I played in an arcade was Raiden Fighters in January.

[iatneH]

Congrats and welcome!

Must have felt weird using an arcade stick, huh? But keep at it, you'll be much better with it soon!

[BrianC]

The last shmup I played in an arcade was 1942, but it was actually fairly recent when played it.

[GaijinPunch]

I guess I was really spoiled. I could walk to a number of arcades that between them had pretty much all the Cave shmups, and a lot of other hot shit. Of course, now I'm stuck in sticks.

[DEL]

I realise that due to my geographical location & age that I'm a rare beast. I've always had arcades with shoot'em ups in my town, even today.

I'm also fully aware that this is not so for over 90% of the members of this forum & click-stick.com.

I've spent a lot of happy hours in the arcades with my buddies over the years. So, unlike many people, my natural habitat is the arcade. For instance, despite having Border Down on my DC, I still did almost all my play & practice in the arcade.

So....with the fact that arcades with 2D shoot'em ups are extremely rare nowadays, I'm curious to know what forum members would do if faced with one in their locality?

Here's a hypothetical situation:-

"Let's say; a new arcade opens up within a 10 mile radius of your house/flat/castle. It has cabs with Mushihimesama, Giga Wing Generations, Strikers 1999, 1945, 1945 Plus, Progear, Raiden Fighters Jet, Night Raid & some oldies like Zed Blade, Gemini Wing & Prehistoric Isle I"

Would You?

1. Visit the arcade regularly with like-minded buddies.

Or Would You?

2. Choose to stay at home alone, playing on console & mame.

[ill6]

Good question:

I would go and play on the arcade to show support for them when I had a spare half hour *and* play PCB's, ports and a bit of mame at home on my own.

I have said this a few times but I would play arcades a *lot* more if the cabs were better. I sink a coin into a cab in London and more often than not get frustrated by the monitors and or the joysticks. I play Air Assault quite a bit even though the games pretty basic because *it works*. Although I much prefer Progear and RF those cabs are knackered at Casino.

What is the point of running Mushi on a cab with broken sticks (Vegas in Angel I am talking to you!?). I know Casino has implemented some fixes. The Borderdown DX cab was v good at funland but sadly gone now (the game).

So to answer your question; both.

Also, I am not bothered about ports appearing. Would rather they stayed in their natural habitat then get a home release. The forces me to get out and play them.

[captain ahar]

i have played one arcade shmup. it was in a bowling alley a year or two ago. i was really awful at it, i remember it being like a Strikers, but less Psikyo-ish.

[captain ahar]

apparently the game i mentioned somewhere above WAS Strikers 1945. i found it at AMF Miracle Lanes today, and also added it to the arcadelocator database. the diffiulty seemed hiked up, at the second stage enemies appear with shots piggy-backing on them.

[PsikyoPshumpPshooterP]

I'm sure there's got to be at least one DECENT arcade in all of Boston. And I'm going to find it goddamnit haha

My friend said there used to be a sweet arcade in Chinatown, but it got closed down

dude i live in boston..and the arcade u talking about in chinatown only had sengoku blade for a shmup...it had the cool marvel vs capcom 1 and 2 machines...it had beatmania 2nd mix(which has alot of memories for me)

by the way, do you know susanne? i think she is chinese and in a break dancing crew named Florox..she goes to MIT also..

PS: if u wanna meet up , i have my collection of shmups to play and we can get lifted if u into that thing

[Molloy]

I think if there was an arcade with shmups near me I would visit it pretty often. And if it were priced like a Japanese arcade, say, 3 games for a euro I would practically live in the place.

Even if you have the same game and an arcade cabinet at home it doesn't make the arcade any less relevant. Video and cinema co-exist. So do CD's and live music. They compliment each other. Playing against other people, with other people watching or cooperatively is what makes it different. Not the graphics or whatever.

That's the issue I think Sega, Namco and the other manufacturers need to sort out with arcade gaming. It's the social aspect that makes arcade games relevant. Most of the players in japanese arcades don't have current gen consoles. They don't need big expensive gimmick cabinets to compete with consoles. They aren't in competition with consoles. They're in competition with internet cafes, cinemas and stuff. You should be able to play arcade games for a couple of hours and only spend a fiver. 20 to 40 pence per play. You aren't going to get repeat business if you're looking for a quid for 3 and a half minutes of entertainment. That's like, cheap hooker rates.

[CMoon]

apparently the game i mentioned somewhere above WAS Strikers 1945. i found it at AMF Miracle Lanes today, and also added it to the arcadelocator database. the diffiulty seemed hiked up, at the second stage enemies appear with shots piggy-backing on them.

Was it the Neo Geo strikers? I've played that once and thought it pretty wretched.

[Soldato J]

We don't have crap here in Miami (at least that I am aware of). Raiden DX cab at local Fun-o-rama arcade, and that is about it (oh, there was an old 1942 cab at the Food Spot too, but the owner would not sell it to me--same thing with the Raiden DX cab).

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

Anyone ever remember what I call "arcade colone". Its that cool combination of cheap colone mixed with sweat with ample amounts of cigarette smoke...not to mention those smoldering PCB's. (hot electronics odor)
Whenever you would leave, this "scent" would be on you, and there you go..."Arcade Colone...the style of the 80's"!!!

[highlandcattle]

I think there probably isn't a single shmup in the whole of Ireland and this stage. The arcades here are appaling.

Yes there is! In the Boat terminal in Dublin(the ones that take you to wales "the Jonathan Swift" There is an Raiden fighters Jet Cab that was three years ago;We were stuck there because we missed our boat so I got some good game time until my last euro was spend.

[Kiken]

Over a decade ago, the Frederick Towne Mall had both R-Type and Zero Wing sitting next to each other, so everytime we went down there, I'd play them both.

Ocean City always had a fair number of shmups at the boardwalk arcades... in fact, my brother and I decided to credit-feed our way through Forgotten Worlds one day, since the weather was poor.

And when the Rio still had the huge upper-level arcade, I used to play Last Resort on one of the MVS units they had set up there.

Recently, there's only been two shmups in local arcades that I could find:

19XX: The War Against Destiny is sitting almost unplayed in the arcade at Montgomery College Rockville Campus, MD.

Gunbird 2 is still at Springfield Mall (VA), although the 1-player side joystick needs to be replaced. Only use the player-2 side.

And to answer DEL:

If Springfield Mall wasn't a 40 minute drive for me, I'd visit said arcade more because I always end up playing better in the arcade than at home (and I already own both the DC and PS2 ports of GB2).

[sffan]

The only shmup machine I know of in Greensboro, NC is a "1943" at a place called "Jam's Deli."

The title screen is burnt into the monitor and the upper-left-diagonal movement doesn't work, and the sound is either turned off or doesn't work. Other than that it's playable.

[captain ahar]

apparently the game i mentioned somewhere above WAS Strikers 1945. i found it at AMF Miracle Lanes today, and also added it to the arcadelocator database. the diffiulty seemed hiked up, at the second stage enemies appear with shots piggy-backing on them.

Was it the Neo Geo strikers? I've played that once and thought it pretty wretched.

nah it was indeed Strikers 1945 pt 1. it's funny i own the bugger and i could have gone home to play it for free, but i couldn't pass up the opportunity to play a shmup in an arcade. ended up spending around $3 on the thing.

also, there is a Roller Rink here in town with 1942. had a go, and their joy is fucked, it doesn't register up or down. had a wierd layout too, "single-player ambidextrous."

oh, how i want that Capcom pack now.

[freddiebamboo]

Having never encountered a modern shooter in an arcade, how much is it for a credit these days?