I'm going to be in Tokyo at the end of March for a week then in Hong Kong for 10 days at the first part of April, and am looking for information on the best arcades to go to for some shmups play. I'm sure Tokyo is going to be my best option, but if anyone has any info from Hong Kong, that would be appreciated as well.
I found this site that lists Taito HEY as the best place for Shmups. Has anyone been to this place before?
PS. I used to be on the Shmups forum under another username, but can't remember it. I set it up with a buddy of mine whose on here, but we set it up as something dumb that I can't remember now.
Last edited by BigBen on Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Yeah, that Namco Wonder Tower game center in Kyoto is first class all the way. You take an escalator up to the next floor -- you just don't see such things like that at an American arcade counterpart anyways. Each floor represents a certain genre (i.e. shmups on one floor, etc.). Just be sure have plently of yen on hand since each credit will be 100 yen for the newest and latest games. There are some Japanese game centers that charge 50 yen for the older arcade game titles but you'd have to search high and low for them.
The general atmosphere and attitude of a Japanese game center compared to an American arcade, you'll find out that the Japanese ones are ace with their overall cleanliness and logical layout. If the controls are up to spec, just flag down an game center attendant and he or she'll change the Sanwa/Seimitsu joystick and/or button(s) right on the spot. How's that for customer service? (Most USA arcades may take weeks or months before getting them worn-down/broken Happ joysticks and buttons replaced if at all.)
Don't forget to drop by on those flashy pachinko parlors as well...very interesting take on the vertical pinball theme with a gambling spin on it. On the average, it'll be about 200-300 yen per pachinko game credit.
Also, spotting those cool Japanese gashapon vending machines that dispense higher quality prizes (compared to the USA toy prize vending machines) are going to be more expensive but worth it for the novelity factor alone.
PC Engine Fan X! wrote: If the controls are up to spec, just flag down an game center attendant and he or she'll change the Sanwa/Seimitsu joystick and/or button(s) right on the spot. How's that for customer service?
Try that at a Dave and Buster's. Go ahead, try it.
PC Engine Fan X! wrote: If the controls are up to spec, just flag down an game center attendant and he or she'll change the Sanwa/Seimitsu joystick and/or button(s) right on the spot. How's that for customer service?
Try that at a Dave and Buster's. Go ahead, try it.
The closest Dave & Buster's would be a an hour & half or so drive on my part. Ain't gonna partronize one just for the leisure drive down there unless they have some quality arcade games worth checking out (i.e. -- Namco's Midnight Wangun: Maximum Tune 3 and other solid racing titles).
Most anything with shooters that I can get my hands on, DDP Series, ESP Galuda I and II, Death Smiles, Ketsui, Mushihime-sama, Mushihime-sama Futari, Gunbird 2 and many more.
I haven't played all that many before, my best friend has a Supergun that I've played on, and then I've used a MIME emulator to play some as well. Nothing ever on an actual cab.
Mikado in (now) Takadanobaba is a must-see if it's half as good as what it used to be in Shinjuku. Try Amusement Tower in Akihabara is more enjoyable than Hey! to me, but that's b/c I can play any Cave game I like at home... I can't play Night Striker in a big ass cab or look at posters from the 80s (unless I get them out of the tubes).
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
Both, depending on how you look at it. The one in Shinjuku seems to be their closet. Much fewere games, and all the unique ones sans a couple are now in Takadanobaba.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
Hey! is shocking the first time you go in for the amount of games and because sometimes you can see location tests of some games there but is noisy as any pachinko parlor. Try is much nicer and during the week is pretty much empty. The most comfortable and cheap place I've seen is at Shin-egota sta. Just one floor but if you like shmups, this place is great and it has most of the shmups you mentioned. Still haven't seen the Mikado at Takadanobaba. I thought GP made a google map with video game shops and arcade location. Am I wrong?
If you stay in Ginza, the closest place would be Akihabara and since you will go there anyways that's the place I recommend you.
xavierjesus wrote:Fcuking love sticks made from random objects. I'm off now actually to buy a plastic vagina...
I didn't make that, but contributed. Jamtex @ Assembler is the one that started it. Others just added stuff. A search there will find it I'm sure.
You're closest to Akihabara from Ginza. Hibiya & Ginza line both will get you to the general area, but none to the JR station. I'd go to Suehirocho (Ginza line) pop out, laugh at GFront, check out Mak, then mosey down to Hey!. Shinjuku isn't too far - just hop on the Marunouchi line. It's fucking huge though so get ready to be lost. Takadanobabah as some other rather useless line I believe, but the easiest way is to just find your way to the Yamanote and ride it around. It's a few stops past Shinjuku.
Last edited by GaijinPunch on Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
Has anyone whose been to Japan stayed at a traditional Ryokan before?
We decided that we wanted to try and get out of Tokyo for a day to experience some non metropolitan Japan. We decided that Nikko was the place that we wanted to go so we booked a night at a Ryokan with an Onsen. http://www.nikko-fuwari.com/word/index_e.html
Just seeing if anyone has experience with them and what we should expect.
Should be easy enough. Nikko has enough tourists that any staff at a Ryokan should speak survival level English. I'll go out on a limb and say expect thin walls, so if it's the winter, sleep in socks. Japanese apparently have an inate phobia when it comes to insulation.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
We're flying in on March 26th so hopefully it won't be too cold, though it should be warmer that time of year than just about everywhere I've ever lived. Hopefully it will be like a heat wave for me...haha.
The weather will probably be nice to most people. I'm from Texas so still find it a bit cold for technically being "Spring". You may miss the Sakura though. They're saying they're going to be way early this year b/c of the overly warm winter (even though it's been balls freezing the last week).
I recommend Try whne you're in Akiba. It's good fun.
RegalSin wrote:New PowerPuff Girls. They all have evil pornstart eyelashes.
Welp my trip is here! I fly to LAX tomorrow morning and then have an 11am flight to Narita and get in at like 3:15pm on Friday. Let me know if any of you guys that live in Tokyo would like to meet up at an arcade while I'm in town.
You can either PM me here or email me at b18bcivic at gmail dot com.
I wish this day of work would just end already. I also wish it didn't snow a foot of snow hear last night. Hopefully the airport is back to normal by morning.
