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Is it now time to say goodbye to the arcade forever? Well not right now
but certainly some time soon? I used to be a fan of the arcade but now I
visit one or play arcade machines very little. If they werent in my
union at university then I probably wouldnt see them much at all. So
here is my latest post all about the wonders and the future of the
arcade.
When I first started playing games I used to love going to the arcade
and using my spare change to play on the likes of Out Run, space
invaders, ghosts and goblins and other great arcade machines. Games cost
about 10p 25p to play and lasted quite long if you were good at them.
There was a certain kind of magical experience when you played an arcade
machine, the graphics were a superior quality and most of the games were
amazingly fun to play. So whats changed now?
Firstly the cost, arcade machines are now expensive to make and that is
why most cost around £1 to play, but you dont really get your moneys
worth with most games as the playing time isnt as long as it should be.
Playing a machine for the first time probably doesnt last that long as
you try to work out what to do and then realise that the words Game
Over have appeared before you. Definitely not worth the hard earned
cash you have just parted with.
Home consoles these days have the hardware and software abilities to
match (or come close to) most arcade machines, which means you can
experience the same and more from the comfort of your own home and you
only pay to own it, no £1 each time. Also arcade machines didnt allow
any saving so with home consoles you can save your progress each time
you play making each go different. Home consoles allow the play when
you want where you want so you can lie in bed and play away until you
really need sleep, then when you awake you can resume from where you
left off. Also most arcade games (well the good ones) get released on
home consoles and usually have enhanced features like extra levels and
characters. So most would probably rather wait and play it at home
instead of trying to find an arcade and play it for a few minutes until
there money runs out. Most of todays games cost around £35, which is
like 35 goes on an arcade machine, think how many times you play your
favourite games. A lot more than 35 I would think.
Another point is controlling the machine. There are good and bad points
for the arcade here. Lets start with the bad then.
The main bad point is that most of todays consoles have a wide range of
peripherals compared to when the arcade was a popular place to play
games. Now you can get light guns, steering wheels, skateboards,
fighting simulators. Before these were all only found in arcades which
made playing them feel more interactive than on a console.
The good point is similar to above except it is the other way around.
Some arcade machine offer an interaction that with todays consoles is
not possible (or would cost far too much) games like silent scope are
good on the PS2 but with the sniper rifle in the arcade version it feels
more realistic, which makes it that little better than the PS2 version.
This is also similar with motorbike, Jet Ski, skiing games as there is a
better input device to play the game offering a better experience and
sometimes making the game more fun to play.
My own view is that arcade machines are indeed dying out and will soon
become a thing of the past. For the one reason that todays consoles are
powerful enough to create arcade like graphics and offer a very similar
experience. With consoles only going to get better in the future arcade
developers will have to try harder to make them better which will cost
more to develop meaning we will have to pay more to play them. Which
could kill of the arcade machines forever. Arcades these days arent
really worth it, only to see what games to expect on consoles in a few
months or to play when you are there and need to fulfil a gaming urge.
But on a plus point for the arcade machines, there is a small percentage
of arcade games that offer an experience that just wouldnt be right on
a home console, usually because the way the user interacts is a large
input device (like the wack attack game). In the past arcade machines
were something to show what to expect on future consoles, these days
they are just an alternative to console gaming. The console market today
is huge so most die-hard gamers will rather stay at home and play games
than go to an arcade for an experience that is nowhere near as good as
playing a whole game at home with your friends, the game will be no
better at the arcade (something it used to be in the past) which is a
reason why the arcade may well be a dying industry.
Unless you are the person who likes a high score for all others to see
or have a place in your heart for the arcade then you probably arent
bothered about the arcade industry in the slightest, as long as you get
games for your consoles. But is there a good point to arcade games that
could benefit console gamers? Most arcade games are now available on
consoles, so do some developers try games out in the arcade to see what
they are like and how they play before the work on the console version,
adding extras to make it a better game. Without the arcade version would
the game have been as good?
Can the arcade be saved? Maybe if they find a way to attract people to
play the games, maybe make them cheaper and hope more people play it or
maybe make it exclusive to the arcade, But that probably wont bring them
as much profit as releasing it on a console would.
I myself hardly ever play on arcade machines, the price puts me off
straight away and the experience usually doesnt last as long as one
would wish. Looks like the arcade is dying and there isnt much that can
be done to save it. The consoles are taking over and I choose the
console over the arcade. I still think its a sad day when arcade
machines are becoming less and less popular, who knows what effects
arcade machines have on the console market. A lot of big named companies
are making games for consoles only and have scrapped all future arcade
projects so maybe the fact they are concentrating more on console games
is better for the huge percentage that prefer the console to an arcade
machine. With internet gaming set to be the next big thing in terms of
console gaming then we could see another drop in the popularity in
arcade machines until they eventually become a thing of the past.
So what are your views? Is the arcade industry one which will soon come
to an end? Has it got its good points in terms of console gaming? What
can be done to save it? What was your favourite game in the arcade as a
kid?
but certainly some time soon? I used to be a fan of the arcade but now I
visit one or play arcade machines very little. If they werent in my
union at university then I probably wouldnt see them much at all. So
here is my latest post all about the wonders and the future of the
arcade.
When I first started playing games I used to love going to the arcade
and using my spare change to play on the likes of Out Run, space
invaders, ghosts and goblins and other great arcade machines. Games cost
about 10p 25p to play and lasted quite long if you were good at them.
There was a certain kind of magical experience when you played an arcade
machine, the graphics were a superior quality and most of the games were
amazingly fun to play. So whats changed now?
Firstly the cost, arcade machines are now expensive to make and that is
why most cost around £1 to play, but you dont really get your moneys
worth with most games as the playing time isnt as long as it should be.
Playing a machine for the first time probably doesnt last that long as
you try to work out what to do and then realise that the words Game
Over have appeared before you. Definitely not worth the hard earned
cash you have just parted with.
Home consoles these days have the hardware and software abilities to
match (or come close to) most arcade machines, which means you can
experience the same and more from the comfort of your own home and you
only pay to own it, no £1 each time. Also arcade machines didnt allow
any saving so with home consoles you can save your progress each time
you play making each go different. Home consoles allow the play when
you want where you want so you can lie in bed and play away until you
really need sleep, then when you awake you can resume from where you
left off. Also most arcade games (well the good ones) get released on
home consoles and usually have enhanced features like extra levels and
characters. So most would probably rather wait and play it at home
instead of trying to find an arcade and play it for a few minutes until
there money runs out. Most of todays games cost around £35, which is
like 35 goes on an arcade machine, think how many times you play your
favourite games. A lot more than 35 I would think.
Another point is controlling the machine. There are good and bad points
for the arcade here. Lets start with the bad then.
The main bad point is that most of todays consoles have a wide range of
peripherals compared to when the arcade was a popular place to play
games. Now you can get light guns, steering wheels, skateboards,
fighting simulators. Before these were all only found in arcades which
made playing them feel more interactive than on a console.
The good point is similar to above except it is the other way around.
Some arcade machine offer an interaction that with todays consoles is
not possible (or would cost far too much) games like silent scope are
good on the PS2 but with the sniper rifle in the arcade version it feels
more realistic, which makes it that little better than the PS2 version.
This is also similar with motorbike, Jet Ski, skiing games as there is a
better input device to play the game offering a better experience and
sometimes making the game more fun to play.
My own view is that arcade machines are indeed dying out and will soon
become a thing of the past. For the one reason that todays consoles are
powerful enough to create arcade like graphics and offer a very similar
experience. With consoles only going to get better in the future arcade
developers will have to try harder to make them better which will cost
more to develop meaning we will have to pay more to play them. Which
could kill of the arcade machines forever. Arcades these days arent
really worth it, only to see what games to expect on consoles in a few
months or to play when you are there and need to fulfil a gaming urge.
But on a plus point for the arcade machines, there is a small percentage
of arcade games that offer an experience that just wouldnt be right on
a home console, usually because the way the user interacts is a large
input device (like the wack attack game). In the past arcade machines
were something to show what to expect on future consoles, these days
they are just an alternative to console gaming. The console market today
is huge so most die-hard gamers will rather stay at home and play games
than go to an arcade for an experience that is nowhere near as good as
playing a whole game at home with your friends, the game will be no
better at the arcade (something it used to be in the past) which is a
reason why the arcade may well be a dying industry.
Unless you are the person who likes a high score for all others to see
or have a place in your heart for the arcade then you probably arent
bothered about the arcade industry in the slightest, as long as you get
games for your consoles. But is there a good point to arcade games that
could benefit console gamers? Most arcade games are now available on
consoles, so do some developers try games out in the arcade to see what
they are like and how they play before the work on the console version,
adding extras to make it a better game. Without the arcade version would
the game have been as good?
Can the arcade be saved? Maybe if they find a way to attract people to
play the games, maybe make them cheaper and hope more people play it or
maybe make it exclusive to the arcade, But that probably wont bring them
as much profit as releasing it on a console would.
I myself hardly ever play on arcade machines, the price puts me off
straight away and the experience usually doesnt last as long as one
would wish. Looks like the arcade is dying and there isnt much that can
be done to save it. The consoles are taking over and I choose the
console over the arcade. I still think its a sad day when arcade
machines are becoming less and less popular, who knows what effects
arcade machines have on the console market. A lot of big named companies
are making games for consoles only and have scrapped all future arcade
projects so maybe the fact they are concentrating more on console games
is better for the huge percentage that prefer the console to an arcade
machine. With internet gaming set to be the next big thing in terms of
console gaming then we could see another drop in the popularity in
arcade machines until they eventually become a thing of the past.
So what are your views? Is the arcade industry one which will soon come
to an end? Has it got its good points in terms of console gaming? What
can be done to save it? What was your favourite game in the arcade as a
kid?
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Goten wrote:
> The article that I am talking about is the one from the latest PSM2. It talks
> about how the arcades are dieing off slowly.
The latest issue of the Official
> PS2 mag is good though, with playable demos of Smackdown 3, Wipeout Fusion,
> Airblade and Silent Hill 3 among others.
Silent Hill 3, eh?
LOL, Silent Hill 2, yes; Silent Hill 3, no.
I will be getting Silent Hill 2, by the way; if you w-wanted to know, t-that is :D
SHOCKY
> The article that I am talking about is the one from the latest PSM2. It talks
> about how the arcades are dieing off slowly.
The latest issue of the Official
> PS2 mag is good though, with playable demos of Smackdown 3, Wipeout Fusion,
> Airblade and Silent Hill 3 among others.
Silent Hill 3, eh?
LOL, Silent Hill 2, yes; Silent Hill 3, no.
I will be getting Silent Hill 2, by the way; if you w-wanted to know, t-that is :D
SHOCKY
Your right MJ, the arcade machines are becoming quite similar in the arcades. In my local arcade, there are five shoot em ups which are: Time Crises 2, Confidential Mission, both of the House of the Deads, another one that I can't remember the name of. There is also Virtua Striker 3 and Virtua Golf, and there are three racing ones including Daytona 2, Episode 1 racer, and a karting one. There is only one beat em up in Capcom versus SNK, and you then get the three different ones: Star wars arcade, some paddling one and the new Space Harrier one.
I know this has nothing to do with your topic...well it does, but I do't really need to post it, but I want to, is a post that I made a while back of a similar nature. MAybe it will fill in some gaps....maybe. Not that there are any gaps or anything Ali......I'll shut up and post it shall it......
Well? What do you think? To me, arcades are pretty much an extinct breed of gaming. Gone are the days of wandering down to you local arcade to have a go on Pac-man and Defender, to me anyway.
In place we now have very few proper arcades. Search across the country and I am sure you will find it hard to find many large arcades. I think that the reason for this, is that the games are so expensive to play.
£1 a go? A bit steep if you ask me. As I write this (different day to posting it) I am next to a bar i which the arcade games cost 100 pesetas a go. This is roughly 40p. So why is it that us poor people in the UK have to pay over twice as much for exactly the same games?
It could be down to arcade machines being expensive to buy, it could be down to economics. To tell you the turth it could just be people being stingy. Whatever it is, it isn't very fair. For some reason in the UK we have to pay more for everything, cars, clothes, homes and now even arcade machines.
Mind you price is just one of the problems. Another has to be the fact that many of the games in larger arcades are in reality very similar to each other. In the days of Pac-man this wasn't the case. But now, it normally goes something like this: 3d shooters (Time Crisis 2, Crisis Zone, House of the Dead 2, Virtua Cop and Jurrasic Park: Lost World) Sports games (Virtua Tennis, NBA2k1, Virtua Striker, a skateboarding game and a Jet Ski game) Beat 'em ups (Marvel vs Capcom, Streetfighter "whatever" Tekken and Soul Calibur) Racing games (18 wheeler, Crazy Taxi and that good Ferrari game which I can't remember the name of). Now obviously the sports games have variety, the other three most common genres however are very samey.
Each of the 3d shooters are very, very similar, albeit with each having a certain thing the others don't. The pedal to duck on Time Crisis and Crisis Zone (machine gun with Crisis zone), and the car that moves (gives you whiplash) and blows air in your face (on certain machines, which happen to cost £2 a go to play) in Jurrasic Park. But the question you've got to ask yourself is, do these little extras make it worth paying out another pound to play? For me it isn't really and as a result I just tend to have a go on Time Crisis 2 or Crisis Zone. The same type of thing applies to racing games and as a result I don't think that bars and arcades bother paying for a machine just like the one they already have. Because of this arcades tend to be small.
So, after reading what I have just typed, do you think that the arcade is extinct or do you think it is alive and kicking?
* ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *
And for anyone who says that is a blatent attempt to get my word ocunt up, I pity the fool.
Well? What do you think? To me, arcades are pretty much an extinct breed of gaming. Gone are the days of wandering down to you local arcade to have a go on Pac-man and Defender, to me anyway.
In place we now have very few proper arcades. Search across the country and I am sure you will find it hard to find many large arcades. I think that the reason for this, is that the games are so expensive to play.
£1 a go? A bit steep if you ask me. As I write this (different day to posting it) I am next to a bar i which the arcade games cost 100 pesetas a go. This is roughly 40p. So why is it that us poor people in the UK have to pay over twice as much for exactly the same games?
It could be down to arcade machines being expensive to buy, it could be down to economics. To tell you the turth it could just be people being stingy. Whatever it is, it isn't very fair. For some reason in the UK we have to pay more for everything, cars, clothes, homes and now even arcade machines.
Mind you price is just one of the problems. Another has to be the fact that many of the games in larger arcades are in reality very similar to each other. In the days of Pac-man this wasn't the case. But now, it normally goes something like this: 3d shooters (Time Crisis 2, Crisis Zone, House of the Dead 2, Virtua Cop and Jurrasic Park: Lost World) Sports games (Virtua Tennis, NBA2k1, Virtua Striker, a skateboarding game and a Jet Ski game) Beat 'em ups (Marvel vs Capcom, Streetfighter "whatever" Tekken and Soul Calibur) Racing games (18 wheeler, Crazy Taxi and that good Ferrari game which I can't remember the name of). Now obviously the sports games have variety, the other three most common genres however are very samey.
Each of the 3d shooters are very, very similar, albeit with each having a certain thing the others don't. The pedal to duck on Time Crisis and Crisis Zone (machine gun with Crisis zone), and the car that moves (gives you whiplash) and blows air in your face (on certain machines, which happen to cost £2 a go to play) in Jurrasic Park. But the question you've got to ask yourself is, do these little extras make it worth paying out another pound to play? For me it isn't really and as a result I just tend to have a go on Time Crisis 2 or Crisis Zone. The same type of thing applies to racing games and as a result I don't think that bars and arcades bother paying for a machine just like the one they already have. Because of this arcades tend to be small.
So, after reading what I have just typed, do you think that the arcade is extinct or do you think it is alive and kicking?
* ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *
And for anyone who says that is a blatent attempt to get my word ocunt up, I pity the fool.
Thanks for ther info, now back to the topic, what views do the rest of you have?
I might have to buy it to see what it says. Thanks for the info on the mags, might start buying them again especially if you get playable demos. is it this months magazine or from a while back?
Ohh right, sorry bout that. I don't buy magazines that much as most of the info in them is available on the web for free. Which is the best PS2 mag on sale nowadys? Might start getting them again for the demo DVD's.
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