arcade
Metal doors, steel tunnels, neon lights, rust everywhere—the end of the world never looked so cool.
Korean pro gamer Infiltration replicates The Beast’s legendary moves in this recent tweet of him playing the yet-to-be-released Street Fighter V.
Autumn is the season of school cultural festivals (bunkasai) in Japan. Students pour hours and hours of their time into creating the best possible attractions, food stands, and performances and proudly display these efforts of love for the surrounding community to enjoy.
There must be something in the water because, starting with the teacups ride we introduced last month, Japanese students seem to be showing some unprecedented creativity this year. Just take this musical arcade game that was built entirely by high schoolers, and which many stunned guests have proclaimed to be “good enough to be in a real game center.”
This is hands down (or up, in this case), the most fun you can have at a games arcade in Japan.
The maimai music game cabinet by entertainment giant Sega may look like a front-loading washing machine, but rest assured it is actually way more entertaining. In a game that’s a cross between a whack-a-mole and Dance Dance Revolution, players follow a sequence of hand movements in time with a frantic beat.
Some, however, do it better than others…
CAPCOM announced at Japan Amusement Expo 2015 on Friday that it has an Attack on Titan arcade game project.
Mashable recently put out a neat list called ‘The 20 Coolest Arcades in the World’, and Tokyo took more spots than any other place! Well, we wouldn’t expect anything less from the birthplace of the video game industry, really.
Turns out though, Japanese netizens were a bit baffled by Mashable’s choices: “That’s cool??” they spluttered into their keyboards. “That’s not even an arcade!”
Ever since the 2007 documentary film The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, the world record score for 1980s arcade hit Donkey Kong has been kind of a big deal. For years, the existing record seemed nigh-on unbeatable, with players pouring their hearts, souls, and stacks of quarters into ageing arcade machines in the name of claiming the title for themselves.
But now there’s a new score to beat, and it comes from a relative newcomer, no less.
Nostalgic for Japanese video games from the late 1970s and ‘80s? Barcade, a combination bar and arcade, recently opened in Chelsea, Manhattan with about a dozen classics from Japanese game developers such as Taito, Nintendo, Namco, and Konami.
The games are still only a quarter (there are change machines on site), and the machines are in great condition. Marvel at the old-school graphics of Space Invaders, Galaga, Mappy, Crazy Climber, and Frogger.
Now, I’m sure that to most people, weddings are a big deal. And finding the right venue is surely one of the most important steps in planning a wedding. What, then, would be your ideal wedding location? You may say Disneyland, or if you’re a train fan, maybe a ceremony on the JR Yamanote Line is what you would call the wedding of your dreams.
Well, if anyone out there thinks a video game arcade is the perfect wedding venue for them, then there’s an arcade in central Tokyo that could actually make your dream come true!
Gore-splattered heads up, zombie fans! Left 4 Dead Seizonshatachi, or “survivors”, arcade magnate Taito’s riff on Valve and Turtle Rock Studios’ hugely popular first-person zombie shooter, is not only ready to tear through the population of Japan but is about to be trialled at four selected arcades beginning May 23.
Details and videos after the jump.
Japanese UFO catchers give the best prizes – if you’re talented or lucky enough to grab them. (Personally, I think it’s all about luck because after many hours and probably hundreds of yen down the drain, I’m still not any better at winning.) But the euphoria of a win is usually quickly forgotten, and you’re left with one more piece of tat to cram into your room. So what about if UFO catchers actually dished out useful goodies? Wouldn’t that be a real win-win situation?!
Start your engines, boys and girls! Long-running racing series Mario Kart is making its third entry into the arcade scene, with Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix DX launching this July in Japanese video arcades!
One fun way to see what anime or game series are currently popular with kids and otaku in Japan is to visit an arcade and take a look at the prizes up for grabs in the crane machines, or UFO catchers, as they’re often called in Japanese.
Unlike North America, arcade culture is still going strong in Japan and UFO catchers are one of the main attractions. Always found on the first floor of arcades, these machines are stocked with the latest limited-edition figurines and plushies of popular characters, many of which can only be acquired as UFO catcher prizes (or on Amazon at obscene prices).
Japanese toy company Banpresto has announced their newest lineup of CRANEKING arcade-exclusive prizes, available this October. Check what toys are hot on the Japanese arcade scene below!
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Monthly
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