The lost beauty of the coin-op (739 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.82 on 18 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Banga3386 <tanzia682.at.aol.com> (View user info) at 2005-05-29 05:50:42 EDT
http://www.ubersite.com/m/67317
I connot agree more. To suppliment this, no one has any love for the non-digital arcade games anymore.
Skee-ball, SKEE-BALL! Skee-basketball, shuffle-board with the salted tables, the shuffle-board bowling, the knock out the clown's teeth with a cannon ball, all the other assorted cannon ball knock shit over games, the hundreds of different kinds of shoot shit with a pelet gun setups, and my favorite game of this type was the Skee-Bowling. I've only found one in my life and I used to go to that arcade religiously.
For some reason (thank god they did) a local arcade turned it's laser tag arena into a pellet gun area only with a light gun type deal. You shoot the targets and stuff moves; a can flies on a string, a plane flies across the room, an owl hoots or something, a clown spins, sparks flew out of a barrel, and about 30 other "animations." I haddn't played anything like that in over a decade. I was having so much fun and laughing so hard I was crying my eyes out. The bonus was that the coin insert was kindof broken so I played for over an hour on one quarter. I stopped when it ran out of tickets and my eyes and stomach hurt too much to continue.
Also, does anyone remember when pinball was pinball? When you had to use the real plunger to skillfully send the ball where you wanted it to go? When the only time you looked up at the screen was to see your score at the end of the round? When you didn't have crappy mono-color animations that you had to follow and keep up on during impossible moments like multi-ball?
I can remember being blown away when I had a + 15million game on Jurassic Park until I realized that everything that bounced or lit up gave you half of a million points.
I loved the older games, the kind that had an ashtray attached to them. The kind where you pulled up a chair and played for a half an hour on each machine. My all time absolute favorite arcade game was Slugfest. This game was not your typical pinball setup. It was a baseball diamond and you chose from four pitches and then had to hit the ball with a little plastic bat trying to get on first, second, or third base. Every now and again the grand slam ramp would pop up so you could send the ball into the stands. I've spent so much money on this game that I probably could have bought one by now.
I went to the City Museum in St. Louis (which is basically a playground built with art) and in their arcade room they had about eight different styles of Slugfest. I damn near wept it was so beautiful.
There are so many more older non photo realistic, non life simulating, non button mashing games where multiplayer meant taking turns and real time meant you got your ass to back to the game when it was your turn, but I cannot remember right now. (I'm too busy making insane run-on sentences)
Search out these gems and others like them and don't let them fade into obscurity.
User Reviews
Submitted by Banga3386 (user info) at 2005-06-01 04:08:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I actually still have a few cards that Slugfest gave out, one sits on the dash of my truck just to remind me of the game.
Submitted by BigCore (user info) at 2005-05-31 07:30:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jungle_Jimanee (user info) at 2005-05-31 07:02:01 (#)
Ranking: 2
I am currently in the processof trying to track down a "Fist of the North Star" coin op game. to either buy or play upon.
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So you can punch people until they explode?
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-05-31 07:24:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
fuch yesh
Submitted by Jungle_Jimanee (user info) at 2005-05-31 07:02:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I am currently in the processof trying to track down a "Fist of the North Star" coin op game. to either buy or play upon.
Submitted by Siren (user info) at 2005-05-31 06:15:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I used to love pinball!!! Although I was really bad at it. There was this roller skating rink where I used to play sometimes. One machine was beside this metal pole and if you touched the machine and the pole at the same time, it sent a mild electrical current through your body. All the kids did it.
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2005-05-31 05:46:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
ah memories..
Submitted by Saxon (user info) at 2005-05-30 21:27:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SilvrWolf (user info) at 2005-05-29 05:53:44 (#)
Ranking: 2
<sigh>
I miss back when...
Submitted by Feijuada (user info) at 2005-05-30 18:24:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Multi ball kicks ass and you must be retarded if you can't handle four balls (in pinball, not in any gay shit.)
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2005-05-30 17:54:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by jgreening (user info) at 2005-05-30 13:18:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm still a big fan of skeeball...
I actually go to Chuck-e-cheez with my niece, just to play it.
Submitted by peckerhead (user info) at 2005-05-30 12:52:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This brings back really good memories.
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-05-29 11:07:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Calios (user info) at 2005-05-29 06:21:37 (#)
Ranking: 2
I fucking pwned the Johnny Mnemonic pinball.
*************************************
There was a Johnny Mnemonic pinball?
There is no god.
Submitted by Sofa_Ace (user info) at 2005-05-29 10:38:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Simpsons arcade was definitely awesome. Did slugfest give you a baseball card if you hit a grand slam? I remember playing it, but I remember getting abaseball card for some reason.
Submitted by Grownasskid (user info) at 2005-05-29 10:20:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
shooting the clown in the teeth was awesome, but my all time favorite is still area 51 or simpsons arcade
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-05-29 08:51:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I am way too young to be nostalgic about these, but I am...
Submitted by ICO (user info) at 2005-05-29 08:04:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
For some reason (thank god they did) a local arcade turned it's laser tag arena into a pellet gun area only with a light gun type deal. You shoot the targets and stuff moves; a can flies on a string, a plane flies across the room, an owl hoots or something, a clown spins, sparks flew out of a barrel, and about 30 other "animations."
______________
*weeps uncontrollably*
Submitted by Calios (user info) at 2005-05-29 06:21:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I fucking pwned the Johnny Mnemonic pinball.
It had a glitch where the ball would get stuck
and i woulg scam free games on a regular basis
by exploiting it.
W00!!!!
Submitted by SilvrWolf (user info) at 2005-05-29 05:53:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
<sigh>
I miss back when...