Look! Somebody turned on the Nerd Beacon

[Toawa]

Bah... I DARE you to find an arcade anymore.... it's freaking depressing....

Really... There's a business at the mall that claims to be an arcade, but you can't be a proper arcade without at least one pinball machine, IMNSHO. Actually, I think all the local businesses that I knew had pinball machines don't anymore.

It seems like most "arcades" nowadays consist of 1/3 shooters, 1/3 massive, overpriced, surround-sound-50"-monitor shooter games, and 1/3 machines better classified as gambling devices, generally with "prizes" that anyone with any consumer sense at all wouldn't accept for free.

[Swordsman3003]

My school arcade has:

DDR
Time Crisis 2
Zero Wing
Ms. Pac Man

Foosball
Air Hockey
Pool

In A.D. 2101...

[Resident /B/tard]

My school arcade has:

...Zero Wing

You realize the AYB phenomenon is the only reason to have one of those, right?

Jesus, that's cool.

[Churba]

Bah... I DARE you to find an arcade anymore.... it's freaking depressing....

Not down here, there is at least one in 98% of shopping centres, and a bunch in the city.

[Kittyboymuffin]

My school arcade has:

...Zero Wing

You realize the AYB phenomenon is the only reason to have one of those, right?

Jesus, that's cool.

Eh. It's a halfway-decent shmup, actually.

It's not OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAND*, but it's not crap.

*whoops, wrong meme ...

[Leeloo]

The only kind left over here are the "three fruits in a row" kind of machines. No pinball machines, no Outrun, Afterburner, Operation Wolf and all that. I guess PC and console games killed that market.

Personally I think the game companies should sponsor the machines - not custom-build arcade machines like in the old days, but something with a Playstation or PC board inside, and lower prices. The purpose of the price being to give everyone a chance, instead of having the same person in front of the machine all day. That would be a great way of advertising the games, because (at least for me), when I see a game in a shop, I have no idea if it's worth buying. And with current game prices, you don't buy a game because the two screenshots on the box look good.

[Squidflakes]

Every year here in Houston we have a Classic Arcade Game expo. A bunch of collectors bring their old games (some as old as an original Pong machine), set them all up in a conference room in a hotel, and charge people $15 for all they can play. Fucking. Awesome.

Anyway, Leloo, there are some people who have built things called MAME cabinets. MAME is the Multi-Machine Arcade Emulator, and when put on something like an old UltraSparc 5, you can run just about any game ever made. If you build a stand-up arcade style cabinet around it, and install a multi-stick controller, you can play games ranging from the old black and white raster games, all the way up to stuff like Crazy Taxi, all on the same box.

Nifty stuff.

[Leeloo]

I have Mame, no need to tell me about that. However, those are the same old game, it's not like back in the days, when I saw a cool game and ran out to buy the (C64 back then) version.

That's where I think there is money to be made. Not from people playing the games, but from them finding out "hey, this is a great game", and then buying it.

[Squidflakes]

heh.. well, you can emulate a C64 on MAME now too... ;P

the C64 games were never as good as the arcade, and with good reason.

However, you had better games for that little beast, like MULE, and Elite, and Zork

[Drigovas]

There is still plenty of room for arcade or arcade-like facilities to fill within the market, room that a regular PC or console just can't effectively fill [usually due to hardware requirements]. The problem is that it's rather expensive to both make the full conversion and dedication to some of those systems, AND spread the word and encourage interest from those who would surely become a loyal fanbase. There is plenty of neat stuff, but it is just plain expensive to implement for the individual facility owner, and is risky to do so [always risky to be the first person in an area to do something neat]

Aaaanyway, I won't bore you all with the details of things like that, just know that there is PLENTY of room for arcade-like places to earn a die-hard fan base, that just isn't being exploited due to the up-front problems.

[Lulujayne]

Not that this is strictly arcade (though there are some that have been ported on the site) I really, really recommend Abandonia for all your Gaming From Days Of Yore needs. The site has a pretty incredible selection of all computer games from prior to 1996 and stretching all the way back to text based shenanigans that were proto Zork etc. etc. The downloads are free and it also provides all emulators you might wish for.

Any site where I can pick and choose from the likes of Zeliard, Commander Keen and Monkey Island and various Sierra outings makes me a very, very, happy little lassie.

(Incidentally, the sister site AbandoniaReloaded is devoted to community developed freeware, remakes and "amateur"(sp?) made games. Again, it's all free, and the amateur thing definitely shouldn't put you off, there's some absolute gems from all gaming genre's hiding on there.)

And finally, if someone can find me a pc ported version of the old TRS-80 games Dinosaur and Skiing (surprisingly one's about two fighting dinosaurs and the other is about skiing) for download and/or purchase I will fecking marry you, feed you grapes, protect you from Grues and cater to any whim you may care to dream up for ever and ever.

[Drigovas]

find me a pc ported version of the old TRS-80 games Dinosaur and Skiing

Don't know if i can help with Dinosaur, but I've heard of a Dino Wars, that is somewhat similar to what you describe it as being. No idea where to find it though. [as people compete for your promise to be fulfilled, perhaps the title adjustment will aid them in thier search.]

Good luck though, those games are ancient, and were not really widely circulated even when they were at thier biggest.

[Lulujayne]

Thanks Drigovas, it probably was/is Dino Wars... the true name is lost in the mists of my terrible memory.

*sigh* My old TRS80, I wasn't allowed to get a wristwatch until I could competently muck around on it

[Aeridus]

I'm very much a technical nerd, I'm not big into memorizing movie scripts and books and stuff. I tend to remember the occasional memorable quote but that's about it.

However, give me any computer and I can make it bend to my will.

[Resident /B/tard]

Did someone say TRS-80?

http://www.cocoquest.com/

Cuz I think I just heard someone say TRS-80...

[Lulujayne]

OH MY GOD!

*jumps the glorious bones of our Resident/b/tard and molests him in every way imaginable (and several that aren't)*

Best link ever!!! Sandstone and Gnome/Smurf Quest?!!?!

Wow, little did I know the power that uttering "TRS80" unleashes...

Actually, I think I've still got all the old user manuals and third party books that discuss how to code on the hoary old beast lying around somewhere back in Oz.

I'm having such an amazing nostalgia-nerd-gasm *swoons*

[Resident /B/tard]

My turn.

Fellow nerds, I need some help. I'm looking for a movie.

Not just any movie. "The Adventures of the Kung Fu Rascals".

Old as hell. Anyone might be able to point me in the right direction?

Also, I could use a grue repeller, and a grape feeder...

[Lulujayne]

Would that be the 80's amateur version, or the '92 remake?

[Resident /B/tard]

The '92 Remake.

I've been looking everywhere since the local rental place sold their copy.

[PopeMac]

Wow, a movie that isn't on the school's network. I'm impressed. The network here usually has everything.