Kotaku: Arcades

The King of Chinatown Documentary Focuses on Competitive Gaming at New York’s Shuttered Arcade Mecca

Evan Narcisse — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:40:00 EST

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For years, fighting game fans in the New York City area gathered at Chinatown Fair, to hone their skills at the location's stand-up machines. That all ended earlier this year to the dismay of many. Chinatown Fair's legacy lives on across the river in Brooklyn's Next Level but you can relive the glory of days past in a new documentary. Directed by Calvin Theobald, King of Chinatown features competitive gamers Justin Wong and Daigo Umehara, too, and shows the pivotal role Chinatown Fair played in their relationship. It's been out for a while but you can get it on iTunes this week. If you miss Chinatown Fair or love fighting games, give the film a look. More »

This Guy is Way too Into This Arcade Game

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:30:00 EDT

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And it is a beautiful thing to watch. More »

How to Find a Classic American Arcade

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Forget many of the more modern "arcades", full of skill-testers and UFO catchers. Sometimes you just want to play something old, vintage, with wood-panelling and a faded marquee. An arcade game with history. More »

The Greatest Arcade Cabinet That Never Was

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Around the turn of the millennium, Namco showed off an arcade game that looked like it had fallen out of the 22nd century. Housed in a giant cabinet called O.R.B.S., it was a sequel to old-school shooter Star Blade, and could have been just the kind of thing the dying arcade scene was in need of. More »

Feast Your Eyes on the Gorgeous Persona 4 Fighting Game

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:40:00 EDT

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Last week, Japanese game mag Famitsu gave us our first look at an unexpected new fighting game—Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena. Based on Atlus' role-playing game series, the arcade fighter plucks characters from Persona 3 and Persona 4 for 2D fighting fun. More »

Let's Imagine the Ultimate Video Game Arcade

Mike Fahey — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:20:00 EDT

As video game arcades across the country blink out like lights on an artificial discount store Christmas tree, commenter Blessrok asks us to imagine the arcade of our dreams in today's short but sweet Speak Up on Kotaku. More »

The Great Arcade Extravaganza Went Down Over the Weekend

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 03:30:00 EDT

It may not have the pulling power of bigger shows, but California Extreme remains one of the best arcade events on the gaming calendar, luring in attendees from the Bay Area (and beyond!) to play hundreds of great old coin-op machines. More »

The Heroes of Arcade Insanity

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:00:00 EDT

They might look like regular people, but their gaming skills are anything but. They're superplayers. They take gaming as far as it can physically go. More »

The Beautiful Art of Arcade Video Games

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Since for most of arcade gaming's heyday graphics weren't exactly easy on the eye, to lure customers in companies often had to rely on artwork to make a sale. More »

The Kids Who Grew Up In Arcades

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

In their heyday, arcades weren't just about the games. They were about the experience of leaving the house and going to a public space to play games, hanging out with friends and meeting new people who would then kick your ass. More »

New York's Famous Chinatown Fair Arcade Could Live On In Documentary Form

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:30:00 EDT

New York's infamous and grungy arcade holdout, Chinatown Fair, shut its doors earlier this year. Should you have happened to miss this momentous occasion or simply miss the sights and sounds of the decades-old hangout, it's now the subject of a documentary, one that you can help become reality. More »

The Town That Banned Pac-Man

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Arcade games may have been a source of great joy and entertainment for millions across the world in the 1980s, but for the small town of Marshfield, Massachusetts they were nothing but trouble. More »

An Arcade For Squatters Living In An Abandoned Skyscraper

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 03:30:00 EDT

There are 2,500 people living in The Centro Financiero Confinanzas, an unfinished skyscraper in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Despite being essentially squatters, they still have somewhere to play video games. More »

The Last Moments Of A Dying Arcade

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:30:00 EST

Having failed to work out a last-minute deal with its landlord, the historic Chinatown Fair arcade in New York City closed its doors on Sunday night. Here are some images of its last hours. More »

For The Love Of The Game: A Visit To The American Classic Arcade Museum

Jon Lynch — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST

The golden age of the American arcade has long since passed, its torch taken up by modern consoles, iPod apps, and Facebook games. But walking down the aisles of vintage game cabinets in the American Classic Arcade Museum, you would never know it. People young and old dart from machine to machine, clutching plastic cups brimming with tokens, while Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" is piped in via overhead speakers. As far as the museum is concerned, the great arcade crash of the 1980s never happened. However, this sanctuary for retro gaming might be in danger. More »

Historic New York Arcade Closure Is 'Rumor Started By A Moron', Though It's Kinda True

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST

The phone has been ringing repeatedly today at New York's Chinatown Fair, a beloved arcade in downtown New York, thanks to word on Facebook that the place was shutting down. Not true, not really, well ... probably not really. More »

Two Of The Last Great American Arcades (Might Be) Closing Down

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:00:00 EST

Fans of arcade gaming in the United States might be on the receiving end of a one-two punch, with both New York's Chinatown Fair and California's Arcade Infinity in danger of closure by the end of the month. More »

Vegas Entrepreneur Bets on an Arcade

Owen Good — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:30:00 EST

Fremont Street in Las Vegas is where you find the low rollers. The five-dollar tables and four-dollar steaks. It's a district with lower rents and higher ambitions, and that's where one gaming-themed bar is set to open this spring. More »

Arcade Magic - A Visit To The New Pinball Wizard

Jon Lynch — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:40:00 EST

The American arcade, on the verge of extinction, has been given new life with the opening of a New Hampshire based arcade. Writer Jon Lynch visits the newly opened Pinball Wizard, speaks to its proud, passionate owner and returns with this report. More »

Sorry, Your Top Speed Wasn't Enough For A High Score

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:30:00 EST

As seen on failbog, via Gamefreaks. More »

Want To Buy Your Own Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Cabinet?

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:30:00 EST

Super Street Fighter IV is officially available in arcades in Japan and...that's it. If you'd like to import your own, then, you'll need to know where to look. Oh, and bring money. More »

Welcome, New Arcade!

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

You only ever seem to hear about arcades closing these days, so let's break that depressing trend and welcome the opening of a big new arcade instead. More »

Memories of a Forgotten Street Fighter Tournament

Brian Crecente — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:40:00 EST

It was the summer of 1992 and Street Fighter II was the king of the still thriving U.S. arcades scene. More »

'100 Yen' Explores The Japanese Arcade Experience, Needs Your Help

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST

Filmmaker Brad Crawford wants to chronicle the past, present and future of the Japanese arcade game scene with a project dubbed 100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience, a lovely looking documentary that needs some financial assistance. Got a few bucks? More »

See Super Street Fighter IV's New Boys In Action

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EDT

Yun and Yang, the two new characters in the Japanese arcade release of Super Street Fighter IV, are going at it in this gameplay footage. More »

The Ignominy Of Defeat

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:30:00 EDT

Cheer up buddy, I know how you feel. As seen on Reddit. More »

Sand on My Back, Joystick In My Hand

Brian Crecente — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EDT

Growing up in the 70s in Maryland, there was nothing more rewarding than a trip to the beach. But it wasn't the sun, sand or the surf that attracted me, it was the boardwalk. More »

A Look Inside The Arcade Scene Of Kuwait

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:00:00 EDT

For the world traveler and fighting game aficionado, consider Kuwait on your next globetrotting adventure in search of new competitors. Yousef's still-growing guide to the arcades of the Middle Eastern state illustrate a love for the one-on-one brawler. More »

Suburb Tries Its Hand at Regulating Games

Owen Good — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:30:00 EDT

Operators of gaming centers would have to write and file a policy on how they enforce game ratings at their establishments when applying for a business license, under an ordinance being considered by a Detroit suburb. More »

Sudden Flush of Interest Led to Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Release

Brian Crecente — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Earlier this month Capcom did an about face, declaring that despite initial intentions, upcoming fighter Super Street Fighter IV would indeed get an arcade release in Japan. More »

Homeland Security Seizes Fake Frogger, Donkey Kong Machines

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:00:32 EST

In a change of pace from the many video game piracy stories we run about games being downloaded illegally, here's news of a seizure of 168 coin-op machines that played some very old games. More »

Super Street Fighter IV Is NOT Coming To Arcades

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EDT

Next Spring, Capcom is bringing Super Street Fighter IV to game shops. It, however, won't be bringing the game to arcades. More »

BlazBlue Expands With Continuum Shift

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:40:00 EDT

Guilty Gear creators Arc System Works achieved some enjoyable level of success with a new fighting game property, BlazBlue. One of the loudest complaints was the comparatively slim roster. Good news about that, courtesy of the newest issue of Famitsu. More »

Arcade Cabinets For Your GI Joes

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:30:00 EDT

Disillusioned by the way the recent GI Joe movie treated the 1980's take on the franchise? You're not the only one. Spare a thought for the plastic Joes themselves, who must now console themselves with endless games of Tempest. More »

Sega Park Opens In Dubai

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:30:00 EDT

The SEGA Republic - a nine-ride, 150-game amusement park - has officially been opened in Dubai Mall, roughly 18 months after it was first announced. More »

Drinking Games? This Thing Does Drinking Games

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:40:00 EDT

This is the Arkeg. It's an arcade cabinet. With a keg inside. The pinnacle of human endeavour, then? I say...yes. More »

Stride Gum Is Out To Save An Arcade (Or Two)

AJ Glasser — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:20:00 EDT

Stride Gum, makers of those commercials that seem to follow me everywhere, is offering $25,000 to an arcade on the verge of closing after already shelling out $10,000 to save the Philadelphia-based Challenge Arcade last week. More »

That Square Enix Countdown Was Counting Down To This...

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Lord of Vermillion II. This arcade title is the sequel to Square Enix's popular card-based arcade game Lord of Vermillion. More »

Handmade SFIV Sticks Don't Skimp On The Heavy Stuff

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:30:00 EDT

Mekishiko916 likes Street Fighter, and is handy with circuits and a soldering iron. Combining those two, he's come up with these amazing hand-made arcade sticks that aren't just heavy-duty, they're wireless as well. More »

Swine Flu Threatens Thailand's Gaming Centers

Mike Fahey — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EDT

Fears that Thailand's online gaming shops could be a major hub for swine flu transmission were realized this week, as a computer game shop employee became virus' 17th Thai victim. More »