Robot
09-03-2012, 11:26 AM
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3952720&type=lg
I didn't have very much downtime at PAX Prime 2012 -- these are the terrible sacrifices we American heroes make for you 1UP readers -- but I did manage to devote at least 15 precious unoccupied minutes to exploring the convention's free play arcade room, which seemed to be bustling to full capacity every time I wandered by. And it carried a surprising degree of authenticity; in typical arcade fashion, the standing arcade cabinets served as the only source of light, and their various bleeps and bloops contributed to a symphony of days gone by.
Having been born in the early 80s, I never had the chance to experience arcades at their peak -- though I did spend plenty of time and an entire tenth birthday at some fairly popular joints in my no-name hometown -- so it was a joy to see a mix of older and (relatively) newer games standing side-by-side as generations of gamers visited the recreation of a phenomenon that barely lasted a few decades. (The dads lifting up their toddlers to play the likes of Dig-Dug (http://www.1up.com/games/arc/dig-dug) and other classics stood as a heartwarming addition.) The only thing missing was the ever-present fat, surly owner equipped with a filthy change belt -- though that omission didn't make any of my fellow con-goers shed a single tear.
One major surprise of my visit came in the form of Donkey Kong 2, a cabinet that made me do a double-take and sincerely doubt my knowledge of all things retro. As someone who considers himself pretty well-versed in all things Nintendo, here stood an arcade machine that, by all rights, shouldn't exist. Yet here it was, a take on Donkey Kong (http://www.1up.com/games/arc/donkey-kong) that's comparable to the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2's (http://www.1up.com/games/wii/super-mario-bros-2) take on the original SMB. Of course, my intuition proved correct, and the game turned out to be a relatively recent (and very true to the original) ROM hack, but I have to credit its creators for getting me to doubt my sanity, if only for a few minutes.
Though they've been dead for nearly 20 years (seriously!), it's still strange to think of arcades as outdated relics; but if you want the full experience, special events like PAX are the only place you can find them. But I guess one of the symptoms of aging is watching once-relevant concepts become antiquated curiosities. Despite my old people problems, I'm still happy to see PAX make room for a significant chunk of gaming history a few floors below AAA developers promoting their latest multi-million dollar mega-franchise. We'll never return to the golden days of the arcade, but a reasonable facsimile gets the job done in our horrible future-world of 2012.
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9113189
I didn't have very much downtime at PAX Prime 2012 -- these are the terrible sacrifices we American heroes make for you 1UP readers -- but I did manage to devote at least 15 precious unoccupied minutes to exploring the convention's free play arcade room, which seemed to be bustling to full capacity every time I wandered by. And it carried a surprising degree of authenticity; in typical arcade fashion, the standing arcade cabinets served as the only source of light, and their various bleeps and bloops contributed to a symphony of days gone by.
Having been born in the early 80s, I never had the chance to experience arcades at their peak -- though I did spend plenty of time and an entire tenth birthday at some fairly popular joints in my no-name hometown -- so it was a joy to see a mix of older and (relatively) newer games standing side-by-side as generations of gamers visited the recreation of a phenomenon that barely lasted a few decades. (The dads lifting up their toddlers to play the likes of Dig-Dug (http://www.1up.com/games/arc/dig-dug) and other classics stood as a heartwarming addition.) The only thing missing was the ever-present fat, surly owner equipped with a filthy change belt -- though that omission didn't make any of my fellow con-goers shed a single tear.
One major surprise of my visit came in the form of Donkey Kong 2, a cabinet that made me do a double-take and sincerely doubt my knowledge of all things retro. As someone who considers himself pretty well-versed in all things Nintendo, here stood an arcade machine that, by all rights, shouldn't exist. Yet here it was, a take on Donkey Kong (http://www.1up.com/games/arc/donkey-kong) that's comparable to the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2's (http://www.1up.com/games/wii/super-mario-bros-2) take on the original SMB. Of course, my intuition proved correct, and the game turned out to be a relatively recent (and very true to the original) ROM hack, but I have to credit its creators for getting me to doubt my sanity, if only for a few minutes.
Though they've been dead for nearly 20 years (seriously!), it's still strange to think of arcades as outdated relics; but if you want the full experience, special events like PAX are the only place you can find them. But I guess one of the symptoms of aging is watching once-relevant concepts become antiquated curiosities. Despite my old people problems, I'm still happy to see PAX make room for a significant chunk of gaming history a few floors below AAA developers promoting their latest multi-million dollar mega-franchise. We'll never return to the golden days of the arcade, but a reasonable facsimile gets the job done in our horrible future-world of 2012.
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9113189