Arcade Games for 2014

[sleepy]

I was thinking of the innovations back in the old day. The Golden Days.
I was thinking about the future.

Do you see anything of interest?

http://www.bmigaming.com/games-newitems.htm

The latest series of Golden Tee golf games caught my eye.
Manufactured by Incredible Technologies and sold for ~$3,700, the company expects you the buyer
to install your own flat panel monitor!
Monitor Not Included!

http://www.bmigaming.com/games-catalog-itsgames.htm#golden-tee-golf-2014-pedesdal

And there so I was, dreaming of the future and hoping to see the beginning of arcade games using glassless 3D, either by Dolby or by Ultra D 3D, and they don't even come with a monaural screen?

Dolby 3D (glassless 3D video monitor system):

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/professional/technology/dolby-3d-glasses-free-3d.html

The Ultra D 3D (glassless video monitor system):

http://www.ultra-d.com/

Now here's the thing of it. I was drawn to the arcades in no small part due to the access to wondrous technology, and the cost risk of cutting edge components is a necessary part of the lure, isn't it?
With all of the driving games, I am dumbstruck that none of them are taking advantage of what is available now, but beyond the reach of the typical homeowner.. Just remembering when the cost of 8 bit computer arcade games and laserdisc movie games was also 'prohibitive'.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

i'm not surprised in the least that so many people are building their own custom home rigs. i mean, the cost is fractional, it's a fun / educational hobbyist project, and you get to build it to personal spec. what's not to like?


i think i stopped in one time to look at the 3DSXL, which was a potential upgrade for my older unit. meh... for some reason that and other 3D technologies never quite grabbed me. maybe i just haven't hooked up with the right tool. note: i've seen some hacks (maybe on benheck or somewhere) where people created their own 3D systems for pennies on the dollar.

another neat project-- some guy modified a standard panel monitor so that it can only be viewed with polarised glasses. only cost a few bucks, yea!


personally i'm still in love with my projector, mini-bose and wireless keyboard / mouse. even just lying on the couch and browsing the net is a blast, because everything is a blast when it feels like you're in a movie theater with the master control installed in your seat.

karaoke with people over is where it particularly shines, though. even just winamp visualisations is very popular when on this 14' screen. here's a short vid of it where i'm being a fawning mother hen to squeaky:
Squeaky Rumpaletta vs. Hexbug. - YouTube


although, to be honest, i haven't found a good new PC game in years. "delve deeper" sounds pretty fun, but i'm always forgetting to install. mostly i just play games on android tablet now, since i get to rest on my back and don't have to sit in front of PC. "kingdom rush frontiers" only cost me a buck or two an hour ago. it's huge and based on a real gem of a game. should be lots of time-wasting fun ahead of me, yarr!

 

[StevOz]

Prior to the PC, arcade games were one of the major diving forces behind new technology, this is simply not the case now. Due to their much reduced market share and profit margins, those developing new technologies are not developing parts geared toward arcade games. For instance graphics chips were once pretty much built and designed for the arcade industry, now of course it's PC's and mobile devices that dictate those designs.

Thus in todays market arcade games cannot really afford to use cutting edge technologies and instead must use off the shelve components within a strict budget and rely on new innovative ways to do this.

 

[LeeVanCleef]

"kingdom rush frontiers" only cost me a buck or two an hour ago. it's huge and based on a real gem of a game. should be lots of time-wasting fun ahead of me, yarr!

Ah, Kingdom Rush Frontiers! What a wonderful little game! I lost a good month to it over the summer! The last couple of stages that were added are kicking my ass!

Let's face it; even adjusted for inflation, the cost of being "cutting-edge" as so many arcade games were in the '80s would be astronomical today. Because now it's not as simple as making a cool, sit-down booth to play Spy Hunter in. As you pointed out, sleepy, some sort of 3D thing would be the next big step... and that would be a risky financial bet even if arcades were still as popular today as they were in the '80s.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

finally got back to "frontiers" and finished off the main course. the extra stages have been an excellent bonus. a couple times i almost broke down and bought one of the dragons, but managed to gut things out with a maxed-out cronan the barbarian.

you know i glanced at the WP article on TD games the other day and noticed that they called the arcade game "rampart" an early TD game. i never noticed that... not sure i agree... but pretty interesting that these games could probably have run on PC's from the late 70's. if only someone had thought to make them.

btw, it looks like another kingdom rush sequel (well, prequel) just came out... all new scenerios, graphics, etc. hmm... :)

 

[Shockman]

Rampart is a TD game in every sense. I liked the trackball version.

 

[LeeVanCleef]

finally got back to "frontiers" and finished off the main course. the extra stages have been an excellent bonus. a couple times i almost broke down and bought one of the dragons, but managed to gut things out with a maxed-out cronan the barbarian.

you know i glanced at the WP article on TD games the other day and noticed that they called the arcade game "rampart" an early TD game. i never noticed that... not sure i agree... but pretty interesting that these games could probably have run on PC's from the late 70's. if only someone had thought to make them.

btw, it looks like another kingdom rush sequel (well, prequel) just came out... all new scenerios, graphics, etc. hmm... :)

Get thee behind me, Satan! No talk about new Kingdom Rush games until after the holiday season! Then I can take January off. That last bonus stage was a bee-yatch! I used slashy-sword guy... Conan's good, but slashy-sword guy has better attack points. Or something. I find the best strategy to use is to place your hero characterLEEROY JENKINS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hooKVstzbz0

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Rampart is a TD game in every sense. I liked the trackball version.

oh cmon, you can troll better than that.

Get thee behind me, Satan! No talk about new Kingdom Rush games until after the holiday season! Then I can take January off. That last bonus stage was a bee-yatch! I used slashy-sword guy... Conan's good, but slashy-sword guy has better attack points. Or something. I find the best strategy to use is to place your hero characterLEEROY JENKINS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hooKVstzbz0

haha it's actually not as long as frontiers (only 15 stages for now), but yea i understand. i did go ahead and buy it... been playing the last day or so and am now stuck on stage 13. i actually broke down this morning and watched the walkthrough video for 13, only to discover that the game behaves differently on the android version! meaning the video is useless!

btw i have my eye on these indy games, although they're for PC's, not tablets. very original and just plain fantastic-looking...

spy party
http://www.spyparty.com/#n

monaco- what's yours is mine
http://www.monacoismine.com/

 

[sleepy]

I think I beat it by [hide] upgrading many Archers and 3 or 4 "bomb blasters" or "earth scorchers" whachmacalit, but that was way back when it was first posted here in this thread and, I can't remember now.
Just that the last level has a "Jason/Mike Myers" return of the Boss, so many Archers with scorchers near the center throne are ...Very Nice!
...since Boss otherwise kills off the Archers and everything else otherwise, like down to the wire with many Pawns sacrificed.[/hide]

Are the HIDE tags working? I am Invisible. Can you see me?

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Well you're always highly obscure... that's part of your intrinsic charm, I reckon. :)

 

[StevOz]

Well the awards are in...

and the winner is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUD79nhBoAU

http://www.bmigaming.com/arcade-machine-awards-bosa.htm

On the pinball side this is interesting...

http://arcadeheroes.com/2014/06/26/vonnied-pinball-announces-pinball-gremlins-seeks-funding/

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

surprised that's the first time i've seen a bubble-screen on an arcade game. the tech (in general) has been around for a long time, so i'd have expected it at places like dave & busters and casino arcades.


on the pin side, it's a shame williams couldn't find a way to stick around. their games were so good that the best a game can get IME is 'as good as a williams'. most of these smaller companies look like they're one or two underperforming machines away from vanishing.