The Arcade Era
I always found Amusement Arcades to be brilliant, magical places. The cacophony of sounds, the flashing lights, the sound of coins being pumped out into metal scoops. Traditionally, the front of the arcade contained children's games. Things like crane grabbers, 2p or 10p 'pushers', one arm bandits etc. Then came the gambling machines. 'Bar X' etc. I did find these mildly interesting, but to me, the real gems of an arcade always lay in the sparkling gloom towards the back - where the arcade machines were.
The magical world of arcade machines! Demonstration screens tempting you in....sound effects popping at you from all angles...high score tables with legendary names on them....'Insert Coin' flashing onscreen...Or if you were lucky; 'Push 1P Start' !
It's amazing (and sad) that amusement arcades do not really exist anymore. Certainly not in the guise of their glory days of the 1980's. Despite what 'non gamers' might think, they were fun, social places where you interacted with people, played games, challenged people, made friends, indulged in banter and had fun! To me, that's infinitely more appealing than the thought of millions of people sitting at home, quietly posting boring tat on Facebook every single day...
I never thought that arcades would become lost in the midst of time. It's a real shame. Those sights. The sounds. The lights. The pounds...
I was lucky enough to get a job in one of the greatest of all amusement arcades: The Quay Amusements in Poole. Why was it so good? - Because they cared. Every machine was lovingly looked after and each was always kept in immaculate condition. They constantly updated their inventory and the place was always kept ship shape and spotless. It was like being in Mecca and getting paid for it. I once drove with a friend of mine to London to seek out all the best arcades they had. I was under the impression that surely London would have a better arcade than little old 'Poole'.....I was wrong! We spent the whole day seeking out amusement arcades and none were a patch on the Quay Amusements. What a place!
The magical world of arcade machines! Demonstration screens tempting you in....sound effects popping at you from all angles...high score tables with legendary names on them....'Insert Coin' flashing onscreen...Or if you were lucky; 'Push 1P Start' !
It's amazing (and sad) that amusement arcades do not really exist anymore. Certainly not in the guise of their glory days of the 1980's. Despite what 'non gamers' might think, they were fun, social places where you interacted with people, played games, challenged people, made friends, indulged in banter and had fun! To me, that's infinitely more appealing than the thought of millions of people sitting at home, quietly posting boring tat on Facebook every single day...
I never thought that arcades would become lost in the midst of time. It's a real shame. Those sights. The sounds. The lights. The pounds...
I was lucky enough to get a job in one of the greatest of all amusement arcades: The Quay Amusements in Poole. Why was it so good? - Because they cared. Every machine was lovingly looked after and each was always kept in immaculate condition. They constantly updated their inventory and the place was always kept ship shape and spotless. It was like being in Mecca and getting paid for it. I once drove with a friend of mine to London to seek out all the best arcades they had. I was under the impression that surely London would have a better arcade than little old 'Poole'.....I was wrong! We spent the whole day seeking out amusement arcades and none were a patch on the Quay Amusements. What a place!
Click on a game below to read my review about a particular game. Also check out my In-Depth Analyses section for more!
Slap Fight
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Super Sprint
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R-Type
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Gauntlet
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