Retro Gaming Recap; Winter 2010/2011

So here's what's been going on with retro gaming recently. We'll delve into it in chronological order, new to old...


Amidst rumors of SNK Playmore no longer publishing games, I have it on good authority that SNK Arcade Classics 0 may finally be on it's way. Word is new footage was taken and sent to the ESRB recently (as posted by developer G1M2 on December 22 on their Facebook Page), and that information should be publicly available soon.

First off, the PS2 release has been altogether scrapped, which isn't the least bit surprising (I wasn't even aware that games were still being manufactured for the old workhorse, although apparently they still are, with at least five games scheduled for NA release in 2011).
The PSP release might still be in the cards, and digital distribution in some form is the new blueprint, which might be the only way us non-handheld home console players will be able to access these classics - which would be unfortunate.

No word yet on why the game was delayed over a year from the PSP release date found in the Japanese comic.

UPDATE;
So there's finally an official announcement on SNK Arcade Classics 0.
It is set for an April 21st 2011 release for the PSP in Japan. No word yet on a Stateside release.
Sources; Andraisang.com, Gamesetwatch.com



Dreamcast Collection Due In Late February (Feb 22nd North America)
Four Dreamcast games are included in this compilation; Sonic Adventure; Crazy Taxi; SEGA Bass Fishing; and Space Channel 5: Part 2.


To call four games a "collection" is a real stretch. Since I already have most of the key Dreamcast games (only game in this collection I don't have is Space Channel 5, and I couldn't care less about it), the Dreamcast Collection will not show up in my collection.
Yes, Dreamcast games take up a larger amount of memory so there's a limit on how many titles they can fit onto one disc, but I was simply expecting more, and it's difficult not to compare it to the all-encompassing Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection which contained a grand total of 48 games (40 Genesis, 7 arcade, and 2 Sega Master System games). Additionally, two of the games in the Dreamcast Collection (Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure) are available on Xbox Live Arcade, and the remaining two games are planned for future XBLA release. My condolences to those who have purchased either Crazy Taxi or Sonic Adventures on XBLA for $10 a piece, when you could've just waited for the Dreamcast Collection for $30 and got 4 games for for the price of 3 Dreamcast titles on XBLA.
Putting aside the fact that there were only 4 games included, the game selections in this compilation were just far too predictable. Not to mention the fact that Crazy Taxi isn't really the authentic Dreamcast version, since the in-game advertising was removed and the soundtrack featuring Bad Religion and The Offspring was replaced, and Sega Bass Fishing just isn't the same without the Dreamcast Fishing Rod peripheral.

A few game suggestions;
18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker (also ported to the PS2)
2K Sports series; NBA 2K2, NFL 2K2, NHL 2K2, Tennis 2K2 (aka Virtua Tennis 2), World Series Baseball 2K2
Alien Front Online
Confidential Mission (On-rail gun game)
Crazy Taxi 2 and Crazy Taxi 3 (which was only released on the Xbox)
Dynamite Cop
Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Outtrigger
Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II
Racing games; Daytona USA 2001, F355 Challenge (also ported to the PS2), Sega GT, Sega Rally 2
Seaman and Seaman 2 (which was only released on the PS2 in Japan)
Sega Bass Fishing 2
Shenmue I&II
Skies Of Arcadia (the updated Gamecube port)
Sonic Adventure 2 (the updated Gamecube port)
Virtua Cop 2 (from Sega Smash Pack)
Zombie Revenge

I've heard many echo requests for Jet Set Radio and it's sequel, although I have no vested interest in it.
I'd suggest House Of The Dead II, but the House Of The Dead II&III collection on the Wii pretty much covered that.

Although the following games have no roots in the Dreamcast, I'd also like to see them include Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox) and Shinobi and Nightshade (PS2). Then again, they could always save the Shinobi games for an all-encompassing Shinobi Anthology.

I think Sega has been spiraling out of control with no one at the wheel ever since they left the hardware market. And they've been hemorrhaging their back catalog with games like the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection and the upcoming Dreamcast Collection, not to mention auctioning off their back catalog to craptastic Atgames, most recently with the Sega Genesis Arcade Motion plug-n-play on sale at Walgreens. Which is all pretty good news for consumers, but more indicative of a company that's struggling rather than sitting well.

To Sega's credit, they did publish two well-rated games this past year, Bayonetta and Vanquish. Both demos of which I enjoyed, Vanquish more than Bayonetta (reminded me too much of Devil May Cry). Gamespot even gave Vanquish the dubious honor of 'best game no one played' award for 2010. AVP3 however, was up for the worst game everyone played award.


Krome closes down
"On 18 August 2010, it was reported that Krome had closed down their Adelaide studios and made significant staff cuts to their Melbourne and Brisbane offices - with as many as 100 staff let go. On 18 October 2010, all remaining staff were let go."
On December 22nd, the final game pack (unlucky number 13) was released.

Let's face it, Game Room was destined for failure from the very start. Krome did little to nothing to alter or improve the virtual service since launch, and Microsoft has done little to nothing to promote it since its launch. You can't have both the developer and the publisher not give a product it's full support and expect it to succeed.
Bring in another developer? Perhaps. But I'd prefer if they'd scrap everything but the title and the games already released, and start from scratch.

I doubt we'll ever see even half of the 1000 games initially promised, and why would we want to? As echoed by others, it's most assuredly all shovelware, and Konami should have included all of their bottom-of-the-barrel arcade offerings (along with their hits) on a $20/$30 compilation disc long ago.

I'm sure glad I didn't actually spend money on any of Game Room's offerings, and now that I know it's teetering on the brink of extinction, I surely won't!

Krome's brilliant (sarcasm) solution to the Konami arcade cabinets' missing artwork was to substitute them for the Konami Windy arcade cabinet, which was released in 1996, when all of Konami's Game Room games were released years before. The least Game Room could do is make their application historically accurate, but Krome couldn't even get that right. The Windy cabinets stick out like a sore thumb and are entirely out of place.
Sure sure "if you go to an arcade in Japan they will have ALL the games in these cabinets, including classics from the 80s". Well that's all fine and dandy but THIS ISN'T JAPAN nor is Game Room intended to emulate 1996-present day! Not to mention that Windy cabinets do not have a marquee so it's nearly impossible to even tell what game it is until you enter the game itself.

I logged into Game Room around the time of the Pack 13 release and it was screwy to the tenth degree. Booted me from Live, made me download a small update, booted me from Live again, told me I had to re-download game packs and if I canceled it would erase my Game Room history, it (temporarily) erased my custom arcade, clicked on arcade games to play in the shop and it'd go to a loading screen, and once the loading was done it'd just bring me right back to the shop. What a friggin' disaster! Krome really had no clue how to run this thing from the get-go. What was Microsoft thinking? Stick a fork in it MS, it's done.

Once again, scrap the WHOLE dang thing and try again with another developer - or better yet, DON'T and force Konami to release an all-encompassing arcade compilation at a budget-price ON DISC (which they should've done long ago), and have Atari and Intellivision put all their Game Room shovelware on Atari Anthology Volume 2: FUCT (Failed Under Continuous Testing) and Intellivision Lives! Volume 2: MEGO (My Eyes Glazed Over).

In regards to classic game compilations on disc vs digital distribution;
It's pretty simple really. More games for less money is better than more money for less games. Classic game compilations have been around for quite some time now, and they set the bar in regards to pricing. Then digital distribution came along and felt the added convenience and online options (multiplayer, leaderboards) were worth a 500% to over 1000% markup. They were wrong, and sensible consumers can and will always recognize that fact.
I do not understand some of Game Room's [digital distribution] biggest advocates voicing their support in having classic games in Game Room as opposed to on disc. You're not gaining much if anything at all by having it on Game Room. Owning it on disc, however, guarantees it won't ever disappear. Owning classic games released on disc is a win-win for consumers. Having them released onto digital distribution instead of on-disc and the developer/publisher has you the consumer over the barrel.

And you can blame publishers for having half a bit of marketing sense for that. Release a classic game compilation on disc for a budget price, then releasing the games separately on a digital distribution service for a 500% markup and consumers are less likely to jump if there's a cheaper option available.
Release them on a digital distribution service first, then releasing them on a classic gaming compilation on disc for a budget price after the fact doesn't make much sense from a business standpoint, unless the online game sales have already topped out - at which point releasing a compilation on disc is superfluous.
In example; Would you have paid $60 (4800 points) for 9 Namco Xbla games, or $30 for all those plus the 25 more games included within the Namco Museum Virtual Arcade compilation?
It's just an unfortunate fact that the more money consumers dump into classic games via digital distribution, the more prices rise and the less likely we are to see classic game compilations on disc.

So the big remaining question mark Game Room gamers were clammering about was; Where is Sunset Riders? "It's in the demo reel and also listed in the binary file" gamers wrote. Well it was a no-show, and to be honest, I think Konami would be making a mistake by releasing Sunset Riders in Game Room for a paltry $3 as opposed to XBLA. Sunset Riders deserves larger exposure, and it'd be a nice fan-service if they gave it some sort of enhanced graphics treatment (with an option to play with original graphics of course).

Microsoft claims to be still investing in Game Room, although they have been been silent on their plans for Game Room ever since developer Krome went under.
One sign that it may still have a future is the fact that certain games via the Game Room interface were introduced as playable on Windows Phone 7 at CES 2011 earlier this month. Whether Microsoft brings in another developer to work on the core Xbox 360 application, or simply let it sit unused and full of glitches, is yet to be seen.




Dotemu released IREM Arcade Hits for the PC, DRM free, download only, in December 2010.
The games included are;

Air Duel [1990]
Battle Chopper [1987]
Blade Master [1991]
Cosmic Cop [1991]
Dragon Breed [1989]
Gunforce [1991]
Gun Force II [1994]
Hammerin' Harry [1990]
Image Fight [1988]
In The Hunt [1993] *Released on PSOne in US
Kung Fu Master [1984] *Ported to NES, arcade-perfect port included in Irem Arcade Classics for both the Sega Saturn and Playstation in Japan.

Legend of Hero Tonma [1989] *Turbografx-16 port available on the Wii Virtual Console
Mystic Riders [1992]
Ninja Spirit [1988] *Turbografx-16 port available on the Wii Virtual Console
Believe it or not, Ninja Spirit for the Turbografx-16 was the first game in history to receive a 10 in Electronic Gaming Monthly.
R-Type Leo [1992]
Released only in arcades, R-Type Leo is the third and final arcade release of this classic series (all subsequent R-Type games were released only on consoles). The R-Type timeline indicates that the events of R-Type Leo occur before those of all the other games in the series.
Superior Soldiers [1993]
Undercover Cops [1992]
Vigilante [1988] *Turbografx-16 port available on the Wii Virtual Console
A spin-off of Kung-Fu Master

I've always wanted Irem to release an arcade classics compilation! And although I wish they could've included more games from their collection (the exclusion of the 1982 golden age classic Moon Patrol is somewhat puzzling, and they really need to release an all encompassing R-Type Anthology including every last console release), my big complaint is though, why not release this on consoles!?! IREM Arcade Hits deserves larger exposure. I think it's a mistake to only release it as download only for the PC. I'd gladly pay a mark-up to play this on the Wii with the classic controller. I'd suggest the 360 but I'm afraid that they'd try to hawk each game separately on XBLA instead.

DotEmu has stated that it [releasing the game on consoles] "is not so straightforward due to various reasons."


I only recently became aware of the Playstation 3's Playstation 3 Classics HD line with the release of The Sly Collection, which was released on December 1, 2010. In a way this was kicked off over a year ago by the God Of War Collection, which was the first release to include remastered versions of Playstation 2 games.
From Wikipedia; "Classics HD is the official name given for these compilations in Europe, no equivalent of such name exists in North America or Japan. However, these titles are easily differentiated in North America as they include the subtitle "Remastered in High Definition" on the cover."
These remasters also sometimes include 3D support.

The Prince Of Persia trilogy, remastered in high definition, was released in North America as download only via The Playstation Store. Why a hard copy option wasn't made available in North America I do not know. Shame on you!
Update: A hard copy was eventually released on April 19, 2011.
Note; If you own the NTSC Xbox version of Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, you might wanna hold onto it, because the Prince Of Perisa Collection does not include the original Prince of Persia & Prince of Persia 2 as unlockables, as the original Xbox version did (the only version to include Prince Of Persia 2 as an unlockable).

Some news I found exciting is the planned Q2 2011 release of Ico & Shadow Of Colossus. Two titles I own and love and would repurchase to experience them in high-def and 3D.

Update: The Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus Collection has a release date of September 27, 2011.

The planned Tomb Raider Trilogy doesn't quite fit into the formula, since all 3 games have been available in hi-def on this generation of consoles, albeit on the Xbox 360. But since neither Legend nor Anniversary were available on Playstation 3, this gives PS3 owners the chance to experience them all in one pack.
Update: Tomb Raider Collection was released on March 22, 2011.
"The collection includes the PlayStation 2 versions of Legend and Anniversary remastered in high definition plus Underworld, which was previously released on the PS3 in 2008, all on one Blu-ray Disc.
The two downloadable episodes available for the Xbox 360 version of Underworld are not included, and Crystal Dynamics has no current plans to make them available on PS3."

The Tom Clancy Splinter Cell Compilation is planned for release on August 2, 2011, and like the Prince Of Persia Trilogy, was originally listed for North America as download only, but that was revised.

Occasionally swaying from the Playstation 2 requirement, here are some of my suggestions of games worth compiling and revisiting to game pubishers for the "Classics HD" line of compilations;
ACCLAIM; Turok 1-4
ACTIVISION; Call Of Duty Finest Hour and Big Red One, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1-4/Underground 1-2, X-Men Legends 1-2/Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1-2
CAPCOM; Devil May Cry 1-3, Dino Crisis 1-3, Maximo 1-2, Onimusha 1-3 + Dawn Of Dreams
EIDOS; Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-3
ELECTRONIC ARTS; Burnout 1-3 + Revenge and Dominator, James Bond; [Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, From Russia With Love], LOTR: The Two Towers and LOTR: The Return of the King, Medal Of Honor 1-6 [Medal Of Honor/Underground/Frontline (*A remastered version of Frontline was included in the PlayStation 3 version of Medal of Honor)/Rising Sun/European Assault/Vanguard], NBA Street 1-4, Need For Speed 1-2/Hot Pursuit 1-2/Underground 1-2 + High Stakes and Porsche Unleashed, NFL Street 1-3, SSX 1-4, Time Splitters 1-3
INTERPLAY; Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance I&II
KONAMI; Hideo Kojima's Adventure Games (Snatcher and Policenauts, uncensored & localized), Metal Gear Solid 1-3, Suikoden 1-5
LUCASARTS; Star Wars: Battlefront 1-2
NAMCO; Ace Combat 1-5 + The Belkan War, Dead To Rights 1-3, Point Blank 1-3, Tekken 1-5 + Tag Tournament 1, Time Crisis 1-3 + Project Titan and Crisis Zone
ODDWORLD INHABITANTS; Oddworld 1-4
ROCKSTAR GAMES; Grand Theft Auto III/Liberty City Stories/Vice City/Vice City Stories/San Andreas, Max Payne 1-2
SEGA; Shinobi (2002) and Nightshade, Yakuza 1-2
SONY; Ape Escape 1-3, ATV Offroad Fury 1-4, Discworld 1-3 (Psygnosis), Gran Turismo 1-4, Jak & Daxter 1-3, Ratchet & Clank 1-4, Ridge Racer 1-5, Wipeout 1-6 (Psygnosis) [Wipeout, Wipeout XL, Wipeout 3, Wipeout Fusion, Wipeout Pure [PSP], Wipeout Pulse (PS2 port only released in EU)]
SQUARE ENIX; Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, Secret Of Mana 1-4 [The Secret Of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, Legend Of Mana and Dawn Of Mana]
THQ; Red Faction 1-2
UBISOFT; Destruction Derby 1-5, Driver 1-5, Myst 1-6
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE; Champions Of Norrath I&II (Snowblind Studios)


The new Splatterhouse game was released in North America on November 23, 2010 and along with it came a welcome surprise.
Although the 2010 revival of Splatterhouse wasn't exactly met with critical fanfare, it is worth noting for including the original Splatterhouse trilogy of games as unlockables. And although you can purchase Splatterhouse 2 on the Wii's Virtual Console, and you'd probably be able to track down Splatterhouse 3 second hand off of Amazon or Ebay without breaking the bank, this is the first time the arcade version of the first Splatterhouse, uncensored without the changes you would find in the Turbografx 16 port, has become available to home console owners.
So because of the fact that Splatterhouse 2010 includes all 3 original games, even if Splatterhouse 2010 may not be a terrific game, it'd be worth picking up in the bargain bin someday.


The Medal Of Honor reboot was released on October 10, 2010, and the Playstation 3 version came with an added bonus. A remastered HD port of 2002's Medal Of Honor: Frontline.
It is one of only two WWII games I own (the other being Call Of Duty 2).
And while 2002 may not be considered "retro", MOH Frontline is a terrifc game, starting off with the D-Day Beach at Normandy level ripped right from Saving Private Ryan.



Dragon's Lair Trilogy (Dragon's Lair I & II and Space Ace) was released for the Wii on October 8, 2010 at an MSRP of $29.99. IGN Review
There have been many releases of Dragon's Lair over the years, but this is the first time both Dragon's Lair games and Space Ace have been brought together on one disc.

The Wii release features the same remastered footage from the Blu Ray release, though converted to 480p widescreen. The original games were filmed in 4:3 and the Blu-Ray was matted to 1:78:1 to fit a 16x9 frame.
The only thing missing is the extra behind the scenes footage produced for the DVD/Blu-Ray.

Yes, the separate Blu-Ray releases of Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II and Space Ace displayed in full 1080p resolution are the definitive versions, but they come at a cost. All three titles on Blu-Ray would currently cost you $123.97 off of Amazon.com (or $132.89 at Amazon MSRP), or a full $49.95 a piece off of Digital Leisure's site, for a grand total of $148.50!
Considering that each game "can be beat in 15 minutes flat" as someone states, the current price of $21.98 off of Amazon for Dragon's Lair Trilogy for the Wii, as opposed to $120 or more for the Blu-Rays, and considering that the Wii uses the same remastered footage (albeit displayed at 480p), the Wii version comes out lookin' like a winner.
Much like the Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack however (and Data East Arcade Classics), Dragon's Lair Trilogy might be difficult to spot at your local brick & mortar store, leaving online outlets such as Amazon your only reliable source of purchase.

Konami Arcade

This is an extension of the originating Game Room post.

Konami has been nickel & diming fans of their back cataloge for years, and now they are continuing that tradition by releasing their arcade games on Xbox Live Arcade's Game Room, rather than doing what they should've done long ago - release an all encompassing on-disc arcade compilation.
Activision, Atari, Capcom, Data East, Intellivision, Midway, Namco, Sega, Taito, hell even Tecmo have released arcade or console compilations. But Konami continues to hawk their arcade games on XBLA, and their old console games on Wii Virtual Console, all for prices well above the precedent that every other classic gaming company has set with their arcade and classic console compilations. Sure, one could say that Konami deserves credit for being the only developer to bring something exclusive to the table at the launch of Game Room with Battlantis, Finalizer and Jungler. But I say hold back the praise. Bottom line is Konami has no excuse for being the only company not to release an arcade classics compilation on the 6th and 7th generation (non-handheld) of consoles. And after having dropped $20 on 4 Konami XBLA games, I feel like they owe me that much.

Of Konami's 20 (at time of post) Game Room releases, the games which have never appeared on a compilation of any kind before are;
Battlantis, Finalizer, Jailbreak, Jungler, Juno First, Konami's Ping Pong, Mega Zone, Mr. Goemon, Rack 'Em Up, Scooter Shooter, Strategy X, and Video Hustler.

A total of 42 (at time of post) of Konami's arcade classics have been released on the PSOne, Plug'N Play, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, PSP, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Game Room, and the Wii's Virtual Console. Those games are as follows;
1) Battlantis
2) Circus Charlie
3-4) Contra, Super Contra
5-6) Double Dribble, Super Basketball
7-10) Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III, Gradius IV (available on Gradius Collection for the PSP)
11) Gyruss
12) Finalizer
13) Frogger
14) Jailbreak
15) Jungler
16) Juno First
17-20) Life Force, Salamander, Salamander 2, Xexex (*on Salamander Portable on the PSP, only available in Japan)
21) Mega Zone
22) Mr. Goemon
23) Pooyan
24) Rack 'Em Up
25) Road Fighter
26) Roc'n Rope
27) Rush'n Attack
28) Scramble
29) Scooter Shooter
30) Shao Lin's Road
31) Strategy X
32) Super Cobra
33-34) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
35) Time Pilot
36) Track and Field
37) Tutankham
38-40) TwinBee, Detana!! TwinBee, TwinBee Yahho! (*on TwinBee Portable on the PSP, only available in Japan)
41) Video Hustler
42) Yie Ar Kung-Fu

In reality, every last one of these games should be available on a singular compilation. Keep in mind Namco Museum Virtual Arcade had 40 games and was released at an MSRP of $29.99.


Konami to release expensive compilation
"Konami Classics Volume 1 will feature Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, Frogger and Super Contra, while Volume 2 will feature Contra, Rush'n Attack and Track & Field.
Each collection will cost $19.99 in the US - which means the first volume costs the same as it would to buy them all on the Xbox Live Marketplace, but it also means the second volume costs $5 more than the marketplace."
A compilation of 3 XBLA games is NOT an "arcade classics compilation". And while Castlevania SOTN is a terrific game, it isn't an arcade title.

Once again, in comparison, take a look at Namco Museum Virtual Arcade as an example of how to release an arcade compilation with a few XBLA games thrown in done right, and priced right at $29.99. Namco Museum Virtual Arcade has a total of 40 games included, 31 of which are Arcade Classics on disc, 9 of which are games accessible through XBLA.


Even at a measley 10 games, Konami Arcade Classics was the closest Konami came to full-fledged classic arcade compilation on a non-handheld home console. It's now a rare find and those on Ebay and Amazon are (or were) asking quite a bit for it. The reason I say were is because now 7 (8 if you include Pooyan which is slated to be released) out of the 10 games on the compilation are now available on Game Room. The three games from the Konami Arcade Classics which are not yet on Game Room are Circus Charlie, Pooyan, and Roc'n Rope.


It's unfortunate that Gradius Collection for the PSP was not also released on the PS2.

Gradius Compilations
It's unfortunate that Salamander Portable was only released in Japan. Not really sure why it wasn't released internationally, since the first Salamander, renamed Life Force in North America, was a terrific and popular NES game and is the only space shooter I owned for the Nintendo. Would've been nice to see Salamander 2 in North America!
Life Force IS however available on the Wii's Virtual Console in North America.

"Despite TwinBee being one of Konami's most prominent series in Japan during most of the 1990s, only a select few titles were localized for the foreign market. Particularly the second console game Moero! TwinBee (which was released as Stinger on the NES in North America). The second arcade game, Detana!! TwinBee, also had a limited international release under the name of Bells & Whistles.
The first in the series, TwinBee, was officially released for the first time outside Japan as part of the Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits for the Nintendo DS in March 2007, under the name RainbowBell in North America. TwinBee is slated for release on the Nintendo 3DS, and was featured amongst other games from the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES to be released for the 3DS on a tech demo called Classic Games at E3 2010."


Konami Arcade Advanced for the Gameboy Advance contains 6 games; Frogger, Gyruss, Rush'n Attack, Scramble, Time Pilot, and Yie Ar Kung-Fu.
Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits for the Nintendo DS contains 15 games; Basketball (aka Super Basketball), Contra, Circus Charlie, Gradius, Horror Maze (aka Tutankham), Pooyan, Rainbowbell (aka TwinBee), Road Fighter, Roc 'n' Rope, Rush'n Attack, Scramble, Shao-Lin's Road, Time Pilot, Track and Field, and Yie Ar Kung-Fu.
Although it's missing Frogger and Gyruss from the GBA and Plug'n Play, the DS Konami Arcade Classics Series: Arcade Hits is the best across-the-board arcade classics compilation on the handheld market.


Konami Arcade Advanced Plug'n Play contains 6 games; Frogger, Gyruss, Rush'n Attack, Scramble, Time Pilot, and Yie Ar Kung-Fu.



Aside from Konami's arcade games, to date Konami has released 16 of their console classics on the Wii's Virtual Console, PS2, and Xbox Live Arcade (Castlevania SOTN].
1) Axelay
2) Castlevania
3) Casltevania II: Simon's Quest
4) Castlevania III
5) (Super) Castlevania IV
6) Castlevania Rondo
7) Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
8) Contra III: The Alien Wars
9) Super C
10) Cybernator
11) Gradius 2 (MSX game on Salamander Portable for the PSP in Japan)
12) Gradius Gaiden (PSOne game on Gradius Collection for the PSP)
13) Metal Gear
14) Metal Gear 2
15) The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
16) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES game)
I think it's high time that Konami releases a Contra Anthology including all their iterations of Contra (arcade and console), and since 2010's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is going to be more or less a reboot of the franchise, it's time Konami release an all encompassing Castlevania Anthology.

Xbox 360 Arcade Sticks

This is an extension of the originating Game Room post.

It is said that Microsoft has no plans to release an official arcade stick for Game Room. Although I think this is a big mistake by Microsoft, there are a number of third-party arcade controllers (designed for fighting games) by Hori and Mad Catz, albeit controllers that can be a bit on the pricey side.

As an alternative, one can use one of the numerous arcade sticks on the market, including the MadCatz Street Fighter IV arcade sticks, the Hori arcade sticks and Tekken 6 wireless arcade stick. All arcade sticks have 8 buttons on the face except for the Hori Real Arcade Pro EX2 and (the unofficial) Dream Arcade stick, and all arcade sticks are wired except for the Hori Tekken 6 stick and (the unofficial) Dream Arcade stick which are wireless.

For someone who hasn't had an "arcade stick" since the NES Advantage way back in 1988

this new day of arcade sticks and official japanese parts can be a bit confusing. Here's an attempt at a breakdown of Arcade Sticks for the Xbox 360.

Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick

ThomGuestAcc from Please release an Arcade Controller says;
The mad catz SE stick (the white one) is smaller and more plasti-ey (excuse the phrase), and does not have sanwa or seimitsu parts, but was designed so that all the dimensions of the stick and buttons exactly match those of sanwa and seimitsus flagship sticks and buttons, so, you can easily swap the mad catz stick with a sanwa JLF stick and it works fine. Similarly, seimitsu's flagship stick (the LS-32-01) also is the same, a trivial swap. Swapping the mad catz buttons on the SE is a simple matter as well (to sanwa OBSF-30 or seimitsu PS-14-G). If anything, the main advantage of the mad catz sticks is the fact they are intentionally made to the exact specification that is used by the most popular sanwa and seimitsu lines of sticks and buttons, so changing or replacing parts if required is as easy as it can be since there is no soldering, no electronics modifications etc, it is simply a direct swap of a stick for a stick or a button for a button etc.

In summary the mad catz SE has mad catz parts which are inferior to the TE parts (which are sanwa) but can be replaced with sanwa or seimitsu parts with only a little effort required, while importantly, such a change does not involve anything other than direct swaps of parts that are not functional (ie no electronic modifications, no pcb modifications, simply swapping eg a bit of plastic with a bit of plastic etc...).

Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition Round 1, Tournament Edition Round 2, Sagar Scar design, Femme Fatale Limited Edition, and Marvel VS Capcom all have the same layout and design (they're the same Tournament Edition FightStick's, just with different artwork).

ThomGuestAcc from Please release an Arcade Controller says;
The TE stick is all sanwa parts, every TE stick has identical part numbers on the stick and buttons, just the colours of the ball top and buttons are different. If you look about, you usually can get TE's for the same price or less than it would cost to buy an SE+the sanwa parts included in the TE.

The mad catz TE sticks (round 1, round 2, femme fatale, MvsC2, penny arcade expo [sagat scar design] are all identical except artwork and colour choices, they all use the sanwa JLF stick and sanwa OBSF-30 buttons and OBSF-24 buttons for start and select.

Mad Catz Super Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition S (comes in White and Black)

ThomGuestAcc from Please release an Arcade Controller says;
The new design TE stick (for super SSF4) has identical parts (again, JLF, OBSF-30 and OBSF-24), but it has a slightly different construction in terms of the case.
The only functional difference between the TE and TE-S (The super one thats not out yet), is there is a switch on the TE-S that disables guide/start and select and auto fire, whereas on the intial design TE's, this switch only disables the auto fire panel. This 'change' was in response to requests from the SF4 community because accidentally pausing etc during tournaments results in a round disqualification.
Summary though is that all TE sticks have identical sanwa parts (stick and buttons identical, even in the new unreleased version). It is also worth noting that these sticks all use quick disconnects meaning if down the line something stopped working it is easy to get repaired, and the parts needed are a direct like for like swap (so the stick is identical post repair parts wise) and are available from almost all suppliers of arcade parts. Basically if your button dies etc you can replace it with an identical one and it will be identical afterwards (eg this is not some unofficial modification of an xbox device, it could be as simple as removing an OBSF-30 button and inserting an OBSF-30 button, no electronics or wiring or circuit boards etc ever enter the equation here, and if it is in warranty, mad catz do it for you anyway).

Hori Real Arcade Pro EX

The Hori Real Arcade Pro EX uses a Seimitsu joystick with Hori buttons.

Hori Real Arcade Pro EX-SE

The Hori Real Arcade Pro EX-SE uses Seimitsu joystick and buttons.

Hori Real Arcade Pro EX 2 (6 buttons)


The Real Arcade Pro Dead Or Alive 4 and Real Arcade Pro Soul Calibur IV Arcade Sticks are simply EX2's with specialized artwork ($10 premium). All EX 2's use Hori parts.

Hori Tekken 6 Wireless Arcade Stick (only available in bundle with Tekken 6)

The Tekken 6 Arcade Stick uses Hori parts.
ThomGuestAcc from Please release an Arcade Controller says;
The problem with most Hori sticks and some European sticks/parts is that they use parts which are not interchangeable eg many European buttons are slightly smaller than 30mm which means if you want to swap your buttons with the japanese arcade standard [sanwa or seimitsu] then you are going to have to do some work to modify your case to allow them to fit, while in some instances the buttons are soldered directly onto the controller pcb which means changing anything is extremely difficult and requires some technical expertise to do (I am not saying anything about the quality of the parts here you should note, just that the dimensions are different and in some cases the buttons are soldered directly onto circuit boards). Further, doing any sort of electronics modification, or even anything that is not a simple direct like-for-like swap of a bit of plastic (eg an identical button etc) potentially could get you banned from live, so not really advisable at all, and anyone who does anything like this is asking for trouble.

As of July 9, 2010 Hori's gargantuan $300 Hori Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX has become available in the USA. Unlike previous versions of the Real Arcade Pro which used Seimitsu parts, the Premium VLX uses all Sanwa parts.


Dream Arcades stick like the Tekken 6 by Hori is also wireless, but unlike the Tekken 6 stick Dream Arcades stick is not an officially licensed stick from Microsoft, so using it means risking getting banned from Xbox Live.
Video Review


- The Issue Of Paddle and Trackball Games -
I'd love to see a controller attempt to emulate Trackball and Paddle (aka Dial, Spinner) controls, although no matter if you're speaking of the Mad Catz Arcade Game Stick, the X-Arcade Tank Stick's trackball, or fitting your Mad Catz TE or Hori RAP with a Seimitsu LS-29 paddle/rotary knob from Gremlin Solutions...
Ruined says; "A trackball emulating an analog stick is just going to be a disappointment in the end. For a usable trackball MS needs to make mouse drivers for the 360, which do not exist at this point."
ThomGuestAcc says; "Until the 360 supports a mouse etc I really do not think we can do much better than what we have at present, certainly things like spinners/trackballs and other input devices are pretty much out."

The Mad Catz Arcade Game Stick may be the only controller to attempt to emulate a spinner, although from what's said on the Video Review it seems like the spinner portion was a disaster and did not work as intended.
*This controller is no longer manufactured or for sale.


The X-Arcade Tank Stick comes with a built-in trackball. All X-Arcade sticks require the use of a Xbox 360 Adapter.
More importantly though, X-Arcade is not an officially licensed stick from Microsoft, so using it means risking getting banned from Xbox Live.



ThomGuestAcc from Please release an Arcade Controller summarizes; What works best with retro games is extremely complicated, and in large will depend on whether you need a 4 way (left, right, up, down) stick or an 8 way (diagonals as well). What is best between sanwa or seimitsu is again complicated, game dependent (to some people), and also involves personal preference. You may want to read up at Slagcoin to gain some better understanding of what affects the choice of stick etc as no one can really tell you what you will prefer! Until the 360 (eg PS2, dreamcast etc), most people using sticks seriously were making custom sticks, now, it is probably fair to say that the Mad Catz TE stick is the standard stick. Even with all the tools and stuff required to make your own custom stick, the cost of the arcade parts alone, time and effort required to make a custom stick exceed that of the cost of a mad catz TE stick if you look about on the web and look for good deals, so pretty much everyone who needs a stick that I know (so this is in my experience, and only really is street fighter players), is using the mad catz sticks.

Ruined says; "The Hori Pad EX2 Turbo is AMAZING for Game Room. Great dpad and button placement."

"The Hori EX2 gamepad is a great controller for most of these games, as it has a superb dpad. Can also be used for SF4 with its 6 face buttons, or for analog games (i.e. crystal castles) with its analog controller."

"I have 4 arcade sticks (3 madcatz TE, 1 HRAP) all modded (with different types of gates, sticks, and one of the TEs I modded to be all Seimitsu build). I still end up using my HORI PAD EX2 for game room most often. First of all with some of the earlier games the TE sticks suck unless you mod them to +/cross gate (I did this with the HRAP) as you need the solid four directions without diagonals. Second there are some games that are completely useless like the games that used spinners and benefit most from analog stick roll (i.e. circus atari, kaboom, etc). The hori pad ex2 seems best if you dont want to be swapping controllers all the time.

Article On Joystick Brands
G4 Arcade Stick Round Up
SD Tekken

E3 2010

Official Site
Wikipedia Entry

Overall, surprisingly, nothing much I was all that interested in, and a series of disappointments.


One of the games I was looking forward to being there was Aliens: Colonial Marines by Gearbox (first announced way back in 2006). Gamespot listed it on their E3 show floor map (as they did the year before) and it was eventually taken down.

On the classic gaming front it would've also been nice for Microsoft to give some sort of update on Game Room, but no show of support there.
I was also looking to hear more info about SNK Arcade Classics 0 from G1M2/SNK Playmore listed as being for the PS2, as info on that title has been extremely scarce ever since it was found listed on the ESRB website last year, but neither companies had a show booth.


I could hardly be less excited for all the games showcased for release at and around the launch of Xbox 360's Kinect (formerly known as Project Natal). All family-friendly, one-note games with simple and colorful graphics.
I just love how everything demo'd is a near-perfect representation of the players own movements. I'm almost willing to bet money that the actual experience won't be nearly as responsive/accurate or immediate. It'll still be wonky, I'm almost sure of it.

This current day focus on online/multiplayer and motion activated/controller-less controls with Xbox 360's Kinect, not to mention music based games (Rock Band 3), and just this overall emphasis on casual gaming has really sidetracked core gaming and slowed it's momentum.
In regards to controller free gaming, I just don't see it replacing the controller. I like a controller's tangible aspect. Do we really want to do ten times the work and have a fraction of the actions available? How long do you think you could hold out your hands gripping an invisible steering wheel? Great if you're into 5 minute increments of play, not so great otherwise. Perhaps a day will come where everyone using a controller to game will be considered "old school", but we ain't close to there yet.

More of the same. Halo Reach, Gears Of War 3, Fable III (by the overrated as a game creator Peter Molyneux), and the Call Of Duty franchise exclusive to the Xbox 360 through 2012, starting with Call Of Duty: Black Ops, so they can release Call Of Duty sequels until we're all blue in the face.


The new Xbox 360 with a 250gb hard drive for $299?
Great, but what'd be even better is if they comped every existing 360 owner with a 250gb hard drive for their years of patronage and for suffering through the Red Ring Of Death!
Having vents on top of the console might cause trouble for some, particularly those who like to stack things on top of their 360, or those who had purchased the HD-DVD player and still use it to play DVDs (like I do) and place it on top.


There isn't much for the Wii I'm interested in other than the usual first-party games, Metroid: Other M and The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword which is slated for 2011.
I enjoyed the Metroid Prime series, but I'm thankful they're trying something new with the series. Metroid: Other M looks alright, but honestly kinda looks like it should be a $15 DLC game, and if it were on any other console it probably would be.

Somewhat disappointed that Nintendo changed direction from their initially planned "realistic graphics" with a more adult approach, over to simple and colorful graphics fused with cell-shading ala Wind Waker. They're going back to basics instead of going forward, and I didn't think they'd reached the ceiling just yet.
Also let down that they're reviving Kid Icarus, Pilotwings and Star Fox (remake of Star Fox 64) on Nintendo's 3DS, rather than giving them the fully realized Wii titles which they deserve.


For the PS3, I'm looking foward to The Last Guardian by Team Ico, who created the amazing ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus for the PS2. The Last Guardian was there, but no additional information was presented about the game.

Gran Turismo 5 is finally coming November 2 2010 after being in development for four years.
After such a long development cycle, even photo realistic graphics won't be enough to set a fire in my pants. The tracks in the GT games have always been rather boring and repetitive, and to progress in the game you're forced to race them over and over and over again.
I picked up GT4 for ten bucks at a clearance sale two years ago and have barely played it since.

Xbox Live Game Room Suggestion Box

This is an extension of the originating Game Room post.

Here are some of my thoughts on the subject, with some of the more pertinent points from others from the official Xbox Live Game Room Suggestions forum, denoted with Green Text.

1) The Price Point
I'm going to break this down for you and give you the skinny.
Logistically, these games shouldn't cost the consumer any more than $1 a piece, and arcade machines should cost per-play no more than what they did back in the day (25cents rather than 50cents).
To put things in perspective;
The 21 games cherry picked from Atari Anthology and Intellivision Lives! would only cost you about $35 retail if you purchased the console compilations on disc (not to mention you'd get another 125 games on top of that).
If you decided to purchase them through Game Room it would cost you $63, or $105 if you wanted to have them available to play on both your Xbox and Windows PC.
If one day they included all the games from the aforementioned compilations, it would run you a total of $438 to play them on your Xbox in Game Room, and $730 to have them available to play on both your Xbox and Windows PC.
That's $35 for 146 games versus $438. I'm not saying the added features and convenience that Game Room brings to the table aren't worth anything extra, but they certainly aren't worth a difference of $403.

If you like a game enough to pay money for it, you'd be wise to purchase the XBLA version of Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, and Tempest over their Game Room counterparts. While Konami's Scramble is available on XBLA, it lacks the option to play with original graphics.
Because for an extra $2 you'd be getting the option to play in original or enhanced/evolved modes and get individual game achievements.
Centipede & Millipede on XBLA is actually a better value than Game Room, as you'd be getting two games (albeit incredibly similar ones) for $5 rather than the $6 it'd cost you to purchase two games in Game Room.
Many have voiced their opinion that the classic console games should only cost a fraction of what the arcade games should, and I am all on board with that thought. In many cases, you could go out to a used video game store and purchase the original games for $1 or less per cartridge.
You'd have to be an absolute idiot to buy any of the Intellivision games in Game Room for $3 a pop, when Intellivision Lives! is available through Xbox Live Originals for 1200 pts. That's $15 for 62 Intellivision games vs. $15 for 5 Intellivision games in Game Room!

ALL of the following are valid arguments.
Some feel as though Game Room should be absolutely free of charge, especially for Gold members.
Some feel that their should be a separate monthly subscription fee which allowed unlimited access to everything Game Room has to offer.
Some feel that game bundles should be offered at a discount price.
Some feel discounts should be given to those who've purchased identical titles on Xbox Live Arcade, otherwise known as "double dips".
Some feel that the Atari 2600 and Intellivision titles should be at a reduced price (i.e. 80 points per title).

2) The Interface
The interface is somewhat of a disappointment. It doesn't invoke the days of yesteryear, the level of interactivity is virtually nill, and the locked viewpoint makes it incredibly difficult to appreciate the detail that they've put into the rooms or game cabinets/artwork.

I was really disappointed to learn that the whole Game Room environment is 'on rails' and that your Avatar serves no purpose apart from illustrating which machine you're standing in front of. You simply click on an arcade machine and your Avatar magically populates in front of it. Why not include the option of having complete control over the Avatar, being able to walk from location to location in third-person view, with the option to switch over to a first-person view (like the old Playstation Namco Museum volumes)?

All the Konami machines are missing cabinet art. Strangely enough, some have brought it to our attention that some pre-release videos showed Konami cabinets complete with cabinet art. So something must have happened between design and release.
Sin4Profit speculates;
I have since found out that Konami had developed the games on the software side of things but it was Stern who manufactured and distributed the cabinets in the US. Also there was legal friction between Konami and Stern so it's a fairly good assumption that they had to use the generic cabinets because of those legal issues with Stern.

In "arcade view" you can see your environment (avatars walking around) off to each side, even if you are facing the wall, which is just weird and confusing.
In "cabinet view", after having tested all of the currently available arcade games (that's excluding the Atari 2600 & Intellivision games), the only two that I see so far where they've actually included part of the cabinet overlay are with Centipede and Red Baron.
In a true cabinet view, you're able to see more to the left and right of the screen, a good portion of the joystick board, and sometimes even a portion of the speakers above.

Oaklore;
I forgot about this and I feel quite strongly about this as well. GIVE US SOME SORT OF OPTION TO LOOK AT THE CABINETS. Seriously. They have so much detail and a lot of work went into recreating them, some way to actually inspect them would be a welcome welcome feature.

MMuggerr;
Give the option for a more open floor layout with endless positioning options. I would like to be able to design the actual architecture of the arcade (stairs, platforms, doorways, rooms).

angrydragon114;
Add a customizable lounge in the middle.

Rev618;
Much more freedom to design your arcade from the ground up. It doesnt have to be a super complicated interface or have the power to do anything you want....but you should be able to build and design an arcade. Something better than the current pre-made Mall-style arcade. Maybe like a Sims type game where you can choose the floorplan, put up walls, choose flooring type, etc. The place will have no roof as you will sort of look down into it at an angle. Maybe even allow you to design avatars to stand behind the counter as "employees" to really get a better "arcade feel and experience".

I much rather would've preferred more of a photo-realistic look to Game Room, and have at least one large arcade rather than a bunch of smaller arcades.
What could've been...



3) Content (Games)
The least companies can do is to bring something exclusive to the table. Of the first 30 confirmed titles, Konami is the only one who's done so with Battlantis, Finalizer and Jungler, as they've never been made available on a compilation of any kind.
Although don't mistake that as praise. Konami has no excuse for being the only company not to release an arcade classics compilation on the 6th and 7th generation (non-handheld) of consoles. After having dropped $20 on 4 Konami XBLA games, I feel like they owe me that much.
I'm going to dedicate a separate post focused on Konami!

Also, some feel that instead of downloading 'game packs', they should have the ability to download singular games instead, reserving precious hard drive space only for the games they actually want to play.

How about some Pinball? Perhaps selections from Crave's 'Pinball Hall Of Fame' Gottlieb and Williams Collections.
Or how about Redemption Games like Skee-ball, Mini-Hoops, Air Hockey, Wack-a-Mole and Claw Machine like Activision did for Arcade Zone for the Wii.

Zuckuss 02;
Have a ticket counter where special games give out tickets that you can redeem for prizes like avatar items and the likes.

Darth Smurf X;
Project Natal support.
Not for the arcade games, but for the "other" games people want to see. Imagine Skee Ball and that basketball hoop game with motion controls. Maybe even the air hockey game could benefit from Natal. Might be cool.

4) Content (Decor)
Then there's the "decor" when designing your arcade rooms. They are all entirely non-interactive. Not only that but they are incredibly generic. A good example would be the poster you can put on the wall, which is a non-descript 'Star Wars-esque' design. To make any sort of impression, they're going to need licensed material.

EricJan360;
I think it would also be cool to unlock game related stuff when getting better or further in specific games. Like unlocking artwork posters or stuff to put up in your arcade when getting a specific score or reaching a certain level or something.

Rev Sick;
More decorations and backdrops also more themed decorations and backdrops that are era specific. Since there's going to be licensing for games wouldn't it be great to have licensed deco, imagine hanging a Millenium Falcon from your arcade ceiling!

5) Authenticity
Another irksome fact is if they want to be historically accurate, regardless of the fact that the Atari 2600 and Intellivision consoles are pictured sitting on their respective machines, one shouldn't be playing Intellivision and Atari 2600 games in virtual stand-up arcade cabinets but in separate rooms with shag carpeting, wood paneling and bean bag chairs.

Cheese Touch;
As more and more games for the arcade come out it might be a good idea to have it so that the Atari 2600 and Intellivision only take up one spot. They could have a big, 80s-looking cabinet TVs sit in the back corners so they'd be easy to see. Going up to it and activating it would zoom into one of those old school cartridge holders and then you could move among the carts [like in Activision Anthology].

Allison Axe 87;
A graphics filter that simulates old CRT televisions, specifically for the console games.
Related Article

A big part of the arcade experience was watching others play while while waiting your turn, or simply to admire and learn from better players, or for cheap entertainment once you've run out of tokens/quarters.

GuyCC75;
And I'd want a "Spectator Mode" to be able to watch my friends play their game.

loopingstar;
Have realistic cigarette burns and chewing gum stuck to the game controls. Have a crowd of moody and mean looking avatars hogging one machine and not let you play. Have sad avatars wandering around looking miserable because they've run out of quarters!

EclipseDj;
Chuck in a miserable member of staff stuck behind a 'Change' booth, another one who just walks around with a set of keys but is completely unhelpful and include authentic sticky carpets and annoying children sitting in the driving game cabinets with no intention to play, and you truly will have a Virtual Arcade experience in your home!

6) Sound Design
Regarding the "authentic arcade sound" which when enabled permeates wherever you are inside of Game Room, regardless of which room you are in.
Now while it does seem the game sounds do change when you're in different rooms, they have no directional authenticity. Meaning no matter which machine you're focused on within a room, the sounds from the games within that room do not veer off to one speaker or another.
The "authentic arcade sound" completely cuts out once you 'enter' a game.

Foolius;
Agree 100% with having ambient arcade noise while playing. Pipe it through the rear speakers for those with surround sound.

PANdaRUS;
The arcade sounds advertised as "authentic" were also pretty good, but lacked the cursing, swearing, and general high pitched whining found around most machines in that time.

I grew up playing most of the games in that time frame in a bowling alley. How about adding the background noise of bowling balls rolling and pins dropping?

Thankfully you can stream all the eighties goodness you like off your hard drive while in Game Room, but back to the topic of accessories, how about a functional jukebox in Game Room to arrange & play music off your hard drive?

7) Controls
It is said that Microsoft has no plans to release an official arcade stick for Game Room. Although I think this is a big mistake by Microsoft, there are a number of third-party arcade controllers (designed for fighting games) by Hori and Mad Catz, albeit controllers a bit on the pricey side.
I would like to see a controller attempt to emulate Trackball and Paddle (aka Dial, Spinner) controls. Mad Catz did attempt to emulate a spinner with the 'Mad Catz Arcade Game Stick' (no longer for sale), though from what I hear the spinner portion was a disaster. The unofficial $200 X-Arcade Tank Stick does have a Trackball, though whether or not the Trackball controls correctly translate to games played on Xbox which originally used a Trackball is unknown.

Ruined;
A trackball emulating an analog stick is just going to be a disappointment in the end. For a useable trackball Microsoft needs to make mouse drivers for the 360, which do not exist at this point.

8) Diversions
SageClock;
Arcade Tycoon Metagame
It wouldn't have to be anything too crazy, really, just pretend that this arcade is open to the public and have it so every 24 hours there's new stats for each cabinet that's placed for how many times its played, and for each room how many people visited it, all simulated by A.I., like some simple algorithms based on placement and chaos and how many friends visited your arcade. Then arcade machines that aren't performing well you can move to another room or place or reposition everything in a sort of 'Feng Shui' of arcade machines, to improve those numbers. Then it can keep track of if you made any profits or not over the course of a year, and maybe if you are in the green after a year you'll get a free machine or something, something simple.

But basically it would reward people for visiting the game room on a regular basis and let people feel more like they actually own this arcade and the way its laid out matters.

Again, nothing too crazy, and you obviously shouldn't punish people for not keeping up with it (just don't reward them). Personally, I think it would add to the immersion of the experience.