Arcade Heaven or Arcade Hell? Visiting EAG Expo

I love my classic arcades from the golden age of video games. For decades EAG has been the place for operators to try out the latest games and do business. But what does this old gamer make of the very latest in coin-op developments?
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[@Fatboypool]

I played 3,000,000 on my Defender machine yesterday. Made me happy. I’m sorted! I like the old stuff, but again I’m old. Born in 66

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Wow that’s an incredible score! My monitor is down on my atm moment but looking forward to Saturday when I can play it at the museum. You can’t beat the classic 80s era for games that’s for sure 👍

[@Fatboypool]

I love the sound of a CRT when you flip the switch and the game wakes up. I have all CRT’s and keep my games as they were when new. Nothing modded. My Robotron is mint, unrestored. 😊 I started playing Defender when it first came out in 81. Took me a long time to get very strong at it. I took a few years off. Thx I really enjoy playing. Nobody really knows what they are watching when I play. They have no idea actually, what it takes to play Defender at a world class level. My very best Eric 😊

[@HappyCodingZX]

Alex, I don't know what's more fun, the games themselves or watching you make a complete wally of yourself playing them.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Yea I think I’ll stick to the 80s classics 😂

[@HappyCodingZX]

@@TheArcadeArchive speaking of which i've just finished an another arcade style game for the Spectrum I think you'll enjoy. Check your inbox, I''ll send it over.

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

Wally? Is that British slang? In the US we'd call them a waldo.

[@HappyCodingZX]

@@SmokeyChipOatley yes, it's British slang to mean someone behaving in a silly or foolish way. However, it's usually used in a playful way with friends or relatives, it's not nasty at all.

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

@@HappyCodingZX I'm sorry I was making a rather stupid joke (don't think it qualifies as a pun technically but imagine that same level of humor). The "Where's Waldo" children's book series is known as "Where's Wally" in the UK. Lame, I know but I couldn't help myself.

[@neilloughran4437]

The home consoles are so good these day it's hard to imagine what the arcade can offer over them.... but really seeing how multi-connected cabs, VR, physical controls and mechanics can play a part. For kids it must be amazing...

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Yes I think kids would love these game in fact I know so as my son is very jealous he did come.

[@wepif]

Marc Silk did many voices for games Black and white springs to mind. He was also in my year at school lived around the corner

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Oh wow that’s cool! He seems like a lovely bloke.

[@proteque]

Wow. that looks crazy. I need to visit a modern arcade ASAP! That F&F looks to give an extreme sense of speed, but that superbike game!!! Thanx for bringing us along!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

If you get to play one game out of all that was featured make sure it’s Raw thrills Moto GP 😎👍

[@MonstaKoreArkade]

Video Ganes & Pinball have evolved into unbelievable concepts over the last few years. State if the art! Theres nothing like a classic pinball or video arcade from the 80s & 90s....if they work! 🎮💪

[@BarrowZigger]

Never knew there was still an arcade machine industry!

[@tigheklory]

OMG ALEX!!! Big Foot Mayhem!!! My boy Edgar will LOVE this!!!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Yea I think the kids would love this, hope you get to play it mate.

[@roskelld]

Super Blaster looked great, much prefer that style of gun game where you're hitting with more accuracy than spraying the screen. The whole motion and carnival set up looks really cool.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Yes it was, and what I didn’t show is you can actually pick the theme you want to play through so there are other options within the game which is cool.

[@TheHobbyLodge]

Great video mate I know it is still work but great to see you taking time out to just enjoy some games.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Martin it was a fun day out and even though I’m not really into these modern arcade games I like to think I try. Still I loved the Moto GP that was brilliant.

[@rollerxcore]

That looks like it was a really fun event! Glad to see recoil on at least one new gun game! The labyrinth and Spinal Tap pins look like the highlights for me!

[@Tetlee]

That looked an amazing day out. Like you said though imagine going to a show like that in the 80s! Great vid Alex. I need that Defender tshirt😊

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks mate you can get the T-shirt on Amazon 👍

[@davidjames5043]

Old arcades rule

[@willd6215]

The water gun game is like the ones in theme parks where u fill targets to make things move, I like it. The monster truck one looked fun too

[@proudofyourroots9575]

looks a maintenance nightmare though. one of them ones thats constantly out of order. and if it isnt kept clean /maintained will quickly destroy itself. (water & seals + time=leaks)

[@willd6215]

@proudofyourroots9575 Yeah, that's true and people will blatantly put their hands in the spray just to be a dick and spray their mates

[@skyway73]

That was cool seeing all the latest stuff, enjoyed it. Big Foot looked smart, I'd love a go on the VR bike game

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Ade, Moto GP was amazing but then again I love bikes 😃

[@Retro_B8]

Wow, some of these games look class, love the racoon rampage and bigfoot mayhem monster trucks game! Awesome vid mate

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Paul 😎👍

[@miltiadiskoutsokeras9189]

Sad that none Joystick + buttons cabinets were shown.

[@aeiouxs]

Great fun video, Alex and team! I'm a longterm Sim Racer but I felt for you on that Racing Game Alex - don't think I've ever felt Sim Racing works well in Arcade situations due to short playtime nature, and long practise time/high skill level often needed ; that stood out to me when playing F355 Challenge in the Arcades in the late 90's even after playing the Dreamcast version at home! Best from a Brit in Oz.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

If I knew the reverse was a peddle would have helped, do they have peddle for reverse in F1 because that’s news to me ?

[@aeiouxs]

yeah just 2 foot pedals, and stepped R-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 gears on paddles behind the wheel@@TheArcadeArchive

[@Chriva]

Aw yeah. Someone's gonna be glued in front of the monitor for the next 20 minutes lol

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Cheers buddy Hope you enjoy 👍

[@ShaunsArcade]

Great video mate. VIDEO ARCADES ARE NOT DEAD! The games have just adapted to cater for a new audience. I think I'd play and enjoy quite a lot of the games you covered, but my heart is still in 1985!😄

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Hi Shaun, I don’t think the arcades will ever beat the excitement we had in the 80s it was a very special time for us kids. But you never know some new technology might come along and kids will be flooding back.Some of these games I tried are fun but I don’t think kids are that interested like we are in these games. Thanks for watching mate and I’ll speak to you soon.

[@Arcave]

Alex coming 1st on F&F & myself 2nd story of my life.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

You played well my friend 😎👍

[@tigheklory]

Alex, if you get tired from that jet ski game you need to play Propcycle. BTW you sound like Karl Pilkington when you talk about physical games. LOL.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Haha well it was rubbish 😂

[@nerdygeezer78]

I'm sure I've played that Fast & Furious game and enjoyed it. That skill shooter looks like it has great recoil. Loving the Labyrinth part..... What a film. Superb vid mate really enjoyed this

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Lee That game by Electrocoin was pretty cool and it’s the gun that made all the difference. Thanks for watching mate

[@TheStevenWhiting]

2:44 Its always why mum says "Make sure you take your jacket" ;o)

[@pajaco6502]

I sadly had to miss EAG this year. It looked awesome though. hopefully 2025 I can make it =) I really want to play that Labyrinth pinball though it looks great!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

It’s always worth the trip and it makes for a fun free day out.

[@doctornovocalcords]

Great video, thanks. Good to see there's still new games coming out! Pinball is an interesting example because that industry was on death's door but has had a real revival in recent years, at least in manufacturing new machines and public interest. A lot go to rich collectors but you increasingly see the odd one or two in bars etc which is great. The advantage pinball has is you can't ever recreate it in the home and it never really dates too much. Whereas new arcade games inevitably have to be massive event cabs so it really limits the variety of games and genres you'll see. It's hard to see how it'll ever recover its status outside of retro focused arcades, but at least there's plenty of life left yet :) And yes a video on Electrocoin would be brilliant!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I wanted so much to meet and interview John from electrocoin at this event but he was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully one day we could get him down to the museum for chat.

[@doctornovocalcords]

Definitely would be fascinating to get his perspective on keeping up with trends, from the early days of the scehe through the booming years through to introducing new life to a very different market these days

[@hardlyworgen71]

In the early-mid 80s my parents dumped me in the upstairs arcade at Circus Circus hotel in Lost Wages, NV while they went downstairs to the gambling area. The reason I remember this trip was because the arcade had a sit-down of Atari's 1983 Star Wars with the seat mounted on hydraulics. I was not prepared when I pulled back on the yoke and the chair tilted. Still the most fun I've ever had while also trying not to barf.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Well at least you had fun, that driving sim was just ridiculously frustrating 😂

[@System_Sega]

Am not sure about VR in an Arcade. Putting something to your face, not knowing how many other people have used it that day and when it was last cleaned. It's a hygiene thing for me.

[@seebarry4068]

I used to go to the arcades as a kid, I loved it. You couldn’t play anything like that at home, a zx spectrum is awesome, but no arcade machine. Now I have vr, a racing cockpit etc. hard to understand what it brings to the party in this time of RTX.

[@BowlingForTech]

“This week’s episode” oh you tease!

[@AndrewAHayes]

The attraction of arcade games IMO was that you got what you couldn't get at home, but now you can have the best quality games at home and so the arcade developers seem to focus on the electro mechanical vehicle games. As the graphics were limited in games of old the gameplay was the bees knees (mostly) and I don't think the majority of contemporary games cut it. Also the games were affordable at just 20p and 10p per play, I hate to think what some of those games will cost to play!

[@arcadecraig6441]

Looks a decent day out that does

[@mrpscorpio]

This would be my perfect day out. Jealous is not the word 😊 I am 55 love my arcade games, my favourites from the past include Mr Do, Robotron, Tempest and Galaxians (simple but effective) to name a few. Thanks for the video really enjoyed it. Now let me get back to my Vectrex

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I don’t want to keep you from the vectrex because that’s something that’s dear to my heart. But you have great taste in games 😎👍

[@seebarry4068]

8:41 that looks fun. I played a gane like that on psvr.

[@RetroRecollections]

Great video. I can't put me finger on it but these new arcade games are impressive but just not the same. Maybe they are just too big and flashy and a bit like CGI movies for an old man like me lol

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I know what you mean but I don’t think it’s the size as Sega’s R360 was huge. I think it’s mainly because the visuals we’ve seen on consoles at home so it’s not really that exciting like seeing Ataris Star Wars for the first time for example. But I like to hope that one day the arcades will have there day again with an experience and visuals that will blow you away.

[@NigelDraycott]

The stark contrast of a retro man wearing a retro Defender T-shirt wearing a VR headset is classic

[@TheArcadeArchive]

😂

[@Ed-eq5kd]

What a fantastic day out Alex. I normally write off anything modern as great visuals, nothing much else. A lot of these looked genuinely good fun and immersive. Totally agree on the majority of gun games, they seem cynically designed to ensure your constantly feed them coins!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

It was a really fun day out and Moto GP and electricoins gun game were great fun to play. I don’t think they will ever be considered classics as that ship has passed but it’s good to see some new ideas. Thanks Ed

[@gearsfan6669]

the game at 8:00-ish reminds me a lot of a rebooted CarnEvil

[@walterlibrale9249]

80s arcades the best of all time ❤

[@paulferrari8918]

you looked like you had fun - I agree with the Target shooting games as opposed to the zombie shooting games The F1 game looks incredible but probably too realistic in terms of handling

[@TheArcadeArchive]

It was to realistic for arcade but I would imagine at home it would be awesome.

[@markgreet3543]

Retro is huge again, may classic arcades now in the uk, shops as well, and even caddyshackers golf have games, eating out places on the high street even have a place which has many games, the console are fun, but you cannot beat the arcade experience.

[@wolfbeast80]

It's great to see there's new arcade games in the new year, but I'm sad to say that I don't feel excited about them. They don't really push the envelope of innovation for me to write home about, but the pins are excellent! Skill Shooter and that cruisin Blast like game looks wicked, too. It may just be me that on the thinking they were born too late. 😅 Great video, as always. It was great to get an insight into the latest arcades 🕹

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Mathew, it’s worth to trying these games even though it’s not really our thing.

[@wolfbeast80]

@TheArcadeArchive You do have a point there. I guess it doesn't hurt to see what's about, but at the same time, the new games are more funfair attraction than intense arcade action 😄

[@electricadventures]

The new games definitely seem very high on vibrant colours and extremely large screens. Cruise ship that I was just on had several of the machines you tried out, was full of kids so didn’t actually end up trying any of them. I agree that gun games need the recall and control over the fire rate, holding the button down and having a hail of bullets makes the gameplay very shallow.

[@futureskeletons66669]

Nintendo say the reason why there hasn't been a F-Zero is down to them not having the devs to produce it - RAW THRILLS.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Raw thrills got the licensee for the cruse n blast series so I don’t see why not.

[@flibblesan]

Brilliant video, really enjoyed seeing the new machines. Annoying that a lot of the modern gun games don't have recoil like the good old days but great to see Electrocoin having it!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Electrocoin nailed it with their gun.

[@stephenwhite506]

I hope Labyrinth has the Bog of Eternal Stench in it.

[@rosemeyer1939]

Great to see pinball as still a viable game. It wasn't that long ago the entire business was hanging by a thread. Sadly, I doubt many of these will be seen out in the wild - wealthy collectors only. The Beatles pinball is £40,000!!!!

[@markgreet3543]

Thanks for this, are you doing anymore? I should be working in my telesales job😅 but instead im watching this.

[@proudofyourroots9575]

Cheers for the video mate! Loving your stuff atm. Real down to earth channel , love it. 7:00 i hope no UK arcades rent/buy those horrible Zombie Crisis and Halo Light gun games. How terrible did they look! HOTD4 is still the best arcade zombie light gun game imho. Time Crisis and Virtua Cop and The Lost World are the best non Zombie ones. Super blaster looked fun though :) And that skill shooter one. Still currently watching but hoping sega has something decent in that category there... EDIT: 11:10 LOOOOOOL that jet ski game, so funny to watch haaha

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Sega was a real disappointment and didn’t film anything as it was all Redemption machines. Raw thrills has taken over but not sure that’s a good thing as Sega was king of the arcades for a long time. Glad you enjoyed mate 😂

[@proudofyourroots9575]

@@TheArcadeArchive Yeah thats a shame. But since watching i remebered that Sega had sold all their arcades in japan . So seems they stepping back a bit maybe? Bit strange as i feel like arcades are just starting to have a bit of resurgence, new ones opening up here in uk often now. But maybe not enough to be worth their while these days. Who knows, SEGA usually disappoint these days, not really even the same company as them days either.

[@37Retro]

Interesting to see modern stuff. I kind of expected it to all be rides and gun games before you started, which it was :). I guess that's because these days you are getting an experience you cannot get at home, very few people still have VR so that is what it is offering. It would have been nice to see some fighters but again why would arcade manufacturers bother when you can play them at home so easily. I'd love that Labyrinth pinball as a massive fan of the movie but seem to recall its 8 - 12K or so when I checked online. Bit out of my price range sadly :(

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Unfortunately most pinball our out of my price range too. 😔

[@Rob.Coleman]

Probably just as well Holly drove. If your driving performance on that sim is anything to go by you wouldn't have made it out of the Archive's carpark 😁.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Haha 😂

[@GWJUK]

How do you make sure someone doesn’t nick your bag while you are on a Virtual headset game!

[@countless6750]

Looks fun but you cant beat the classics

[@TheArcadeArchive]

You definitely can’t beat the classics.

[@ryanricardo]

👍🏾

[@bradleyjohnstone9414]

Awesome video, it looks like you & your missus had a great day out. You & Holly make a lovely couple ❤

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Well that’s very nice of you to say so she’s my business partner 😎👍

[@Nushynoo]

I’m his wife fyi 😃 we love Holly, they did have a great day out thanks ❤️ glad you enjoyed the video! 👍🏻

[@jamescameron1861]

I haven't been to an arcade for a long time. Not that I don't want to, they just don't seem to be around like they were. Real shame.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Full of redemption machines mostly now, shame really but I like to hope that one day they will return in one form or another.

[@JustinCardiff]

So what venues in the U.K. are taking these big newer machines?

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I guess whoever wants to buy them but I bet they aren’t cheap. We have an arcade in Swindon and plenty still down the south coast that have all the new stuff like Brighton pier.

[@Lordborak316]

Pier in Weston Super Mud has a few games shown here.

[@billiondollarman3847]

Is it just me..But I was not moved ...Too much vibrations and flashing 4 me. A joystick and two buttons is al! I need.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Yep me too but I did enjoy Moto GP but I do like bikes ☺️

[@rosstee]

I agree, but that’s why I prefer retro arcades with well maintained classic machines.

[@markgreet3543]

I do agree about the driving game, graphics are decent the game is to hard to play, i prefer retro but new games are reasonable.

[@NB-1]

That F-1 "simulator" has a big flaw, input lag. It's clearly visible how laggy the onscreen steering wheel is. Add rain and a general dislike to racing games and exactly this happens. Correcting a drift is nearly impossible and certainly no fun. So yes, this game isn't very good. I think the best US stuff comes from RawThrills anyway. I'm really happy that they keep up the flag.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I couldn’t agree more 👍 Arcade games aren’t meant to be fun and the F1 simulator just wasn’t.

[@TheStevenWhiting]

The VR one will be VERY limited. It will get wrecked in a real arcade and will NEVER or rarely be cleaned, awful. Not fully watched yet but nice seeing actual games but will they end up in arcades? So many arcades now are just coin pusher machines and ticket machines sadly.

[@CameronMcCasland]

Id rather stay home and play donkey kong

[@griffo83X]

i feel sorry for kids today if this is what they class as arcade games

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Not quite the impact we experienced bitd are they mate. Still I like to have hope.

[@griffo83X]

@@TheArcadeArchive yeh me to im sure they coud do much better

[@rosstee]

Sadly I don’t think most kids today have any concept of arcade games as we knew them, only consoles and PC games. Arcade games used to be the coolest/most advanced way to play, now the design is often lacking and they’re flashy but cheap looking with a few rare exceptions like the VR, Namco Bandai stuff and pinball game here. Glad I can always go back to the 80’s/90’s with my arcade sticks, CRT and games.

[@Lordborak316]

​​@@rossteedepends where you live, still plenty of cades where I live, too many grabber machines though, but there are a few good arcade games here and there. My two boys love an arcade (although I have forced the classics upon them)

[@GASHPAN]

80s and 90s arcades are still better designed.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Your never beat the classic 80s era

[@atomiswave1971]

Nothing here for me. Very glitzy but missing the point of arcades the games don't have a feel good factor just noise.

[@earlbrown4398]

Halo looked dreadful, give me Point Blank or the original HOTD any day!