Speed Shift (1974) - Electromechanical Arcade Game by Chicago Coin!

[@jamesrothrock553]

A little more than a year ago, I bought this game. This SPECIFIC game. It's one of seven known to exist. Very cool game!! It now lives in my collection.

[@StusGameReviews]

So you bought it from the Village Arcade?

[@jamesrothrock553]

No. I told the owner of the Arcade that I was interested in it if he ever sold. I gave him my name and number. He eventually traded the game to someone else but passed my contact info as well. That guy called me and we negotiated a price that was acceptable. It's funny how things work out!

[@schmitty1944]

That is very cool. I know it's not common but there has to be way more than 7 around. I've probably seen a half dozen in person or for sale over the years. I don't own this game but I do collect EM arcades so I've seen a lot of other peoples collections. Anyway, Awesome machine!

[@NordicDan]

@@jamesrothrock553 Care to divulge what you got it for? I'll bet something like that was (IS) worth a small fortune. I'd love to see as many of these get full restoerd and refurbished as possible. They're a great piece of history.

[@mikec3260]

I bet the video does no justice

[@infesticon]

You knew pre video game arcades look dammed awesome. It's like super exspensive and genius toys for adults.

[@StusGameReviews]

I wish there were more of these classic machines and arcades around!

[@tgxperience]

Chicago Coin made some of the coolest EM games ever. Some real geniuses with imagination worked there.

[@StusGameReviews]

It seems like a lot of the genius was centered in Chicago for sure. :)

[@wisteela]

That's amazing. The insides must be incredible.

[@MrDdefos]

I dumped unkown stacks of quarters through this game. Actually helped me become the maniac driver that I am today.

[@StusGameReviews]

That's pretty funny )

[@tnpatriot7468]

I rember playing this when I was 7 years old at the arcade. It was fascinating to me at the time. I didnt know if I would ever see a video on it. Thx for posting.

[@StusGameReviews]

So hard to find these...

[@lelandfranklin3487]

Many thanks for the video! Remembered finding an old machine, broken with others, at an old auction house. I was a kid...and only remembered there was a "real" car in the foreground. My sister and I pretended to drive... even though the machine didn't work. Always wondered what the game was called! Thanks!

[@StusGameReviews]

I'm glad the video was helpful!!!

[@chriskutz7144]

I've played a game like that at little Cesar's or some pizza joint back in the early/mid 70's.😄😂😭

[@StusGameReviews]

Pizza pizza

[@chriskutz7144]

Thank you

[@okamijubei]

Little Caesars exist in the 1970s?

[@raccoon681]

Yes he existed in Roman times to but it didn't end well

[@TastySurrealBowl]

The mall in our area at the time (the mid 1970’s) had an arcade called “Aladdin’s Castle” and I remember playing it when I was little kid! Thanks for the flashback!

[@StusGameReviews]

Thanks for the comment!

[@sailordude2094]

Thanks! Chicago Coin in the 70s was cloning games off of Sega and Sega disappeared for awhile in the US from lack of sales. BTW, its funny how all these EM game videos are filmed by the same person thats playing them. No friends around to film, lol.

[@StusGameReviews]

LOL my son filmed some of them, but he likes to play games too. :)

[@jjharson7344]

This is my favourite mechanical arcade game - love the others too, but this is Outrun 1960's style.... minus the music.... still brilliant.

[@StusGameReviews]

Funny, someone else said this was their least favorite. :)

[@garybattaglia4009]

I remember playing this game once as a kid. I had no concept of what a clutch pedal was for... I also remember that I didn't score very well LOL

[@ksmith1298]

Me too... except the version i played was a sit down with a Corvette to "control".....i kept blowing the engine over and over....lol

[@danamuise4117]

i played this as a kid and learned how to shift!

[@StusGameReviews]

Funny you say that - I'm hopefully going to upload another video today about a racing arcade game (ported to the PC :) )

[@kimthompson6686]

Yep, a lot of us kids learned how to use manual transmissions using this game.

[@StusGameReviews]

@@kimthompson6686 Unfortunately I never learned ;)

[@oneastrails]

I remember playing this at the fair in the mid 70s. Machine actually had the Hurst shift grip.

[@StusGameReviews]

I haven't been to a fair in like forever either...

[@ColonelWalterKurtz]

I remember a machine like this on the North Pier at Blackpool in the summer of ‘76. It looked a little complicated to the 6 yr old me so I didn’t play it but I was fascinated by it. We would go on the pier often that year and the arcade had a lot of these type of amusements featured on your channel. I seem to recall the version of this game having a GT/Le Mans type racing car but could be mistaken. Anyway, thanks for the bringing back the memories of that hot summer.

[@StusGameReviews]

My pleasure! Thank you for commenting!

[@evilubuntu9001]

Need for Speed 2,500 BC edition.

[@StusGameReviews]

LOL

[@woodysgeekchannel2204]

I played this all the time in the mid 70's at the arcade

[@davidreed3165]

They used to have this in the foyer at Hills Dept. Store.

[@StusGameReviews]

Circa what year?

[@davidreed3165]

@ ‘73 or so. I was in my early teens. I remember another one where you fired torpedoes.

[@paulonatali5614]

State of the art at that time

[@Ultradude604]

This game gives you the illusion of driving nowhere. But it's not an illusion, your car isn't going anywhere.

[@StusGameReviews]

LOL :)

[@DonVintaggio]

Great electromechanical setup but totally awkward counter intuitive gameplay.

[@StusGameReviews]

I think it was designed to make it difficult, not necessarily fun. ;)

[@Del-Canada]

I remember my dad saying if I didn't do good at this game I wasn't going to be allowed to drive the go karts. lol

[@StusGameReviews]

Sounds a bit harsh. :)

[@Del-Canada]

@@StusGameReviews I was only 12 or so, but he let me drive home.

[@user-uk7vp3gu1x]

Schools had something similar for drivers education

[@exilemike]

I used to play that when I was a kid

[@StusGameReviews]

Around when?

[@Ejuicey]

Its amazing to me as a brit, how many people arent used to a manual gearbox

[@StusGameReviews]

I have never had to drive one and I'm glad LOL

[@Ejuicey]

@@StusGameReviews 👍

[@QCJSiteB]

Driving manuals are wonderful and I prefer them.......except for a commutes lol.

[@DanaTheInsane]

I prefer one but these days good luck finding one.

[@generalzod7959]

It's been a long time since I've seen this.

[@StusGameReviews]

KNEEEEEEL before Zod!

[@siddharthbiswa1218]

Wow Awesome 😮

[@absoluteacw]

Magical

[@thornefroemming7796]

I know I never encountered this game. If I had I would have been "take my quarters!"

[@StusGameReviews]

Were you in arcades in the 70s?

[@thornefroemming7796]

@@StusGameReviews A mall I would go to as often as I could (I was 12 or so at the time) had a small arcade that I loved (1971ish). It was all EM machines which seemed old even at that time. Around 1974 an arcade opened about a block from my house. It was all pinball and foosball tables. Fond memories of hanging out with friends.

[@McRemmyBaby]

wow

[@netowork3d]

Não mudou a marcha...

[@StusGameReviews]

Someone said that before...it's been a long time so I can't remember for sure, but I think I DID change gears but the lights didn't change. Not sure though anymore. :(

[@Abandoned2377]

Definitely not early 1900s

[@alerey4363]

well, if you can imagine yourself the "gaming" part it's a cool game; otherwise is just moving a plastic car on a pedestal without no reason , no changing course, just watching the rpm needle stays in the green area ?

[@StusGameReviews]

Yeah, agreed, but remember it was 1974 :)

[@alerey4363]

@@StusGameReviews yes I know but in the same year many electromechanical pinballs surpassed this one in complexity and gameplay

[@StusGameReviews]

@@alerey4363 Maybe so, but this is not pinball which by itself makes it interesting to me. Pinball is a different animal.

[@crawlingamongthestars3736]

But this isn't pinball. The electromechanical games were trying to be video games before video games really even existed. It's one thing to launch a little ball around a playfield (don't get me wrong, I love pinball). It's something completely different to try to simulate racing an automobile with technology like this. That something like this even exists is an engineering and creative marvel. You have to appreciate the historical context of it.

[@tsartomato]

could've used better narrative for these mechanics - stationary non-diegetic grandstands break the immersion

[@StusGameReviews]

At first I didn't know what you meant - do you mean the "stadium seating" on the sides that don't move? If so, I agree. What do you mean though about a better narrative? Which part should I have explained better? Thanks for the feedback.

[@tsartomato]

@@StusGameReviews i'm talking about the game, not your video like make it nascar themed or something so It’s like an oval and we go straight and turn to the left sometimes like use alternatively lighting bulbs so it will look like there are ligth and dark trees on the banks and like they are "moving" because light moves "nearer". or whatever stadium part is stationary and now with so many games it even associated with starting line before the race starts. complete stillness before the race well or to be fancy it could've been collapsible after the start of the race. a lot of simple mechanical and cheap solutions available in 70s. same mechanic just with a lot more immersion

[@StusGameReviews]

@@tsartomato Got it. Yeah, I agree. I imagine they thought that the player would be so busy trying to control the dang thing that they wouldn't even be able to notice that stuff. I spent the whole time looking at the speedometer, and looking at the car out of the corner of my eye.

[@tsartomato]

@@StusGameReviews well it is a game and not a movie after all and gameplay is more important a game can be good even with severe story-narrative dissonance just at that point it either better to make thing right, or to not even waste resources and allocate them where they are needed. like i think without the stadium the machine would be cheaper to make and not any worse to play it's not like they've monetized those diegetic banner spaces with product placement for additional revenue or added lootbox microtransactions to have customizable viewers in the seats in hats of your favourite crosspromotion merchandise

[@plateshutoverlock]

The diorama looks nice but adds very little to the actual gameplay. All they really needed was the plastic car next to the guage without all of the extra stuff and the game would've been perfectly playable.

[@SnepperStepTV]

PLEASE turn your phone on its side this is aggravating to watch with how narrow it is

[@SnepperStepTV]

okay thank gosh you got it halfway through

[@StusGameReviews]

I tried to do a combination of a shot where you can see the entire cabinet, and the preferred orientation.

[@RetroMasters1977]

i would not call that fun

[@StusGameReviews]

Back in 1974 you might have thought so though. :)

[@RetroMasters1977]

@@StusGameReviews even in 1974 thats just pure crap

[@brewmaster0507]

You don't understand a manual ? How fn old are you

[@StusGameReviews]

Are you talking about the instructions printed on the machine? It doesn't quite come with a manual...

[@didiervandendaele4036]

Stupid ridiculous game 😢😢😢

[@StusGameReviews]

Still not bad for 1974 :)

[@obi-wankenobi598]

DLSS 4 Introduces Multi Frame Generation 😂😂😂

[@StusGameReviews]

LOL

[@0to100_real_quick]

Was the lights behind the gear messed up? It said you were in 1st gear the entire time.

[@StusGameReviews]

That's a good question. Unfortunately, I don't remember for sure anymore. My guess is that it was because I'm pretty sure I was switching gears.