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ZXSpectrum

ZXSpectrum

ZXSpectrum

Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
11,694
Location
Derby
Well I just had a bit of a day out to Skeggness for the first time in over 12 years. I do understand that I come from a time where stand up arcade machines were all the rage in arcades throughout the country. It used to be the highlight of my year to go to the seaside so I could play the games I loved in big arcades rather than the local chippy (yes, you young uns there used to be video games and fruit machines in chippys). I am actually pretty depressed to not have found a single old school video game in the 7/8 arcades I went in Skegg and Ingoldmells. Not a single one. It was all 2p machines, ticket machines a few low payout fruit machines with a few big driving/shooting games. I can understand from a business perspective that having a cab on using electric all day that someone might play a few times a day at best but it was sad to see.

I wondered why some people that came to my house to do work were impressed by my arcade cab and now I know why. It’s sad to think that those hundreds or thousands of machines have been destroyed. Out run, Street Fighter, Chase HQ, Mortal Kombat, Time Crisis to name a few will be forever in my memories. It actually makes me want to clear out my garage and built my old old school arcade.

I guess times have changed and I am glad there enthusiasts out there that are building collections of cabs for real old school arcades but it honestly breaks my heart to think where all those machines have ended up. :(
 
I miss the old cabinets too, but I think I'm showing a decade or more, when my hankering is for BattleZone or Pheonix, Moon Cresta and the like.
I am actually surprised that any of them survive since consoles took over the gaming world.
 
If you are ever in any of these cities you should check out NQ64 Arcade Bar

Manchester
Birmingham
Liverpool
Newcastle
London
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Glasgow

I’ve been in a couple of them, but I understand it’s not everyone’s scene; UV lights, Craft beer and old/new arcade cabs and consoles…

nq64.co.uk

Locations

Welcome to NQ64 Arcade Bars, where retro gaming and arcade machines meet top shelf cocktails and pints. View all locations.
nq64.co.uk nq64.co.uk

Ps I’m from Derby too, small world!
 
I remember all of them as well. I grew up going to arcades playing from the original Space Invaders, Galaga, Moon Cresta(I can still remember the attract sounds) so it sounds like we are from the same era (I turned 50 this year).

I actually thought when I went last, which was about 13 years ago, I wondered how they were going to survive with home consoles being better to play than 98% of their arcade counterparts and could be played without all the noise and lights of the arcades but the death of the upright cabs has saddened me really. Oh well yet another part of my childhood laid to rest.
 
Zaf said:
If you are ever in any of these cities you should check out NQ64 Arcade Bar

Manchester
Birmingham
Liverpool
Newcastle
London
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Glasgow

I’ve been in a couple of them, but I understand it’s not everyone’s scene; UV lights, Craft beer and old/new arcade cabs and consoles…

nq64.co.uk

Locations

Welcome to NQ64 Arcade Bars, where retro gaming and arcade machines meet top shelf cocktails and pints. View all locations.
nq64.co.uk nq64.co.uk

Ps I’m from Derby too, small world!
Click to expand...
Haha I live in Sinfin and work on the Wyvern.

I think Birmingham would be the closest. One of my work colleagues has been talking about going to one of these or there are some collectors about that have their own arcade that they repair and refurbish to peak condition and charge a fee to play for the evening. Might have to look into doing a bit of a tour of those.

I have a home built cab that I never did get built/finished so this is finally going to give me a kick up the ass to get sorted. I am thinking about ordering one of the flat pack cabs as well as I have an abundance of computer and raspberry pi gear that will work well and maybe down the line a Mister FPGA setup.
 
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yeah, 52 this year, so in the same boat... also your name made me think twice... My dad bought me a ZX81 back in the day, but I think wihtin a few months we had the Spectrum... AticAtak, JSW, Hungry Horace etc.

...back to the cabinets.. I remember being bolloc&ed after a family holiday to the Med, as I'd spent all my time in the arcades.
Those NQ65 places look very nicely done, it woudl be so easy to blow £50 in no time... in the promo I think I spotted a can of Red Stripe :D... even more fond memories
 
Just found this place in Bury.

www.arcadeclub.co.uk

Arcade Club - Europe's Largest Free Play Video & Pinball Arcade in Bury, Leeds & Blackpool. More than 1000 modern and classic arcades.

Arcade Club is Europe’s largest free play video and pinball arcade. More than 1000 well maintained classic arcade machines in our ever expanding library. Three exciting locations: Bury in Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool, all with modern and classic games to explore. Once inside all games are...
www.arcadeclub.co.uk www.arcadeclub.co.uk

https://youtu.be/6PmRNlqIdFY?si=642Nq9olg4WHpLru

It looks Fanastic! Might have to have a drive up.
 
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ZXSpectrum said:
Just found this place in Bury.

www.arcadeclub.co.uk

Arcade Club - Europe's Largest Free Play Video & Pinball Arcade in Bury, Leeds & Blackpool. More than 1000 modern and classic arcades.

Arcade Club is Europe’s largest free play video and pinball arcade. More than 1000 well maintained classic arcade machines in our ever expanding library. Three exciting locations: Bury in Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool, all with modern and classic games to explore. Once inside all games are...
www.arcadeclub.co.uk www.arcadeclub.co.uk

https://youtu.be/6PmRNlqIdFY?si=642Nq9olg4WHpLru

It looks Fanastic! Might have to have a drive up.
Click to expand...

My mates been to the one in Leeds and says it’s amazing, think I’m going to try and take my boys (3 and 1) over October half term
 
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Ive been to Leeds and Bury and they are both fantastic!

I also agree with all thats been said on here, the state of arcades now days is sad. I am 39 and used to love a trip o the seaside resorts playing Street Fighter II, WWF Wrestlefest, TMNT Turtles in time and countless more. The last time i went to Southend and saw all my favourite arcades filled up with ticket machines and £1 for 2 seconds of play on some rubbish new version of space invaders made me want to cry!
 
elh_2009 said:
Ive been to Leeds and Bury and they are both fantastic!

I also agree with all thats been said on here, the state of arcades now days is sad. I am 39 and used to love a trip o the seaside resorts playing Street Fighter II, WWF Wrestlefest, TMNT Turtles in time and countless more. The last time i went to Southend and saw all my favourite arcades filled up with ticket machines and £1 for 2 seconds of play on some rubbish new version of space invaders made me want to cry!
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Yup it was exactly like that yesterday. I love wrestlefest but I have a real love for superstars. I remember playing that in a local chippy.

Looks like I have got a posse of 3 so far going to Bury. I was watching a video with the owner and he said he has over 500 more cabs in storage ready to be restored. £17 for a day playing old school arcades. Hell yeah.

Cheers for the link to the thread will have a good look through it.
 
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ZXSpectrum said:
Yup it was exactly like that yesterday. I love wrestlefest but I have a real love for superstars. I remember playing that in a local chippy.

Looks like I have got a posse of 3 so far going to Bury. I was watching a video with the owner and he said he has over 500 more cabs in storage ready to be restored. £17 for a day playing old school arcades. Hell yeah.

Cheers for the link to the thread will have a good look through it.
Click to expand...

you are going to love it! i think they have superstars at Bury.
 
Littlenose said:
...back to the cabinets.. I remember being bolloc&ed after a family holiday to the Med, as I'd spent all my time in the arcades.
Click to expand...

That brings back a memory. Pretty much the same thing. Got my 10 Francs pocket money for the week, and immediately went and spent it all on some arcade machines in a local shopping mall.
Parents were half angry at the 'waste' of money, and half because I'd disappeared for 2 hours and they had no idea where I was.:o
 
I really want to go to Arcade Club in Bury. It looks amazing!

There is an arcade in Milton Keynes called The Pixel Bunker that is worth checking out, although it is smaller than the Leeds and definitely Bury arcades.

@Zaf, have you been to the London NQ64 bar? A friend of mine has and sung it's praises. I keep meaning to go when I'm down in London for work!
 
Had really found childhood memories of going to Funland in London Trocadero back in the day. Can remember playing the old classics like Moonwalker, The Simpsons and Golden axe etc.

Magical times :)
 
It makes you wonder if the kids of today will have anything worthwhile to reminisce about when they get in to their 50's. Like technology will have to have moved on sooo much in order for any future fifty year old to want to reminisce how they spent all their summers nose deep into a mobile phone on Tiktok/Flappy Bird or whatever **** they actually get up to these days.

Some of my *vivid* arcade memories:

The first time I saw Pong in Brigg Leisure Centre, about 1975
The first time I saw the sit down Star Wars vector game on Blackpool Pleasure Beach about 1983. This is particularly vivid.
Hearing the "dwaaaaahhwwwoooooyyyyy" start up sound of a Williams Defender machine. Actually thought of using this sound as my text notification sound, but then thought I might get too many looks and chickened out.
Walking into a new arcade, standing for a couple of minutes listening out for the music of my favourite machines. Particularly the intros to Scramble, Pacman, the above Defender.
Becoming so good a the game Gladiator, I actually attracted a crowd to watch once.
Cycling 3 miles to a pub out in the sticks to play on a counter top Donkey Kong machine. This was literally the nearest arcade machine to where I lived at that time.
Driving over to Cleethorpes specifically to play in the arcades.

The last arcade machines I guess I regularly used were one ones in The Pav at Salford university back in 1990. Gauntlet, Outrun and the above Gladiator plus a few others.

Kids today are never going to have anything like this to remember.
 
Nowadays the screens are all flat screen and the graphic is just too good for the older type of games, I was in HK a few months back and managed to find a old arcade place where they still have working machine with CRT or tube TV what ever they are called. Really brings back memories as I used to spend my pocket at a local cab office with my friends, Street fighter 2,Alpha, EX..... Tekken,
 
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