Namco Blames Wii for Arcade Closures 198
milsoRgen noted a story about Namco Bandai is shuttering between 50 and 60 arcades in Japan and blaming the success of the Wii for the closures. "A lot of the types of games that people played at an arcade can now be done at home," said company spokesman Yuji Machida. To be fair they also blame the high cost of gasoline as well.
O RLY (Score:5, Funny)
Re:O RLY (Score:5, Funny)
Re:O RLY (Score:5, Interesting)
Look at their stores now and nearly half of the games in them are 10-year old gun games and a few driving games.. They also got in trouble by upgrading their DDR machines with PS2's instead of dedicated arcade hardware, as a cost saving measure.
Namco killed their own business (and the Texas-based Tilt chain did as well by making some poor purchasing decisions).. around my area, local companies are starting up new mall arcades that seem to be doing fairly well.
The real money the past couple years was in machines like Derby Owners Club, which cost $128,000 to buy but will pay for itself within 9 mos in a high-traffic location.. That game single-handedly kept Dave & Busters in business.
Arcades were still operating in Japan? (Score:5, Interesting)
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You have no idea... (Score:5, Informative)
I wish I could come up with a real number of arcades open in Japan, but my google-fu is weak today. However, given my experiences there, 50-60 does not sound like a big number of closings...
Re:Arcades were still operating in Japan? (Score:4, Interesting)
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Rarely was there a game in an arcade that was worth the cost. I think the 2 best ones I ever saw were the arcade version of Super Mario brothers, and vanguard. I can't recall if I ever saw the really old ones like centipede or space i
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We do still have 1 or 2 big ones left, but the majority of the arcade machines are in places like the greyhound station or any remaining bowling allies.
That's true, and although it has been a while since I've passed through Portland (or Seattle). I would assume places like Wunderland are still open? Pay a cover and get unlimited play. I never enjoyed them as some game play would be broken due to the infinite lives. But those count for something. As well as kid joints like Chuck E. Cheese, they still have a selection of games. And family fun centers, those places with the go-karts, batting cages etc? And let's not forget movie theaters, they make a good ch
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Re:Arcades were still operating in Japan? (Score:5, Informative)
and then there's the cabinets themselves, American cabs are these flimsy hulks of wood with low res monitors that break when you sneeze at them. In 1996, there was a major sea-change in arcade hardware. JAMMA was fine... in the 80's. 3 buttons, low res monitor, and mono sound. Fine. But come oh, 1994, 1995, hardware gets to be a whole lot better. VGA graphics, stereo sound, complicated input systems(not just multi-button fighters; light guns, optical and analog inputs) and something had to be done. So the JAMMA people got back together and came up with the JAMMA Video Standard, JVS for short. USB I/O(output for things like coin counters), stereo sound and 31kHz VGA high resolution monitors. Now, in 1996 there was only one company in America making arcade cabs and it was the Valley-Dynamo company(who got out of the cab making business all together), and all they made were low res, JAMMA compatible systems, completely ignoring the new JVS standard. Compare that to Japan and Korea where in Japan, you had Sega, Konami, Capcom, Taito, Namco and Andamiro making these sturdy metal candy cabs that still have long lasting monitors that just keep chugging along AND if not in the year 1996, had atleast by 1998 produced cabs that were JVS compliant.
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That way, all the people that have a Wii, but want to play Halo without the cost of owning two consoles, can do it.
That way, when a game starts getting lower in popularity, you just pop the disk out and pop in a new one.
That way, when you do a hardware refresh, you can sell all your old stuff on eBay. Sure, you can sell old arcade machines,
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Playing catch-up (Score:2)
Wii will survive (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Wii will survive (Score:5, Funny)
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It's not just the wii, though (Score:5, Informative)
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Bring back pinball! (Score:4, Insightful)
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I don't know why pinball died. It's so much fun! It's physical and noisy and just *cool*.
Video games seem to sterile by comparison. An acquaintance collects and maintains old electromechanical pinball tables... Has about 20 of them in perfect operating condition. Tons of fun...
Bring back pinball, damnit.
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Electromagnets... (Score:2)
I've seen somebody get a high score on a table then the table became unplayable for half an hour afterwards until the magnets switched off ("Riverboat Gambler" IIRC).
Pinball went nowhere (Score:2)
I have the PotC:DMC Pinball game. Much fun indeed.
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If what you have is too expensive to maintain then you need a better design.
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all the best,
drew
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poezx4BSj6Q [youtube.com]
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http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ [pinballmuseum.org]
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Good old days... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Good old days... (Score:5, Funny)
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Nostalgia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games#First_true_video_game [wikipedia.org]
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Ha ha, funny. You kids and your raster "games."
Arcade closures in the US, too (Score:5, Informative)
Family Entertainment Centers (FEC) locations were down 60% year-over-year. OUCH!
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There's a time and place for these places. Where I live (Blacksburg, VA) there isn't a miniature golf place for probably 50 miles in any direction. I know that it is kind of a niche environment, but come on... someone open a puttputt. Some of us like miniature golf, or have kids who like miniature golf, etc. My 3 year old would enjoy a place like that, or would in a year or so, especially if it had skeeball and whatnot.
I dunno, I guess I know why the arcade part of them isn't working, but I swear, it'd
For all those expressing shock.. (Score:2)
Koreans have the PC Rooms, which shouldn't be in danger of being wiped out as computers have been available in the home for a long time now and if they were going to be
I got an itch between my legs, I'll blame it on.. (Score:3, Insightful)
From the RIAA to my hemorrhoids from sitting down all day.
technology in the computer industry is supposed to make things easier, cheaper and overall better.
So complain about it!
And while you are at it, complain how there is no more horse manure in the streets for the manure sweeps to earn a living by, because of cars.
this is asking for a mod down, but... (Score:2)
got it ? WIIn !
i'll go back to my cave now.
Clearly they learned nothing from RIAA (Score:2)
kids have more money than ever (Score:2)
Passing the blame is great and all (Score:2)
I don't know any dedicated arcades anymore. In this area. they started closing down mid-90s, and the last one I remember, from the 6-7 that used to be around, closed 2 years back. I think Chuck E. Cheese has been down because of similiar woes, but since I haven't been there since many, many years -- don't take that as an informed opinion.
So that leaves what? The bowling alley, billiard places, theatres, and most other recreational centers usually have so
The best thing about the Wii... (Score:2)
Social Gaming (Score:4, Insightful)
Surprised they didn't mention on-line gaming really, maybe it's my age but I remember people queing up to play Street Fighter II. People still enjoy the challenge of another person, its just that they are doing it at home.
Don't spook the horses... (Score:2)
So basically, you have yet anothing industry built upon an obsolete business model (scarcity of high-quality video games), and choose to blame the concept that made your product worthless, rather than adapting to provide a better service (cheaper would help - When an hour in the arcade costs me as much as buying a new game, why would I ever pick the former?).
Don't worry, the buggy-whip manufacturers and the RIAA feel for
Arcades can evolve (Score:5, Interesting)
There is a giant rift between arcade games and their console counterparts because we cannot exchange character data between them or game on a console vs an arcade cabinet. If we allow this, then the popularity of the living room will also be interchangable with that of the public gaming outlets, and both can coexist and benefit from each other. Perhaps if you visit the arcades you can get the newest demos first, or the arcades can download them for you and burn them on disc and charge a token fee. Wii demos for full games could be distributed exclusively at arcades. There are many opportunities to increase the popularity of both at the same time.
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There used to be one of those in Laurel, MD called Galaxy Computing and they had to close their doors due to lack of customers. They had:
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As for turning a
Re:Arcades can evolve (Score:4, Funny)
One day I put a small TSR on one of the PCs that would let me send keystrokes to that machine. I would randomly fire the player's weapons for him, and if he happened to be, say, facing a wall at the time he'd blow himself up. This usually resulted in an anguished "What the FUCK!", with hilarity ensuing amongst the remaining players. Sometimes I could blow him up and take out a couple of nearby opponents as well. Eventually they cottoned on to me, and then it was me running for my life for the next couple of hours while they taught me a lesson I'd never forget.
Re:Arcades can evolve (Score:5, Funny)
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Hear Hear (Score:2)
There's a big market in Online Games/Clans which didn't exist previously (though these pre-date Wii's) and there's also a market in LAN parties like these guys http://www.multiplay.co.uk/ [multiplay.co.uk].
But, the whinging arcade owners may have a good observation here which is Nintendo's strategy to target the non-gamer audience with easier controls and cheaper price points may be taking away the passing trade from Arcade gamers (I'm guessing if you're a hard core gamer, you'll spend your yen on a console
I call BS (Score:2)
Movies blamed for death of Vaudeville (Score:2)
VHS destroys Hollywood. Horseless carriage destroys buggywhip biz. Craigslist kills newspaper classifieds. Rise of city-states and domesticated livestock reduces esteem of hunters. And many more...
Who's to blame (Score:2)
I balme change, period. (Score:2)
Boo-fucking-hoo. I say we ban AL change, for the good of all existing businesses! Just because I don't have a guarantee that I'll live to see tomorrow or be able to feed myself if I do, does not mean that arcade operators, music and movie companies, highly-paid sports figures, and business executives shouldn't be guaranteed a
Solution (Score:2)
If they can play the exact same game at home, then you need to update your arcades to make it more attractive to potential customers. Don't blame the Wii. Blame yourself.
Why is nobody stating the obvious solution? (Score:2)
Namco's a dedicated 3rd party, so what's preventing them from doing that?
Too Expensive (Score:2)
Agreed. (Score:2)
A dollar or two to start playing, another dollar to KEEP playing, another dollar if you miss that goddamned checkpoint by a fortieth of a second? I don't care of Cruisin' USA has a nice huge sit-down cabinet. I'll play it on the N64 with a hell of a lot less of a monetary burn.
The cost-per-minute to play modern arcade games has put me off completely. I'll drop a few quarters on Q*Bert at the bar, but beyond that.... I really enjoy my Nintend
I call bull. (Score:2)
Most games that show up in Japanese arcades are large, obtrusive machines of electronic entertainment. The Wii, as fun and intuative as it is, is a different form of entertainment.
Did it to themselves... (Score:2)
In the 80's and early 90's arcades were a place you could go drop some quarters into the latest cabinet games or pinball machines. The places were usually lit with neon and dim lights, had very little room to move around, and were packed with games.
Now...
we have brightly lit toddler magnets half full of broken down arcade games from the late 90's, and a slew of ticket spewing ki
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we have brightly lit toddler magnets half full of broken down arcade games from the late 90's, and a slew of ticket spewing kiddy games a la Chucky Cheese.
Chucky Cheese was somewhat a good idea. Many of their games were quite limited to boardwalks, theme parks, and carnival fairs, and that aspect of the of the business really hit their target demographic. I still enjoy Skeet Ball. The whole animatronic aspect was well, loud, annoying, and condescending even from a 8 year old's perspective. The prices were outrageous for food, and the quality was poor, but they had more older style analog arcade games which were fun and offered prizes.
Our local arcade is so dilapidated that they no longer even have a person working there... if a machine eats your coin, you're out of luck. Even the mall management won't take responsibility for the place. Yep, it's run by Namco..
I'm sorry your arcad
Video Games? (Score:2)
Namco used to have a good arcade near me (Score:2)
There where also 2-3 other good arcades near me as well and the games that where on site where keep working and swapped form time to time They one give 10 free games on TZ and FH that wa
Put Cutey Honey in Soul Calibur V! (Score:2)
No, stop laughing, I'm serious! --well at least stop rolling on the floor. :(
It could get about three more people playing in the arcades, if Namco really wants that and not just more IP tightening. For one, the Cutie has tits and a weapon, which seems to be the baseline for girl inclusion in a Soul game. (I mean, her nude transformations would fit quite nicely with such wholesome liberally-covered characters as Ivy and Sophitia "I'm sorry!" Alexandra.) Secondly, Namco can spin it to attract the female
A little Japanese arcade history (Score:2, Informative)
The main boost in arcade popularity came with Street Fighter 2. Everyone was playing it, and all the school kids would stop by after school. It also provided an extremely high return rate compared to traditional arcade games where pl
Cost of a credit (Score:2)
NO QUESTION. TOO EXPENSIVE.
Shocking News (Score:2)
Seems like a no brainer to me. If you go to the arcade 3 times a week, you could purchase 12 console games a month. In no time you have more games than the arcade.
Solution: Gaming Clubs. Full of consoles and specialized arcade games. Monthly fees instead of Yen munching slots. Hybrid LanCade and Arcade + consoles. MAchines are cheaper, wider selection.
Japanese Arcades (Score:2, Informative)
So anyways, the pay-per-play ones aren't too much different from those here, but of course, you'll never find one under 100 yen. In fact, most of the games are over "standard size"(The size most people think of an arcade game being-these include DDR, Time C
They've got it backwards... (Score:2)
Unfortunately, this does not bode well for arcades in any light. As it is, asking people to pay 50 cents to over a dollar per game on a regular bas
A japanese company blaming the Wii? (Score:2)
Strange though, that a Japanese company falling on tough times would be forced to blame a Japanese companies creation for their loss.
I'm sure now that they've said, "Arcades are useless because of NINTENDO Wii!" they're going to devestate nintendo's sales.
Or more likely, cash a big check from Nintendo for the stupid, obvious publicity stunt.
Thanks for posting Nintendo spam.
Hey Namco: (Score:2)
Re:The market there was too saturated anyway. (Score:5, Informative)
Take the Gundum Pod Game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNSodeMJ2u0 [youtube.com]
The thing takes 500 Yen. Thats a little more than $4.50 a GAME. Oh and you can't just play it once, you have to play it multipal times to raise your skill so you can get better mechs. Sure it was networked and you could play with other people in pods, but games like this make the PS3 look like a worthy investment.
If they made the games cheaper, I think arcades can last longer there. But I doubt it as most of these "pod" like machines are pricey as it is.
PS - Missed a br:P
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Try playing Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight (called Crossfire in North America) on the PS3 and you'll see why it's not a good investment. The graphics are abysmal, the animation is clunky (and not in the good robot way), the controls are unresponsive and the missions are repetitive, boring and frustrating. Combat is fairly arbitrary, you can't move fast enough to dodge so you end up just hoping that the bad dudes don't hit you (they usual
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They've have a similar thing in the States called Virtual World Entertainment [virtualworld.com] (VWE).
The VWE simulator 'pods' has 7 displays and over 50 buttons. Each unit new cost more than SUV, and some sites had 16 of them. They had sites all around the world. During its peak (mid-to-late 1990s), it could cost $8+ a game (which included a briefing video, mech-selection, mission, and post-mission review). Later they move the pods to normal arcades and dropped the price to about $4.50.
Now there are only a couple places
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"To furnish or close with shutters: locked the doors and shuttered the windows."
Sometimes when businesses are closed, they do just that.
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Early eighties, I'd say, maybe even late seventies. I was a regular at several local arcades (yes, we had several back then) but once I got an Apple ][ and the family got a VCR I had less time for them. Yes, the PC games were crude compared to what the arcades offered, but they were more convenient and didn't cost quarters.
The original personal computers began taking share away from arcades decades ago. The small ones closed f
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Japan is just now feeling this? I thought they were supposed to be ahead of the times technology wise than us.
Keep in mind that Japan like many old school countries have a high population density and space is at a premium. Entertaining at home tends to be impractical due to space concerns. But with broadband and lower cost small hardware make it possible to play at home as well or better than an arcade.
While I live in the states and haven't been to an arcade in 10 years, I have to admit I rather hope a few stay around and actually embrace netplay. While spendy in the long term, it would be nice to taste games f
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My cable box pulls this little trick after midnight or so, and says it'll turn itself off if I don't press any buttons on its universal remote (even if it's to adjust my receiver's volume). In essence, it correlates remote use to determine whether or not you're actually in front of the TV. While I adjust the volume rather frequently late at night, I do it with a separate remote, which makes the annoying "Going into Standby" message come up more often
Re:Um... what? (Score:5, Interesting)
I just wonder if it's become cost prohibitive to truly innovate (or differentiate yourself) in an arcade machine. Graphics are pretty good these days, I can't see any company willing to invest the money to make an arcade machine truly stand out compared to a GeForce 8xxx or PS3/Xbox. And if you can't win on the graphics front, you have to start doing novelty things like incorporating movement or force feedback, again increasing costs.
It's hard to say, as Japan is such a different beast than the U.S.
But I can say personally I quit going to the arcade when games were no longer 25 or even, 50 cents. I really don't care about paying for the newest hardware, as the newest hardware/graphics doesn't equal the greatest game play. I still play A.P.B. (that top down 2d cop game, where you pull people over and go through the donut shops), and that 2d sidescrollin' X-Men beat-em-up, when I can find them.... Simply because they are the most fun... IMHO
Re:Um... what? (Score:5, Insightful)
Unless these are game centers out in the middle of nowhere, blaming the gas prices is total crap, since the trains are unaffected and most kids are going to their local game center by bicycle. Certain shopping malls are indeed out in the suburbs, but again, unless we're talking about the rural countryside here, all of them are within a short walk or bus ride from the station. I'd definitely go with the idea that Namco has been sitting on their coattails and not bothering to bring anything good to the table.
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People certainly won't be going to the arcades for single-player games or palette-swapped sequels to Soul Edge. There's also the ridiculous prices being charged for games - I can tolerate (begrudgingly) paying a dollar for a big game like DDR or Drummania where you actually get 5-6 minutes of play. I can't stand paying that much for a crappy low-res racing game with anime physics and "gone in 60 seconds" difficulty.
There's just no fun in
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Sorry (Score:2)
Re:Um... what? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Sure, there's always a train station in the vicinity of such communities, but those are for commuting in to the city, and not very useful for getting around in the area -- the end of the line is a big urban hub, but most of the statio
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IMO Pac-man is more famous.