Need Help Choosing Coin-Op Video Games

[fernarias]

Okay, I work at UC Merced in the housing department. Right now we are trying to figure out what games would be popular for our students. Even though I play games on my pc and played arcade games growing up, I'm now 40 and haven't been to an arcade in a long time. So if your 16 to 24 or have a vast knowledge of what's hip (very marketable skill I might add) please let me know what your top three choices would be.

Oh, and just to make it Macross related, I found this poster when looking for games on the net (see below).

Thanks,

F.

[jenius]

Wow, a rip-off Legioss fighting battlepods! Sweet game!!

Um, get a dance dance revolution... then watch people play for endless hours of enjoyment.

[Black Valkyrie]

No real good arcade games no a days may Mario Kart by Nintendo/Namco. Try to get some classics coin-ops around (late 80`s and 90`s).

If I was you I would get the newest shooter from Konami - Otomedius !

I`ve played that game on the MSX back in 87.

[Jolly Rogers]

Arcade scene is pretty dead in the U.S. these days. Maybe you can take a student survey and ask them what they'd like to see and play.

[the white drew carey]

Your choice has been made.

[Limbo]

Stick with the classics. Galaga and MsPacman are timeless and bestsellers anywhere. You can even get a combo game. If you wanna go <style> build or buy a Mame cabinet and put some 100 classic rom collection for the ultimate entertainment system.

[Hikaru's VF-1S]

lol i applied to merced for next fall, hope i get in.

anyways, most popular games i see is like DDR, and should get like initial d (4th version if possible) or maximum tune 2 (or 3 when that comes out). ya but also classics are pretty good too..

definatly get "the simpsons" arcade game and Ninja Turtles: turtles in time machines. thoses are nostalgic =]

[yellowlightman]

Judging from the aracde at my local university, the only games that get any play are fighting games, racing games, dancing games and light gun games.

I'm not sure whats really hot now with fighting games, probably still stuff like Capcom vs SNK 2.

The Initial D racing game used to be super popular, but I think it's been overtaken by the Wangan Midnight series. Downside of racing games is that the cabinets are larger and thus cost more money.

Dancing games are always popular, stuff like Dance Dance Revolution and Pump it Up.

Lightgun games like Time Crisis 4 (or is there a 5? I forget) also House of the Dead 4.

Your best bet would probably be to put out a survey to students to see what kind of games they want to play, since ultimately it's up to them which cabinets will be making money. I'd say assemble a good list of games and then leave it up to the students.

[David Hingtgen]

Time Crisis is always popular, for some reason. Haven't been to an arcade for a while, but the latest version of that is ALWAYS being played.

[KingNor]

I work on a thing called UltraPin, it's made by GlobalVR. It's a video-pinball multigame system. You buy one I might have a job for a few more weeks :-D

[Wes]

My old university had an old DYRL machine but they kept it in shitty condition and it disappeared. I would have bought the thing too.

It would probably be better to get some TV's set up to game machines. They (after they got rid of the macross machine ) put in some X-Boxes and had Halo setups for multiplayers, and I'm sure you could bring in your old games. Of course I could understand the problems of keeping track of all of that, you can have them give you their IDs or something until they return the stuff.

[Bob_Coffee]

Street fighter 2 or various incarnations therof. Orignal SF2, Third strike and street fighter alpha 2/3 ftw

[Black Valkyrie]

These SF`s are being played till today and make contests on them in Japan and the rest of the world :

Super SF2-X

SF Alpha 3

SF3 Third Strike

[cube]

edit: just read it was top 3 choices:

1) anything in a street fighter

2) golden tee

3) Dungeons and Dragons

Bust a move always gets a lot of play too.

Edited March 6, 2007 by cube

[TheLoneWolf]

Before I make any recommendations, what type of crowd are you looking to attract?

If you're looking to attract everyone (men, women, gamers, non-gamers), be prepared to spend a lot on interactive arcades like DDR, Time Crisis, VR games, etc.

If you're looking for strictly male gamers who'd rather spend their Friday nights practicing their combos instead of hitting up a keg party, then go for games like SF III: Third Strike, Guilty Gear, and Tekken.

Personally, I'd go for pool tables, ping pong tables, dartboards, food, and a couple of TV's

edit: I like Wes' idea of setting up several networked consoles on multiple TV's. For safety, you could leave the consoles locked in wooden cabinets with holes only for the controller and A/V cables to run out. Don't forget about investing in some cooling fans. This way you could have a variety of games that you could rotate in and out. Plus you'd save a bunch of money, especially on maintenance!

Edited March 6, 2007 by TheLoneWolf

[1st Border Red Devil]

Gauntlet II was a fun coin-op machine many of my pledge brothers and I played way back in my Freshman year in college. That and the classic Street Fighter II.

[Murphy]

Um, get a dance dance revolution... then watch people play for endless hours of enjoyment.

yes that is the best game, especially for the drunk kids who stumble off the platform in wee hours of the night. god i miss college, oh wait, im still in college i just dont live in the dorms anymore.

[Chewie]

Well, knowing a lot of guys who come from Merced to play here in Modesto, I'd say Capcom VS SNK 2 and DDR Max2 or Extreme.

Those games are VERY popular here. MJC has a copy of Marvel VS Capcom 2 that still has lines to play.

And DDR is everywhere here and always occupied. Being that nothing changes "what's hot" wise in Stan. Country all the way down to Visalia, I'd say those two would do well.

Also, they have Time Crisis 5 at the Metreon in San Fransisco but the difficulty is set on "waste of money". >=\

Edited March 6, 2007 by Chewie

[wolfx]

I've played that game the poster advertises. Not sure what was its name. Its actually quite fun as you can transform from jet to robot and back again.

And as for what's popular, hmm...i'd say DDR/Beatmania kinda games, light gun games like House Of the Dead 4, Time Crisis 4 (There's a TC 5 already, Chewie!?) and if you really wanna make geeks happy, you could get a set of Sengoku Taisen, the strategy arcade game which uses cards as controls from Japan.

[gerwalk25]

I've played that game the poster advertises. Not sure what was its name. Its actually quite fun as you can transform from jet to robot and back again.

Kinda OT:

It's so funny that game is mentioned because I have the Famicom version of Formation Z and it is pretty fun to boot.