arcadehero June 23, 20241
Welcome to Newsbytes, our regular series of posts at Arcade Heroes that rounds up quick bites of news from around the world of arcades and pinball. As ever, Summer can be a slow season for such news, but thanks to our many readers out there, we’re able to scrap some things together outside of your bigger stories. So though this edition of Newsbytes is somewhat sparse compared to the norm, read on below for updates on Bowl Expo, DPVR, and Asteroids Recharged.
Bowl Expo Game Updates
Bowl Expo is only a week away, so let’s start looking at what will be there. This will not feature as many product debuts as something like Amusem*nt Expo, but it’s not devoid of them either. Note that I will be attending the show on July 1st & 2nd, so stay tuned for:
- NBA Superstars (Raw Thrills)
- Pudgy Penguins Crane (TouchMagix)
- Zombie Rolling (Amusem*nt Source International)
- DreamFuns Crane Line w/ Amusem*nt Source
- Any other unannounced surprises
So far I haven’t seen much else on the newswires, except for LAI Games and Sega Amusem*nts suggesting a downsized version of their AEI booths (which were already not as big as IAAPA’s). That said, I’m not sure if I’ll need to spend a ton of time at the show… so perhaps I’ll see about hitting up an arcade or two in the area. If you know any and can comment below, what are the best arcades to visit in the greater Denver region?
DPVR E4 Arcade Updates
DPVR recently sent me a short releases stating that their E4 series of Virtual Reality headsets (which have been custom-made for arcade/amusem*nt use) are now being used in Sailor’s Quest VR (UNIS), Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade VR (Wahlap/LAI Games), Ultra Moto VR (UNIS), and Overtake VR (Wahlap). This is in addition to being the headset of choice for Raw Thrills’ latest release, Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR.
Location Test Update: Asteroids Recharged
For those curious about how the location test for two Alan-1 arcade games (specificallyAsteroids Recharged) has been going, here’s a quick promo that I posted to my arcade channel here recently. Instead of operating the larger 3-player model, I now have two 2-player machines – Asteroids Recharged and Avian Knights. I decided to move them from the front to the back after about a week, and so far that move seems to have tripled their earnings. As a note, the back is where I have my “Classic Corner” with games that are 30~40 years old, with exceptions like Galaga Assault. That game has performed fine in that corner so I figured that the same would apply to these games, given their retro focus. Lo and behold, that seems to have worked…
Note that I will have many more details about these games, particularly on Asteroids Recharged, to share soon. However, it will not be myself (arcadehero) writing about it. As I’ve taken on much more of a consultant role in the development of Asteroids Recharged than one usually does with a test, I will be handing details to another neutral writer so they can share all the relevant news and information for you. I want it to be done in as unbiased and impartial a way as is possible, just so that we’re always being fair to every arcade game developer, manufacturer and distributor alike here at AH. I will still do YouTube videos like you see above, they’ll just be “sponsored by” type content for Asteroids Recharged and other Alan-1 games, including Avian Knights, to follow.
Wrath of the Mutants Vs. Ninja Turtles
Back in April, Raw Thrills’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade game from 2017 was ported to the Nintendo Switch. Subtitled as Wrath of the Mutants, that game was recently on sale, so I grabbed and copy and now, we have a new comparison video. I also captured footage of one of the new exclusive levels that coin-op didn’t get; I just haven’t decided yet where I should put that one yet (general AH? Just members? My Irata Non Grata channel?).
Headlines
Spooky Pinball Provides A Quarterly Update
A Translated Japanese TV Interview With Yu Suzuki
Hologate Cuts The Cords, Rolls Out Three Arena Types
Minecraft Dungeons Arcade Sees Another Test In Japan
John Wick’s Insider Connected Event System
Betson Introduces The Juicebox
Tokyo Joypolis Celebrates Sonic The Hedgehog’s 33rd Birthday With The Sonic Carnival
Sega Amusem*nts Celebrates Sonic’s Birthday Too
Here’s A Little Bit Of Self-Promo – My Arcade Business Is Now 16 Years Old
Team Play Rolls Out Version 2 Of Their Photo Motion Ride/Game
June 24th Is UFO Catcher Day– And A New One Is Released In Japan
Raw Footage From Mortal Kombat’s First Production
Starcade Episode 108 Posted To YouTube
[Console Headlines]
Nintendo Held A Direct This Week – in which they unveiled a number of exciting-looking new games. One of the biggest was undoubtedly Metroid Prime 4, announced way back when the Switch was still new on the market. I’ve always been a fan of the Metroid series, so even though it’s taken them forever and built up huge expectations, I am hyped.
Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Also Announced At Direct
The PS5 May Have PS3 Backwards Compatibility Soon
Atari Announces A New Bubsy Collection, Coming In 2025 – Through Limited Run Games, so hopefully it’s not a complete fiasco
The Resident Evil 2 Remake Is The Best Selling Entry In The RE Series
Selaco: New Boomer Shooter Based Upon Classic Doom Tech
That’s all for this week. Which of these news items (e.g. my Asteroids Recharged test) interested you most?
