| rev:text
| - I went to a "soft opening" this evening, the night before the official, full evening, and with that in mind (as with any new business), there are hiccups, but it went well overall, and any critique I make is in the interest of the place actually staying open and around for years to come, because frankly, I want it to.
There is some awesome gaming at Insert Coins, as in games that you don't see at ANY arcade. For instance, the Star Wars arcade game, Pac-Man Plus (perhaps a little too weird for my tastes, even as a Pac-Man fan), and Tapper. Not Root Beer Tapper, but Tapper with Budweiser beer. That was super cool, as I've never played it before.
There are also lounge areas where you can play games, everything from Atari 2600, and Colecovision to Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It's a very nice set-up.
There's also some really cool art on the wall, from video game art to toys I played with as a kid. Paintings of Robo Force(!) next to artsy photos of classic Star Wars action figures? Sold. I also liked the Metroid mural by the DJ booth.
The drinks and bar staff were also very good. Reasonably priced booze fare, and even the arcade games were reasonably priced. The "specialty gaming-themed cocktails" as mentioned on the website were not present at the bar tonight, but the barkeep made me a nice rum drink that is still lingering on the outskirts of my head.
The arcade itself? Let's face it: The glory days of the arcades of the 1980's and 1990's are gone. Finding a good arcade in the 2000's was a Holy Grail, and these days? All but extinct. This arcade feels almost like it's more pop art, a collection of memories from those days gone by. Those who like games will enjoy it. Those who want to drink and listen to house music will likely enjoy it as well. It's definitely an arcade, but in a more artistic style. At least someone cares in making sure that the arcade hasn't fully died out.
Bear in mind that I am a gamer. I used to work in the business years back, so being among some of those old titles was like being among old friends. Destroying Reptile as Sonya Blade in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was a long denied satisfaction (consoles just can't recreate it), and as I administered a long mentally archived Fatality, I grinned to myself that yes indeed, I "still got it".
It's for that reason that I look at the place as a gamer, and not even technically being "Day 1" until tomorrow, I remain non-critical, as bugs will always need to be worked out.
First off, I don't know what machines are held in their rotation, but some games featured in their promo videos were not present. That's not to say that there wasn't a good selection, but I was sorry to not see Paperboy or Spy Hunter or Robotron like I drooled over in the ads months before. Perhaps one day, we'll see things come in and out as the Pinball Hall of Fame currently does it.
There is also a lot of space that could still be used for gaming. Perhaps that's the idea, but I MISS the days of the wall to wall arcade. I don't know if some of the space is meant for dancing or just standing, but I see prime, untapped gaming area. Greedy? Perhaps. But just a few more would appease. More classics, and definitely Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Also, a venue that big needs more than one change machine.
While I'm at it, there are a few things I think would help the arcade. The games need prices. I couldn't tell which games were .25 and which were .50. A small note next to each unit with some background information on each game would be a fun historical lesson that I would like to see. Finally, several of the machines eat the quarters without allowing to play a game. A lot. The staff was only too friendly to fix the coin loss and get you back into the game, but me losing quarters and having to find someone was happening way too many times.
As for their console fare in the lounge area, I would love to see a list of their available console titles presented as a menu. I know there are some (all?) titles on the website. I hope the database will continue to expand over time. Again, I am a gamer. I was a little surprised to not see any Intellivision or Wii represented. Or Kinect, for that matter.
I also wouldn't mind seeing more pinball. Granted, I don't want another PHOF here as I feel this place could be a nice compliment to the other place instead of a competitor, but again, some of those Williams/Bally/Midway titles were amazing.
I think in time, this place can find its legs, as it's a brilliant idea. It's plenty geeky, but not geeky enough to scare away people who just want a drink. If you enjoy both, you'll enjoy the place that much more. I'll be curious to see how it all turns out once they fully hit the ground running. I'll check them out again, and I wish them the best of luck.
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