| rev:text
| - Contrary to what younger people think, while the term "barcade" may be new, the combination of bars and arcade games are most definitely not. In fact, they were once synonymous with each other - like douchebags and tribal tattoos. Believe it or not, there was a time when practically all bars had a row of arcade cabinets or pinball machines available for people to play. During the early 90s, when under-21 entry laws were a bit more lax, I'm not ashamed to admit that the majority of my pinball skills were honed inside seedy and smoky saloons. Furthermore, my first exposure to fighting games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat, as well as pinball favorites like Funhouse and Twilight Zone, all took place in the bars that my borderline alcoholic relatives would loiter during the weekends. They knew that as long as they provided me with a fistful of quarters, I'd leave them alone with their vices for at least a couple of hours.
So, while the concept itself isn't exactly new, it's merely being showcased differently. Rather than a stack of games buried at the back of a bar, they're now the primary attraction. The booze and bands are merely bonuses.
Being a big fan of Starfighters Arcade, I wasn't really sure what to expect at The Grid. I've always liked the no-nonsense approach to Starfighters, which reminds me more of those dimly-lit arcades you'd once find in every shopping mall in America. The Grid, on the other hand, is a bit more flashy. Yes, there are pinball machines and arcade cabinets, but there's also live music (on select nights), board games, pool tables, consoles hooked up to TVs, and a bar for those who want to eat/drink.
I'm not really a bar guy and feared it would be a "standing room" that borders on breaking fire codes, similar to what it looks like over at Cobra. But the crowd was fairly small and everyone seemed pretty chill.
From what I've gathered, activities and "specials" seem to vary based on the night you attend. I was told that all arcade games, with the exception of Killer Queen, were free play. Unfortunately, the pinball machines, which is where I usually spend the bulk of my time, required you to pay upwards of 1-2 dollars for a couple of games. On the plus side, their pins are extremely well maintained due to sourcing out through a local vendor. The downside is that it's just more gratifying being able to plop down ten dollars and freeplay all the pinball you want (a la Starfighters). The main reason we came here was because I was tipped off that they had a Wizard of Oz pin on the floor. Unfortunately, it was out for servicing. Other pinball games they have include Lord of the Rings, Iron Man, The Walking Dead, and Street Fighter II (pin).
Their selection of arcade games isn't quite as vast as I had imagined, but my girlfriend and I were able to do a full playthrough of the classic TMNT ('89) that brought back memories of my days frequenting the local Pizza Hut. We tried Killer Queen, but that's clearly only fun if you have a large group. We particularly enjoyed the fussball table and giant jenga blocks. Additionally, it seems like it would be a great place to gather with friends for some board game fun as well.
Ultimately, we both agreed that we feel more "at home" at Starfighters, where we can just play what we want without second guessing whether or not a particular game is worth wasting quarters on. Nevertheless, it's still a great concept that I'm sure keeps the gaming crowd very happy.
Recommended!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)