| rev:text
| - first time i went almost 10 years ago, this place was like the mecca of video gamers. and with their unlimited credit package for video games, i could afford to play Time Crisis till the very end. they also had 8 Daytona arcade machines all lined up; it was a big hit back then. oh, what fun.
and then, maybe i've aged, maybe things have changed. while it's still no doubt a good place to spend a day, the constant noise and trapped air made me feel like it's too much, even only having spent a few hours inside. good thing they've expanded and now have some outdoor activities (ex. go kart, rock climbing, mini golf, bungie trampoline), which are fun.
the redemption games certainly appeal to the kids, spitting out instant rewards (aka tickets) which promise bigger, albeit distant, prizes (aka junks). my 10-year-old cousin enjoyed them; she spent most of her credits rolling ice balls and sending coins off a speedy conveyor belt into holes promising various amounts of tickets... oh well, we're allowed to spoil ourselves once in a while, so what the heck.
my bf--a fervent gamer--wasn't excited like a kid in the candy store. but he wasn't making serious complaints about the place, either. he got to try out newer games and enjoyed getting his butt kicked. overall, the arcade games were ok to me, although i would say there were too many games i didn't care to play. but who am i to say--i'm an outdated, amateur gamer, so it didn't even matter if the Daytona machines are still around; i'm still playing the beginning "0" lap level and had a kick out of it. haha. appreciate some "newer" games, though, like the experience simulation machine right by the entrance, one that shows you a scenario (ex. a haunted mine, or in the Arctics), and shakes your seat accordingly. my cousin urged me to try it, and i ended up liking it more than i thought i would. on the other end of the spectrum, some games were too cheesy, such as the mario kart arcade, whose controls/knobs were malfunctioning, and the game itself wasn't even half as fun as those on any other nintendo console. and THAT costs 6 credits per game!! that's a rip-off.
saw guitar hero (and another knock-off guitar game); was hoping they had the drum set game too (what was it called? told you i'm not a fervent gamer). i would have been on that thing for a while, having played it in hk years ago and really, really enjoyed the simulation. this is not something anyone would easily invest in for a home set (due to budget as well as space), but if i have 160 credits to spend, then why not go to town w/it! but, yeah, no, they had to disappoint me by not putting one there. sucks.
outdoor activities charge separately, from $4-8 or so per round (tuesday half price special); we went to rock climbing and bungie trampoline and all had fun (and, yeah, i ripped my pants doing that trampoline thing...). the staff seemed to be way more lenient to kids in terms of number of tries and duration of time, but it was fine by me as this place is built to serve kids more so than adults anyway. but we didn't feel like we got kicked out prematurely; it wasn't busy so the staff actually asked if we wanted to try another difficulty level on the rock climbing, or do a couple more bounce/flips on the trampoline before ending our rounds.
witnessed an incident while we sat on the bench resting after getting off the trampoline. there was a little girl about 3-4 years old who was just on the trampoline, her hand might have gotten snapped by the cable, so she went crying. she wasn't injured or anything; probably traumatized and suffering from temporary pain. a staff was hugging and consoling her, while few other staff members came running--i mean, DASHING--from all directions to check on her. i was really impressed by their response time and how serious they take on safety. two thumbs up for that.
on the less glorious side, bathroom facilities could be improved. they seemed old and minimally "clean"; had a feel of those neglected public restrooms that are dirty and stinky w/toilets all clogged up. haven't tried their food court so can't say much about it. as for the redemption counter... well, like said before, it may appeal to the kids but i was way too old for that. even as i attempted to think as a kid, i didn't find many things worth redeeming for. maybe i really have aged. lol.
in all, this is still a good place to spend a day w/younger friends and family, given the myriad of games to choose from, indoor and outdoor. but if you're looking to get the most up-to-date games and all, you may be setting yourself up for major diappointment. go to a sony store instead for those exposures.
on the last note, saw that they have a smaller shop (like the size of a typical arcade center) at pacific mall @ markham. don't know if they have newer/older games there, though. would suppose they should have newer games in order to get teenagers to spend all their money on them, right?
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