Battle of the Ports

[QualityChimp]

I swear I've been in a massive Starblade arcade somewhere.
Florida, maybe?

Did you ever see the sequel that never was? It;s not too dissimilar to recent arcades like Let's Go Jungle and Star Wars:

https://kotaku.com/5849339/the-greatest-arcade-cabinet-that-never-was

[Leon Retro]

Prop Cycle is another cabinet I’ve only ever seen in the Troc, I’d love to have another go on this one as it’s rather unique.

They also had that across the road from the Trocadero in the Namco WonderPark. I remember having one go on it and thinking the graphics were really nice. It's the sort of game you'd want to play to stay fit.

Did you ever see the sequel that never was? It;s not too dissimilar to recent arcades like Let's Go Jungle and Star Wars:

Thanks for the info, I didn't know there was going to be a sequel. Looking at the video, I think it looked pretty good.

[Team Andromeda]

I remember a futuristic racer from Konami called Speed King/Road Rage that had an amazing cab with hydraulics. It was later ported to the PS1, but I don't think it was very good.

They used to have that game in the High Tide Arcade Porthcawl when it was billed as the most expensive Arcade game ever and while the game was fun. I don't think it was anything on G Loc 360. Speaking of Konami I used to love that Hang Pilot in the Arcades that was really clever, much like Silent Scope.

[Yakumo]

I swear I've been in a massive Starblade arcade somewhere.
Florida, maybe?

Did you ever see the sequel that never was? It;s not too dissimilar to recent arcades like Let's Go Jungle and Star Wars:

https://kotaku.com/5849339/the-greatest-arcade-cabinet-that-never-was

That's the same cabinet used for a Namco Gundam game that came out a few years back. I have played that quite a few times.

[QualityChimp]

That's the same cabinet used for a Namco Gundam game that came out a few years back. I have played that quite a few times.

"Ironically, in 2009 Namco's Akira Okubo said that when the decision had been made to shelve the O.R.B.S. due to its "large size, high price and lack of suitable content", his team had joked that the project could only have been made commercially vialbe if it had been allowed to make a Gundam game. Only a few years later, Namco would merge with Bandai, the owner of Gundam's rights.

While this came too late for the O.R.B.S., the general idea would get its time to shine in a similar, if slightly less cool version of the same design, called the P.O.D. (Panoramic Optical Display), which was successful in Japan using, yes, a Gundam game."

[Yakumo]

"Ironically, in 2009 Namco's Akira Okubo said that when the decision had been made to shelve the O.R.B.S. due to its "large size, high price and lack of suitable content", his team had joked that the project could only have been made commercially vialbe if it had been allowed to make a Gundam game. Only a few years later, Namco would merge with Bandai, the owner of Gundam's rights.

While this came too late for the O.R.B.S., the general idea would get its time to shine in a similar, if slightly less cool version of the same design, called the P.O.D. (Panoramic Optical Display), which was successful in Japan using, yes, a Gundam game."

Ah, so it's a different but similar looking cabinet. I always thought they were the same. Thanks for the info.

[QualityChimp]

Ah, so it's a different but similar looking cabinet. I always thought they were the same. Thanks for the info.

Sorry, bud, I was on my phone earlier, but it's a nice article. He finishes with this update:
"UPDATE - I'm hearing from people in the know that despite a few cosmetic differences the contemporary P.O.D. is in fact almost identical to the O.R.B.S. Meaning the company essentially dusted off the old plans, made a few changes here and there and released it as a new, if slightly different-looking cabinet!"

[J0e Musashi]

There was a guy in the US that had three R360s, two of them being functional. Can’t find his website anymore though. I’m sure they were in his garage... apparently the electric bill was quite astronomical after he’d had them fired up for a party weekend.

Prop Cycle is another cabinet I’ve only ever seen in the Troc, I’d love to have another go on this one as it’s rather unique.



And they had a few of those rear projection cabinets with skis or a snowboard stuck to the front, they were pretty good fun.

I remember that guy's website. Didn't he buy Michael Jackson's one or something?

There was a Prop Cycle in a Whitley Bay arcade not so long ago.

[QualityChimp]

They used to have that game in the High Tide Arcade Porthcawl when it was billed as the most expensive Arcade game ever

I remember hearing stories that the most expensive arcade ever was the Sega Super Circuit .

You could be right, TA, or maybe you mean mass-produced, but either way it's a great opportunity to mention this amazing arcade again. I posted about it before, but it got erased in The Purge, so here it is again. (It's amazing!).

https://kotaku.com/1989-sega-game-was-a-racing-monstrosity-1728633981

http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=845&page=1#2862

http://sega.wikia.com/wiki/Sega_Super_Circuit

Sega Super Circuit is an elaborate arcade racing game, where players control R/C cars around a specialty-sized racetrack. Each car has a CCD video camera attached to it. The visual feed of these cameras are relayed to the screens of specially-modified Outrun deluxe cabinets, from which the players can remotely control their cars. The camera is mounted on the front of the car, creating a first-person perspective for players. The game can support up to eight players at a time. It also has an electronic scoreboard that displays the current position of the racers during a game. The system board in the modified cabinets keep track of information related to the game.



Sega Super Circuit first started out as a joint effort between Sega and Nissan Motors under the name Super Game Z. It was first unveiled and showcased in July 1987 at the Yume Koujou '87 exposition. In 1989, the game was installed in its current form at Sega World Tokyo Roof in Yokohama, Japan, where it operated until 1990. As of current, its fate is uncertain.



The game, in its original form of Super Game Z, was different in appearance. The layout of the track was a far cry from its later form, and the design of the cars were different, too. The modified Outrun deluxe cabinets used for the game, prior to their current form, kept the original artwork. Another difference between Super Game Z and Sega Super Circuit, was that the former featured an HUD (heads-up display) on the screen of the cabinets. Another important aspect, was that Super Game Z featured a scale-model futuristic cityscape, which also boasts searchlights, what appears to be a miniature rollercoaster, and a giant monster prop that rises up at certain moments during gameplay.



I was so motivated at the time I posted that I contacted a company near me called Tornado, who make all those RC units that you see at amusement parks to see if they would consider making something similar, seeing as camera equipment has dropped in price and size since the Sega Super Circuit.

Naturally, they didn't even reply.



The closest thing I could find in the last few years was this one called "Racer" by Sputnic, but it was just a concept.

http://arcadeheroes.com/2010/08/06/racer-by-sputnic/

[Leon Retro]

Speaking of Konami I used to love that Hang Pilot in the Arcades that was really clever

It really is amazing to think back to the 90s and remember all these innovative arcade machines. They helped attract people to arcades who weren't interested in your typical arcade games like shoot 'em ups and beat 'em ups. I remember girls I knew loving the slalom and jet skiing games.

Sega Super Circuit is an elaborate arcade racing game, where players control R/C cars around a specialty-sized racetrack. Each car has a CCD video camera attached to it. The visual feed of these cameras are relayed to the screens of specially-modified Outrun deluxe cabinets, from which the players can remotely control their cars. The camera is mounted on the front of the car, creating a first-person perspective for players. The game can support up to eight players at a time. It also has an electronic scoreboard that displays the current position of the racers during a game. The system board in the modified cabinets keep track of information related to the game.

I remember when you posted this before. It's such an amazing example of how elaborate arcade attractions could be back in the 80s and 90s. Watching the video brings back the feeling of energy and excitement that era of gaming had.

[Team Andromeda]

It really is amazing to think back to the 90s and remember all these innovative arcade machines. They helped attract people to arcades who weren't interested in your typical arcade games like shoot 'em ups and beat 'em ups. I remember girls I knew loving the slalom and jet skiing games.

I played both Hang Pilot and Prop Cycle in WonderWorks, when I was in Flordia. I thought Pro Cycle to be too gimmicky and a load of crap, but Hang Pilot was ace.

[Team Andromeda]

You could be right, TA, or maybe you mean mass-produced, but either way it's a great opportunity to mention this amazing arcade again. I posted about it before,

Think you are being a tad unfair with comparing an attraction to a general production Arcade game. When I was playing Speed King it had stickers on it, boasting it was the worlds most expensive Arcade game; And it was cover both in EDGE and on the TV Show GameMasters at the time. I think EDGE said each unit cost the Arcade operator £170,000 . Which was a lot of dosh for a mid 90's Arcade system.

To be honest, I didn't think the game was that good and the experience noting to that of G Loc 360

[_SD_]

I’ve never seen Hang Pilot before, that’s a completely new one on me... looks awesome, I want to have a go now! I can’t imagine there’s many of those left in working condition worldwide. Planet Harriers is another cabinet I’ve never managed to track down either, I really would like to have a crack on it, even after all these years.



Observing groups of very enthusiastic young ladies has resulted in some jaw dropping moments over the years...

[QualityChimp]

Yeah, I wasn't disagreeing with you, just using your discussion of expensive cabinets as an opportunity to repost the info about Sega Super Circuit because your post reminded me of it and I searched the site and saw my original post had been lost.

[QualityChimp]

Planet Harriers is another cabinet I’ve never managed to track down either, I really would like to have a crack on it, even after all these years.



Observing groups of very enthusiastic young ladies has resulted in some jaw dropping moments over the years...

That pic doesn't work, dude.
The only cab pics of Planet Harriers I can find is a sitdown one. Is that what you were thinking of?