Game Preserve in Houston

[popsicle]

The second Game Preserve arcade just opened in Houston in Webster, TX (NASA/Clear Lake area). 11,000 sq feet of space, and the decor is very well done. There are giant arcade banners everywhere, a central jukebox/dj area, and a food/beverage area (they don't serve food, but you can bring in a cooler, and it's byob!)

It's clear they are still getting things together, as there were a handful of 'sick' cabs out on the floor and a good 50 or so that were visible in the repair/restore area that will soon join the action. A small number of working games had janky controls or monitor issues, but most are in really great condition. About 2 dozen pinballs that all were working. A friend and I spent almost three hours there. Standouts included rounds of Crystal Castles (cocktail), Q*Bert, Robotron, Sprint, Moon Patrol, and Gyruss. The Bump n Jump wasn't working, which would have been great as it is the current high score contest game.

You pay $15 for the day with everything on free play, or you can buy a 'recurring' monthly membership for $35 which includes 5 guest passes to bring a friend. There's also a family monthly membership for $60 that includes 10 guest passes. This might be good for future summer months.

The place was pretty empty, but it was Thursday night. Hopefully once they get more games out on the floor and word gets out this will take off like its well established sister store in north Houston.   

[Zeosstud]

They go big in Texas.. Really cool..

[BlueGhost]

I'll have to check it out.  Nice to have something like this on our side of town.

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[Mr. Peabody]

Yes, very nice. Those new pins cost a bundle. Deadpool is fun. Ghostbusters has so many modes, I don't bother.

[pbj]

Probably headed out there this afternoon.  Look for the ogre drinking 4 Loco.

 

[pbj]

And here we go

[Drnick]

I think the Camera has been on the four loko too     A friend of mine always insists I bring a couple of can's back for him.

[pbj]

I love how in a country of brisket, shrimp, and corn tortillas you're taking back Four Loko.

[pbj]

I went back today for a “game swap.”  Instead of doing it in the parking lot like they do in Humble, this was inside and you had to pay $15 to get in.

Game swap was a dud.

The games on the floor that were broken in August are still broken.

 

[Zebra]

I wonder who owns it. Is it meant to be a business or is it some rich guy who genuinely intends it to be an arcade preservation site?

I think they should run the broken games on mame until they fix the real PCB. They clearly own the original PCB so it wouldn't be a legal issue. If the goal is preservation instead of profit then it would also be in-line with the Mame team's stated mission statement. A room full of broken cabs would feel more like a graveyard than a preserve. It's depressing and it will clearly take them a while to fix all those cabs.

[pbj]

It’s a collector collective.  It started as a large storage unit they went into together and now it’s 2 retail spaces.  If you stagger out of your basement long enough to visit Houston I’ll take you.

 

[Zebra]

Arcade socialism right here in America. Who knew...