What killed the Arcade for you?

[geomartin]

College killed them for me.  I hung out in arcades all through middle and high school, in fact on Friday and Saturday nights have of my high school could be found at the local arcades.  Graduated High School in 85 so I was there for what I consider the glory years.  My dad's business was going belly up just as I was starting college, so I basically financed my own education which meant work and school and little else.  By the time I tried to go back to the arcades there were no games that caught my interest.  I do make a twice or thrice yearly migration to Santa Cruz to play in the boardwalk arcade which still has a classic games section and 15-20 pinball machines.

[NiN^_^NiN]

Them disappearing kinda killed the arcades for me...

Only arcades around here in Victoria is timezone very sad indeed as the local timezone is all redemption machines with 2 lightgun cabs and a mario kart cab and one huge showcase cab that has metal slug x

That and the skill testers are the only thing worth playing there

I was born to late to go to an arcade the only places i got to play arcade games was either a videoshop that had one cabinet (Bad dudes vs dragon ninja hell yeah) and fish and chip shops almost always had a cocktail cab with space invaders some had standups but that was the standard in the late 80's and early 90's

We had Timezone back then but that was mostly redemption machines like skeeball and fighter and gun cabs and a huge saloon that you use to shoot at stuff with a bb gun to make them do stuff liek you shot a guy in the back then he came to life and played the piano etc then they replaced it with a lightgun version.

For me there was no arcades altho im in australia so i don't know if i missed out on the arcade experience or not but it has always been 1 or 2 arcade cabinets in different venues never one place with a huge log of them

But the fact that it went from 20c to play a game to $1 and now it's usually $2 to $3 doesn't help either but still i think they just weren't as popular and thats why redemption machines started to take over in the places that are still around.

[yotsuya]

At least I have Castles N' Coasters and can share it with my kids. One of the proudest moments I had as a parent was when my daughter got to the second level of Donkey Kong on her own on the machine upstairs.

[Howard_Casto]

I think it was really a combination of all these things for me....

No arcades to go to.

The ones I could find were poorly maintained and lacked a variety of games. 

At some point regular arcade games starting costing as much as the ride-on arcade simulators.  That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. 



Btw... the 90's was the BEST era of the arcades.  In the 80's you played one player games and tried to beat each others high scores.... that's akin to a time trial.  In the 90's you actually faced EACH OTHER in MOORTAAL KOOMBAAT!  That's like an actual race! Or you could optionally band together with your friends or strangers on a 4-player beat em up to play some TMNT or Xmen... again high scores are irrelevant, your mission is to defeat the bosses and thus defeat the game itself.   Most of your best arcade games came out in the early to mid 90's. 

Mind you I like games from the 80's as well, but the list is far shorter than the games I liked from the 90's, even excluding all the fighters half of the community seems to hate. 

[popsicle]

[/quote]

In the 80's, arcades and cabs were everywhere. I lived in a podunk town and there were about half a dozen locations with arcade cabs (with <5 cabs) within biking distance. The population of my town averaged 17 people. Driving to the main town yielded far more cabs. Drive to the nearest city and you couldn't walk into any public location without hearing the bleeps of a cab. I remember walking into an office and seeing one in the waiting room.

[/quote]

This is so true.  I distinctly remember many restaurants, stores, etc. being associated with different games. And I can still remember... 

Amy Joy Donuts is where I played Mrs. Pac Man
IHOP housed a Phoenix, Pac Man, and later Gorf
Cunningham's Drug Store at the corner shopping strip had Berzerk and Omega Race, then later Championship Baseball
There was a Galaxian and later a Herbie Goes to the Olympics (no, really!) at Zayre
Uncle Bill's had a Donkey Kong and Frogger

On another nostalgic side note, there were many times when my dad liked to browse at Sears after dinner out, and I would hang out and play their Telegames version of the 2600 on display.  I'm sure many of you did the same.

[Necro]

Went to Ocean City, NJ this past weekend for Easter - the wife's parents live there - and we hit the boardwalk and one of the arcades.  Was more than disappointed...

In no particular order:
- They took out pinball machines to put in 2 'always win' claw games...which they already had 2 of in another part of the store.
- They had an 'iCade' multi-machine...accepting quarters...with a 'hacked in' coin mech thing and printouts listing the games.
- I played Terminator Judgement day with someone, and our guns were all kinds of screwed up - for dollar a game, we were PISSED.  (I played on the right hand side, and couldn't shoot the right side of the screen...was hitting pinpoint where I was pointing it but it just stopped working on that side of the screen).
- Three games - a motorcycle game, car game, and boat game (all racing) were basically on the same hardware with different graphics for the gameplay.  Minor color/cab art changes and a bike on the bike one to lean with, a 'throttle' for the boat one, and pedals for the car one.  Bleh. 
- Major, unplayable burn in on 2-3 older games that really shouldn't have had burn in
- A bunch of older games (good ones), crammed into a corner, in a really sad shape.  :/

[bobotech]

This thread reminds me of a couple of little stories.  We lived in a fairly small town known as Bethany in CT.  There was a newly opened ice cream stand near the center of town.  Billy's ice cream.  This was around 1982 or so.  I remember how all the kids on the bus would hum with the rumors that Billy's was going to open an arcade but that never happened.  HOwever they did put in a couple of arcade games.  Donkey Kong and Centipede were 2 that I remember.  And about a mile or few down the road, there was a AM/PM mart that had an arcade game in there.   I remember it was Vanguard and my friend and I had a blast playing them.  Not really arcade memory but still, fun.

[Corbo]

What killed it for me was an increase in price and a decrease in choice.

Arcade machines had to be more and more powerful to keep ahead of consoles, and introduce ways of playing that couldn't be replicated at home.  As a result my local arcades filled with huge and expensive Sega Rally and Daytona style games, or vs fighting games which bored me.  £1 a pop for a small selection of games.  Within 10 minutes you're spent out.

Wind back to the late 80's and you'd find wall to wall cabinets all running different boards at 10 or 20p a go and you could lose a whole day in there.

If someone opened an arcade full of 80's games I would be down there like a shot.

[DNA Dan]

So let's do the roundup, so far we have:

1) Girls (Or boys)
2) Them vanishing from existence
3) The declining value the quarter (Dollar a game  )
4) Decreased selection
5) College
6) Work
7) Growing older (life taking a new direction)

Did I miss any? From the market view of things, it seems like the whole era was just a FAD. OMG, are we all living a LIE??? Starting to feel like the butterfly effect to me....

I'll throw one out there for the decline of arcades in general... How about the personal computer. Think of computer tech in 1990 when a lot of the old school arcades started to decline. You already had the first big gen home console market crash because the market was flooded with cheap, poor quality games. But then there's the personal computer, which offered a new level of graphics capability to the average consumer. In a way, it probably introverted our society. Also during this time it was all about SPEED. How can I get my drive thru latte and be at work in 5 minutes? The need for speed and efficiency from society meant less people hanging out at places loitering or wasting time.

Somewhere out there we all got sucked into the Borg and lost our arcade hangouts.

[Donkbaca]

I think you missed
*) Wallet crushing addiction to high-end, imported European porn.

Other than that, I think we are good

[Mikezilla]

At some point regular arcade games starting costing as much as the ride-on arcade simulators.  That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. 

Btw... the 90's was the BEST era of the arcades.  In the 80's you played one player games and tried to beat each others high scores.... that's akin to a time trial.  In the 90's you actually faced EACH OTHER in MOORTAAL KOOMBAAT!  That's like an actual race! Or you could optionally band together with your friends or strangers on a 4-player beat em up to play some TMNT or Xmen... again high scores are irrelevant, your mission is to defeat the bosses and thus defeat the game itself.   Most of your best arcade games came out in the early to mid 90's. 

Mind you I like games from the 80's as well, but the list is far shorter than the games I liked from the 90's, even excluding all the fighters half of the community seems to hate. 

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- Howard! I finally agree with you on something!!!   

Yeah, why is there so much hate towards the fighter games? If you were good at the game, you could play forever on one quarter. At least until one of the snot nosed punks you were playing got lucky and pulled of some crazy hyper combo when you were taking a drink from your soda. 

[scofthe7seas]

It seems like the whole era was just a FAD. OMG, are we all living a LIE??? Starting to feel like the butterfly effect to me....

Many people would consider crack to be a fad, but some enjoy it for a lifetime!

[DNA Dan]

[Yeah, why is there so much hate towards the fighter games?

I'll take a stab at this:

1) Because many people credit the genre with ending the arcade experience.
2) Becuase a lot of kids from that generation think this was "the golden era of the arcade" when really it was a resurgence of something prior.
3) Because those games suck compared to the old school arcade games, they weren't much different than similar games that were being played on computers or consoles at the time.

However if you look at something like Ms. Pacman, it's so unique and original. Nothing during it's time could emulate that game other than the cab itself. So it stands on it's own merits very highly. Fighter games were being played on PS1 in the 90's for a lot less money. They were unoriginal and not that special. Two guys fighting each other? or a crazy pie shaped creature eating dots trying to avoid crazy dudes with sheets over their heads?
No contest on all fronts.

[Bootay]

I personally loved both eras of the arcade. I hung out in arcades every chance I got from age 7-25..by 25 there were very few left and the ones that did remain were closing too. But I felt just as excited going to the arcades in the 90s as I did in the 80s. I was excited when I seen Killer Instict, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and MK2 and 3 for the first time. I still get sort of excited when I run across an arcade now and will spend a few bucks either reliving the oldies or trying something new.

I am in the camp of "there no longer being any" as the cause..

[Mikezilla]

[Yeah, why is there so much hate towards the fighter games?

I'll take a stab at this:

1) Because many people credit the genre with ending the arcade experience.
2) Becuase a lot of kids from that generation think this was "the golden era of the arcade" when really it was a resurgence of something prior.
3) Because those games suck compared to the old school arcade games, they weren't much different than similar games that were being played on computers or consoles at the time.

However if you look at something like Ms. Pacman, it's so unique and original. Nothing during it's time could emulate that game other than the cab itself. So it stands on it's own merits very highly. Fighter games were being played on PS1 in the 90's for a lot less money. They were unoriginal and not that special. Two guys fighting each other? or a crazy pie shaped creature eating dots trying to avoid crazy dudes with sheets over their heads?
No contest on all fronts.

All good points, but I think the reason why people hate the fighter games the most, is because they were the last real games that didnt have a gimmick, that died with the arcades themselves. There were many other factors that people already mentioned as to the reason why arcades died out. I remember asking an arcade operator here in San Diego when he said he was going to close down, I asked why, and he said that the electric bill for the place was too damn high. There are a bunch of factors why arcades died, but I doubt the fighter genre was the reason.

Going to the last point, I know Ill probably get reemed for this because most of the people on here are old(no offense guys) but some of the classics suck, and the only reason you like them is the same reason I like the fighter games:they were popular when you were young. Like someone else mentioned, the classics only had you try to beat the others score. Some unamed initials, sitting there, mocking you while you try to get the higher score in there so you can be at the top of list of other suckers OR you can actaully watch as your skills break down some other punk kid and they walk away going to get more quarters because they think they can beat you. And of course, you know, that they cant, and its so enjoyable. I imagine the feeling you get is akin to drinking unicorn blood. Or something close at least.

[Donkbaca]

1) Because many people credit the genre with ending the arcade experience.

I don't get this.  Like I said, SF2 came out in 1992. You name one game between 1986 and 1992 that is considered a classic?  People talk like everyone was huddled around smoking cigs and playing Kong and then all of a sudden they were evicted to make room for SF2.  That's just not the case.  Like I said before, to me, the ultimate arcade experience is people all gathered together competing and enjoying the intricacies of a game, to me the beat em ups, and fighters fo the 90's capture this aracade experience.  Someone please explain what this old arcade experience was, and I am being sincere, what was it, and how was it better than watching your competition, trying to learn every nook and cranny of a game and then putting your quarter up to save your place for next?  Because that is the 90's arcade experience.

2) Becuase a lot of kids from that generation think this was "the golden era of the arcade" when really it was a resurgence of something prior.

So is it a resurgence? Or a completely diferent experience that destroyed the old arcade feel?

3) Because those games suck compared to the old school arcade games, they weren't much different than similar games that were being played on computers or consoles at the time.

Old arcade games weren't that different from similar games being played at home.  Arcade games have always been ported to home consoles, that was the major selling points of original consoles, the arcade at home.  Plus, like I said, the best thing about the arcades wasn't the games themselves, it was the interactions you had with other people over the games.

However if you look at something like Ms. Pacman, it's so unique and original. Nothing during it's time could emulate that game other than the cab itself. So it stands on it's own merits very highly. Fighter games were being played on PS1 in the 90's for a lot less money.

You could play pacman on home consoles, and any fight fan would tell you that playing a game on a controller sucks compared to playing one on arcade controls.

They were unoriginal and not that special. Two guys fighting each other? or a crazy pie shaped creature eating dots trying to avoid crazy dudes with sheets over their heads?
No contest on all fronts.

This is pure opinion.  You know what is great about fighters?  They are meant to be played against people.  Unlike Pac Man, or Kong, which you can get good at by being robot-like and memorizing patterns, fighters are great because people are unpredictable, you never know what character your opponent will pick or what strategy they will employ.  Fighters are much, much more deep

[Mikezilla]

Its like, youre reading my mind Donk. Everything I would have said, thanks for typing it all for me! 

[Bootay]

I agree Donk, and I AM one of the "old people". I am 38 years old. I was hanging around arcades and party stores with a small 3-4 game selection almost my whole life. Sure, in the beginning I was a kid but still old enough to ride my bike to the arcades and spend my own money playing on my own without my parents.

But I agree that the fighter thing is pure opinion and not fact. Fighters didn't kill the arcade because MK, MK2 and MK3 from what I remember were gigantic at my local arcades. I mean so many people were crowded around those games that you could barely get in there to see let alone play. SF2 may have over saturated themselves but they were equally as popular, especially later during the Vs. era. Also crowds and crowds of people around those. My local arcades (there were only 2 left during the fighter era) were packed and it was all because of SF and MK. Then when the 3D fighters came out they became equally as packed just because of those games. (VF, Tekken, etc.)

I noticed that once the PS1 came out and you could play 100% faithful versions of these games at home, the need to go to the arcades became less, but I personally would rather play them at the arcade. Most people wouldn't though.

You could play console version of most arcade games in the past but it was never the same, or close but no cigar. I remember one of the things I used to say back in the days of Atari/Intellivision/ColecoVision/NES/SNES/SMS/Genesis was "....and it looks almost like the arcade version!" But now it is expected to look exactly like the arcade version. And has been expected ever since the PS1. The PS1 was the first time we were playing 100% faithful versions of arcade games at home as far as I can remember anyway.

But back to the point...the fighters brought people in to the arcades in the 90s. The arcades were banking during the fighter genre days. I think that most of them shut down because you could buy Tekken 3 and play it at home on your PS1 so why bother going to the arcade and pay to play something you already own? Just because I would rather play the arcade version doesn't mean the vast majority of people felt the same. It is obvious that they didn't feel the same way.
 
So I guess in my opinion, for most people, higher powered consoles that could produce 100% faithful arcade versions is what killed the arcades. But what killed it personally for me is the fact that they are no longer around because I would still go and still do when I run across one.

[DNA Dan]

Dude my comments aren't necessarily how I feel, I was just throwing that out there as some of the reasons people say they hate on fighter games.

I have nothing but luv for the donk and his fighter expertise

I agree about the "games of my youth" statement. Afterall, even the classics were predated by arcades of the '70s with pinball machines and the like.

[saint]

[Yeah, why is there so much hate towards the fighter games?

I'll take a stab at this:

1) Because many people credit the genre with ending the arcade experience.
2) Becuase a lot of kids from that generation think this was "the golden era of the arcade" when really it was a resurgence of something prior.
3) Because those games suck compared to the old school arcade games, they weren't much different than similar games that were being played on computers or consoles at the time.

However if you look at something like Ms. Pacman, it's so unique and original. Nothing during it's time could emulate that game other than the cab itself. So it stands on it's own merits very highly. Fighter games were being played on PS1 in the 90's for a lot less money. They were unoriginal and not that special. Two guys fighting each other? or a crazy pie shaped creature eating dots trying to avoid crazy dudes with sheets over their heads?
No contest on all fronts.

All good points, but I think the reason why people hate the fighter games the most, is because they were the last real games that didnt have a gimmick, that died with the arcades themselves. There were many other factors that people already mentioned as to the reason why arcades died out. I remember asking an arcade operator here in San Diego when he said he was going to close down, I asked why, and he said that the electric bill for the place was too damn high. There are a bunch of factors why arcades died, but I doubt the fighter genre was the reason.

Going to the last point, I know Ill probably get reemed for this because most of the people on here are old(no offense guys) but some of the classics suck, and the only reason you like them is the same reason I like the fighter games:they were popular when you were young. Like someone else mentioned, the classics only had you try to beat the others score. Some unamed initials, sitting there, mocking you while you try to get the higher score in there so you can be at the top of list of other suckers OR you can actaully watch as your skills break down some other punk kid and they walk away going to get more quarters because they think they can beat you. And of course, you know, that they cant, and its so enjoyable. I imagine the feeling you get is akin to drinking unicorn blood. Or something close at least.

Pong was the first fighter

[scofthe7seas]

The PS1 was the first time we were playing 100% faithful versions of arcade games at home as far as I can remember anyway.

I felt Street Fighter 2 on the SNES was DEAD ON compaired to the arcade version. It came out pretty much 2 minutes after the arcade version, and obviously the controls were different, the game was all there.
I hadn't played a fighter like that on an arcade cabinet for... many years. I played some Street Fighter 2 a few weeks ago and got molested by Dhalsim. Completely different controls!

[Bootay]

The PS1 was the first time we were playing 100% faithful versions of arcade games at home as far as I can remember anyway.

I felt Street Fighter 2 on the SNES was DEAD ON compaired to the arcade version. It came out pretty much 2 minutes after the arcade version, and obviously the controls were different, the game was all there.
I hadn't played a fighter like that on an arcade cabinet for... many years. I played some Street Fighter 2 a few weeks ago and got molested by Dhalsim. Completely different controls!

Yea...I could agree with that. SF2 was pretty dead on aside from the controls. Come to think of it, MK could have been dead on if Nintendo didn't decide to rape it by stripping out the blood. But graphically it was pretty darn close if not perfect. Although it's been a while since I played the SNES MK so my memory might need refreshing.

[Vigo]

Eventually fighter games couldn't even survive on the console without having a "story mode" and a bunch of unlockables. I think a lot has to do with the demand for longer games since saving on console games became a standard.

[wp34]

The PS1 was the first time we were playing 100% faithful versions of arcade games at home as far as I can remember anyway.

I felt Street Fighter 2 on the SNES was DEAD ON compaired to the arcade version. It came out pretty much 2 minutes after the arcade version, and obviously the controls were different, the game was all there.
I hadn't played a fighter like that on an arcade cabinet for... many years. I played some Street Fighter 2 a few weeks ago and got molested by Dhalsim. Completely different controls!

Yea...I could agree with that. SF2 was pretty dead on aside from the controls. Come to think of it, MK could have been dead on if Nintendo didn't decide to rape it by stripping out the blood. But graphically it was pretty darn close if not perfect. Although it's been a while since I played the SNES MK so my memory might need refreshing.

I remember at the time thinking the ColecoVision was dead-on.  I realize now that it was not dead-on but Coleco was light-years ahead of the Atari 2600 and it did have a temporary impact on my interest in going to the Arcade.

[Mikezilla]

Eventually fighter games couldn't even survive on the console without having a "story mode" and a bunch of unlockables. I think a lot has to do with the demand for longer games since saving on console games became a standard.

Its beacuse they had to justify a single player playing the game, because thanks to the damn home consoles, there wasnt anyone to play with except your friends. The arcade version didnt have a damn story because the whole point was to fight against people, something home console people at the time didnt want to do. 

[Vigo]

Good point. Didn't think about the single player aspect so much. Nonetheless, there is nothing like challenging someone  in an arcade fighter, probably the only real fighter matches I really remember. The only time I remember enjoying a console version like the arcades is when someone brought tekken to school and we had a class tournament in my study hall.

[Donkbaca]

KOTH mode in the new Mortal Kombat does a lot to recapture that old feel

[bobotech]

Here is my big problem with fighters.  This is coming from a mediocre player who was never really good any any video game, I just liked playing them.  The problem with fighters is that they were always way too complex for me and I could never do well with the patterns.  So every single fighting game  became nothing more than a button masher to me.  SF2 all the way to the latest and greatest during the late '90s were all the same to me.  The whole point was you against someone else using a joystick and a bunch of random buttons.

Same thing with the brawlers like Streets of Rage (was that an arcade or strictly Genesis?), they all seemed to be pretty much the same concept with no originality.  Sure the artwork changed or the weapons changed but still , teh same basic thing.

I never could see deeper into the game and appreciate the techniques of pulling off speical moves or anticipating the other players attack and defending it and so on.  I was just a mediocre player who got bored and annoyed at ALL fighters and just gave up on arcades other than racing games which have always been my first love.

That was one of the big reasons why I quit.  My opinion of fighters has changed though recently.  I am now tryign to learn the patterns and the games are much more enjoyable to me.

[Mikezilla]

Here is my big problem with fighters.  This is coming from a mediocre player who was never really good any any video game, I just liked playing them.  The problem with fighters is that they were always way too complex for me and I could never do well with the patterns.  So every single fighting game  became nothing more than a button masher to me.  SF2 all the way to the latest and greatest during the late '90s were all the same to me.  The whole point was you against someone else using a joystick and a bunch of random buttons.

Same thing with the brawlers like Streets of Rage (was that an arcade or strictly Genesis?), they all seemed to be pretty much the same concept with no originality.  Sure the artwork changed or the weapons changed but still , teh same basic thing.

I never could see deeper into the game and appreciate the techniques of pulling off speical moves or anticipating the other players attack and defending it and so on.  I was just a mediocre player who got bored and annoyed at ALL fighters and just gave up on arcades other than racing games which have always been my first love.

That was one of the big reasons why I quit.  My opinion of fighters has changed though recently.  I am now tryign to learn the patterns and the games are much more enjoyable to me.

See, I never got into the driving games, or the sports games. They all seemed boring to me, especially sports games, because I played sports in real life, soooo there wasnt any reason to play a watered down version of it. Its so funny, I just got MvC3 and I got ---my bottom--- handed to me by some punk kid, well, I assumed it was a kid considering it was online. I was so frustrated too. Getting combo'ed non-stop and I thought to myself "man, is this what I was doing to other people in the arcades back in the day?"  So thats how that feels. Kinda funny.

[DNA Dan]

Its so funny, I just got MvC3 and I got ---my bottom--- handed to me by some punk kid, well, I assumed it was a kid considering it was online. I was so frustrated too. Getting combo'ed non-stop and I thought to myself "man, is this what I was doing to other people in the arcades back in the day?"  So thats how that feels. Kinda funny.

Happens to me all the time when the PSN is up  You get served then have to hear some smack on the mic from a chipmunk. What you're only 10? Where are your parents!???

[SNAAKE]

I heard you can mute EVERYONE and never have to hear what anyone has to say on the mic

[Malenko]

You name one game between 1986 and 1992 that is considered a classic?

Well "classic" is a VERY subjective opinion. This is off the top of my head with the years looked up on KLOV. I may have missed some, and I'm sure others aren't "classics" A ton of the games I thought of were actually for 1983-1985

please feel free to bash my list:

720 (apparently the greatest game ever made ever , 1986)
Afterburner (1987)
Arkanoid (1986)
Bad Dudes (1988)
Bobble Bobble/Bubble Bobble (1986)
Bomberman (1991)
BreakThru (Ok, maybe not a classic to others but I LOVE this game 1986)
Castlevania (1986)
Contra (1987)
Double Dragon (1987)
Final Fight (1989)
Golden Axe (1989)
Guerrilla War (1987)
Hard Drivin (1989)
Ikari Warriors (1986)
Magic Sword (1990)
Mighty Bomb Jack (1986)
Mike Tyson's Punch Out (PC-10 , 1987)
Out Run (1986)
Raiden (1990)
Rampage (1986)
Rampart (1990)
Shinobi (1987)
Silkworm (1988)
The Simpsons (1991)
Strider (1998)
Smash TV (1990)
Tecmo Bowl (1987)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989)
Tetris (1988)
Virtua Racing (1992)
WWF Wrestlefest (1991)
X-Men (1992 the 2/4/6 player side scroller, not the fighting game)


I left fighters like Street Fighter (1987), all the Street Fighter IIs (1991/1992) ,Fatal Fury (1991), and Mortal Kombat (1992) off the list, and hardware like the Nintendo Play Choice 10 (1986) , CPS1 (1988),Neo Geo MVS (1989)

[CheffoJeffo]

[Yeah, why is there so much hate towards the fighter games?

I'll take a stab at this:

1) Because many people credit the genre with ending the arcade experience.
2) Becuase a lot of kids from that generation think this was "the golden era of the arcade" when really it was a resurgence of something prior.
3) Because those games suck compared to the old school arcade games, they weren't much different than similar games that were being played on computers or consoles at the time.

However if you look at something like Ms. Pacman, it's so unique and original. Nothing during it's time could emulate that game other than the cab itself. So it stands on it's own merits very highly. Fighter games were being played on PS1 in the 90's for a lot less money. They were unoriginal and not that special. Two guys fighting each other? or a crazy pie shaped creature eating dots trying to avoid crazy dudes with sheets over their heads?
No contest on all fronts.

All good points, but I think the reason why people hate the fighter games the most, is because they were the last real games that didnt have a gimmick, that died with the arcades themselves. There were many other factors that people already mentioned as to the reason why arcades died out. I remember asking an arcade operator here in San Diego when he said he was going to close down, I asked why, and he said that the electric bill for the place was too damn high. There are a bunch of factors why arcades died, but I doubt the fighter genre was the reason.

Going to the last point, I know Ill probably get reemed for this because most of the people on here are old(no offense guys) but some of the classics suck, and the only reason you like them is the same reason I like the fighter games:they were popular when you were young. Like someone else mentioned, the classics only had you try to beat the others score. Some unamed initials, sitting there, mocking you while you try to get the higher score in there so you can be at the top of list of other suckers OR you can actaully watch as your skills break down some other punk kid and they walk away going to get more quarters because they think they can beat you. And of course, you know, that they cant, and its so enjoyable. I imagine the feeling you get is akin to drinking unicorn blood. Or something close at least.

Pong was the first fighter

And there were more good head-to-head games that teh kiddeez forget about. Can we say Atari Football or Joust ? Let's not forget Sprint 8 or Tank 8!

As for the fighter genre killing off the arcades, I never said that.

I said that the success of SF2 resulted in ops, who were already hanging on by the skin of their teeth, feeling like they had to buy every new game that came out "just in case it was the next SF2". A clearly unsustainable business model after 1983.

[DNA Dan]

I heard you can mute EVERYONE and never have to hear what anyone has to say on the mic

For some reason after getting schooled I feel I am "obligated" to hear the smack. The better player is deserving of it afterall.

[Donkbaca]

Cheffo - I basically agree with your assesment, but I would say it was Daytona USA that caused this, not SF2

[DNA Dan]

I suppose when you have a winner on your hands and you're making money hand over fist, you tend to jump on it for fear of missing out on the "next big thing."

Makes perfect sense to me. Look at the housing market...Contractors and developers were making millions of dollars during the housing boom and now they've flooded the market so much there's like 2-3 years of excess inventory in this country. They have decimated that industry.

[Donkbaca]

No, the housing market was fueled due to cheap financing and the ability to leverage.  Doesn't apply here. Try again

[scofthe7seas]

Bad Dudes (1988)

You totally left out Karnov.

I said that the success of SF2 resulted in ops, who were already hanging on by the skin of their teeth, feeling like they had to buy every new game that came out "just in case it was the next SF2". A clearly unsustainable business model after 1983.

What's worse than this, is that everybody who did NOT jump on that ship thinking that most of those games are pretty similar (which is true) lost a LOT of customers due to them seeking out "the next big thing". Why stay here and play plain Jane Street Fighter 2, when there is HYPER Street Fighter 2. Or Super Street Fighter 2, or Super Street Fighter 2 Hyper edition.

[DNA Dan]

No, the housing market was fueled due to cheap financing and the ability to leverage.  Doesn't apply here. Try again

I'm not arguing what fueled it, simply stating that it's supply and demand. As the demand for those cabs went up, so did the supply.

[CheffoJeffo]

From the market view of things, it seems like the whole era was just a FAD. OMG, are we all living a LIE???

One of the G4 shows on arcades (available on ArcArc) featured an interview with Tim Skelly who said exactly that -- the video arcade industry was a fad and collapsed under its' own weight in the mid 80s. While I do think that the business models that arose as a result of the resurgence of the arcade (driven by SF2) caused the death of the video arcade, I would have to agree with Tim's assessment of that first big crash.