I really miss the old game finds.

[Edgedamage]

I used to do a lot of camping. What I really miss is going into a small town store and seeing classic game. In 97 I was in this little marina and in the store I heard a sound that brought back memories. I walk to the back and there is this little kid standing on a milk crate playing star castle. I asked him if he liked the game and he said "it's cool that the game is made from little lines".  One time I went into this little store by a small lake and there was a mint black knight pinball machine switched off. I asked if I could play and the lady said the machine works but we only let family use it.

[Stingray]

Recently on the way through Oklahoma City, my wife and I stopped at a little diner for lunch. I was stunned to see a Ms. Pac Man, a Galaga (two classic cabs not the new two in one model), and an Adams Family pin. We were in a hurry, so I only got to play a couple of games.

-S

[Zathras]

Last summer a friend and I were camping up north of Wisconsin Dells and the campground had an "Arcade."  I wasn't expecting much but they had a Ms. Pac Man, Vindicators, Neo Geo machine, and several classics which escape me at the moment.

Spent more than a few dollars in there

[OSCAR]

My brother went to Lapeer, MI for a job interview earlier this year and stayed in the Holiday Inn (?) there.  He told me they had a whole room filled with classic games, probably nothing after 1986 or so.  He's not into the classics as much as me, so couldn't tell me exactly what they had.  He named off the big ones like Ms. Pac & Galaga, but said they didn't have anything "good", which to him means all the new 3d/fighting crap.  

Naturally, this only makes me want to make a little road trip over there to check it out.  Maybe they would want to get rid of a few?!?  

[paigeoliver]

I run into Ms. Pacs (and to a smaller extent Galagas), on location ALL the time.

One place in St. Louis that I know of operates (in addition to the ever present Ms. Pac), Tempest, Centipede, Sunset Riders, TMNT, Bad Dudes, about 10 EM pins, a cocktail pin, and an EM shooter. That is the only place I know of in the St. Louis area still operating a vector game.

I also remember another STL location (mall arcade actually), that had Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac, Joust, Rush N Attack, DK Jr, and another 85' era conversion game that I can't recall now. I haven't been there in about 2 years though, I doubt the arcade or the games are still there.

[Trenchbroom]

Two summers ago I was traveling across the state of WA and stopped in a little burger joint.  They had an anteroom in the back that I happened to notice on the way through the side door (if I would have parked in front I would have missed it).  In the very back corner was a Gun Fight machine.

Now Gun Fight was like the very first game for me--5 years old at the pizza parlor, late 70's, I'd drag a bench seat over to stand on and proceed to beat my brother (who was 12 at the time) more than 50% of the quarters we played.  I have never seen a machine since.

Player One's "gun" was broken on the machine but I didn't care.  I put in $2 worth of quarters just moving Player Two's man and trying out the bank shots that I used to be so good at.  Ah memories.

Now I just need to find a Smokin' Joe and a Sea Wolf to play on somewhere and my "Bally Midway childhood revisited" will be complete.

[DougHillman]

I run into Ms. Pacs (and to a smaller extent Galagas), on location ALL the time.

One place in St. Louis that I know of operates (in addition to the ever present Ms. Pac), Tempest, Centipede, Sunset Riders, TMNT, Bad Dudes, about 10 EM pins, a cocktail pin, and an EM shooter. That is the only place I know of in the St. Louis area still operating a vector game.

I also remember another STL location (mall arcade actually), that had Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac, Joust, Rush N Attack, DK Jr, and another 85' era conversion game that I can't recall now. I haven't been there in about 2 years though, I doubt the arcade or the games are still there.

Where in St. L are these?  I have friends over in Manchester so I make it down from Chicago several times a year to visit them and DJ some Swing dance events.   I'd love to shovel some quarters into a Tempest when I'm in town.  

D

[Stingray]

There's a little recreation center here in the small town where I live. My wife goes there to use their swimming pool sometimes. She came home today and said she saw some arcade games there. One she positively IDed as Galaga, the other was "some kind of Atari driving game", and she couldn't remember anything about the other one. Looks like I'm going with her next time she goes swimming.  

-S

[paigeoliver]

One place in St. Louis that I know of operates (in addition to the ever present Ms. Pac), Tempest, Centipede, Sunset Riders, TMNT, Bad Dudes, about 10 EM pins, a cocktail pin, and an EM shooter. That is the only place I know of in the St. Louis area still operating a vector game.

Where in St. L are these?  I have friends over in Manchester so I make it down from Chicago several times a year to visit them and DJ some Swing dance events.   I'd love to shovel some quarters into a Tempest when I'm in town.  

D

The place with the Tempest and all the EM stuff is "City Museum". The other big location I mentioned was in one of the malls in South County, I don't recall which one though, and haven't been there in a few years. City museum is still open though, and as of september had the games I listed above.

[greywolf22]

Recently I was at one of the "cheap" theaters here in Tucson ($3 movies), and in their little arcade was an Asteroids, complete in the original cab.  Looked a little rough, but overall the game looked and played great.  Good to see that some of the classics are still being played today.  

[allroy1975]

One place in St. Louis that I know of operates (in addition to the ever present Ms. Pac), Tempest, Centipede, Sunset Riders, TMNT, Bad Dudes, about 10 EM pins, a cocktail pin, and an EM shooter. That is the only place I know of in the St. Louis area still operating a vector game.

Where in St. L are these?  I have friends over in Manchester so I make it down from Chicago several times a year to visit them and DJ some Swing dance events.   I'd love to shovel some quarters into a Tempest when I'm in town.  

D

The place with the Tempest and all the EM stuff is "City Museum". The other big location I mentioned was in one of the malls in South County, I don't recall which one though, and haven't been there in a few years. City museum is still open though, and as of september had the games I listed above.

I remember seeing a Ms Pac and Space invaders and maybe a donkey kong...not sure, but that was at that big arcade in Crestwood Plaza across from the food court.  That's in South County and I'm guessing that's the one your're talking about.  I've heard the City Museam is fun for kids...I may have to take mine there sometime soon!  

Allroy

[drunkatuw]

I was in Rockford, IL for a wedding and they had a nickel arcade.  All the newer driving games took 3-4 nickels instead of 3-4 quarters!  And along the back wall they had about 15 classic games lined up that were set to free-play.  My fiance and I planned on just dropping in to see what it was like, but we ended up staying for over 2 hours and spending like $8 in nickels!

[Zathras]

Had an interesting gaming finds this weekend and it reminded me of this thread so I figured I would ressurrect it.


On Thursday I went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time in many many years.  It was a sad experience to say the least.  The only classic they had was a 4 player TMNT.  Other than that they only had a handful of big "gimmic" games (Star Wars Racer, driving cabs, this family friendly firefigher HOTD-style shooter).  All told they only really had about 10 arcade machines...

So on a better note I went camping this weekend and I truly think the main place for cool game finds are campground gamerooms.  The gameroom had Arkanoid, Vigilante, Altered Beast, Outrun,  World Series Baseball (with the funky analog controllers), an out of order Sitdown driving game (have a pic but don't remember it off the top of my head), an out of order Guns N Roses Pinball, and a working Lethal Weapon 3 (not to mention the ping pong tables, pool tables, etc).   If only 80s music would have been playing in the background I would have been transported back in time


I'm so glad I finally got to play a REAL Arkanoid so I can adjust mine to be more authentic - I'm going to really have to crank up sensitivity.  The paddle moved most of the way across the screen on a 1/4 turn of the knob.

Now to find a Marble Madness to compare

[DaveMMR]

Gameworks in Vegas has a small room dedicated to classics (in generic wood panel cabs - uggh).   Nevertheless, they still only cost a quarter and I spent a good portion of my time there playing Moon Patrol.  As a matter of fact, my visit to GW only cost me $2.00.

Don't know if they are still there but I would bet they are.

P.S. - They other games were Ms. Pac Man, Missle Command and... hmm.. forgot already.

[GGKoul]

If anyone lives in the Toronto area.  There's a good collection of Pinballs & Arcades at Union Station.  

But the best collection of classic games I saw was at the Melbourne Airport in Australia.  They had all of the classics...  Pac-Man, Galaga, BurgerTime, Mr-Do and a lots of pins.  LOTRs, Rollercoaster Tycoon, T3.  And they even had my favourite pinball game of all time... World Cup 1994.  I used to play World Cup 1994 when I was doing Road Sales work.  Once I got 1 or 2 sales.  (As they said 1 sale was a good day)  I would call it day and hang out at a pub and play World Cup 1994 until I had to be back in the office @ 4:30.

Man, I have to get that game for myself.

[fredster]

In my county, just about every laundrymat has a MsPac and Galaga.  Some in fairly good shape.  

There's lots of games spread in the gas station/markets here in TN an Alabama.

[GameDork]

In my county, just about every laundrymat has a MsPac and Galaga.  Some in fairly good shape.  

There's lots of games spread in the gas station/markets here in TN an Alabama.

I might have asked already, but where in Tn are you? I'm in Cleveland, next to Chattanooga.

EDIT: I remember asking now, somewhere in west Tn. right?

[IG-88]

Ever since I got into this hobby I have been keeping my eye out for any type of arcade games that I can find.  That in itself has become sort of a hobby/pastime that I enjoy. It's like a scavenger hunt in a way. Truck stops are a good spot  

Recently here in Lincoln NE for example I have found a place that has an Asteroids and Ms. Pac in the "back room" and another that had a Sunset Riders (although maybe not a classic it's the first time I've seen one) in the lobby.