1980s video game arcades

[zff]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

I spent most of my quarters in Fun Factory Pearlridge. My all-time favorite was easily Tempest. It was the only game I was good enough at where people would gather behind me to watch me play. Tron and Scramble are probably 2nd and 3rd, but I played pretty much all of them.

Have any of you ever heard of MAME? It allows you to play nearly all of these old arcade classics on your PC.

[Vanguard]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Have any of you ever heard of MAME? It allows you to play nearly all of these old arcade classics on your PC.

I got it once, but I could never get it to work. There are a few classic arcade games I'd love to play, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (when was that? 1990-1991?).

[tvguy]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Have any of you ever heard of MAME? It allows you to play nearly all of these old arcade classics on your PC.

Best shareware program ever. Allows you to play THE ACTUAL programs that ran on the game machines, without spending quarters. For Mac folks, go to macmame.org to download the program. I so enjoyed the program that I sent the programmer a box of macadamia nuts! The ROMs that contain the games are hard to find now that there are places where you can pay to play some of these old games. For those of you dying to relive the days of your youth, PM me and I can "help". The ROM file for a game are smaller than a MS Word document.

The ultimate had to of been Castle Park's Castle Arcade, with TWO full levels of stuff, plus that cold A/C after a day (or night) out on the rides. Hit the batting cage, then the go-karts, then the arcade. Ah, those were the days.

Don't forget swimming in the green water at "Water Country"

[GeckoGeek]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Captain Video was right next to what was then Mama Mia Pizza.

Captain Video! Yeah, that sounds right.

"I like borrow quarter" "search-take"

Ah yes. My public school days. I was tall enough I could just say "don't have" and walk away.

[808shooter]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

[QUOTE=tvguy;167249]
Line I often heard at the Ala Moana Tilt location: "I like borrow quarter". Like they were gonna pay me back! Learned to hide money in my shoes so to avoid and I'm quoting again, a "search-take", which meant a much larger kid would force a smaller kid to show them that their pockets were empty (The search) and there was nothing of any value for "taking". Sometimes they would even pat people down.
[QUOTE]
ahhhhh fahken a. That brings back some memories. Hehah.

"I like borrow quata"

"search-take"

classic. I'm glad I can laugh at that stuff now. I'd say it was a time of character building.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

I remember playing once called ? your man is a missle tank and you circle around finding targets to shoot at to accumulate points. I sucked on that game cuz I circle around and see a another tank coming towards me and firing.

Was it Battlezone? Battlezone was like one of the first first-person games. You actually saw things from the tank's point of view. It used simple vector graphics (every thing was lines).

My thing was Defender.

[Kalei99]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Growing up in Waimalu in the 80's I lived right next to Waimalu Shopping Plaza.

Eh! I grew up in Waimalu too. I don't meet too many people who even know where Waimalu is located!

The ultimate had to of been Castle Park's Castle Arcade, with TWO full levels of stuff, plus that cold A/C after a day (or night) out on the rides. Hit the batting cage, then the go-karts, then the arcade. Ah, those were the days.

I worked at Castle Park when it first opened. What a nightmare! The place was packed from opening to closing. Got into a lot of trouble after hours, though. Almost got fired for dumping a box of laundry detergent in the fountain out front -- they couldn't prove who did it and I denied the whole thing! Plus, I wasn't the only one there....

[cezanne]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

"I like borrow quarter". Like they were gonna pay me back! Learned to hide money in my shoes so to avoid and I'm quoting again, a "search-take", which meant a much larger kid would force a smaller kid to show them that their pockets were empty (The search) and there was nothing of any value for "taking". Sometimes they would even pat people down.

Some of these "borrowers" were even shrewd enough to stand right by the change machine, so after a kid changed their bills to quarters, they could not deny that they had any quarters to lend to the "borrowers".

And NEVER be stupid enough to carry the latest Grandmaster Flash cassette tape that you just bought from Tower Records out in the open, cause a larger kid will claim it for themselves and immediately play it in their boombox....I think I'm going to hide in a corner a cry now........

LOL! Too funny! I used to feel bad for those kids being terrorized by those punks. Once you give... they'll bother you everytime you see them.

I never was into the video game scene but in the 80's college days we used to ride our "cruisers" (whoa flashback) from the dorms to go to that little arcade next to MamaMia's too.

[Pomai]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Eh! I grew up in Waimalu too. I don't meet too many people who even know where Waimalu is located!



I worked at Castle Park when it first opened. What a nightmare! The place was packed from opening to closing. Got into a lot of trouble after hours, though. Almost got fired for dumping a box of laundry detergent in the fountain out front -- they couldn't prove who did it and I denied the whole thing! Plus, I wasn't the only one there....

Aha, was YOU that did that! No wonder when I went snorkeling in there, the water tasted like soap.

The last time I visited Castle Park, it was at night with my then-girlfriend and her younger sister to watch a dance performance by Bad Boy's Club, which later became The New Generation. Remember them? "Maestro" had a fantastic "Earth, Wind & Fire" kinda' voice. Roni, of Artist Groove Network was also in that group.

O.K. while we're confessing Castle Park "mis-adventures" here, who else here is guilty of line-driving balls against the structures at the Miniature Golf course?

I remember at the Go-Kart track, we'd watch the race before to see which guys had the fastest cars, then when it was our turn, we'd all run after those cars in a rough-take fit.

As for MAME games, they're alright and a great way to go down memory lane. But being emulated and played in a small window on a computer monitor with a keyboard 'controller' just isn't the same as being on the full-sized arcade machine with the original controls. Plus, for some reason, paying a quarter made you appreciate the game that much more.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Some arcades were "fronts" for "Game Rooms." I remember one on McCully and Beretania which I believe is now a Territorial Savings? Next to Shell and across from KFC. In addition to the regular arcade games there were also "nickel" machines...never understood it, but then again I was there for the QUARTER games!

Yep, see my post re: Crown's Billiards.

But I know of one arcade where even MORE sinister things took place. Yogi's Amusement (formerly on the corner of King and Mokauea Sts., next to the Salvation Army thrift store) was a front that was used by Henry Huihui's gang. No doubt some money laundering was taking place, but I suspect that perhaps more serious crimes were being planned there. I remember the change counter looked like the kind you see at a Money Mart, except that the glass was a one way mirror. And there were security cameras all over the place, even in the back of the building. When Huihui turned informant and news came out about the arcade being a front, I assumed the cameras were there so that they would get a heads up when HPD came a-knockin'. But other people have told me that the cameras were there primarily because Huihui was worried about getting hit by a rival. Yikes, I'm sure glad that DIDN'T happen while I was there. I remember spending many an hour getting my fix of Zaxxon and Defender.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Aha, was YOU that did that! No wonder when I went snorkeling in there, the water tasted like soap.

The last time I visited Castle Park, it was at night with my then-girlfriend and her younger sister to watch a dance performance by Bad Boy's Club, which later became The New Generation. Remember them? "Maestro" had a fantastic "Earth, Wind & Fire" kinda' voice. Roni, of Artist Groove Network was also in that group.

O.K. while we're confessing Castle Park "mis-adventures" here, who else here is guilty of line-driving balls against the structures at the Miniature Golf course?

I remember at the Go-Kart track, we'd watch the race before to see which guys had the fastest cars, then when it was our turn, we'd all run after those cars in a rough-take fit.

As for MAME games, they're alright and a great way to go down memory lane. But being emulated and played in a small window on a computer monitor with a keyboard 'controller' just isn't the same as being on the full-sized arcade machine with the original controls. Plus, for some reason, paying a quarter made you appreciate the game that much more.

My favorite memory of Castle Park was my older brother getting beaned in the ribs TWICE in the 70 mph batting cage. Ho, I remember he wanted to attack that pitching machine.

I agree with you on MAME. You just don't get the same feeling playing the games on a PC. Try playing Krazy Klimber on a PC using a keyboard. That'll make you go,.... uh, Krazy.

[DKP]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Kaimuki Cue (a.k.a. Cuez) was the spot! It's too bad there were too many illegal activities going on that ultimately forced the place to shut down (I heard from a friend, not sure if that is the real reason they closed...but 'stuff' was going around there all the time.)

I also miss Joy Square.

My favorite memory of Castle Park was my older brother getting beaned in the ribs TWICE in the 70 mph batting cage. Ho, I remember he wanted to attack that pitching machine.

I agree with you on MAME. You just don't get the same feeling playing the games on a PC. Try playing Krazy Klimber on a PC using a keyboard. That'll make you go,.... uh, Krazy.

http://webpages.charter.net/celamantia/mamecab/

MAME can rule if you build your own cabinet.

I helped a friend design and build a cabinet for the old Star Wars 'pilot' game (it's the game found in the sit-down unit at Ice Palace.) It was a bit generic as we used a MS steering wheel as the control stick. We could've ordered actual arcade control items (easily to get online), but chose to save $. The good thing is all the nostalgia games require very little in the way of computer resources, therefore, you can use old, cheap (or free, just ask the right businesses) desktops.

There are other, even better, websites out there with more creative cabinet designs that we're going to try. Next time we'll order trackballs, a steering wheel, a Star Wars yoke, and regular joysticks. We're gonna strive to build a cabinet with all these built into the same unit, one on every side of the rectangle. Choose a game from it, then rotate the screen to the proper side.

With today's HDs we're gonna have over a thousand games on it. Not just arcade but console as well, thanks to all the other free emulators out there

Now if only I had the time to play them all.

http://www.vintagearcade.net/ <--- Good stuff! Someone buy me Skeeball, please!

[na alii]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

I was transcribing some old newscasts from 25 years ago awhile back and several arcades were shut down for illegal activity such as slot machines or gambling practices happening on-site. I know one of the places was in Kaimuki, cannot think of the name now, but I think it's located where Big City Diner is now.

Tilt was at Windward Mall wasn't it until a few years ago??

Aj

A lot of those video arcades were disgussed for those gambling machine parlors. I hate to admit but I was one of them that use to gamble on the black jack video machines.

[na alii]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Growing up in Waimalu in the 80's I lived right next to Waimalu Shopping Plaza and there were many places there that had video games starting from......


Safeway which had theirs in the corner where the magazines were (which became an extension of the meat dept) while I was still there.
I remember playing "Popeye", one of the "Donkey Kong" games which involved ropes and another game that started with an "X" ( I think) that your man looked like a boomerang and you shot objects coming towards you and each level you completed you would hyperspace to the next frame.

the next shop that had video games also was (name wise I forget) but PHONE MART was there at one time. Anyone rememba? That place was a hangout with da Waimalu Kidz at one time....

When Magoos was at Waimalu they had video games too also and Diners and a specialty pet store rounding up the business there with video games.

Next to Waimalu Shopping Plaza, Newton Square? there was one space over there facing the canal side had video games there also. I remember playing once called ? your man is a missle tank and you circle around finding targets to shoot at to accumulate points. I sucked on that game cuz I circle around and see a another tank coming towards me and firing.

I also grew up in Waimalu and went to that video arcade place next to City Mill. The front portion had video games but in the enclosed area in the back there was a camera above and either you had to be a member or like us we knew the guy that worked there. It was like a mini casino with video gambling machines.

The missle tank game you are referring to is called Battlezone. A lot of those 80's games I have on my PSP thru the homebrew.

[zff]

Re: 1980s video game arcades

Any of you guys remember Atari Football? I believe it was the first video game with trackballs. You got quite a workout playing it, IIRC.