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Konami coin-op cameo in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

by David Hinkle { Dec 9th 2009 at 3:15PM }

While playing through Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for review, our very own Richard Mitchell stumbled upon a pretty neat thing: classic Konami coin-op arcade cabinets. Sadly, you can't play the cabinets in-game, but it's a nice Easter egg for fans, if we may say so. There's Contra, Rush'N Attack and -- our personal favorite -- Gradius. Check 'em out in the video above.

Retro-inspired Cubixx kicks off on PSP Minis

by JC Fletcher { Dec 1st 2009 at 6:45PM }

We want to be more upset at Laughing Jackal's wholesale appropriation of the Qix concept -- even going so far as to use a similar title -- for its PSP Minis game, Cubixx. But the fact is that Qix is awesome, whether Taito is making it or not, and it's relatively unexplored compared to other arcade classics like Pac-Man. And Cubixx does add an interesting wrinkle to the Qix gameplay: a cube, in which you attempt to draw lines to cover the area of all six faces.

Cubixx will be released in Europe on Thursday 3rd December at a £2.49 price point. See some footage on the other side of the post break.

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Oh, my car! Capcom porting Final Fight and Magic Sword to XBLA and PSN

by JC Fletcher { Nov 25th 2009 at 9:59PM }

The return of Cody and Guy to Street Fighter isn't the only Final Fight news this week. Capcom has announced Final Fight Double Impact for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, featuring not just the arcade version of the Metro City brawler, but Magic Sword as well!

Final Fight Double Impact, as the collection is titled, will feature optional graphical filters and a visual mode that makes the games appear as if they're being played on an arcade machine. Most importantly, both games will have drop-in online co-op. Capcom hasn't priced the collection yet, but there's no way the company will charge more than we've already put into Magic Sword machines over the years.

After Burner Climax rated by OFLC and Korean board, possibly coming to PSN

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 25th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Though it might lose some of its magic without the full chair-and-tinted-window-equipped arcade cabinet, we're still pretty pumped about the possibility of getting our hands on a port of Sega's classic flight combat sim, After Burner. According to the OFLC and the Korean Game Rating Board, it's only a matter of time before our wish is fulfilled -- GamerBytes recently noticed that both groups have rated Sega's After Burner Climax for home console distribution.

According to the Korean board, the rating was applied for by Sony, leading some to believe the title's planned launch platform is the PSN. However, considering the multi-platform release of Outrun Online Arcade, we wouldn't be surprised if Sega decided to share the aerial dogfighting love with the 360 as well. We've contacted the hedgehog-loving developer to find out exactly what its plans are for the title.

Cooking Mama coming to arcades, looks pretty unsanitary

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 20th 2009 at 7:30PM }

We hate to go all Howard Hughes on you guys, but we must admit: This touch-screen equipped arcade version of Cooking Mama fills every bone in our body with germophobic discomfort. That can partially be attributed to the fact that we've seen our fair share of filthy hands attached to the wrists of arcade dwellers. Then again, perhaps we just have a visceral, sickening reaction to seeing raw fish being prepared by the aforementioned unwashed digits. Gyyeeeuuuuhhh.

Check out some footage from the arcade port after the jump, then go ahead and cancel that reservation for Red Lobster. You won't be needing (or wanting) it any time soon.

[Via GoNintendo]

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Artist plans to turn OutRun machine into real car

by JC Fletcher { Nov 12th 2009 at 12:10PM }

Garnet Hertz's design for an OutRun arcade machine combined with an electric scooter into a real, amazingly impractical vehicle is great, even if it is just a concept for now. But what really turns the idea of a driving game on wheels into something magical (that also plays "Magical Sound Shower") is the software.

Instead of simply running OutRun as you drive blindly into traffic, Hertz is working on an iPhone 3GS app that uses the iPhone's camera and GPS to detect your position and the shape of the road, and translate that information into a live OutRun track. See the software at work after the break.

The artist's goals are the "Un-Simulation of Driving" (instead of using a game to simulate driving closely with high-end graphics like Gran Turismo, this will fuse video game-like graphics with real driving), and "GPS Navigation Parallax & Mixed Reality" (using only GPS information to drive). And not "Making Something That Is Going To Get Someone Killed", which is why, when this does become a reality, it'll be limited to "controlled environments."

[Via Engadget, GameSetWatch]

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PEGI: Moonwalker throwing a magical hat into Virtual Console

by JC Fletcher { Nov 9th 2009 at 12:45PM }

Somehow, Sega has done the impossible: reacquired Michael Jackson's likeness rights for a digital re-release of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. At least, that appears to be the case, because the game has been re-rated by PEGI for release on Virtual Console. To give you an idea of the ridiculousness of that feat, Q? Entertainment has yet to release its PSP game Lumines for download on the same system because it has yet to acquire a license for digital release of its music.

We don't know if this will be the Genesis version or the very different arcade game -- or even, we suppose, the Master System port of the Genesis game. We're contacting Sega for those and other details. Right after we catch a shooting star and turn into robotic, missile-firing versions of ourselves. Ow!

[Via Nintendo Life, image by Orioto]

VC in Brief: Rygar (Arcade)

by David Hinkle { Oct 19th 2009 at 5:15PM }

Rygar (Arcade, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Rygar is a pretty intense title. Luckily, the quarter-munching gameplay of the arcade classic translates to the Wii very well. For one, you don't need to run out of quarters from dying -- oh, and you will die, believe it. Second, every time you die or even continue once you've run out of lives, you pick up right from where you left off. So, there's no replaying stages or sections of the game you've previously played as a result of dying. Have we mentioned how much you'll die?

You will die. A lot.

Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.

Daytona USA returns to arcades in high-def as 'Sega Racing Classic'

by Randy Nelson { Oct 15th 2009 at 5:30PM }

In recent weeks, what appeared to be a promotional flyer for a new Sega AM2 arcade game, Sega Racing Classic, has been making the rounds. Its inclusion of imagery closely matching that of Daytona USA lead many to believe there might finally be a new sequel to the, er, racing classic. As it turns out, coin-op industry site Highway Games has obtained an official rundown on the game, and it's ... an HD remake of the original Daytona USA, sans the name.

According to the site -- which also has pictures of the sit-down cabinet -- Sega Racing Classic is "a revamped version of Sega's smash hit Daytona USA, featuring the original tracks and heart pumping action with all new high definition graphics." Specifically, the machine sports a 32" widescreen LCD display and the game runs at 1280x720 (720p) resolution. As suggested by the aforementioned flyer, SRC is powered by Sega's latest arcade hardware, Ringwide.

Since Sega no longer has the rights to the "Daytona" name, it's likely that the game's title won't be the only change. There's the little issue of the attract sequence music, with its enchanting repetition of the word "Daytona" along with the lyrics "let's fly away." Still, whatever the name, Sega's classic racer in HD is a welcome surprise. We imagine some of you have already started online petitions to bring the game to PSN and XBLA before even finishing this post.

[Via Arcade Heroes]

VC in Brief: Altered Beast (VC Arcade)

by David Hinkle { Sep 28th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Altered Beast (Sega 1 - 2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
We say: Great game, but you can find it for less

It's not that the VC Arcade version of Altered Beast is bad or anything -- in fact, it's the complete opposite, but for such an old game, there are less costly ways to enjoy it. If you have a PS2, there's a Sega Genesis Collection that's a more financially responsible way to play. If you've only got the Wii and have never played this, though, it might be worth your double sawbuck. Check out the video above and decide.

Hands-on: Music GunGun!

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 20th 2009 at 11:30AM }

It's Ouendan meets Time Crisis.

Wait, you need more than that? While not technically a new arcade game, this rhythm/light gun shooter was one of our favorite things from this year's Amusement Machine Show. (It was also conveniently located next to Elevator Action Death Parade.) Music GunGun! has you aiming at the screen with a colorful (but rather standard) plastic light gun. Instead of the usual shooter fare, your targets will be the most adorable, um, things ever. (They're not quite animals, fruits, nor vegetables.)

The basics of the game will be familiar to anyone who's played Ouendan or Elite Beat Agents on the DS. Circular targets will appear on the screen, and players will have to hit the targets in sync with the beat of the song. As in most other music games, players are judged on how closely they match the beat, and successive hits will increase the combo meter.

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Hands-on: Elevator Action Death Parade

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 20th 2009 at 8:00AM }

There were a few new arcade games made playable at the Amusement Machine Show in Japan this weekend, but only one truly commanded our attention. No, we're not talking about Cho Chabudai Gaeshi, that crazy game where you hit a tea table. Instead, it was Elevator Action Death Parade that stole our hearts.

Now, you might be thinking: "Elevator Action Death Parade? I'm already sold on that name alone!" But trust us, this Taito-developed arcade cabinet truly delivers on its namesake: elevator action and death parades. While the game may look like your an ordinary light gun game from afar, Elevator Action makes use of a unique cabinet that features closing elevator doors, up and down floor buttons and yes, even awkward moments of silence as you wait for the elevator to reach its next destination. Awesome!

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Table-flipping becomes subject of Japanese arcade game

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 19th 2009 at 12:00AM }

We all occasionally get the urge to make a showy fuss by sending a table -- and all the items said table is supporting -- sailing through the air. Whether you've just landed on a hotel-equipped Park Place in Monopoly, or if you've recently realized the downward spiral your half-finished life has embarked upon, the desire to dramatically rearrange furniture eventually visits us all. However, Destructoid recently turned our attention to a new Japanese arcade game that may prove cathartic enough to keep your dining room intact: Cho Chabudai Gaeshi, which translates to "Upending the Tea Table."

The game takes players through a number of enraging scenarios, forcing them to pound on the table to demand the attention of nearby diners, ultimately culminating in the titular Upending. You can check out two videos of rage-filled people playing the game after the jump.

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ESRB reveals Ninja Gaiden, Rygar, Solomon's Key on Virtual Console Arcade

by JC Fletcher { Aug 14th 2009 at 4:00PM }

If you, like us, were jealous of the Japanese release of the arcade Ninja Gaiden game on Virtual Console, you can dry your ninja eyes (just pull up the front of the ninja mask and dab with that). The ESRB reveals that Tecmo is planning a North American release of the arcade brawler.

Tecmo isn't stopping with Gaiden, either: further ESRB listings have appeared for arcade versions of both Rygar and Solomon's Key (which will be released in Japan next week). Oddly, the company's other upcoming Japanese VC release, Bomb Jack, is absent from the ESRB list.

At the very least, we can all be happy that these are video games that someone wants to release on the Virtual Console.

[Via Siliconera]

Stride Gum giving away $25,000 to help support struggling arcade

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 13th 2009 at 1:00AM }

Let's face it: the arcade scene in America has seen better days. The availability of peripheral-based games on home consoles and the kinetic gameplay offered by the Wii have put many arcades out of business. Stride, in its continuing efforts to gain the respect of hardcore gamers, has begun an interesting new promotion called "Help Save the Arcades." The gum company will be awarding 100,000 quarters (or $25,000) to one of four struggling arcades: Arcade UFO in Texas, StarBase Arcade in California, Game Galaxy in Tennessee or Star Worlds Arcade in Illinois. Which one of these four takes the grand prize will be determined by you, the internet.

Players will have to play a free Flash game, Zapataur, to take part in the promotion. After playing, players will be able to don points to one of the four arcades. The one with the most takes the cash -- and presumably, survives for just a little bit longer.