If you have missed the previous posts in this series, please look at the backlog.
I promised you that things would get better, and it did! I should have known that I could trust the company that gave the world some of my favourite games: Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, New Zealand Story.. the list goes on. We are of course talking about Taito! I must admit that I didn't have high hopes as I approached the large building with HEY (Hirose Entertainment Yard) written all over it.
Here's the Google street view, in case you want to visit:
View Larger Map
Boy, was I wrong! Taito made up for all the slight Akihabara disappointments so far. And then some!
Ok, the ground floor had the usual cranes. But the feeling was different. I don't know if it was the beautiful Space Invaders plastic bags for the prizes, but they surely helped get me into the right mood. I took a couple of them home. If you want one, leave a message.
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| With these bags, shopping will never be the same again |
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| I kind of wish that I had bought one of these |
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| It's honestly the first time in my life that I've wanted to frame a plastic bag and hang it on my wall. |
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| Some kind of video air hockey. With cranes in the background. |
The higher floors had some surprises in store. One of the first things I noticed was two(!)
Darius Burst Another Chronicle EX cabinets. Each of them had two large monitors combined into a super widescreen, and four player capability. This game was great! It must be a fantastic experience with three friends. Or better yet, seven!
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| I really felt immersed in the game in this cab |
This being Taito, there was a lot of Egret candy cabs, mainly Taito Egret II and III. But there were also some pleasant surprises! Classics such as
Top Landing,
Night Striker and
Darius.
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| What's that game on the right? If you know, please leave a comment. |
There was also a great Darius II with two huge monitors.
I found a nice Youtube video of it.
There were rows and rows of Egret cabinets with all sorts of games, but time was a bit limited. I had reserved one day for Akihabara, and the hours passed so quickly. Also, they cost 100 yen per credit, so I focused mainly on dedicated cabs and games that I hadn't tried before.
The familiar Space Invader motif really helped set the mood in Taito Hey. Even the drinks vending machines were beautiful!
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| This would look great in any game room! |
Taito Hey also had their share of music games. We've already seen Drum Master, but they had everything from Dance Dance Revolution to Guitar Freaks.
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| Dance Dance Revolution X2 |
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| Guitar Freaks 8 |
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| This is probably Beatmania IIDX. Thanks to Tom#2-JP at the DL Fans forum for identifying it. |
I have a friend who really isn't into arcades, but mentioned that he would want an Egret II cabinet. There's something special about seeing all these candy cabs lined up with low stools in front.
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| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 |
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| ...and more Aquapazza |
That's it for now! In my next post we will see that Sega came back with a vengeance and redeemed itself, at a fantastic Club SEGA!
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1 comment:
I picked up a Candy Cabinet a couple of years ago and put a multigame in it. My family loves sitting at the machine. It is very comfortable.
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