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What was the name of your local arcade?

bigmiracle

bigmiracle

Praise Sheeva
lol

When i was growing up, there was an arcade downtown called The Tilt, a nearby arcade called The Great Escape, and finally Boardwalk.

We used to have one called Aladdin's Castle too lol
 
Tim Static

Tim Static

Adminerator
Where to start....

they were so many back in the late 80's to mid 90s, died off in the late 90's and totally disappeared in the 2000's

Chuck E Cheese (yes, seriously), Silver Ball, Putt Putt Golf N Games (actually worked at before i was legally allowed to work then eventually managed), Malibu Grand Prix, Silver Ball, The Pink Flamingo, Sf2 cab at Buckeye Donuts, Squirty Worms (family owned and operated chuck e cheese type of place located in lima, ohio; worked there too!), Aladdin's Castle and random bowling alleys (especially Sequoia Bro Bowl)....thats all i can think off.. so too mich vadka adjuice. ad stuff
 
HadesWTF

HadesWTF

Don't Hate!
bigmiracle said:
lol

When i was growing up, there was an arcade downtown called The Tilt, a nearby arcade called The Great Escape, and finally Boardwalk.

We used to have one called Aladdin's Castle too lol
Click to expand...
Tilt is an arcade chain.

We still have one around here. Mine was Cinema 4.....that's right it was a movie theater and not an actual Arcade. : )

It was just a big and got all the new stuff though.
 
Reedoms

Reedoms

Noob
We had one in my town in the 15 years I've been here. It was a skate rink and they had MvC2, Street Fighter 2, MK3 and a bunch of those shooter games.
That place was fun as hell even though it was on the ghetto side of town.
 
Lord Beef

Lord Beef

Death Metal and Trance
We had one called The Tilt, which was in a mall, basement level. Pretty sweet, but then came Tornado Terry's! Pay 10 bucks at the door, all games on free play mode! Plus bomb ass frito pie.

-b_s- :headbang:
 
psychodynamix

psychodynamix

Noob
The one and only... "Chinatown Fair" located here in downtown NYC (Manhattan). The same one that closed up earlier this year.

Wu-Tang's Old Dirty Bastard filmed "Brooklyn Zoo" in C.F. back in 95'. Yea, C.F. also had a dancing and fortune telling chicken wayyy back in the day. LOL.
 
K7L33THA

K7L33THA

Grapple > Footsies
1. The Fun House (My favorite arcade, big space with pinball, tons of fighting games, clean family friendly atmosphere)

2. Jungle House (The seedy but awesome late night arcade literally next door to a strip club. Always smelled like smoke and was dark black lit, some of my best MK2 games were here)

3. Bells Amusement Arcade (This was an arcade inside a small theme park. Not very big, but a good selection. Had MK2 on a big screen setup)

4. Celebration Station's Arcade (Huge 2 story arcade, once my friend rented it out for a birthday and we were in gaming heaven all night)

5. Eastland Mall Arcade (This was my go to arcade since it was really close, and everytime I'd go to the mall to see a movie I'd hit up the arcade for hours afterwards. MK3 days)

Sadly the only one still around today is Fun House, but they moved locations and I haven't been in there in years.
 
aj1701

aj1701

Noob
Stalhs Hobby Shop. It was in the back. In the front were the models and a huge slot car track. Also where I bought rocket engines. I think it got caught up in a fire when the pizza place burnt down.

Also played alot of mk2 at the arcade at Dorney Park.
 
doomfarmer

doomfarmer

unorthodox
Growing up, there was an arcade in a mall about a mile away from my house that I would walk to, but the name escapes me. The first time I played mortal kombat (the first one) was at a liquor store a few blocks from my house. It was closer than going to the mall, and the only cabinet they had was MK. That's all I wanted to play at the time anyway.

There's this place about a 30-40 minute drive from me, it's gone downhill because arcades just don't make the money they used to, but I still go here sometimes; Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. Holds a lot of memories for me.
 
Mr Roguelike

Mr Roguelike

Noob
Wizard's Castle when I was a kid, then within the last 10 years it got downgraded twice before disappearing. Wish they could have held out a little longer so I could of put a bid in for some of their machines.
Now I wanna start working on the Rogue's Den...aka my basement...yes that was lame lol
 
N

Noob Saibot

Noob
There was a Tilt in St. Louis (Northwest Plaza)...but the one I went to most often was a Pantera's pizza place right by my house in Edwardsville, IL.
 
Tim Static

Tim Static

Adminerator
aj1701 said:
Lol I missed that... You held it together really well until then.
Click to expand...
longer i sat & thought the more effect it had on me....that post seriously took like 30m to finish lol (and in that 30m i was drinking and drinking too....PS- im not much of a drinker. lol)
 
GNG Iniquity

GNG Iniquity

#bufftaquito #punchwalk #whiffycage
I wish I could remember the ones in LA, but the names elude me. I usually just went to the local liquor store as a kid to play MK1/2 and SF2 though; those were good times. Still pretty peeved that I got my foot in the door of the Arcade scene from 6 to about 10, but missed ALL OF IT from that point on...

Sucks. Hardly got to enjoy it.
 
MKF30

MKF30

Fujin and Ermac for MK 11
1. South Beach Arcade and Amusement Park(closed down now sadly)

2. Show Place Bowling Center(used to have a bigger arcade in it, now has a dinky one)

3. Fun Station, still there and sadly Staten Island's biggest arcade. They have MK4 there lol...but the sticks are kind of messed up...
 
Niflheim

Niflheim

Noob
There was two in my whole town, and only in bowling alleys. Good thing I liked bowling and games when I was little(and still do).
 
Crackpipe

Crackpipe

Noob
My dad use to own an arcade/pool hall called Pinball Alley back in the early 80's in the San Fernando Valley. I was a Pac-Man prodigy because at 5 years old I could run that game for a minute. Probably bad for business that I hogged up the busiest machine in the arcade. I remember he use to charge $2 for all you could play for like two hours. After he sold off the arcade (probably from me hogging up the Pac-Man machine), we kept some of the games like Defender, Asteroid, Space Invaders, and Missile Command. My dad was legit at Missile Command, he would play that game in the garage for hours. Needless to say, I was a hardcore videogame junkie, which is surprising now since I don't play games all that much.

Back on Topic, some legit arcades in the Valley back in the 80's

Tilt
Malibu Grand Prix (Chastworth/Northridge)
Castle Park (still around I think)
Space Station (Northridge mall)
Tilt (chatsworth)
Family Fun Arcade (still around in Granada Hills)
Time Out Arcade (Sherman Oaks Galleria)

Then there were the bowling alleys like the Granada Hills Brunswick that had a good sized arcade.

Man I miss those days, I even have weird vivid reoccuring dreams about going to arcades in some huge made up malls or casinos. As cool is Family Fun Arcade, it just doesn't have that same vibe and feeling as the legit arcades back in the 80's.
 
Tremloc

Tremloc

Noob
beef_supreme said:
We had one called The Tilt, which was in a mall, basement level. Pretty sweet, but then came Tornado Terry's! Pay 10 bucks at the door, all games on free play mode! Plus bomb ass frito pie.

-b_s- :headbang:
Click to expand...
You talking about the tilt at north east mall? I played a lot of MK and killer instinct there. :O

When I was living in chicago it was Just for Games, Aladdin's Castle at the Harlem-Irving Plaza, and Dennis's Place for Games.

Just for Games was where the real MK2 players hung out. It looked like an epic seedy arcade, but everyone took care of everyone else. It sounds cheesy but it was kinda like cheers where you walk in and everyone knew the regulars.

Aladdin's Castle was the kid scrub arcade, but fun when you wanted to do more than just hang out at an arcade all day (since it was at the mall).

Dennis's Place was overpriced and far from my house, but on saturdays you paid 5 bucks and from 10:30 - 2:30 (or something) all the games were on free play.

In Dallas it was mostly Gameworks cause my friends worked there and I got to use their freeplay cards all the time, but before Gameworks was built the tilt. :)

So many memories...
 
hardwire

hardwire

Noob
Tremloc said:
You talking about the tilt at north east mall? I played a lot of MK and killer instinct there. :O

When I was living in chicago it was Just for Games, Aladdin's Castle at the Harlem-Irving Plaza, and Dennis's Place for Games.

Just for Games was where the real MK2 players hung out. It looked like an epic seedy arcade, but everyone took care of everyone else. It sounds cheesy but it was kinda like cheers where you walk in and everyone knew the regulars.

Aladdin's Castle was the kid scrub arcade, but fun when you wanted to do more than just hang out at an arcade all day (since it was at the mall).

Dennis's Place was overpriced and far from my house, but on saturdays you paid 5 bucks and from 10:30 - 2:30 (or something) all the games were on free play.

In Dallas it was mostly Gameworks cause my friends worked there and I got to use their freeplay cards all the time, but before Gameworks was built the tilt. :)

So many memories...
Click to expand...
wow its awsome seeing people from your neck of the woods

i live right next to the north east mall (its sad to see the tilt close down) i used to go to tornado terrys

i also went to grapvie mills and play in gameworks (that was the best)
 
Lord Beef

Lord Beef

Death Metal and Trance
hardwire said:
wow its awsome seeing people from your neck of the woods

i live right next to the north east mall (its sad to see the tilt close down) i used to go to tornado terrys

i also went to grapvie mills and play in gameworks (that was the best)
Click to expand...
Tornado terrys FTW! Good lord the lines on the mk3 bigscreen setup. Tremloc,,your in the df-dub? I'll be damned! But yeah, the tilt was tits. Giant Pirate ship in the middle of a mall food court?! Why yes please

-b_s- :headbang:
 
Tim Static

Tim Static

Adminerator
Ive been updating my OP with some here and there, mainly inspired by reading others posts. ie Alladin's Castle, bowling alleys etc etc hehe

good stuff everyone!
 
Lord Beef

Lord Beef

Death Metal and Trance
Ohhh shit! Almost forgot about NickelMania in N.R.H. exactly what it sounds like, all games were a nickel. Huge bucket of win.

-b_s- :headbang:
 
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