Arcade hype still alive and kicking in Japan

I look back on my life and remember the warm fuzzy feeling I used to get when walking into an arcade. The world was nothing but possibilities, what machine built of metal composite wood would suck away my money today?

MK1? The Simpsons Arcade? Street Fighter 2?

Well, whatever it happened to be, over the past years arcades have seen a decline in their playerbase, possibility due to the advances in home systems. Why run a grinding mill on your pocket book and coin purse at the arcade when you can buy the same game, play at home, and play it as much as you'd like?

Well as such the industry has waned, with very little new and exciting machines being sent to arcades to encourage its once manic playerbase back.

Over in Japan however they are coming up with ever more creative arcade games, ones that really couldn't (or shouldn't) be played at home. Konami has released "To Kyu Okoku Gashaaaan!" or "Ball Throwing Kingdom Smaaaash!" in English.

The game itself is comprised of 4 possible player locations, each with a resevoir of balls. The players must then compete in all sorts of game which seem to boil down to hitting hazards and AI with the balls before their on screen avatars are murders ruthlessly.

These are the kinds of games arcades should really have, I don't need an arcade to play pac-man, I want to be excited and involved with other people. Once a game removes the multi-player social event the arcade loses it's value.

So check out the frantic action of Gashaaaan! I don't know about you, but I'd drop some money to play this game for a while.



I want to throw balls at the screen!

\\drew