Archive for the ‘Arcade & Coin-Op’ Category

Someone uploaded a video of the first few seconds of Marble Madness II (aka Marble Man). This game was completed, but never released to the public. Only a few complete games exist, and none of the owners want to give out an image of the roms for emulators. So this is the only type of glimpses you will see of the game.

The game had some gameplay issues. Instead of a track ball to control the marble, you used a joystick. Also had an action button. I personally would like to see the game, but have my doubts I would like it. You must have a track ball in order for it to be a Marble Madness game.

I heard a cry for help in the distance. So here I am posting something.

There will be a bowling center opening soon in Wyoming, MN. The name of this place is Star & Strikes. Besides bowling, looks like they will have lots of other sources of entertainment, including old and new video games. Probably should send out an exploratory probe to check this place out. Seems like it has possibilities.

In personal news, I will be moving from Duluth to the cities in the next month or so. Probably be setting up shop in the Apple Valley region for the short-term.

I found this link. It’s fairly outdated but it lists the last known locations of classic arcade games in Minnesota. Some are WAY north some are WAY south. It’s given me an idea. Anyone who is a member of this site can now post a similar list on a permanent page I’ve created for keeping track of local establishments that have cool games in-house.

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Dance Dance Revolution is going to be deployed at middle schools in West Virginia. It is an attempt to reduce obesity. The CNN article.

Students 10 to 14 years old are being targeted first because it is a key point in children’s development, said Linda Carson, a professor at West Virginia University’s School of Physical Education in Morgantown.

Those are the ages “when children really begin making more of their own decisions and a time when they could easily choose to be more sedentary,” said Carson, who is conducting an ongoing research project into the video game’s health benefits.

According to sources on a retro arcade newsgroup, those Midway Cabinets didn’t sell so well at Target. Apparently the original plan was to only stock these for 6 weeks, ending shortly after the New Year. No clearance sale for the unsold units, just being sent back to the manufacturer. Here is the newsgroup thread. Curious to see where these cabinets will end up. Any theories?

I tried one of these units at the local Duluth Target, and would have to agree with most of the points made in this review. Although, with that said, I might still purchase one if I find a good clearance price.

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