1st March 2003, 7:24 PM
I suppose it's not a huge surprise with the arcade being as unprofitable as it has been lately. It's a shame because to be honest all it would really take is for the arcade to provide experiences that you simply can't get at home. Dance Dance Revolution is a good example, as is that one biking game, but they have to take it further. They need to make the arcade extremely appealing as a place to go again, instead of the place kids play in while their parents do the laundry and little more.
Capcom dropping out is a shame, even though technically any and all fighting games can easily be done at home, and that's the preffered place to play against friends. Light gun games are one thing that arcades are more well known for, but light gun games aren't exactly enough to draw crowds. There's also the existance of light guns on the consoles (well, in Japan I believe at least two of them have light guns, here in America that's taboo, light knives for us).
You know though, I have to wonder if F-Zero is going to do very well at all in the arcade. They should try and use an online competition system, where all arcade systems are using matchmaking software to compete with other systems in the arcade as well as other players around the world. That's a start anyway.
Capcom dropping out is a shame, even though technically any and all fighting games can easily be done at home, and that's the preffered place to play against friends. Light gun games are one thing that arcades are more well known for, but light gun games aren't exactly enough to draw crowds. There's also the existance of light guns on the consoles (well, in Japan I believe at least two of them have light guns, here in America that's taboo, light knives for us).
You know though, I have to wonder if F-Zero is going to do very well at all in the arcade. They should try and use an online competition system, where all arcade systems are using matchmaking software to compete with other systems in the arcade as well as other players around the world. That's a start anyway.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)