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ARCADE CLUB: The UK's best kept gaming secret.
- Thread starter mocoworm
- Start date
Corleth the Fey
Member
Wow. I'm moving to Whitefield in a months time. I'll be visiting
I just wanted to bump this thread because I went at the weekend with a friend who was visiting from London, and it's bloody fantastic!
I'm from Scotland but I'm based on the Fylde coast. I don't know many folks over my way who would be into this kinda thing, so just thought I'd put it out there - if any semi normal gaffers who can't drive / would like to carpool ever fancied going from the Fylde area, holla at me! I'm looking for a reason to go back asap
I'm from Scotland but I'm based on the Fylde coast. I don't know many folks over my way who would be into this kinda thing, so just thought I'd put it out there - if any semi normal gaffers who can't drive / would like to carpool ever fancied going from the Fylde area, holla at me! I'm looking for a reason to go back asap
My bro went to this a few weeks ago and he said it was amazing and is planning another trip (hopefully with me!) soon.
It's pretty criminal how little coverage this has got. Someone wrote into Retro Gamer and said that the editorial team should visit and guess what . . . . no one has. They gave the National Videogame Aracde in Nottingham lots of coverage (which is OK, but has nowhere the amount of cabs that this placee has), but people are overlooking it.
I've just got back from Japan and they have a healthy, thriving aracde scene there. We used to have one in the UK, but this is all that remains. It's an important part of our culture (not just videogame, but British), so please everyone, try to support it!
It's pretty criminal how little coverage this has got. Someone wrote into Retro Gamer and said that the editorial team should visit and guess what . . . . no one has. They gave the National Videogame Aracde in Nottingham lots of coverage (which is OK, but has nowhere the amount of cabs that this placee has), but people are overlooking it.
I've just got back from Japan and they have a healthy, thriving aracde scene there. We used to have one in the UK, but this is all that remains. It's an important part of our culture (not just videogame, but British), so please everyone, try to support it!
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
I'm due to visit again in July, the place is fantastic.
Triggerhappytel
Member
This sounds great, but sadly I'm down in Kent so it's probably about 4 hours from me. I do ha e a friend in Manchester who we visit once or twice a year, so maybe we'll have to go to this next time I'm staying at his place.
There's a small equivalent of this near me, but I'd guess it has about 40 machines and they have a lot of retro stuff too. It's fun, but doesn't sound anything like this.
There's a small equivalent of this near me, but I'd guess it has about 40 machines and they have a lot of retro stuff too. It's fun, but doesn't sound anything like this.
BareKnuckle
Member
I've been, it's great. It's pretty spacious and doesn't smell, which is good and was the two things I was worried about. There's a section with consoles with minecraft on so all the super young kids are playing that rather then trashing the machines.
Heart of Gaming was supposed to move to Croydon in March but is closed for the foreseeable future. They have a post on their FB page about it.
Heart of Gaming was supposed to move to Croydon in March but is closed for the foreseeable future. They have a post on their FB page about it.
A shot of Newcastle Brown you wuss.What shots would I need to venture so North?
ps3ud0 8)
North > South always.
the_milkybar_kid
Member
A couple of friends and I are due to go next month for the first time. Really looking forward to it. We're only about 40 minutes south of Manchester so it's not too bad. Are there any decent food places around in Bury or close by?
They've closed down and the owner is trying his damndest to open it up again.
He was about to open up in Shephard's Bush but had to change at last minute, and was going to open up in Croydon but had to postpone opening day due to, presumably, local outcry to the idea of an arcade.
At least another venue has been found but Croydon is like over an hour's commute away from central London, holy crap.
Charles Brandon
Member
Went to a great bar in East London (by the canal?) A few weeks ago. Great selection of games. Forget the name, I was trousered.
depends what you're thinking when you say decent! i don't know bury but we took a wrong turn trying to find the place and there's a kfc, 1/2 a mile away tops.
the place itself does food - at the very least hot dogs and burgers and the hot dogs actually smelled really good! they also have a bunch of confectionery, a bar and very reasonably priced drinks (50p a cold can/bottle of water)
Baleoce
Member
OP thanks for showing me this. I've been meaning to go to heart of gaming for a long while but I think the place is still attempting to find new premises currently. Both London and Greater Manchester are a bit out of the way for me (Hereford) but I think I'd like to try and visit the place in Bury sometime. Looks fun. Business model seems great. Might be a nice social outing for some of my online friends.
the_milkybar_kid
Member
I mean like a restaurant that does decent food, or more fitting- a decent Burger bar. Might just have to swing by Almost Famous in Manchester on the way up. Their burgers are absolute filth, but so, so good.
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
It's kind of buried amongst a load of old textile mills, it's a bit of a maze getting in and i don't recall any food places nearby.
Last time i went we had McDonald's breakfast before heading out so we didn't have to hunt for somewhere else, but they do (as previously said) burgers and stuff inside.
kqedequalsvolvo
Member
Pretty sure that's Four Quarters East - sister bar of Four Quarters in Peckham. I went to the opening and thought it was decent though didn't enjoy it as much as the one in Deep South (which is annoying cos the East one is 10 minutes walk away...). Felt more like a bar with some arcade machines rather than an arcade with booze, like the other branch.
Evilmaus said:
Only arcade I know in North London is Vega in Angel - it's opposite the tube and in the basement of the Vegas slot machine place. It's pretty small and largely rhythm game focused (they've got Beatmania IIDX, DDR, Popnmusic 8, Jubeat and Reflec Beat) but they've also got SFIV, Bubble Bobble, Battle Tetris, a pool table and some other bits. It's dead near my work and I am trying to learn Jubeat/Popnmusic 8 so if anyone wants to go...
Socrates92
Member
For those in London, once a month in Shoreditch there's GamerDisco (not as cheesy as it sounds). They've usually got a handful of games on all sorts of platforms, from PSVR to the SNES, and everyone there is incredibly friendly. Bit of a different setup to some of the aforementioned arcades, but it's cool if you want to play a few games and talk to some like-minded people after work one day for a few hours.
kqedequalsvolvo
Member
I second it being nowhere near as cheesy as it sounds (the name put me off at first) - been a few times and there's plenty of nice people. Sami Cetin, the Mario Kart speedrunner/champ is often there to race against. He battered me, it was cool.
There was an arcade called Violent City in between Stamford Hill, Manor House and Seven Sisters. i ain't been there in a year but it was pretty sick.
https://www.facebook.com/cittaviolenta/
I need to support more place was awesome.
Southend has some great aracdes with old machines (not just the retro aracde running emulations in the city centre, but genuine machines). Happidrome on the seafront is amazing.
You must have some great arcades in Kent? There's still a firm who makes penny pushers based in Kent as far as I know?
Live the next town over from here and have been a few times now. It's great.
I believe they added a second floor to it just after Christmas so should really check it out again.
About 15 minutes walk there's a shopping centre called The Rock. Has a bunch of places to eat there like Nandos, Frankie and Bennies, Pizza Express etc.
I believe they added a second floor to it just after Christmas so should really check it out again.
About 15 minutes walk there's a shopping centre called The Rock. Has a bunch of places to eat there like Nandos, Frankie and Bennies, Pizza Express etc.
This thread is a little out of date by this point!
Arcade Club is now spread across two floors. There's the top floor as mentioned in the OP a year ago, still more or less the same with some game changes here and there.
But there's now a new floor below that is more focused on slightly more modern gaming, with multiple VR setups, high-end PCs, classic and modern consoles, plus some more recent rhythm games, and more classic fighters in VS cabs. It's 18+ only and costs £5 for all-day entry, so £15 for both floors.
I last went just before Floor 2 opened, so I'm very excited to head back to check out the rest. If you're anywhere near Manchester, you owe it to yourself to spend a day trekking out to visit.
Heart of Gaming (HoG) in London was also fantastic, but it's really horrible what the guy that runs it has had to endure over the past year trying to get it back open at a new location. I really hope it happens, we need both places in the north and south, and even more inbetween!
Arcade Club is now spread across two floors. There's the top floor as mentioned in the OP a year ago, still more or less the same with some game changes here and there.
But there's now a new floor below that is more focused on slightly more modern gaming, with multiple VR setups, high-end PCs, classic and modern consoles, plus some more recent rhythm games, and more classic fighters in VS cabs. It's 18+ only and costs £5 for all-day entry, so £15 for both floors.
I last went just before Floor 2 opened, so I'm very excited to head back to check out the rest. If you're anywhere near Manchester, you owe it to yourself to spend a day trekking out to visit.
Heart of Gaming (HoG) in London was also fantastic, but it's really horrible what the guy that runs it has had to endure over the past year trying to get it back open at a new location. I really hope it happens, we need both places in the north and south, and even more inbetween!
Why the fuck do people always seem to be outraged/hate the idea of an arcade? seems like a relatively inoffensive sort of placein my opinioin.
It's the same for a lot of businesses focused on leisure and catering; it's typically the elderly who have lived in the area for a while that protest in fear that any new venue will attract a noisy crowd.
But saying that, this is in a shopping centre so it's hard to see where the fears and protest for an arcade come from. Hooliganism? But all the arcades I've gone to are super strict about this and drinking.
kqedequalsvolvo
Member
Stupid innit. I always think people who have an issue with the idea of arcades have this weird image of mean looking neon-punk street bastards hanging around outside like in Deathwish 3. Some dude inside in a leather vest playing 2 cabinets at the same time.
All outside chain smoking, swinging chains, flicking coins and sneering at the elderly.
the_milkybar_kid
Member
Thanks for the suggestions. That second floor looks great. Had no idea they were planning it.
Baleoce
Member
Yeah I live in Hereford, and it would be pretty amazing if for example there was somewhere like this in Birmingham, where a lot of my online friends live. Still thinking of going to this place in Bury though, the new floor looks really neat.
panda-zebra
Member
Less than 10 minutes from here, lots of family and friends take their kids but I've just never got around to it. The other floor looks interesting, is it an additional £5 on top of the £10 entry to get in both, or can you just pay for the new floor separately?
Separately, it's just a bloody good deal for both.
Sector Clear
Member
Went the other year and lost myself in Defender for a good few hours, just like being back in the...
ARCADE CLUB looks great, if I'm ever up that way I'll be sure to drop by. HoG will hopefully be re opening soon. It's a real shame the Shepards Bush place didn't work as Croydon is still a bit of a schlep from central london.
I always imagine if a place like this opened on Oxford Street it would make a ton of money. A group of us regulars at the Casino arcade in Tottenham Court road tried to convince the owner to convert the arcade to a bar / cafe to keep the place open but he wouldn't do it. They had two empty floors upstairs...
I always imagine if a place like this opened on Oxford Street it would make a ton of money. A group of us regulars at the Casino arcade in Tottenham Court road tried to convince the owner to convert the arcade to a bar / cafe to keep the place open but he wouldn't do it. They had two empty floors upstairs...
Sounds like their business model is working, if they're able to expand like this. I went a few months ago and it was brilliant, even with a baby strapped to my chest.
kqedequalsvolvo
Member
Man, I miss that place, it was great. Spent a lot of time playing Time Crisis 2 there - a bar would have been so great, particularly in that location.
There's Las Vegas Arcade in Soho near Oxford St. but I've not been yet. I've been passed it loads of times but figured it was just slot machines.
Sounds like I've got a new place to visit next time I go to Manchester (I leave near London)
They have Initial D! Oh my god I need to go.
They have Initial D! Oh my god I need to go.
I did too, but never noticed it was a separate floor entirely.
They had some Japanese arcade games and even SFV modded into an arcade cabinet.
kqedequalsvolvo
Member
Awesome. I've been meaning to go as I'm keen to learn JuBeat but the standard of people who play there is so high by the looks of their Insta that I get too shy haha.