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[JimiNutz]

Holy shit this place sounds amazing! I have dreamt of a place like this for years and actually wanted to start/own my own (but don't have the money or knowledge to set up my own business).

I live in London but will happily make the trip to visit.

We should set up a UK GAF meet at this venue!

 

[Piers]

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.

Psffff, they'd be delighted to have a fellow homie in on the action
It's the nice thing about these places, where there's an earnest and friendly community. With HoTG, I first went for the games but stayed far longer for the socialising. The Smash Bros tourney there was so interesting and I loved hearing what participants had to say about their favourite character as well as the meta.

 

[jeemer]

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?

It's £10 per floor, or £15 for both.

 

[McBradders]

Been a few times, it's fucking incredible.

Make the time to visit.

Holy shit this place sounds amazing! I have dreamt of a place like this for years and actually wanted to start/own my own (but don't have the money or knowledge to set up my own business).

I live in London but will happily make the trip to visit.

We should set up a UK GAF meet at this venue!

Did you never make it to Heart of Gaming?

It's currently in stasis while they look for a new venue to return to, follow them on Facebook for when they eventually re-open.

 

[ibrahima]

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.

Croydon has had a few high profile incidents of knife crime and violence, reported incidents of knife crime has been on the rise over the past few years in the area. I expect the local council sought public feedback in advance of it opening and had locals raise issues about it becoming a location where people would congregate, regardless of whether they were interested about what was inside or not.

It's good to see Arcade Club offering something for people around Greater Manchester that can target a "pre book and enjoy yourself" kind of customer and as long as it works as a thing on the side for the owners at weekends I think it can be sustainable.

I get the feeling that HOG is hard pushed to get itself back into a viable location and it makes me wonder whether it would be better to sell or lease off the hardware to someone else who can get something running until they have something sustainable in place.

 

[McBradders]

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...

Man the Casino was fucking amazing back in the day. First place I played Super Street Fighter 2 and they had the 4-cab tournament shit set up, it was incredible.

 

[kqedequalsvolvo]

...
I get the feeling that HOG is hard pushed to get itself back into a viable location and it makes me wonder whether it would be better to sell or lease off the hardware to someone else who can get something running until they have something sustainable in place.

I'm unsure of the specifics of their situation but I'd imagine it must be a real struggle in terms of having the up-front capital for a place with enough space for all those cabs in a location that's convenient for regular visitors. Shepherds Bush seemed like a really good compromise on that front, it's such a shame it didn't work out there. A collective of us looking into getting a music space off the ground did a lot of site viewings and even in places like SE London with ex-industrial units, the money is eye-watering.

Obviously hope Croydon works out for them - think it would be too much of a trek for me from East London though unless it was a whole day out thing.

 

[GoldenCrow]

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.

Because most people think of fruit machine arcades when the topic is brought up in the UK, they are notorious for being run by wannabe thugs and gangsters which always brings trouble. Many of the gaming arcades use to also be run by the same people as one half would be fruit machines, the other would be arcade cabinets and there would usually be dealers targeting kids.

 

[The Elite]

I was near there just last week and even saw something about it but didn't have the time to go. Now I'm back in Canada and regret not making the time.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Sounds pretty cool

 

[JimiNutz]

Been a few times, it's fucking incredible.

Make the time to visit.



Did you never make it to Heart of Gaming?

It's currently in stasis while they look for a new venue to return to, follow them on Facebook for when they eventually re-open.

No I hadn't heard of Heart of Gaming until this thread. Will be sure to check that out when it re-opens as well!

I'd really like to meet some gamers in 'real' life since a lot of my friends no longer game as much.

 

[thelatestmodel]

I am for sure making a trip here when I'm next in the UK.

Heard about it via the Retro Hour podcast, the guy that owns it sounds like a stand-up chap.

 

[kqedequalsvolvo]

No I hadn't heard of Heart of Gaming until this thread. Will be sure to check that out when it re-opens as well!

I'd really like to meet some gamers in 'real' life since a lot of my friends no longer game as much.

Yeah same - particularly now that there seems to be some smaller arcades springing up around London to fill the gaps after Troc and Casino on TCR died. I've got some mates who still game regularly but very few who want to go and hang out at arcades.

Psffff, they'd be delighted to have a fellow homie in on the action
It's the nice thing about these places, where there's an earnest and friendly community. With HoTG, I first went for the games but stayed far longer for the socialising. The Smash Bros tourney there was so interesting and I loved hearing what participants had to say about their favourite character as well as the meta.

Maybe - I'm not normally quite so nervous but approaching strangers in a group and all that...I'll try next time. I think the issue as well is that quite a few of the rhythm game machines are super loud and in a small space (like Vega), even with headphones, it's disruptive. So I feel like if I'm gonna be learning easy tunes on Popnmusic or Jubeat on my own, that's going to be really annoying for the group of expert players on another machine a few yards away.

 

[MontyBrown]

What type of people go to this place? I'm only about an hour away.

Is it mostly normal folk or the type you see at PAX panels etc who look like they only leave their house three days a year?

This seems like the type of place which could be great or awful depending on the type of people it attracts... I can't really tell from the videos in the OP.

 

[PaulLFC]

This looks amazing. I live quite a way away but definitely going to try and go at some point soon.

I wish they had Virtua Tennis though, I spent so much time (and money!) on that game in arcades here and abroad.

 

[BGBW]

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.

Croydon really isn't that hard to get to from central London. Plenty of trains go there. Over an hour by bus yes, but train is pretty quick.

 

[Dirtyshubb]

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.

I just got caught up on the outcry over the issues in Croydon, really sad to hear as it would be nice to have this in my home town.

Croydon overall is actually a nice place, got a lot of rude, expectant aresholes there (I should know, i live right near the high street) but the most you really have to worry about is dickhead kids after school and drunks on a Friday night.

I will say however that while im sure the arcade would be no problem at all, arcades do have a bit of a bad rep as they did end up becoming dark, dangerous places that often had dealers there. Hell i got attacked when i was in year 6 of school at my local arcade at the time (Mega Bowel in Streatham Hill). Just some random young group of shit stains who started on my for no reason and one ended up hitting me repeatedly (he would have been in year 9/10 at the time) so i came out pretty badly with one of my front teeth knocked out, another dislodged, blood everywhere and it left me pretty shaken for quite a long time.

As i said im sure this place would be different, i believe it was to be located at the top floor of Central shopping centre which is a nice, bright place but i do understand a little why some might have an issue with the arcade.

Also Croydon is only like 19 minutes from London Victoria if you get the fast train from East Croydon.

 

[Falchion]

Holy shit that's a crazy deal. At the arcades around me, $10 would last about half an hour.

 

[Johnohno]

This looks amazing. I live quite a way away but definitely going to try and go at some point soon.

I wish they had Virtua Tennis though, I spent so much time (and money!) on that game in arcades here and abroad.

I'm 99% sure last time I went (December) they did as it's one of my first stops normally. Tim Henman for life!

 

[Piers]

Croydon really isn't that hard to get to from central London. Plenty of trains go there. Over an hour by bus yes, but train is pretty quick.

Whoops, yeah, National Rail kept automatically using all stations for Croydon when looking before. That's not bad.

I just got caught up on the outcry over the issues in Croydon, really sad to hear as it would be nice to have this in my home town.

Croydon overall is actually a nice place, got a lot of rude, expectant aresholes there (I should know, i live right near the high street) but the most you really have to worry about is dickhead kids after school and drunks on a Friday night.

I will say however that while im sure the arcade would be no problem at all, arcades do have a bit of a bad rep as they did end up becoming dark, dangerous places that often had dealers there. Hell i got attacked when i was in year 6 of school at my local arcade at the time (Mega Bowel in Streatham Hill). Just some random young group of shit stains who started on my for no reason and one ended up hitting me repeatedly (he would have been in year 9/10 at the time) so i came out pretty badly with one of my front teeth knocked out, another dislodged, blood everywhere and it left me pretty shaken for quite a long time.

As i said im sure this place would be different, i believe it was to be located at the top floor of Central shopping centre which is a nice, bright place but i do understand a little why some might have an issue with the arcade.

Also Croydon is only like 19 minutes from London Victoria if you get the fast train from East Croydon.

That's an issue if they blindly look at arcades like they're still the massive monopoly they were in the 80's, or assume it's going to be a loud and banging gambling business. The fact there is an entry charge alone should be an indicator that this isn't a ho-hum dank corner.

 

[pswii60]

That is an incredible arcade cabinet line-up, I'm definitely checking this place out. Can't wait to get playing some Outrun.

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?

Bury is a dodgy part of Manchester so you're best going in to the city centre if you want food, or just doing a McDonald's drive through (lock your doors).

 

[kqedequalsvolvo]

Whoops, yeah, National Rail kept automatically using all stations for Croydon when looking before. That's not bad.

It's definitely not that bad to be fair, yeah - think I'm being a bit spoilt by stuff being easily reachable on the tube.

Related to this, would people be interested in a broader thread about active arcades in the UK/meet-ups/updates? Could have a basic OP just split up by region with links and so on? I'm not on GAF every day but I'd be happy to set one up/help.

 

[butzopower]

Probably mentioned, but Four Quarters East in Hackney Wick has some good pinball and a couple good arcade machines including HOTD2. All the arcades are one US quarter each and they sell em at 4 for a £ (soon to be a great exchange rate). There's a real good wing place next door as well.

 

[Neptonic]

The business model reminds me of the place by my house, except it's more a membership thing there. Sounds pretty dope overall, all they are really missing to me is a CvS2 cab.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

This is really, really cool.

 

[BGBW]

The sad thing is Croydon has allowed a Reflex.

If they have no problem with allowing that they should easily allow anything.

 

[PaulLFC]

I'm 99% sure last time I went (December) they did as it's one of my first stops normally. Tim Henman for life!

Thanks, this is great news!

I looked Arcade Club up on TripAdvisor and I can see it in a couple of photos so seems this is indeed the case. From their Facebook they have Crazy Taxi as well, which isn't listed on their website - seems that page just needs an update.

Even more tempted to make the trip now!

 

[BumblebeeCody]

H.o.G has re-opened now guys. It's in Croydon.

 

[kqedequalsvolvo]

H.o.G has re-opened now guys. It's in Croydon.

May be wrong but I thought the location has been confirmed in a shopping centre in Croydon but the opening day has been pushed back a few times? I don't believe it's open for business formally yet?

 

[gingerbeardman]

My Flicky (SEGA, 1984) arcade cabinet is currently on loan to Arcade Club.

 

[DrBillRiverman]

This place is so cool. I wish I wasn't so bloody far away right down in the south!

 

[mere_immortal]

Went to Arcade Club for a friends birthday about a month ago! It's incredible, an absolute bargain and the drinks and snacks are cheap too. Such an awesome collection of stuff, I've never played much pinball so spent a couple of hours just on those machines. There's a good selection of people there too, plus the kids are catered to with Minecraft and Fifa so they're busy not just running about.

There was a SFV tournament on the lower floor at the time so watched a few rounds of that too, then must have spent an hour or so on Taiko: Drum Master (obviously would have passed on if anyone else wanted to play but no one seemed to.) We were there for a good 6 hours but it flew by.

 

[jeemer]

Is it mostly normal folk or the type you see at PAX panels etc who look like they only leave their house three days a year?

I've only been this past Saturday late afternoon, but there was a fair mix of folk, from kids to people in their 50s. Everyone was pretty normal, it surprised me how many hipstery looking folk were there. It doesn't even smell like a fart mixed with BO.

 

[Dirtyshubb]

That's an issue if they blindly look at arcades like they're still the massive monopoly they were in the 80's, or assume it's going to be a loud and banging gambling business. The fact there is an entry charge alone should be an indicator that this isn't a ho-hum dank corner.

Oh I agree completely, I mean the shop it is located in Croydon isn't some hidden hovel so the idea people complained is stupid but I could see how some could cause problems.

 

[kqedequalsvolvo]

Oh I agree completely, I mean the shop it is located in Croydon isn't some hidden hovel so the idea people complained is stupid but I could see how some could cause problems.

It seems particularly odd because the local authorities seem so keen for new things in Croydon anyway, with the creative quarter and Box Park etc. but I appreciate (not to the extent of delaying it!) why some people could be concerned about an arcade. From the floorplans and pics HoG have been putting up, it looks a very open, bright space.

 

[T-0800]

I would happily pay the entrance fee just to walk around and take in the sights and sounds.

 

[Creepy]

It's possible you could run into me at this location, be careful... just don't make eye contact and you'll be fine.

 

[kqedequalsvolvo]

I've put up a community thread about arcades and live gaming in the UK for updating/tracking/meet-ups/whatever here if anyone's interested:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=234736399

It's got all the arcades I saw mentioned in this thread added so far but it's pretty sparse so contributions v welcome! Hope it can be useful .

 

[McBradders]

That is an incredible arcade cabinet line-up, I'm definitely checking this place out. Can't wait to get playing some Outrun.

Bury is a dodgy part of Manchester so you're best going in to the city centre if you want food, or just doing a McDonald's drive through (lock your doors).

There's a mall a few minutes walk from it - there's a few okay places to eat and some of the usual fast food stuff or an M&S if that's your bag. It's perfectly safe.

 

[Bleepey]

Probably mentioned, but Four Quarters East in Hackney Wick has some good pinball and a couple good arcade machines including HOTD2. All the arcades are one US quarter each and they sell em at 4 for a £ (soon to be a great exchange rate). There's a real good wing place next door as well.

Might check them out.

 

[Boomalla]

This place sounds amazing i hope it's a great success.

 

[Unclebenny]

I grew up near here and could nip in next time I'm home to visit the folks but I just had a baby and babies and arcades don't mix!

Looks amazing though, just another reason for me to move back up North, where the air is cleaner, the people are nicer and I won't have to sell my baby to be able to afford a house for it to live in.

 

[SmiteOfHand]

There is a place like this near me that is just far enough away that I can't make it out as often as I'd like.

If you were "born too late" for the arcade experience I highly recommend checking it out if you have something like this nearby.

 

[TsunamiOfSwagger]

Well TiL there's an arcade like this half an hour from me.
I'm going to pay this place a visit soon.

 

[McBradders]

I've put up a community thread about arcades and live gaming in the UK for updating/tracking/meet-ups/whatever here if anyone's interested:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=234736399

It's got all the arcades I saw mentioned in this thread added so far but it's pretty sparse so contributions v welcome! Hope it can be useful .

Subscribed

 

[BraXzy]

Someone told me about this place last year and I went with a few friends. The amount of cabinets and games there is impressive. But I wouldn't go again, I didn't grow up with the cabinets of old so there was little nostalgia for me. Nice novelty trip though.

The coolest part was I'm pretty sure they had SFV to play pre-release? There was a huge queue.

 

[User123456]

Wait what the fuck. This exists? Why wasnt I notified earlier?!

It's the closest you can get to heaven. I'm not one to particularly enjoy traveling, but I will absolutely go on a pilgrimage to this place at some point.

 

[gingerbeardman]

This place sounds amazing i hope it's a great success.

It's already a great success.

This thread is a year old.

Yay!

 

[Dirtyshubb]

For those interested Heart of gaming is now open.

I popped in at lunch to see what it was like and I think they still have some entrance stuff to organise but the area is pretty cool.

They have a few break out areas for specific games, a massive TV for Mario kart 8 on Wii, a 10 player Sega saturn bomberman area, some guitar hero stuff and quite a few arcade machines and single consoles set up.

Gonna try and organise a couple of friends to go next Saturday to give it a go.

If anyone here is planning on going then too let me know and we can do a mini gaf meet up too

 

[Bazry]

Went yesterday and saw the new floor for the 1st time, amazing place is now even better

New floor has a bunch of VR setups, it looked like you had to book in to play the Oculus as they had 2 areas sectioned off, they also had 4 or 5 PSVR set up that anyone could play, so got to try Driveclub and Resi 7 on there.

Theres a bunch of Japanese rhythm games there as well, was watching some guy play the 3 x 3 square button one in amazement