Planet Harriers – Part 3

Here are some pictures of my Naomi running Planet Harriers. 

 

Swapping out the Naomi motherboard for a Hikaru was no problem at all, everything hooked right up perfectly!

The 31KHz monitor is ideal for Planet Harriers, although the game can also be set to 24KHz or 15KHz on the boards test menu.  The custom marquee was produced by Spectre (Arcade Otaku).  I am considering a control panel overlay, but I do like the nice clean look of the powder coated panel.

Joystick Gamers! Video Game Photo Magazine #2

This magazine came as a nice surprise!  A new issue of Joystick Gamers! Video Game Photo Magazine, released a year after the first.  This issue includes three bonus mini magazines.

 

Another nice surprise is that it features Nanboya Arcade, an awesome arcade we just happened to stumble upon during our stay in Osaka. 

Arcades In and Around Great Yarmouth – Part 1

I have awesome memories of the arcades in and around my hometown of Great Yarmouth.  I remember playing Pac-Land, Double Dragon 2, RoboCop and sit-down OutRun on the local holiday camps.  A trip to the seafront with my nan and granddad and playing Chase HQ.  The buzz surrounding Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat and the crowds gathered around the machines.  Going to the arcades weekends/after school and being blown away by Alien vs. Predator, Daytona USA and Killer Instinct.  Happy times indeed.

During the Easter holidays I went out with my wife and daughter to check out a few of these arcades.  Whilst my expectations were pretty low and the machines I remember are sadly long gone, there were some nice new games I hadn’t seen before, a couple of classics and a few nice surprises along the way!

Great Yarmouth Golden Mile

It’s sad to see how the arcades along the seafront have changed over the years, with video games losing floor space in favour of gambling and redemption machines.  The OutRun2 and After Burner Climax machines have disappeared as well.  However it was good to see some new machines.  I was really excited to see Mach Storm.  A spiritual successor to After Burner, the game is awesome!  However it’s probably best avoided if you suffer from motion sickness.  Or if you’ve just eaten!

Dark Escape 4D was also a lot of fun.  The cabinet says ‘Body-shocking 3D horror shooting’, which I think is a pretty apt description!  The 3D is very effective, and the game genuinely puts you on edge.  One cool feature is that your heart rate is monitored and displayed on screen! 

 

 

Batman combines racing and combat and allows you to select different era Batmobiles and adversaries, pretty cool!  These games are currently in Wellington Pier.

Other cool new games in the arcades along the sea front include Aliens Armageddon, Dream Raiders, Super Alpine Racer and Transformers Human Alliance.  Very few older games remain.