A visit to the awesome Arcade Club in Leeds was top of the agenda following the easing of government restrictions, I couldn’t wait! Joining me were my two trusty sidekicks, Cookie Gamer and Pizza Arcade Gamer Boy. We’ve put together a little tour of the arcade.
The arcade has so many incredible machines. Whilst playing the games, it’s easy to forget the incredible amount of effort it must take to maintain them. We were totally blown away. Highlights for this visit include Namco’s Star Blade, a fantastic new addition. I ramble on at the end of the video about not playing it for decades, but actually the last time I played it was in Mikado arcade in Japan about ten years ago. So good, so atmospheric, absolutely love it.
Virtual On: Cyber Troopers is another new game. I remember this awesome 3D mech combat game having a brief spell down the seafront back in the day. The game proved to be a massive hit in Japan, but it never really seemed to take off over here. I wonder if the theme, and the unusual twin-stick controls just didn’t appeal to most arcade goers. I suspect the hardware was sacrificed to keep other, more profitable Sega Model 2B games running at the time. It was fantastic seeing it again, and I really enjoyed giving it a blast.
The OutRun2SP SDX was amazing, with some very close races with the wife. This and fighters are about the only games I stand a chance at beating her at.
The Sega row really is a Sega fan’s dream. It’s fantastic being able to experience the Sega Taikan cabs once again and great to see them get a new generation of fans. There are also some nice new additions to the area, including Scud Race and Sega Rally 3.
The Electrocoin Xenon row was a sight to behold, taking me right back to the halcyon arcade days of the eighties / nineties. They were loaded with classics, including Aliens, Golden Axe, RoboCop, Splatterhouse and Sunset Riders to name a few. I think it’s super cool how Arcade Club Leeds has the Xenon row and Bury has the Goliaths.
There is an awesome selection of dedicated cabs, all the classics, plus some more obscure titles. I enjoyed watching my daughter try her hand at Pac-Land, Pole Position and Tron.
The second floor has an awesome row of Astro’s, complete with top tier shooters. I could have easily spent a lot longer here.
To summarise then, Arcade Club Leeds – it’s incredible, go check it out!
