Yesterday I was in town, primarily for an eye test, but I also wanted to take a moment to check out a new place that has recently opened: Nu Game Arcade, found on the top floor of the Marlands Centre in Southampton, where a crappy phone repair shop used to be.
The place isn't particularly big or chock-full of machines, but it's clearly something that's being run by enthusiasts, and it has some nice stuff in there. At the time I visited, there was a working Space Invaders machine (albeit one which appeared to be running a bootleg version called Space War, in which you could enter your name for the high score) along with a Neo Geo MVS containing Puzzle Bobble and Metal Slug, a NAOMI machine running Guilty Gear XX, Street Fighter… somethingorother, possibly an Alpha?, one of the more recent Tekken games, plus full-size Point Blank and Chase HQ 2 cabinets.
There's no entry fee, unlike some other arcades; all the machines simply need 50p to play, giving the whole thing a pleasantly old-school experience. Some might baulk at paying 50p to play a Space Invaders bootleg, but honestly that cabinet is a frigging antique now, so it's worth it for the sheer novelty value.
The highlight of my visit was very much Chase HQ 2, which I had no idea existed. Well, I mean, I knew Chase HQ 2 existed for home computers, but it turns out that was not the same thing as arcade Chase HQ 2 — I believe it may have been one of those "home-only" sequels to arcade titles.
Chase HQ 2, meanwhile, comes in a full sit-down cabinet with a force-feedback steering wheel and features roughly PS2/Dreamcast-era graphics, including the one and only Nancy in glorious FMV form. The game actually plays just like the original Chase HQ but with fancier graphics; despite the environments being full 3D, you're still railroaded down a specific route and your "steering" simply moves you from one side to another on the road rather than actually "turning". I am 100% fine with that.
It was great to play Point Blank, too; I used to love that game back on the PlayStation and judging by my excellent performance on the arcade version, I haven't lost my touch. I did find it quite amusing to look at; I always have it in my mind that light-gun shooters had absolutely massive displays and thus aren't anywhere near the same if you play them on a dinky CRT back at home, but the screen in the Point Blank machine was probably about the same size as the telly I had when I was at university. The force feedback guns were pretty great, though.
Apparently there's another arcade elsewhere in Southampton that offers an hour of unlimited play for £9.95 — I'll have to check that out next time I'm in town. But I'll definitely be paying Nu Game Arcade another visit; although its selection is relatively limited, the games they do have are absolute corkers, and I'm sure their selection will change and improve over time.
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