Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1993-December - Vol 15 Issue 10

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STAR*TECH Journal
BUFFALO BILL
December 1993
& Co.
ATTACK ANAHEIM'S AMOA EXPO
'93 ...
Buffalo Bill and
Vendress Sharon Johnston
Johnston's Video
Buffalo, New York
BUY MORTAL KOMBAT II
SEGA
Features 12 new cast members,
dedicated at $4000++, everybody
else already ordered it according
to 80% of the orders at a large
distributor after the show.
Ken Anderson and Doug
Shipley's Virtua Fighters/Sega at
only 60% completion has
everyone's attention at $5000 -
even in this pre-release stage it's
excellent ... we want to see more of
it after completion with 100 more
moves and some real life charac-
ter faces instead of polygon
people floating through the air in
semi-slow motion ... ( Outrunners/
Sega 2P sit-down is another ar-
cade must ... where's the popu-
larly priced upright for the
street?) ... DAYTONA car video-
tape preview shows a million-dol-
lar driver graphics package up-
coming... Sega suite wins best
beverage budget award from me.
II
Super SF2/Capcom is a second
sequel super-letdown for week 3
of a 40% gross collection drop and
week 4 of another 20% dive, ac-
cording to one distributor/opera-
tor, and its Far East wholesale
parallel price has dropped
steadily 3 weeks in a row by $100
weekly, but maybe it will be a
good buy when it drops -I
wouldn't want to miss character
Kammy's lovely British leglocks
on my route.
STREET FIGHTER
Don't worry about the virtual re-
ality technology breathing down
your neck just yet... there's no
good game software to play and
the visor video display looks like
crap, too, like a color LCD display
that needs tuning.
Don't you forget (the exhibitors
did) it's all in the GAME, not the
system ... I put on a helmet in the
sit-down fiberglass cockpit of the
future after a 15-minute wait and
was lost in space in two minutes
with nowhere to go ... or, stand up
in the other virtual reality joke
and shoot some aliens once in
awhile ...
DATA EAST
Data East's Tales From the Crypt
pin is fun but the trademark
theme laugh from the HBO-TV
series gets to be annoying every
time you easily hit the spinner at
the base of the upper left ramp -
should drive your location nuts
well before your contract there
expires ... no plunger, instead a
crypt door handle for your ball
shooter ... and vibrates like an
Earthshaker/Williams.
r--,
.PREMIER
WILLIAMS
VIRTUAL REALITY
the software and adjust your
machines to 1 play= 2 coins be-
fore you go broke ... P.S. pinballs
go 60/40 split.
Pinball buyers will be flocking to
Star Trek/Williams when it be-
comes available -you missed see-
ing World Pin Champ Sheats
kicking a 4-million score at the
show on this next Williams mon-
ster ... but today buy Judge
Dredd/Williams which is now
available with special double
price-per-play for a special game
featuring 6-ball multiball ... Indi-
ana Jones/Williams with good
music and multiball looks like a
must-buy.
Premier's Tee'd Off(and Gladia-
tors) featured player-friendly
bright playfield with easy tar-
gets, just as much fun as those
easy-to-play Gottlieb pins of the
70's.
SNK
Alternative video hit for the
street route kit budget seems to
be # 1 Samurai • Shodown/SNK
Neo-Geo kits listing at $995 and
cartridges at $425 in short sup-
ply ... ( watc4 for upcoming Fatal
Fury Special to be their next
chart-grabber).
PINBALL OPS
Attention, pinball operators on
quarter play complaining about
higher priced machines: Enter
SPACE SHOOTIN'
Fabtek's Raiden II, with its good
graphics and lots of action, over-
~
December 1993
--------~-----
m
STAR*TECH Joumal
Is IT V1RTUA FIGHTERS,
SUPER SF2 OR
MORTAL KOMBAT II?
BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD's
WHAT SUCKS DEPARTMENT
all winner in the video space cat-
egory, although Thunder Dragon
2/American Sammy was my
daughter Molly's (15) favored
space shooter.
BABES
Kaneko's Gal's Panic II, with its
change-into-a-monster and quiz,
earns best stripper Qi,x award ...
it's not just the on-screen babes
who make this game fun, al-
though we're not sure how well
~,he drinkers can play this game
in your tavern account.
• Best Video Game Name: Punky
Doodle: (but the game~. al-
though my son Scott (11) caught
on to the game's enjoyment im-
mediately and the booth crew
was extremely nice).
• AMOA registration sucks ... and
it's not just this trade show this
time ... some international visi-
tors and USA visitors have asked:
If you've taken the time, money,
and trouble to travel to a trade
show, shouldn't the show staff
kiss you on the lips and pin on
your badge when you get there?
CRANES
Candy Crane (play till you win)
from Smart Industries will have
other crane makers wisely
scrambling for conversion cir-
cuitry to update their cranes for a
winner everytime (five cents
wholesale) in candy on quarter
play... similar crane from
Gray hound.
CAR VIDEOS
Ridge Racer/Namco driver excel-
lent, but watch Driver's Edge/
Strata for a better price ... Strata
suite is where you meet the nicest
people in the business.
ATARI
'~t's sad to see only the game they
--1.icensed, World Rally with its OK
graphics and no other cars to
race, at Atari booth, but it's doing
well.
,._t-J'"c:,,..'
011;"~
"11..~0 -.,
~-~
,, '
£~•0•~-:;1 ... --
/
REGISTRATION
Why can't registration simply be
your business card stapled onto a
name tag? If no business card,
have a quick printing outfit ready
to print up a hundred or two hun-
dred cards for you on the spot -
you'll want them anyway to give
to your exhibitor/suppliers in-
stead of that dumb Galaxy Expo
chip-on-a-charge card that doz-
ens of people left behind at each
booth card-reading printer.
While I took 45 minutes to com-
plete my "pre-regi,stered" regis-
tration, I counted up to 150 an-
noyed registrants in the pre-reg-
istration lines. Registration
should be available on-site for 72
hours in advance around the
clock, and should be a speedy
welcome to our national trade
shows, not a barrier.
Is it wrong to think that the ad-
vertisers/exhibitors have already
paid for operators badges? Regis-
tration staff should have a badge
hanging on an attendee in 30 sec-
onds, whether they traveled for 5
minutes or 5 days to get there.
That's right, I said BUSINESS
CARDS to be stapled below your
name in large print... probably
too easy a concept to appear at
ACME '94, although I spoke per-
sonally to Bill Glasgow (Show
Management) about this revolu-
tionary -but old-fashioned idea.
See you in Rosemont, Bill!
IN APPRECIATION
Maximum thanks to Leon, Ninfa,
and Nicole Cauchois of Palisades
Amusements/Las Vegas for their
outstanding hospitality through-
out our 9-night, multi-state trek
from Buffalo to Las Vegas for 3
nights, then a suburban drive
with them to Anaheim for our 6-
night visit including a great day
at Universal Studios followed by
a relaxing day and a great dinner
at Knott's Berry Farm. So, until
the next Expo, be well & prosper.

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