Star Tech Journal

Coin-Ops Discuss Honie Video Ganies
Have you been to a toy store lately? If so,
you've seen dozens of kids and parents
buying Nintendo and Sega game cartridges
for their home game systems. Stores are
selling these games so fast, they have
trouble keeping them in stock!
When I see somewhat current titles like Ikari
Warriors, Renegade, Arkanoid and Sky
Shark, it makes me angry. The quality of
these games are very close to the arcade
versions and won't help our collections.
Another factor is the high cost of the home
carts. How many kids can spend $35 for an
Alien Syndrome home game and still have
spare change for our coin-op games?
Our post Christmas collections are usually
stellar, but this year was very lack-luster. I
believe the home game systems are to blame.
I will not support the Nintendo Play Choice
10 game because it is an expensive repack-
aging of their $79.00 VS home game. If they
want me to advertise their home games, let
them pay me!
Upcoming home titles: Double Dragon,
Bubble Bobble and many more. And they
wonder why ...
Evan Wessel
Mercury Amusement Co.
Haverford, Pennsylvania
I dislike the home systems keeping up with
the hits, too, but Super Mario home cartridge
players aren't showing off to their friends
unless they're in your deli playing the
games. Coin-op games will never die of the
home game syndrome, because the social
(and hormonal) interaction between players
in non-home (neutral public place) territory
is more important.
Very specifically, my on-location example
of why and how did my Bubble Bobble come
in and beat my Double Dragon in a 7-game
pizzeria (overall gross $400) would be to look
at my players. The girls are playing the guys
on Bubble Bobble, because the girls like the
game too ... (interesting theory, eh???).
If I knew this was an accurate analysis, I'd
take my next Bubble Bobble to a deli where
I know the girls are hanging around -before
I take them a Double Dragon to see who's~\
playing and make me money. By the way,·
girls also like Arkanoid and will play match-
em-up if you have one (but the latter for no
big numbers). If we got demographics from
the all-powerful licensors of this game prod-
uct we could tailor the game to the location,
and the best overall game could be a 2-player
interactive Ms Pacman!
Nintendo with this timer-based version of
hits called Playchoice 10 is really pushing
their luck with a system which negatively
defeats the carrot-on-a-stick ploy of the·
regular games' bonuses, extra men, and
other incentives.
I pegged it a loser from the beginning, and I
also think they blew R-Type away by going
dedicated -the dam thing is past 19 charts
(9-1/2 months in the top 25) in Japan!
Bill Johnston
Johnston's General Store
Buffalo, New York