Arcade Heroes - The Saviors of Coin-op

https://arcadeheroes.com - The backlight in one of my Cruis'n Blast machines went out recently and in contacting the distributor I bought the game from, they determined it was "unfixable." Fortunately, I sought a second opinion, where arcade operator TJ Beyer had recently repaired onw of his dead monitors, pointing me to this link to buy replacement lights and suction cups to be able to remove the LCD: https://www.shopjimmy.com/tb4307d-led-backlight-strips-10-mt43w-267c3-wei-ya-makvision/ The monitor in question is a Wei-Ya Makvision 43", which originally came with the game. I've never done this before so it was quite an experience - it took about 6 hours but I condensed this into 30 min. Timecodes: 0:10 - Intro to the problem 3:40 - Removing bolts to pull the monitor out 4:16 - Removing the monitor 4:56 - Monitor on the air hockey table; Removing L brackets 5:28 - Flipping over & removing the glass 5:41 - Removing the foam around the edges 6:11 - Removing panels from the back 6:56 - Trying to keep all the screws from going missing 8:06 - Showing some internal connectors that have to be disconnected 9:25 - Removing the monitors power supply 9:47 - Removing screws to pull off the main back panel 10:38 - Mentioning some small clips which need to be pushed in; Removing internal brackets 11:09 - Removing the screws which hold the topside of the LCD panel in place 12:32 - First attempt on LCD panel removal, but noticed circuit boards that needed to be removed first 13:49 - LCD panel removed, now to remove plastic edge bracket & diffusion layers 14:56 - Removing the internal white reflection panel 15:37 - Disconnecting the LED strips 16:54 - Removing the bad LED strips 17:26 - Unpacking the new LED strips 18:00 - Installing new strips w/ double sided tape 18:26 - Now to put it all back together... 19:54 - Putting the LCD panel back into place 21:36 - Reattaching brackets, panels 25:15 - Reapplying the foam 26:21 - Putting the monitor back onto the glass, aligning 27:24 - Reinstalling main L brackets 28:00 - DOES IT WORK OR DID I BREAK IT?? Except for one song, all music in the video is from Cruis'n World. Interact with the Arcade Heroes community on Guilded: https://www.guilded.gg/i/E0L6LGME Or interact on Discord: https://discord.gg/jnKJTN23

Watch a real arcade business owner play a game where you own and operate a real arcade business - Arcadecraft (2015, PC). I will look into getting the newer Arcade Paradise and doing the same here soon

https://arcadeheroes.com - In this video, I discuss the different business models and variations that you generally find with arcades. They are generally based on either a coin drop/card swipe model or an entry fee/freeplay model, with a range of variations that work off of that (you also have hybrids). Interact with the Arcade Heroes community on Guilded: https://www.guilded.gg/i/E0L6LGME Or interact on Discord: https://discord.gg/jnKJTN23

Discussing the opening of new arcade business in the USA, UK, Asia & Elsewhere. Based on these recent posts: https://arcadeheroes.com/2022/07/31/location-watch-july-2022-new-arcades-open-across-the-world/ https://arcadeheroes.com/2022/05/30/location-watch-may-2022-new-arcades-in-pa-nc-sd-mi-az-ia-mo-panama-france-europe-india-more/

https://arcadeheroes.com - One of the most common claims I've come across in covering the arcade industry over the years is "arcades are dead!" The reasoning behind this varies from "well, there aren't any near me" to "no one talks about them anymore." As someone with a bunch of real-world experience in the arcade industry (as an author, blogger, salesman, and operator), let me debunk that with this 30 min. video. Intro and who I am: 0:10 The legal definition of an arcade: 3:29 Arcade numbers from Play Meter: 7:23 Location Watch (news about arcade openings): 9:20 FECs & Big Arcade Chains like Dave & Busters, Chuck E. Cheeses: 13:29 If arcades are dead, why is anyone making new games for them? 19:59 Why saying arcades are dead doesn't help those of us still around: 26:43 Tradeshows show industry growth: 27:58 There are still brand new hardcore video games being made: 29:24 Interact with the Arcade Heroes community on Guilded: https://www.guilded.gg/i/E0L6LGME Or interact on Discord: https://discord.gg/jnKJTN23

https://arcadeheroes.com - This was seen on the livestream and partially during the unboxing video, but as promised here's the full set of matches between BemBlake and I. I'd like to think I would have fared better if I wasn't pulled away from the game so much, which is why I generally don't play games during work hours ;) Interact with the Arcade Heroes community on Guilded: https://www.guilded.gg/i/kbZG4Vbk Or interact on Discord: https://discord.gg/jnKJTN23

https://arcadeheroes.com - It feels like I'm the last one to get my kit, but better late than never! Here's a livestream showing the Maximum Tune 5DX+ kit being unboxed and installed into the game. Game developed and released by Bandai Namco Amusements (separate division from the home console guys)

https://arcadeheroes.com - I promised a preview of the world's largest arcade tradeshow, and here it is, clocking in at almost an hour. Herein, I preview some of what to expect on the channel over the coming weeks, as I will have plenty of hands-on time to check out the many new games debuting at IAAPA 2021. Time codes below: Intro: 0:10 Adrenaline Amusements: 6:08 American Pinball: 7:41 Amusement Source International: 8:43 Andamiro USA: 10:02 Arkadia VR: 11:35 Bandai Namco Amusements: 12:22 Bay Tek Entertainment: 16:18 Betson/Raw Thrills: 17:37 Bob's Space Racers: 20:18 Boxblaster VR: 21:16 Characters Unlimited: 23:00 Chicago Gaming Co.: 24:18 Coastal Amusements: 25:11 Creative Works: 26:23 DOF Robotics: 28:06 Elaut USA: 29:04 exA-Arcadia: 30:30 HOLOGATE: 31:33 ICE: 33:05 Incredible Technologies: 34:07 JET: 34:44 Kalkomat/IGPM Group: 35:19 Komuse America: 35:48 LAI Games: 36:28 Meta4 Interactive: 37:43 Phenomenon VR: 39:01 Playmind: 39:23 Retro Arcade: 39:32 Rilix: 45:39 Sega Amusements International: 41:50 Smart Industries: 44:30 Step Revolution: 44:43 Stern Pinball: 46:28 Swiss VR: 47:12 Team Play Inc.: 48:18 The Really Big Crane Company: 48:42 Triotech: 49:30 Uncontained VR: 50:41 UNIS: 51:16 Unit-E Technologies: 53:22 Valley-Dynamo: 54:29 Virtuix: 54:58 VR Coaster: 55:39 VR360 Action: 55:55 VRSenal: 56:16 Wahlap: 57:16 Wrap-up: 57:50 Interact with the Arcade Heroes community on Guilded: https://www.guilded.gg/i/kbZG4Vbk Or interact on Discord: https://discord.gg/jnKJTN23

https://arcadeheroes.com - While I'm starting to run out of arcade games that I can capture directly, we've still got a few to go through, including the exclusive Aliens Armageddon game developed by Play Mechanix. They were also the developers behind Aliens Extermination. AS A COUPLE OF TECHNICAL NOTES: For some reason, the capture only got one channel and at times I seem to stop playing because the game monitor didn't like something with the capture device and it kept going black. But the capture itself was fine, so that's a plus!

https://arcadeheroes.com - Time for another full, direct game capture of real arcade game, this time it's Luigi's Mansion Arcade by Capcom, Sega & Nintendo! Based upon Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the Nintendo 3DS, this title has been changed significantly from that version to provide a unique and exclusive arcade experience. A great game to play for the month of October - or any month of the year, really!

https://arcadeheroes.com - Here's a vlog that gets into some of the latest sightings of new games out there in the wild, along with some follow-up on the Intellivision Amico stuff. VR Agent - 0:43 Bust-A-Move/Space Invaders Frenzy Dual - 3:23 Pitched Star Trek light-gun game - 7:04 See the full video of the Star Trek game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6cUsbxj3uE Following up on the Amico, along with some explanation of how I approach my content creation in general: 11:36

https://arcadeheroes.com - Happy October! What better way to get the month started than with a complete capture of Sega's House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn? Released exclusively to arcades in 2018, this is the longest and most featured HOTD in the franchise, although how it stacks up on a gameplay level to the likes of HOTD2 is something that is up for debate. Time Codes: Intro & Cabinet Overview: 0:10 Credit Up & Game Start: 6:43 As Night Falls: 7:30 Chapter 0 Gameplay: 8:20 The Annex: 15:03 Chapter 1 Kate & Ryan: 15:50 BOSS BATTLE The Chariot: 21:59 The Laboratory: 26:02 Chapter 2 Homo Sapiens: 26:50 BOSS BATTLE The High Priestess: 33:45 Elevator Lobby: 37:31 Chapter 3 Pandora's Box: 38:45 BOSS BATTLE The Hanged Man: 47:17 Manor Depths: 50:40 Chapter 4 A Glimmer of Hope: 51:31 FINAL BOSS The Moon: 57:57 Credits: 1:02:52 High Score Entry: 1:04:04

https://arcadeheroes.com - Here's another direct capture from the 2020 version of Chaos Code for exA-Arcadia. I tried to see if I could clear the game playing as the Italian-Chinese chef Bravo, but alas, I wasn't so lucky. Have you played this game, maybe on the PS4 or an earlier version at Round1USA? What do you think about it?

https://arcadeheroes.com - Here's something a little different from the norm for Arcade Heroes - a review of a new console game! Of course, it's not just any game, but a port of the coin-op arcade game Cruis'n Blast that was released in 2017. This review also heavily covers the arcade version and demonstrates the two games, side-by-side. I will upload a more complete side-by-side soon.

https://arcadeheroes.com - When I started uploading videos of arcade games to my channel back in 2007, my equipment was...terrible. I also had a lot to learn about videography. I've improved on both ever since, and now this channel about a niche in gaming has finally surpassed the 10k level. Thank you for subscribing! The subject of today's video is a throwback to my first two videos, which were showcasing an unreleased coin-op arcade title by the name of The Act: An Interactive Comedy. This game is seen in the center frame of the AH opener on all of my modern videos, but with my current capture hardware, it's too advanced for the ol' VGA inputs and resolution, so direct-cap didn't work. I also fail to reach the end on this one, as the trackball just doesn't work out right for the heimlich maneuver scene. HOWEVER - as weird as coincidences go - I had a couple come in and play the game through today(which is fairly rare anymore), where they did manage to figure out that scene and played until they beat the game! So it is possible just takes some practice.

https://arcadeheroes.com - Here is the long-awaited interview with the Arcade Hero himself, Eugene Jarvis, about the Cruis'n USA franchise. He originally proposed the game as an OutRun style piece, and it went from there. We talk Cruis'n USA, a little about World, a bit about Cruis'n Exotica, and of course Cruis'n Blast for both the arcade and the upcoming Nintendo Switch port. My apologies for instances where my web camera goes out of focus...but at least Eugene's camera is always solid! TIMECODES: Intro: 0:10 How did Cruis'n USA get started? 1:04 Digitized textures/graphics, Dev process: 4:46 Motion version of Cruis'n USA: 16:55 Cruis'n's game structure: 18:00 How many Cruis'n's sold? 21:32 Talking about Cruis'n Exotica's cabinet: 23:07 Mentioning the Ultra 64: 24:44 How do you approach developing a sequel to a popular game?: 26:24 Eugene talks about visiting Japan for Cruis'n Exotica: 28:02 Where did the name Exotica come from? 30:07 Talking about Cruis'n's humor: 31:48 What led to the development of Cruis'n Blast?: 33:13 Cruis'n Blast's cabinet: 38:37 What happened to Cruis'n Blast's card system?: 43:48 The Switch port & console ports in general: 45:40 What's the future of the Cruis'n franchise?: 52:47

https://arcadeheroes.com - Time for another brief unboxing as I've added another fighter to my exA-Arcadia system, FK Digital's Chaos Code Exact Xeno Attack. This was FK Digital's last video game (although I've heard they may get back into the biz soon), released in February 2020. It serves as the Final Director's Cut of the game, making for the ultimate version of the game.

https://arcadeheroes.com/arcade-game-reviews/review-lightning-knights-by-tikipod-exa-arcadia/ - I recently sold my Lightning Knights cart to a fellow operator who just grabbed an exA system, so before I shipped it out, I wanted to do one last full capture of the game. This is my 2nd full playthrough of this game on the channel; This one shows the boss Madame Tentacles, which is a secret boss on the home version. Best recommended to play this one with 4 players, but still fun as a single-player game.

https://arcadeheroes.com - A direct capture from a real Minecraft Dungeons Arcade machine (2021, by Play Mechanix/Raw Thrills), played with 3-4 players. My kids were happy to come in and play. 2022 Minecraft Arcade New Content Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESA0ZZAQEpE NOTE ON VIDEO QUALITY: The arcade machine shows a much crisper 4K image, but my capture device captured in 1080p & introduces some compression artifacts. You also get cards from the real thing, so as always, that's what I recommend that you play ;) My oldest is an avid Minecraft player, who has also played Minecraft Dungeons on console; He noticed that there are some unique enemies in this that show up during the boss fights, but as we didn't play through the entire 9 chapters of the game, not sure if there's more than that which was made just for this.

https://arcadeheroes.com - What games can you possibly expect to hear more about over the next week or so from this channel and blog? This video lays it all out. Unfortunately with so many companies to discuss, there's a lot to talk about, so here are timecodes! Intro: 0:10 Adrenaline Amusements: 4:45 Amusement Source Int'l: 7:37 Andamiro USA: 9:14 Bandai Namco Amusements: 10:18 Bay Tek Entertainment: 12:43 Boxblaster: 14:40 Coastal Amusements: 15:36 Elaut USA: 18:15 exA-Arcadia: 21:47 Hawt Pink: 26:21 ICE: 28:01 Incredible Technologies: I forgot them! So sorry to IT. They'll have Golden Tee 2021, Retro Raccoons and possibly Golden Tee PGA Tour. Jennison: 29:17 Komuse: 29:53 LAI Games: 30:49 Raw Thrills/Betson: 32:02 Really Big Crane Co.: 36:21 Sega Amusements: 37:24 Stern Pinball: 40:27 Trio-Tech: 42:42 Valley-Dynamo: 44:05 Virtuix: 45:42 VRSenal: 46:36 Who won't be there: 48:16 Final thoughts: 49:55

https://arcadeheroes.com - Taking a full playthrough of the (currently) arcade exclusive game, The Walking Dead by Play Mechanix & Raw Thrills, 2017. This is still available brand new from Raw Thrills and was licensed from AMC. Time codes: Intro & Cabinet Explanation: 0:10 Chapter 1: 5:34 Chapter 2: 11:55 Chapter 3: 18:55 Chapter 4: 25:57

https://arcadeheroes.com - I was sent a link for a 3D walk-around of a GENDA/Sega arcade in Akihabara, so I had the idea of let's walk through it together instead of me just blogging about it with a link & photos.

https://arcadeheroes.com - We've known about it for a couple of months already, and June is the month where Minecraft Dungeons Arcade will be released by Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix. I go over the new trailer and break it all down. I will have this machine before the month is over, so stay tuned for more!

https://arcadeheroes.com - Here's a straight capture, without any commentary on my part, of the 2021 arcade release, Blazing Chrome AC by Joymasher and Allone Works. It's a Super Contra-style game that's tough, but with practice, you can do well at it. I do fine on the first level, then things get...dicey :P

https://arcadeheroes.com - Since it's that Star Wars day again, let's take a few moments to discuss Star Wars in arcades over the years and do a full playthrough of Sega's 1998 masterpiece, Star Wars Trilogy Arcade. Yes, I know how to pronounce Boba, but for some reason I wasn't doing it right in this video :P