"Events for Gamers" - Great site if you're looking for gaming or gaming related events in your town. Cons, expos, exhibits and whatnot.
Tough to scroll down realizing the next event in Japan is gonna be the Tokyo Game Show in September "/
www.eventsforgamers.com
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Arcade "Carnival" - Shinjuku, Tokyo
It's one of the oldest arcades in Tokyo but have managed to keep pace, introducing gambling machines and catering for the local market.
Prices are a little on the steep side but for fighting or retro games the standard 100¥ for two games is in effect.
One of the reasons Carnival remains a popular place is due to the spaciousness of the layout. Might sound minor but in a crammed city like Shinjuku personal space counts.
Arcade "Game Cube" - Koenji, Tokyo
One solid basement floor packed back to front with cabs. Good support for fight games with GuiltyGear, Tekken and StreetFighter plus a bag full of rhythm games.
Aside from the games, Cube has got a real 90's arcade feel. No frills, no UFO catchers or photo booths - just an underground dirty hangout for local dudes.
Game trader "Enterking" - Koenji, Tokyo
Haven't found many of these places around but can definitely vouch for the prices. Excellent deals on all major consoles and game, little as 200¥ for used 360 and PS2 games, 800¥ for PS3.
If you're after good deals on second hand consoles, controllers, fight sticks and peripherals, this is the place to be.
"CapBar" - Shinjuku, Tokyo
Catering (literally) for the Capcomunity in Japan, this game themed restaurant won't disappoint. Shoryuken beverages, Phoenix Wright onion rings and Resident Evil brain cakes are just half the story, with everything delivered with a performance from your waiter (often shocking).
This place has been pretty successful and doesn't show signs of letting up (bars such as the ResiEvil place seem to have shut down months after opening). Being a pretty small place, guaranteeing seats means booking in advance is a must.
パセラリゾーツ新宿本店1F, 1-3-16 Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0021
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Arcade "Game City" - Totsuka, Kanagawa.
Perfect example of how arcades in Japan have had to acclimatize themselves to the market place in recent years.UFO catcher machines, Pachinko and Medal games taking up about 75% of the floor space. It's rough for video gamers but you gotto appreciate these places have managed to adapt so well to the times.
Twitter - @junny113
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Legendary character designer and artist most recently for the TekkenTag2
Legendary character designer and artist most recently for the TekkenTag2
"Yodobashi Camera", Shinjuku
Yodobashi is large enough to warrant 4 buildings in the area. This one on Shinjuku west side, dedicated solely to games and gaming, is definitely worth checking, even if just for window shopping.
"Taito Station" - Kokubunji, Tokyo
Don't often cover the larger game centers, but kinda blown away to see this Taito Station shut down.
Taito Stations dominate the arcade scene in Japan, able to acclimatize themselves without resorting to pachinko or slot machines.
Can't be sure why this one on the outskirts of Tokyo has shut down (possibly due to redevelopment), but being a residential town for commuters with families, it's pretty worrying.
Arcade "Namco" - Nakano, Tokyo
Hell of a spacious and well thought out floor space makes this an awesome place to game. Definitely supporting the UFO catcher scene first and foremost but also have every current Namco cab on release too.
Central Tokyo arcades have a tendency to over-cab their places leading to a lot of distractions while playing. Blows trying to focus whilst gettin nudged in the back.
Being a Namco arcade they also hold fortnightly tournaments to keep things fresh, hygienic and non-smoking areas make it a cert for our upcoming meet ups.
Central Tokyo arcades have a tendency to over-cab their places leading to a lot of distractions while playing. Blows trying to focus whilst gettin nudged in the back.
Being a Namco arcade they also hold fortnightly tournaments to keep things fresh, hygienic and non-smoking areas make it a cert for our upcoming meet ups.
Arcade "Vortex" - Roppongi, Tokyo
4 months back the last arcade in Roppongi shut down. It truly blows to see a place with potential just boarded up.
Being located on the outskirts of a red light district might sound like a detriment to a game center, but actually some of the most successful indie places have that in common. Often hosts, hostesses take to the arcades before, after and during catering hours to kill time.
Signs read:
"December 27th 2013, Game Center operations will stop."
"Roppongi has become a town without a Game Center."
"Thank you for 18 years."
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Tekken tourney dates - March
Arcade "Namco" in Sugamo is the place to be if you wanna test the tourney waters in Tokyo. Events biweekly mean you can drop in any time and get a whoopin.
Seriously highly recommended if you wanna taste some tourney action and get a feel for just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Gotto love Sugamo "Namco"
Extra outlets at the cabs allow you to charge your phone while toasting players.
May seem trivial but it's a pretty dope move on part of Namco - Arcades around Tokyo have been struggling in recent years to pull in revenue, and even Namco's flagship store most be feeling the pinch. A few places offer seating areas to snack and chill, but encourage players to throw some coins in while charging their phones is a great move.
The best way to study Japanese
If you're looking for an in into Japanese language studies whilst buffing up on your gaming history, can't recommend "Game Center CX" enough.
The "GameMaker" series focuses on interviews with top industry dudes, with a few gaming challenges thrown into the mix.
Got some study time free? Pop out the dictionary and try it for 20 mins. Most eps are available on YT with Japanese subtitles.
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