Arcadia Counts Down Japan's Top Arcade Titles
The Japanese arcade game scene continues to be fascinating, even if it's basically not reproducable outside that territory, and Arcade Renaissance has grabbed the latest Arcadia Magazine-compiled arcade game charts from Japan - most interesting.
As they note: "The following rankings are separated between the top 10 generic cabinets and the top 10 dedicated cabinets" - ie machines that you just put new JAMMA boards in, or those which have very custom controls and livery and therefore require a standalone arcade machine - and it's fascinating to see Arc System Works' 2D fighter Guilty Gear XX Accent Core atop the generic charts.
Also notable near the top of the generics - 2D fighter Melty Blood Act Cadenza Version B2, which was, after all, originally based on amateur dojin software. Heh, and Mah-jongg Fight Club 5 ("The first rule of....") is atop the dedicated charts, followed by so many Bemani titles that your eyes might bleed.
[Incidentally, I once spoke to a representative of Arcadia Magazine publisher Enterbrain and randomly enquired about the possibility of licensing the mag for the West. She just about fell off of her chair in amusement, given the VERY selective nature of the mag! However, I wonder if selected 'official' books based on Enterbrain arcade guides might go down well with the super-hardcore?]
Comments
Wouldn't it be nice to walk into a western arcade and see so many awesome fighting games?
Posted by: Corey Holcomb-Hockin | July 12, 2007 9:15 PM
Corey, Tokyo Game Action in Winchendon, MA (http://tokyogameaction.com) is pretty much that place.
Posted by: Jason Moses | July 13, 2007 12:50 PM
I'm pretty sure that the Chinatown Fair arcade in NYC looks very much like the Top 10 "generic" list. If it's a fighting/shooting game, they get it. It's a small place, so they don't have too much space to fill up with dedicated cabs, but I bet they managed to fit a few of those sit-down Initial D cabs in there too. (Haven't been there in a long while though, since I've become allergic to stab wounds.)
As for Japan's arcade scene, the "generic" chart is always topped by the fighting game du-jour. Sometimes, when the pickin's are slim, an older game can top the charts for months, like the KOF games tend to, into the next year (i.e. KOF 2002 was still number one even after 2003 came out).
You can track all the action yourself at http://www.arcadiamagazine.com/
The right hand column are the charts. "Generic” is first, followed by the "dedicated" chart.
PS: If you ever see that Enterbrain broad, tell her I'll subscribe in a heart beat to a "localized" Arcadia, and by localized, I mean translated into English, since the American arcade game industry is a joke (maybe that's why she fell out of her chair?). I am very much interested in reading about the Japanese arcade scene, since that is what I consider the essence of video games to begin with.
Posted by: lech | July 14, 2007 7:55 AM