Page 40 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #3

ast holiday season, classic games? FORGET IT!
my fiancée, Seleen, I think the oldest game they
and I took the day had was from 1997. My heart
L off from our jobs to sank.
finish up our Christmas As I looked around at all
shopping. We started early the Virtua Fighting, Virtua
in the morning and finished Car Racing, Virtua Skiing,
late in the afternoon. At one Virtua Dogs Playing Poker
point, our travels found us bull-s…, my eyes glazed as I
about 50 miles from home in drifted back in time and re-
a shopping mall I used to frequent in was a fantastic world where you could membered all the great games I played
the 80's: Forest Village Park Mall. do anything and be anything, and just there for the first time: Sit down Star
I remember visiting my Grandpar- one more quarter could make you the Wars... (They sure don't make them
ents in the summer of 1979, when the reigning champion over whatever you like that anymore!); Kangaroo... (Time
big news was a brand new shopping wished. to PUNCH THE MONKEY!!!!);
mall being built a few miles away. My In case you chose not to enter via Dragon's Lair...(back when they put
grandmother and I would drive by to the "O," there was a smaller entrance another monitor on top of the cabinet
see how the mall was coming along; to the left, created by a curved wall that so the passersby could watch); a Track
the skeletal girders hinting at some- stretched from floor to roof. This wall & Field cocktail... (I still have blisters
thing fantastic to come. By the time the created a "corridor" of games that from hitting those damn buttons so
brickwork was climbing to the roof, we wrapped around and back into the hard!); Zaxxon... (I'd die instantly, but
knew a Mecca of consumer bliss was main body of the arcade behind the "O" those few seconds of pseudo-3D bliss
not too far away. archway. were SPECTACULAR!). So many
My Grandmother and I were among I recall looking over on the right games! I also recalled around 1982,
the throng of people attending the most wall, as a sea of people crowded when the mall sponsored a contest to
grand opening, and I was able to pe- around the Pac-Mans. Two Pacs and win an Asteroids machine (I presume it
ruse the record store (remember re- four Ms.Pacs emitted a chorus of dot was the one from the arcade). A
cords?), the bookstore, and of course, gobbling to flood the ears. Towards the "stage" was set up in the center of the
Kay Bee. Initially, I was disappointed back was a cluster of "alien" games mall, and Ms.Pac-Man, Pole Position,
when I discovered there was no arcade such as Galaxian, Galaga, Phoenix, and Stargate were on the stage. You
anywhere. How could this be??? After and Astro Blaster. To the untrained eye had to pay an entry fee, and were then
feeling a little disheartened, I saw it. they are all the same game, but to a given one credit on each of the three
Well, the beginnings of it, anyway. A youthful vidiot, they’re WORLDS apart. games. After you played each one
store space that hadn't opened yet had "Yankee Doodle" blares from the other once, your scores were combined, and
a giant white plaster wall proclaiming wall. A Frogger on full volume and a the contestant with the highest com-
"Coming Soon: Time Out Family Fun player oblivious to the sound are close bined score took home the Asteroids. I
Center." I was relieved. by. A Berzerk taunts a teen- imagine there had to have been a time
I don't recall exactly how long it took ager..."CHICKEN! FIGHT LIKE A RO- limit, otherwise a good game of Ms.
them to open, but I believe it was about BOT!!!" The place was just an overload Pac-Man could have lasted several
six months or so. Perhaps they were for the senses: The nasty guttural intro hours!
ensuring they would be the place of sound to Defender; The Jumpman's Finally, I remember my grandfather
dreams and inspiration for vidiots eve- squeaky sneakers in Donkey Kong (We taking me there around '85, and I saw
rywhere. More than likely, there was weren't to learn his first name of Mario a Dig Dug machine facing the back
some problem with the electrical speci- until D.K. Jr.); the ultra-cool cockpit with somebody working on it. It turned
fications of the space, or maybe Time cabinet of Star Fire beckoning players out to be a young female technician,
Out just didn't have all the games they to get comfy before getting blasted; the busily converting the Dig Dug into Ko-
needed yet. Whatever the deal was, simultaneous shrinking and growing nami's Super Basketball. My Grandfa-
when it finally opened, it was a sight to helix of Qix; the intimidating cabinet art ther and I talked to her for a little while
behold. of Centipede and Tempest (those bugs about this new process of converting
It was dark inside. Dimly lit, actually. and monsters looked FIERCE!); the old games. I remember thinking that
It was quite unlike today's mall ar- militaristic precision of those deadly this explained the oddball games I had
cades, which are so boisterous with copters in Armor Attack; and the per- seen from time to time like Ms.Pac-
lighting that all the video screens are fect crystal clear vectors projected onto Man in a Pac-Man cabinet. Little did I
blinded in disruptive glares. No, this the beautiful 3-D backlit space scape of know how many great classics would
place made its OWN light... rectangles Asteroids Deluxe (I wonder how many be lost.
of decorative marquees, bright and col- kids were inspired to buy blacklights Needless to say, I played nothing. I
orful monitors with bouncing and flying because of that game). left quickly, as to better preserve my
images, and little red "25 cents" panels As I walked back into this beloved memories of the way it should have
on the coin doors, acting as tiny little Mecca recently, I grew sad. Gone was stayed. As I walked back out, I tried to
beacons to my eager eyes. the "O" archway. Gone were the neon convey to Seleen the wonderment I
Neon lights danced near the ceiling stripes. Gone was that cool second experienced as a kid visiting the arcade
and several television monitors ex- entrance. Ripped out. Obliterated. You in its heyday and how it saddened me
tended down, playing the latest video couldn't even look at the ceiling or floor to see it in its current state. She empa-
from Blondie or Devo. An "archway" of to see where it HAD been. It was thized, but I'm not sure she could ever
sorts was part of the main entrance. brightly colored now too. Obnoxious. fully understand. As she put her hand
Actually, it was based on the interior of And way too many redemption style on my shoulder and we walked away, I
the "O" in the Time Out logo; a gradient games for my money. (Oooohhh, can I swear I heard the painful Pac-Man
of red to orange that made it appear as PLEASE play Whack-A-Mole for 24 death whimper in the air.
if you were setting foot into another hours straight to earn enough tickets *sniff sniff* excuse me...
world. Which, of course, you were. It for the dinky cassette player??) And
Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2000 40