treetsux Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treetsux Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 MAYBE......its been said many people see the Atari name as subpar. maybe they closed it so that they can bring it back in a couple years and people will think its a new great thing. Consumers are dumb, unlike us who know that Atari has always been great. restaurants do this kind of thing all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdcaldavis2k Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 Is Aladdin's Castle still in existence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdcaldavis2k Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 With Midway Games West closing, what will happen to their Arari Games assets? Will Midway (the parent company) retain the rights, or do you think they should allow Infogrames (or somebody else, and if somebody else, then who) to purchase the Atari Games rights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witchfynde Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 Just like the Drive In movie theatre, the Arcade will soon be a thing of the past and that truly is a sad thing. I don't think so, I think they'll still be around, but the days of the big arcades are pretty much gone, those are a bit rare nowadays (not to mention the "five or more arcades per mall" deal too). This is one where I WANT to be wrong!!! Heh, yeah, it IS good to be wrong occasionally To Albert: Yeah, I agree totally, there are hardly any games I play in the arcades nowadays either. Sad. Oh well, I've got m' home games (on various consoles), at least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted February 10, 2003 Share Posted February 10, 2003 Arcades have sort of become a rare novelty these days. I remember when I was a kid back in the 80s, I used to take my allowance and head downtown, where the Yonge Street strip offered no fewer than 7 arcades within a 5-minute walk for weekly arcade hoppers like me to spend the afternoon in. I'd visit each one in turn, playing a few games in each before moving on to the next. These days, there's exactly one arcade, Future Worlds, in my local mall. There are no others within any kind of a reasonable distance that I'm aware of. Mind you, the one that's here does seem to do a decent business with the teen crowd. Still, it ain't anything like it used to be. Computers have met and exceeded the power of arcade units, and gamers have learned to appreciate more sophisticated gameplay than most arcade games offer thanks to modern computers, so I suppose it's natural selection at its most elemental. Once upon a time arcades represented the pinnacle of modern computing and gaming technology, and it was all home computers could to do try and live up to them. Not so anymore, and gamers have evolved to understand and appreciate that. Plus, with home computers almost ubiquitous, it only makes sense that one can enjoy the arcade from their own home. Especially with MAME being what it is. :-) Still, it's a shame to see one of the very foundations of that once proud industry succumb to such an ignominous defeat. In a way it's a tangible and poignant example of what's going on with the modern arcade scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassidy Nolen Posted February 10, 2003 Share Posted February 10, 2003 When you say "dead", let me enlighten the dark situation we see here.... There are monthly coin operated auctions throughout the US, and I am sure other places. These are massive assemblies with 1000+ coin op games, all demanding high dollar from very active bidders. There are at least 20 operators I know of within a 50 mile area, and they all make their ENTIRE income from coin op games. I think this is just a shift in business. Here's why.... As Al said, driving, fighting and little else drives the market. Games are going up in price to buy new, and the quarter intake is not. So, they set the games on harder levels to make more money per play/player. We all get frustrated, and stop playing. Operator says, I cant buy more because I have not paid this one off yet, so they dont buy new games. No new games, drives up the prices of old "reliable" games (Neo Geo's are through the roof right now; 4-500 for a 1 slot non-dedicated 19 incher!). As they hold value, manufacturers do not have money for R&D, so there are no "new" concepts, just played out ones with a new spin. There is still money in all of this, dont worry. I give the industry 5 years, and it will be on top again. The era of Street Fighter games was hell on collectors (Robotrons converted to JAMMA ), but made fortunes just like Pac Man back in the Golden Days. We will ride this wave out, and as the games age, difficulties will be turned down, and new competition will enter the scene. The industry still makes money. Everywhere there is space, everywhere a kid is annoying a parent, everywhere clothes take 45 minutes to dry, there is a niche that can be filled. Will Aladdin's Palace and Time Out ever emerge again? Who know. In the meantime, don't give up hope. If you see a new (or classic) you like, throw a buck in it. Its an investment in our future. Cassidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariX Posted February 10, 2003 Share Posted February 10, 2003 Midway West hasn't made an arcade game in years. What was the last one, San Fransisco Rush: Alcatraz, San Fransisco Rush: 2049 or Gauntlet: Dark Legacy? Those games are around three years old now and were the last games under the Atari Games label. I guess their last game overall would be Gauntlet: Dark Legacy for the PS2, Xbox and GC. Does anyone know if they had any games in developement? BTW, if there are any Dreamcast owners out there. San Fransisco Rush: 2049 was a really fun game and you could probably pick it up for $10 these days. The home version had way more extra's than the arcade version. The only cappy thing though, is the hidden coins you pick up in the game have the Midway logo on them, instead of the "fuji". That left a bad taste in my mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted February 10, 2003 Author Share Posted February 10, 2003 Just received an email from a friend at the Former Midway West (Atari Games) Company, at the end of his email he signs: Midway Games West Inc, (Deceased) 675 Sycamore Drive, Milpitas CA 95035. -- Formerly Midway Games West Inc. after being Atari Games Corp. (again) after being Time Warner Interactive after being Atari Games Corp. after being Atari Inc. Not to be confused with Midway Games of which it was a wholly owned subsidiary until tossed into the Dumpster. Neither should it be confused with Atari Corp. also formally Atari Inc., was Hasbro for awhile and now is Infogrames. Now that technically the company has no name and, besides, I don't work there anymore, they cannot hold me accountable for anything I say. This, however, does not leave you off the hook. Pay attention to my rantings at your own peril... He summed it up nicely... Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t.skid Posted February 10, 2003 Share Posted February 10, 2003 Just received an email from a friend at the Former Midway West (Atari Games) Company, at the end of his email he signs: Midway Games West Inc, (Deceased) 675 Sycamore Drive, Milpitas CA 95035. -- Formerly Midway Games West Inc. after being Atari Games Corp. (again) after being Time Warner Interactive after being Atari Games Corp. after being Atari Inc. Not to be confused with Midway Games of which it was a wholly owned subsidiary until tossed into the Dumpster. Neither should it be confused with Atari Corp. also formally Atari Inc., was Hasbro for awhile and now is Infogrames. Now that technically the company has no name and, besides, I don't work there anymore, they cannot hold me accountable for anything I say. This, however, does not leave you off the hook. Pay attention to my rantings at your own peril... He summed it up nicely... Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 The Daily News contacted Nolan and I yesterday regarding Midway's closure of 675 Sycamore... The article is in today's Daily News Business section for those interested. Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t.skid Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 There is a way to read it for non-U.S. citizen? I mean, there is a website or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariDude Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Another part of Americana is gone, never to be seen again. Today marks a truly sad day in the history of Atari as yet another part of a once legendary company closes. I truly hope that someone buys the rights to the company and returns it back to its former glory but I do not foresee this anytime in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 Am I the only one who feels particularly bitter at this time of poor international relations that Atari Inc's assets found their way into a FRENCH company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATARI Posted February 17, 2003 Share Posted February 17, 2003 ...such a nice present for 60th birthday of Nolan Bushnell back on 5.2.2003. >:-(( :'''-((( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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