Are home conversions the same as the arcade?

[Foxsolo2000]

After reading the forums on the death of arcades in the US I began to question whether part of the decline was truly down to people prefering to buy a game system to play their favourite arcade title? I admit that most home conversions are just as good as their arcade but in my opinion they lack the intensive feel that you get from playing them within an arcade. A couple of my favourite titles were the Time Crisis series and Urban Crisis and the buzz came from being good enough to not only complete the game or achieve a million points but also in gaining a large crowd round you admiring your skill.

How many others feel that the home conversions are just as good as their arcade counterparts? I don't know about the US but in the UK new games in the arcades still attract attention but there is a slow down noticeable but that is probably for the reason that too many new games simply resemble earlier titles.

[Flack]

Are you asking whether the experience at home is the same, or the actual software is the same?

 

The home conversions of many home arcade games aren't conversions at all but the actual games themselves. So on those, yeah, they're the same. Of course that hasn't always been the same (see: Atari 2600's Pac-Man).

 

Each version of gaming (arcades vs home consoles) has their advantages and disadvantages.

[sandmountainslim]

It's not the same to me however I prefer home to the late great arcades cuz as cool as the arcades were in the day none of them had a loveseat I could kick back on to play and they probably woulda kicked me out if I had tried to play in my pajamas

[classicgamingguy]

From my understanding of the whole arcade phenomenon, the reason that the arcades went out was due at least in part to the home console revolution. The crash didn't help either format, and as games got "better" and more powerful home consoles joined the band wagon, arcades were dwindling in popularity (and population).

 

We had an arcade in Hanover New Hampshire called "Putts Alley", that was down in a nice, cool basement where all the kids would go after school (and the ones that cut class were there as well). I spent a good portion of my time there, just enjoying the noise, comradere, and sensations that one would get from being in a room crammed full of people and coin ops.

 

With the advent of emulation, arcade quality gaming became more readily available on people's PC systems, duplicating to near perfection the way they used to play in those dimly-lit rooms. And it was always nicer to be "at home" enjoying the experience from your domicile's comfort.

 

Still, sadly, I miss them to this day, how they brought us kids together for some fun. The arcades in the UK will probably go the same way as the US ones did in a short period of time.

 

Steve