Arcade Trailer Raid, Day 1.

This year I decided to focus most of my game-playing time on classics, great games of previous generations that for one reason or another I’d missed.

Last weekend I took that to its extreme.

There are two things every arcade game nerd should do: attend an auction, and participate in a warehouse raid, the finding of an old stash of arcade cabinets, usually belonging to a former operator, and the retrieval adventure that follows. Visiting an auction is something one can plan, but warehouse raids requires luck, timing, and persistence. Fortunately, I stumbled across someone who had all three, and I got to ride along.

It begins.

The cabinets were split up between two places, which made for a bit of a logistics puzzle. The smaller lot was a group of about a 10-15 cabinets in storage units, so we took care of those during the evening and night of the first day.

Out of this group, Ray (the one who got this whole thing rolling) took home a Star Wars cockpit, Q-bert, Ms Pac-Man, Mappy, Track n Field cocktail, Make Trax, the Pole Position cockpit, and a handful of others. There was also a Road Riot 2-player cockpit that a former coworker came by to pick up the next day.

I took home a Xevious, the Neo MVS-2-13, and a Choplifter-in-an-I, Robot (missing the hall effect stick and boards, unfortunately). A Zombie Raid, Paperboy, Nintendo VS (Super Mario and Dr Mario), and Super Monaco GP are also in my garage waiting to be cleaned up and sold.

After a bit of cleaning and rebuilding the guns, this Zombie Raid turned out to be in beautiful shape. A few cosmetic blemishes, but the guns work great and the monitor is bright and clear:

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it, but I am a very tall person.

Day two tomorrow.

Arcade warehouse buy.

This one is mostly for the locals. Want to buy a video game?

I’ll be helping to load up an arcade operator buyout next week. The plan is to sell off as many cabinets as possible locally, and then the buyer will take the rest of the lot home in a rental truck. As a result, I’m sure anyone looking to pick up one of the larger games (yeah you, TX-1) will find themselves with a particularly good deal. We won’t see the machines until next week, so pricing is totally up in the air, but expect hobbyist-friendly numbers.

If you are interested in one or more of the games, let me know, and plan to be free the morning of September 19th.

A few of these are already spoken for, but here’s the list, as provided by the current owner:

01. Turkey Shoot
02. Turkey Shoot-minor gun adjustment needed (they used an optic type plastic on this game)
03. Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom
04. Mappy
05. Tempest (needs flyback)
06. Mach 3 Laser Game (have good player-if you are familiar with these, they need calibrated to the individual disc player-this is a nice one)
07. Rampage
08. Top Choice crane-works
09. Pac Land (conv. Game-not dedicated-in Journey cabinet)
010. Paperboy
011. Power Drift Mini Sid Down
012. Star Trek S/D Non working
013. Star Trek S/D Non working
014. Endro Racer ride on-restored nice-worked ok to my memory
015. TX1-did work-unknown now-rare
016. VS Cocktail-Super Mario Bros & Ladies Golf
017. Astron Belt Laser Game Deluxe Sit Down-Nice-No player-ultra rare-I almost certainly will have a player and disc for this game-but not sure.
018. Xevious
019. Hang on u/r
020. Interstellar U/R Very Rare
021. Neo Geo 2 slot 25″ monitor dedicated
022. Track-n-field Cocktail
023. VS Dual Super Mario Bros & Dr. Mario
024. Zombie Raid-minor gun problem
025. Xevious
026. TX1-I would say this is good for parts for the other one-used to work, but was parted out in the coin door area
027. Pole Position II S/D
028. Road Riot 2 player dedicated S/D
029. Pac Land Dedicated
030. Super Monaco GP u/r-minor paddle shifter problem, if I remember correctly
031. Q*Bert-Nice
032. Ms. Pac Man 19″ dedicated
033. Capcom Bowling
034. Kangaroo dedicated-nice
035. Strange Science Pinball-Nice-Works
036. Make Trax-needs small controls board on monitor-was robbed to fix another game

Restoring TRON

Here’s where I document the restoration of my TRON cabinet, a time honored tradition shared by many other owners across the internet.

I intend to strip down the entire machine, repair and paint the cabinet, replace all artwork, and clean up and fix any mechanical or wiring issues that remain. When I’m done, this TRON should be damn close to like-new condition.

(Cyberball is next, but that one is gonna be a bit more of a challenge)

I began the teardown this weekend, removed most of the fixtures and exterior bits, and sanded and repainted half the brackets. Discharging the monitor, something I’ve honestly been dreading for years, was a nonevent, and I’ll be pulling that and the boards out next.

I’ll list out my parts purchases as I go, partly with the intention of tracking how much I really end up sinking into this, and partly to make things easier for the next poor soul who wanders by with a restoration project.

Initial parts orders:

• Rear screen art
• T-molding (40 ft)
• 4 f15t8/cw fluorescent lamps (2 spares)
• 2 f15t8/bl fluorescent lamps (very nice price, 1 spare)
• 2 f15t8/blb fluorescent lamps
• Polaris 651 High Voltage Probe

Playstation 3, first thoughts.

Dear internet, this week I bought a Playstation 3.

While I’d been keeping an eye out for an original 60 gig for the whole hardware backwards compatibility thing, the local Game Crazy received a gently used 20 gig, one of the first series low end models lacking wifi, memory card reader, and the chrome trim of the 60, but fully compatible like its big brother. The price was right, and my resolve weak, so I took it home, threw in a 120 gig drive, and got to work rearranging the entertainment center to fit the new addition into the mix.

Several hours later I was greeted with the orchestral hello and the discovery that my receiver hates the PS3. None of the interface tones within the XrossMediaBar and Playstation Store can be heard, something to do with the lack of a continuous audio source via the optical hookup. It’s a known occurrence and a bit of a pain, but I’ll live with it. The audio quality otherwise is outstanding.

I initially thought I’d scored when a disc slid out upon initial startup, only to be dismayed upon learning that it was Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights. Still, a free game is a free game, and it’s got Ursula Mayes, so I guess that counts for something.

Blu-Ray performance is nice, and the PS3 is a respectable DVD player as well, although the Oppo will remain in the entertainment center for now. The Blu-Ray version of Robocop (always remember your first theatrical boobs) is a solid-enough transfer with admirable audio, but apart from a trailer, lacks any sort of extras or commentary.

As far as available PS3 titles go, nothing immediately screams at me. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a no-brainer, but I’ll wait on that until I’ve finished the first three. I was given a copy of Heavenly Sword at one of the conventions last year, so that’s on deck once it finds its way back home. Apart from those, Ratchet & Clank Future, Resistance, and Uncharted are on the list, and from the PSN I’m likely to pick up PixelJunk Monsters, Super Stardust HD, and maybe a couple other shooters. I’ll admit, the majority of my game time on the console (for now) will be with previous generation titles. I’ve still got a lot of catching up to do.

So, Sony-savvy readers, what else should I play?

link love 06-27-08

Nostalgia edition, this one is.

Here is a Barbie that I will buy, and I will feel no shame. When do we get to see the wheelchair-bound Rear Window Ken?

Ask Slashdot: Best Electronics Kits for Adults?

Branded in the 80s, the website for those of us who were kids during the decade, now comes in magazine form.

The latest opus from Greencine: Drive-In Movies: A Primer.

From the dtoid community blogs, Zac Bentz tells us a NES story.

Okay, I’ll end this with a couple nowadays bits:
Check out Gridgnome’s amazing Spore creatures! [via Soren]
Read the Indie platformer extravaganza on Mefi! [via GameSetWatch]

Eat a delicious mangosteen.

Relatively unavailable in the US until recently, we first tasted the mangosteen while in the Vietnam countryside, and I’ve been keeping an eye out for the things ever since. With its thick pomegranate-like shell, a meaty interior resembling an orange crossed with a peeled grape, and a unique sweet with a touch of sour taste, the mangosteen would sit near the top of my favorite fruits list, were I to compile a list of favorite fruits.

At long last, the local 99 Ranch received a shipment (selling for $6.99/lb), and I snatched up a couple pounds worth last night. Damn these things are good.

Forget the miracle fruit nonsense, as you wouldn’t be eating the rind anyway and the nutritional content of the meat really isn’t anything special, but do dine on one if given the chance.

And, in preparation for that potential partaking: how to enjoy a mangosteen.

link love 06-11-08

On photographing your anime and game figures. [via tomopop]
And somewhat related, taking better photos for etsy and ebay.

Also somewhat related, I’m sold on the NECA release of action figures based on the original Mirage Studios version of the turtles. My dilemma is deciding whether I want the current release or if I should wait for the black & white series 2 coming later this year.

Not counting the brief performance at the Spike VGAs, Video Games Live finally makes its way to Las Vegas this weekend. VGL is a great show, and someone we know well may be making a surprise guest appearance. Need tickets? Here’s a set on ebay going for cheap.
Update: They’ve posted the news, get ready to see Hell March live!

And finally, that didn’t take long.

Divers Dreamcast demo vid

I’ll take more photos and dig into it a bit once I’m back in town, but for now, here’s a quick preview:

Update: I’ve now got a more proper post about the Divers up.

Hurray Divers 2000!

I won I won I won! No accessories, but I’ve no plans to teleconference and will make due with a spare keyboard for now. Now I need to keep an eye out for the standard aqua Dreamcast controllers that originally shipped with the model…

Hrm, two right wings.

Close-up view

I wonder how common this is, or if there’s just one other unlucky schmo out there with two left wings. We’ll see what Atlus says.

Update: They’re shipping out a replacement. Thanks, Aram!