I freely admit, I was too young to appreciate the golden era of arcade gaming. By the time I had popped out of my mother’s nether-regions, it was gradually spluttering to a halt. The 1980s was king and unfortunately, I could never pay homage. However, there is hope for this dual-analog, touch-screen, high-definition generation; at the CES today, Microsoft announced the ‘Games Room’, a virtual arcade free to download for Xbox Live and Games for Windows users.
Despite the platform being free to download, the virtual arcade machines are not. If you’re willing to spend 240-500 MS Points ($3-$5), you can buy a single cabinet for your arcade, complete with original art and sounds. “Can I play these games for free afterwards?”, I hear you ask excitedly. Great news! NO. Microsoft will charge fifty cent each time you play! Because that’s awesome right? Just like the real arcades! Sigh… I sort of equate that to buying a 360 and then being charged a tenner every time I boot up Halo 3.
Payment aside, I think it’s a pretty neat idea. The arcades are fully customisable and you can visit your friends’, trying their machines for free. Multiplayer will be available, allowing you to compete for top spots on a global leader-board or alternatively, you can play offline with a friend in your front-room with a couple of beers.
This is something I’d like to try. Although the annoying micropayment feature is there, there are some arcade games I’ve always wanted to play. Kids of the late ’90s and ’00s will be able to experience some classics that I doubt they’ll have ever heard of, whilst the geeks of the ’80s will be reliving their childhood with a modern twist. What will we be playing? Some of the most familiar launch titles include Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Outlaw and Space Hawk, plus 24 confirmed others with many more to be released.
Expect to see the Game Room this spring.
Decman
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