PRESS START AN AUSTIN ARCADE FIELD GUIDE ANTHONY ZUBIA
dedicated to those keeping the arcade spirit alive
PRESS START AN AUSTIN ARCADE FIELD GUIDE ANTHONY ZUBIA
INTRODUCTION
While growing up in my hometown of El Paso, I remember being about five years old and playing arcade machines at an arcade called Alladin’s Castle. I remember being with my brother and father shoveling quarters in machines and having the time of my life. No more than two years later, Alladin’s Castle closed down and was no more. Even though I own a PS3 and love to play against people online, I feel like nothing can beat the intensity of coing up against someone at an arcade. Whenever people would gather around and watch you play, you had to make sure you were at the top of your game to show everyone how good you were. With the local arcade closed, I remember thinking those days were long gone... until I moved to Austin. I remember when I visited Austin for the first time, one of the first things I looked up was an arcade. I found the arcades here and immediately fell in love. It was good to know that in this city, there are many places where you can relive the Golden Era of arcade games. “Where?”, you might be asking. Let me show you.
table of contents
Arcade 4 Categories austin 8 arcades hidden 20 treasures ARCADE 24 index
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ARCADE CATEGORIES
Arcade Categories 4
ARCADE CATEGORIES
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These are the various categories of the different arcades you will find in Austin. Arcades come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, so this guide will help you identify each category. The symbols will appear in the next pages to show the different types of arcades at various locations.
RETRO
Retro arcades are the machines that were dominant during the golden age of arcades which lasted from 1970-1995.
CURRENT
Arcades are the machines that were produced from 1996-Now. These range from fighting, shooting, music, and interactive arcades.
PINBALL
Pinball machines are mechanical games that require you to score points by bouncing a metal ball around a playfield.
REDEMPTION
Redemption games award a certain amount of tickets based on your skill. You usually can redeem the tickets for prizes at a booth in the arcade.
JAPANESE
Japanese arcades are popular machines from Japan that aren’t made available in the United States. These machines have to be imported straight from Japan.
VERSUS
Versus arcades are those that are made specifically to battle your friends or to compete in a tournament. The rewards aren’t tickets or your initials in the high score slot, just victory. Arcade Categories 6
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AUSTIN ARCADES
Austin Arcades 8
ARCADE UFO
Address: 3101 Speedway Price: $ Food: No Alcohol: No Age Group: All Ages Yelp: Type of Arcades: 9 Press Start
Arcade UFO is the only Japanese-style game center in Texas. With most of its arcades being imported from Japan, Arcade UFO has a very unique set of arcade games. While some may disappointed by the fact that it is a bit smaller than the other venues and no alcohol is allowed, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a lot of fun. Many of their arcades are fighting games so it is easy to play the person sitting next you or even in the other room which brings back the competetive feel like the old days. With its close location to UT, it is a great place for students to have fun and take a break from studying.
PAC-MAN BATTLE ROYALE 2011 Namco 2-4 Players
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 1989 Konami 1-4 Players
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DO DON PACHI DAI FUKKATSU 2008 AMI 1-2 Players
SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 2010 Capcom 1-2 Players
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Austin Arcades 10
BIRD’S BARBERSHOP
Address: Various Locations Price: $ Food: No Alcohol: Yes Age Group: All Ages Yelp: Type of Arcades: 11 Press Start
Bird’s Barbershop is a very unique Austin treasure. It opened in 2006 not just as a place to get yourself a great haircut but as place for you to relax, enjoy a free Shiner beer, and play retro arcade games. The environment is filled with retro arcade art, great music, and friendly staff. Not only is the beer free, but the arcades are on free play as well. It is also nice to know that no matter where you are in Austin, you are not too far from a location There are five different locations that include 905 East 41st Street, 6800 Burnet Road, 1107 East 6th Street, 1902 South Congress, and 2100 South Lamar.
CENTIPEDE 1981 Atari 1 Player
ASTEROIDS 1979 Atari 1 Player
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SPACE INVADERS 1978 Midway 1 Player
JR. PAC-MAN 1983 Midway 1 Player
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Austin Arcades 12
KUNG FU SALOON
Address: 510 Rio Grande St. Price: $$ Food: No Alcohol: Yes Age Group: 21+ Yelp: Type of Arcades: 13 Press Start
Kung Fu Saloon is located in the West 6th Street area in downtown Austin. Offering a unique bar experience, Kung Fu Saloon is place where you can take your friends, have a few drinks, and play some great arcades. The atmosphere is great and is different from the other bars located on the other side of 6th Street. The decor includes pixelated art on the walls and Space Invaders characters incorporated in the masonry. With a full bar that includes 24 beers on tap, Kung Fu Saloon is sure to be on your list of favorite bars in Austin.
BIG BUCK HUNTER 2000 Play Mechanix 1-2 Players
ULTIMATE MORTAL KOMBAT 3 1995 Midway 1-2 Players
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FOOSBALL 2009 Performance 2-4 Players Category:
Austin Arcades 14
PINBALLZ ARCADE
Address: 8940 Research Blvd Price Range: $ Food: Yes Alcohol: BYOB Age Group: All Ages Yelp: Type of Arcades: 15 Press Start
Pinballz Arcade is 13,000 square feet of arcade fun. There are over two hundred games to play and it is ideal for both kids and adults. Not only can you play these games, but they are up for sale as well. This venue is so big that it has two floors. The first floor is dedicated to retro and redemption arcades while the top floor is filled with pinball machines. There is a prize center for you to purchase items with the many tickets you have earned. Pinballz Arcade also has its own cafe called Mikki’s Replay CafÊ which offers not oonly snacks but dinner items as well. This place is the ideal arcade to relive the arcades of old.
TMNT: TURTLES IN TIME 1991 Konami 1-4 Players
TIME CRISIS 4 2006 Namco 1-2 Players
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AIR HOCKEY 2007 Great American 2 Players Category:
Austin Arcades 16
RECESS ARCADE BAR
Address: 222 East 6th St. Price: $ Food: Yes Alcohol: Yes Age Group: 21+ Yelp: Type of Arcades: 17 Press Start
Recess Arcade Bar is located in the heart of historic 6th Street but offers a different experience than the other bars around it. Recess features different categories of arcades and the best part is that they are always on free play. With that being said, you can buy some drinks with their great specials and then head to your favorite arcade and play for as long as you like. If you feel hungry afterward, you can even order some food there as well. Just like Kung Fu Saloon, there is video game art all over the walls that really help to put you in the mood for video games and a night of fun.
TERMINATOR SALVATION 2010 Namco 1-2 Players
STREET FIGHTER II 1991 Capcom 1-2 Players
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KICK-IT 2010 Baytek 2-4 Players Category:
Austin Arcades 18
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HIDDEN TREASURES
Hidden Treasures 20
HIDDEN TREASURES
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These arcades are located not at arcade businesses, but at random locations. It’s always good to see a random arcade somewhere knowing that you are only two quarters away from reliving some memories. Check out these various locations and the arcade games that are there.
GALAGA 1981 Namco 1 Player
CRUIS’N USA 1994 Midway 1 Player
Location: Rounders Pizzeria 1203 W 6th St
Location: Rounders Pizzeria 1203 W 6th St
BIG BUCK: SAFARI 2008 Play Mechanix 1-2 Players
HOOP FEVER 2002 ICE 2 Players
Location: Pluckers Wing Bar 3909 S Lamar
Location: Pluckers Wing Bar 3909 S Lamar
GOLDEN TEE LIVE 2013 BMI 1 Player
MAXIMUM FORCE 1997 Midway 1-2 Players
Location: Pluckers Wing Bar 3909 S Lamar
Location: Spincycle Washateria 2410 Riverside
Hidden Treasures 22
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ARCADE INDEX
Arcade Index 24
arcade index Use this index to look up what games each arcade has! They are all listed here for your convenience. Arcade UFO ARCADES Pac-Man Battle Royale Pop’n Music 20: Fantasia DJ Max Technika 3 Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3DX Plus Mobile Suit Gundam vs Gundam N.E.X.T. Time Crisis 4 In the Groove 2 Tetris: The Grand Master 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo Mr. Driller G Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Persona 4 Arena 25 Press Start
Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 The King of Fighters XIII Soul Calibur 5 Street Fighter X Tekken Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Skullgirls Mortal Kombat (2011) Rival Schools 2 Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion Capcom vs SNK 2 Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu ver 1.5 Twinkle Star Sprites Bird’s BARBERSHOP ARCADES Crystal Castles Space Duel Space Invaders Centipede Asteroids Jr. Pacman
Kung Fu Saloon ARCADES Big Buck Hunter II Centipede Donkey Kong Foosball Galaga Golden Tee Live Joust Kung Fu Master Moon Patrol Mortal Kombat III Ms. Pac-Man NBA Jam NFL Blitz 2000 Skee Ball Space Duel Street Fighter II Super Contra Pinballz Arcade ARCADES Arctic Thunder (Twin) Ballistics (Twin) Crazy Taxi
Cruis’n World (Twin) Hydro Thunder (Twin) Pole Position (sit down) Sega Super GT (Four Player) Tokyo Cop Tokyo Wars Area 51 Big Buck Hunter Carnival King Crisis Zone Invasion: The Abduction Maze of Kings Revolution X Silent Scope EX Star Trek Voyager Target Terror Terminator 2 Judgment Day Terminator Salvation Time Crisis 3 Time Crisis 4 Vortex VR3 Baby Pac-Man Asteroids Cocktail Battletoads Battlezone Arcade Index 26
Beatstage Complete Mix Centipede Cabaret (mini) DDR Extreme Defender Donkey Kong Excitebike Fighting Mania Galaga Galaga Cocktail Gauntlet Gauntlet: Dark Legacy Ghosts ‘n Goblins Guitar Hero Arcade Kung Fu Master Mario Bros. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Megatouch Fun Zone Metal Slug 3 Missile Command MoCap Boxing Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat 4 Ms Pacman w/Multi-Game Kit Operation Wolf Pac Man w/Multi-Pac Kit 27 Press Start
Percussion Master Pole Position (sit down) Popeye Police 911 2 Pump It Up Q*bert Rampage Sea Wolf Space Invaders Deluxe Simpsons (4-Player) Spider-Man (4-Player) Star Trek Voyager Star Wars Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Star Wars Trilogy Star Wars Pod Racer Arcade Street Fighter II: CE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tempest Tekken 5 TRON (fully restored) Tsurugi Ninja Warrior Ultracade Ultracade (cabaret) Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Virtual On Williams Multicade Wizard of Wor X-Men (6-Player) X-Men Vs. Streetfighter Zombie Revenge PINBALL Addams Family Airborne Attack From Mars Avatar Baby Pac-Man Back to the Future Banzai Run Batman Batman Forever Batman – The Dark Knight Big Guns Black Hole Black Knight Black Knight 2000 Blackout Bram Stoker’s Dracula Bride of Pin-Bot
Captain Fantastic Champion Pub Cirqus Voltaire Class of 1812 Corvette Creature from the Black Lagoon Cyclone Demolition Man Diner Dirty Harry Doctor Who Dungeons & Dragons Eight Ball Deluxe Elvira and the Party Monsters F-14 Tomcat Fire! Firepower Fish Tales Flintstones Frankenstein Fun House Genie Gilligan’s Island Godzilla Gorgar Arcade Index 28
Grand Lizard Guns N’ Roses Haunted House High Speed Hook Hula Hula Independence Day Indiana Jones Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure Indianapolis 500 Iron Man Jack-Bot Johnny Mnemonic Jumping Jack Jurassic Park: Lost World KISS Lord of the Rings Lost in Space Medieval Madness Millionaire Monster Bash NBA Fast Break NFL (Dallas Cowboys) No Good Gofers Phantom of the Opera 29 Press Start
Pinball Magic Pin-Bot Pirates of the Caribbean Playboy Red & Ted’s Road Show Revenge From Mars Rocky and Bullwinkle Safe Cracker Scared Stiff Shrek Simpsons Simpsons Pinball Party Sopranos South Park Spider-Man Stargate Starship Troopers Star Trek Star Trek 25th Anniversary Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Wars Star Wars Episode 1 Street Fighter II Strikes ‘N Spares Swords of Fury
Tales from the Crypt Target Pool Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Theatre of Magic The Getaway: High Speed II The Last Action Hero The Shadow Bally The Who’s Tommy Transformers TRON: Legacy Twilight Zone Twister Whirlwind White Water WHO dunnit World Cup Soccer X-Files Xenon VERSUS Air Hockey Basketball Puck Bowlers
Recess Arcade Bar ARCADES Mortal Kombat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NBA Jam Marvel Superheroes vs. Street Fighter NFL Blitz Area 51 vs. Max Force Knockout Punching Mrs. Pacman Donkey Kong Gallaga Centipede Ice Ball (a.k.a. Skeeball) Golden Tee 2012 NBA on NBC Showtime Gold Street Fighter 1 & 2 Terminator 2 Pinball Giant Jenga Giant Connect 4 Giant Checkers Giant Chess Frogger 1943 Pacman Arcade Index 30
GAME OVER
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING