http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESM9iKBdvc8

See all 4 Parts of the Tutorial [@] Retro Roms

So I’m throwing you a curve ball here (wow check out the Brit using an American slang term) and using some music from an arcade game. X-Men (1992) was released by Konami and I’m almost positive that hardly anyone would have heard this at the arcade with all the many games shouting out their own form of musical advertisement.  I was lucky enough to visit a friend who owns a cabinet featuring this very game and was engrossed (I also laughed hard at the Magneto quote “welcome to die”). This is defiantly Japanese arcade music at its fullest and I think it has some Capcom influences . They were both using the Sound CPU: Z80 (all be it Konami at 8 MHz) and two Sound Chips: YM2151 and K054539. Ok I’m getting technical now I had better finish this here before the (Gweat and tewerble) editor Retroist decides to see if I have mutant healing powers by beating me with the business end of  a Mos technology SID chip still connected to his C64 and let me tell you, that will leave a mark (if not on your body then on your mind)

To talk about great video game music or to beat me yourself with the business end of something substantial* come and join us at the Forum

*only E-beatings will be acceptable, real life beatings may be met with a letter from my lawyer (who has an adamantium bonded to his skeleton)

I am now in the market for a Philco shell, so if you know of one, give me a yell. For more info about this mod build drop by Philco Predicta Casemod [@] Onomy Labs.

After settling into my new home and getting MAME fatigue I decided to do a little research. After a short amount searching I found the answer to my video game dreams the Star Worlds Arcade. Located in the beautiful city of DeKalb, this Arcade is just under an hour away. To the car!

DeKalb is a bit of a hike through some nice farm country, but the further I got away from Suburbandom the more I was worried. Can farm country have a decent arcade? I was worried for nothing. As you approach the city, the strip malls and fast food joints start popping like gangbusters. I was in my element.

Now where is this place? I had the address, but I was unfamiliar with where I was. I was just about to stop and ask directions. No need, as I crossed the train tracks I spotted the sign on a non-nondescript brick building.

Yes!

The arcade is smaller then I thought it would be and a lot less flashy then what I expected, but who cares. Did you see that website? Classic games be ahead. Upon entering the arcade you are struck by two things, the smell of fresh popped popcorn and the fact that every square foot of this building is crammed with classic games. I pulled out a $10 and was given 60 tokens by Pac Man Pat. Tokens? Pac Man Pat? I have died and gone to retroist heaven.

The games are in great conditions and their are a few rare ones here, including Domino Man and a perfectly functioning pinball hybrid Baby Pac-Man. I was 12 years old again jumping from game to game like a demon. Is that Pinbot? Burger Time? You name it and they have it and almost all of the games are just one token.

I mentioned that the place is crammed with games. It is also decorated with great classic video game memorabilia on every surface (even the bathroom). I could describe it all in great details, but I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

I am not sure where the afternoon went, but before I knew it I was out of tokens and my stomach was grumbling. I got 5 more tokens and made a last pass through the arcade and played some Pinbot. It was with a heavy heart that I left the arcade that day. I promised I would be back (I have) and introduced myself to Pat. He was nice enough to slide me this bad boy for my next trip.

Star Worlds is doing bang up job of keeping a piece of history alive. But like all small businesses they need your help. So if you need a great retro experience drop in and play for a while. Just don’t touch the high score on Burger Time. That belongs to me!

Visit the Star Worlds Arcade:
1234 East Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, IL 60115 (815)787-4599
url: http://www.starworldsarcade.com

I guess it doesn’t take a degree in psychology to reason out why I run to these games when my life is filled with stress and chaos. They were developed in a time period that I am obviously fond of and their design is perfect for the occupied mind. The immediacy of the joystick play and the rapid progression of difficulty forces you to commit to their game system far more quickly then you would on new games that are designed to give you 10+ hours. Sure I can cruise around in the sandbox of Liberty City for a few hours, doing missions and collecting rewards, but the game system is such that you have intense moments of immersion followed by several minutes of very cool, but distraction filled driving/running.

Now in the same hour, I can fire up Pac-Man and I am instantly in the Pac World. The only breaks are brief screen loads and short animated cut scenes that give you just enough time to wipe the sweat off your hands and jump into the next level. Because they don’t require much of a learning curve you can achieve the much sought after gamers trance. These games are relentless and they requires arcade game discipline. Luckily I was born at the right time to acquire that discipline, because as an adult I could never do it.

Don’t get me wrong I love all games and some of these new game are just what I dreamed about when I was going to see Tron for the third time in the theater. But if your mind is cluttered and you need a break from the world , I am talking total distraction from reality. Why not download MAME or even better hunt down your local arcade and drop a few bucks on some of the classics.