There’s an important semi-nostalgic movement happening in games, and I’m excited about where it’s heading. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself here. Over the last five years, major publishers, obsessed with the success of “forever games” such as Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox, have been throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into their own sprawling, endlessly updating, battle-pass-infested mega franchises – each designed to take all our time and money.
The result has been astounding failures such as Concord, Mindseye and Tales of the Shire. Even the good games – Crimson Desert, Path of Exile 2, Blood of the Dawnwalker – are so bloated they have become the unyielding masters of our precious few hours of free time. It’s a relief, then, to see a growing number of mainstream titles heavily inspired by arcade design conventions, and intended as discreet, contained experiences.
Along with the excellent driving game Star Wars Galactic Racer, which I rave about below, there’s Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, an unreconstructed air-combat shooter that doesn’t want to become your whole life. You don’t have to romance your F/A-18F Super Hornet (although that does sound sort of cool), you don’t have to build your own airbase. You fly, you shoot things, there’s a story in the background, the end.
It’s been equally lovely to see the success of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, a demanding 2D fighting game with complex interlocking power-up systems – the sort of thing my friends and I might have played in the arcades in 1993 before buying it on imported £100 Neo Geo carts. All of this points to one inevitable, socio-ludological phenomenon: the rebirth of the games arcade. Yes, I know there are already a few brilliant retro arcades dotted about, and plenty of chain bars and cafes such as Continue and NQ64 offering classic coin-ops alongside themed cocktails.
There’s also Arcade Arena, a new “immersive experience” venue in London that lets you play physical versions of Pac-Man and kart racers. But a growing number of players are interested in arcade-game design, and don’t necessarily want to play a few rounds of Time Crisis while downing a mojito. What I’m hoping to see is a more refined take on the coin-op arcade, something akin to the rise of the independent bookshop, with carefully curated collections of both new and classic experiences, and interesting events.
This, I am pleased to discover, is happening. People are willing to spend money on an authentic arcade-style experience, just as they are now spending money on DVDs and vinyl records. A growing number of us want to have experiences that mega corps can’t provide through sleek, glassy devices.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
