Arcade Experiences

Anyone have any funny/strange/weird/cool/etc. arcade experiences to share? Two things happened recently that I remember. There was a guy who had just selected a song when I came in and he was grabbing the bar all focused and whatnot so im thinking "Guess he's doing PSMO or something crazy". Needless to say, it was Golden Sky and he was holding the bar the whole time. The same day, I was playing against a guy I knew and we picked Max 300 (I had just broken into doing hard 10s at the arcade) and a crowd of some other guys were watching. My bud fails after the slowdown and since I cant do jackhammers for shit, I end up failing right before the final jump and my bud just kept laughing since everyone was all dissapointed like and I started laughing too but then everyone went away.

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i was walking by a Jeeper's that has a DDR machine facing this huge window so that anyone walking by can see you playing. well there was this tall lanky guy who had the biggest feet i've ever seen (besides Shaq :wink and he was doing Butterfly on light mode and was REALLY getting into, like dancing around and everything, and, i've seen people doing that for laughs with their friends, but this guy was completely serious and by himself...i couldn't help but laugh when i saw that. looking back though i feel kinda bad for the guy...

and i guess looking back on myself, i find it funny thinking back to this time i was at gameworks playing maxx unlimited and when i finished (with like a C or something) there was at least 15 people standing around just staring...just kinda funny cuz that doesn't seem like anything to me anymore, haha.

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This happened to me a few years ago. I was playing AM-3P on Heavy Doubles. For some reason, when I was travelling to the 2nd pad and had to put my foot on the right arrow, my foot decided to step all the way off the pad, so of course that totally threw me off balance and there was this Indian woman right there and I slightly bumped into her and she just looked really lost. I apologized. But luckily, the song kept going and I was still able to pass it.

Last October, I was at Six Flags Great Adventure during Fright Fest, and I decided to step into one of the arcades. One arcade had an EXTREME machine with crappy pads. While playing Dance Dance Revolution , one of my cousins decided to record me playing. At the end of the song, I bowed as if it was the end of a classical concert. Of course I told my cousin to delete the video, because I thought it was a crappy showing, and also because I hate being filmed unknowingly. My cousin and her friends all ended up laughing because I was, according to them, "hopping around."

I got this score once; thought it was pretty cool.
Also there was the time I was playing doubles and stepped a little too far left (completely off the pad). By the time I got back on I had failed X)

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One time, I walked into an arcade, and they actually had an In The Groove 2. Unbelievable.

I played two of my own custom songs via USB, and never wanted it to end.

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Ok, for serious now.

I was at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, and walking around in the blistering summer heat. I was with my family. I knew there were nearby arcades with dance machines. Overpriced, but they were there.

Now, there is no DDR EXTREME where I live, only SuperNOVA; when I saw an EXTREME in one of the arcades, I really wanted to play some songs that weren't on SuperNOVA. I did, and played 2 rounds of DDR: one with my brother (who quit after the last song because he complained of crappy pads), then one on doubles. It was $1.50 for 4 songs. My 3rd song was MAX 300 expert doubles (which I passed), but I had forgotten it was 4 rounds when I chose that song. I then played something more mild, a hard 8 or 9 I think.

Also, keep in mind this was an open-air arcade with no air conditioning, fans, or water, in the middle of a Florida summer day. I left the arcade parched, and looked around for some water. Near the slightly-cooler bathrooms, there was a water fountain, which I drank heavily from. I then decided to go with my brother and parents to some ride where the line waited outside, then went into an open-air, but heavily-air-conditioned que line room.

I was already feeling woozy and exhausted from the DDR, and on top of that I had to wait in the sun. I thought that getting into the cool air in the que line building would make me feel better, but was I ever wrong! As soon as the cool air hit me, I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded. I pushed past the attendee who was standing at the exit, and even though my dad called after me, I had no will to respond. I headed over to the nearest trash can, and felt like barfing, but not quite. I was looking down.

My dad came over to me and said "You don't look so good, it was that DDR!" I looked up to tell him I'm gunna puke, but the weirdest thing happened: my eyes weren't contrasting to the bright summer light. It was almost like I was trying to look at an angel with insane floodlights behind him. I said "I... I can't... see..." he told me to follow him, and I did, and the whole time I could barely see anything from the brightness. I went to the bathroom, almost threw up, then went with Dad to the first aid building. (I didn't even know these parks had them; at least, I've never noticed one while at a park before) The nurse laid me down on a bed, and gave me water. My dad stayed next to me for the next half-hour while I recooperated, and said I almost passed out.

I thought it was a strange experience, almost passing out; I've never done that before. So freaky when everything was bright like that.

tl;dr: GSB plays DDR in 100+ degree heat, almost passes out for first time, details his ethereal experience.

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Oh dear...I'm going there in a month. I'm fecked, aren't I?

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Goldensunboy what a shocking tale. I mean $1.50 for 4 stages... you were very nearly paying UK prices!

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If only Cyprus had DDR when I went...all the arcades there were at 50 Cypriot cents (which is about 30p). Seriously, they had a Tekken 3 machine at the hotel set to 5 rounds, no time limit for 30p a credit. Noice. Just imagine what they'd have done if it was a DDR machine...

Anyway, a couple of months ago, I was having real trouble clearing Paranoia survivor in the arcades (the crossover-filled death runs got me every single time). So, I go to my local arcade-cum-bowling alley, which has a Fusion. It's got bloody awful pads, as I found out on the first stage where I very nearly failed La Senorita Virtual (when I usually get around 20g). The second stage went a bit better, when I cleared Tough Enough with an A. Still a large number of pad misses, though. On the final stage, I decided to pick Paranoia survivor, because, hell, what's the worst that could happen? Bizarrely, it was going rather well until the infamous deathruns. Obviously, I got loads of boos, but I actually managed to pass it! With a B! On the worst pads I've ever played on! And yeah, I got a standing ovation by about 20 people staring in disbelief. Good times.

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My first serious DDR experience went a bit like Goldensunboy's - I played three songs (Butterfly, Hold on Me, Dance Dance Revolution [all Light] - unlocked Extreme) and got so woozy after playing that I needed someone to give me water. Fortunately, I was able to get home afterwards. I think it was the jumps in the last song that almost killed me.

Now I have no problem clearing many songs on Light - so long as I remember to take water breaks every so often.

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Universal Studios' DDR EXTREME was my worst experience I've ever had relating to DDR.

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But Universal Studios also had the first In The Groove 2 dedicab I've ever played on, which leads me into another story:

At Kingpin's arcade, they had an ITG2 dedi in good condition (with USB slots, but I had misplaced my USB drive so booooo), it was HOLY MOTHER OF GOD $2.00 for 3 songs.

This was the day after my overheating incident, when I was feeling better. It was cloudy, and it even rained later. (providing for 20-30 person audiences) Anyway, I cashed a $10.00 that would be worth 5 plays (... ), and I played a set with my brother. I passed Destiny. I then played some doubles, and tried (but failed) Disconnected Disco.

After lunch, we all went back to our room at the hotel, and I went solo back to the arcade. I got there, payed for and played 2 more rounds, then someone and his buddy showed up (with their USB drives). They went to someone they knew who worked at the arcade, and he inserted 20+ credits into the machine.

So everyone took turns playing on this machine for free, and one of the guys was had a very good PA. Tri-starring 8's and 9's, and his combo off the USB started around 92,000. He usually played his songs with the "show judgement" turned off, for whatever reason. I like to see my step judgement. An older black guy who also had good PA played EternuS off his USB stick (and gold-combo'd most of the song), effectively introducing me to EternuS. This was long before EternuS was announced for SN2 CS. Fun stuff!

It was nice that the guys there kept their long songs in check with the que, but it was really annoying when some goody-two-shoes thought his gold combo's and tri-stars were so important that he wouldn't let someone play with them. At least two of the guys there were like that. One guy did play some Cartoon Heroes long version song though, and it seemed too repetitive to enjoy hearing so much of the same song. I mean, I have a 7-minute song by Rhapsody of Fire on my USB, ready to play when I go to New Jersey in less than a week (the only 2 or 3 days per year I get to play ITG2 ), but at least this song has so many variations in musical style that it's made interesting.

After the 20 or so credits were exhausted, the employee came back and inserted some ~20 more.

Eventually, after most of the players had left so there were only 2 or 3 other people besides me, I played Summer on hard, and cramped up in the middle of the song and had to fail. At the time I was also dealing with an upper respiratory infection, so I decided to retire to my room for health reasons, too.

Anyway, I ended up staying there for 5 hours. I sat out 80% of the time in line, but it was neat to see other people like me who were enthusiastic about ITG. And I was introduced to EternuS, and all sorts of other interesting songs. One song that was a bit funny in particular, was a System of a Down song that was so crunched up on the song wheel, you couldn't even read it. When the player chose it, the entire song progression bar at the top was filled with the text: The cocaine makes me feel like I'm on this Song"

Good times.

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Oh yeah, Cartoon Heroes long version! That one by LOTF was one of the first (good) sims I ever got from BMS. Anyone who wants it get dl it here for reference

Er, the only other experience coming to mind right now is that time I got to meet Damien. He seemed cool enough, though he hates Konami (lol) and pirates all of the IIDX games.

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I was playing DDR Supernova arcade, and I was doing Goldensky on heavy, of course I triple a'd the song, and all, but then these three asian girls where laughing at me, I felt sad, and then they pointed, and I notice that my zipper was open. lol.

Felt really awkward.

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If it was 1.50$ for 3 songs, I'd say screw it.

OK I might play 1 round, I've not played ITG in months.

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$1.50 for 3 songs is not so bad. Unfortunately, the SuperNOVA I frequently use costs that much. This is usually when I don't like going all the way to Toys R Us Times Square (and their UNPATCHED SuperNOVA)

Be glad you don't live in the UK, where the standard is £1 / 3 songs. (i.e. $2)

What a ripoff.

yea well where I live

its 1.50 for 2 DDR Extreme songs, its like wow what a rip off.

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Ouch. i was actually considering going there sometime within the next year. With the crappy exchange rate, looks like I'm not going anywhere soon.

The only thing good about going to Toys R Us Times Square is that the unpatched SuperNOVA is $1 / 3 songs. They have two SuperNOVAs, but all I know about that one is that it's patched. It may be the same price.

Me it's 1.00 $ for 3 songs, SN2. I feel lucky.

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