Newsbytes: AAMA Gala, Asteroids Recharged and More Arcade Updates

September closed with a busy mix of arcade-industry announcements, trade-show footage, game updates and sad news from Japan. Here is a concise Australian-friendly roundup covering AAMA Gala 2024, GTI Asia China Expo, Asteroids Recharged, Maimai DX Prism and more.

Trade-show updates

September’s arcade calendar included GTI Asia China Expo, IAAPA Expo Europe and the smaller AAMA Gala 2024. Although the gala produced limited media coverage, several companies displayed products that were new to the event, even if they may not have been brand-new releases.

Sega Amusements demonstrated Apex Rebels, while AVS Companies did also post a few photos. The images included Bandai Namco’s Tom & Jerry Kitchen Chaos and Stern’s preview of The Uncanny X-Men.

More GTI footage has also started to appear. One official clip features a train-themed pusher with an exceptionally loud horn at the beginning, so keep the volume low. More significantly, UNIS published a highlights reel containing brief looks at several titles that had previously been covered by photography restrictions: Monster Kart, Amazing Universe, Picture Book Land and Sailor’s Quest VR 2.

Japan Amusement Expo is also beginning its pre-show activity ahead of the November event. Official websites are now live for Konami, Sega and Taito. More announcements are expected, and exA-Arcadia is also scheduled to attend, although its plans remain unknown. The published sites are not expected to reveal every attraction before the show.

New arcade trailers

UNIS has now released an official trailer for Monster Kart, one of its new GTI titles. The game uses an original property while taking inspiration from the kart-racing format associated with Mario Kart. Its motion-focused cabinet is particularly distinctive.

Motion-based kart cabinets have been uncommon. Sega’s Club Kart offered the costly Cycraft simulator, while Namco’s Kart Duel used a moving kart to a lesser degree. Earlier examples also include the ‘taikan’ version of Sega’s Power Drift.

Sega Amusements has also promoted its existing videmption title Zombies! Ready, Deady, Go!. The Halloween timing suits the game, and viewers in the United Kingdom may recognise the location used for filming.

Asteroids Recharged reaches more locations

Asteroids Recharged appeared at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo on Atari’s booth alongside newer console projects from other companies. Nolan Bushnell was also present, including to sign an original PONG machine. The next scheduled stop for the game was Pinball Expo a few weeks later.

The title is also appearing at operating locations in the United States. It had previously been installed at Arcade Galactic, although it was not there at this point and was expected to return with a newer hardware model. New installations had also reached Flynn’s Retrocade in Roy and The LAB in Ogden, Utah.

The PRGE machine subsequently went to Ground Kontrol in Portland, Oregon. Additional units were testing in Georgia and New Hampshire, although the precise venues had not been confirmed. With the software expected to be complete by IAAPA, further locations may follow.

Maimai DX Prism launches in Japan

Sega released the latest Japanese version of Maimai DX earlier in September. Titled Prism and styled in-game as PRiSM, the update brings another visual refresh to the interface along with new music.

The version was expected to be the first candidate for a United States release if its location tests were successful. A two-month Dave & Buster’s test in Texas was due to finish quietly, while an earlier Round1USA test had performed better. That left a limited Round1USA release as one possible outcome.

Sega also opened entries for the sixth King Of Performai competition. An international division is planned, although participation from outside Asia was still uncertain.

Remembering Shukuo Ishikawa

Shukuo Ishikawa, a long-serving Namco figure, died aged 69. His career at the company began in the late 1970s, and he first became well known for successful electromechanical games including Wani Wani, also known as Gator Panic.

Ishikawa later became a development manager and oversaw important projects such as Taiko No Tatsujin and Wangan Midnight. Although he was not the principal creative force behind those games, his management played an important role in their development and success.

After progressing to become CEO during the second half of the 2000s, Ishikawa retired from Bandai Namco Entertainment in 2018. His contribution to Japanese arcade gaming remains substantial.

July and August arcade releases

A short video rounds up the arcade releases from July and August. Those months were comparatively quiet, with a September release video expected to follow soon.

Arcade headlines from Japan

• ARIKA and The Tetris Company sign an agreement for a new TGM series game. Whether it reaches arcades remains unknown.
• “Pac-Man Eats Tokyo”, a large Pac-Man projection on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
• Why Tekken 8 probably will not receive a conventional arcade edition, although later information could change that expectation.
• Mobile Suit Gundam EXVS 2 Overboost receives its eighth class update.
• Touhou Scarlet Diabolique Fantastica receives a new update.
• Bandai Namco location-tests Tekipaki Kitchen, a video-based cooking arcade game with echoes of Ryori No Tatsujin.
• Sega tests a video-card-vending Paw Patrol kiddie ride in Japan.
• AM2’s Kancolle Arcade continues operation.
• Sega updates Eiketsu Taisen to version 2.5.
• Bubble Bobble’s Bub and Bob receive a belated birthday greeting.
• Sega Rally Championship gets a 30th-anniversary CD album.
• Preliminary FY2022 Japanese amusement-industry survey results suggest a mix of post-pandemic recovery and crane-game strength.
• Initial D The Arcade team tournament announced for Amusement Expo.
• Bemani Pro League Season 4 begins for Dance Dance Revolution.
• Taito’s unproduced Fist Of The North Star laserdisc game is documented.
• An interview with the late Fukio Mitsuji discusses Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands.
• Pop’n Music 28: Jam & Fizz releases.
• DanceRush Stardom removes Butterfly.
• Dance Dance Revolution is covered in a new book.
• StepManiaX receives content update 54.
• Chuck E. Cheese ice cream becomes available, without a cheese flavour.

Home and wider gaming headlines

• Time Crisis receives an AI-powered plug-and-play light-gun release.
• A 14-year-old game developer faces a gaming-addiction lawsuit.
• The Atari 50th Anniversary Collection adds 19 games, including Berzerk, for $8.
• The entire Annapurna Interactive staff resigns.
• Nintendo sues Palworld creator Pocketpair.
• The PS5 Pro and 30th Anniversary Collection are announced.
• The Sega CD and Saturn RPG Lunar is remastered.
• A Jaleco arcade connection is coming to consoles.
• Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? returns on Switch.
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remaster trailer released.
• A video explains how video-game graphics work.

For readers considering a home setup, RETROCADE’s Arcade Machine Buying Guide covers the key decisions, while Upright Arcades and Bartop Arcades offer different approaches to fitting arcade gaming into an Australian home. More industry coverage is available on the Arcade Blog.