Latest news with #Galaga
New York Post
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Chuck E. Cheese opens spin-off arcades for adults — including one in New York
Where a kid can be an…adult? Famed animatronic restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese is launching a spin-off dubbed 'Chuck's Arcade' complete with arcades for adults as 'a modern-day love letter' to their fans — and aging consumers. The grown-up version of the kiddie arcade will be complete with retro arcade games, including Galaga alongside more violent ones left out of the tykes' terrain like Mortal Kombat and Halo, according to a press release. Advertisement 4 Chuck E. Cheese is launching a spin-off brand called 'Chuck's Arcade' for adults. Chuck's Arcade So far, 10 have opened in malls across the United States in New York, Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, New Hampshire and Missouri. The New York spot is located in Victor, about 22 miles southeast of Rochester. Each location is 'overseen by an animatronic character' from the company's lineup, ranging from Chuck E. Cheese himself to lesser-known icons from Munch's Make Believe Band that were discontinued at all locations in 2023 except one in California. Advertisement 4 The adult arcade features a prize counter complete with 'old-school merch.' Chuck's Arcade The adult arcades will be complete with a prize counter including 'old-school merch' for big ticket earners alongside the expected mountain of candy. Others will include food — and alcohol catered to their now-legal base. David McKillips, CEO of Chuck E. Cheese, figured expanding was a 'natural evolution' the company needed after a sweeping remodel of all 500 locations worldwide. 'Chuck E. Cheese has spent decades mastering the arcade experience — it's in our DNA,' McKillips assured. Advertisement 4 The adult arcade will include a mix of retro arcade machines and virtual reality games. Chuck's Arcade 4 Each location will be overseen by one of the franchise's animatronic characters. Chuck's Arcade Five years ago, the parent company for Chuck E. Cheese filed for bankruptcy after being beaten and battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it poured $350 million into remodels and rolled out a new pricing tier system to cater to families with stricter budgets. In 2023, the company was exploring auction options with investment banking powerhouse Goldman Sachs for up to $1 billion.
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Chuck E. Cheese opens 10 new retro-style arcades: See locations
Chuck E. Cheese has unlocked a new endeavor: Retro-style shopping mall arcades. In late June, CEC Entertainment, Chuck E. Cheese's parent company, unveiled Chuck's Arcade, retro-style arcades located in 10 shopping malls across the country. The arcades feature various games and merchandise counters, but unlike traditional Chuck E. Cheese's, for the most part, do not offer a food selection. The new Chuck's Arcades were created by retheming and renovating existing shopping mall Fun Spot Arcades, which were already owned by CEC Entertainment, a company spokesperson told USA TODAY. The new arcades come five years after CEC Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. Amid the pandemic, the company closed 45 locations, including 11 that closed before COVID hit. In 2019, the company reported losing $29 million, a court filing stated, and in 2020, CEC Entertainment lost more than 90% of its revenue, despite offering delivery and takeout food, per previous USA TODAY reporting. A CEC Entertainment spokesperson told USA TODAY that the company returned to pre-COVID revenue in 2023, and what has driven the company's recovery is the remodeling of more than 475 Chuck E. Cheese locations nationwide. "Our $350 million investment has delivered noticeable results, with traffic growth at levels we haven't seen in nearly five decades," the company spokesperson said. "Chuck's Arcade is a unique addition, designed for guests who grew up with Chuck E. Cheese and asked for more. While it's not expected to fundamentally change our business, it meets the needs of this loyal segment." Chuck E. Cheese: The show is over for Munch's Make Believe band at all Chuck E. Cheese locations but one What is Chuck's Arcade? Chuck's Arcade is a spinoff of the original Chuck E. Cheese experience. Located in shopping malls, the arcades feature both classic and new games. Classics include Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong and Centipede, and new offerings include Jurassic Park, Halo and Connect Four Hoops, according to a news release. Is Chuck's Arcade only for adults? No, Chuck's Arcade is for all ages. The arcades are just marketed for "adults and life-long fans" of Chuck. E Cheese, a news release states. Does Chuck's Arcade sell food? The majority of Chuck's Arcades do not sell food like a traditional Chuck E. Cheese. The exception is Chuck's Arcade and Pizzeria in Kansas City, Missouri, which offers a full Chuck E. Cheese menu, including beer and wine, a CEC Entertainment spokesperson said. Do Chuck's Arcades feature animatronic bands? No, sadly, Munch's Make Believe Band is a part of the past. The animatronic band was removed from locations and discontinued in 2023. However, each arcade does feature a non-moving animatronic statue, including Chuck E. Cheese or another member of the band, a CEC Entertainment spokesperson said. Where are Chuck's Arcades located? As of July 3, 10 Chuck's Arcades locations are open: Another location will open at Brea Mall in Brea, California, in August, a CEC Entertainment spokesperson told USA TODAY. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Digital Trends
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
This X-Arcade controller brings the smoky magic of arcades to virtual reality
I'll never forget my first experience with an arcade machine. I was at a small regional airport. I can't remember who we were picking up, but I do remember the Galaga machine. The beeping sound effects and the flashing lights called to me like a siren, even though I was barely tall enough to see the screen and grasp the joystick. Recommended Videos I don't know how much time I spent playing. It felt like hours, but was probably closer to 20 minutes. For a kid whose only experience with gaming was an NES, the whole experience felt transformative. Ever since then, I've wanted an arcade machine of my own. As I grew older, I came to understand that owning an arcade machine meant spending a not-insignificant amount of money — and spending a not-insignificant amount of time on maintenance. Those considerations (plus living in small apartments for a large part of my adult life) meant that obtaining one was more of a pipe dream than anything else. Enter the X-Arcade Arcade2TV-XR. This (relatively) affordable unit promised to bring the arcade experience into the home, and it definitely delivered on that promise. It also brought the maintenance aspect, too, in the form of tedious setup and configuration. Spoiler alert: I still think it's worth it, especially if you're an arcade buff, but be prepared to pull out what hair you have left trying to set up MAME to work with this controller (because let's face it: if you remember arcades, you're probably thinning a little). The arcade dream X-Arcade isn't new to the industry. The company has produced arcade controllers for over two decades, bringing the feel of playing old-school games right into the living room. As much fun as it is to play Street Fighter on a console, playing with a physical joystick and an arcade layout feels so much better. The Arcade2TV-XR model is a bit different. It works with Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets to immerse the player into a virtual arcade, and it's a pretty great experience. You can even customize the interior of the arcade to a certain extent, adding your own ROMs and playing your favorite games in an environment that feels familiar, if a bit better lit than the arcades I remember. If you really want to seal the deal, pump in a bit of stale cigarette smoke (but don't really. That's awful for you.) The unit includes a code for Arcade Ranger, the virtual arcade area. It also has a multiplayer game built-in that lets you build and customize an arcade while serving customers, but it isn't something I spent much time with. My interest lay in trying to recreate the arcade experience: a cacophony of background music, sound effects, and flashing lights all vying for attention while I struggle to make the most of a limited number of quarters. I was successful to a degree. I wasn't quite able to capture the atmosphere, but at least I nailed the feel. Playing older arcade games with the Arcade2TV-XR feels great. The buttons are responsive, the joystick is snappy, and it even has a trackball in the center if I ever get the urge to play Golden Tee. The inclusion of a second joystick and set of buttons is great for playing multiplayer arcade games with another person, although you will need to connect the controller to a PC or console for that. Thankfully, connecting to another system is easy enough to do. It's the configuration that had me groaning in frustration. Part of the problem is dated documentation; I found conflicting information in the included user manual and on the website. I ended up opting for the information on the company website, trusting it to be more accurate. The VR setup was simple. Linking the Arcade2TV-XR to RetroArch, on the other hand, felt like trying to beat level three of Battletoads. You know the one. Between firmware updates, USB issues, and trying to get the arcade controller to register in the device panel and then in RetroArch, I spent hours changing various settings until it worked just the way I wanted. Of course, the controller isn't to blame for all of that. RetroArch can be a bit of a nightmare at times, and it just had no idea what to make of the X-Arcade stick. In the end, everything worked as intended, and I spent a lot of time playing 1942, Gauntlet, and several other favorites. Playing fighters is particularly rewarding, and the Arcade2TV-XR comes with swappable restrictor gates to fine-tune the experience. Also: Pac-Man. So much Pac-Man. It's not exactly the same as playing an arcade machine, and I have to sideload ROMs onto the Quest 2 headset before they will appear in the virtual arcade environment. It's not plug-and-play, but I never expected it to be. Emulation has always required effort from the user, but this endeavor took more than expected and isn't something I'd wish upon a complete beginner. I'm not sure anything can ever fully capture the same sensation as when I first played Galaga at that airport, but when I pull on a VR headset and watch the cabinet appear in front of me, it's a step closer. And when I'm fully locked into a game, trying to beat a previous high score, something is there: the unadulterated joy that comes from playing games that live on mostly in memory.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ice cream shop owner anticipates opening of new Austintown location
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A local man is ready to take us all back several decades through our love of games, music and ice cream with a second location of his popular shop. The '80s — Boom Boom Mancini was world champion, football games at South High School were a huge thing and the Shaker Woods Festival was just getting started. Mike Thorpe showed us around the new Totally 80s Ice Ice Cream Shoppe on Raccoon Road in Austintown. He knows there's still work to do but he already knows the reaction he's hoping to get when it opens. 'We want all the kids to come in and feel a little bit like Ric Flair and just go, 'Wooo,' when they come in, you know? Pretty exciting,' Thorpe said. Totally 80s will have plenty of nostalgic games, including Ms. PacMan — players probably remember the yellow button to start the game, Connect Four — red versus blue, and Galaga. The games will be free for customers when the store opens. 'I mean, there's so many things out there for kids that maybe have a negative impact. Like, for a positive place for them to be able to go and maybe be part of their childhood when they look back,' Thorpe said. Parents and grandparents will remember some of the decorations better, like Ghost Busters and Michael Jackson. The Austintown location will also feature nostalgic candy, cotton candy and many old-time drinks. But Totally 80s has a common denominator for all ages — it's an 'Ice Ice Cream Shoppe.' 'Ice cream makes everybody happy. I think Nick Saban said it best when he said, 'You want to make everybody happy? Sell ice cream,'' Thorpe said. The first Totally 80s location in Salem has been open for almost a year and Thorpe found another place where he felt it could be successful as well. He also has an ice cream truck that's ready to hit the road. 'I'm looking to do it in neighborhoods, kind of like the old-fashioned feel. We'll have some of the old-fashioned music going with it and then mix in some '80s music with it. Make sure we keep it down a little bit and sell some ice cream and enjoy the kids,' Thorpe said. He still has some construction to do, then get an occupancy permit. He believes Totally 80s can open in Austintown by the end of the month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
