Author Topic: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::  (Read 63577 times)

DarthNuno

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Well, this is a very special Road Trip / Pilgrimage... because this time, it'll happen in USA and not as I use to do in Europe... A premiere for me.
Of course I've already drove cars in US, but not for a such Road Trip... or  "Arcade Pilgrimage"

So the starting point will be the heart of New York  8)
Because it's gonna be a huge trip, I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but the car rental agency of hiring opens only at 7 a.m.
Afters the 'papers' to sign... here we are, ready to go ... 7:30 am ... Navigation car system ready... because because of the buildings, it's a pain to localize us... It's gonna be rock'n'roll to drive in the heart of the 'Big Apple'  ;D :



Arrival time estimated at : 12:39 ...gloups  :ghost:

Fortunately for us... because yes... Darth Nunette is with me (  :-* ) ... it's early ... no to much traffic around... but we have to be careful   8) ...I cannot compete with the cab drivers here ;D



It was not easy... but ... a least ... we are now out of New York (after maybe 40 or 50 minutes If I remember well) :



Arg! I forgot to take this photograph at the beginning of the trip :twisted:  :arrow:



I'll have to check on the car rental contract in order to calculate the length of this RT  ::)

On the road... food everywhere ... even more food than gas station  :P



...driving into ...Connecticut ... Massachusetts...sounds pretty cool huh  :-* ...



Wow :o... Boston very close ... the native town from the 'Kids Of Boston' ... EXTREME!!! (Nuno Bettencourt  ;) )  :arrow:



I'm driving since few hours now... time for a break! Oh, here's our car :


Yes... I know  ::) not very 'American style'  ::) :D

In order to do like most of my road trip, let's go into...



...yes... Burger King...  :P ... don't blame me ... It's just to compare US Burger King vs UK ones (We don't have BK in Belgium  :ghost:) :

Did you notice? Close to the BK, there is a BK 'FUN ROOM', full of arcade games.....and ... ARGH! No picture  :?

A great thing inside most of fast food restaurant ... the 'FREE REFILL' ... So like Forest Gump, I can drink as much Dr Pepper as I want  ;D  :arrow:



...still on the way ... Nashua town? ... I've already read something interesting to see here  ::) ... I will check that on the way back  ::) 8)  :arrow:



I'm a poor lonesome cowboy
I'm a long long way from home


...approaching the final destination ... Laconia  :)  :arrow:



I am very excited now  :P ... but it is necessary for me to remain careful. The sheriff is not too far  ::) ...



Well, the road will end soon... water ... coast ... we should arrive in a couple of minutes  :P



...and...


...here we are ...


...It's 1:43PM  8)

... I cannot believe I'm here ...  :P  :arrow:




 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:

OK this point, I presume you all know this place : FUNSPOT / Amercia Classic Arcade Museum"   ;)



Funspot Family Fun Center From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Funspot Family Fun Center (or simply known as Funspot) is a video arcade and self-declared "classic gaming museum" founded in 1952 by Bob Lawton, and located in the village of Weirs Beach in Laconia, New Hampshire, USA. It includes over 500 games, an indoor golf center, a 20-lane ten-pin and candlepin bowling center, cash bingo, mini-golf, a restaurant, and a tavern. Funspot was officially named the "Largest Arcade in the World" by Guinness World Records at the 10th Annual International Classic Video Game and Pinball Tournament, held from May 29 through June 1, 2008.

Integrated within Funspot is the American Classic Arcade Museum, which is the first 501(c) non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and displaying vintage coin-operated amusements. The museum celebrates the origins of the arcade industry with popular games from the past. Asteroids, Pac-Man, Centipede and a Gorgar pinball machine are just a few of the many games in the classic arcade museum. The museum also contains static displays of game history, and the walls feature many posters of vintage arcade games.

Points of interest


    * Billy Mitchell played his perfect game of Pac-Man on July 3, 1999 at this location.
    * Steve Wiebe set the high score for Donkey Kong in public at this location.
    * The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters was filmed in portions at this location.
    * The high score for BurgerTime, 9,000,000 points, was set here by Brian Wagner.
    * Funspot one of only two arcades (the other being Richie Knucklez in New Jersey)[citation needed] to officially display Donkey Kong 2: Return of Jumpman, the hack of Donkey Kong, complete with Nintendo trademark on the game cabinet.


Sounds good huh?  :-*

OK, at the entrance... the classic game wall of game :







You cannot miss THE grandmother of the video game  :-*  :arrow:



Ok, let's start my furious walk into this place...no logic, just a pure random ride ... like a cat who are entering a new house for the first time...

PS : Once again... sorry for the poor quality picture ( :oops:) ... just let's say it's good old fashion 80's pictures style  ::) ;D





Wow... I don't know how to visit this place... it's so HUGE  :o









I'm in heaven here...  :P







« Last Edit: December 10, 2009, 09:15:05 PM by DarthNuno »

DarthNuno

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2009, 06:57:44 PM »
After a nice welcome, we were guided by ...Robert Mruczek  :-* (on the right in the following picture):



On the left, it's a Pac Man player coming for Netherlands (I do not remember his name).
 
Robert is very nice & smart. After chatting with him on various subjects (High Score, King of Kong, TG, ...)... he says us : 'Hold a second, I'll try to found people for you  ;)'... After a moment, he returns with the Funspot founder, Bob Lawton  :-*  :arrow:



...after that he ask to Gary Vincent, co-founder of the American Classic Arcade Museum, to come and meet us  :-*



It was a real pleasure to meet them... very kind & smart  :-* :-* :-*

Ok, now it's time for me the enjoy the place... let's take some tokens...



I'm really addict about first black & white games  :-* WOw... the original 'Sprint' is really fun to play... the car movement is so smooth ... I love it  :-* :-* :-*



SUPER BUG  :-* I own this game too, but it's not working yet... so I play it here   :-* It really gives me the motivation to fix mine... because the game is very fun  8)  :arrow:



Atari TX1... triple screen  8)  :arrow:



(it's funny to play that triple screen racing game, because right now, I'm setting up a triple screen Forza III set up  :P)

At this point, I'm too exited to take pictures... I just want to play games  ::) ... so I give the camera to my wife and ask her to take random pictures... here's the result :





Death Race ... really fun to play... the sounds are so cool  8)  :arrow:







Vector games  :-* :-* :-* ...working  :-* :-* :-* I'm in heaven!!!













A wonderful Night Driver  :-* ... unfortunately not working ...  :'(









HD' ... I didn't remember how to 'enter' into this cockpit  :P   ;D :arrow:





Wooow... A Space Harrier *deluxe* ... but not working yet  :'(  :arrow:



One of my favorite area ... black & white games  :-*  :arrow:











 :-* :-* :-*
« Last Edit: December 08, 2009, 06:49:26 PM by DarthNuno »

DarthNuno

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2009, 06:57:59 PM »
Fan of TAITO games ? Here they are  :-*  :arrow:













An all-famous Track & Field...



... and its 'twin sister' GYRUSS  :)  :arrow:



INDY 4... Just awesome!!! I love it  :-* :-* :-*  :arrow:



Williams fans?  ::) :P





Here and there... 80's items  :-*



The 'Pac Man' area... or the battle for an high score  :)  :arrow:



...awesome... the second player from the right on that picture recognizes me  ;) He said he check this forum from time to time for new road trip'  :D Not registered here, but its pseudo is something like DKFAN or DK4Ever or something ? Anyway... it's was a nice meet  :-*

Wow...still greats games everywhere  :o :P















Never seen a Joust cocktail 'for real'  :-*  :arrow:



Hang-On ... welcome back in the 80s  :-*













I believe it's Donald Hayes playing here :







 :-*
« Last Edit: December 08, 2009, 07:09:52 PM by DarthNuno »

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2009, 06:58:09 PM »
The ride is not over  :P  :arrow:



Mhhh Burger Time  :-*  :arrow:



Still more games... just awesome!!!





...a famous "Satan's Hollow"  ::) :D  :arrow:















Long time ago... I used to play SUBROC on my Colecovision... and ...maybe 25 years later... I can play the real thing  :-*  :arrow:



...approaching the Nintendo area?  ::)



Yes! Here's the famous Donkey Kong cabinet... the same one since the first day at Fun Spot... the one where Steve Wiebe played so much on... and so many great DK players too  :-*  :arrow:



...note also the Donkey Kong II  :-* Gorgeous isn't it  :) A lot of history right here  :P



Nintendo cabinets are ones of the best!





Let's now have a ride into the 'laser games' area  :-* Of course... Dragon's Lair  :-* :-* :-*  :arrow:



M.A.C.H. 3 cockpit... but unfortunately not working  :-[







Hey... Spy Hunter cockpit  :-* In order to give me motivation to fix my SH (upright) still not working  :oops:, let's play this one  ;)



...same idea for S.T.U.N. Runner  ::)  :arrow:



...and still new more games to see... incredible  :o













« Last Edit: December 09, 2009, 08:23:37 PM by DarthNuno »

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2009, 06:58:28 PM »
Few more pictures...  :P

More than cabinets, a lot of things to see here... for example on the wall :







Impossible to resist... let's play this Burger Time... once again  :-*  :arrow:



... and this INDY 4  :-*  :arrow:



TANK 2 :



Back in the days... there was very special cabinets  :-*  :arrow:



Not dedicated... but at least in a Sega cabinet (but maybe it was the dedicated WB cabinet after all ::))  :arrow:



Hi Score in progress.... Kill Screen coming up... just in case  ::) ;D  :arrow:



Cute  :)  :arrow:



In an other level... more modern games...



...DAytonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!  :-* :-* :-* To bad I'm alone here... I need more players here  ;D  :arrow:



And now, take a ride with me inside this video :


[click on the picture to watch the video]

Argh... It's already time to go... The Road Trip is not over.. and there is a long way to go... I was here for only 2 - 3 hours  :oops: Next time I'll take an hotel and stay at least 2 days! Because yes... this is the Arcade Mecca, without any question! A MUST SEE PLACE!!! See you very soon FUN SPOT  :-* :-* :-*

A last picture, before to go  8)  :arrow:



 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
« Last Edit: December 11, 2009, 11:01:06 PM by DarthNuno »

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2009, 06:58:51 PM »
And here's the second part of the day  ;)  :arrow:



Pffff... what a day isn't it  ::) ;D

 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
« Last Edit: December 25, 2009, 04:00:32 PM by DarthNuno »

level42

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2009, 07:35:46 PM »
Heheh, great to see you took my advice :)

I bet you loved every second !

Since I've been there in 2006 they added over 100 cabs ! Can you believe it !?!?!?

I love that place. It's the Mecca of arcade fans !
I think it may very well be this year for a return visit !

scr33n

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2009, 08:51:09 PM »
FUNSPOT !!!  :-* :-* :spaceace: :spaceace:

Fantastic, I can't wait .....

 :pac: :pac:
PROJECTS FROM SCRATCH:

Galaga - PacMan - Donkey Kong Red Cab - Track & Field Upright - Tempest - Burgertime - Gyruss - Defender - Track & Field Cocktail - Robotron 2084

RESTORATIONS:

Q*bert - Timber

Etienne MacGyver

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2009, 09:14:03 PM »
Heheh, great to see you took my advice :)

Huuuhh hmmm ;)

I cant wait for the parts to come !
« Last Edit: December 02, 2009, 09:15:59 PM by Etienne [NL] »

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2009, 10:47:11 PM »
Uhh, Bruno and I have had more contacts and quite some time before you even registered here Etienne and Funspot definitely came up more than one time :D

Etienne MacGyver

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2009, 11:06:29 PM »
i did put a  ;) there my friend  8)

DarthNuno

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2009, 07:11:07 PM »
Added more pictures  ;)

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2009, 07:29:45 PM »
man, they really have EVERYTHING there! this is heaven  :-*
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2009, 07:51:09 PM »
Very nice pics Bruno, I love the sight of all those cabs. can't wait to go there myself, probably somewhere next year.

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Re: :: Pilgrimage / Road Trip to the Arcade Mecca : FUNSPOT in USA ::
« Reply #14 on: December 08, 2009, 08:11:34 PM »
Oh my god, this is heaven  :-* :-* :-*.
Thanks bruno for these beautiful pictures ;) (Monaco GP cockpit : insert coin or not ?)

A place to go, for sure  :spaceace:.