The arcade scene that once thrived in the 80s and 90s is now delegated to certain niche shops along with an increasing trend in bars that have arcade games lining the walls. Well, then there are restaurants like Dave & Busters, but the point is it’s getting harder and harder to find dedicated halls of arcades in the West. That said video game companies are still making new arcade cabinets.
Many of which are exclusive to Japan and if they do cross over, a lot of them are exclusive to the aforementioned Dave & Busters. We took a scan though the Internet’s annals and discovered ten somewhat modern arcade games based on recent console classics. Some may be more surprising than others.
10 Luigi's Mansion Arcade
Luigi's Mansion Arcade is based on Dark Moon, which came out for the 3DS. Strangely enough it wasn’t developed, or published by Nintendo. Capcom did both and yes, the unit did come to North America albeit two years after the initial 2015 release in Japan. As one might expect, it is a light gun game where said gun is based on Luigi’s trusty Poltergust 5000 vacuum.
9 Mario Kart Arcade GP VR
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR is actually the latest in several arcade adaptations of the classic spinoff series for Mario and friends. The first one, just titled Mario Kart Arcade GP, released in 2005 and was developed by Namco before they became Bandai Namco. This version then came out in 2017 and as the name might suggest, uses a VR headset to put players in a first-person viewpoint for the first time.
8 Star Wars Battle Pod
The Star Wars Battle Pod is shaped like a pod, as the name would imply. Well, some versions are at least, but there have been more streamlined revisions that just use seats and flat TVs. Anyway It’s a space shooter game that takes players through famous battles throughout the films. The first version came out in 2014 and was also developed by Bandai Namco games. Good news. On the official website one can by a pod for themselves. They are only $35,000. What a steal!
7 Halo: Fireteam Raven
Halo: Fireteam Raven was co-developed by the current developer of the series, 343 Industries, along with Mechanix and Raw Thrills. Most gamers won’t probably know those two names, but they are big in the arcade scene.
It supports four players who each have a mounted gun to blast away Covenant scum. As the name might suggest, players assume the role of Fireteam Raven during the first game’s campaign. It launched in 2018.
6 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Pachislot
We hesitated putting a pachislot game on here, since it is basically a form of a slot based gambling machine in Japan. However, because it is based on Metal Gear Solid 3, we couldn’t resist. Players get to see cutscenes from the game remade from the Fox Engine, which was used for Metal Gear Solid V. So the game looks gorgeous is what we are saying and it’s a darn shame Konami didn’t see fit to fully remake the game for consoles in this way. It launched in 2016 as a Japan exclusive.
5 Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Dissidia Final Fantasy began as a PSP exclusive in 2008 and would see an equally exclusive sequel, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, in 2011. Then this fighting game starring heroes and villains throughout the franchise went away before returning to arcades in 2015 with Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. It wouldn’t be ported to consoles until 2018 so it was an arcade exclusive for years surprisingly. Unlike the original two, which were handled internally at Square Enix, they got help from Team Ninja for this one. Just as a side note it is now free to play on PS4.
4 Left 4 Dead: Survivors
Left 4 Dead: Survivors, like Luigi’s Mansion, is based on an original game. In this case that would be Left 4 Dead 2 and this was specifically made for a Japanese audience. While it may be based on that game, it features four new heroes. Valve entered into a partnership with Taito and Neilo Inc. for this one and it launched in 2015. Strangely enough the game controller like thumb stick looks similar to the Wii’s Nunchuck controller. There is also a mouse for movement. It even featured online play between other stations before this feature was removed in 2017. As of this year some fans took this content and stuck it into Left 4 Dead 2 via Steam.
3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is one of the best arcade games of all time if not THE best TMNT game. Well, in an effort to recapture that magic, a new version was released in 2018 simply titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade.
Guess who developed it? Raw Thrills. It is based on the 3D iteration of the cartoon, which was on Nickelodeon from 2012 until 2017. It is a rather huge cabinet and isn’t as magical, but will do for those in need of some turtle brawling action.
2 Tomb Raider Arcade
Tomb Raider Arcade is another light gun game that runs on-rails. It was released in 2018 in tandem with the live action movie, which retold the 2013 reboot of the series. Instead of playing Lara, players take on the roll of four other heroes helping her out in her attempt to flee the island her and her crew crashed on. Adrenaline Amusements who interestingly enough made a tie-in game to the live action Rampage movie also from 2018 developed it.
1 Biohazard 7: Walkthrough The Fear
Biohazard 7: Walkthrough The Fear is actually the latest release on this list, having come out in Japan only a month ago in October. It is setup as a prequel to the events of the original Biohazard 7 as the series is known as in Japan. And also like that game, it is a VR experience. Since it is so recent there is currently no news on it leaving Japan anytime soon.