NEW Future Home of Galaxy Blue

[pat9000]

A slightly later era than when you were probably hanging there, but I used to go into Outer Limits a few times a year in the mid 90s until it was gone (I went to Rock City Pizza and that crazy huge Holiday Inn that had games strewn randomly all over the place about as often). OL did a pretty odd thing I've never seen anywhere else where they added a green power LED to the front of many of the games, somewhere right under the control panel. I guess it was a quick way to see if the PSU was running, which might suggest they weren't great at monitor repair? hah.

So Phet, if you ever see any games selling locally that have a mysterious green LED unnecessarily glowing on the front panel of the game (probably just JAMMA-era stuff), it will be from OL and you should probably buy it.

Cool to see those pics of the place!

 

[Phetishboy]

A slightly later era than when you were probably hanging there, but I used to go into Outer Limits a few times a year in the mid 90s until it was gone (I went to Rock City Pizza and that crazy huge Holiday Inn that had games strewn randomly all over the place about as often). OL did a pretty odd thing I've never seen anywhere else where they added a green power LED to the front of many of the games, somewhere right under the control panel. I guess it was a quick way to see if the PSU was running, which might suggest they weren't great at monitor repair? hah.

So Phet, if you ever see any games selling locally that have a mysterious green LED unnecessarily glowing on the front panel of the game (probably just JAMMA-era stuff), it will be from OL and you should probably buy it.

Cool to see those pics of the place!

Well I might have had their Circus back in 2020. I found an Outer Limits token in the coin box. I ended up selling it to Jim's girlfriend Carrie. It's in San Francisco now.

 

[WadeLanham]

My Burgertime has a 1983 Twilight Zone Arcade - St. Albans Mall, St. Albans city tax sticker on the back of it. I probably played this exact cabinet. Funny thing is, I didn't even find this sticker until after I had the game home from my drive to Lynchburg VA to buy it (along with a Crystal Castles and Mario Bros). So it was just an awesome surprise. This cabinet with a multigame board added has a good chance of being one of the 3 games I keep when I downsize.

 

[jimbodeanny]

Well I might have had their Circus back in 2020. I found an Outer Limits token in the coin box. I ended up selling it to Jim's girlfriend Carrie. It's in San Francisco now.

Circus gets lots of love. Aside from me and Carrie playing it a lot, it gets tons of play during the annual Halloween "open-to-the-public" party.

These are from 2023. You can see it on the far right end.










On the topic of Outer Limits, I have a ton of fond memories of that place.

A few off the top of my head that come to mind...

- Playing Spy Hunter (cockpit), and Twilight Zone pinball with my Dad
- Being intimidated by Punch-Out
- Seeing TMNT for the first time and watching two older teens pump quarter after quarter into it. I thought they were rich lol.

 

[Phetishboy]

Circus gets lots of love. Aside from me and Carrie playing it a lot, it gets tons of play during the annual Halloween "open-to-the-public" party.

These are from 2023. You can see it on the far right end.

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On the topic of Outer Limits, I have a ton of fond memories of that place.

A few off the top of my head that come to mind...

- Playing Spy Hunter (cockpit), and Twilight Zone pinball with my Dad
- Being intimidated by Punch-Out
- Seeing TMNT for the first time and watching two older teens pump quarter after quarter into it. I thought they were rich lol.

Awesome that is getting so much attention. Mine gets a lot of attention at my Arcade as well. Well, not so much the last few months or so, but it was a pretty strong contender for most popular for a couple years there.

As for the Outer Limits, @jimbodeanny, do you remember the Mad dog McCree game in the middle of the arcade ? I remember they had uprights down each side but down the middle they had larger games. My memory is horrible when it comes to what titles were actually in that place, but I do remember this big projection screen with a western game attraction mode playing. I'm pretty sure there were several guns with cables in front of it on some sort of a pedestal console thing. I also remember a couple broken down games sitting in the back and then that little ticket window where the questionable attendant would sit on the left watching the place. What's amazing to me is that there aren't more pictures of this place online. I'm also shocked that no individuals took pictures of birthday parties or whatever there. Not sure that they really had a 'birthday party package' there like Chuck E Cheese, but I'm sure several kids went there for their birthday and just played games with their friends. Come to think of it, it was nothing like a Chuck E. Cheese. It was actually weird how seedy and dark that place seemed for being right in the middle of a shopping mall.

 

[Aeolus7]

I definitely remember playing Mad Dog McCree, though my experience was at a ski hill in N. Michigan. The game really blew my mind. Felt like high-stakes western drama at the time. There was also a Lethal Enforcers stuck on freeplay once when I was there. Thought I hit the lottery and spent most of the weekend shooting bank robbers.

 

[jimbodeanny]

Awesome that is getting so much attention. Mine gets a lot of attention at my Arcade as well. Well, not so much the last few months or so, but it was a pretty strong contender for most popular for a couple years there.

As for the Outer Limits, @jimbodeanny, do you remember the Mad dog McCree game in the middle of the arcade ? I remember they had uprights down each side but down the middle they had larger games. My memory is horrible when it comes to what titles were actually in that place, but I do remember this big projection screen with a western game attraction mode playing. I'm pretty sure there were several guns with cables in front of it on some sort of a pedestal console thing. I also remember a couple broken down games sitting in the back and then that little ticket window where the questionable attendant would sit on the left watching the place. What's amazing to me is that there aren't more pictures of this place online. I'm also shocked that no individuals took pictures of birthday parties or whatever there. Not sure that they really had a 'birthday party package' there like Chuck E Cheese, but I'm sure several kids went there for their birthday and just played games with their friends. Come to think of it, it was nothing like a Chuck E. Cheese. It was actually weird how seedy and dark that place seemed for being right in the middle of a shopping mall.

I DO remember the Mad Dog McCree game. It was huge. All I remember about that game was the old dude coming out to warn you about the gang that's overtaken the town or whatever. Another game I remember seeing in there was P.O.W. I remember the title screen flashing so bright it was blinding.

Yeah, I remember that place being just pitch black with no lights other than the glow of the games and the booth in the back with the one person/attendant. It definitely felt "adult" as a kid going in there - usually my Dad was with me but sometimes not. Once they changed it into "Funtastic Highway" it lost all of that. Brightly lit with a lot of redemption shit.

I also remember the Crossroads Cinema having some interesting titles. I have memories of playing both Gun Fight and Elevator Action there. What's crazy is that this would have been mid-late 80s at that point, which explains why I have some weird nostalgia for games that were (or should have been) before my generation. (I'm 42.)

 

[Phetishboy]

I DO remember the Mad Dog McCree game. It was huge. All I remember about that game was the old dude coming out to warn you about the gang that's overtaken the town or whatever. Another game I remember seeing in there was P.O.W. I remember the title screen flashing so bright it was blinding.

Yeah, I remember that place being just pitch black with no lights other than the glow of the games and the booth in the back with the one person/attendant. It definitely felt "adult" as a kid going in there - usually my Dad was with me but sometimes not. Once they changed it into "Funtastic Highway" it lost all of that. Brightly lit with a lot of redemption shit.

I also remember the Crossroads Cinema having some interesting titles. I have memories of playing both Gun Fight and Elevator Action there. What's crazy is that this would have been mid-late 80s at that point, which explains why I have some weird nostalgia for games that were (or should have been) before my generation. (I'm 42.)

Yeah, but that's Minnesota for you. We were always behind the times. I didn't really play Seawolf until 1983 when my sister was born plus I remember the bar in the town nearest me having a sprint 2 and drag race well into the 80s. Do you have any memory of the Arcade that used to sit in the target entrance? That one had a punch out that I remember and I was always confused by the green grid guy. I thought it was the Incredible Hulk for the first year I saw it there. I was too scared and broke to play it

 

[jimbodeanny]

Yeah, but that's Minnesota for you. We were always behind the times. I didn't really play Seawolf until 1983 when my sister was born plus I remember the bar in the town nearest me having a sprint 2 and drag race well into the 80s. Do you have any memory of the Arcade that used to sit in the target entrance? That one had a punch out that I remember and I was always confused by the green grid guy. I thought it was the Incredible Hulk for the first year I saw it there. I was too scared and broke to play it

I vaguely remember that arcade. I can't recall any specific games, but I do have memories of Shopko having a couple games, namely an Arkanoid: R.O.D. and Heavy Barrel. Heh, this is fun memory game. Remember the Taco/Mexican restaurant next to Crossroads Cinema? They have a decent sized arcade too.

 

[Phetishboy]

I vaguely remember that arcade. I can't recall any specific games, but I do have memories of Shopko having a couple games, namely an Arkanoid: R.O.D. and Heavy Barrel. Heh, this is fun memory game. Remember the Taco/Mexican restaurant next to Crossroads Cinema? They have a decent sized arcade too.

Taco Bills!! There was also a Bridgeman's back there. I went to many movies at the Crossroad cinema. I remember the Prints Plus being back there and Schmidt Music. The three other Mexican places I remember were Taco John's, Bravo Burrito and Taco Villa.

 

[jimbodeanny]

Taco Bills!! There was also a Bridgeman's back there. I went to many movies at the Crossroad cinema. I remember the Prints Plus being back there and Schmidt Music. The three other Mexican places I remember were Taco John's, Bravo Burrito and Taco Villa.

Don't forget Mexican Village downtown! That place had a couple of the CompuVend machines - namely the fortune teller one. "Give me a quarta, I'll tell you ya fortune!" My family frequented Mexican Village quite a bit when I was young. I had fond memories of that place. I should have left it at that because 6 or 7 years ago, I took @CarrieZ there while we were taking a break from shooting one of the Xmas arcade music videos, and the food was very mediocre to put it kindly. Of course, she's a CA native and the bar for quality Mexican food is quite high. And now I'm spoiled.

 

[Phetishboy]

A slightly later era than when you were probably hanging there, but I used to go into Outer Limits a few times a year in the mid 90s until it was gone (I went to Rock City Pizza and that crazy huge Holiday Inn that had games strewn randomly all over the place about as often). OL did a pretty odd thing I've never seen anywhere else where they added a green power LED to the front of many of the games, somewhere right under the control panel. I guess it was a quick way to see if the PSU was running, which might suggest they weren't great at monitor repair? hah.

So Phet, if you ever see any games selling locally that have a mysterious green LED unnecessarily glowing on the front panel of the game (probably just JAMMA-era stuff), it will be from OL and you should probably buy it.

Cool to see those pics of the place!

Oh sorry I completely forgot to respond to the rock city Pizza comment. Yes I went there as well. Last time I went was in 2001 when my future wife and I took her sister who was still in high school. It used to be a Chuck E. Cheese. I also remember the Holiday Inn, though I didn't get to go there that often if ever really. I just knew about it. The other big Arcade I remember was the skill mill in downtown St. Cloud. I went there with my high school buddies between 1989 and 1991 after cruising Division. They had mini golf, whole floor of pool tables and that's where we played games like Altered beast, Arch rivals, Final Fight and Bad dudes versus dragon ninja.

 

[jimbodeanny]

Yeah, Chuck E. Cheese. Then they rebranded to "The Zoo" (in which they still had the animatronic animals) before rebranding again to "Rock City Pizza" (and removing most of the "kiddie" section, including all the animatronics.) I remember the family going to the Old Country Buffett (which was in the same mall) for dinner and hoping I could get over to Chuck E. Cheese to play a few arcade games. Speaking of MN being behind the times, I specifically remember they had a Monoco GP mini cabaret there.

I only went to the Skill Mill a handful of times, but it was amazing each time. The best was when my uncle took me there on his motorcycle. I felt so badass and it was possibly the first time I had access to more than $2 worth of quarters.

 

[Phetishboy]

Yeah, Chuck E. Cheese. Then they rebranded to "The Zoo" (in which they still had the animatronic animals) before rebranding again to "Rock City Pizza" (and removing most of the "kiddie" section, including all the animatronics.) I remember the family going to the Old Country Buffett (which was in the same mall) for dinner and hoping I could get over to Chuck E. Cheese to play a few arcade games. Speaking of MN being behind the times, I specifically remember they had a Monoco GP mini cabaret there.

I only went to the Skill Mill a handful of times, but it was amazing each time. The best was when my uncle took me there on his motorcycle. I felt so badass and it was possibly the first time I had access to more than $2 worth of quarters.

@jimbodeanny well lookie what I found. Picture of the entrance of the Skill Mill and a billboard that was up at the time. I'd love to find some interior pictures of the place.

 

[pat9000]

Oh sorry I completely forgot to respond to the rock city Pizza comment.

Yeah I think CEC pulled out of MN entirely in '84? The old locations in the cities were taken over by a local op and called Circus Pizza, until CEC bought them back in 2000ish.

Speaking of MN being behind the times, I specifically remember they had a Monoco GP mini cabaret there.

Rock City must have stayed independent and didn't really keep up much with investing in new games. I used to go there in the mid-90s mainly to play Toobin'.
Monaco GP was pretty common to see up into the early 90s - it's considered one of the highest earning game of the 80s.

The other big Arcade I remember was the skill mill in downtown St. Cloud.

I never went to that one, but Skill Mill was the name that Theisen Vending used for several of their arcade locations around the state, I recall? They mostly became a street-route operator (darts & Golden Tees) and in the '00s became a nationwide "kiddie ride island" operator in malls. They used to have what seemed to be all the C-tier hotel game rooms around the cities in the 90s. If you wanted to play a beat-to-shit High Speed, they had them everywhere.

I just looked up that Holiday Inn and it's still full of games in a couple areas, though not like it used to be. Obviously not worth going there for new junk, but that was a neat place for a while since they would just stick games wherever they could between all the pools and indoor sports courts. It's sort of a unique place that mainly relied on kid's traveling sports teams filling the place up a couple days a week. Bros. Amusement always put a bunch of good Sega stuff in there bitd.

I used to stop into all the hotels anywhere I could around MN since that's where all the 5-10 year-old pins were in the 90s. They're the only places you'd really find system 11s & Gottliebs outside of small bowling alleys, seasonal resorts & campgrounds.

 

[Phetishboy]

Tiki bar is open for the summer.

 

[Parzval]

Tiki bar is open for the summer.

Is that an invite?

 

[Zud]

I'll be in Arden Hills next week, I'll stop by after work.

 

[jow]

Tiki bar is open for the summer.

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[RUSTINGEEZER]

Tiki bar is open for the summer.

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I think your missing something ,I made some chainsaw tikis during Covid ,they look better if you use a skill saw ,