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AppleAmusements

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Hi guys, I am new here - I spent SO much time in arcades as a 70's/80's kid and I think I'd like to acquire one (a coin-op not an arcade ). I don't have any experience fixing coin operated machines and although I have built my own computers for 20 years I don't know how to solder and don't have much in the way of woodworking tools or skills to refurb a machine. So I was looking for something in decent shape- BUT seems like it is not easy to search the "for sale" for just my area. Craigslist has been disappointing- there were 1-2 machines in northern NJ I made offers on but no one wrote back either way. Maybe they were insulted. I offered $300 for a MKII assuming it was in good working order. I have no idea what to expect to pay on average but that's about my starting range.
I don't want to drop a bundle... I have the nostalgia but I'm afraid it will wear off and then i will be stuck with a piece of ugly furniture (most games in the range are pretty beat up it seems).
Last, could anyone give advice on what games their friends actually play the most when visiting? We are in our 30's and 40's so some of the newer fighting games don't hold the same nostalgia but I was considering a Mortal Kombat or Marvel vs. Capcom (maybe part 2 of the series) and wanted opinions if these type of games get played.

Thanks guys, hope I can find some decent sources in my area.
 
Are you in the Jersey area? There are two awesome classic arcades in the area that I know of: High Scores arcade in Burlington, NJ and Richie Knucklez in Flemington, NJ. Also there are places that sell machines in the area, particularly TNT Amusements in Southhampton, PA. If you want to try out some classic games to get a feel of what you really like, definitely check out these places.

$300 is the pretty average range for an arcade cab that's not a big moneymaker in today's arcades. It would be hard to get a say, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or Galaga for this price, but $300 for a Mortal Kombat sounds about the average.

Personally, I don't think Mortal Kombat has aged very well as a fighting game and prefer the Capcom games like Marvel Vs. Capcom and Street Fighter series as a whole. But really, it's all up to your personal preference and what you think you'll have the most fun with.
 
THANKS ! I have been asking around for 2 days now and no one else responded to any offers or any of the threads I started on various sites. I was thinking about a Marvel Vs or Marvel VS. II game - both I found are not in original cabinets and I'm hesitant to buy unseen. I will check out those arcades you mentioned!!! Hopefully they have stuff for sale.
 
Geeeeez just checked out Richie Knucklez and the stuff for sale is all in the $1000+ range ... I am 100% noob but a couple old Atari machines like Centipede I have seen all over under $500 in good shape and they want like $2000 for games like that. Am I wrong in thinking this is absurd?
 
Nah, the big dealers charge a little bit more, In my opinion your best off to just keep searching craigslist for stuff that's in good shape at a decent price range. I've seen classics like Centipede on Philly Craigslist for $300-350, so if you just keep an eye out you can get away without having to pay a big premium like that. $1000 is absurd for any arcade machine really, even the biggest games like Ms. Pac-Man only go for $800 or so. A pinball machine maybe for $1000, but unless you really want something now, patience works better and can get you something far cheaper.

I'm not sure if all of the Marvel Vs. games were sold in dedicated cabinets, but they were definitely sold as conversion kits to be put in other Street Fighter machines easily, so its very possible that you'll run into a lot of conversions. Sometimes conversions are done well, other times not so much, but if you're interested in a cabinet especially on Craigslist, send off an e-mail or call to the seller and see if you can check it out in person and see what it's really like.

There are also gameroom and pinball shows that have auctions and sell games, also have games to play. It's a little far if you're in New Jersey, but in York PA coming up on October 7th and 8th there's the White Rose Gameroom show that you can buy arcade cabinets at, you might be interested in that as well:

http://www.theyorkshow.com/
 
so what would you guys think of a $300 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 if it is in working order, monitor 8/10 and probably a conversion (it has the marquee but very unlikely it's the original cabinet).
 
so what would you guys think of a $300 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 if it is in working order, monitor 8/10 and probably a conversion (it has the marquee but very unlikely it's the original cabinet).

Well, depends on how much you care about looks. If you're all about the game it serves it's purpose, and seeing as it's still pretty darn popular in arcades today $300 isn't a bad price at all for MvC2. What shape is the cabinet in? Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is definitely a popular conversion as well, seeing as it can basically be put in just about any other Capcom fighting game cabinet.

You could also see if you can try and find the decals/side art and buy it to place it on the machine if you so desire to make it look a bit more authentic.
 
the cabinet looks like it's designed for actual public use, seems rugged but ugly. Trying to post pics now...

what do you think?
 

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Hmm, doesn't look too bad from the pictures. The edges seem a little rough at the bottom there, and the control panel looks pretty dirty, otherwise looks like a pretty normal conversion with some arcade wear. Definitely came from an arcade though, you can see the extra bar on the coin door and the stickers from a rental agency on the marquee. Does it come with the keys to unlock the coin door as well? You could always try to haggle the seller down a little bit. See if he'll go $200 or $250 on the cab.

If you were really adventurous and wanted to try and get into the hobby like most on here with repairing and restoring cabinets, you could always try and get the paint off of the cabinet and see if anything is under there, if it's a conversion most likely.

Your call, really depends on how much you're going to use it. Definitely go out there and see how it plays, how the buttons feel and how the monitor looks and whatnot, make your final decision then.
 
I think if you're going to have one machine, a JAMMA with a xxx-in-1 or MAME is the way to go. My MAME cab gets nearly all the play when people come over because they just like going through 5 or 6 of the games they remember and haven't seen in years.

I'm not crazy about the fighting games. I have a brother in law that loves 'em though, so you're not way off base. He plays clear through Soul Calibur every time he comes over.
Those are mostly JAMMA so you can run an assortment of them on the same machine if thats your thing. I have like 4 fighting games I swap around in that cab.

I'm semi-local to you (half hour north of Philly), I'll give you a shout if I see any deals. I'm at the point now where friends and family call me when they see shit by the road. ;)
 
thanks a million for the reply, please give me a heads up- I have family in Wildwood NJ so I'm down that way sometimes... what exactly is a Jamma, I see it all over but know not.

I think I will drive to see this game in the city before buying it. Also i like the Simpsons game I think I may decide to narrow it down and focus for the most part on that,

Last, I absolutely need coin operated, that;s like half the fun : ) MAME stuff can't be made coin operated, right? I also cringe at the idea of configuring a front end .. I want my company to be able to come over and grab some quarters from our slot machine : ) and choose a cool game to play... do any work on coins AND have a foolproof front end?
 
JAMMA is just a wiring standard. Games that use it can just be board swapped for the most part. MAME ROMs are still looking for a coin drop, so you can wire the coin mechs perform that. I prefer to just hide a button in the coin return or under the panel so I don't have to worry about have coins/tokens available.

I'm using MaLa for a front end, its very simple, to use, but probably not as foolproof as the front end of a xxx-in-1. Its overwhelming at first, but things will start to make sense if you keep reading here.
 
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