Yesterday, a friend and I undertook a mission: To head to the Trocadero, the large shopping centre in Picadilly, and hunt down what I believe is the only Street Fighter IV arcade cabinet in the country. It took some diligent searching (hey building planners, why not have one enormous arcade rather than 4 or 5 smaller ones?) but eventually we discovered a minature mecca of fighting games tucked away in a corner. Street Fighter III: Third Strike cabinets were lined down the middle and an impressively large japanese Tekken 6: Bloodline Resurrection cab at the end of them. The Street Fighter IV cab was easy to find however, because it was the one with the crowd around it. We watched for around ten minutes as the guy on the left cabinet went on a hot winning streak with Ryu, pulling some high level juggles and we ooohed and aaahed with everyone else when the flashy finishers came out. Eventually I got to sit down and face off with him, picking Sagat as my character, and while I lost, I'm happy to say I didn't disgrace myself. He pulverized me in the first round, but I fought back to win the second round, with the third round going right to the wire, but a mistimed Tiger Knee finished me as I got caught in a juggle in the corner.
See that guy on the left? He's not half bad.
It's been years since I played in an arcade, and I've never played a competitve fighter in one (quite a black mark for a fighting game fan I know), so the difference in the experience was quite a revelation. The incessant noise, the people behind you egging you on or laughing at your incompetence, the sturdier controls, the trash talk, it all adds up to a heady blend, and it's easy to see why people get nostalgic for the so-called 'Arcade Culture.' It was particularly gratifying to be able to turn to my opponent at the end of the match and go 'Good fight mate' and hear the same back, it personalises the experience in a way no amount of online play could. I may have to drift back soon...
P.S. Also in the Trocadero is a branch of Tokyo Toys, where I scored an awesome Kingdom Hearts scarf and Sonic X pin badges :)
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