Here's a load of videos and photos we took at this week's ATEI show. The videos are all a bit short. And the photos aren't that good. But there are some of WOMEN and some of a few vaguely interesting SEGA things, so it could be argued that, for once, our heart was in the right place.
It's not exactly AM2 at the peak of its powers back in 1995, but the Silent Hill shooter looked pretty good and SEGA Race TV, even though it has a "Boost" button, is definitely slightly above average.
This is the Silent Hill shooter. It's House of the Dead in concept, with a spooky Silent Hill plot about missing ships, dead grandfathers, little girls and walls that turn from normal walls into WALLS DRIPPING WITH BLOOD when you're not looking.
Here's a tiny video of it. For a game that's basically you hammering a trigger endlessly, it was pretty nice. Sorry about the video being rubbish. Sorry about ALL of these videos being rubbish.
The Galaxy Rider. It goes up slowly! It comes down slowly! It is A WHITE KNUCKLE THRILL RIDE. See how it goes up very slowly while rotating then comes down again very slowly without even rotating at all. You can tell the occupants were sad that nothing sudden or exciting happened.
Uh-oh! Can you see what we can see?
There it is!
There's only one reason why we came here!
Oh yes! Freeplay OutRun2SP DX, here we come!
We're literally almost nearly there!
Here we are going up the escalator to the SEGA area! What lies in wait? Hopefully, 1995 lies in wait and it's a room full of Daytonas.
This is one of the things that awaited! It's called "UFO Stomper" or something like that. It's a big TV you stand on and have fun. It's for families. And children. And people who can actually still have fun.
These ladies manned the alien game. In return for them letting me take their photo, they insisted I had a go on it. Awkwardly, someone had just walked off halfway through a game and there was 48 seconds of their game time still left. So I had to stand there talking to the one in the glasses for 48 seconds. She asked what games I had liked the most. I said "SEGA Race TV". Then there was some silence. Then she explained how the game worked. And even after all that the timer still said there was 19 seconds to go (full-size original here for personal/educational/research use only).
YES! A really big SEGA logo! This is exactly what we had hoped to see!
Not only that, but there were a few RARE ALTERNATE SEGA logos, too.
SEGA hardware! SEGA HARDWARE! It might be something cool and new! Or something staggering boring like a SCSI controller for a ROM drive.
Special secret industry information about setting up SEGA arcade franchises. Ordinary people like us are not supposed to see stuff like this.
Wow!
Wow!
Meanwhile, in the depressing downstairs gambling bit, Deal or No Deal was everywhere. DoND gambling, card games, poker, fruit machines - Noel must be raking it in.
Someone really going for it on BoxClub. His second go is not as good as his first, so don't bother watching it all the way through if you're strapped for time.
A business man playing what looks like a very dull game. Mustn't laugh, though - he's probably the MD of somewhere and has a few million quid of buying budget at his disposal.
God only knows who approved the idea of making a four-player link-up arcade version of Blazing Angels. There's hardly even four people who own the console games.
Someone trying and failing to win a big bar of chocolate. To be fair, he did know he was being filmed so the nerves no doubt got to him.
"Pop it for Gold". Looked at it. Filmed it. Walked away, head spinning with potential joke ideas (none of which came to fruition).
Men, frantically playing Ghost Squad Evolution, as if their lives depend upon it, while paying no regard whatsoever to keeping their suits uncrumpled.
This was taken at the stand of a company that only sells buttons to go in fruit machines. They were quite surprised that someone was taking photos of their goods. They no doubt thought we were working for a serious industry trade magazine, instead of just looking for things we could take the piss out of on the internet. Although... that would make a very pretty desktop image.
Some men playing a basketball game. Hopefully they won't ever find this, track us down and kick the shit out of us for putting this on the internet.
Football Fever. You kick a ball. Didn't want to try it, as the last time I tried kicking a football my shoe came off and some children saw.
Some dinosaurs. Animatronics are yet to really look convincing, especially at the budget end of the spectrum.
More dinosaurs - some men murdering a brontosaurus with shotguns in SEGA's Primeval Hunt.
Hope you haven't lost interest yet, as here's something from SEGA - PlaytimePuppies! They look like sausage rolls, or very large uncut and misshapen penises.
Part Two of this exciting multimedia EXPLOSION is coming on Monday, and will include TWO other photos we took of promotional ladies.
Those fat, freebie grabbing bastards coming down the escalator! Half of them look they've got lost on their way to either an AA or CAMRA meeting. I bet half of them only went 'cos their boss told 'em to go and get some free mugs and biro's down at some show while they pork the bimbo temp doing reception duty today!
Wow, those two Ghost Squad guys were amazing. The guy on the left has the weapon in a professional butt to the shoulder position, whereas the guy on the right is sporting the relaxed bank robber style gun at the hip style.
It's that kind of teamwork and dedication that has guided those guys into dominating the Doncaster arcade market.
That has completely made my Saturday night. The multiple posts of the SEGA sign and the frantic panning on the escalator really put across your eagerness. Plus, as already mentioned, a very vague image of a nipple through black fabric. Always satisfies, like a fine cigar.
There were some cool things there.
I still say the best thing about the Silent Hill Arcade game is the tattered black cloth curtains.
It's that kind of teamwork and dedication that has guided those guys into dominating the Doncaster arcade market.
Anyway, well done. Those plans for 'super mega amazing sega wonderland' look worryingly like the tragically failed trocadero segaworld.
Ha! And you thought it might be boring!
Plus, as already mentioned, a very vague image of a nipple through black fabric. Always satisfies, like a fine cigar.