Not a review but rhythm game related: https://www.wilcoxarcade.com/single-post/2019/05/15/Dance-Dance-Revolution-A20-is-Coming-Soon-to-Round1-USA This is the fate we weebs are condemned to, Grace.

I actually just read your bio and saw that you are a very dedicated member of your community. Even if you and I occupy different sectors, I respect the heck out of that.

I will try to cover the chains more regularly now that you bring that up. The reason I'm so helplessly enamored by Round1 is because of it's beeeaaauuutiful video game and pinball selection. There was so much I couldn't play anywhere else, and I adored it. I also like the way Round1 organizes its games. Whereas D&B may put DDR Ace next to Down the Clown, Round1 tends to separate games by category (redemption, pinball, video). Neither chain is perfect--and I'd argue they're both overpriced--but they've got the best modern games for everybody to enjoy! The closest thing I've got to a modern arcade in my hometown is this joke game room at the local bowling. It's...I mean, it's abysmal, really. Do you mind if I ask why you prefer Dave & Buster's? Because I like it, too, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

So it's very interesting you bring this up. While I myself do not partake in ticket/prize games, I am very aware of the community's existence. I'd say the redemption scene is a heckuva lot stronger than the video game crowd, at least in terms of visibility. Though I can't say I'm a fan of all the "I WON AT THE ARCADE!!1!!" vlog-style content, I do see that redemption gamers exist. (I mean, just look at the insane view counts folks like Arcade Matt get.) I don't know if I could do your scene justice blogging about it regularly--because, like I said, I don't play those games--I can still highlight your community in a comparative sense. Even if I don't care for all-caps, unscripted vlogs, at least your scene HAS a YouTube presence. Modern video arcade gamers are barely existent on the platform. And you've always inspired me to kick my own YouTube presence into high gear. I've been meaning to do that for a while. I don't know what my coverage will look like yet. And I've gotta admit, it'll probably be super minimal. (My blog is, like, solely video games and pinball.) But I'll try. Thank you so much for joining the forum and leaving feedback! It seriously means the world to me. Even if we game differently, keep on gaming! I understand the importance of community and highly appreciate your devotion to your own. (I'm a big part of the video arcade community and a smaller part of the rhythm game community.)

I've been to multiple chain arcades in the Eastern United States, and the only one that's had any VR was Dave and Buster's. (And their Jurassic Park thing was a store exclusive anyway.) I agree that it's not really catching on. My thing with VR is this: I will only play it if A) it's the price of a normal game and B) it's actually a good game. That self-serve Beat Saber cabinet is actually a really, really good game, but I can't speak for the pricing because I've never seen it in person. Rabbids VR and many others like it are trash "games" at $5.00 a pop. If anyone could make a good game out of VR, it's Namco, but I don't think they're hitting the proverbial nail on its head just yet. I would be over the moon if they announced another real video game. If Twitter is to be believed, they hear the cry for Maximum Tune 6. However, something tells me the $25,000-per-unit price tag didn't do MT5 any favors as far as location reach is concerned. (And it incentivizes turning off free races for first place.) (Japanese devs need to get their costs down somehow. I know there are a ton of hands in the pot, but holy cow it is killing off other spectacular titles.) Either way, I'm sad we've "lost" another major video game manufacturer. I know they haven't actually left our market, but it's not like anybody's gonna buy their VR stuff in the same quantities they bought, say, Mario Kart GP DX. You know why I think VR hasn't taken off yet? Because we live in a different time. If people want VR for their home, they'll buy VR for their home. They buy $1,000 phones every year. They can handle Occulus or HTC Vive. Pay-per-play isn't the same gateway to cool tech that it used to be.

I actually have a Dance Rush Stardom review coming...maybe not so soon. It's going to be lengthy, so I can't make any promises. However, I will do post briefly discussing all the rhythm games I played at Round1! We need more of those in America. THE RHYTHM GAME COMMUNITY NEEDS MORE SUPPORT! But yeah, I wanna talk more about rhythm games. A lot of my readers dig the "hardcore" side of arcades like that. We'll see if Japanese devs/U.S. distributors pull through in the future.