New Games At MGC 2016: Raider’s Run, Spectre Files Deathstalker, Skycurser and More arcadehero

The Midwest Gaming Classic 2016 event (MGC 2016) is well under way in Wisconsin today and with that, some news on new arcade titles that smaller developers are showing off.

Game Refuge and Galloping Ghost: The other day we reported that two companies out of IL were joining forces to produce three new video arcade games for the market – Game Refuge (led by former Midway game designer and artist Brian Colin) and Galloping Ghost Productions (led by Doc Mack of the Galloping Ghost Arcade). They showed off two three of those titles at MGC 2016, with Fish In A Barrel almost getting left behind due to a “critical part failure”. They plan on launching these games this Summer for arcades and operators to get their hands on; here are details:

Raider’s Run: The first game to cover is based on a free-to-play mobile game that Game Refuge has previously released for iOS devices by the name of Raider’s Run. This is an overhead 3D maze game that has you as one of six archaeologists raiding tombs for treasures. The game generates “an infinite variety of ancient labyrinths and treasure-filled tombs” and with the arcade version it offers a large vertically oriented screen that offers split screen support for 2 players competition. According to Sean McDermott of All Castle Games who sent us this picture below, he wasn’t able to spend a lot of time with the game but mentioned that the frame rate needs some work.

The Spectre Files: DeathStalker – In that original post I guessed that Spectre Files might be a part of the line-up and here we go. This one is interesting in that it is a revival of a previously cancelled arcade title that Brian Colin had been working on while at Midway back in 1985. This was cancelled as Midway had foolishly put their R&D eggs into CEDs (which used something like a needle on a disc) which was combined with the drop in interest in FMV type games. Below is a video of clips taken from the incomplete 1985 version, which interestingly enough was a first person film which is all the rage at the moment with that ‘Hardcore Henry’ movie. The prototype shown here uses three large buttons for the game choices and the cabinet artwork is classic Brian Colin; from the very brief clip in the first video, it appears that the original footage is being reused:

Quick footage of both titles by All Castle Games:

Original “lost footage” or demo reel of the 1985 game. From the brief look at the game near the end of the video above, it looks like they have redesigned the HUD

Fish In A Barrel: At first I was told that this one wouldn’t be at the show but as we see in this video just posted by All Castle Games, it appears that they figured out the fault and now the game is there to see. As the video mentions, it is a very early build but is ultimately intended to appeal to the bar/arcade market with up to “4 players”. One thing very different about it is that it is not only a 4 player light-gun game but top-down or table top light-gun games are practically unheard of. Given how big fishing games are on the market right now, plus the ease of light-gun controls, this could really stand out.

S.P.O.O.C. – Stackable Portable Opening Operations Cabinet Prototype – Designed by Galloping ghost Productions, this cabinet has been created to make it easy to break a cabinet down for transportation, like a kit game that you might want to take to an event without dealing with the full cabinet (which might be a generic JAMMA cab anyways).

Griffin Aerotech: The creators of the horizontal scrolling shooter Skycurser were on hand to showcase the latest version of their first title in a dedicated cabinet. This new design features a full color sideart package (the kits generally ship with a single color vinyl sticker) and the latest code. I’m expecting to get a new build of the software soon, once in hand I’ll be making another video of this to show the new additions:

[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/skycurser/photos/a.330062750507376.1073741830.326786650834986/543365729177076/?type=3″ bottom=”30″]

Thoughts: It is exciting to see these developments, which have a blended feel of both indie and professional to them. This also gives us a chance to see what players will think of titles that are less “big attraction” style and more traditional in how they work. That should also mean pricing that would fall on the more affordable side of things although a price has not been revealed yet (to give you an idea, game costs are averaging about $8000 right now with more $10k+ games pushing that up from the $7000 the average was a few years ago; there are very few games available in the $5000 or below range if you are looking at brand new).

What are your thoughts on these new projects? Which one appeals to you the most? Let’s poll it!

Which of these arcade games shown at MGC 2016 do you find the most appealing? Raider’s Run

The Spectre Files Deathstalker

Skycurser

S.P.O.O.C.

Fish In A Barrel View Results

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