[I really love arcades. It's something I've missed for a while, and I'm yearning to check out something like this. God dammit, I don't want to go to New Hampshire, but unless I find something else, it looks like it's a trip to a mecca for RetroforceGO... -- DMV]
Where have arcades gone?
Some of the greatest minds of our time have pondered this question. Destructoid's very own retro podcast, RetroforceGO!, has pondered that very same question. The truth is that arcades have faded into obsolete-ness with the advent of more affordable home consoles. However, arcades have one thing that a home console can never truly provide: a completely social experience. Nothing is quite like being right next to someone, trying to pull off a shoryuken or working together to kick Shredder's ass.
Some of you might say that arcades are dead. You're wrong. What I am about to present to you is an estalishment that MSNBC describes as "an entertainment mecca." It is the savior for arcade junkies. It is... Funspot.
Funspot is the largest arcade in the world, fostering over 500 arcade games in its three stories of floor space. The arcade has been around since 1952, when it was founded by Bob Lawton. It is located in Weirs Beach, NH, so you have to travel to the middle of New Hampshire to enjoy it. Funspot "offers new and classic video games, an indoor golf center, a 20 lane ten pin & candlepin bowling center, cash bingo, mini-golf, a restaurant and tavern and more! There's something for everyone!" The mascot of Funspot is a dragon named Topsnuf (bonus points if you can tell me where the name comes from).
Let's take a floor by floor tour of Funspot.
Level 1 is probably the most modern of the floors. One wall is almost entirely composed of cockpit racing games. An aisle down the middle is made of slot machines and video poker. In the corner, sit two large air hockey tables, partly cordoned off by a fence. Sitting on the other side of this fence are a few arcade games, including various
Mortal Kombat iterations and an
NBA Jam machine. The floor also has a couple of crane games.
The two biggest attractions on this floor are the Skee Ball lanes, and Roller Bowler. I'm sure that most you have played Skee Ball, but if you haven't played Roller Bowler, you are missing out. The concept of Roller Bowler is this: a bowling ball sits between two metal rails. The rails form a hump in the middle and the end of the rails curve up as well. If the player can get the correct force and push, the ball should remain between the hump and the end of the rail. It's incredibly addictive.
Most of the games on this floor deal out tickets, which can be redeemed for prizes. The prize counter sits in the corner of this floor by the cafe.
Let's move on to the second floor...
The second floor is what I like to call the Kiddie Floor. In the middle of tis floor sits a large rubber mat and a number of small bumper cars, which operate on tokens. No one over five could fit in these cars. Believe me, I've tried. Surrounding the bumper car area are more coin-operated rides similar to the ones found outside convenience stores, except these rides don't have expletives written all over them.
Surrounding the stairs leading down to floor 1 are numerous arcade machines, such as Time Crisis 3. This floor is also home to four of my favorite arcade machines, which are Street Fighter II, a coveted The Simpsons arcade machine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Hydro Thunder.
On the other side of the kiddie room, there are a few more slot machines, the tavern that only creepy bikers use , and the bowling allies. Hidden on this floor is also a cockpit Star Wars arcade machine to the right of the Main Entrance.
PRO TIP: Next to the bowling counter sit two change machines where you can get tokens. They have an out of order sticker, but are really just meant to deter people who don't have coupons. The secret of these machines is that instead of giving the requisite 125 tokens for every $20, they dispense 175 tokens, netting you an extra 50 tokens.
And last, but certainly not least, there is floor 3... the retro junkie's nirvana.
Let's get the crap out of the way first. There is an indoor golf center up there. Done.
The third floor of Funspot is also known as The American Classic Arcade Museum. The ACAM houses over 200 classic arcade games. Its walls are plastered with arcade flyers of games from years gone by and is filled with original arcade cabinets and pinball machines. It would make any arcade lover wet themselves.
Here is the list as of August 16, 2007:
ACAM's Current Classic Arcade Game Collection 1942
1943 The Battle of Midway
720 Degrees
A.P.B.
After Burner (deluxe cockpit)
Alien Syndrome
Alpine Ski
Arkanoid
Asteroids
Asteroids Deluxe
Astro Fighter
Astro Invader
Astron Belt
Atari Basketball
Ataxx
Bagman
Battlezone
Berzerk
Blueprint
Bosconian
Breakout
Bump n' Jump
Burgertime
Canyon Bomber
Carnival
Centipede
Challenger
Champion Baseball
Cheeky Mouse
Cheyenne
Chiller
Choplifter
Circus Charlie
Cloak & Dagger
Clowns
Commando
Congo Bongo
Contra
Crazy Climber
Crossbow
Crowns Golf
Crowns Golf Hawaii
Crystal Castles
Dark Adventure
Defender
Deluxe Space Invaders
Depthcharge
Destroyer
Dig Dug
Domino Man
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Doom
Double Dragon
Double Dribble
Drag Race
Dragon Spirit
Dragon's Lair
Eagle
Elevator Action
Enduro Racer
Fax
Final Lap
Fire Truck
Food Fight
Frogger
Galaga
Galaxian
Gauntlet
Gauntlet II
Ghosts n' Goblins
Gladiator
Gorf
Grand Champion
Gravitar
Guerilla War
Guided Missile
Gun Fight
Gun Smoke
Gyruss
Hang-On (deluxe)
Hard Drivin'
Heavy Barrel
Ikari Warriors
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indy 4
Joust (cocktail)
Joust 2
Jungle Hunt
Jr. Pac-Man
Kangaroo
Karate Champ
Kick Man
Krull
Land Sea Air Squad (cocktail)
Lazarian
LeMans
Leprechaun
Liberator
Lode Runner
Lunar Rescue
Major Havoc
Make Trax
Mania Challenge
Mappy
Marble Madness
Mario Bros.
Millipede
Missile Command
Monaco GP
Moon Patrol
MoonWar
Motorace USA
Mouse Trap
Mr. Do!
Ms. Pac-Man
Operation Wolf
Out Run (deluxe)
Pac-Man
Pac-Man Plus
Paperboy
Pengo
Phoenix
Playchoice 10
Pleiades
Pole Position (cockpit)
Pong Doubles
Popeye
Pulsar
Punch-Out!
Q-Bert
Q-Bert's Qubes
Qix
Quantum
Quartet
Radical Radial
Rally-X
Rampage
Red Alert
Red Baron (cockpit)
Ring King
Road Runner
Robot Bowl
Robotron: 2084
Rolling Thunder
S.T.U.N. Runner
Satan's Hollow
Scramble
Sea Wolf
Shooting Master
Shootout (cocktail)
Sky Shark
Space Ace
Space Duel
Space Harrier
Space Invaders
Spectar
Speed Buggy
Sprint 2
Spy Hunter (cockpit)
Star Castle
Star Trek
Star Wars
Stargate
Starship 1
Stratovox (cocktail)
Super Breakout
Super Bug
Super Cobra
Super Mario Bros.
Super Pac-Man
Super Sprint
Super Zaxxon
Tag Team Wrestling
Tank II
Tapper
Tempest
Tetris
The End
The Real Ghostbusters
Thief
Thunder Blade
Tiger Road
Timber
Time Pilot
Track & Field
Triple Hunt
Tron
Turbo (cockpit)
Turkey Shoot
Tutankham
Vanguard
Venture
Video Pinball
VS. Dr. Mario
VS. Duck Hunt
VS. Golf
VS. Hogan's Alley
VS. Tennis (cocktail)
Warlords
Wheels
Wheels II
Wild Western
Wizard of Wor
Wonderboy
Xenophobe
Xevious
Xybots
Zaxxon
Zoo Keeper
PINBALL MACHINES Big Guns
Black Knight
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Devil's Dare
Dirty Harry
F-14 Tomcat
Fire
Fireball II
Flash
Genie
Gorgar
Grand Lizard
Grand Slam
Harlem Globetrotters
High Speed
Joker Poker
Jurassic Park
Kiss
Laser War
Mata Hari
Middle Earth
Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man
Old Chicago
Paragon
Pinbot
Playboy
Sky Jump
Space Shuttle
Stop n' Go (Display Only)
Superman
Tome 2000
Time Machine
Xenon
VARIOUS ELECTRO-MECHANICALS Base Hit
Foreign Legion
Line Drive
Twin Rifle
Upper Deck
Whatizit
Are you getting the picture? Every year, the ACAM hosts the International Classic Videogame & Pinball Championships, allowing thousands of players to compete for glory and a cash prize of $250. The games aren't announced until the beginning of the competition, so don't worry about whether or not you've practiced enough. They also have a wall of fame for those who set new records at Funspot.
You should also know that Funspot and the ACAM were prominent locations for filming during production for
The King of Kong. Its website can be found
here. Funspot will also go down in history as the location where Billy Mitchell completed the first perfect game of Pac-Man.
So there you have it. I have provided a few photos, but my camera died before I could get enough, so I have linked to a few Flickr albums from people who love Funspot as much as I do.
Funspot, the world's greatest arcade, is living proof that arcades haven't gone six feet under just yet. Links Funspot The American Classic Arcade Museum Noiseland Arcade - Funspot - Weirs Beach NH Noiseland Arcade Funspot Flickr set ELI-173's Funspot vintage arcade floor Flickr set AzyxA's Funspot Flickr set - CLICK THIS ONE!
Contest:
5:41 PM on 08.17.2007 | 
They have a Crappy shop there. Where they happen to sell crepes.
I am moving to New Hampshire right now.
*packing*
Seriously, I can't stop reading this. I am obsessed! :)
Thanks, man. You pretty much changed my life. :)
That list is for classic arcade games. There might be a DDR machine on one of the floors.
I always dreams of having a business like this one. I was inspired even more when I saw arcades were dying, and thought "Hell, I would love to put a huge arcade, a bowling alley, and an internet/LAN cafe all in one location... add an estabishment that sells role playing books and that would be fuckin SWEET!!". Hold various tournies, and even a few spots with console games in front of a fucking couch or something (cuz playing while standing up like in some places doesn't roll with me though I know they can't help it).
Of course, as with most people in life, things happen that alter your dream job plans and the like and the same thing happened to me. Seeing this place, let along it still being around since before I was even born, I think I'll start trying to push my life's future back in that direction.
Of course, though I'm a California through and through, I currently live in Washington. I better wait until I live in Cali again for this, for I think it would thrive better there. Who knows...
I thought I heard or read something about that and that was something big in my dream of running a place like in this article. It would be cool to have so people with consoles and whatnot would have a reason to come as well. I'm just wondering if I remember correctly or I'm just living in a big dream?
I came. I'm not just saying that.
Dude, Bfeld, Retroforce is SO coming over to crash on your couch. We need to go there.
This place is Mecca for fans of classic arcade games. As Wedge has said above me, the place doesn't have fighters, SHMUPS, Lightgun games or brawlers. In the 90's FunSpot WAS getting into fighting games but some idiot got pissed off and PUNCHED THE SCREEN, mangled his hand and now FunSpot doesn't get fighting games anymore. Thankfully New York/New Jersey has China Town Fair and 8 on the Break.
I took videos of the place as well as did a written review of it as well. Just to let you all know in advance, PICTURES AND VIDEOS DON'T DO FUNSPOT JUSTICE! You have to see it for yourself. We went during the 9th Annual Tournament and in January so the place was pretty empty but we went through about 40 bucks in tokens! (They have token deals if you pick up the coupons at local restaurants like McDonald's.)
(I don't know how to hotlink, sorry in advance.
http://youtube.com/profile?user=PressStartComic
My Youtube page, has all the videos.
http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s320/PressStartComic/
My Photobucket Account, with pictures from both trips
http://www.pressstartcomic.com/opinions.php?showop=30&au=Nick
http://www.pressstartcomic.com/opinions.php?showop=31&au=CyclopticInsight
Both written reviews of FunSpot.
Hope you like em!
From when I went in June. FunSpot does not have DDR, Pump it Up or In The Groove. The newest game they had was Sega's "Let's go Jungle!" shooter.
Also, the list of games is old, they hardly update it. When we went to the tournament in June games I haven't seen there kept coming in. Here's a list of the "new" games.
Space Ace
Dragons Lair
Hit the Bear
The Adventures of Robbie Roto!
The Adventures of Major Havoc
Q-Bert's Qubes
Here's the full video I took, I tried to get all three floors of the place and it maxed the YouTube file limit, so I put it on Daily Motion.
http://www.dailymotion.com/PressStartComic
Is that Warlords cabinet the 4 player cocktail one? Because if it is, I have to go there.
no no NEO GEO LAND IS!!!!!!
Sadly, no. The Warlords is a two player version, but fun none the less. You play on a team with the second player and the arcade version is HARD. My friend and I couldn't get past the second stage.
However, they do have a Joust cocktail table. Those are VERY rare and it's an awesome table they should have made more of.
But man, all those classics are making me want to pack up and move.
Plus: live shows, pinball, old consoles for sale, beer, and more Portland hipsters you can shake a mesh trucker hat at.
Also: I am rape @ crane game.
As far as Roller Bowler goes, I suck at it. I've played it at a couple of fairs and at Hershey Park and I've only seen one person win the game in my life.
One serious omission in Funspot's collection, though. Where in the world is my Nintendo Arm Wrestling? Will somebody please carry this game!
thanks for the trip down memory lane, i'll have to plan another skiing trip this winter... albeit with a slight detour.
You see, we were wasting time at a shitty arcade in the mall when I said, "Man. This is no Funspot."
My haven,
"Hidden on this floor is also a cockpit Star Wars arcade machine to the right of the Main Entrance."
Sit down Star Wars Arcade unit? We're going on a goddamn RETRO ROADTRIP, folks!
(And by roadtrip, I mean airplane. After the "Yaris" adventure, Dyson only flys!)
i thought i would share that with everybody :)
It might be the new 3D one I'm thinking of. But they definitely have the old Atari version upstairs.
ahh the memories....
If Dtoid is going there you need an announcement so we can ALL go. think of it, hundreds of dtoids dropping quarters. I need at least 14 days advanced notice and I AM THERE!
pinbot rules your face bitchez!