Back when arcades really mattered, Sega was one of the industry's big hitters. The company not only produced amazing titles like Golden Axe and Alien Storm, but also ran a pretty amazing line in dedicated coin-op cabinets. Titles like After Burner, Space Harrier, Out Run and Thunderblade were all housed in massive, hulking units - many of which moved in conjunction with the on-screen action. In short, it was a pretty swell time to be an arcade gamer.
Fast-forward to the present day, and Nintendo's former nemesis is still a big player in the arcade sector - but sadly that arena is a pale imitation of its former self. Even Sega's heart isn't really in it any more, and it has taken to repackaging old titles in order to cut a profit.
Take Transformers: Human Alliance, a Ringedge 2-powered title from a couple of years back. It was a decent enough light-gun blaster based on Michael Bay's commercially popular (and critically savaged) Transformers flicks, but was hardly in the same league as Sega's best. Still, the licence is a big enough draw to pull in a few coins, and Sega has decided to re-use the game in an entirely new cabinet - one which calls to mind one of the company's most insane arcade creations.
We're talking about the insanely cool Sega R-360, which launched in the early '90s with the arcade flight sim G-LOC. You had to strap yourself into the unit which spun a full 360 degrees, emptying your pockets - and possibly your stomach - in the process. You can see a machine in action in the video below.
Now compare that to the new Transformers cabinet, and you'll see the connection:
The new unit has recently appeared in Japan, and there's a good chance it could make it to the west. Are you keen to play it? Let us know by posting a comment.
[source kotaku.com]
Comments 24
There is absolutely hilarious "The House of the Dead" quality dialogue in this video at at 6:27. Quoting:
“Optimus still has his weak moments. It’s our show time!”
“Don’t be above yourself!”
xD
Don't think I'd ever play it, but that is some cool videogame tech.
Any thoughts on how much they cost and how long before there's a home version? Though I suppose my home owners insurance premiums might spike if I had a spinning gyro of death for all the neighborhood kids to play in. Maybe I'll just stick to a 3D printer.
Whoo! Now, make VF6!
SEGA is just better off being in the arcade industry. What's the point of them going into the console market if they can barely make great quality games like how they used to?
@rjejr - I like to think of all the awesome things I'd have if I won the lotto......then I realize winning the lotto would probably lead me to bankruptcy and the NintendoLife community buying lots of awesome gaming products for pennies on the dollar.
That is actually pretty dang cool.
@Gerbwmu - I don't play the lottery, so I usually just imagine what Mark Zuckerberg and Mark Cuban have in their homes. Bill Gates may have more money but he gave us Clippy so...
Nintendo ought to work with Sega and bring a Star Fox to a machine like this, then finally we'll be able to experience a barrel roll!
I played the transformers arcade game before this one just a couple weeks ago, was really awesome visiting an arcade.
@OfNullAndVoid There was supposed to be a Star Fox arcade game based on the SEGA Triforce board, but it was made by Namco. Unfortunately it was never released. I think somewhere in there it was because of poor reception of the Namco led Star Fox Gamecube game, but that is more fuzzy memory talking than fact.
Played this in dubai a couple of months ago. Cool Game!
As a general rule I try to avoid anything to do with Bayformers but a motorised Sega arcade cabinet would certainly override that rule.
Platinum's upcoming transformers game looks really good, in glad they are going with cel shaded graphics.
I actually played Transformers Arcade to completion at Sega Playdium. Game was so damn boring for a shooter. The newer Jurrasic Park was way better.
I only skimmed the article, admittedly, but does this have anything to do with Nintendo?
@errantrazor It says in the article that Nintendo and Sega were competitors back in the day? Is that enough to make it about Nintendo?
@WarlockNem
No
@OfNullAndVoid best idea ever 😊
That guy's screams of terror made the video.
@errantrazor Nintendo Life often writes about SEGA topics. Take the Genesis and Virtua Fighter retrospectives, and the recent lip service about making better games than most of their efforts from the past decade as examples.
There's significant overlap between Nintendo and SEGA fans, so I think it makes perfect sense.
I'd love to take that for a ride! Hope D&B gets it at some point.
Online gaming certainly changed things in a big way. Arcade's used to be that experience you couldn't get at home. I feel fortunate that I got be apart of that era of gaming. I'll never forget all the money I dumped into Street Fighter 2.
@errantrazor If the article is of little interest to you, then I'd imagine you didn't grow up around arcade system's. You must be 14 and don't know who Joe Pesci is.
Wow, impressive. However, I've got a bad stomach, so ... would try it.
@Artwark: SEGA has some really good games, published and made in the last years, why would they quit the home videogame market?
I would like to see sequels to Vanquish, Universe at War: Earth Assault, Binary Domain and many others.
Yesterday (21 July 2015) arrived Tembo, the Badass Elephant on Steam (PC/Mac), XB1 and PS4 ...
Soon we get Total War: WARHAMMER on PC. What do you want more?
@Superryanworld
I'm 38. I was there for Sega and Joe Pesci. I had no idea that this article was of no interest to me until I read it and realized it was about a Sega arcade game....in Japan. Hence, my question.
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