A Trip to Funspot

[Great Hierophant]

I took a trip to Funspot yesterday. I didn't know whether I would need to spend the whole weekend there or not, but fortunately I did not have to. From Boston, MA to Weirs Beach, NH is over a two hour drive, so it had better be worth it (I told myself at the beginning.)

 

The best part of Funspot is that there is so many machines. Never had I seen so vast a number. I was especially impressed with the number of vector monitor and black and white games available. Also, the number of (non-licensed) pinball machines is also extremely impressive. The price for most machines at one token ($0.25) was right and fair. Some of the newer machines were priced higher, as were the racing/driving games with moving parts.

 

I was disappointed that quite a few games had non-functioning coin slots, I lost at least one dollar that way. I also found that games were being turned on that were either non-functional (the Playchoice 10 cabinet) or whose monitor(s) were so bad as to be unplayable (Punch-Out) or the sound was dead (Pac-Man.) Nothing new for any arcade place I know.

 

The most important reason to go to Funspot is to play the games as they were meant to be played. I didn't know, for example, how the rotating function worked in Ikari Warriors. I was surprised when I saw that Super Pac-Man had a useable button. Tempest's dial is not the most precise instrument ever devised for controlling a game. I also did not know how much more awesome Space Invaders is to play when the screen is reflected onto the artwork backdrop or how finicky the cellophane coloring can be. High resolution games, like Tron or Rampage, do not seem quite as sharp as MAME would have you believe. Nor does that emulator emulate the trailing effect of a shot in Asteroids or Star Castle on a vector monitor.

 

Not wishing to pay the inflated prices for lodging at Weirs Beach, even in the off-season, I decided to go home at the end of the day, several games still unplayed by me. It is definitely worth the trip and I look forward to going back next year.

[Artlover]

Tempest's dial is not the most precise instrument ever devised for controlling a game.

Eh? I thought Tempst controlled nice from what I remember last time I played it in an arcade. You sure it wasn't an issue with machine up-keep? After some of the other things you said about the place, it would make me somewhat suspicious.

[Bill Brasky]

This thread is worthless without pics.

[Zeptari1]

This thread is worthless without pics.

 

 

 

I've gone there 3 times! excellent arcade!

 

Worth the trip...

 

here's a couple of pics:

 

 

 

https://home.comcast.net/~zeptari/funspot/100_0391.jpg

 

 

https://home.comcast.net/~zeptari/funspot/100_0393.JPG

 

https://home.comcast.net/~zeptari/funspot/100_0398.JPG

 

https://home.comcast.net/~zeptari/funspot/100_0406.JPG

 

https://home.comcast.net/~zeptari/funspot/100_0421.JPG

 

https://home.comcast.net/~zeptari/funspot/100_0426.JPG

 

 

Just do it, gooooooo!!!! If you love classic arcade's you'll love this place!

 

-rick

 

btw... check out my personal photo.. it was taken there.

Edited October 24, 2007 by Zeptari1

[yuppicide]

I want to go there so bad. I'm in NJ and my car doesn't run very well right now (have a leak with antifreeze).

[Red 5]

I was there a few years ago.

Greatest arcade on the planet IMO.

[Albert]

here's a couple of pics:

I'd love to look at your pics, but sadly they are not working.

 

..Al

[Zeptari1]

They where working when i posted them with the insert image icon....

 

well i changed them to a link... so they should work now....

 

if you want more i'll post some more....

 

We should have a atariage get together there some day!

 

-rick

[Pixelboy]

I went to Funspot last summer, in mid-June, but I never got to play any of the arcade games because the main building was locked up. I just happened to arrive there right in the middle of "Biker Week", and Funspot's parking was off-limit to cars too. So if anyone here is planning to go to Funspot in the summertime, be careful to avoid Biker Week! Funspot usually announces the dates of Biker Week on their web site, something I learned a tad too late...

 

I hope to go there again one day...

[S1500]

Hmm, only 1400 miles away(with a website that doesn't blatantly tell you the address). Wonder if I could do a road trip in a few days.