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Centipede is returning to arcades, but...


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Not as an amusement-only title, but as what I like to call "videmption" (for "video redemption"). The official name is Centipede Chaos. That all said, there is a good chance that this has a amusement-only/no tickets mode (like Galaga Assault and Space Invaders Frenzy have), although most locations that will grab it probably won't set it up like that.

 

Chances are I'll have some hands-on time with this in Vegas in a couple of weeks, assuming it appears at a trade show there. If so, I'll be sure to get them to show me what the amusement mode is like, if it's there.

 

https://arcadeheroes.com/2019/03/14/new-centipede-videmption-game-spotted-on-location-test/

 

 

That said :

/

 

 

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Interesting they are using joysticks in a modern arcade game that is recreating a game that didn't use joysticks.

 

Purity and accuracy and originality are all gonna be lost on today's audience. Besides the same'ol same'ol has been done 50 times before. There are many other avenues if you wanna play that way - the 80's original experience.

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Not as an amusement-only title, but as what I like to call "videmption" (for "video redemption"). The official name is Centipede Chaos. That all said, there is a good chance that this has a amusement-only/no tickets mode (like Galaga Assault and Space Invaders Frenzy have), although most locations that will grab it probably won't set it up like that.

 

I really do enjoy your modern-arcade-insider posts, please do keep'em up :)

 

Could you explain what is this video-redemption trend I see mentioned, and what all the different modes are (ticketless etc)? It's all greek to me since I don't think I have ever been in a modern arcade (I don't mean barcade).

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I really do enjoy your modern-arcade-insider posts, please do keep'em up icon_smile.gif

 

Could you explain what is this video-redemption trend I see mentioned, and what all the different modes are (ticketless etc)? It's all greek to me since I don't think I have ever been in a modern arcade (I don't mean barcade).

Sorry about the delay...hadn't caught it (guess I should subscribe to the post :P )

 

Video redemption (or videmption as I like to call it) was made to offer ticket redemption through video games. Because redemption games tend to be the shallowest gaming experience you can find (one example are "quick coin" games, where you drop a coin in the slot, the coin then does something like go down a ramp to hit targets or maybe onto a Plinko-style playfield then drops onto the moving bed of other coins, aka coin pushers. These games last a few seconds at best), when a videmption game comes around, they are also pretty shallow, but can last a little bit longer than the example of quick coin games mentioned.

 

Your standard videmption game will offer a brief video game experience that you play and try to win as many tickets as you can before the time is up. They usually have a bonus round or condition that must be met to win the "ticket bonus" or jackpot as it's sometimes called. In the case of many Raw Thrills classic remakes, you play a single wave of the game, then once that is complete, you take on the challenge of the bonus (which is usually difficult or based on a percentage chance).

 

Many videmption games have an amusement mode, which has sometimes been called Ticketless mode like in Space Invaders Frenzy above. When activated, the game is much different, and plays like a classic title in a good sense. In Galaga Assault (which I have at my arcade on Amusement Mode), you play 70 waves of Galaga, with a boss showing up every five levels. There are a few other subtle changes to the play, but overall it's Galaga in HD. In Space Invaders Frenzy, you also have many levels (50, I think) that you play through, just for the high score.

 

There are also some video games that have a ticket payout feature tacked on as a kind of afterthought, just converting your score into tickets using a weird system, but otherwise plays the same as a video game. Some instances of this that I can think of are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018), Neon FM, ReRave Plus.

 

Whether or not a game is in one of these modes depends entirely on the arcade operator; in some cases, we've found that games earn better when in amusement mode, but for most locations, they will have it setup as a redemption game. One surprising instance of this was Ghostbusters at Dave & Busters. This was made just as a videmption game, but it wasn't doing too well; they tested out a ticketless version and it did better. That is unusual to see though.

 

For redemption games that solely use a video screen as a scoreboard, I don't count those as videmption, as there is no video "game" that is being played in that instance. This is becoming more common as a way to make redemption games look more modern.

 

Hope that helps!

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  • 2 weeks later...

True enough, but it attracts the players and makes the money. And that ALL that matters.

 

Imagined how disillusioned I was to hear the techs talking in the storeroom in the back of my local arcade. And then getting a glimpse inside of half-assembled arcade cabs and boards and parts on the floor. I recoiled in horror (for a kid) because it hit me that these weren't shining crown jewels representing an alternate playground, but, rather a means to suck my money. By whatever method worked best.

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I just played this at Kalahari. They had the ticket mode on. It was still fun and felt worthwhile. Got to about level 3 maybe? Fought the first boss. Good solid 10 minutes play perhaps. Felt like an actual arcade game, minus the original controls. Better than the Space Invaders one I thought. And just find this site. Thanks for your info. 

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  • 3 years later...

Played Centipede Chaos at an FEC(Scene 75) with some friends a few months ago. Fairly simple but a fun game, surprisingly faithful gameplay! Basically just 3-player Centipede with big boss fights and your score gets converted to tickets. A modern update, but not really evolution. The voxel style isn't normally my thing but I could appreciate the retro-modern look they were going for. I've seen it in a few places in my region, wish they'd do Asteroids in a similar vein.

 

7/10, props to the dev

(only complaint about Arcade Heroes @Shaggy the Atarian is that it doesn't do reviews but I get you're also a trade news source)

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18 hours ago, GraffitiTavern said:

Played Centipede Chaos at an FEC(Scene 75) with some friends a few months ago. Fairly simple but a fun game, surprisingly faithful gameplay! Basically just 3-player Centipede with big boss fights and your score gets converted to tickets. A modern update, but not really evolution. The voxel style isn't normally my thing but I could appreciate the retro-modern look they were going for. I've seen it in a few places in my region, wish they'd do Asteroids in a similar vein.

 

7/10, props to the dev

(only complaint about Arcade Heroes @Shaggy the Atarian is that it doesn't do reviews but I get you're also a trade news source)

I have thought about that before...perhaps there's something I can figure out as a database sort of thing...

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