Virtually There

In a semi-random situation, I found myself on the opposite side of the US for the past couple of weeks, and somehow I ended up at the Redondo Beach Pier outside of LA. Little did I know that when I stumbled upon the “Fun Fish Market & Restaurant,” that I’d actually be wandering into an awesome arcade. The place definitely looked the part; Unlike the glitzy sheen of the neon-coated GameWorks and Dave & Busters of today, the dim lighting and concrete floors felt a tad grimy and very well-worn.

So, I perused the place, and in a corner, found some retro machines with classics like Centipede, Galactica, Tempest, and Mortal Kombat. It was definitely worth a quarter to play the original MK, which unfortunately my brain had completely forgotten over the years. The result: Sub-Zero kicked my ass.

I was afraid I spent my quarter too soon, though, when I ran into an arcade rarity: a Virtual On machine

This may be the first time that I’ve ever seen one in person. I checked my pocket and, lucky me, there were enough quarters left for the ultra-expensive, 50-cent Virtual On. I sat down, adjusted the seat, leaned back, grabbed the twinsticks and hit Start.

Virtuaroid… Apharmd, of course.

Now, it’s time to get down to business. The twinsticks on this game seem very natural, and after a couple of seconds, I was jump cancelling like nobody’s business… because I soon realized that the right trigger was broken. Shit. I’ve only the bomb to work with? No melee attacks? No shotgun?

Sucks, but I managed to beat Temjin, and was well on my way to taking out Viper II via clock stoppage until I got cocky. Damn, I wish Sega had made more of these machines.