By Robert Scucci | Being published
Recently felt nostalgic about the arcades of the 90s, I was disappointed to find that most of the arcades near me depend on cards and not cards, they serve beer but seem to offer few titles. I just want to play It’s time for a time crunch And plan some mountain dew after a long week, and that truth is decades out of reach. Wanting to scratch the surface, I was delighted when I stumbled upon it in 1993 The arcadeis an ambitious movie about a video game with its own concept.
I played it old fashioned, but I was craving bad graphics, cheesy dialogue, and a generic premise since I’ve never found a real life arcade that allows me to replay 90 hours. The arcade It hits that nostalgia button, but I have to warn you that it’s also fun to look at. By the same token, it’s still very interesting because back in 1993, this was considered the technology of the future, and Sci-Fi films have played with similar storylines since then.
A game with deadly consequences
The arcade is about a new arcade game called The arcade. It’s actually quite simple. We are introduced to Alex (Megan Ward), a teenager who is passing through after her mother’s murder a year ago. Known to hang out with his friends in Dante’s Inferno Arcade, a group of teenagers are given the chance to try the titar game. FIFFORD (John de Lancie), the CEO who is responsible for this project, allows children to test the game for market research and console versions without a beta test at home before its official release.
Before long, it becomes clear that the game is drawing players into its virtual world and harming them. Alex hears her concerns from Nick (Peter Billingsley), who initially shocks her given her age. Nick, fully invested in beta testing, emphasizes the artificial intelligence of the game is designed to feel real but in fact does not cause danger, and that there is a logical explanation for their friends disappearing. After the close call it takes for Alex to get Nick out of the game, she realizes he’s telling the truth. The two parties track down the game’s mastermind, Albert (Norbert Weisser), hoping he can give them a few clues to save their friends.
It’s a sad watch, but still fun to look at
With gameplay that looks like Windows 95 Maze Screensaver, The arcade It’s rough in feel but captures the spirit of early 90s gaming. At the time, the idea of a video game causing physical harm was still new territory, so to speak, and it’s still a fun concept when handled well. While I can’t fault the movie’s ambitious attempt at world-building with classic CGI, of which there is plenty, there are moments that got me straight to the film.
As someone who has gone on record many times about hating to dump you, there’s a lot here. When Nick and Alex took Albert on a walk-through, they pulled out schematics and explained every inch of the game for what felt like forever. I wanted to fast forward to the next place. Given a solid running time of 85 minutes, this reads like a way to use the screenplay without spending a lot of money on graphics, which would eat chunks today but would eat a visual chub on a budget in 1993.
Still, in all its rough edges, The arcade It works if you’re nostalgic for the days when you could hit the arcade with a cargo pocket full of quarters and lose the sun in the afternoon. As time goes by faster every year while the days somehow feel slower, The arcade It offers a quick shot of 90s Escape without looking for more than an hour and changing your time. It won’t change your life, but it’s a short and sweet detour from the rat race and a fun artifact to look at despite its shortcomings.
As of this writing, you can go The arcade free on tubi.
