3D arcade and Virtual Carnival games? - A 1UP classic from January 21, 2010

Heya friends what are you up to these days? Just a lot of rain over here and work. Hopefully one ends and the other doesn't... I have been enjoying the off time with my gals. Trying to stay warm and toasty in this El Niño season. While my lawn enjoys this weather, what So Cal really needs is snow. The more snow we get in the mountains the better off our water table will be. Rain is mostly runoff in the city, right to the ocean with nothing left to keep our water prices down. I hope to see lots of fresh powder in the hills once the skies clear up.

As for gaming news there is a rumbling in the arcade scene. There is a motion-ride / arcade game called Trans-Force. It is a 5D ride / game. How many dimensions is that exactly? Well, it's a motion ride with 3D glasses and the ability to shoot on a rail, ala the arcade games I mentioned last week; Pirate Storm and the Ocean Hunter. The concept looks interesting as it seats multiple gamers in the cabinet.

The idea of 3D glasses with motion gaming is not new. Over at Disney's California Adventure, the park next to Disneyland, is a ride / game called Toy Story Mania. It features the characters from the Pixar film in an ever-changing series of carnival-style games. The player uses a cannon mounted onto their cabin to shoot at the various games.

 

It's tremendous fun spinning around the room, shooting at the various targets and comparing scores with your friends.

The Trans-Force game is a logical evolution to the arcade shooter on rails while Toy Story Mania is a modern homage to the classic midway (carnival) games. Which is something to say because not far from the Toy Story Mania attraction are old-fashioned carnival games that Disney made just for Paradise Pier.

Gaming extends beyond the controller. There are more tactile sensations with the arcade experience. Things like Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Tony Hawk RIDE are all based on the arcade model. Some gamers may not like it while other swear by the experience. I'm one of those that swears by it. However I wonder how gaming in 3D, or with motion, will change the arcade industry. Maybe these games might find their way to Xbox Live or Playstation Home sometime down the road. That would be very awesome. What do you think?

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