As someone who was born homeless and grew up impoverished, I always told myself that I'd be able to experience the arcade wonder when I grew up and had my own money. When I was old enough to have my own money and means of transportation, I told myself Japan still has a thriving arcade scene. Maybe one day I'll be able to save up to go visit one day and experience the arcade wonder there. Imagine my emotion when this video pops up in my sub box
A-cho is gone but it's not completely over yet. You still got some time to get the Japanese arcade experience but as we can see it is "dying" unfortunately.
I truly hope you get that experience I'm 41 and through my teens I had no home and very often frequented the arcade to get out of brutal winters. I miss the culture and regularscyou would meet. I hope you get that experience. Truly brother
Same bro. Didnt grow up homeless but I was dreaming I could go there when I finally would be financially stable. Used to watch a-cho till I fell asleep a lot. Sad times indeed
grew up with a high-dive at a pool, always dreamed of using it. soon as i was tall enough to use it, it was disabled. not gone entirely, they left the skeleton there to taunt me for a few years. i guess we all have our things we get to be the 1st generation not to get.
A-Cho is how I and so many others outside Japan learned how to play Melty Blood, 3S and the KoF classics and even Puyo Puyo. I'll never forget staying up till 3AM during covid half awake watching a good Nero or Urien player pubstomp. It's a damn shame, think I speak for the old game enjoying masses, especially us younger folk, when I say we would've loved to experience the magic in person.
Even as a foreigner, I realized it was over when Mikado had to ask for crowdfunding to survive the pandemic and Sega peaced out of the arcade industry. Tekken 8 didn't even get an arcade release. Which is a huge sign considering the last few Tekkens spent like a year or two in arcades before getting a console release. We knew this was inevitable but it doesn't make it hurt any less.
That was the biggest shock going to Korea that made me realise how people were able to play 1000s of games over a year , in the UK it's a $1.20 or £1 a game some places are £2 😂
A small arcade here in the middle of nowhere Virginia has a selection of JP cabs and we've been holding tournaments for all sorts of fighters every two weeks on Saturdays, and Sunday general FGC meet ups every week trying to bring that experience here. Got a lot of young ones added to the group that really love the boomer shit. We do polls for what games to play next and these teenagers are picking things like Dengeki Bunko FCI over MK1 and it warms My heart. The owner did sports reporting in Japan and wanted to bring back a piece of his experience with him when he could afford it. He even named the place similar to Hirose Entertainment Yard (HEY): 6R's Entertainment Yard (6REY). It's the mid point on the East Coast between the NYC and Florida scene.
watching old ass anime fighter footage from acho with the game audio panned all the way in one ear and the commentary audio panned all the way in the other in the middle of freshman algebra class was a cornerstone moment for me in my love of fighting games. to hear that the place that brought those memories and those experiences to me was enough to make me tear up. i don't even wanna think about how it feels for the people who went there, who had events there, who played locals there.i know arcades ahve been on the way down for years in jp but it still sucks to see the outcome man
I went to a-cho once in pre-pandemic times back in 2018 and was in a dour mood, but a few games cheered me back up. Looking back at it now I was _incredibly_ lucky to have the chance to have played some games there.
side watching the a-cho vids got me through school. it was therapeutic. Street Fighter EX2 was my favorite game to watch. i'm honestly surprised arcades survived past 2020. THAT is a miracle.
Man their YT channel has so much good ass 3rd Strike footage, I'll legit miss that. Even some other obscure games would randomly show up too and have really high level gameplay.
Everything he said is true about arcade culture. I can't explain it but I also got a piece of it here on the west coast of the U.S. in the earlly-mid 2000s and even then it felt like you had to go certain days. I was extremely young but seeing everyone playing various games from the dancing games, fighting games, the railshooters, racing games, It was something special that will never exist in the same way for reasons I can't fit into a youtube comment. Thankyou Majin Obama for archiving what you can and sharing your experiences. Although it may not be understood by everyone, it will be felt by those who have experienced it.
This hits hard for all us melty fans. If you hit up the melty match video database, all of the tapes that you would learn from would be from a-cho. Rest in peace.
Never been to Japan, never experienced arcade culture firsthand, but this one hurts. a-cho is synonymous with high-level footage of old school fighting games. I'm gonna spend the next hour and a half remembering the good times by watching a NGBC tournament from 2013.
Man it's so sad to see arcades shutting down. Outside a very brief window of time around the turn of the millenium, arcades were hardly ever a thing here in Finland, but in my mind I've had this dream of the arcades in more populated countries being like a gaming mecca that I could go and visit some day. That dream is getting shattered in front of my eyes every time one of the spots closes its doors. I can only hope someone figures out a way to stop the bleeding. Thanks for recording what this place was like.
Huge loss also for the KOF community, it was one of the staple places for the series in Kansai, and where they'd hold the Duelling the KOF tournament series, which basically ran tourneys for all the games that were played competitively during a single weekend. I'm fortunate to have been able to go there a few times.
i remember seeing A-cho almost every night during my middle to highschool era. Always told myself that one day i'll go to the arcades legends played and trained at. Yes majors and locals is still around, but seeing A-cho and random arcade vods is something different. Thanks for what it felt like endless hours of entertainment and learning how the Japanese played.
I've been to a handful of arcades in my region. I even saw the rise and fall of one of my favorite spots in town. The friendships that spark in these places is something special. To meet on the cabinet, sometimes not even saying a word, run the set, and after it all go "Damn, great set bro" is something that can only happen in an arcade. Not some GG EZ mentality, but to actually meet the person behind the cab and spark a conversation with them about the game. To then go and play some other games, play a shmup together, play some Time Crisis or HotD together. Show them "your game" as they do so in return. Suffer through a beat em up together as you just sweat buckets but you're already locked in. Finish it off with one last Hydro Thunder race for all the marbles, and win or lose, leave friends. You may stay in touch, you may never see them again, but those moments are what makes the arcade such a mecca for gamers. I hope in some way, even if the physical place disappears, we can somehow keep that spirit alive. It's more than the FGC, it's more than eSports, it's more than rollback. It's the only place on Earth that feels like grade school recess and the Wild West all in one. Thanks for covering these topics, homie. Gotta let em know.
We gotta bring back the in person gaming experience, man. Yeah going home and playing on your console/PC is cool, but making friends with people at the cabinets was something special. You knew if someone was sitting down across from you (or next to you) they shared an interest, it was such a great way to meet people
I was sad to hear A-cho is closing. I used to go there back in 2011-2012, mashing buttons in BBCS and P4A. Met some friendly people, had a lot of fun. Guess I'll always have the memories.
Going to japan next year and I want to definitely check out some arcades there! The best and most memorable arcade experience for me was funnily enough in Stockholm, probably because I was there with a bunch of my friends and we were all jumping between Tekken and Street Fighter sets... Also the amount of rhythm games I finally got the chance to play... Such a crazy night, we had to go back for a round two after a few days lol.
RIP A-Cho. When I was living in the Kansai Area, I use to go whenever I wounded up in Kyoto for the day. There were good times, simpler times, the times where I got my ass whooped 0-2 in errthing...but all fun none the less. Like you said, the arcade/game centers were on borrowed time for a minute so this news isn't shocking but still sad to see the day finally came. Makes me want to find/check out places in Nagoya before they go away too.
I hate seeing all of the places I loved shutting down... I'm gonna have to come back again before my big 3 (Mikado, Hey, Game Safari) are gone forever... Sad times...
The pandemic was very harsh with the scene. First time I went to JP was in 2019 and post pandemic things declined in many aspects. We made fun with some friends from Tokyo that eventually arcades will be Gundam EXVS saloons, hopefully many more games and old cabinets keep striving. Those are magical places to be and to me, huge part of my trips to Japan
sucks, i watched a lot of vampire savior from there. we all know why this is happening so i guess a better question is what could an arcade do as a business to maintain or even grow? what can they provide other then a venue?
I haven't been to Japan yet, but A-cho did more for my SF4 knowledge than any other content out at the time. They'd have whole ass tournaments uploaded with top tier players in them, countless hours of footage were watched. Sad day for those memories, but gotta throw a hat up for them for staying up for as long as they did, and all the joy they brought.
It's really sad it's come to this, watching a-cho on youtube was something I've been doing for so long. The least we can do now is appreciate everyone who's still trucking and celebrate what we have. But we're in an era where even the most venerable are vulnerable.
Man that's too bad! I popped in there when I was in Kyoto last month. I'm glad I was able to play a few games and experience it before it shut down, didn't know it was such a legendary arcade. ❤
Great concise video as always. And yeah I always remember reading in french game magazines in late 90s/early 00s "arcades are dying in japan" lol so it always feel weird when people still don't know
I remember winter of 2018 I was in Japan for the first (and last as for now) time and I met you guys in an after Fighting Tuesday (I was the autistic spanish guy if you remember) and I can't thank enough you guys for showing me this decaying and beautiful world. It's funny when you try to explain this to younger generations. They just don't get it, it's not just about the software, the argument of "instant accessibility in the era of information" does simply not apply. I'm not one for being nostalgic and remain in a pink tinted glasses view of past times, but it really feels like we lost something... probably forever.
It's really sad that by the time I actually make it to Japan for the vacation, I'll really miss out on the experiences I wanted to try out. Be it the SEGA Red Building or A-Cho. It kinda feels sad. I never got to experience the arcade culture, since it never really existed here around me, and wanted to experience the same. Heck, SEGA Red Building and A-Cho were two of my motivating factors to try traveling to Japan.
Awful news, watched and learned so much from their footage for years, especially Melty. Came back from my first Japan trip last week, and had to make the decision on the 12th between skipping a day trip or going to the Melty event. I thought to myself "The tourist sites will always be there, these arcades and community events won't be around forever" and going to a-cho was the best decision I made the whole trip, regardless of the news. It was godlike, dropping 500yen for 5 hours of freeplay, playing in and watching FT10 exhibitions, everyone there was hyped up and having a blast. So grateful to be able to experience that kind of community, right before it closes. Props especially to Rakuchan for all the work he's put in for that community. Hopefully the Melty guys migrate to one of the Osaka arcades. The arcade itself was also just fantastic, really great selection of games, especially SHMUPs and fighters, with very well maintained cabs, dropped so many coins in the evenings before heading to my room. Make it out to these places while you still can, especially their weeklies/monthlies, ask some players on twitter when their events are if they don't post them. RIP to one of the GOAT arcades, at least we still have all their footage to watch back.
Great video, sorry to hear another beloved arcade going down in Japan. Very much appreciate the listing of current active arcades. I'll be sure to hit up some of them in February
All these arcades/gessen closing down before i could even go to japan 😔 I can't even see the famous gamers' dejiko big ad billboard before they took it down permanently
Man RIP, they had a lot of really strong 3rd strike players here, and I always enjoyed watching their vods. Hopefully they can gather at one of these other arcades.
I was in high school when I discovered the MvC2 arcade cabinets at my local mall, and I fell in love with the absolute joy and wonder that these "old-ass" games offered. While everyone else hoarded the local computer shops, swearing up a storm on a game of classic DOTA, I became a regular at my local TimeZone, hogging the cabs with T5DR, GGXX Slash, MvC1, and even a stray SamSho, but something I noticed even way back then was that the culture was already in decline. Hardly anyone except me would actually pull up to these old games to fight and these old fighting game cabinets I loved ended up being little more than parking areas for people to sit on while they idly passed the time waiting for their friends or dates. That was over 10 years ago already, yet I can't shake the feeling that I discovered and came into this scene too late. Arcades are still actually a thing here in the Philippines, but the fighting game scene of it is a dying breed (it's now mostly dominated by fishing games that are curiously popular with a lot of boomers, with only a singular stray T6 cabinet surviving the snap). That's why, whenever I go out and come across an arcade with actual fighting games, I make sure to stop by, trade a few coins into tokens, and give the machine some love by playing a few games as sort of a pilgrimage to a culture I loved but sadly seems lost to time now.
The best HnK streams were from A-Cho. Rest in peace, even for those who couldn't meet the place it Left a legacy of fun, competitive gameplay. You will be missed. Thanks Obama.
Play spot big One 2nd is my go to channel, I literally brew coffee each time they start streaming, But A-cho for me was known for insane low-tier mvc2 matches I wouldn't find elsewhere....Goodbye A-cho...Your memories will live on😢🌹🥀...TY Majin🙏
Re: what arcades to hit on what days. If you're planning a Japan trip, reach out to your community first! Chances are somebody has been before you and already made their own itinerary of what spots to hit up each day of the week (and in what cities, even.)
What you mentioned around the 3:00 minute mark really highlights the same issue that a lot of local venues have. People don't treat spots like this as a true third space that they regularly go to throughout the week. They'll go for whatever day the local is on and then that's it. For any kind of business that's almost entirely unsustainable. Hard to really know why it has all changed so much. Do people really just value their home setups that much more? I guess so...
I’ve been to Japan so many times just to experience this, it’s indeed hard to explain the feeling you get in these arcades. Just go visit the place while you can and experience it!
Managed to visit there a few months ago, sad to see it close its doors. I remember first visiting Tokyo back in 2001 and there were arcades seemingly on every street corner. Got to go to places like Shibuya Kaikan and the Try Amusement Tower, the scene was amazing back then. While there are some surviving bastions out there game center’s have been on a downward spiral for years. I’m glad that I got to see it all in its heyday.
This reminds me of an arcade called "Playdium" in Canada closed during the lockdowns. Granted it's a franchise and there are 2 of them in other cities, I just had so many memories of the Playdium in my city and I was sad to see it close. ☹
damn, that really sucks. i remember when i visited japan this summer i went to a-cho and had a really fun time. but it makes sense, we were like the only ones there aside from one or two other people.
It's a shame that a-cho is going away. I learned about a-cho and Mikado from all of their tournament videos on TH-cam. It looks like a-cho last posted a video on their channel about 8 months ago. Mikado has continued to stream nearly daily and sometimes will have two going at a time. I wonder if Japanese arcades would have any success in monetizing these efforts (ex: Matcherino contributions, Patreon, etc.). If the arcade culture needs to adapt, maybe different forms of monetization are the way forward.
I remember watching a-cho streams in twitch a decade ago. I would mainly tune in to watch HNK because it's so insane, but invariably keep watching because whatever they end up playing, they'd have such great players. Good times.
I used to drop by Shibuya Kaikan every day after my internship the summer of 1999, and stop by regularly when I moved to Japan in 2006. I was sad when it closed, that place was great. I spent way too much money on SSF2X, sitting so I could see the Psychic Force machines - that was a strange game. Good times. Back in 2006 I'd stop by an arcade every day after work, got to know the ones around Shibuya, and knew the SF4 players at the Taito or Adores. Those days are long gone.
Yknow this heartbreak reminds me when Super Arcade in Azusa closed its doors for good, my mom used to drive me and my sister out to play SF4 and other arcade games. or even FFA, most of the CA arcades, the last bastions of old arcades being around whilst still being modern is Barcode which Alex Valle hosts, and of course the legendary Don's arcade, both in Los Angeles. Its crazy to see how arcades used to be.
Oh man I’m sub to their TH-cam and watch all the old school fighters on their channel. Always wanted to visit there if I made it to Japan. Sad reality of the times 😢
I really hope the cabinets can be preserved in some way. Even if it's sold to someone of something. I would hate for all these games and memories to just sit in a landfill somewhere
I just went there on my trip to Kyoto. Even though it was mostly empty aside from the pachinko rooms it was magical. I am so heartbroken to hear it is going away.
While getting my degree, I spent a lot of hours watching replays from a.cho. sadly, I knew this would happen eventually, the cultural, economic and generational shifts that the inclement pass of time brings are always as understandable as painful.
As the Y2Ker, im aware that many yongsters don't mind of lettin the past die over respect the elders. Unless we talk about Dave and Buster cabinets or any like of em as well, its always sucks for many classic arcades not be able to stand on relevancy for long while already overshadowed by F2P-n-Service type of game these day, even after pandemic too
I guess I'm a bit lucky that in the pacific northwest, arcade scenes still exist to a degree. Not booming like the past but not dying out either. But I suppose arcade culture in general will have an end date and be replaced with something else in due time. Empires inevitably rise and fall. Would be great for it not never die out in general.
My only regret when I went to Japan in 2019 was not stopping by Kyoto to play some 3S at A-Cho. Thankfully I got some 3S in at Shinkjuku Sportsland. I played against some random guy who was on a date. Not my fault he was playing Q and couldn’t handle my Elena😅. Non-Smokers might wanna mask up if you decide to play there though. When I went they were still smoking in the arcade and if you’re sensitive to that, beware.
I actaully really wanted to go to one of these especially this one. This one hurts and hopefully I'll be able to go now or at least something else like it
As someone who was born homeless and grew up impoverished, I always told myself that I'd be able to experience the arcade wonder when I grew up and had my own money.
When I was old enough to have my own money and means of transportation, I told myself Japan still has a thriving arcade scene. Maybe one day I'll be able to save up to go visit one day and experience the arcade wonder there.
Imagine my emotion when this video pops up in my sub box
A-cho is gone but it's not completely over yet. You still got some time to get the Japanese arcade experience but as we can see it is "dying" unfortunately.
I truly hope you get that experience I'm 41 and through my teens I had no home and very often frequented the arcade to get out of brutal winters. I miss the culture and regularscyou would meet. I hope you get that experience. Truly brother
Same bro. Didnt grow up homeless but I was dreaming I could go there when I finally would be financially stable. Used to watch a-cho till I fell asleep a lot. Sad times indeed
You can still go to Joyopolis
grew up with a high-dive at a pool, always dreamed of using it. soon as i was tall enough to use it, it was disabled. not gone entirely, they left the skeleton there to taunt me for a few years. i guess we all have our things we get to be the 1st generation not to get.
A-Cho is how I and so many others outside Japan learned how to play Melty Blood, 3S and the KoF classics and even Puyo Puyo. I'll never forget staying up till 3AM during covid half awake watching a good Nero or Urien player pubstomp. It's a damn shame, think I speak for the old game enjoying masses, especially us younger folk, when I say we would've loved to experience the magic in person.
Even as a foreigner, I realized it was over when Mikado had to ask for crowdfunding to survive the pandemic and Sega peaced out of the arcade industry. Tekken 8 didn't even get an arcade release. Which is a huge sign considering the last few Tekkens spent like a year or two in arcades before getting a console release. We knew this was inevitable but it doesn't make it hurt any less.
yup. the mikado one has some behind the scenes nuances, but im glad you picked up on that
Mikado now also has a mascot vtuber drawn by the highscore girl mangaka. They'll last a while longer yet.
Something about 25, 50 cents/yen made you play harder at the arcades. Can't replicate that online.
That was the biggest shock going to Korea that made me realise how people were able to play 1000s of games over a year , in the UK it's a $1.20 or £1 a game some places are £2 😂
have a jar for coins when hitting the ol fight cade, see how much you've got by the end of the month
A small arcade here in the middle of nowhere Virginia has a selection of JP cabs and we've been holding tournaments for all sorts of fighters every two weeks on Saturdays, and Sunday general FGC meet ups every week trying to bring that experience here. Got a lot of young ones added to the group that really love the boomer shit. We do polls for what games to play next and these teenagers are picking things like Dengeki Bunko FCI over MK1 and it warms My heart. The owner did sports reporting in Japan and wanted to bring back a piece of his experience with him when he could afford it. He even named the place similar to Hirose Entertainment Yard (HEY): 6R's Entertainment Yard (6REY). It's the mid point on the East Coast between the NYC and Florida scene.
watching old ass anime fighter footage from acho with the game audio panned all the way in one ear and the commentary audio panned all the way in the other in the middle of freshman algebra class was a cornerstone moment for me in my love of fighting games. to hear that the place that brought those memories and those experiences to me was enough to make me tear up. i don't even wanna think about how it feels for the people who went there, who had events there, who played locals there.i know arcades ahve been on the way down for years in jp but it still sucks to see the outcome man
I went to a-cho once in pre-pandemic times back in 2018 and was in a dour mood, but a few games cheered me back up.
Looking back at it now I was _incredibly_ lucky to have the chance to have played some games there.
side watching the a-cho vids got me through school. it was therapeutic. Street Fighter EX2 was my favorite game to watch.
i'm honestly surprised arcades survived past 2020. THAT is a miracle.
Man their YT channel has so much good ass 3rd Strike footage, I'll legit miss that. Even some other obscure games would randomly show up too and have really high level gameplay.
Unist was really top
MBAAC too
Everything he said is true about arcade culture. I can't explain it but I also got a piece of it here on the west coast of the U.S. in the earlly-mid 2000s and even then it felt like you had to go certain days. I was extremely young but seeing everyone playing various games from the dancing games, fighting games, the railshooters, racing games, It was something special that will never exist in the same way for reasons I can't fit into a youtube comment. Thankyou Majin Obama for archiving what you can and sharing your experiences. Although it may not be understood by everyone, it will be felt by those who have experienced it.
This hits hard for all us melty fans. If you hit up the melty match video database, all of the tapes that you would learn from would be from a-cho. Rest in peace.
I remember waking up to watch MBAA sets on the fam computer in high school and then falling asleep to it on the phone in college years. Good times
as someone named "arcade guy" even i have to pull the wool off my eyes and read the writing on the walls.
i love the scene, but times are changing.
you are like 20 years late man
@@doogies worth it till the bitter end
Never been to Japan, never experienced arcade culture firsthand, but this one hurts. a-cho is synonymous with high-level footage of old school fighting games. I'm gonna spend the next hour and a half remembering the good times by watching a NGBC tournament from 2013.
I remember watching the arcade steams man 😢
Yeah. I would always have them on the side monitor.
Man it's so sad to see arcades shutting down. Outside a very brief window of time around the turn of the millenium, arcades were hardly ever a thing here in Finland, but in my mind I've had this dream of the arcades in more populated countries being like a gaming mecca that I could go and visit some day. That dream is getting shattered in front of my eyes every time one of the spots closes its doors. I can only hope someone figures out a way to stop the bleeding. Thanks for recording what this place was like.
Bruh, this is sad to see. I enjoyed watching A-Cho's Garou and Last Blade 2 streams. A-Cho will definitely be missed.😢
Huge loss also for the KOF community, it was one of the staple places for the series in Kansai, and where they'd hold the Duelling the KOF tournament series, which basically ran tourneys for all the games that were played competitively during a single weekend. I'm fortunate to have been able to go there a few times.
yup. prob gotta pivot to an osaka spot or one of the tokyo places
All good things come to an end eventually. That fact doesn't make it suck any less.
Damn, I love watching their 3rd strike streams/uploads. Visited there back in 2023 and got wrecked at the game. a-cho will be missed
i remember seeing A-cho almost every night during my middle to highschool era. Always told myself that one day i'll go to the arcades legends played and trained at. Yes majors and locals is still around, but seeing A-cho and random arcade vods is something different. Thanks for what it felt like endless hours of entertainment and learning how the Japanese played.
I've been to a handful of arcades in my region. I even saw the rise and fall of one of my favorite spots in town. The friendships that spark in these places is something special. To meet on the cabinet, sometimes not even saying a word, run the set, and after it all go "Damn, great set bro" is something that can only happen in an arcade. Not some GG EZ mentality, but to actually meet the person behind the cab and spark a conversation with them about the game. To then go and play some other games, play a shmup together, play some Time Crisis or HotD together. Show them "your game" as they do so in return. Suffer through a beat em up together as you just sweat buckets but you're already locked in. Finish it off with one last Hydro Thunder race for all the marbles, and win or lose, leave friends. You may stay in touch, you may never see them again, but those moments are what makes the arcade such a mecca for gamers.
I hope in some way, even if the physical place disappears, we can somehow keep that spirit alive. It's more than the FGC, it's more than eSports, it's more than rollback. It's the only place on Earth that feels like grade school recess and the Wild West all in one.
Thanks for covering these topics, homie. Gotta let em know.
A-cho was my go to in order to witness the Japanese arcade scene online. I always appreciate the uploads on TH-cam over the past decade.
We gotta bring back the in person gaming experience, man. Yeah going home and playing on your console/PC is cool, but making friends with people at the cabinets was something special. You knew if someone was sitting down across from you (or next to you) they shared an interest, it was such a great way to meet people
I was sad to hear A-cho is closing. I used to go there back in 2011-2012, mashing buttons in BBCS and P4A. Met some friendly people, had a lot of fun. Guess I'll always have the memories.
Going to japan next year and I want to definitely check out some arcades there! The best and most memorable arcade experience for me was funnily enough in Stockholm, probably because I was there with a bunch of my friends and we were all jumping between Tekken and Street Fighter sets... Also the amount of rhythm games I finally got the chance to play... Such a crazy night, we had to go back for a round two after a few days lol.
RIP A-Cho.
When I was living in the Kansai Area, I use to go whenever I wounded up in Kyoto for the day.
There were good times, simpler times, the times where I got my ass whooped 0-2 in errthing...but all fun none the less.
Like you said, the arcade/game centers were on borrowed time for a minute so this news isn't shocking but still sad to see the day finally came. Makes me want to find/check out places in Nagoya before they go away too.
I hate seeing all of the places I loved shutting down... I'm gonna have to come back again before my big 3 (Mikado, Hey, Game Safari) are gone forever... Sad times...
I learned to play so much from studying a-cho footage. Pour one out for a real one
Places like this closing shop make me even more grateful for my local scenes
The pandemic was very harsh with the scene. First time I went to JP was in 2019 and post pandemic things declined in many aspects. We made fun with some friends from Tokyo that eventually arcades will be Gundam EXVS saloons, hopefully many more games and old cabinets keep striving. Those are magical places to be and to me, huge part of my trips to Japan
sucks, i watched a lot of vampire savior from there. we all know why this is happening so i guess a better question is what could an arcade do as a business to maintain or even grow? what can they provide other then a venue?
Damn, I'm sad. Closing before I got to go.
I remember in the college days I used to fall asleep to the match videos in the A-Cho channel.
Damn what a bummer, moving to Kansai next year was looking forward to visiting A-Cho tbh😔. At least Osaka still has Athena to support for now
I haven't been to Japan yet, but A-cho did more for my SF4 knowledge than any other content out at the time. They'd have whole ass tournaments uploaded with top tier players in them, countless hours of footage were watched. Sad day for those memories, but gotta throw a hat up for them for staying up for as long as they did, and all the joy they brought.
It's really sad it's come to this, watching a-cho on youtube was something I've been doing for so long. The least we can do now is appreciate everyone who's still trucking and celebrate what we have. But we're in an era where even the most venerable are vulnerable.
Man that's too bad! I popped in there when I was in Kyoto last month. I'm glad I was able to play a few games and experience it before it shut down, didn't know it was such a legendary arcade. ❤
Great concise video as always. And yeah I always remember reading in french game magazines in late 90s/early 00s "arcades are dying in japan" lol so it always feel weird when people still don't know
thanks for watching
I remember winter of 2018 I was in Japan for the first (and last as for now) time and I met you guys in an after Fighting Tuesday (I was the autistic spanish guy if you remember) and I can't thank enough you guys for showing me this decaying and beautiful world. It's funny when you try to explain this to younger generations. They just don't get it, it's not just about the software, the argument of "instant accessibility in the era of information" does simply not apply. I'm not one for being nostalgic and remain in a pink tinted glasses view of past times, but it really feels like we lost something... probably forever.
It's really sad that by the time I actually make it to Japan for the vacation, I'll really miss out on the experiences I wanted to try out.
Be it the SEGA Red Building or A-Cho. It kinda feels sad. I never got to experience the arcade culture, since it never really existed here around me, and wanted to experience the same. Heck, SEGA Red Building and A-Cho were two of my motivating factors to try traveling to Japan.
Awful news, watched and learned so much from their footage for years, especially Melty. Came back from my first Japan trip last week, and had to make the decision on the 12th between skipping a day trip or going to the Melty event. I thought to myself "The tourist sites will always be there, these arcades and community events won't be around forever" and going to a-cho was the best decision I made the whole trip, regardless of the news. It was godlike, dropping 500yen for 5 hours of freeplay, playing in and watching FT10 exhibitions, everyone there was hyped up and having a blast. So grateful to be able to experience that kind of community, right before it closes. Props especially to Rakuchan for all the work he's put in for that community. Hopefully the Melty guys migrate to one of the Osaka arcades.
The arcade itself was also just fantastic, really great selection of games, especially SHMUPs and fighters, with very well maintained cabs, dropped so many coins in the evenings before heading to my room.
Make it out to these places while you still can, especially their weeklies/monthlies, ask some players on twitter when their events are if they don't post them. RIP to one of the GOAT arcades, at least we still have all their footage to watch back.
Damn - Kendrick Lamar
That's a bummer I used to go there at least once a week around 2012-2014 with my co-workers. First place I ever entered a tournament too.
Great video, sorry to hear another beloved arcade going down in Japan. Very much appreciate the listing of current active arcades. I'll be sure to hit up some of them in February
All these arcades/gessen closing down before i could even go to japan 😔
I can't even see the famous gamers' dejiko big ad billboard before they took it down permanently
Really glad I made it over there this year to drop more than a few coins
Man RIP, they had a lot of really strong 3rd strike players here, and I always enjoyed watching their vods. Hopefully they can gather at one of these other arcades.
I was in high school when I discovered the MvC2 arcade cabinets at my local mall, and I fell in love with the absolute joy and wonder that these "old-ass" games offered. While everyone else hoarded the local computer shops, swearing up a storm on a game of classic DOTA, I became a regular at my local TimeZone, hogging the cabs with T5DR, GGXX Slash, MvC1, and even a stray SamSho, but something I noticed even way back then was that the culture was already in decline. Hardly anyone except me would actually pull up to these old games to fight and these old fighting game cabinets I loved ended up being little more than parking areas for people to sit on while they idly passed the time waiting for their friends or dates. That was over 10 years ago already, yet I can't shake the feeling that I discovered and came into this scene too late.
Arcades are still actually a thing here in the Philippines, but the fighting game scene of it is a dying breed (it's now mostly dominated by fishing games that are curiously popular with a lot of boomers, with only a singular stray T6 cabinet surviving the snap). That's why, whenever I go out and come across an arcade with actual fighting games, I make sure to stop by, trade a few coins into tokens, and give the machine some love by playing a few games as sort of a pilgrimage to a culture I loved but sadly seems lost to time now.
The best HnK streams were from A-Cho. Rest in peace, even for those who couldn't meet the place it Left a legacy of fun, competitive gameplay. You will be missed.
Thanks Obama.
Damn that's crazy. I was just there this November.
Play spot big One 2nd is my go to channel, I literally brew coffee each time they start streaming, But A-cho for me was known for insane low-tier mvc2 matches I wouldn't find elsewhere....Goodbye A-cho...Your memories will live on😢🌹🥀...TY Majin🙏
I would love to make the trip to Japan just to visit these arcades. Watching Big one streams is just very nice to see a bunch of peeps just play.
Hate to see another arcade in Japan go 😢.
I'm heading to Japan in April... sad I won't be able to go to A-Cho.
broooo, this video couldn't have come at a better time bro letssss fuycking gooooooooo
Re: what arcades to hit on what days. If you're planning a Japan trip, reach out to your community first! Chances are somebody has been before you and already made their own itinerary of what spots to hit up each day of the week (and in what cities, even.)
What you mentioned around the 3:00 minute mark really highlights the same issue that a lot of local venues have. People don't treat spots like this as a true third space that they regularly go to throughout the week. They'll go for whatever day the local is on and then that's it. For any kind of business that's almost entirely unsustainable. Hard to really know why it has all changed so much. Do people really just value their home setups that much more? I guess so...
I’ve been to Japan so many times just to experience this, it’s indeed hard to explain the feeling you get in these arcades. Just go visit the place while you can and experience it!
Beyond community was a good way to describe it
Sad to see something that means that much go out
Managed to visit there a few months ago, sad to see it close its doors.
I remember first visiting Tokyo back in 2001 and there were arcades seemingly on every street corner. Got to go to places like Shibuya Kaikan and the Try Amusement Tower, the scene was amazing back then. While there are some surviving bastions out there game center’s have been on a downward spiral for years. I’m glad that I got to see it all in its heyday.
I remember watching a-cho videos since I was in college.. lots of third strike and I think CvS2
This reminds me of an arcade called "Playdium" in Canada closed during the lockdowns. Granted it's a franchise and there are 2 of them in other cities, I just had so many memories of the Playdium in my city and I was sad to see it close. ☹
damn, that really sucks. i remember when i visited japan this summer i went to a-cho and had a really fun time. but it makes sense, we were like the only ones there aside from one or two other people.
It's a shame that a-cho is going away. I learned about a-cho and Mikado from all of their tournament videos on TH-cam. It looks like a-cho last posted a video on their channel about 8 months ago. Mikado has continued to stream nearly daily and sometimes will have two going at a time. I wonder if Japanese arcades would have any success in monetizing these efforts (ex: Matcherino contributions, Patreon, etc.). If the arcade culture needs to adapt, maybe different forms of monetization are the way forward.
I remember watching a-cho streams in twitch a decade ago. I would mainly tune in to watch HNK because it's so insane, but invariably keep watching because whatever they end up playing, they'd have such great players. Good times.
glad i got to go to a-cho last october. played my first offline melty set against an american there.
I used to watch their sf4 and third strike vods
Wow, I didn’t expect to be this bummed out today
Big Boss: This is good......isnt it?...
I felt this with Arcade Infinity and Family Fun Arcade. :(
What the hell can we DO...??
I used to drop by Shibuya Kaikan every day after my internship the summer of 1999, and stop by regularly when I moved to Japan in 2006. I was sad when it closed, that place was great. I spent way too much money on SSF2X, sitting so I could see the Psychic Force machines - that was a strange game. Good times. Back in 2006 I'd stop by an arcade every day after work, got to know the ones around Shibuya, and knew the SF4 players at the Taito or Adores. Those days are long gone.
that place was craazy
Awww man not A-Cho! I loved their event streams. They were one of the few places that did The Last Blade 2 tourneys.
Fuckin hell man. I've never been there, but I've watched so many A-cho videos.
I use to watch their streams often to see high level BB. Sad to see them go...
I've never been to Japan but just the concept of hanging out with others people thst play the same game makes me wish wistfully
These are the end times. Prepare for the aftermath, be ready to be the torch bearers for the long dark night ahead. ❤
Yknow this heartbreak reminds me when Super Arcade in Azusa closed its doors for good, my mom used to drive me and my sister out to play SF4 and other arcade games. or even FFA, most of the CA arcades, the last bastions of old arcades being around whilst still being modern is Barcode which Alex Valle hosts, and of course the legendary Don's arcade, both in Los Angeles. Its crazy to see how arcades used to be.
Oh man I’m sub to their TH-cam and watch all the old school fighters on their channel. Always wanted to visit there if I made it to Japan. Sad reality of the times 😢
I really hope the cabinets can be preserved in some way. Even if it's sold to someone of something. I would hate for all these games and memories to just sit in a landfill somewhere
I just went there on my trip to Kyoto. Even though it was mostly empty aside from the pachinko rooms it was magical. I am so heartbroken to hear it is going away.
genuinely broke my heart. i used to love watching alpha 3 infinites. wish i could have had a chance to visit in my lifetime.
While getting my degree, I spent a lot of hours watching replays from a.cho. sadly, I knew this would happen eventually, the cultural, economic and generational shifts that the inclement pass of time brings are always as understandable as painful.
As the Y2Ker, im aware that many yongsters don't mind of lettin the past die over respect the elders. Unless we talk about Dave and Buster cabinets or any like of em as well, its always sucks for many classic arcades not be able to stand on relevancy for long while already overshadowed by F2P-n-Service type of game these day, even after pandemic too
I guess I'm a bit lucky that in the pacific northwest, arcade scenes still exist to a degree. Not booming like the past but not dying out either. But I suppose arcade culture in general will have an end date and be replaced with something else in due time. Empires inevitably rise and fall. Would be great for it not never die out in general.
Another arcade, GamespotVersus near Nishi-Nippori station, is a mecca for ST players
I feel like I'm gonna miss out on all this before I can afford to see it. been a big one watcher for yrs now.
just go. real shit. its not even expensive to come through
I can't believe this is how I found out man. I enjoyed the livestream uploads... This sucks.
My only regret when I went to Japan in 2019 was not stopping by Kyoto to play some 3S at A-Cho. Thankfully I got some 3S in at Shinkjuku Sportsland. I played against some random guy who was on a date. Not my fault he was playing Q and couldn’t handle my Elena😅. Non-Smokers might wanna mask up if you decide to play there though. When I went they were still smoking in the arcade and if you’re sensitive to that, beware.
Visited Play Spot last October for Fighting EX Layer. Best experience ever! 🔥
Im tight that I wasn’t able to visit A-Cho. RIP 🙏🏾
play spot is tight
Man ive been watch bafael watching a-cho matches for the past couple years and its a dam shame to lose
Damn ive been saving up for a trip to japan and id would've like to visit this spot since i heard so much about it its a shame fr
Been there in 2015/2016. fought a few battles in KOF 98. extremely high level. Was awesome :(
At least you got a taste of it
This timeline sucks, man.
damn just got back from a trip from japan too. will have to check these arcades out next time I make a trip there, so hopefully they stick around
i wish i cud go out there i wudve been there every day
I actaully really wanted to go to one of these especially this one. This one hurts and hopefully I'll be able to go now or at least something else like it
RIP LEGEND
NO! No more a-cho!?! WHERE AM I GOING TO GET MY MBAACC CONTENT NOW!?! T_T
RIP to the legend, thanks for the memories
just got the news we lost Brooklyn Games and Arcade today, too. truly a dark day in the fgc.
we been telling yall....lol
people only listen to us when bad shit happens!
I watch acho still to this day alllll the time. Is there any other jp arcades that post vods and stream matches?!?!?