Jolt Country

Went down to visit a buddy in Texas this weekend and got to play Major Havoc on a real, dedicated Major Havoc machine for the first time.

The roller takes a little getting used to, and after playing it, it makes me wonder why they didn't just use a joystick? I was also surprised to see the cabinet looks a lot like my 720 cabinet, with a skinny base and then that heavy foot pedestal. I thought 720 was the only cabinet with that unique shape.

Here are some of the cabinets my friend owns. His worst one is better than my best one.

http://www.robohara.com/photo/index.php ... e%2FDarren

I've never seen a cabinet as well maintained as those, either inside or outside an arcade. Smash TV and Tempest are especially well loved (the Williams TM panel on Smash is bloody gorgeous), with the marquees on all of the games appearing to have had a spiffy re-lacquering and/or restoration job.

Though the drawback is the same: never would a machine in an arcade look this new, and I have fond memories of playing Smash TV and 1942 on ash and cigarette stained control decks (with the thick plastic protectors in front of the screen, having an off tinged yellow from all the carcinogens they ingested). Doesn't quite hit my nostalgia sweet spot (and because the steps took to restore each cabinet appear uniform, without variation for the game) though damn, are those games pretty.