Retro gaming outfit Arcade1Up released for pre-order what the company dubbed as their “Casinocade,” bearing the licensed branding of the decades’ old game show Wheel of Fortune. However, based upon a majority of the comments left on the brand’s official Facebook page regarding the “Vegas at home” gambling simulator, fans don’t seem at all excited about picking up this particular arcade machine.
On August 1st, Arcade1Up shared the news of the “Casinocade” being available for pre-order through their retail partner Best Buy, crafting a post that implied there was a myriad of buzz for this arcade machine to be released.
“The wait is over! Pre-order the Wheel of Fortune Casinocade Deluxe Arcade Game at Best Buy now! Experience Vegas at home with 4 premium Wheel of Fortune titles and 20 unlockable mini-games. Dual screens and touch gameplay make it an immersive sensation!” – Arcade1Up
Even though Arcade1Up’s aforementioned post inferred there was mounting anticipation for their “Casinocade” to hit the market, the comments left on the original post paint a very different picture.
Some of the comments left on the post conveyed the following:
“When you’ve run out of ideas…”
“The only cabinet you should use the phrase ‘the wait is over!’ for is Daytona USA”
“I just came back from Vegas and this thing looks like a child’s toy compared to what I saw there.”
“The Vegas feel would be if they actually paid out”
“I’m sorry, who asked for this again? How is this on brand for Arcade1up?”
“The wait nobody was waiting for is over”
“Ya’ll chose this over Sega Super GT, Virtua Fighter 2, and Time Crisis? Wow.”
“This looks like an April fools joke”
A number of similar comments akin to the ones depicted above litter the original post on Arcade1Up’s Facebook page, as well as many fans of the brand sharing criticism over the relatively small screens the gambling simulator harbors.
Needless to say, the criticisms shared by Arcade1Up’s dedicated fanbase are fairly reasonable, even if they do seem troll-ish to a degree from those sitting amidst the peanut gallery on social media. And with a preorder price starting out at $599 for this niche Vegas-inspired game from the company, it seems like the only real gambling going on is by Arcade1Up themselves.
To gain a better understanding of why Arcade1Up is being bombarded with criticism over this particular release, one would only need to take a look at the company’s past releases to ascertain where Arcade1Up earns their bread and butter.
Coming to the market in 2018, Arcade1Up was a seemingly inevitable response to the growing popularity of retro gaming in conjunction with the growing nostalgia of the arcade era. The plan was simple, genius, and right on time: obtain the licenses to classic arcade games and render them in a lightweight, 3/4-scale version via the use of modern hardware and relatively inexpensive MDF, which can be assembled like IKEA furniture.
And the first generation of releases from the company in 2018 tapped right into the heart of the arcade era prevalent in the 80s and early 90s, releasing 3/4-scale editions of Rampage, Asteroids, Street Fighter 2, Pac-Man, Galaga, and an Atari 12-in-1. Arcade1Up kept the same model in the next generation of releases with titles like Mortal Kombat 2, Space Invaders, Final Fight, and Golden Tee.
The hits would keep coming from Arcade1Up in the following years, dropping the beloved TMNT: Turtles in Time, Frogger, Golden Axe, NBA Jam, Burger Time, Marvel vs. Capcom, and several other bonafide arcade classics.
While frustrated fans have fomented over the past year or so due to a staggering number of re-releases/redesigns of cabinets like Pac-Man, Street Fighter, and others, the blowback wasn’t too terrible from consumers.
But Arcade1Up’s phony gambling machine just seems to miss the mark on every pillar of their brand identity, and fans’ reactions are proof positive of this conundrum for the company.
The creation of a Wheel of Fortune themed casino machine bearing the Arcade1Up branding doesn’t exactly scratch any existing nostalgia itches, largely considering these sorts of digital slot machines are littered all over modern casinos to this day.
Additionally, the thrill of real digital casino slots lies heavily in the possibility of winning tangible money, whereas the payout gimmick in Arcade1Up’s “casinocade” is in the form of unlocking…more faux digital gambling games.
Not to mention, the appearance of the games featured look on par with what folks could generally download on their phones and tablets for free.
While fans of the product line have been, quite literally, pleading with Arcade1Up for years to release classic arcade titles like the shooter Time Crisis and the Street Fighter Alpha trilogy (due to the company’s preexisting relationships with Namco and Capcom), brand loyalists were instead greeted with this odd cabinet.
Chances are this release will serve as Arcade1Up’s biggest flop to date.
Gregory Hoyt is a former contributor to outlets such as Law Enforcement Today and Red Voice Media, and current host of The Breakdown with Greg Hoyt. Based out of Sierra Vista, Arizona, Hoyt is a staunch and outspoken advocate of law enforcement and first responders, while also harboring the unique experience of having spent nearly 5 years in prison. Since then, he's used his unique perspective to offer support and commentary about the criminal justice system. When not working or combating bad ideas, Hoyt also leisurely studies economics, history, and law.