Arcade gaming is dead. Long live arcade gaming.

In the early 90s, teenage boys would troop to the shopping malls to test their mettle against others in fighting games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. Those days are long gone. The thrill of one-on-one, hand-to-hand virtual combat in video games like Street Fighter II has been replaced by the strategy-based group skirmishes of multiplayer games like Counter Strike and DOTA (Defense of the Ancients). 

Old school arcade duels remained dormant for more or less a decade...that is, until the launch of Street Fighter IV for IOS in early 2011. With the release of this simplified, “light” version, creators Capcom studios enticed “hardcore” arcade gamers to give Apple’s mobile operating system a serious look. Now, gamers can play against each other using the Ipod Touch or the Iphone 4 via Bluetooth. And this time, they can literally take the action outside. 

 

Powermac Center, one of the country's leading premium Apple resellers, recognized this resurgence of one-on-one gaming so they organized Arcadium 2.0, the Philippines’ first ever App Arcade Tournament. The event pitted members of the media against each other playing popular iOS based video games like Street Fighter IV for Ipod Touch, Scrabble for Ipad2, and Uberstrike HD for the Mac. 

 

The first Arcadium event was held in march 2011, in conjunction with the local launch of the Ipad 1. The second series of Arcadium events were held just in time for the Christmas season, to “remind” potential customers of the robust gaming capabilities of Apple’s mobile devices and maybe entice serious gamers to take the IOS plunge. 

 

According to marketing manager Joey Alvarez, “(The iPod Touch is) already popular as a music gadget but with the developments of iOS5 and all the apps coming out for the iPad, iPod Touch...we just feel that we need to focus on that more.”  

 

Playing an old-school fighting game on an Ipod Touch is a bit disorienting. The lack of a joystick and any physical buttons to mash is enough to put even the most seasoned player of his game. Also, the small screen means your mannish thumbs will cover a good 30% of the screen, hindering visibility. 

 

The small screen also means that you won’t get the same HD eye candy as the PS3 and XBox versions. Look closely and you will see some slight pixelation and lost detail. But of course, you can’t put your PS3 and your HDTV in your pocket. The mobility offered by IOS devices more than makes up for the lack of definition and detail. Also, since multiplayer is via Bluetooth, you don’t need Wi-Fi hotspots to enjoy busting some skulls. During your lunch break, you can just whip out your IOS device and start looking for other players in the immediate area to challenge. Depending on your physical distance to the other player, the versus mode is pretty smooth and does not show any lag. If the Bluetooth pairing breaks down mid game, the match is stopped abruptly. 

 

Mobility is the game changer, but it is the simplified gameplay that makes SFIV stand out solidly as an IOS game. The “virtual joystick” takes a little getting used to, but once you get a hang of the response time you’ll be doing back flips and dashes in no time. The 6 arcade buttons are replaced by 4 virtual ones. One for punching, one for kicking, one for special attack, and one for “focused attack”. Executing the characters’ devastating “super” attack is as simple as touching the flaming “super” icon below the life bar. Seriously, it’s that simple. You just have to time it right. The simplified controls make the game accessible to new gamers who are not well versed with the moves list of the characters. 

 

Arcadium is just the beginning, Powermac plans to hold more events that feature the different ways that iOS owners can utilize their devices. In August 2011, they held an app making seminar for aspiring developers. Alvarez adds “It's all about bringing people to the store so that they can try the products that we have.”

 

Arcadium 2.0 was held in SM Annex North Edsa on November 25, 2011. — TJD, GMA News