BOURNEMOUTH SEGA PARK – NOW A SOULLESS WASTELAND
The SEGA Park in Bournemouth is now a “Leisure Exchange” which is like an arcade, only emptier and worse. A roving reporter took us some photos of the inside and was even kind enough to write some captions for us. We can now take the rest of the day off to stare blankly at a screen and line up our icons, because if the icons aren’t lined up properly…
THE REPORTER’S INTRODUCTION:
“The place has gone from being a testing site for every single new Sega arcade machine to a large empty room with no people and even less machines… oh, and a big area dedicated to ‘gambling'”
“This used to be where it said SEGA PARK in big blue letters. Now it says… well, this. And there’s a big silver AMUSEMENTS sign above the door, just in case people are too thick to work out what a Leisure Exchange is. On the plus side though, the Quasar’s quite good – nice and big, with loads of good places to hide”
“Sonic’s still in the windows despite the place no longer being a proper Sega Park, probably because they’re waiting for some chavs to smash them with a brick so they can claim for new Sonic-free glass on the insurance”
“The view from the front door. This place used to be CRAMMED with machines – really interesting ones. Now, there’s a huge gap in the middle (like, HUGE) and all the machines have been pushed against the walls. There’s a sole pool table at the back, which the chavs use mostly for sitting on”
“The newest machine the place has, besides Virtua Striker 4 and House Of The Dead 4 (both of which we’re surprised even appeared in this tired old place) is this WCCF card game. No one ever plays it. But then, there’s never anyone in here. To be fair though, having this and OutRun 2 SP is vaguely impressive… it’s just a shame all the other machines have been lost in the process”
“These people are playing Virtua Tennis 2. There are two VT2 machines in the arcade, but one’s got a shit screen that’s all purple and warped. It used to have several sit-down beat-’em-up cabinets (Tekken 4, SVC Chaos, Soul Calibur II) but they’re all gone now. In their place is a Sonic Blast Man punching machine. Bleugh”
AND THAT’S IT
Had we written this we would’ve included some sort of narrative structure about the day and probably lied about there being tramps cooking up smack in the toilets. Still, it’s not bad for a free update. Thanks!
October 30th, 2006 on 11:18 pm
They still have Quasar there? I’m jealous. I never got a chance to play it.
I want that Sega Park glass. Free McDonalds food and a Vin Diesel poster to anyone who acquires it for me.
October 30th, 2006 on 11:24 pm
There’s normally comments posted by the time I get to read these. Brighton has stopped being a Sega Park last time I went. And I haven’t been to the one in Southampton in a while. I’ll go check Basildon next time I’m there. It’s like a massive Sega Park watch!
October 31st, 2006 on 12:29 am
I really believed in Sega, but now I’m starting to wonder if we were wrong all along. An ageing order, in thrall to corrupt leaders who pay lip service to the golden age, going through the motions and waiting for a second coming we long ago gave up pretending will ever happen.
This must be what catholics feel like all the time.
October 31st, 2006 on 12:39 am
They got rid of a Tekken cabinet, so it’s not all bad.
October 31st, 2006 on 9:44 am
The Sega Park in Southampton is still going strong, there’s always people in there and the other day two fat kids were outside waiting for it to open.
Must be because of that Sonic carpet.
October 31st, 2006 on 10:06 am
You should be thankful you even have arcades. In Australia you get knifed by homeless people for your spare pennies when playing old Neo Geo uprights at the local fish n chips shop… And that’s if your lucky.
October 31st, 2006 on 12:12 pm
what do you mean ‘now’?
October 31st, 2006 on 2:45 pm
Why doesn’t Richard Branson step in? I know he reads UK:R.
Hey Branson? Save the Sega parks! Otherwise there’ll be more chavs in the street. Chav on chav warfare will devalue the pound.
IT’S ALL UP TO YOU BRANSON
October 31st, 2006 on 3:10 pm
:-(, it actually used to be a really good Sega park, much better than anything Bournemouth has to offer.
The toilets there are fucking grim and are usually full of gay porn mags.
November 1st, 2006 on 2:44 am
I had a bad dream last night about a Sega Park/Restaurant that turned to shit over time. Thanks to these depressing stories you guys post. I’m gonna go cry myself to sleep now.
November 2nd, 2006 on 7:14 pm
My favourite part of Sega Park is the DDR machine. An A4 printout attached to the side proclaims it to be SONIC FAVOURITE GAME.
January 12th, 2007 on 2:29 am
The only good thing about the building is the wicked Quasar, it totally owns. Sod the arcade just do the shooting thing :)
Also was in there today and the toilets are beeing worked on thank god! … shame i didn’t see any gay porn :( hehe
January 12th, 2007 on 2:37 am
shhhh. play quasar…
October 22nd, 2007 on 8:45 pm
although it opened as “segaworld” in may 1993 as the first family entertainment centre, it changed names to “segapark” in 1998 due to sega operations uk’s HUGE investment in their premiere site in the troc in london as they only wanted ONE “world” the rest of the 15 sega sites became “parks” this included the segadome in london! the leisure exchange bought all the sega park sites and names outright in april 2000 and only had the licence for the “segapark” name for 5 years, slowly one by one the words family entertaiment centres ment nothing as these sites were ripped of their kiddies redemption games(tickets for prizes) and the only new machines were “FRUIT MACHINES” burgerking lasted a whole 10 months before the management began losing patience with the leisure exchange and “upped and left” the back area where bowling had once been was sold to quazar in sept 2006 and gala casino bought the premisis contract from the leisure exchange but leases them the small amount of space that now is called “the leisure exchange”. the sega window is just stickered on its not in the glass sadly and sega operations offically shut down in 31 march 2000, thats when arcades in this country offically died!
October 22nd, 2007 on 8:46 pm
although it opened as “segaworld” in may 1993 as the first family entertainment centre, it changed names to “segapark” in 1998 due to sega operations uk’s HUGE investment in their premiere site in the troc in london as they only wanted ONE “world” the rest of the 15 sega sites became “parks” this included the segadome in london! the leisure exchange bought all the sega park sites and names outright in april 2000 and only had the licence for the “segapark” name for 5 years, slowly one by one the words family entertaiment centres ment nothing as these sites were ripped of their kiddies redemption games(tickets for prizes) and the only new machines were “FRUIT MACHINES” burgerking lasted a whole 10 months before the management began losing patience with the leisure exchange and “upped and left” the back area where bowling had once been was sold to quazar in sept 2006 and gala casino bought the premisis contract from the leisure exchange but leases them the small amount of space that now is called “the leisure exchange”. the sega window is just stickered on its not in the glass sadly and sega operations offically shut down in 31 march 2000, thats when arcades in this country offically died!
March 24th, 2008 on 7:49 pm
this toilet is frequented by homosexual predatory gays who like to visit young boys hershey highways.. you have been warned
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