INSIDE SEGA'S AMAZING 'HI-TECH LAND'
See what SEGA thought the future would look like in 1993, thanks to a Japan-living-in reader called Rudie. He’s embarrassed us quite severely by putting in the sort of effort we haven’t put in since 1999.
“Here are more pictures of things that say SEGA. Near my place in southern Tokyo there are two arcades both called SEGA HI-TECH LAND.”
“This is the entrance to one. You can taste the future. And you know it will be great because it says SEGA!”
“There was one person on the arcade portion, which means it was more active than American arcades. Everyone else was by the UFO Catchers and Pachinko machines on the other side. The clerk didn’t mind when I got pictures of the empty VF5 machines.”
“This mat states that the 23rd of every month is SEGA day. That makes Japan automatically better than every other country on Earth.”
“The back entrance to the other arcade. I don’t know what else to say.”
“This is the front entrance.”
“Look at all those empty machines! That just means there’s no waiting to have fun at SEGA Hi-Tech Land.”
“The best part is at the arcade they have free wetnaps that remind you about SEGA day! See two SEGA Arcades within walking distance of each other. They are still open which means someone out there still cares about fun.”
This should be our new logo.
filed in GONZO on May.08, 2007
May 8th, 2007 on 3:10 pm
Empty arcades always feel really wierd, they should be really busy/noisy dark cave like places of wonder. In my opinion anyways.
May 8th, 2007 on 3:26 pm
Did anyone ever go to.. I think it was “Sega World” at the Trocadero in London? I assume it’s closed now, but what was it like?
iouznak – What one scouser says to another after thieving their lunch.
May 8th, 2007 on 4:12 pm
It should be government policy to have arcades in every town, to give today’s kids something social to do without binge drinking.
I loved the arcades, like another poster says, it felt naughty and dingey, like you should’nt really be there, which is perfect for tennagers.
If they brought back arcades again, consoles would suffer, but frankly I prefer it that way, it’s socially healthy. You could practice VF4 in arcades, and buy the time it came to console, you’d perfect your moves further, then take your skills back to the arcades again, whilst all the time they’re releasing other versions to keep the very best on their toes, VF4-Fine Tuned for instance.
There’s this one in london:-
http://www.namcostation.co.uk/360tour.htm#
But its too corporate. I miss seeing X-multiply on a screen that took up a wall.
May 8th, 2007 on 4:14 pm
The Trocadero Sega world was always full of very un-sega chavs.
Top marks for the Japanese though for sticking it out. Probably run on blood money or as a front for child smuggling.
Which makes it even more fun.
May 8th, 2007 on 4:30 pm
You guys should download this:-
http://www.archive.org/details/RetroCore-Akihabara_Special2005
That’s what true hardcore is.
May 8th, 2007 on 5:34 pm
Amazing, i will dedicate the 23rd of each month to Sega now. Except this month because it’s my birthday.
tsclz – This is how Yuji Naka pronounces Tescos
May 8th, 2007 on 5:50 pm
I think we still have a Sega World in bournemouth! The arcade is still there wether it is still called Sega World I cant remember It has all the arcade machines, a Quazer and a burger king built in!
May 8th, 2007 on 5:58 pm
What’s up with the ‘american football’? *cough*Rugby*cough*
May 8th, 2007 on 8:14 pm
Sonic and Tails love America and American football. They spend their days playing the latest version of Madden and wishing they could be in as popular a game as that again some day. They don’t like Pro Eveolution Soccer because they are not pasty Brits with bad teeth. At least, this is what I read in Game Informer magazine. If anyone could confirm this, say via an exclusive interview with Sonic and/or Tails, I would appreciate it. Thank you.
May 8th, 2007 on 10:13 pm
So the free wetnap is to clean up with once you have a wank after dicovering a thing called “Sega Day” right? Originally it was probably just printed on a little piece of cardboard and they quickly discovered the need for the wetnaps.
May 9th, 2007 on 6:57 am
I remember the Trocadero Sega World, very exciting I won the ride where you shot balls from an armour plated bumber car!! I even had my picture taken with Sonic but there was a bomb scare and we all had to leave (so I never got it). One person had to be rescued from a flight sim (can’t remember which one but it rotated 360 degrees) when the power was cut.
I remember I was very annoying when we were being evacuated saying “this is the most realistic ride by far, well done sega”. I don’t think that helped the situation.
But it was good, I played VF3 for the first time and link up Virtua-On for hours. All the games were free so you could practice VF3 on 2 player mode to learn the moves or play virtua cop John Woo styleeee with both guns!
May 9th, 2007 on 8:57 am
Sega World in the Trocadero was ‘great’! Eight player Daytona, each machine featuring a broken seat! Hordes of chavs! A huge billboard for I-War 2! Having to traverse seven floors to get to the exit! Loads of Japanese chickies playing Puzzle Bobble!
It’s still there. It’s just not called Sega World, all the games are now fruit machines, and there’s about 12 pubs in it now.
May 9th, 2007 on 10:37 am
Loads of Japanese chickies playing Puzzle Bobble!
How old were the Japanese chickies? Because if you’re complaining about somehwere called Sega World where there were a bunch of legal aged, videogame loving Japanese girls and your only competition for them is a pile of chavs, well sir, I wonder what it would take to make you happy.
May 9th, 2007 on 12:09 pm
A: He wasn’t complaining about sega World, and
B: It doesn’t matter how old they were!
May 9th, 2007 on 1:02 pm
There’s no other thing for it, I have to move to japan it’s that simple.
Then I can pretend i’m in Shenmue.
May 9th, 2007 on 2:13 pm
So you’re going to pretend you work in the docks and arm wrestle for a living?
Dont forget your lucky shot board.
May 9th, 2007 on 2:34 pm
Don’t forget the capsule toy addiction, either.
May 9th, 2007 on 4:27 pm
phorenzik said…
phorenzik said…
A: He wasn’t complaining about sega World, and
B: It doesn’t matter how old they were!
A: When he described it, he put “great” in quotes, so it reads like he didn’t like it.
B: True.
May 9th, 2007 on 6:39 pm
Saphion: I collect Gashapon in real life so it would’nt be too much of a departure for me. The coolest ones I got were rare Nights ones and Outrun arcade models. Once I did a lucky dip, and got one of a Sega Execs. Cool.
May 9th, 2007 on 7:05 pm
I went to SegaWorld in London once (since we’re talking about it…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF1iqAWjyZ4
word ver: vzjmd
Very Zany Joe M Design! :D
May 9th, 2007 on 9:34 pm
I stand corrected Colin. That’s the closest you’ll get to an apology from me. That and the word ‘sorry’.
May 9th, 2007 on 10:46 pm
phorenzik said…
I stand corrected Colin. That’s the closest you’ll get to an apology from me. That and the word ‘sorry’.
Eh, who cares. I think we both agreed on the real important and relevant points. (i.e. it would be cool to do a Japanese chick).
May 9th, 2007 on 11:24 pm
The aforementioned Japanese chickies had their obligatory Japanese boyfriends.
A gaijin like me would stand no chance, as even if she fancied me her parents would likely disapprove most strongly, and her father would chop me in half with a sword.
May 9th, 2007 on 11:52 pm
A gaijin like me would stand no chance, as even if she fancied me her parents would likely disapprove most strongly, and her father would chop me in half with a sword.
I’d just do the mother too. Then the husband would have to kill himself with the sword in shame. It’s the perfect plan.
May 10th, 2007 on 1:49 am
I’d just do the mother too. Then the husband would have to kill himself with the sword in shame. It’s the perfect plan.
…that might just work. I think it’s time to fulfill a life long fantasy of mine.
May 10th, 2007 on 11:10 am
Billy Morris, did you ever get any of the Phantasy Star Online ones? I would fucking kill for those.
May 10th, 2007 on 11:50 am
You wouldnt want to do them anyway. Their fannies go from left to right.
Fact.
May 10th, 2007 on 1:56 pm
Branch-me-do’s right, if you watch Japanorama, gaijin/outsiders/foreigners are rarely fully accepted into their social circle, all japs actually have a corner of their house as a shrine to the last generation, and anyone who marries their daughter must be seen worthy of their name. i.e. VERY sucessful. So if your just another sad geek who loves computer games, i’m affraid you’ve all got a china man’s chance!
Saphion: Did you mean PSO ones in real life or in the game? I dont remember them in the game but I could be wrong. The coolest Gashapon I own are the Virtua On, Girl from Golden Axe, and UFO Catcher/Arcade unit ones. In the game I got every one of the Sonic Fighters, Super Sonic, VF player 2 characters etc.
Things I learnt are:
The shop just around the corner from your house, has all the game characters, secrets like Sega execs.
The Gashapon machine outside the arcade, has all the arcade unit ones and A LOT of the rare game characters like space harrier etc.
And the ones around the dock, have all the trams, cars, buses, trains etc.
You get the forklift by winning the forklift race.
I’ve yet to hear of anyone with a full collection.
May 11th, 2007 on 5:29 pm
I know I’m right! You’d have to hope that her entire family died in the Hiroshima bombing or something, so that she was an orphan. And that she had a minge capable of accomodating a white man’s willy, which has been SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN (by watching videos on JP18.net) to be 500% larger than a jap-o-willy.
weqivt: sound a Japanese girl’s twinkle makes as a caucasian penis is crammed in for the first time
May 22nd, 2007 on 12:03 am
Please can we have a monthly reminder of Sega day, please Zorg?
WV: spudhpgo – potato transport…
October 2nd, 2009 on 2:24 am
This place is just round the corner from my house. This is how it looks according to Google Maps: http://twurl.nl/v0tei7 It's even worse in real life. As an aside, my motorbike was stolen from outside there two years ago.
January 30th, 2010 on 12:18 pm
PianoFan…
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