Did you miss Round 1's Grand Opening Day?

Didn't make Round 1's Grand Opening day on September 4th? Want to read and hear about how everything went? The good? The bad? The ugly?

Allen Tran at The Nerd's Tier has done not only an in-depth review of Round 1's grand opening day, but a quick look at the store!

Go here to take a look!
 The Nerd's Tier - Round 1 Grand Opening
The Nerd's Tier Official Facebook

-Amy

9/29 - Initial D 8: Thoughts, Experiences and Takeaways from a Veteran Player

While the music games have surely been taking off here at Round 1 San Jose, I've also been noticing an influx of players for Initial D 8! Let's take a look! (ﾉ `･∀･)ﾉﾞ

Initial D 8 is a driving game created by SEGA, and is based off of the anime of the same name. It is the only Initial D 8 cabinet in Northern California, with both Golfland USA and Emerald Hills Golfland having Initial D 6 as its current version. Many players both new and old are flocking to Round 1 to play the new installment. But what's the difference between Initial D 6 and Initial D 8? Why is there so much hype for this new installment? 〣( ºΔº )〣 I am on the floor with Alex Flores, a 26-year-old Initial D player who has been a fan and a player of the game since he was 13.

Alex demonstrates the game play in Initial D 8.

Amy: What Initial D games have you played?

Alex: I’ve played every single version of Initial D in some way shape or form, be it console, portable console, arcade… I’ve played the PC one but that one’s kind of ass so nobody cares about that anyway. (laughs)

A: So starting from Initial D3 which is when the arcade game really took off, can you tell me some of the differences you've noticed up to say, version 6 which is the most recent Initial D game in this area?

A: Going from 3 to 4, it was like going from a Playstation 1 to a Playstation 3 in terms of graphics. It was a lot smoother, the road textures look more real… but the physics engine kind of sucked. It was made to go super-fast, but it made them look more “twitchy” whenever you turn. If you turned super-fast, the screen would kind of twitch. It wasn’t seizure inducing, but it wasn't realistic looking at all. And they kind of went with a different physics engine in 5, and then tried to go for an ultra-more realistic feel where you would have to slow down super super slow at every turn and grip-run: there was no drifting. You could try, but your times would be slower. Version 6, they seem like they (SEGA) were trying to go back to where you had the smoothness of 3 but everything ran fast like version 4. So every single time attack would be much faster with the other ones. SEGA tries a new physics engine each time, so 6 had the best physics (besides version 3). 

Sunday night driving game crowd. Some are waiting for turns while some are starting their game.

A: What are your expectations for Initial D8?
A: Well, ideally, I'd like for people to continue keeping up with it and people continuing to play even after a year of so. With the game kind of leveling off a bit, I'd like it to be kind of like the Beatmania IIDX players in terms of people constantly playing and having us as players on the level, if not, better, than the players from Asia in terms of records.

According to Initial D World (idforums.net), there are a LOT of new updates to the new Initial D! Some of them range from new courses, new cards, new physics and a new tuning system. Also, many of the game modes such as Legend of the Streets (Initial D's story/mission mode) and Time Attack has also been updated. Additionally, Initial D 8 offers an Online Battle and Online Tag battle mode which allows players to go head to head against each other in a race. (Unfortunately, Round 1 is not connected to SEGA's server for this.) You can take a look at the comprehensive list here: Introduction to Initial D 8. (wahhh, there is so much info!)

Guess it's time to learn how to drift! (๑✧◡✧๑)

-Amy

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Have some interesting news for us? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Fan-mail for the blogger, managers of R1 and staff? Send them to us at helloround1blogger@gmail.com!

Why a Round 1 SJ Blog??

Hi everyone! This is Ann, the "Round 1 Blogger". I'm making this post to say THANK YOU! You're here probably because you got the link from Facebook, your friends, your music game community or from somewhere and I'm ECSTATIC you're reading this! (although, the coffee is probably helping my excitement). I won't lie to you guys: I am a little nervous about running this blog and what you guys will think of it, but I honestly hope this will be a success!

As many of you may or may not know, I am a graduating senior in Marketing at San Jose State University. One of my class projects is to run a blog that people would be interested in and to be able to utilize what I've learned both in the classroom and in my time at SJSU. I want to branch into digital/social media marketing one day so I'm happy I got this assignment!

But why a Round 1 blog?

I love Round 1. My passion to inform, my passion to update everyone, create material and so on drives me to do this blog. But one particular thing I noticed for both Round 1 in general and for Eastridge's store is the lack of Marketing and Information available to the gaming communities, regulars and casuals at large. Many players get left in the dark about Round 1 and their Amusement facilities and Mechanic maintenance, and the only instances where Round 1 updates its social media is only (in my experience) when a new game is arriving to its stores. Both their Facebook and Twitter are not actively used: my blog plans to remedy that for the driving-game, music-game, and fighting-game communities here at Eastridge Mall, San Jose.

As many of you remember, Round 1's opening date kept being pushed back in late August, early September. While many of you guys were very upset about the changes (which is understandable), many of you guys also were thankful that Round 1 staff was keeping you updated regarding the situation. That is when I truly understood the severity of Round 1 needing a marketing solution and to be able to touch base with its customers and fans. Essentially, it is because of you, the gamers and regulars of Round 1 San Jose, that this blog came to fruition. Without your comments, words and outcries, this blog idea would have never evolved.

With that being said, I encourage you to subscribe, bookmark, and to read this blog while you can! My hope is to be able to update this blog a couple of times a week! I also implore you to shoot an email if you got any questions, concerns or comments regarding the blog! Heck, I would love to get some cool Round 1 stories from you and some pictures for our upcoming "Fanmail Friday!" The email is helloround1blogger@gmail.com

I hope you enjoy The (Unofficial) Round 1 Arcade Hub!

-Ann

Schedule for this week!

Hi everyone! Amy reporting here from the Amusement counter at Round 1! (・ω・  ) Sue went to bed (she had a long day), so I am here to give you all the news schedule we have planned for this week! (woohoo!) We are switching off this week by posting on Tuesday and Thursday, September 29th and October 1st. Here is the tentative schedule of postings for this week!

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Tuesday, September 29th 

Initial D 8: Thoughts, Experiences and Takeaways from a Veteran Player

     Summary: An interview with a veteran racing game player and his thoughts about Round 1, Initial D 8 in Northern California and his words to the community at large. [Category: Informational, Amusement]

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Thursday, October 1st

Turnout Thursday

    Summary: Every two weeks, we at The Round 1 (Unofficial) Arcade Hub interviews an individual in one of the three communities and talk about their lives, their connections to the games they play and their thoughts about Round 1 opening up in their backyard! The person is revealed at 5pm every other Thursday! Stay tuned. [Category: Turnout Thursday, Amusement]

In the meantime, take a look at some of the other articles that we have posted so far! We hope you like them~ Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

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Have any interesting stories or pictures you'd like to share with this blog? Any complaints, concerns, questions or comments? Do you have fan-mail you'd like to send to the SJ R1 staff or to the head of this blog? Send everything to helloround1blogger@gmail.com! You never know, your input might just end up in this blog!

9/26 - What's Good: SJ Eastridge Monthly Update

Hi everyone! Sue here, and I'm here to bring you your monthly R1 Arcade Update!

Right now, I'm happy to announce that all racing, music and fighting games as of today are functional! (9/26) There are currently no known arcade game outages or issues at the Eastridge location! I would also like to announce that crossbeats.REV is now back online! Turns out, there was a HUGE update for all Round 1 crossbeats machines, so now everything is updated and playable! Additionally, Pump It Up Prime's 1P down-right arrow has been repaired! 

PUMP IT UP PRIME 2015 is now Online!

As of yesterday, September 25th, our mechanics team was able to finally put PUMP IT UP PRIME 2015 online! This has been widely anticipated by the Pump It Up community here in Northern California and many players have been very eager to use Pump It Up's online capabilities! I was able to talk to long-time dedicated player, 29-year-old Mark Lee, about the newest Pump it Up update and the benefits of Pump it Up Prime being online!

Sue: So why is having Pump It Up online a huge deal? Does it give any benefits? 

Mark: The fact that Pump It Up Prime is online is huge! It's because, number 1, it will save your scores. Number 2, hardcore players can play Rank Mode for added challenge and competition, and number 3, Pump It Up Prime is actually the first mix of Pump It Up where every single month has a new update. That means every month introduces at least two new songs, more missions for people to play, more charts for people to try, and so, basically, without it being online, you lose a LOT of material. 

S: So apparently there is a new update or an event that is going on right now! Can you tell me a little bit more about it?

M: This update (9th update) was a big surprise to all Pump It Up players because it's actually starting to include Japanese songs (because Japan has a completely separate mix of Pump it Up Prime)! And this includes Japanese songs that are very popular and well-known even amongst western audiences including Bad Apple! from Touhou. So people are really stoked about the updates, especially since these updates were so unprecedented! Nobody thought we'd ever get these Japanese songs. The updates are the reason why we will continue to be really excited to have Pump It Up Prime online - any arcade with Pump It Up Prime will have a lot of people asking it to be online.

So there you have it! I hope this encourages Pump It Up players from all over California to come play at Round 1 Eastridge!

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Have some interesting news for us? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Fan-mail for the blogger, managers of R1 and staff? Send them to us at helloround1blogger@gmail.com!

Cards, Cards, Cards!

Good afternoon everyone! My name is Amy and I'm here to tell you a little bit about cards!

Round 1 is FULL of cards: Game cards, Club cards, E-Amusement cards and bananacards-- er, Banapass Cards! But some customers get confused what these cards are or what they even do! So, I'd like to take some time off from the Amusement Counter and Game Card counter to explain the types of cards that Round 1 has to offer! (Yay, I get to take a break! ( ﾉ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ)

                                         Round 1 Game Cards

Red Cards (Arcade Cards)

These red game cards are your basic game cards to play all games in the arcade! They cost $1 and 

these cards hold your credits and they keep track of all the tickets you win in the arcade (both the

digital e-tickets and the paper tickets that you redeem in a ticket machine). They're great if you are 

coming to Round 1 for the first time! 

Black Cards (Club Cards)

These black game cards are the Round 1 Club Cards! For $5, you receive your very own club card that

has the potential for great rewards! The basic Club Card gives you a $1 discount for every $10 you 

spend at Round 1. What this also means is that for every 10th visit, you saved $10! But wait, there's

more! (whee! ヽ( ★ω★)ノ)

If you go to the Game Card counter and spend $10 a day at Round 1, you get a stamp on your card!

Club Cards have the potential to upgrade to Silver, Gold and Platinum. Now as much as shiny colors

are awesome, what does that mean for you? That means that when you reach a certain number of 

stamps (10 stamps for silver, 30 stamps for gold and 50 stamps for platinum), that $1 discount 

increases to $1.25 for silver, $1.50 for gold and $1.75 for platinum! Additionally, the club card gives 

you discounts for bowling, darts, karaoke and so much more! Like seriously, these cards are great if 

you are planning to come to Round 1 frequently or regularly. Definitely great for the 

gaming crowd!

Special Game Cards

e-Amusement Cards

Are you starting to get into music games? Maybe Beatmania IIDX? Sound Voltex? GITADORA?

Well, these cards allow you to track and save scores, check your progress on each game, unlock songs and other in-game goodies and so much more! They also allow you to "rival" against your friends and compare your scores side-by-side to each other!

Cost: $10.00

Distributor: KONAMI

Compatible with: Sound Voltex III Gravity Wars, Beatmania IIDX 22 Pendual, GITADORA Triboost (Guitarfreaks and Drummania).

CAUTION: THIS CARD WILL NOT WORK ON PROJECT DIVA OR crossbeats.REV.

THESE GAMES USE A DIFFERENT CARD TRACKING SYSTEM! I don't want you to buy the wrong card by accident! (゜´Д｀゜) (don't spend more than you have to!)

Banapass Cards

                                           

What better way to let your friends know you're a fighting game extraordinaire with your own banana-- I mean, banapass card? (jeez, I need to stop doing that... ಥ_ಥ) These cards are similar to e-amusement cards as they will allow you to track your progress, save your scores and allows for

in-game unlockables! For certain games, you can customize your characters as well! Also, Round 1 carries three different designs for banapass cards! Ask the Game Card counter for the different designs~

                          

Posted by Tricia Milay in the Round 1 Grand Opening event, these are the current banapasses Round 1 has to offer!

Cost: $7.00

Distributor: Bandai-Namco

Compatible with: Tekken 7, Project Diva, crossbeats.REV

9/22 - crossbeatsREV. has crossed paths with Round 1 San Jose!

Hello everyone! I am Sue, the Super Mechanic, here to tell you that Round 1 San Jose has acquired a new music/rhythm game!

crossbeatsREV., a rhythm/music game from Capcom, is now on our floor for everyone to play! Our team was hard at work, some even coming in on their days off, to get the machine built, prepared and connected to the Banapass network. The game was on the floor and turned on September 18th. Right now, our Round 1 has four machines and fans of the game started waiting for their turns, excited to finally play on a dedicated crossbeats arcade cabinet!

Managers and staff were testing the game to see if everything was functional.

By the way, did you know that crossbeats was originally an iOS game? Produced by Naoki Maeda, the mastermind behind the popular Dance Dance Revolution series, crossbeats is one of two music games (the other being Cytus) Capcom has released into arcades!

As I mentioned, crossbeatsREV. is connected to the Banapass network! If you love crossbeats and reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to get into it, why not buy a Banapass card? You don't need it if you want to play the game, but it's great if you want to save your scores, unlock new songs and icons and so much more! They are available at the Game Card counter for $7.  And the last time I peeked over at the Game Card counter, there are three unique designs for the Banapass cards.

So what are you waiting for?! Let's crossbeats!

-Sue

Welcome to The (Unofficial) Round 1 Arcade Hub

Hello and welcome to The Round 1 Arcade Hub!

Round 1 San Jose @ Eastridge has now entered into its third week of opening which has excited all types of gaming communities within Northern California. What this blog hopes to achieve is to act as an information network to the music gamers, fighting gamers, driving gamers and casual gamers who frequent Round 1 and wants up-to-date information on their favorite games.

Information provided here will range from:

-In-Game Updates
-Game Outages (games that are not functional)
-New Games
-Cards for specific Games
-Amusement
-(Occasional) Updates from Other Departments
-Meet the Players, Managers, Staff
-Random Facts and Factoids about Round 1
-General Information about the Games

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Disclaimer: This blog is NOT sponsored or owned by Round 1. The information posted on this blog is subject to change. Information is based off of observation, interviews, Round 1 Sponsored Tweets and Facebook posts, first hand and second hand accounts. The information posted here is for the Round 1 Eastridge Mall location in San Jose, California.