10/23 - Fan Friday

Happy Friday Everyone! Welcome to our Fan Friday segment where we answer some of your questions, comments, stories or even showcase some pictures! We want ot thank the people who have been emailing us thus far and we hope that you continue to send us more fan-mail!

This email is from a fan named Aru Azumaya! He inquired to us for our segment regarding our Karaoke machines and such, check it out!

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I am a guy in a striped jacket that is a music game and karaoke afficionado (I'm sure one of you staffers have probably witnessed me doing karaoke by myself at least once) and let me say, I love what you guys are doing with the place! You all seem to be doing a good job at keeping the machines maintained which bids well for me as a music gamer, and the karaoke experience is pretty top notch with nice setups and a pretty nice atmosphere, not to mention fairly affordable. (Of course, there's always Gamba, but considering that I usually come to R1 from university, it's not really as accessible by bus as R1 is)

I was also pretty excited that you guys were finally starting to get Japanese systems installed in the other rooms as well; I had a freakin' sweet field day with the LiveDAM karaoke system that was installed in room 5 (okay, maybe not so much as field day as much as it was a fieldhour). Though, one concern I have with that system is that the remote that's usually associated with it was nowhere to be seen when I went to try it out, not even over the counter at the information desks :o


Looks something like this, though variations for different versions do exist

As many a Japanese karaoke fan are aware of, the Japanese systems use dedicated remotes to make reserving songs a lot more convenient. It would be nice to have one of these at the store, because it would definitely make things a lot more streamlined and comfortable for everyone involved. At the very least, people won't be sitting on the floor punching in songs directly on the machine's touch screen _(:3 ｣∠ )_

Despite this and some other kinks, the karaoke's still pretty enjoyable if you're just looking to sing to your heart's content for an hour or so! I swear, I'll try not to inquire too much about your karaoke ( ﾟДﾟ)

Best regards,
Aru Azumaya, R1 Silver Club Member

P.S. I wonder if the microphone receivers can be routed as input to the other karaoke machines...? Korean and Japanese karaoke systems do love their scoring systems, after all (´・ω・｀)

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Hello Aru-san!

I got your message yesterday and I am very happy to hear that you are content with Round 1! (￣▽￣)ノ We pride ourselves with an amazing staff who is able to maintain the machines to the best of their abilities and to make sure you, the customer feel welcome and happy! I'm VERY excited to hear that you are enjoying our Karaoke rooms: it's a very unique thing that Round 1 offers which many entertainment/amusement areas haven't even thought or ventured out into. Right now, as you may already know, we are trying to implement the LiveDAM and Joysound machines at all of the stores but right now, our store is lacking in them. (;´Д`) What I will do for you is forward your email to our Mechanics Department and see if there is anything we can do since they are the ones who set up the machines and see if there was a remote control included somewhere! Keep in mind that Eastridge's store has only been open for a little bit over a month, so we are still trying to get the flow of things and we are still waiting on some more games, equipment and even Karaoke machines! So we ask that you do stay patient with us, even though sometimes, that may be rather difficult. (ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ (I wouldn't want to see the touch screen getting punched either!)

If you do not mind, we would like to use your email for our next Fan Friday segment! By then, we may actually have a more coherent answer for you about our Karaoke features. Please let me know if that's okay! ヾ(｡･ω･)ｼ

Sincerely,

Amy

UPDATE: It seems that the mechanics were able to find the remotes for the machine! However, we are still waiting on further information regarding LiveDAM and Joysound.

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We also had an inquiry from Kevin Phung regarding the stats of Rilakkumas versus Minecraft! In what I believe that it's the Creepers from Minecraft, we have some battle stats!

Rilakkuma

Strength: 4/5

Defense: 2/5

Magic: 1/5

Speed: 3/5

Luck: 3/5

Description: Cute and cuddly, but packs a punch! The Rilakkuma can body slam, punch and tombstone pile-drive any opponent that crosses its path! However, it's only plushie after all: its defense is low because of his handicap of being stuffed with cotton. His primary attack is ADORABLE ADJUSTMENT, a very intense plush throw. Its primary weapon is a prize claw.

Creeper

Strength: 1/5

Defense: 1/5

Magic: 4/5

Speed: 5/5

Luck: 2/5

Description: While the Creeper wants to be your friend, it has a hard way of expressing itself. Using it's hiss and its speed, the Creeper will approach you quickly and explode! However, don't let its intimidating face fool you: it hates cats. Its primary attack is BE MY FRIEND, a huge fiery explosion where the Creeper will start to chase you when it sees you. He is his own primary weapon.

Who would win in a fight?

Based solely on statistics, Rilakkuma is more likely to win in a match, although, he might lose a lot of fluff from all the explosion it sustains. 

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We hope you enjoyed this week's segment! Please email us more questions, pictures, stories and comments about Round 1 and you may have it showcased here!

10/9 - Fan Friday

Welcome to Today's Edition of Fan Friday! Fan Friday is created for you, the fans, who either email, tweet, or talk to the Round 1 Blogger in asking for particular content outside of the norm (redemption games, karaoke, etc.)! But what does this mean though? That means that this feature is a free-for-all so long as it pertains closely to Round 1 Eastridge! You ask and (sometimes) you will receive.

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Today's Topic is Odd/Unique Games at Round 1!
Special thanks to Matthew Bulotano for today's suggested piece and feedback!

Here at The (Unofficial) Round 1 Arcade Hub, we primarily gear ourselves toward games that have a community. These are usually the racing games, the fighting games and the music games. However, there are definitely more games at Round 1 than just from these three genres.  Some are very mainstream like redemption game token pushers, and some are very interactive like Dark Horror 4D. However, there are definitely a couple of games at Round 1 that are definitely different from the normal, traditional genres and concepts. Here is a couple of them that you can find!

超ちゃぶ台返し/Cho Chabudai Gaeshi! (Super Table Flipping)

This is not a music game, a racing game or a fighting game by any means. Well, you could call it a fighting game... if by "fighting", you mean flipping a large, round circular table at your very annoying family. Cho Chabudai Gaeshi! (Super Table Flipping in English), created by Taito, is an odd non-redemption game where you are placed in one of four different scenarios of your choice (dinner-time with the family, host club annoyance, wedding gone wrong or office shenanigans) and your goal is to flip your table at the perfect moment to create as much collateral damage as you possibly can. The more damage you cause (which is gauged in Yen), the higher your score will be. There are also hidden objectives in each stage where, if you achieve them, nets you more points. Not only is the concept of the game so vastly different from most traditional non-redemption games, but it adds some wacky humor and a strange feeling of happiness and stress-relief when you throw your hands up in the air with your plastic table controller and scare the crap out of your obnoxious, rude, blocky family.

Ollie King

Surprise! There is a game that is about skateboarding that does not have the words "Tony Hawk" in it! Ollie King, created by Sega in 2004, is a skateboarding game where you compete against other skateboarders in a competition. What makes this game so different from "Tony Hawk" or any sports/riding games? This game is interactive with the player on a non-wheeled skateboard and two rails for the player to hold onto. During the game, you are able to perform a myriad of jumps and grinds to not only boost your speed and pass your opponents, but to add to the overall performance and grade you receive at the end of the round! You do this through moving your board up and down with your feet at the appropriate times and navigating through the stage. But watch out! There are some things in the stages that will knock you off your board like moving cars and trolleys. (ouch) The game was developed by the same team that created Jet Set Radio so you are in for a treat if you are a fan of JSR!

Grand Piano Keys

It's odd in itself that I am writing about a redemption game, but here me out: this game is actually a lot of fun. Grand Piano Keys can be played with two players, but the premise of the game for the players is this: each player has four HUGE piano keys they can hit and they must hit the correct key that flashes green on the screen. The player keeps hitting the corresponding flashing key on-screen until time runs out. If a player presses the wrong key, the game temporarily "freezes" you while the timer is still running to show you what wrong key you hit. This game is surprisingly fun as you play classic tunes while winning tickets. For a while, some players from the music game community were trying out this game, laughing about the fact that it felt like an oversized Beatmania IIDX. A few were even grabbing their friends and challenging them!

Super Monkey Ball: Ticket Blitz

Were you a pro at Super Monkey Ball back in the day? Were you one of the individuals who played it on your Dreamcast years before? Time to brush up and utilize your skills then! Super Monkey Ball is at Round 1 in Arcade Redemption Form! Our favorite little monkey friend, AiAi, is in his ball and it is up to YOU to get him through the end of the level while collecting bananas which earn you tickets! You are timed though, so if you don't make it to the goal on time or if you run out of lives, it's Game Over. If you make it to the goal, a Jackpot game will start where you try to aim AiAi into the goal ring to get bonus tickets!  Instead of playing Super Monkey Ball with a traditional console controller though, the player will be utilizing a 7 inch track ball to navigate AiAi. Time to get the ball rolling!
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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!