Summary
TheArcade1Up X-Men ’97 Arcade Machineis just as magical in person as it appears online. While it might not be quite full-sized or have functioning coin slots, it still managed to transport me back to middle school within minutes of turning it on.
Arcade1Up X-Men ‘97 Arcade Machine
The Arcade1Up X-Men ’97 Arcade Machine has online multiplayer capabilities, a light-up marquee, and 3D-molded coin doors. The more-than-five-foot tall cabinet with a 17-inch screen feels like an authentic arcade machine.
Price and Availability
The Arcade 1Up X-Men ’97 Arcade Machine is available for purchase now and retails for $499.99. This particular cabinet measures 61.5 inches tall and 23.5 inches deep. It doesn’t come with a stool, but Arcade1Up does sell matching ones for a lot of the games it offers.
The Dream Is to Have an Arcade In Your House
Let’s start with the important parts. The Arcade1Up X-Men ’97 Arcade Machine is a blast and worth its asking price for anyone excited about. Dare I say it: it almost feels a little under-priced. It’s not perfect and has a few flaws, but it does what it advertises in a polished fashion.
Since everyone reading this has almost certainly dreamed of having an arcade machine in their house, this is the best way I’ve seen to achieve that. Its controls, screen, sound, and cabinet are all close enough in quality to a commercial version. It really feels like you’re playing games at the mall, so much so that any quibbling details disappear when the gaming begins.
The Game Play Feels Modern but Authentic
During assembly, I was curious about how well the speakers would work. It didn’t take long to get my answer because before I even got into a game, the speakers nearly blasted my ears off. The sound is quite impressive, though mostly in the volume they can achieve. Playing games from the ‘90s doesn’t require cutting-edge speakers. Everything sounded full and authentic.
I’m glad the audio can get loud. If you do put this machine in a game room or have kids screaming around it, you’ll still be able to hear the effects and background music. The downside is that it isn’t quiet even at the lowest volume level. There’s a chance it could annoy anyone not into the game unless it’s muted—which it can do.
As soon as I selectedX-Men vs Street Fighter(my preferred title of the options onboard) and the music started blaring, I was right back in eighth grade. The buttons felt right. Even the tapered joystick felt familiar in my hand.
The beauty of this specific X-Men ’97 Arcade Machine is that it’s a two-player model. The shrunk-down cabinet size is just big enough for two adults to stand next to each other and go head-to-head. If the machine were any smaller it wouldn’t work, but I think it finds a good balance between small enough for a bedroom or bonus room and big enough to feel like the real thing.
Be aware: the height and screen angle may be a concern for people over six feet tall, especially if playing for an extended period. At just under six feet, I didn’t find myself hunching over awkwardly or any discomfort.
The 17-inch color display isn’t overly fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. I found it plenty bright. I never lost a match because of glare or washed-out colors during the day (I did lose for plenty of other skill-related reasons). The screen is crisp and sharp. However, you may add scan lines in the settings for more authenticity.
There are game-play settings available so you can change the difficulty and other tweaks. I tested a few of these but quickly reverted to the defaults.
And, just in case it isn’t clear, the coin slots are just a facade. You can’t charge friends or neighbors to try and make your money back. The slots look real enough that they faked out most people who saw the machine in my house, but it’s all just for appearance.
The eight games included on the machine are:
Live Online Play Is Surprisingly Compelling
Mostly, the gaming is true to a traditional arcade machine. It works and feels like a new piece of old hardware. I like that because I think that’s what anyone considering this product wants. That’s what I wanted.
The one exception is the online play. The machine has Wi-Fi to battle people elsewhere. There’s even a “Live” button on the gamepad to activate it. I ignored the online mode for a little bit, not even connecting it to the internet immediately. I wanted to get the local experience first. Then, after my kids left for school and the computer wasn’t presenting a challenge, I turned it on.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy online matches since there’s no voice chat or other fancy configurations. But I really did because it brought out the other aspect of playing these games at the mall arcade.
Most of the time you played with friends, but there were other instances that a random stranger would put their quarter in and play. In the moments before the fight started, you had no idea how good they were or how many times they had played. Using the online mode felt very similar.
There were occasions when I selected a match and then was ghosted by the person at the other end, but overall it was an enjoyable experience.
The Setup Is the Biggest Downside (But it’s Not Terrible)
It took me around two hours to build the cabinet and get it ready for use. It wasn’t hard, but it was a bit tedious. There are a fair number of pieces stuffed into the compact box.
One of the things I was most impressed with upon unpacking the pieces was the exterior graphics. The finish is glossy and bright. It looks and feels like a premium product. The build quality feels solid.
The top portion of the cabinet that houses the screen, speakers, and lights took the longest to assemble, but never to the point of frustration.
My kids were excited to help, so I had a few extra pairs of hands from time to time. As long as you can lift 50 pounds or so, you should be able to do all the work yourself. The only times that’s necessary is when shifting parts around or standing the whole machine up from the ground. Of course, building the unit near where you plan to use it is the best bet.
Overall, the visual paper instructions were clear and easy to follow. I did make one mistake during assembly but that was only because I accidentally skipped a page.
Should You Buy the Arcade1Up X-Men ’97 Arcade Machine?
TheArcade1Up X-Men ’97 Arcade Machinegets close enough to a real, commercial arcade machine that it feels just like playing on one. In this regard, Arcade1Up really hit it out of the park.
Should you buy this specific X-Men game if you didn’t grow up playing it? It’s hard to separate myself from the nostalgia of it, but I was impressed with how well my teen and pre-teen kids took to it. In fact, it didn’t take long before my daughter was giving me a run for my money.
If you don’t like fighting games, I would steer clear. Otherwise, I think the X-Men ‘97 machine is worth considering, even if you don’t have memories lingering from your youth of Ken and Ryu battling Wolverine and Storm.
