Topic: Mario Kart Arcade GP Shipping in October

[Bloodworth]

Time to make sure your local arcade places an order.

MARIO AND PEACH MEET PAC-MAN AND BLINKY    

There's A Party In The Mushroom Kingdom And You're Invited    

SAN JOSE, CA - September 26, 2005 Namco and Nintendo have teamed up again, offering for the first time, a proven consumer franchise for the arcade!    

Word about this acclaimed title has been on the streets for over 8 months.  Namco is happy to announce that MARIO KART® ARCADE GP™ will be shipping in October.  Due to limited production, this soon to be chart-topping game is available in limited quantities so act fast.    

MARIO KART® ARCADE GP™ offers classic Mario Kart action with 11 characters.  Familiar Mario Kart ® characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach and Wario tear up the track with characters available only in the arcade model…. Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Blinky.  Each character has unique driving abilities so you'll have to try them all.  The Player Continuation feature makes that possible!    

MARIO KART® ARCADE GP™ is a 2-player dedicated game.  It's an impressive attraction piece when two cabinets are linked for 4-player thrills and spills.   Six worlds offer a variety of racecourses, 24 in all, to challenge both hard-core Mario Kart® fans and casual players alike.  Add in the variations of time and environment and you get 68 diverse courses!  Plus, there are hilarious challenge stages available to those who wins the Grand Prix Mode tracks.    

This dedicated model features a NamCam 2 to add to the excitement of the game play.  You insert your face in the character image of your choice and BAM….an image of your marvelous mug appears on screen where your rivals can see you as you leave them in the dust.    

The game play is fast, furious and FUN!  You race around the course and collect crazy items to toss at your adversaries.  There are 57 objects available, over 40 developed just for the arcade model!  Some items can be thrown forward at the competitors racing in front of you on the course and others can be used to disrupt those who are hot on your tail.   There are items that lock on your target and some that provide you with shields to reflect the rival's attack, there's even one that allows you to become invisible!  While you're trying to whip around the track and stump your friends you've got to dodge the stuff your buddies are tossing your way!  The sophisticated feedback steering will have you wishing you never got hit by that blasted Needle Bomb, Thunder Cloud or Tornado.  Gathering coins along the way increases your speed and helps you win the race.  Advanced players will be thrilled when they discover the hidden moves and use them to their advantage.    

MARIO KART® ARCADE GP™ is suitable for players of all ages.  For pricing and delivery information contact your local distributor or the Namco America Inc. Sales Office at 877 Supreme Drive, Bensenville, IL  60106  (630) 238-2248, fax (630) 238-9333.  For additional product information visit our website at www.namcoarcade.com.

[joshnickerson]

All the arcades around me are "Namco" themed ones, so chances are high I might actually see one. Of course, if this is anything like the distribution of the F-Zero AX machines, I might as well wait for the home version. :/

[Toruresu]

What happened with the F-Zero AX machines?

[KDR_11k]

It's not known. Some say they've seen one but then again people say the same about UFOs and the Yeti.

[ShyGuy]

not many of the Fzero machines made it to the US

[Karl Castaneda #2]

Some people say that if you go into a bathroom, turn the light off and on 15 times, an F-Zero arcade shows up and murders you.

Just what I heard...

[Toruresu]

LOL

Thanks for making me laugh...at work.

[dack25]

VG you got it wrong, if you go into a bathroom, turn off the lights, close the door, stand in front of the mirror, and say "F-Zero AX" 10 times then you will see the AX screen light up in the mirror.


On topic: Arcades have been dead since what '99. Still kind of cool though.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

There's an F-Zero AX machine at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas.

I know it's there.  I played it.

1 FREAKING DOLLAR FOR 1 RACE.

But it sounds awesome and seats move around to induce that loving ass-swinging feeling.

[Djunknown]

Well It IS coming stateside, so that 's good news. Thing is, I haven't been to my "local" arcade (its the next town over) in a while. Last I checked, SNKvsCapcom and Tekken 5 were the newest entries. I can only hope that Namco does better distribution than Sega...

[UncleBob]

Anyone tried calling to see how much one of these puppies cost?

[ShyGuy]

I have people in the arcade business I could ask.

[Dasmos]

They still have 2 at my local arcade. I haven't played them in a while though..

[WuTangTurtle]

yipee, i think i've only been to an arcade like twice in the last 5 years.  This is great near my campus there are 2 arcades a namco cyberstation and a castle & coasters, for some reason the castle & coasters has a fzero machine but namco cyberstation doesn't.  I gotta remember to stop by the arcades come october!  Just remembered i have like 12 credits on my card for castle & coasters, sweet!

[Shecky]

I played F-Zero AX when visiting Orlando, FL.  It was in the Pac-Man Cafe.  2hrs unlimited play for $20...

Edit:
OT: Anyone know what the pilot cards are good for.  Can I use it to unlock anything in GX?  I got a fairly high rank after 2hrs (3 or 4) and I set the speed record on Mute City (I wonder if it's still there )

[Michael8983]

I live in Orlando and sadly the Pac Man Cafe is gone.
It's a shame because that's the one place I could have counted on Mario Kart FOR SURE being. Now my best bet is Rocky's Replay in Altamonte Springs which had the full-fledged FZero unit with the rotating seat. So it's at least a pretty good bet that it will get Mario Kart too.

[Dasmos]

Quote
Originally posted by: Shecky
I played F-Zero AX when visiting Orlando, FL.  It was in the Pac-Man Cafe.  2hrs unlimited play for $20...

Edit:
OT: Anyone know what the pilot cards are good for.  Can I use it to unlock anything in GX?  I got a fairly high rank after 2hrs (3 or 4) and I set the speed record on Mute City (I wonder if it's still there )

You'll have to take in you GC mem card with F-Zero GX on it. Then you just have to race with the 'new' characters to get them in GX and race on the levels to get them.

Although I pretty much had all of them from story mode....  

[Shecky]

Quote
Originally posted by: Michael8983
I live in Orlando and sadly the Pac Man Cafe is gone.
It's a shame because that's the one place I could have counted on Mario Kart FOR SURE being. Now my best bet is Rocky's Replay in Altamonte Springs which had the full-fledged FZero unit with the rotating seat. So it's at least a pretty good bet that it will get Mario Kart too.

Wow, that must have been recent.  I was just down there for my vacation in July.  I was impressed to find a regular F-Zero cabnet.  Sounds like I could have drove 20 or so min and actually have played the one that comes complete with a seatbelt.  Bah, oh well... that's what I get for not asking before hand.

Some pictures from the trip:
The Cafe
The Penny-Arcade will probably bid on this
It *does* exist!
I'm to lazy to look up my GX record