Arcade UFO

SXSW has officially been unleashed in Austin, and between all the madness, it’s time for some updates.  Oh, and if you’re visiting, you should probably swing by since we’re the only Japanese Arcade you might ever see in your life.  We’re only 2 miles from downtown, so no excuses!

First of all, we’re running our big shebang Street Fighter 4 event on Saturday, April 17th.  Check out the thread on shoryuken.com now!  The main tournament will be 3v3, and will also feature a special 5v5 exhibition to determine just which city in the Southwest is the hardest of core.  This is going to be the last tournament before Super Street Fighter 4 drops on April 27th, so anybody who’s anybody will be here.  Don’t be a stranger.

The latest gossip has been about the new arcade games gracing the aUFO floor pretty soon, so allow me to share that scoop as well.  We’re bringing over another crate from Japan via boat which is going to include two titles, one of which has been very heavily requested.  The shipment should be touching home base in about six weeks, so our goal is to have them on the floor by early May.

Pop’n Music 17 – The Movie

Pop’n Music is another long-running series from Bemani, Konami’s music game division focusing on titles like Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania IIDX.  Pop’n Music 17 – The Movie features over 60 songs including tracks from Japanese TV and Anime, record labels and Konami originals!  Every new Pop’n Music title features a theme for the eccentric on-screen characters, and this one sports a movie theme!  Fitting for a city with such a strong independent film community, no?

Obligatory video below of some guy who is way better at the game than you (don’t worry, it’s not always this crazy–but it can be):

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Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 3 DX Plus

Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 3DX Plus (henceforth: WMMT) is the brand new update to Namco’s Japanese car based versus-style racer.  Those of you who have been around for a while might remember when Einstein’s Arcade brought the first Wangan Midnight to Austin in 2003.  The series has definitely come a long way since then, now featuring car customization out the wazoo via an optional data card and an insane line-up of import cars.  As you may have guessed, the focus of WMMT is on drifting which is a must for racing on Japan’s narrow and curvy roads!

This new “Plus” update adds two cars to the line-up: Nissan GT-R (R35) 2007 and Nissan Skyline GT-R (KPGC10) 1970

For the full vehicle line-up, check the Wiki here and visit the Wangan Midnight Expressway forums to learn more about the game!

Next month is going to be so rad, but we live in the present.  This week, more Spring Break & SXSW craziness is a definite.  Don’t stop practicing . . .