My former UMK3 home is closing down.
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posted05/01/2005 01:37 AM (UTC)by
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MK2KungBroken
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About Me
The Prophet - R.I.P. 1979-2006www.kombatnetwork.com
- Your Source for UMK3 Competition -
When something better than UMK3 comes out, I'll let you all know, because it still hasn't happened yet.
Member Since
02/15/2003 04:37 AM (UTC)
Across the street from my grandmother's house, where I grew up essentially, was a video store called West Coast Video owned by this guy Terry who was really awesome and kept the kids off the streets. He didn't mind loitering for the most part, and knew who the bad kids were.

This place was the home of a LOT of MK2, MK3, and UMK3 competition. It was pretty crazy. I never got into MK2 there but I heard a lot of stories, and then I was there all the time for MK3 when they got it until they no longer had UMK3.

In any event, I saw the guy today at the supermarket I work at and asked him why the place is closing down. He said they land lord raised the rent from $3700 a month to $4500 and $3700 was already too much with the decline in movie renting and the fact that movies come out to buy and rent at the same time now, and people are willing to pay more money just to rent from Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.

There was a time when a small section of the building was vacant between West Coast and a pizza place, and he attempted to get a full arcade in it but the township wouldn't let it happen. I probably would have gotten a job there when I turned 16 heh.

Well, I thought I'd share this as it was a big piece of my life as a kid from age 13 to 16, chilling with friends, playing various fighting games, but without West Coast Video and Terry's overall generosity, I would not be making this post or possibly even visit MKOnline because the fact an arcade machine was right outside my door kept my interest in what is now classic MK gaming.

Matt
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reptile88
04/27/2005 06:28 AM (UTC)
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yeah man,sad to hear that.Too much memories....here were i live the arcade places are almost extinct,i said almost because there are some arcades open,but the old feeling of playing is dead....hail the good ol days of the arcades.



fear the Noob....furious
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migueltwecorral
04/27/2005 06:46 AM (UTC)
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reptile88 Wrote:

yeah man,sad to hear that.Too much memories....here were i live the arcade places are almost extinct,i said almost because there are some arcades open,but the old feeling of playing is dead....hail the good ol days of the arcades.



fear the Noob....furious


Hey dude why don't you put "fear the Noob" in your Signature box?

Anyway I feel sorry for you dude, I know how it feels when something like that goes away.sadsmile
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Check
04/27/2005 07:59 AM (UTC)
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sorry to hear that matt
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MK2KungBroken
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About Me
The Prophet - R.I.P. 1979-2006www.kombatnetwork.com
- Your Source for UMK3 Competition -
When something better than UMK3 comes out, I'll let you all know, because it still hasn't happened yet.
04/27/2005 08:41 AM (UTC)
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It was tough to deal with the fact that they had to give UMK3 back to the game lease place back in the day, it was never the same after that, and I was working too by then so it didn't really matter. Now the place is ging to be gone soon altogether. Whenever I drive by it after work I always think about many years ago, looking into the window and seeing people playing MK and the feeling of "I can't wait to get over there" or saying "Just drop me off at West Coast and I'll be home later."

So now my competitive UMK3 spirit has been rekindled by 8 on the Break. It's a 40 minute or so drive, but it almost has a similar experience to it like going to wrestling school (minus to soreness the next morning but plenty of sweat) back in the day in Asbury Park which was also a 40 minute drive, in the other direction. The feeling of playing people there is pretty identical to how it was playing people back in the day. That same feeling when a crowd of people is watching me own up, and playing total strangers. It's not the same to me as playing a Capcom game for some reason, just doesn't do it for me.

Matt
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Check
04/27/2005 09:24 AM (UTC)
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man how do u think i feel about the freehold mall? that was basically why i am here today, and looking back at it, the games i used to play, are even more special to me now, because i played and learned a different game than what i found it was today, all me and eric use to do was no throws, whether u know or not, that is why i haven't come on kaillera because those are the only games i truly remember, the freehold mall.
im sure u feel the same
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dreemernj
04/28/2005 12:40 AM (UTC)
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My memories of west coast are very clear. It was a case of a nice guy opening a business and wanting the entire area to benefit. He ran the dirt bags and druggies away, he brought in organizations like the boy scouts, girl scouts, and local police for family information nights, and when he met nice young people like us, he gave us money to play the games since we invited others to participate nicely, and coincidentally, to get better at MK.

Its sad to think of it being gone. I don't know if I would even like fighters now if it weren't for West Coast. THat was the first place I played MK3, UMK3, SFA (1 and 2 I believe), X-Men: COTA (still a favorite of mine), and Marvel Super Heroes (which was F'n ridiculous fun).

I know this isn't the first time someone has felt this way, but it feels like the end of an era. Video games, more and more, are for shut-ins when it used to be about getting out and meeting new people.
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psyclobex
04/28/2005 01:37 AM (UTC)
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That sucks man bad i remember when the mall i went to had the arcades i use to play all the time.All the great times and everything then after mk3 or maybe 4 cant remember the aladdins castle i went to closed it sucked so bad the whole mall now is so empty theres barely anything there i dont know how its still there its like a ghost town.I dont know if anyone else feels like this but it just seems to me right after mk3 and umk3 the arcades went dead and never came back it seems like mk made arcades popular again then when mk went bad with mk4 the arcades just went dead.
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Dirty-D
04/30/2005 06:31 AM (UTC)
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dude i know what u exactly mean when i was a youngin i loved mk at the skating rink, but the place burnt down somehow and my favorite place to hang out when i was a youngin was gone it was a tragedy. Good point the thing about the arcades though is that they became so god damn expensive to play like 6 games is like 10 bucks
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DRFATALITY
05/01/2005 01:37 AM (UTC)
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That sucks man,I know how you feel.The arcades I used to go to all got rid of MK.sad

I wish the arcades would get popular again.
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