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Outtakes 1


Outtakes 2


If the guy in the above videos looks vaguely familiar, well...That's because he is none other then Andy! Check out the pic below of him without the makeup.



Andy ran hands down the best Japanese Arcade in the U.S.A. The amount of effort and care that him and his wife put into Tokyo Game Action (TGA) is mind numbing. It was a real shame that TGA had to close its doors due to major water damage. TGA had all your basic Japanese Arcade gaming covered, Bemani, fighters, racers, puzzle, and even a few shmups. Don't believe me? Check out our TGA investigation below:

Part 1


Part 2


TGA is still alive and kicking as a community over at www.TokyoGameAction.com Head over, sign up, and discuss about Japanese Arcade gaming! I can say that Andy was a true inspiration for me as far showing that an arcade operator can truly be dedicated to the people. Stuff got fixed regularly, new games that the people wanted were ordered, and (my favorite part) of course running TGA as a community. This created a great feeling every time you stepped into TGA. Oh, I almost forgot the amazing food! I wish I could have gotten Chie's Japanese Curry recipe!

It has been 1 year and 4 months since the TGA liquidation auction. While the auction was a sad day, it did provide me one last time to sit down at my favorite game at TGA, Espgaluda. After a few plays I remember walking around trying to find memorable stuff that I could afford. Little did I know the Sarge would be showing up with the intention of buying a candy cab. The Sarge also provided the push I needed to bid on a candy cab (well, he did the bidding on the two Konami Windy Candy Cabs with Super Street Fighter X:Grand Master Challenge). If you want to hear a funny story, ask the Sarge about my reaction to him going above the amount I had to spend on my half of the linked cabs. He said my face was priceless. I of course do not regret the purchase and fast forward a year and a half later I end up with both Konami Windy Cabs.

I am still working on opening up an arcade in NH. I have been collecting some random games and have plans to begin with modifying some cabinets. If you've read my "2600's Starting an Arcade Venture" posts, then you know I came very close to purchasing a building. Unfortunately I made up to the final signature to go to contract when I found out the grave news that in order to do what I wanted to do with the building, I would have to retrofit a sprinkler system which was estimated at $15,000. I am once again looking and working on some games while trying to save up some money. I will be updating the "Arcade Venture" blog sometime next week.

So, after a lengthy post, I'd like to say thank you Andy, Chie, and the TGA staff for providing me with the ability to relive my time spent in Tokyo, Japan. Between the hospitality, the food, and the games, I was able to escape the U.S.A. for a few hours and recapture that feeling the first time I walked into an arcade in Tachikawa, sat down, and played some great games.

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