Timezone is undergoing a massive expansion, doubling its presence in Australia

TURNS out PlayStation and Xbox didn’t kill off the games arcade and it’s making a return in a big way. These are the games we want to play again.

IT appears everything old is new again, with our lust for nostalgia driving a constant revival of products from our childhood.

While we have seen the return of vinyl records, polaroid cameras and flip phones — the biggest revivals of 2016 were related to the gaming industry.

Revamped versions of the NES and SEGA Mega Drive were highly popular among consumers, while Pokemon Go and the announcement of Crash Bandicoot Remastered proved there is money to be made from people yearning to return to the past.

Spottig an opportunity to tap into the passion for nostalgia, gaming arcade Timezone has announced it will be making a comeback with a massive expansion into shopping centres.

Currently there are 186 Timezone’s worldwide, with 25 of those in Australia — the remaining stores include eight in New Zealand, eight in Singapore, 25 in India, 50 in the Philippines and 70 in Indonesia.

Afer opening five new stores in 2016 following double digit revenue growth, the board was confident a revival would be successful and agreed to increase its stores across Australia and Asia by twofold.

The gaming arcade will be much bigger than what you were used to as a kid.

Timezone chairman and part-owner Adam Steinberg said while console and mobile gaming first had a diminishing effect on the arcade, the company had noticed increasing appetite for out of home entertainment in recent times.

“Look at the ‘70s and ‘80s when Timezone had a heyday as a gamers paradise,” he told Fairfax Media.

“It was all about where to play the latest and greatest games. Now Timezone has positioned itself as the place to go with your friends and family.”

Mr Steinberg said the resurgence will see the gaming arcades looking a little different to what you remember, with the new stores needing much more space for bowling alleys, electric cars, laser tag and rides.

The owner added that swipe cards will also play a big role in the expansion.

“Swipe cards are nice and consumer friendly, but the real reason we use them is to get the data on what the machines contribute and what the best mix of them is to maximise revenue,” he said.

So while Timezone might be getting a facelift to bring it into the future, here is hoping they keep the four following aspects.

If you remember this screen, you had an awesome childhood.

1. TIME CRISIS

Released by Namco in 1995, Time Crisis was a first-person on-rails light gun shooter.

Players were tasked with shooting all on-screen enemies, while taking cover.
Once all the enemies were eliminated, the players proceed to the next level — this would continue until they finish the game or run out of health.

2. SUPERSESSIONS

Paying for each game at Timezone could add up, especially if you were looking to kill a few hours.

Thankfully, the arcade used to offer ‘supersessions’ which would allow gamers to play unlimited video games for a predetermined time frame and set price.

While this generally didn’t include ticket and prize games, it gave guests the opportunity to have an extended experience for a much cheaper cost.

3. DANCE REVOLUTION.

What arcade is complete without a number of Dance Dance Revolution machines.

The music video game requires players to stand on a “dance platform” and hit coloured arrows on the floor their feet to match the musical and visual cues.

Players are judged how accurately and efficiently they hit the required pattern and anyone who has been to an arcade knows there is some exceptionally good players.

4. STOP THE CLOCK

Probably the ultimate ticket redemption arcade game, which requires players to hit a button to stop a timer when it reaches 1000.

The closer you get to 1000, the more tickets the machine will give you.

Speaking from personal experience this game is highly addictive and if played right can get you a prize from the top shelf — I still have my beloved jaffle maker.

Will you be heading back to Timezone? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.

Originally published as Timezone is undergoing a massive expansion, doubling its presence in Australia