Game Room Launch Event

‘Twas a night of mullets, 80′s tunes, C-list celebrities, alcohol (weird drunks), and… oh yeah! Classic video games!

Thursday, March 25 was a night packed full of fun when gamers, press, and celebrities gathered at POP club in Toronto for the launch of Microsoft’s newest sensation Game Room.

If you’ve not heard of Game Room, it is a title in which you navigate a virtual arcade that contains exact replications of ’80s arcade machines that you can then interact with and play the games! To sum up the general premise: Game Room is just as its name implies—a lobby that you fill with nostalgic machines, cheesy Atari lamps, and other outlandish decor (such as traffic meters) that tickles your fancy.

• “Game Room replicates the old-school look, sound, and feel of a retro video game Arcade. At launch, Game Room brings you a library of 30 original arcade and console classics from Activision, Atari, Intellivision, Konami, and others, including Centipede, Asteroids Deluxe, and Super Cobra shown in their original cabinets. Create a brand new social environment your Avatar can explore, personalize your game room by arranging your cabinets, and decorate each room with themes and animated mascots. Invite your friends on Xbox 360 or Windows PC to check out your games collection. With weekly new title releases, your arcade will be retro-fitted to perfection.”

Games will cost you 240 MS points (approximately 3 dollars) each—if you decide to only play them on the Xbox 360 console. You can also opt for the higher 400 MS Points price point to play the game on your PC as well. If neither of those methods of payment appeal to you, you’re in luck! You can pay per play, just like the old arcade days! Please don’t try jamming quarters in your xbox vents, and before you decide to take this route… make sure you’re more skilled than I was at these games so you don’t get “Game Over” right away!

Your very own virtual arcade will often be visited by your friends’ avatars. And… and… well, perhaps I am far too cynical and it is really starting to show, but the overall concept of Game Room is undeniably awesome! Unfortunately, the end product is rather lackluster. For a download entitled Game Room, a 3D environment to traverse as your Xbox avatar would have been a much wiser decision than a mere menu-like interface. Think PlayStation Home, except with an actual purpose—and actual entertainment value!

I want to love Game Room, but I feel that it would be far too costly to install 7 or so arcade units, especially for the amount of time you’ll actually be playing these games. Thoughts of “oh, I used to love this game” may quickly turn to”why the hell did I like this as a kid?” and “too bad there are no refunds!”. Let’s face it—these games can now be emulated and found on compilation packs (with a lot of other great classics) for much cheaper.

Game Room can be downloaded as of right now. Give it a try and tell me if I am far too jaded.