Smack dab in the middle of New Hampshire, right off of Lake Winnipesaukee, lies summer tourist attraction Weirs Beach. It's a quaint area that seems frozen in time, with a number of summer activities that haven't changed much over the years. There's plenty of boating (the lake is huge), a nice beach to hangout at, a drive-in theater and a small boardwalk with a few shops. There's even a NASCAR race that runs nearby during the summer. Yeehaw!
It's a pretty cool place to visit but if you're a gamer, its even cooler. All along the boardwalk are arcades full of classic cabinet titles. Galaga, Ivan Iron Man Stewart's Super Off-Road, Centipede, Zaxxon, Pac-Man, Frogger (which is now available on iTunes for a ridiculous $10) Space Invaders, Bubble Hockey and a ton of games even I've never heard of, all in their original cabinets.
About � mile from the beach is Funspot, the best arcade of the bunch. Its three floors of gaming greatness, with the top floor reserved for the rarest of games, including the first video game ever - Computer Space. It's the largest arcade in the world and is the place where the movie "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" was filmed. Simply put, it's a classic gamers Shangri-La.
I've been to the Weirs a few times but for some reason never made it to Funspot. While visiting family who have a cabin nearby, we hit it three times in two days. The place is crack for gamers. If you are ever in New Hampshire, or even remotely close, a visit here is a must. Below are a few pics from my recent visit, along with some comments on some of the games.
This is the first video game ever. Its called Computer Space and plays exactly like Asteroids. It was released in 1971 by Atari founders Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. The game doesn't even show its age, its still fun to play.
Finally a chance to play Karate Champ again! While gamers are forced to wait for this to be a downloadable game, New Hampshire (or New Hamster as my daughter calls it) residents can head over to Funspot and play it for a measly quarter.
Good old Punch Out. I almost forgot about the Blue power button.
My horrible photography skills don't really tell you what game this is but old school gamers will know.
This is the absolutely hilarious Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars. Its not really that old (1994) but it ranks an 11 out of 10 on the Unintentional Comedy Scale. Its a live action game with some of the worst acting I've ever seen. The villain, doing his best Tony Montana, is a drug lord you have to take down. The game play sucks but I kept popping quarters into it just to see the cheesy cutscenes. Crime Patrols brother, Mad Dog McCree, was also around.
Double Dribble was a breakthrough basketball game. It was NBA Live before NBA Live and was one of the first 5-on-5 hoop sims. You can download it on the Wii right now if you're feeling nostalgic.
And finally, Atari Basketball. Since Jordan vs. Bird wasn't around yet, this would've done the trick.
