I remember hitting up the El Sol grocery store on Canal street (RIP: I think it burned down and was turned into a Sellers Bros. I hear that the ghost of a bag boy still haunts a freezer ) and challenging fools to Street Fighter but getting my ass handed to me by the older high school kids who probably skipped class to refine their combo skills (At least that was my theory). I had to leave a lot of games mid-way just because I had to catch the 20 Canal Metro bus before it left me. Once my older brother got a car, we would drive to Super Trac off 45 S and Edgebrook (?) (which is now a strip club) and we would hog up Killer Instinct and Time Crisis. It was a beautiful thing watching my brother rack up astronomical ultra combos as Chief Thunder. After we were done spending our tokens, we would drink soda and watch as the "rich kids" paid to drive the go-karts. Where did you play your arcade games at?
Fiesta on Quitman and Fulton. Some dudes let me win the 2nd round on SFII I sucked so much that's what she said.
The one at Greenspoint until a fight broke out at the Street Fighter machine. From then on it was Willowbrook or the Kroger at 249 and 45 that had the bootleg Street Fighter where you could throw fireballs in the air and switch characters in mid-fight.
Northside fella eh? My wife always reminisces about her Northside days. And, uh, no, it had nothing to do you with you.
I went to a military school in San Marcos and there was a killer arcade called Diversions on the square. Spent quite a bit of time there, but most of my time was spent owning fools at Street Fighter II in the rec room on campus. In Houston when I was home, we'd hang out at this place called (I think) American Raceway park somewhere on 249 in the early '90's playing air hockey and Mortal Kombat and driving go-karts. Fun times, fun times.
as I remember them.. or their names at least.. not too clearly as I was a kid back then.. Northwest Mall.. Willowbrook Mall.. this arcade/go-cart establishment that was a block down from a Fiesta i believe.. Malibu.. i think was what this huge arcade place was called..
Oh yeah! How can I forget?!? Fiesta on S. Wayside. My mom paying the bills at the service window while I crashed and burned at Outrun. I used to love long lines because that meant longer playing times.
Nope. Was zoned to Wheatley but attended the high school near there. I used to ride the 37 from that corner to my house close to I-10 and 59. Not a "northside" fella at all... just hung out with some dudes from there, I had been in the Nickel ever since in Houston. We either did the Fiesta for SFII or the corner store on Quitman and Gano for SFI (but there are many more fighters like you all over the world).
Oh yeah, forgot about Celebration Station. I had hookups on tokens at the one on 59 and the one on Kuykendahl.
I went to the Honors Summer Math Camp at SWT for three years in high school; and between watching all the smarter white teenagers discuss and solve Abstract Algebra, Number Theory and Discrete Math proofs and rape me at chess for 10 hours a day mid-summer (thanks, Mom); I would hit that same arcade and play either World Heroes 2 or Tekken 2 every chance I got. I also grew up in Baytown and played at the San Jacinto Mall arcade: which was originally called Yesterdays, but then changed their name to Power Play.
In my hometown in Iowa, it was the roller rink. I grew up about thirty miles from Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa. When I visted and then lived down here, it was the Arcade at Baybrook Mall. I spent some money on Altered Beast.
Jesus! I have family photos of me and my entire army of cousins posing in front of that water fountain right in front of Fame City. Wish that place was still around.
Another Baytownian here....but mine was the Vault Arcade, and then when I got to SWT, it was Diversions. Where I ruled at Tournament Cyberball and Rampart. DD
Alot of baytown people here. Im 20 when I was younger I went every friday and spent all my allowance money at Power Play and Antonios Pizza.
