Taito Game Stations are giant video game and entertainment fun houses that span several towered layers. This particular station is located in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It is six floors of games and fun with a restaurant at the top.
The basement is filled with sticker machines and loud, giggling school girls. Thus, I found this pink, SnapChat filter infused heck-hole terrifying and did not venture into the sub level.
The first and second floor are all chance prize machines. I know I only lose on these, so I took the elevator to the 4th floor, which is full of arcade games. Ah, alas I am in my element.
Here, I lose 100 yen quick on Tekken before I knew what was going on. There is a new Gundam game that was taking most of the space on this floor and it looked like a lot of fun.
The third floor was music and rhythm games that I also have no skill in, but knew our Wizard Loryn Stone would love to get on that DDR machine.
Forgetting there is a fifth floor of network games, I had to go back later to see Starwing Paradise, being told it was very armored core virtual fighter with idols. I was sold and ventured to the fifth floor.
These machines are full moving cockpits with multi directional controls. The game had a 100 yen tutorial then 300 yen play for the first mission. It was incredible, and why these super game experiences an not be recreated at home on a console?!
The best part was having to high five your tech on the way out for the mission to get a extra bit to your stats. As a network game it keeps your data and progress. Suberb amount of fun and crazy battle play. I have a new calling and it is this game.
Thank Taito Game Station for the new addiction. Everyone visiting Japan who craves a multi-tiered, immersive arcade experience (that the states is now lacking due to glorified phone app games that spit tickets and the swipe cards replacing the quarter) will feel more than at home at Taito’s video game Valhalla.
Toy Wizard’s Taito Game Station Image Gallery:
