Out Of Nowhere
I followed what was happening at E3, but it didn't seem like there was much of anything to write about.BANG BANG KABOOM XV will be released, along with SAME AS LAST YEAR SPORTS XXV, and there's also THE GAME I REALLY WANT TO PLAY THAT WON'T BE OUT FOR TWO YEARS, but nothing seemed really notable.
Reading E3 articles led me to a rabbit hole, which led to a side rabbit hole, which led me to think about what kind of arcade game I would get if I actually could afford a real one.
It took me about five seconds to decide on Hyper Sports.
Hyper Sports was Konami's successor to Track & Field, and was released to arcades in 1984. It had a double-button setup, for speed, and the reason I loved these games so much was because of the "pencil trick": putting a pencil in-between the buttons, with your index finger as a fulcrum, then tapping away on one end of the pencil with your free hand. It was sort of a drumming technique, and what it did was give you unbelievable amounts of speed. It felt like a skill.
That is, without question, my favorite arcade game memory, playing those games at a local 7-11 (in the corner, right next to the motor oil).
I spent a bit of time looking at how much the arcade cabinets cost. Anywhere from $2500-$3000. Then I found this, which is allegedly a new but retro-styled cabinet with an LCD monitor that can play all five games in the series. That was $1800, but that's still a lot of money (particularly when goalie lessons with the best goalie coach in the country run $175/hr).
Less than half an hour later, though, a miracle occurred.
Out of nowhere, a new game for the Switch was announced: Hyper Sports R. Based on a fine-tooth analysis of the trailer, it basically includes most of the events in Track & Field and Hyper Sports, with a couple of new additions.
Instead of pounding on the buttons, you swing the Joy-Cons, and I am 100% down for that. Yes, it might be terrible, but it's still very pleasing that Konami remembers its iconic franchise.
Oh, and a sports note that I almost forgot, which is absolutely notable: Madden is coming out for the PC this year. Modders, start your engines.
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