Sweet

Good to know.
Thanks

Thx for heads up!

Really wish they were open at lunch time and served food.... (Work 10 mins away)

I wish they were open at 4 AM and tolerated my drunken angry ranting and stripping off of my clothes then trying to save drains by hip thrusting against the lockdown bar.

If he's just getting started, why not partner with an operator to get new games in the door instead of buying them outright? I suppose that might be tricky with a Free Play scenario...but who knows, maybe they could work something out.

Wish I could stop by on my lunch break and play a few games for a few bucks, but I understand why that can't happen for multiple reasons.

It takes a lot more than just the "community" to make an arcade viable...especially with brand new machines.

If not for the general public, and lots of them, arcades don't make it.

We'll see if Ghostbusters is a big enough draw to make a significant impact on attendance/admissions...I am currently experimenting with this in Joliet.

But, yes...support your local arcade, especially if it has pinball!

-Mark

I don't run the business but wondering if it would make sense for either of your locations to pick a weekday and open for lunch hours. I know I'd like to go somewhere near me (Joliet is doable, West Dundee isn't, but would be for others) during lunch. If you picked one day, maybe others like me would make that their day they could be available too. Just wondering if this has been considered. Admittedly this is a selfish request. FYI I live 45 minutes the wrong way so it's not like it's the same for me to go in the evening as it is at lunch. Either way, good luck to these locations. I hope Ghostbusters makes a big difference and you gain good momentum!

Scott is awesome for taking this risk. My next week is packed, but after that I'm popping in.

I haven't made it out to the underground retrocade yet, but I plan to very soon as a good friend of mine lives in town. Adding GB only sweetens the deal. Also, glad to see that you purchased from Kurt / Hemisphere's. He's good people!

My GB is coming from Kurt/Hemisphere as well havent meet him in person but seemed very nice over the phone.

You should have a good experience. I see that you're a little distance from him, but he will assist you with any issues over the phone and is very knowledgeable. He's a good restorer too. Not like HEP, but provides solid restores at reasonable prices. Best of luck with your new GB!

I was there last night to specifically play GB. The game played great but is challenging. You can't go wrong with it on FREE PLAY. I met some talented pinball players and people in the pinball industry while there. The Underground Retrocade is a VERY COOL place and I'll be going back.

the all day thing kind of kills the drop in And leads to kids who just start games some times 4 players for 1 person and walk away.

Also most local pinball places I go to have beer / are a bar.

For me?!

Be there tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

Later,
EV

I stopped in yesterday evening and had a great time. It is a really nice place and is deceptively large, especially when viewed from the outside. There are two stories of classic gaming & pinball in this arcade, with stairs also leading downstairs for a possible future 3rd level? (if space become a premium, i'm guessing... or maybe that is their office and/or repair area - the LL entrance was blocked off by games so I couldn't tell)

The selection of 80's / 90's arcade games is fantastic and they had approximately 15 pinball machines, all in good shape. (Space Shuttle needs serious bulb replacements though - very dark and hard to see your ball, especially the upper playfield - or maybe a GI issue) This was also the first chance I had to see & play GB. (pro version) Great game and I'm not even a huge fan of the movies. (Liked them both, but don't love them)

Not having played this machine before, I'm not sure of the differences from the original software to the latest 1.05 code, but it plays, looks & sounds excellent. I hope that this machine proves to be a financial success for the arcade as I'd love to see more new machines added alongside their classics roster. Long story short - one of the better classic arcades that I've visited and well worth your trip if you plan to visit!

I like this idea...I'd pop in for a lunch hour. I work in Elgin/West Dundee...

Opening at 3PM now for the summer, correct?

Planning to head out this afternoon for GB.

I stopped by a couple of weeks ago to play Ghostbusters Pro with a friend (playing in the photo below). We probably played over 50 games on that machine off and on for several hours. Had a great time and really enjoyed the evening.

Regarding Ghostbusters, I'm really glad I played it myself before reading the GB threads here on Pinside, because my personal experience was a lot more favorable than what I have been reading in recent posts. Personally, I thought it was a blast to play. Brutally difficult at times, but a lot of fun, similar to Iron Man.

image_(resized).jpeg

weekdays, correct:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Underground+Retrocade/@42.0979417,-88.2781466,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xfc5f805e2e9cdc0b?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE8pqU07nNAhXE1IMKHdXzAPcQ_BIIggEwCw

Came here today expressly to play GB; first real time playing it other than 2 quick turns at PinFest. Relatively fun... but tough for my pin skills. Couldn't get past 130m. Tilt seemed to be set very sensitive.

I wish their restrictions for children weren't so strict here; would have been fun to have my kids play as well since they've been asking about GhostBusters for awhile.

It's been a little while since I have been there - what are there restrictions on kids now?

From their website:

"The Underground must insist on adequate adult supervision of children ages 8 and under; to support this goal, we require guests with these younger children to maintain a 1 adult to child ratio, especially for their child’s first visit; they will need both your help to learn how to play and your good example of how to treat these classic games. Children under 48″ tall will have difficulty reaching the controls but may not be placed upon any stool where their feet do not touch the ground. Do not allow children to stand on stools or chairs. Arcade controls are not designed to support your child’s weight, so please do not allow them to hang from joysticks or steering wheels.

Pinball for guests under 14 only with direct adult supervision."

I have 2 kids aged 8 and under so I can't bring them by myself under their rules. They also both need step stools which is also not allowed. I understand their reasoning; wish they had a more child friendly policy like Replay Musuem in Florida does though. ...and I'm not too proud to admit that my 6 year old is a better pinball player than me... Still trying to beat his GC score on our TSPP.