Fun N' Games in Wayne NJ Closing

[Greg2600]

Alright, you want to talk about an old dumpy arcade! Well, does anyone else remember the kiddie amusement park up on Route 46 in Pine Brook, NJ? After Googling I found the name was Kiddie Karnival, and closed in 1987 to expand the highway. I remember there was one room, which I think was a shack or garage, that had early 80's games like Space Invaders, Tron, etc. It was like a county fair that never moved.

[Vigilante]

I'm going to try and make it to the auction to see if there is anything cheap I can buy myself for christmas.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Alright, you want to talk about an old dumpy arcade! Well, does anyone else remember the kiddie amusement park up on Route 46 in Pine Brook, NJ? After Googling I found the name was Kiddie Karnival, and closed in 1987 to expand the highway. I remember there was one room, which I think was a shack or garage, that had early 80's games like Space Invaders, Tron, etc. It was like a county fair that never moved.

Dude, I used to go there ALL THE TIME!

What about - right across the highway from "Kiddie Land" (I think it was called at one point if memory serves) the "Game Room" that was on the top floor of that old church - which is currently a fancy schmancy restaurant.

I remember asking my parents to take me there one day during what used to be it's operating hours only to find out that it had closed!

Man, that was a sad sad day in my childhood.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Peeked in on the now empty ex-arcade last week and seeing it completely bereft of machines made a little bit of me die inside.

[Apollo]

Tell me about it. Whenever I pass the furniture store on Rt. 17 where Sportsworld used to be, I get all sad and feel emotions.

[Mangar]

Those pictures made me envious. I've never been to an arcade even remotely that nice and well maintained. I grew up in Keansburg, NJ during the 80's, (Self Explanatory for NJ Natives, but for those who are not - It's sort of a white trash shore community, with rides, a boardwalk, and tons of arcades. Not exactly the safest of places.) and dark and scary wasn't the half of it. I can remember an actual knife being pulled on me over an argument with a 20 something year old over who's turn it was at Donkey Kong.

Being a smart 11 year old, I decided that it was in fact HIS turn.

[Greg2600]

Yeah, we gave up on Keansburg by the end of the 80's too. 10 years later they spent money and fixed it up, and the riff raff rarely hung out there anymore (they have Sleazeside for that!). Speaking of arcades, I remember going to the one in the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City a lot. The game room was next to the bowling alley. In one instance, I was playing WWF Wrestlemania Arcade, and some kid puts in a quarter during the match and demands me tag him in. A) I ignored him and B) I never could figure out how to do that. So he didn't get to play and threatened to beat me up. Then I told him I'd take him to see Michael Jackson and he ran away.

[Rob2600]

Greg and I visited the Fun N Games arcade a week before it shut down. We recorded a video tour and just posted it on YouTube for posterity:

Fun N Games arcade, Willowbrook Mall 11/17/07

[DMB]

OMG I was playing on the computer thinking about Kiddie Karnival trying to find any info I could. I remeber going as a young child with my dad. Does anyone remeber the small four caged ferris wheel, it was multi colored and did not work?

[GamerTheGreek]

I still miss the one in clifton that used to be open on 46 . Used to have a caldors in the same shopping center. Now i think Barnes and noble is in there, kohls and a few others. Pizza46 is in the same mall. sad times how many arcades are still open in northern nj?

[Greg2600]

I still miss the one in clifton that used to be open on 46 . Used to have a caldors in the same shopping center. Now i think Barnes and noble is in there, kohls and a few others. Pizza46 is in the same mall. sad times how many arcades are still open in northern nj?

That was Plaza Game Room, technically in West Paterson or whatever they call that town now. I don't know of any standalone arcades up here anymore. Barcade has a location in Jersey City, and Digital Press has several machines, mainly MAME, in Clifton.

[GamerTheGreek]

That was Plaza Game Room, technically in West Paterson or whatever they call that town now. I don't know of any standalone arcades up here anymore. Barcade has a location in Jersey City, and Digital Press has several machines, mainly MAME, in Clifton.

Even though they changed names i still call it West Paterson. DP is the only place i know that still has any sort of arcade stand ups. Shame that the whole era of gaming has pretty much dried up. Dave and busters is the closest for it, but its not the same.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

God, if one more person recommends "Barcade" to me, I'm going to rip my hair out.

Good concept, abysmal execution. My personal dislike of the loud talking/louder music bar aesthetic aside, the machines are all in WAY too substandard condition for anybody who is serious about arcade games to enjoy.

They need to get an expert arcade repair tech on staff, repair/replace and TEST all of the buttons and joysticks on all of the machines and maintain them on a regular basis.

Also, they should seriously consider setting the games to free play and charging a flat cover for entry.

[Rob2600]

God, if one more person recommends "Barcade" to me, I'm going to rip my hair out.

Good concept, abysmal execution. My personal dislike of the loud talking/louder music bar aesthetic aside, the machines are all in WAY too substandard condition for anybody who is serious about arcade games to enjoy.

They need to get an expert arcade repair tech on staff, repair/replace and TEST all of the buttons and joysticks on all of the machines and maintain them on a regular basis.

Also, they should seriously consider setting the games to free play and charging a flat cover for entry.

Barcade is fine for what it is. It's not a place for video game enthusiasts to quietly and comfortably enjoy classic arcade games. It's loud, crowded, and people sometimes hog the machines. Once in a while a button won't work or a quarter will get eaten. In those cases, tell an employee and they'll refund your quarter. And yeah, dealing with quarters is a pain...BUT all of these "negatives" are authentic to the long lost arcade experience!

If you want a nicely lit, much more quiet, comfortable arcade experience with properly maintained cabinets *and* free play pricing, go to Yestercades in Red Bank, NJ. It is video game heaven (70+ arcades, roughly 20 pinball machines, and almost every home game console connected to TVs with shelves full of games):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodrob...7629917556084/

And the pinball equivalent is Silverball Museum Arcade in Asbury Park, NJ. Very impressive:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodrob...7629905598558/

I highly recommend both places!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Barcade is fine for what it is. It's not a place for video game enthusiasts to quietly and comfortably enjoy classic arcade games. It's loud, crowded, and people sometimes hog the machines. Once in a while a button won't work or a quarter will get eaten. In those cases, tell an employee and they'll refund your quarter. And yeah, dealing with quarters is a pain...BUT all of these "negatives" are authentic to the long lost arcade experience!

If you want a nicely lit, much more quiet, comfortable arcade experience with properly maintained cabinets *and* free play pricing, go to Yestercades in Red Bank, NJ. It is video game heaven (70+ arcades, roughly 20 pinball machines, and almost every home game console connected to TVs with shelves full of games):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodrob...7629917556084/

And the pinball equivalent is Silverball Museum Arcade in Asbury Park, NJ. Very impressive:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodrob...7629905598558/

I highly recommend both places!

It's really the maintenance (or lack thereof) on the cabinets that kills me at Barcade. If the place was loud and crowded I wouldn't care if the games all worked well.

[kainemaxwell]

I still miss the one in clifton that used to be open on 46 . Used to have a caldors in the same shopping center. Now i think Barnes and noble is in there, kohls and a few others. Pizza46 is in the same mall. sad times how many arcades are still open in northern nj?

I remember going there for birthday parties as a kid. The arcade in the rockaway mall was fun, even the new brighter version.

[Videogamerdaryll]

fuddruckers in Wayne, NJ has a nice little Arcade in it..


http://www.fuddruckers.com/index.php

Wayne
1813 Route 23 S.
Wayne, NJ 07470
(973) 633-9700

I just had a 30 people Party there and we had a BLAST in the Arcade..(they don't reserve the lace for parties ,You can have a party there,gifts,balloons,Cake with no issues.

Best to go before 5pm or after 8pm as it’s less crowded..The Dinner Crew come in around 6 and the place s mobbed..

And Right down the highway is a :

chucke cheese
http://www.chuckecheese.com/
Wayne
1639 Rt. 23 South
Wayne, NJ, 07470
(973) 305-9635
Store Hours:
Mon-Thur 10am-10pm
Fri 10am-11pm
Sat 9am-11pm
Sun 9am-10pm
This place has been extended...Redone adding a whole bunch of Arcade Machines.


Grab the Token Coupons online and you have a a lot of Arcade Gaming..

Bes to go on a .Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday..Friday is PACKED..


This place is HUGE..I was blown away by the amount of Adult available Arcade machines ..for 1 Token..
New Type Machines but Still Arcade Machine and 1 Pinball Machine..
Paramus
275 Route 4 West
Paramus, NJ, 07652
(201) 487-1088
Store Hours:
Sun-Thur 9am-10pm
Fri-Sat 9am-11pm
This only issue I have found and heard about this location is it’s Address is not correct in GPS systems..GPS units take you to another location on rte 4 where at that location there is no CC .
The location you are taken to they know all about the GPS issue and have become direction givers

[Ed Oscuro]

Nothing much to report here - I visited the pinball / arcade service folks who have a shop at the edge of downtown Kalamazoo; they let me wander around a minute unsupervised, which was nice. I wonder who their clients are; they obviously do work on restoring machines from all eras - from some pinballs (and the like) which looked quite old (maybe a few pre-60s even?) as well as some newer environmental racers were in their work space.

It kind of struck me that the Lakeview Square Mall feels a lot less exciting than it once did; the middle stretch seems just barren to me.

The main entrance used to have a Chi-Chi's (closed a while before the franchise folded, I think) and transitioned seamlessly into Applebee's. On the right side of the door there was at one time an Aladdin's Castle, which I visited maybe once. I don't remember the layout especially well, but I have the feeling that it occupied a corner. For many years the area was open to a food court, but recently they closed it up again (and left only a corridor strip for a few remaining small food vendors, and tables) for a Buffalo Wild Wings. I doubt there's any likelihood of Wings moving out for an arcade, but they've got the right physical layout again.

[Greg2600]

Daryll, I haven't been to that Fuddruckers in ages, 15 years. Back then they had a small game room with 8 or 9 really dirty games. We never went back because the food was disgusting. While there may be lots of machines there, there's no chance I'm going to a Chuck E. Cheese. Do I look like Jerry Sandusky?

Ed, I think you're in the wrong thread.

[Ed Oscuro]

Wow, that was pretty uncalled for dude. I thought that was actually on-topic based on the first post.