12 replies to this topic

[Dan Iacovelli]

just found out via facebook that a new arcade is opening up in IL not too far from me
Galloping Ghost Arcade 9415 Odgen Ave Brookfield,IL
http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com
Sat and sunday grand opening $15.00 door entry all games on free play for those days
I'm planning to go after I get off work(only about 12 mins away from me)

[Crazy Climber]

HOLY SCHNIKES!!!
They have 120 arcade games listed on the "working" list and 50 more or so they say are being repaired. How big is this place? Sounds awesome!!

[Tom-Lynx]

Maybe I'll see you there early Sunday afternoon Dan. My older son and I might go check it out.

Tom

[Dan Iacovelli]

Tom-Lynx, on Sat Aug 14, 2010 6:47 PM, said:

Maybe I'll see you there early Sunday afternoon Dan. My older son and I might go check it out.

Tom

I was going today,but it might be better for me to go on sunday. I'll prob be there from noon till 2pm or later.

[Crazy Climber]

If you can get a few pics guys. I make it down to IL about once a year so I will likely be able to check it out one of these days.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Crazy Climber, on Sat Aug 14, 2010 7:32 PM, said:

If you can get a few pics guys. I make it down to IL about once a year so I will likely be able to check it out one of these days.

there is a couple videos on you tube:

[Crazy Climber]

Dan Iacovelli, on Sat Aug 14, 2010 8:08 PM, said:

Crazy Climber, on Sat Aug 14, 2010 7:32 PM, said:

If you can get a few pics guys. I make it down to IL about once a year so I will likely be able to check it out one of these days.

there is a couple videos on you tube:

Good God, that has to be one of the coolest looking arcades I have seen in a LONG time

[rmaerz]

Crazy Climber, on Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:41 AM, said:

there is a couple videos on you tube:


Good God, that has to be one of the coolest looking arcades I have seen in a LONG time

And you know what's cool is the video shows just how packed the arcades were BITD. They could have packed the place with friends and neighbors but it's still a cool video that conjures up fond memories of my local arcade when I was a kid.

[Crazy Climber]

rmaerz, on Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:26 AM, said:

Crazy Climber, on Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:41 AM, said:

there is a couple videos on you tube:


Good God, that has to be one of the coolest looking arcades I have seen in a LONG time

And you know what's cool is the video shows just how packed the arcades were BITD. They could have packed the place with friends and neighbors but it's still a cool video that conjures up fond memories of my local arcade when I was a kid.

Yeah, seeing all the people playing the games and having fun was huge! I would love to go there. Many of my later memories of arcades were not like that, the place was usually empty. Nothing beats a packed arcade like the good ol days, even if I have to wait to play it is totally worth it.

[Dan Iacovelli]

just returned from the place.
it huge 50% of the arcades were working the rest being fixed
the place was empty today when I got there prob gets full
at night.
when they get a the hours done and charging figured I won't mind going on sundays.

[Dan Iacovelli]

here is some information on the arcade from the owner:

Quote

It will still be $15 to get in with everything on FreePlay (that will be the regular price). We are working on a frequent player card too, so the more you come the cheaper it will get. The hours are:
Monday - Friday 1PM - 2AM
Saturday - Sunday 11AM - 2AM (we may be open later on the weekends if people are still here having fun)

Edited by Dan Iacovelli, Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:27 PM.

[yuppicide]

OMFG! I wish I lived closer. I'd be a frequent player. Maybe they'd make a monthly pass.

Looks amazing! 122 working games, another 120 or so being fixed, and another 50 or so they're looking for. That's the kind of place I want to start here in Jersey.

[Lendorien]

Reviving this thread. I live up in Mailwaukee. Brookfield, IL is about an hour and a half from me. I only found out about the place last night and since my Girlfriend and I were looking for something to do today, we decided to drive down and check it out. It's in a nicer suburb of Chicago on a fairly busy street with a good variety of restaurants around. My Grilfriend and I made a day of it and spent about 7 hours there.

I have to say with complete honesty that visiting Galloping ghost is one of the coolest afternoon activities I've done in quite a while. They had about 200 working cabs from all eras. It's clear that some of them are pretty cobbled together, but it doesn't hurt the experience much. They have a really large selection of fighting games from all eras, a pretty solid collection of gun shooters and racers and a decent selection of early classics like pacman, etc.

I talked to one of the owners briefly and told him I'd come all the way from Milwaukee to find him. He seemed a little surprised and flattered. He seemed like a really down to earth nice guy. Apparently, he'd owned his own business for a while as a workaholic, sold it and made enough to finance his new venture and the arcade game he and his business partner are working on. There's clearly a lot of love that went into the place.

At $15 dollars a person for unlimited play on any machine, it's an amazing deal and given the broad selection, well worth the trip if you happen to be within a few hours drive of Chicago or are going to be in town for a bit. Seriously, every machine is rigged for free play, including machines that aren't programmed for it.

My girlfriend and I had a blast. The best part is, she's not much of a gamer... and the arcade got her interested in a lot of games she probably wouldn't have been interested in before.

On the down side, I've decided I REALLY need to build a Mame cabinet now. I'm hooked.