Apparently the new bar/arcade run by Hooters in Vegas totally blows

Matt Hawkins Contributing Writer, Video Games

According to folks on Yelp, it actually sounds worse than Barcade, which is saying a lot.

Here in NYC, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to be exact, is a combination bar and arcade called, aptly enough, Barcade. It’s where folks can grab a drink and play classic games from the golden age of video games. Sounds awesome, right? Well, so does Communism.

On the plus side, it has a fairly decent selection of beer. And that’s about it? Much like many bars in NYC, in all fairness, you’ll have a generally hassle free experience on a Tuesday night. But on a Friday night? Forget about it, cuz that’s when the hipster scum come out to play and pack (plus stink up) the joint.

Though many of the men folks don’t bother with the games, which are thus relegated to the role of atmospheric props. To be fair, most weren’t even born when said games were originally out, hence why most are so apathetic towards them. As for those that try to give them a spin, their women folk become ignored in the process, who then get all flustered and go to the bathroom to do some blow.

And as the night progresses, more folks enter the fray, and because hipster kids can’t hold their liquor (as anyone that’s witnessed the drunken antics of trustafarians on the Bedford Ave stop platform, 7:30 on a Tuesday evening can attest), the energy of the place becomes somewhat aggressive, but in an almost hilarious fashion, since many are hardly physically imposing specimen, to put it mildly

Oh, not helping is how the place doesn’t have nearly enough two-player games. I think a lot of problems could be solved if that was fixed. They just opened one in Jersey City btw, which some of the kids are determined to turn into New Williamsburg (and a former denizen of those parts, that pisses me off like nothing else). That place is mostly just filled with creepy dudes with the rape gaze…

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, the Hooters Casino Hotel just opened up Joystixx, which basically sounds like Barcade, except the booze is served by “gamer girls” (oh boy) and tVIP gaming booths, which on the surface sounds like something from a strip joint, but in reality is perhaps closer to private karaoke room, which to be honest is not a bad idea whatsoever…

Doesn’t sound too bad, though I’d be weary of checking it out, much like how I’m freaked about going to Hooters proper. I hear the food is good and all, plus I enjoy breasts as much as the next guy, but the whole thing just seems really bizarre to me, especially since how they try to assert themselves as a family friendly restaurant. I’d rather go to a strip club; feels more honest and genuine, if that makes any sense. Anyhow, seems like I’m not missing much; according to Kotaku, the place blows. Granted, this entirely based upon a pair of Yelp ratings. Here’s the first…

“Not much here. When they first opened last week they did not allow drinks or food inside. They now do. They don’t play music or have any audio such as the football games on their small TV screens. A security guard stands guard. I don’t know why, there’s no one there. They have three pool tables, two pinball machines, about 5 arcade games, a punching bag and basketball shooting game. I don’t know how much any of them are because I left right away.”

And the other…

“As you drive in, you get the feeling that you are entering the ghetto as you try to maneuver around the parking garage. Once you enter the casino, it gets even worse, so much so that you are EXTREMELY lucky to get a cell signal in the place. You find Joystixx in a corner near the buffet and they have an air hockey table and some pool tables near the front and at least 3 rows of video games as well as some basketball hoops and skee ball. I’ve been to Insert Coins on Fremont and that place is heaven compared to what Joystixx is trying to accomplish. My friends and I left after about an hour since there was no one in there. We don’t think the place will last very long especially if they don’t advertise or try to advertise as something they are obviously not. There is HONESTLY no comparison to Dave & Busters at all. It’s pretty bad when the employees outnumber the clientele.”

Dave & Busters is better? Ouch. Though I take any Yelp rating with a grain of salt. I’ve read way too many negative reviews for authentic ethnic joints where, when you get down to it, the reviewer was freaked out by how there was no vegan option or everyone’s skin being a little too brown. Anyhow, this Insert Coin(s) place the second reviewer spoke of does seems more interesting…

Normally, any Black Eyed Peas in a commercial would be a deal killer, but they have both The Simpsons arcade game AND Jet Set Radio!

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