I thought I'd bump this thread to say that a new arcade opened up near me in Middletown, NY and it's
amazing.
It's part of a chain called
Round1 Entertainment - they have a bowling alley, billiards, and Asian-style karaoke booths... but IMO the arcade is the shining star of this place. It's
chock full of Japanese music games! A lot of Bemani games: DDR, Beatmania IIDX, Dance Evolution, Sound Voltex, Museca, and GitaDora, plus others like Pump It Up and Music GunGun 2, arcade versions of Rhythm Heaven, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Project Diva, and Groove Coaster!
They also have a good number of 2D fighters in candy cabs; mostly newer ones but there's also Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. There are other high-end newer machines like Magician's Dead and new versions of classics like Initial D, Maximum Tune, and Silent Scope (Bone Eater...who thought that was a good title? HONESTLY).
My biggest criticism would be a lack of shmups or 1990s machines. I'd also like to see Pop'n Music get added to their collection at some point. But those are nit-picks. As someone who loves music games, this is MAYBE the best arcade I've ever been to. It's more expensive than a typical arcade, but it's wonderful.
The same mall has another arcade that's been there since I was a kid. It's kind of sad, almost entirely ticket-redemption games, very old sit-down racers, and a DDR Supernova machine. I'll still play DDR in there because it's less expensive and part of me loves that older unit's style, but they can't compete without a dramatic overhaul...