Killing Time, Wasting Baddies

The city of Fukui, situated in the north of the central part of Honshu, announced on February 4 that they are opening retro-gaming stations featuring classics that the public will love. All in the name of bringing friends and family together. No, really! Also, if you need to kill an hour before your train arrives, why not take a few swings at baddies or collect a few golden rings?

The “game libraries” are packed with everything from the Mega-Drive to the Sega Saturn. So, that covers Sega games, but strangely, the article mentions nothing about Mario. Will there be goomba-stomping and princess saving in the future? We’ve got a month to find out!

What’s Being Said

Here’s a translation from the original source: http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/1002/04/news071.html

City Opens Up “Game Library”–Can Play Things Like PC Engine and Mega-Drive.

Free retro-gaming will be available at the “Downtown Games Library,” brought by the city board, at the first floor of the City Center Building. Situated right in front of JR Fukui, it aims to bring parents and children together in a fun environment.

In a 50 square meter area, they have everything from the PC Engine, Mega-Drive, NEO-GEO, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast, all ready to play. Just like a reading library, you can borrow games from the Downtown Games Library.

Among the 130 titles available are games like “Bomber Man,” “Sonic the Hedgehog,” and “Fatal Fury.” After getting suggestions on hardware and software from city workers, the city got permission from makers and sellers to use the machines.

City workers came up with the idea to as a way to enjoy the games they loved as children. They said they wanted friends, colleagues, and parents and their children to communicate and strengthen ties.

…It will be going on until March 31, when the city workers plan to close it down.

My only question is: will this place be open until last train? Or maybe…ramen and retro games?