Billed as the largest video arcade in the United States, Galloping Ghost sets the standard by which all other U.S. arcades should be judged. With nearly 900 different games – only a fraction sharing cabinets – Galloping Ghost includes numerous titles that were globally popular, as well as quite a few that were obscure outside of Japan, a few that were barely even known to exist (Joust 2, Qbert’s Qubes), and even some that were never actually released (Beavis & Butthead).
Access to the entire collection in free play mode is a flat $25, for as many hours as you want to play in a given day, and the vast majority of the games are in working order. (A few notable titles, including Beavis & Butthead and Nintendo’s incredible racing game F-Zero AX, were either not working properly or at all.) A separate collection of pinball machines can be played for a flat fee of $20. The experience is as much unlike going to a Dave & Buster’s as one can imagine, and if you’re a game fan near Chicago – with automobile access to nearby Brookfield – it’s certainly worth seeing. Only the very best arcades in Japan, many long gone, could ever compare with this collection.
