LONDON'S SEGAWORLD, QUASAR & ALIEN WAR - Where DID OUTDOOR fun GO?! (A George Massey video)
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- Food for Thought ep.2 - London's Trocadero, Quasar, Segaworld + Alien War. Plus the technological leap from 8 bit to 32 bit.
Written, presented, edited and directed by George Massey.
A George Massey video
A bit of info:
SegaWorld was the biggest indoor theme park in the world (Called a theme park - mostly just an incredible videogame arcade) situated in Piccadilly Square at the London Trocadero. Imagine Hong Kong and the movie Tron fused together, chewed up and merged into an indoor city, a little (but not little) indoor futuristic world. No matter how big they make Westfield shopping mall, no matter how many Mr. Pretzels and Hollister stores they cram in, it always fails to impress the kids who grew up with Segaworld.
Wasn't planning to make this episode solely about Segaworld, Alien War and Quasar, but nostalgia got the better of me, and I could have said a lot more.
Enjoy,
Music from...
Tetris - gameboy
Streets of Rage 2 - genesis
Contra 3 - snes
Contra 2 - nes
Wipeout 2097
Prodigy (Firestarter - instrumental Wipeout version)
Megaman 2 - nes
Aliens arcade (Konami)
Final Fantasy 7
Street Fighter 2 arcade
George Massey you really nailed it at the end what you said. You said how sad how it ended. Although not an avid gamer I believe those days were so much more exciting and had so much to offer. I feel that the world has become so empty now. I visited alien war with a friend. So miss the past and videos like this connect me to those times as a time machine still doesn't exist. Thank you so much for posting. Brought a tear to my eye from the nostalgia. I miss the good old days. Trocadero used to be fab especially in the 80s. I believe it is soon to be made into a hotel. Like gaming, the rave scene and music in 80s and 90s was amazing. This world is so empty and there is no joy compared to those days. 80s and 90s I miss you.
Can we just agree that the 90s were just so much fun. Frankly i visited once, I didn't like arcades but the sheer scale of this place, the noise, the fact you could sit on a bike, sit in a car, hold a gun while playing games blew me away. I went here with my cousins in 1998 I think, only once and it left an impression on me, I often wondered what happened to it because now the Trocadero is a bunch of crappy shops, I'd love to have some more FUN places to take friends when they visit London.
The Trocadero was my second home for may years :-)
George I am so happy that SegaWorld has brought you fun memories, I was one of the staff members on the "Beast Floor", seeing your video has brought a lot of fun memories, even for me as a Final Fantasy and PlayStaton fan you reminded me of how it was for the first time...Thanks George.
Hey, maybe I even saw you there. Thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Jennifer Webster What was it like working there? Must have been fun!
Probably the best tribute to any 90's London kid out there. Great video.
Thanks man
So, so sad that Sega World only lasted three years. It was miles ahead of it's time, and any self respecting gamer would more than likely cream their pants now upon entering what could legitimately be descried as the 90's mecca of gaming.
I remember trying the VR shooting game there (Sega VR-1 I think). In a pre mainstream internet world I wasn't made aware that something like that even existed. Granted the graphics would be sub 'Minecraft' these days, but for a 12 year old console fanatic the experience bordered on the religious. It's the main reason I was happy to drop 974 euros of my saved up call center wages on a HTC Vive preorder. That on top of the 1600 gaming pc and additional 200 for a G27 steering wheel, and a flight stick + throttle. All this without even trying the current gen of VR headsets
The steam punk aesthetic of the Games Master TV series was about as cool as it got for a kid back then, but this place blew that out of the water. They had an augmented reality ghost train for christ sakes! This was in 1997!!! There's such a scarcity of posthumous info available on Sega World now that it can sometimes seem like something you could only have dreamt about. In a way that makes the memory more cherished. If it closed after three years then I consider myself very privileged to have experienced it in person, and I'd never even heard of Alien War before watching this video. I don't think I have the rose tinted specs on. The Trocadero at that time in history was something that will never be replicated or surpassed. Thanks for the upload George!
I love your comment. Some great insight and memories there. Thanks so much for posting. George.
I'm so glad I got to experience sega world for the brief time it was open, one of my fondest memories was being in sega world simply being entranced by all the lights and giant sonic stuff. I had to of been like 3-4 years old, yet I can still picture it to this day!
Great video.
I was trying to explain Quasar to someone just now and came across this. Man those were some good times. Cheers for the memories
Almost 10 years on and i still adore this ❤
Great video and great memories. One of the biggest losses to Central London was the loss of the Trocadero. I feel very fortunate to have spent time there. Most sundays we would head down for the afternoon. Anyone else have a nightmare finding their way out though? It was like a maze!
I used to do Goju Ryu (karate) competitions in London. I also had the chance to go to SEGAWorld. It was a pure gaming haven. I completely agree with your epilogue at the end. Such amazing places only to be replaced by mundane coffee shops and thrift / high street stores. It's depressing. By where I live, there's an Odeon Cinema in Bromborough, Wirral (it's been there ever since I was a baby, maybe even longer, I'm 31 now), and when I was growing up, it had a whole section of SEGA arcade cabinets: Sonic 1 arcade version, Daytona USA, Virtua Fighter, Gale Racer, Virtua Cop, Virtua Racing (this cabinet version you sat in the racing car and it had a little decal sticker inside of Sonic driving his own car giving a thumbs up, the such random things you remember from your childhood), nowadays that arcade section has moved and pales in comparison.
Man I literally didn't even know it closed. I used to go there as a kid and hadn't been back since. I actually went searching for it the other day only to find a restaurant haha. I'm still so sad, I can't believe they haven't made an equivalent. Everything was so much fun back then!!!!
Thanks a lot for this. I visited Segaworld when I was a kid, and the memory has always stayed with me. These days i'd be psyched to even see a regular arcade!
+G-Bee Check out Heart of Gaming in North Acton. London's last arcade - it's awesome ;)
Great video, and kind of read my mind on the whole subject. I remember going to Sega World (or what was left of it) a few months before it closed for good overnight, and looking at the burnt out lights and blocked off entrances and hoping that one day it would be returned to its former glory. It does definitely feel like we've gone backwards in this respect, nothing has that same sense of OTT drama, i'm very much a guy for the whole 'immersive experience' kind of thing and the sad fact is that I don't think there's enough money in it (or at least not right now). Disney have their own version of Sega World in Orlando called Disney Quest that's closing next year as even Disney, market leader for 'themed experiences' can't make enough money out of it. Really sad, but hopefully as the economy improves people will be more inclined to take risks with this kind of thing!
Really enjoyed this video though it's sad how it ended for the arcade. As a child I saw it appear on tv and really wanted to go, but had no idea where it was. As an adult I was in trocadero arcade (what remained of it in 2007-2008) with a friend and I brought the subject up that I had really wanted to go to segaworld and he turned around and said to me "do you know your standing in it?" to my surprise. All the really good stuff had gone by then, though it was still worth popping in for the variety of arcade machines. In 2012 I remember seeing that empty hole where the escalator used to be and last time I went in 2014 it was pretty much shut down for the construction work taking place. I agree at the moment in some places it feels like we've lost our vision of the future. Where I live we have lost our local themed arcades, swimming pool with flumes and rapids, the original main cinema and some of the buildings they were in are either now demolished or about to be. Feels like there is less to do now.
Totally agree. Thanks for the insightful comment, Larxene. Really enjoyed reading it, and am glad you liked the video.
LarxeneOrgXII yes you are dead right
Alien war. That was the ultimate movie ride! I was to experience it twice. Thanks for sharing.
When i played that ridge racer game where you sat in a real MX5,i took my newly supplied mobile phone out of my pocket and put it on the side of the car as it was digging into my leg.Became so engrossed in the game that some chancer managed to nick it without me even knowing.Happy days!
I have vivid memories of going to Segaworld multiple times when I was a teenager. Loved the 3D motion rides, not to mention pumping coins into the masses of arcade machines!
I had regular trips to London in the 2000s and noticed the arcade area getting smaller and smaller with each visit until finally the whole place closed - really disappointed it's gone. I never knew about Alien War either; it looks like the kind of thing I might have enjoyed!
this place was awesome!! as a child it was like stepping in to another world, such a shame its gone.
Great video. This makes me miss arcades and the SEGA of old even more!
Me too ;) I appreciate the compliment. Thank you.
Casper Egas www.change.org/p/sega-of-america-to-design-and-release-a-sega-dreamcast-limited-edition-console?share_id=jJXlVAmkce
George Massey www.change.org/p/sega-of-america-to-design-and-release-a-sega-dreamcast-limited-edition-console?share_id=jJXlVAmkce
I had no idea that it only lasted three years. I consider myself super-lucky now that I got to see it in person. I only went once because I grew up in Wales, so it was crazy expensive to get there plus the price of admission and getting on the arcade games. I think it was about £30 each to get in....but that might have included tickets to one or two of the VR games too, not sure. I know a lot of the stuff you had to pay seperately for once you were in.
I vividly remember walking onto the central escalator, and my brother and I spotting the colourful robots and stuff coming out of the walls. So amazing as a kid. And we went on the paraglider VR game and the space turret VR game. I never knew what the names were. But they blew my mind anyway. So, so cool!
incidentally concerning alien war,they made it so that at the scariest part the group of visitors would run out through doors to where other people were waiting so they could get an idea of how scary it would be for them when they had a turn. seeing people running through a door screaming and shouting all helped make the tourist attraction so popular. When I went my friend and I got in free with 2 free tickets given out. I believe this was towards the end of its life cycle at trocadero. Wouldn't say it was dead scary but the decor,darkness, smoke and actors all added to the sense of atmosphere. Very good experience for nothing.
Wow, someone who actually understands what fair use is and doesn't use the words like a magical talisman to ward of the consequences of copyright law. Good on you.
Does anyone remember Aqua Planet in sega world? The underwriter 4-D simulation ride ride where you had to shoot lasers at a giant octopus?
The summer's of 97 and 98 we went to Segaworld repeatedly much to the dismay of my Dad's wallet.
Thanks for this
Welcome, bro. Glad you enjoyed it.
My friend and I would got to Sega World and Alien War often! Sega world was brilliant, it was like £12 to get in and all the machines were free!! Sega Rally, we hogged for AGGGGGGES including House of The Dead! :D
Awesome video. Really takes me back on a nostalgia trip to simpler, more optimistic, and less cynical times. I guess home technology has for the most part displaced these social virtual reality experiences; no point in arcades when a console or a decent computer hooked up to the internet can produce a similar approximation from the comfort of one's own home. But what we've gained in some areas, we've lost in others. We've become a lot more superficially interconnected, but we've lost that meaningful face to face connectedness we had in the arcades of the 90s.
Thanks for the in depth comment, buddy. Seems it had the effect on you I was hoping for. Glad you enjoyed it.
Guitar Videos - that isn't entirely accurate. Yes there was an entry fee when segaworld opened, but all the arcades and rides were free once you got in. The problem with this is - even though it made for a great afternoon - people didn't want to go to central London and be restricted to one location. The other massive factor that screwed segaworld is the Namco Wonderpark (Not to be confused with Namco Station) which opened around the corner at roughly the same time, with free entry, was incredible and had games directly from Japan often before they were even finished (I played Time Crisis 2 there when only two levels existed.) Segaworld soon eliminated the price tag (You can see the free entry sign in my video.) Thousands of people flooded Segaworld after that, but with the home market also competing graphically with arcades, Segaworld wasn't recovering from its initial losses. Had Segaworld been free entry to begin with, I expect it would have changed things - but with home consoles being what they are now, perhaps its end was inevitable. Despite that, I stick by what I said in my video - there's still room for entertainment inside and outside the home.
George Massey
Do you think the Namco Wonderpack was better? I preferred that to Segaworld as well. I think Segaworld was never run properly. The rides broke down a lot and the maintenance seemed to be a never-ending job for them so they probably got tired of keeping it in good nick. Good memories though. It was definitely fun, but I was not too surprised when the curtain fell. I am kind of amazed that the Fun Land arcade ranger so long after Segaworld ended. Even in 2000 the place was dead, so it is a miracle it lasted so long!! By the way, thanks for the video, brought back good memories. This is the way I want to remember the arcade, as opposed to the barren place the site eventually became.
You're very welcome, thanks for the comment. Yeah, I think Namco was all round better. More intimate, self contained and maintained. It felt like a portal to tokyo. But the Trocadero felt like entering a metropolis, like stepping into the future, especially when alien war was there. By comparison, I suppose segaworld was like the hollywood blockbuster, Namco the heartfelt arthouse movie. That being said, they were both stunning, and I'd like for them both to still be there! ;)
I'll do a follow up. Just inundated with big projects right now :)
I grew up in London and spent so much time in the tricadero. I went to the trocadero recently and was shocked that only the bottom floor is being used for shopping! Any idea what is happening within the rest of the building?
+thedutchess brit They're turning it into hotels. Fun, eh...
+George Massey name of background music at 0:02?
+George Massey so what is your channel about?
+George Massey can you tell me what happened to joysticks with 1st person shooter games?
I remember it very well I went twice I was very scared my emotions were so strong I went wen I was 6&7
part 2!
Sadly people can't be bother to spend money on real arcade games, alot arcades I seen just have coin pushers and fruit machines...no real games at all. there are some, infact a few are bringing back the older 80's arcade games back in original and new form (like Space invaders and Pac-man)
I think another big issue is today's consoles and handhelds, back in the 90's Arcades had the most advanced games out at the time, with consoles still trying to be arcade perfect.
while nowadays it's the other way round, Arcades have games based on console titles (with less content) and there aren't any huge titles like we had back in the 90's.
Like Daytona USA, the Time Crisis and House of the Dead games, those big Namco/SEGA machines that had Jet skis Bikes Cars fighter planes, 360 spining cockpit... stuff we would never be able to bring home (unless your really rich) It's sad you can get more better arcade games on your phone or the Switch...
Whats the music starting at 03:02
Yo, it's 'The Future Sound Of London - Landmass' which I first heard via Wipeout 2097. Both track and song title felt perfect for that bit of the vid. Thanks for stopping by :)
@@ryodash Thanks so much, yes totally agree, very fitting to the video clips. Nice job on the whole video :-)
Never knew that this place existed (as I'm from up North).
Looks amazing.
Just another bit of "evidence" that the UK has went down the toilet in the last 10-15 years.
Back in the 90's and early 2000's life was pretty amazing in this Country.
You name it?, wether it was watching TV shows like Gladiators, Gamesmaster, Cybernet, Ren and Stimpy, etc, plus a lot of great late night and through the night TV, or going to the cinema to see amazing films like Terminator 2, the original Jurassic park, speed, or going home after school/work and playing amazing console games.
There always seemed to be another world to explore and get lost in.
This was before Mobile phones, multiple TV channels (I only had the 5 standard channels at the time) and was certainly before Tony Blair opened the flood gates to uncontrolled immigration.
It was probably around 2008- 2012 (ish) that things went wrong behind the scenes in this Country (the last 5 years has been the worst).
Uncontrolled immigration from the E.U and anywhere else that had remotely even heard of the UK, has totally changed this Country to resemble something from a distopian future previously only found in novels and movies.
I refuse to believe that this place became unpopular.
It was in London 🙄.
The reality is that London was probably filling up with people (immigrants) that want to make money, NOT spend it.
It's the same all over the Country now.
Instead of finding new and exciting experiences without even looking too hard, everybody just seems to work in precarious employment, watch X- Factor, sit in cafés with their laptops and go holidays.
The UK is STILL (amazingly?) one of the wealthiest Countries in the world, but this is just on paper for economic and banking reasons, because most people will tell you nowadays that we, the people don't see that wealth.
P.S, How do the *countless* restaurants all over the UK stay in business?
Immigrants don't spend money here and we, the UK natives are all skint.
Funny I just switched on to catch this comment. One thing I love about this video is how it seems to inspire long and well-thought-out responses (like yours.) I did call it food for thought, so that was the intention, but unlike usual youtube vids, most of the comments on this one are very valuable. Your own could be expanded into its own essay/video. There's a lot to be discussed and explored there. For one - has the golden age gone, or is there any hope for a creative future where people socialise offline, like they used to? Eithet way, thanks for the comment and support :)
PS - it's a shame you missed it. Glad you at least now know of its existence
@@ryodash You're welcome.
At least I caught Alien War when it first arrived in Glasgow during the early to mid 90's.
It was fantastic!
Genuinely didn't know what to expect before I went 😀.
We had nothing like Sega World anywhere nearby though.