Raw Thrills/Betson Driving Game Teaser; NBA Jam Book Release; and Wilcox Arcade on Discord
It’s late October, everybody, which that means plenty of arcade news is coming our way. Here’s what I’ve compiled this week.
A new Raw Thrills driving game at IAAPA 2019?
While pre-IAAPA news from all manufacturers has been pretty sparse so far, Raw Thrills and Betson recently teased a new driving game.
The news, detailed on Betson’s IAAPA 2019 booth webpage, depicts the silhouetted figure of a group of driving game cabinets. Apart from having a similar build to Cruis’n Blast, it’s hard to visualize what this may be.
The two dominant theories right now are that this could be either (A) a new NASCAR arcade game or (B) a new off-roading title in the spirit of Midway’s Offroad Thunder.
In my opinion, the NASCAR theory carries the most weight thusfar, given the enclosure depicted in the silhouette resembles a roll cage. Even more telling, Betson will be hosting NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick’s "Big Buck Hunter x Busch" car in their booth.
Keep in mind, though, that the vehicle’s presence is directly linked to the Fall 2019 Big Buck national promotion. It may have nothing to do with the new racing game at all.
The Offroad Thunder successor proposition may not be too far off either, since the cabinet silhouette resembles the body of an off-road vehicle and Raw Thrills already has a Hydro Thunder spiritual sequel (H2Overdrive) under its belt. While this makes plenty of sense, I personally find it more difficult to corroborate.
Of course, we won’t know exactly what this new product is until we see it, so I’ll refrain from making any definitive assessments.
A new Raw Thrills release can be very exciting, especially when shrouded in mystery. I hope this new racer is content-rich!
NBA Jam (the book) is now available.
In other good news, the highly anticipated NBA Jam (the book) is now on the market. The digital version released on October 22, and the physical version will ship on November 14.
Written by journalist Reyan Ali, NBA Jam dives into the history and people behind the famed basketball series. The book contains original interviews with Mark Turmell and his Midway development team, in-game commentator Tim Kitzrow, NBA players Glen Rice and Shaquille O’Neal, and many more.
Being a massive fan of ‘90s Midway and NBA Jam (the game), there’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be picking up this book whenever I can. I’m also curious to see how everyone else takes to it once they’ve read it.
For a more comprehensive look at NBA Jam (the book), please see Arcade Heroes’ review, which does an excellent job exploring the content.
And now for my “paid” programming.
Though I try my best to highlight the player’s perspective here on Wilcox Arcade, the blog format is still a fairly one-sided ordeal. Sometimes, I want to open up further discourse.
So that’s exactly what I did.
On the Wilcox Arcade Discord server, we share arcade news, arcade finds, business/repair tips, our thoughts on games, and more. If you’re looking for an avenue to discuss arcade games with passion, the Wilcox Arcade Discord is the place for you.
I actually started the server in July, but I never bothered sharing it on my blog until now. Crazy, right?
We’re a relatively small group at present, but we’re always looking for more members. And so far, the Discord conversation is much more bustling than it is on the forum.
(Speaking of the forum, I may be putting it out of its misery soon. As much as I love having that option, I have underutilized it to the point that I am not doing anyone justice by keeping it alive.)
So log onto Discord, say hello, and start sharing.
But seriously, you should join.
Remember: IAAPA Expo 2019 begins November 18! If I leave you with anything today, let it be that precious moment of anticipation.