The secret games of Dubai's mega-arcade
An exclusive peek at high-class gaming in the insane-skyscraper capital of the world
Having had our fill of narrow mountain passes, we hopped over the next attraction. Outrun 2 was a nice, relaxing change of pace after the spinning and drifting of the previous two rides. Like Initial D, each player gets their own car. Thankfully, Outrun’s vehicles were designed to mimic the feel of driving on various kinds of terrain, not high-speed, high-skill driving. No matter what surface we were on – asphalt, gravel, grass – the vibrations of the car made it feel like we were actually there.
No theme park would be complete without carnival games, and Sega Republic has a fair selection. From water gun games to prizes, the park has all the standard trappings you’d expect: Ticket games, prize exchanges, UFO catchers; you name it, it’s there.
Dominating the first floor is the massive Spingear. Billed as an evil contraption built by Dr. Eggman himself, the ride is an indoor roller coaster with spinning seats.
So far, we’ve only covered one floor of the two-floor park. The second floor is taken up by a indoor half-game, half-ride snowboarding simulator, Halfpipe Canyon. This ride throws passengers up a 22-foot incline at 25 miles an hour. The goal is to do a full 360 at the lip of the halfpipe. The bigger the spin, the higher the score.
In addition to these rides and attractions, there are a ton of standard arcade games for visitors to try. Special editions of House of the Dead 4, Sega Rally and Guitar Hero sit alongside Virtual Tennis and Virtua Fighter cabinets.
The entrance to House of the Dead 4
The park is a gamer’s paradise and on our list of must-sees for Dubai – a city that, should you ever happen to visit, already has plenty of them.
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