Leeds discussion and mini meets

[Antiriad2097]

I'm on the train to Leeds, I'm there until Friday doing my ITIL foundation.

I'd hoped to get on the course in Manchester so I could visit The Lass O'Gowrie, but it was decided otherwise for me.

Any arcades or pubs like the Lass worth a visit?

[gmintyfresh]

If you're after retro gear check out the Gamestation in the center, there's a tiny little retro section - I even saw DC and N64 there today!

Otherwise there's Arcadia over the road from the grand theatre - they occasionally have stuff.

Last time I went in CEX they had loads of Gamecube and original xbox too - worth a check out.

Shame you're not off out to Crossgates (it's a fair way out of Leeds center) the Gamestation is supposed to be great for retro out that way - been in Leeds all this time and never been out to it since it opened.

[gmintyfresh]

Oh yes the last arcade shut down in the center of Leeds I'd say about 15 years ago, it was on Mill Hill just outside the station. There are a few dance games in the cinema in the centre but that's about it booooooo.

[gmintyfresh]

Good pubs:

The North Bar
The Angel
Foley's
The Victora Hotel
The Adelphi
The Whitelocks.

None like the lass, there is a pub called baby jupiter that has got a mame cocktail cabinet but the last time I went there it was running on demo only.

[Antiriad2097]

Cheers minty, I may check out Gamestation as I'm staying centrally.

No games in pubs is probably for the best, it'll keep me off the beer.

[JazzFunk]

There's not really that many decent game shops in Leeds city centre, bar the two GAMEs, CEX and Gamestation, plus HMV have a decent selection. You can get decent stuff in Arcadia if you're lucky, plus there are plenty of charity shops (most of them opposite the bus stops near the Corn Exchange, though there is a good new British Heart Foundation in the back of the Merrion Centre). There is a Grainger Games in the Merrion Centre, which is pretty decent, plus it's worth checking the outdoor market on Monday, Thursday and Saturday because a fair few of the stalls sell second hand and new games.

A few more decent places to have a pint:

The Wardrobe (if you like jazz n' stuff, go here, one of my faves, it's bang next to BBC Leeds)
The HiFi Club (go on Sunday afternoons for the 'Sunday Roast', live jazz ahoy)
The Calls Landing (a riverside bar, not as cheap as The Angel(!), some think it's a bit poncey but I like it, plus they serve Sagres in pints)
The Grove (quite rough/knockabout in feel but famed for its live music, apparently Mark Knopfler drinks there when he's in Leeds, cool place)

And then there's the Fab Café up at the top of the Merrion Centre, which is basically a retro movie-themed bar with loads of movie memorabilia dotted about, I haven't been in for ages but the last time I went in they had a stand-up Sega Star Wars Arcade cab, plus table footy. It's a bit scuzzy and run-down but still has a nicely nerdy atmos. Yeah, you could go into Grainger Games, have a browse in the BHF chazza shop then pop in there for a pint.

[gmintyfresh]

I second the Grove, nice if you like live music and its a proper real ale pub. The guy that runs it is one of the main organisers of the Leeds beer festival.

[killbot]

Is Arcadia the one near Primark? That's genuinely superb - they have tons of retro gear and it's all in good nick at very reasonable prices. Friendly staff, too. In fact it's probably my favourite (retro) gaming shop in the country.

Bloody hell, I'm sounding like an advert.

[SirClive]

If you fancy a beer on Thursday evening I could work over in Leeds and meet up with you.

[Mootown]

New Gen consoles RIP

[JazzFunk]

Is Arcadia the one near Primark? That's genuinely superb - they have tons of retro gear and it's all in good nick at very reasonable prices. Friendly staff, too. In fact it's probably my favourite (retro) gaming shop in the country.

Yeah, that's the one, directly opposite the Grand theatre. They used to mod machines back in the day, had my PS1 chipped there over a decade ago. Certainly the most interesting games shop in Leeds due to it not being part of a chain (plus last time I went in, they were selling second hand CDs, got a mini-haul of decent hip hop CDs for peanuts).

New Gen consoles RIP

Noooooooo! Probably one of the worst game shops ever, what a set of rip-off merchants, no wonder they went under!!! Definitely a funny place, though, I always liked to have a browse, place was always chock full of shady characters and ALWAYS stank of high-grade ganja!! Think the only game I ever bought there was a dirt cheap Jap copy of Gran Chaser on Saturn.

[Mootown]

If you went in on a good day and they were high you could get a bargain plus I knew the guys in there and they used to save me the jap Saturn games under the counter to give me first refusal

[JazzFunk]

^Well, yeah, they were pretty good with the import stuff, always had the latest Japanese stuff available to play and there'd always be regulars in there - I remember spending a good couple of hours playing JP StreetFighter Alpha 3 on Ps1 against my mate whilst one of the owners sat there glassy-eyed, monged out of his skull on green.

I remember a thread on NTSC-UK a couple of years back, think one of the guys there got majorly swizzed on a 'brand new' N64 bundle, iirc, plus there were a few more disgruntled folk.

[killbot]

Think the only game I ever bought there was a dirt cheap Jap copy of Gran Chaser on Saturn.

Bloody hell - now there's a game I thought I'd managed to supress the memory of forever!

[JazzFunk]

^I must've been insane because I quite liked it! It was proper cack but I liked the atmos so I ended up finishing it. I remember there was Bullfrog racer back then, Hi Octane, I hated it with a passion, much preferred GC to that.

I also liked Virtual Hydlide, so I'm definitely sure I have some kind of bad game-liking disorder.