Arcades in All the Wrong Places

Out in the rural South, a real arcade was a 45-minute drive and a pilgrimage to Charles Entertainment Cheese himself. The rest of the time, you made do with what you had....and what we had was one Pac-Man at the Pizza Hut, a Street Fighter at Dips and Dogs, and a beat-up row of cabinets up front at Walmart next to the kiddie ride that smelled like feed and chicken pox. This week on Hoot'n & Holler'n, Matt, Joey, Eric, and Drake pull up a chair, drop in a quarter, and talk through the arcade games that defined growing up Southern in the 80s and 90s. The favorites worth every quarter (Cruisin' USA, Mortal Kombat II, WWF Superstars, and the Super Street Fighter II moment that changed Matt forever). The ones that get way too much credit (looking at you, Pac-Man). The hidden gems nobody talks about anymore (Burger Time, Paperboy, Golden Tee). And the multiplayer classics that nearly ended friendships — NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, and a few rounds of air hockey played way too aggressively. Plus: bratty kids pretending to play NASCAR, pirate money jammed in coin slots, the Satanic Panic coming for your joystick, and the eternal mystery of how that one Walmart arcade machine was still standing after a decade of abuse. Pull up a chair. Drop in a quarter. Let's do some Hoot'n & Holler'n.