ARCADE WATCH
Keeping an eye on the coin-op gaming scene
Game Mega Shot
Manufacturer Jet Games Corporation
Is it possible to have too much screen? The Florida-based Jet Games certainly doesn’t think so: its latest lightgun shooter uses two 85” panels mounted next to each other vertically to create an overall display size in the region of 44 square feet. Essentially an upgrade to Big Shot – itself an update of Quick Shot – the logically named Mega Shot differs from its predecessors by using an assault rifle rather than a pistol. Though the key principle obviously remains the same – shoot as many targets as possible against the clock – the weapon design makes a good fist of competing with the display size in grabbing the attention. Constructed of aluminium and featuring hefty recoil along with a functioning scope, it feels a world apart from the orange plastic that usually comes as standard. It may not be the most child-friendly option ever placed in an arcade, but then kids might not be the target audience. Mega Shot has been a hit on the tradeshow circuit and in location tests, but there’s a chance of seeing it in the wild at larger entertainment venues now that cabinet production has shifted into full swing.