This is another of Sega’s ventures into the world of family entertainment hubs in a similar vein to the Sega Dome in Colindale and Sega Park in Wood Green. I have been aware of its existence for some time but only visited in the summer of 1998 whilst in pursuit of the very new Sega release, Daytona USA 2.
Sega Dome Queensway is just one of three remaining Sega branded arcades in or near Central London and is also slightly smaller than the other two if comparing the floorspace given to the games. The gaming space is complemented by an ice rink and bowling alley. It’s easy enough to find being located just a very short walk from Queensway tube station on the Central Line, just come out of the station entrance and turn left. The arcade entrance is just two or three shop fronts from here.
Entrance and staircase for Sega Dome, now Queens, image credits: ‘London Unattached’
When arriving at the entrance, there’s a staircase that leads to the basement area where all the fun begins. Once at the bottom of the stairs, turn right and you will find all the video games. Directly in front of you is the bowling alley with the ice rink to the left of this I believe. The floorspace is more than adequate for the games with around 25-30 cabinets. I am of course comparing this to the other Sega locations and in particular Sega Metropolis in the basement of Hamleys which I still feel is probably the best of the bunch.
Sega Virtua Tennis running in an original Naomi Universal cabinet, image credits: ‘Cata Wiki’
However, back to Sega Dome, and it’s does have a fairly decent and up to date selection of games. More recent games running Sega’s Naomi hardware include Crazy Taxi and the very playable Virtua Tennis housed inside upright Naomi universal cabinets. These are quite nice and modern cabinets designed as a less boxy compared to conventional wooden cabinets, they are a lower cost alternative allowing games to be quickly changed. The screen is excellent showing a clear and bright image on a 29 inch flat panel CRT. Control panels are great too with Japanese ball top joysticks and Sanwa buttons, very similar to those found on previous Sega cabinets such as the Mega Lo range. In fact, if you get hold of the arcade stick for the Sega Dreamcast then you will know what I’m talking about as the buttons and stick on that are closely comparable to the controls on a Naomi Universal. So, back to the games and there are a record five, yes five, Virtua Striker cabinets, four running on large Mega Lo sit down cabinets and version 2000 inside a Naomi cabinet. I guess this game must be very popular coming hot off the 98 world cup but the cabinets only appeared to attract a small following when I visited.
Sega’s beautiful 3 screen version of Ferrari Challenge, image credits: ‘Reset Era’
So, back to the games and there are a record five, yes five, VirtuaStriker cabinets, four running on large Mega Lo sit down cabinets and version 2000 inside a Naomi cabinet. I guess this game must be very popular coming hot off the 98 world cup but the cabinets only appeared to attract a small following when I visited.
Sega Dome also has a number of dedicated Naomi games headlined by the wonderful three screen F355 Ferrari Challenge, a racing simulator with realistic driving mechanics and excellent graphics. There is also a single screen version of Airline Pilots which is alleged to run faster than its three screen counterpart. It’s nice to see all Sega’s big racing title on display too. There is a four player version of Daytona USA, running as two twin connected cabinets. Additional twin cabinets house Daytona USA 2 and Sega Rally. Sega’s very first Model 3 based racing title Scud Race can also be found here and is playable on two deluxe linked cabinets. Another deluxe cabinet title is Ocean Hunter, a bit of a rare find, it's an under water shoot em up with excellent graphics.
The amazing cabinet for Sega’s Ocean Hunter, image credits: ‘7Ten – Twitter’
As for fighting games, there seem to be a bit thin on the ground. Apart from a few Capcom title like the versus games the only noteworthy title for me is my current favourite Sega’s Spikeout running as four linked cabinets. Best of all, the buttons all work which is great considering a lot of the machines at other locations have problems with the main ‘charge’ button for gameplay. Alongside this there are is Street Fighter 3, King of Fighters 98, Tekken Tag or Virtua Fighter 3, if its hard core fighting games you’re after, then you're better off visiting Casino in Tottenham Court Road or Funland in Piccadilly Circus.
Game pricing however is on the high side with £1 a credit being normal. I know this isLondon but should Daytona USA really still be £1a play in 1999? Also, games like Virtua Tennis on an upright Naomi cabinet should ideally be no more than 50p a go. The concept behindNaomi hardware was to make it cheaper than previous Model 3 for operators to buy, surely some of that saving could have been passed onto customers.
In summary Sega Dome Queensway is a nice arcade but probably geared more towards the casual gamer or families looking for something to do as there is a bowling alley and ice rink here too. However, if its fighting games you’re after or finding a place where almost everything is not set to £1 a play, then you might want to venture elsewhere.
UPDATE from May 2022
It’s great to know this arcade is still in operation. However, it has gone through some massive changes. Sega stopped managing the location years ago and since then I think it has passed through the hands of a number of operators. As of May 2022 it is called ‘Queens’ and has a pretty good website that gives you up to date information about what it’s like. Most of the games are now either replica cabinets, which seem to have become all the rage in the last few years, or a few dedicated units. In all, the number of titles has decreased significantly from the late 1990s. The bowling alley and ice rink are still there however. Check it out as it’s the customers that will keep this place operational.
