Starcade

Dude, remember when this was THE spot to hang out at Disneyland when you were in middle school? You know, that awkward age when you think you’re a «grown up» so you’re experimenting with dangerous amusement parks like Magic Mountain, but you’re not old enough to pine for the halcyon days of youth. Despite all your pleas that your parents take you elsewhere, they drag you to Disneyland because to them you’ll always be a that little toddler in the Mickey Mouse ears. After some obligatory photos along Main Street, you manage to separate yourself from your suffocating parents and score an hour or two of free time. You use this time to go to the Starcade and meet up with other awkwardly aged kids. You can play video games anywhere else, but you decide to do so in Disneyland because you’re a fucking moron.
Ah, those were the days. Now Starcade is just an empty shell of its former self because all the games suck. Or rather, you can just play video games on your Xbox or PS4. Hell, you can play better games on your phone. I get depressed walking by Starcade and seeing it all decaying and empty. Someone should really just put it out of its misery.

I love going to starcade! I love the old school games like Galaga. It takes me back to my childhood. Get your head out of your arse Disney and BRING BACK STARCADE!!!

I love arcades! This one is located inside Disneyland. I know I pay a lot of money to go to the park only to spend most of my time here (and buying souvenirs too). Ah wells, I do what I want damnit. They have everything though I find myself addicted to the basketball game (I must beat that high score) and the claw machine which I have yet to win (I will win someday… someday).

I remember going to Starcade and thinking what is the point? Why would someone pay to get into a theme park, and then spend their time at the arcade paying more money to play games they could play anywhere?
Most recently, I came back to the Starcade, and they reduced the size, and changed out the machines to Fix-​it Felix, Jr., a reference to the Wreck it Ralph Movie. Awesome! Now there is something here that cannot be found elsewhere.
I think this is a move in the right direction, although some toy grabbing machines with the Toy Story alien theme, and the candy race car game would be good additions.

When I walked in, I had a sudden FLASHBACK!
Back in the 80’s and High School Grad Night, Starcade was the destination of choice if you were taking a break between rides.
Fast forward about 30 years and you’ll see the same games still operating here. Yes, they all look well worn and used, but they’re still working great. I smiled as I saw youngsters and 20-​somethings struggle to play these games. You’d think they would be pretty good since everybody has a game console at home.
Someone put several quarters into ZAXXON but walked away, I got to play several free games. The last time I played ZAXXON was around 1985 and I was pretty good at it.
Like riding a bike, you never forget how to do things.
I ended up getting the high score on the first game. :)

i was informed by someone i know there are no arcade games here anymore

Back in the day, I remember when the Starcade was a full-​fledged video arcade. These days, not so much. There’s plenty of merch on sale here (it doesn’t help that Star Trader is next door), and yet only about a couple dozen arcade games.
Granted, most of them are classics (Track and Field, Missile Command, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Dig Dug, Zaxxon, R-​Type, and Battlezone were notables), and there were quite a few Fix-​It Felix Jr. games from Wreck-​It Ralph playable (one of which was stuck on Free Play)… but no DDR games, no fighting games, and no sit-​down racing games? C’mon! With the success of Wreck-​It Ralph and Tron: Legacy, the Starcade could easily be made into a full arcade again!
At least there are a few nice touches — the games and penny pressers need tokens from change machines (remember those?), and if you listen closely, you could hear old-​school arcade game themes being played over the speakers (Moonwalker and Double Dragon were what I heard — now if only those cabinets could be put in here).

Starcade is still a fun little place, but the Wreck it Ralph stuff is really bringing it along. Played Fix it Felix Jr, which made me silly for a good little bit. I do wish they’d also made Sugar Rush.
All in all, not bad but there’s a lot more they could do with this place.

When you compare this to the EXCELLENT Flynn’s Arcade that graced «ElecTRONica» just two years ago, this makes the Starcade all the more embarrassing.
But it shouldn’t be for so many reasons. DisneyQuest at Disney World has a whole floor dedicated to classic arcade games. Everything else is virtual rides, newer arcade games, and other types of games. Starcade is two floors, the second floor having a full-​size X-​Wing fighter that you can see while in line for Space Mountain.
The problem lies with the second floor is closed off, so you can’t see this up close, and most of the space on the first floor is blocked off for retail.
But here’s what really kills me: Flynn’s Arcade (now shamefully closed) in California Adventure? That was a true 1980’s level arcade. It was a thing of beauty, and so much fun. And it’s not like Disney is unfamiliar with video game fare, now with two Tron movies, and Wreck-​It Ralph, which is all about classic arcades. Sure, they had a nice set-​up to promote the movie, with meet and greets for Ralph and Vanellope, and a handful of Fix-​It Felix arcades (fun game, by the way), but no Tron machine? No old arcades to promote all the cameos? Q*Bert finally gets his 15 minutes 30 years later, and you can’t appeal to the kids and old-​schoolers with that machine available? Or Pac-​Man? I know the arcade is still something of a rarity, but have some games, for crying out loud, especially when promoting two video game themed movies in the last two years.
I would have given anything to see this place in its heyday, as I bet it was awesome. The sad part is, Flynn’s and DisneyQuest proves that Disney knows how to make and arcade. Why they let this place sit mostly unused is a great mystery. The sad part is, Disney knows video games. At this point, I’d even settle for some stations showing off «Epic Mickey», or those amazing Capcom/​Sega titles from the NES/​Genesis days (gamers, you know the titles to which I refer).
I hope one day Disney decides to bring back the arcade. There’s no reason not to, and it’s just sad to see this place waste away, especially with so many recent opportunities to revitalize it.

It was a glorious arcade years ago when they had the 2^nd floor opened. It was full of arcades, that would take you back to simpler and fun time. Ever since the home entertainment systems have gotten better over the years. There hasn’t been any need really for a arcades anymore. It has been shrunken to one floor with a few arcades and a couple of pinball machines. The floor is mainly filled with merchandise. Over all it isn’t much of an arcade anymore. It does make it a let down if you are an old school gamer who loves to be at an arcade actually filled with games.

Back when I was a kid when Midway Mania, Astro Blasters, and ESPN Zone didn’t exist at Disneyland, this was the best to beat a friend with some unfriendly competition. Two floors of games with a bunch of air hockey tables on the second level and a X-​Wing looking down, it was the best non-​ride attraction and better than a lot of rides.
But not nowadays. It’s a shell of it’s former self as most of the games are not interesting enough to play them and despite Star Trader going back to it’s regular spot, Starcade still looks temporary. Overall, this looks like an arcade right before it declares bankruptcy and closes up forever.

Nothing is better than paying almost a hundy to get into Disneyland and having your nephew just want to spend his time playing Time Crisis instead of, you know, actually getting on rides.
At one point this place was pretty sweet. Back in the days when you could go to the second floor and check out that floating X-​wing. But that is all closed off. It really puts into question the use of the Starcade really. I wouldn’t let my fictitious children waste time while at disney in here. Even as a «wait here while we go on this ride». Little son-​bitch is going to ride Space Mountain as soon as they’re tall enough.
The machines are all fairly outdated anyway. So the only thing to really do with this is just convert it to a Flynn’s Arcade and make it cool again with a Tron face lift.
that’s all there is to that.

Gone are the days of paying a quarter to play Pac-​Man.
I used to love the Starcade as a kid… now not so much.
The Starcade is located just to the right of Space Mountain and left of the Star Trader shop. Its a little hole in the wall with entrances both as you come off Space and also by the exit for Captain EO.
Disneyland took what used to be a rockin’ two level arcade and over the years shut down the upper level and filled in most of the arcade games on the first level with random merchandise. Mind you 10 feet away is the Star Trader, one of the bigger merchandise shops in all of Disneyland.
These days there is only a couple dozen games in the very back of the Starcade and most of them are of the «claw» variety or those huge games that take like two bucks a pop to play.
And what’s up with the upper floor? They have a merchandise table blocking the escalators that you took to the second floor and its been years since that second level was open. They really need to do something with it. Just having it sit there empty isn’t doing anything in a place like Disneyland where space is at a premium.
But with the way it goes at Disneyland I guess you never know… I suppose there is always hope.
:0)