tldr: I bought an arcade cabinet. Specifically a 1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park Deluxe Theatre cabinet. Blame eBay.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Arcade Game
- Developer: SEGA AM3
- Release Date: September 1997
- Hardware: Model 3 system
- Genre: Rail shooter
Not exactly a classic car, I know, and there are certainly more popular arcade cabinets out there. What's so special about this one?
For context, I've loved this machine since I first encountered one, way back in 1997 (when the Jurassic Park sequel was released in cinemas). I was 7 years old at the time and the colossal promotional campaign swept me off my feet. I never stood a chance.
To say I was already dinosaur-obsessed would be putting it lightly. Then this machine hit arcades. Try and imagine the thrill of sitting in the booth, closing the curtains and feeling the roar of a T-Rex through the surround-sound speakers. It didn't matter that I didn't have any money to actually play the game. The start-screen was enough.
The Cab
The game itself was hugely popular and was a common sight in arcades at the time. SEGA actually made two versions; a standard 'upright' model and a 'deluxe' theatre cabinet. The deluxe version was the one I have fond memories of.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park arcade game is based on director Steven Spielberg's 1997 film of the same name. Having developed the original Jurassic Park arcade game back in 1994, Sega AM3, a division of Sega, were interested in working on the sequel.
The team wanted the sequel to have even more tension, utilising Sega's new Model 3 arcade system board (the earlier Model 2 board wasn't advanced enough for certain features). The Model 3 allowed the game to operate at 60 frames and 100,000 polygons per second. It was the very first shooting game to use the Model 3.
The game's dinosaurs were designed from scratch by Sega AM3, as ILM's production sketches were unavailable for reference. The Carnotaurus, which appeared in the original script for the film, was implemented into the game, as the developers expected ILM to create the creature for use in the film.
In the end, the film's script was rewritten and the Carnotaurus was cut. It could be argued this actually makes the arcade game a more faithful adaptation of the book than the movie.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in the US and the UK in September 1997. The deluxe version was housed in a "theater style" cabinet with a 50-inch monitor, two light guns, and four-speaker surround sound. Spielberg himself received one of the arcade cabinets as a gift from Sega of America.
The Search
I have honestly been daydreaming of buying one of these for years now. But it was always a 'far-off' purchase. Something to look forward to some day.
Besides, I didn't really have any frame of reference for how expensive an arcade cabinet of this size was. Were they rare? Highly sought-after? Fragile? I had no idea. So I started researching.
"This was my first mistake."
Initial research showed they didn't come up for sale very often, and starting prices for the smaller 'upright' version were about £3,000. Further research revealed replacement parts alone could be upwards of £800 (not including shipping). Reality sinking in, I resigned that there wasn't much I could do besides check in on pricing and availability from time to time.
So that's what I did.
Then a few months ago, I came across a listing. On eBay of all places.
It was listed as 'For parts or not working' but it was the large deluxe version of the cabinet, and the price was far lower than I could've hoped for. It was even based in the UK. The description read:
"This came into us but we had no space so it went straight into a container. It's never left so is sold completely untested and unchecked. From a brief look over it includes the top box, one gun appears to be missing.
No keys so we can't check game boards etc but THINK (can't guarantee) that they are. Has a flat screen (not tested). Sold as is. Please check photographs carefully, if it's not there it's not included!"
I was stunned. I genuinely couldn't believe my luck.
Granted, there were bits missing and some light wear and tear, but when would I get another chance to buy one of these machines? There was even the slim chance it was in better working condition than the seller could confirm.
I made several phone calls, first to the seller, asking for more details and delivery options, then to the people closest to me, asking if I was crazy or mad for considering buying such a large arcade cabinet.
I was expecting someone more sensible to talk me out of it.
Surprisingly, everyone I spoke to reassured me it had been a while since I'd done something a bit crazy and I was overdue. That sounded like a green light.
So I reached out to the seller, Play Leisure, and spoke directly with owner, Matt. I confirmed I wanted to purchase the machine and we hashed out delivery details (the final total, including delivery fees was £600). They were a pleasure to deal with and I'd genuinely recommend them to anyone else looking to purchase an arcade machine.
The Delivery
I was anxious leading up to the delivery, second-guessing myself, wondering if I'd made a huge mistake, worried the cabinet might not even fit in the garage. But the van arrived on schedule and Matt hopped out (very nice chap).
Unloading the cabinet from the van only took a few minutes and we got the two halves into the garage without issue. It was just how I remembered it.
The deluxe cabinet is absolutely huge and will stay in the garage until I have time to work on it. An initial inspection has me hopeful though.
All the parts I assumed to be fragile, the plexiglass window, the illuminated billboard on top, and the plastic molding, were all in good condition.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the original circuit boards still work. I'm prepared to install modern hardware and emulate if there's no other option but we'll have to wait and see.
Check back in for Part-Two.