After a hard days work, where does one go to quench their thirst and get a fix of gaming nostalgia? That’s an easy one to answer – you make your way to Bartronica, a city barcade establishment at 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
Nestled between Elizabeth and Queen (streets), the barcade is in the perfect spot in Melbourne’s Central Business District. The entry to Bartronica is via downward stairs, and upon entry, the establishment is revealed in all of its glory, beginning with the well stocked bar. Speaking of which, there are plenty of beverages which would definitely quench your hard earned thirst. As you down your drink, you notice the upright arcade machines; NBA Jam, Street Fighter II, The Simpsons, Mortal Kombat II, Golden Axe and 1943, and these are just the tip of the iceberg – there are plenty more upright machines jostling for your attention. It doesn’t end there, the venue also has driving and shooting cabinets plus six great pinball tables to get you flippin!
For those seeking comfort, Bartronica also has cool lounges for you to sit and take a load off. If you like to play from the comfort of the lounge, there are old school consoles from Sega and Nintendo which are free to play! The consoles provide a fun way to challenge your friends in some awesome multiplayer gaming action, like Super Mario Kart 64, all while kicking back and sipping on a drink.
With their wonderful hospitality, Bartronica makes everyone feel welcome – it is the kind of place where you would visit quite frequently, on your own or with friends. So the next time you are in the city and in need of a watering hole with a twist, then head on over to Bartronica, you’ll have a blast!
Entering the lair of the barcadian
Anticipation builds, one step at a time!
Hello Bartronica!
What is your poison?
In the driver’s seat, Bartronica owner – Josh Flamank
What to play first?
TMNT it is!
A row of beauties begging to be played
Retro Domination’s Daz Retro hits Ninja Gaiden
Daz Retro gets hacking on Golden Axe!
Behind the bar
Working up a serious thirst!
Taking a load off with Super Mario Kart 64!
Run out of coins? Don’t stress, whack in some notes
The view from the deck
Hello Lisa!
Getting some 16-bit action
Playing some Sonic from the comfort of the plush lounge
Cool light artwork!
Golden Axe immortalised on the wall
Hang on a second, there’s pinballs over there!
There they are – glorious pinball!
Demolishing Demolition Man
Retro Domination’s Matt Cawley gets flippin on Fastbreak!
Matt has silver ball fever!
Drinking + playing = a good night
Action aplenty!
Retro Domination Street Fighter II Battle: Daz Retro vs Matt Cawley!
Venue: Bartronic – Arcade Bar
Address: 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Cast your mind back to mid 1993, when arcade parlours were a place you could go to and get your fix of unparalleled gaming experiences from industry heavyweights like, Sega, Taito, Atari (Ed: Yep, Atari!), Namco, Midway, Konami, Capcom and Data East (to name just a few). Throw in brilliant pinball tables from Data East, Williams and Gottlieb, and you start missing those days – Ah, if only there was time travel!
Before Yu Suzuki embarked on the Shenmue saga, he created some of the most technically impressive and enduring games for Sega. During that golden age of arcade machines in the 80s, you would have been hard pressed not to have played on at least one Sega arcade machine – there was the into the screen blaster, Space Harrier, the Top Gun dog-fighter After Burner II, the superb Super Hang-On, the Blue Thunder channeling Thunder Blade, the rail shooter Galaxy Force II (Deluxe Edition), and of course, the sublime driving game with that awesome radio with cool tunes, Out Run.
What does one do when their weekend schedule is clear? Well, you can choose to lounge around at home to keep warm in this cold Melbourne winter, or you can head outdoors to a flea market to grab yourself a bargain!
Just in case you have been off the grid in the last week or so, there have been some major announcement in the gaming world. No, we are not referring to 
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When you dream of having an arcade and pinball parlour integrated in your home, Gary McTaggert’s Willy’s Arcade is surely the perfect blueprint.
Ms. ausretrogamer
