Approaching Woodhill

I have a Street Fighter II Championship Edition arcade cabinet in good condition, ready to go to anyone who comes and picks it up, Tuesday at 9 AM. E-mail me for address. No scam, this is for real, anyone who wants it. I’m giving it away because it’s haunted.

The haunting does not in any way impact the game. It plays just fine. Response is great. Buttons are all responsive and intact. Inlays and art on the panels are all mostly in shape, too, except some gum I couldn’t get off one side (pics at bottom). It’s been modified for free play, but I can show you how to make it take quarters again. This is SFIICE, the golden god of early-90’s tournament arcade games. It doesn’t get better than this!

I came into possession of the arcade machine when a local movie theatre went bankrupt. They were selling off everything. He also had Cruisin’ U.S.A., but he kept it (it was not haunted). The owner of the theatre, Bill, told me he’d sell it to me for fifty bucks on account of the ghost. I didn’t believe in superstitions, so I bought it on the spot. Next day, the theatre was boarded up and never saw Bill again. I heard he moved to Georgia.

If you buy it, you should know about the haunting: it’ll be fine for the first two weeks. You’ll happily be pounding Balrog and M. Bison with Ryu and Ken. The first two weeks were GREAT, well worth the fifty, even if it is haunted. And I’m giving it away for free!

First two weeks, I had my buddies come over and we did big brackets and tournaments. Drank a lot, played by the quarter rule, just like old times in military school when we were fourteen. I was even starting to teach my daughter how to play. She’s four and liked to use Chun-Li.

Details of the haunting: during week two, it started to turns itself on in the middle of the night (always at 3:04 A.M.). I was fine with it, I can sleep through anything, and I was also having a lot of fun with my daughter, so I told my wife we we’re keeping it. Every time I’d get home, we’d go downstairs and play a few rounds. She was getting better and better. She would stand on this little stool to be tall enough to get to the buttons. Really cute pictures. So, my wife and I made a deal: I put it in the garage. Same problem. 3:04 A.M., we’d hear the sound of the main menu.

I paid three specialists to come look at it (very pricey house calls!), but none of them could find anything wrong with it. Week four, I unplugged it, and everything was fine for a few days, then I heard it turn on (and so did my wife), I went downstairs, and as soon as I opened the door to the garage, nothing. It was off, nothing at all. So, next night, when it went on at 3:04 A.M., I stood by the door, and I heard the sound—I heard it!—and I opened the door…nothing. It’s a tricky haunting.

Week four, I decided to unplug it and let it sit. And, wouldn’t you know it? Noise free. My wife was so thankful and thought it was just the wiring (even though the specialists found no problems with the wiring). I was happy to keep it, and everyone was dandy.

But, that’s not why I really need to get rid of it.

Week five, I get home from work, grab my daughter, and we go out to play some rounds of Street Fighter. She picks Guile, which she never has before. Then, when we fight, she beats the hell out of me. She knew how to charge her attacks and to counter aerial movies all in one day. I was so surprised. So, I then got it into gear and picked my REALLY good character, Ryu. She picked Blanka and beat me. AGAIN. I was in shock, so I asked her nicely, “sweetie, how did you get so good?”

She told me that a nice man taught her how to play last week. He would come to her room, wake her up nicely, walk her hand-in-hand out to the garage and they would play during the night and explain how to do all the moves, and then he would walk her back and tuck her in bed. She said after they were done playing, he would go to sleep back in the arcade machine and she could see him smiling and cheering when she was winning.

Which is where I draw the line.

If you can deal with the ghost and love SFII, this is for you. Come pick it Tuesday, 9 A.M. If you’re not here to grab it, then the trash men hopefully will.

EDIT:

Someone, please, come take it. The trash men said that they tried putting it into their truck, but the hydraulic broke before they could hoist it in there. I still have it. I swear, it’s resisting leaving. I tried leaving it outside, but the Homeowner’s Association won’t let me, so I had to put it back in the garage. I haven’t slept in two days, I just sit out in of the machine in the garage. So, come on, any time you want, free, call me, take it. Please.