Waku Waku Patrol Car – The Sonic Stadium

Possibly one of the rarest Sonic the Hedgehog arcade cabinets, a SEGASonic Cosmo Fighter Galaxy Patrol children’s ride which includes an English translation, has been found by a fan!

SEGA Arcade aficionado IAMAMAZING100 on twitter recently shared images and footage of their recent acquisiton of the ride-in space ship, including footage of the cabinet up and running:

The children’s ride was made as part of the Waku Waku children’s line in Japan which is where many cabinets were deployed, with a limited deployment in predominently English speaking countries (for example, a unit was based at SEGA World Sydney).

There are also several subtle differences, besides the language, between the two versions such as sprites used in the game:

Well… My first ever let's play. Sega Sonic Cosmo Fighter "English Version"
The classic trope of recording the gameplay on your phone. Ain't that great. pic.twitter.com/ix7X9Gmane
— IAMAMAZING100 (@iamamazing100) June 26, 2021

The ROM of the English translation for the game has yet to be dumped and shared, making this an exciting find for arcade buffs.

We’d love one ourselves…though we think it might be difficult to fit in one now!

Source: IAMAMAZING100 via Twitter

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Are you Sonic mad? Are you an Oil Baron? Then you might consider getting yourself this set of wheels, as it’ll be unlikely you’ll see another for a long time! Yes, you’re eyes do not deceive you; on Yahoo! Japan auctions, someone is selling an original Sonic Waku Waku Patrol Car. For a mere 900,000 Yen (about $1,100 or £750) you too can hunt down Dr. Eggman and prevent him from causing more traffic offenses.

For those of your tilting your head in wonderment at what this fantastic contraption is, allow me to explain: this was an arcade machine that featured almost exclusively in Japan; apparently even now there are still some in use in various theme parks across the Middle East. The idea of the game was that you drove around a city in a police car, in pursuit of Eggy himself, occasionally stopping to allow Flickies to cross the road.

If you do fancy having a look at the auction, follow this link.

According to the auction it’s still functional! However, you can only pick it up in person and it will require 6 people to move it.

So, phone your friends, sell your family heirlooms, and get going on your freighter to Japan!!!

Rare SEGASonic Cosmo Fighter Ride with English Translation Found

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