I also don't have any relation or memory from the past regarding candy cabs. In fact, I first heard about them about 7 years ago. But still I like them very much. so I wonder why?
I guess it is because not only do I like to play the early 80's classic games (because of fond memories but also because they are still enjoyable), but I also happen to like the frantic gameplay of more modern games from let's say the early nineties until today, where I mainly or almost completely focus on SHMUP's. They very often happen to be from Japanese origin and I like them because they are though, always colourful, often have that mysterious Japanese appeal and they very often have great music. In short, they give me a good thrill.
In Europe these 'modern' games very often didn't come out in dedicated cabs, but in ugly generic woody's. However, in Japan the gamers had it better. There the arcade market was and still is very big, so cab builders did their best to give the players, in a cost effective way (make cabs in which games could easily be swapped), the best gaming experience, through cabs with big monitors, good sound systems, comfortable seats, so players could play the frentic games for hours and hours.
And because I reckon that the Japanese know what they are talking about, I tried it myself a few years ago. And they are right, Candy cabs do give the best experience to play my type of games.
so, that's why I like them, not persé for the astethics (although I do think some of them look great, like the NAC and the Blast, not the Taito E2 or E3, these are to round, sissy cabs), but because of the gameplay experience they give me. I very often hear that those big monitors are too big for 15K lowres games, but that is a matter of taste. I want to see scanlines, it adds to experience, not only for older games, but also for modern games. And big monitors give great scanlines.
Just as I like to play the classic games in their original way, I also like to play the modern (SHMUP) games in the way as it was intended for them.
