Inside the New Chinatown Fair Arcade on Mott

The day is here – Chinatown Fair Arcade has officially reopened at 8 Mott Street. Launch day was on Friday.

We stopped over to have a look at the rebooted palace of games. First thing you’ll notice is that the year-old scaffolding was finally removed from the facade within the last couple weeks. Next is the squeaky-clean, “family friendly” contrast to the former musty grit-and-grime of the predecessor. Instead of bare walls and B.O., a colorful pastel decor and brand new cabinets are the reality here. The space is stocked with pinball, Skee Ball, air hockey, guitar hero, etc. No fighting games, and no Dance Dance Revolution (there’s knockoff “Pump It Up Ex 2011″). Tokens were also replaced with swipe cards.

Competitive gamers will definitely be disappointed by the updated Chinatown Fair Arcade, but it’s still a one-of-a-kind establishment here in Manhattan. What’s more, we’re told that Tekken and Street Fighter will probably arrive in the coming months. Apparently the strategy is to launch as “family friendly” and gradually re-introduce the fighting games.

And, unless the crew was yanking our crank, the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken will allegedly return in a couple weeks…