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Nickel City
Rating Details »
Categories: Amusement Parks, Party & Event Planning [Edit]
555 Waukegan RdNorthbrook, IL 60062
(847) 559-8727
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Nickel City
Woot..... this place is great. I remember when this place was called "Super Just Games". I remember coming here for Jewish Youth Group events (we had a freaking overnight lock-in here which is pretty sweet for gaming and then trying your A-game on some girls that were at the event..... nothing gets a girl going quite like the high score in Q-bert), I remember coming here for bday parties.... I've been here lots of times.
$2 cover charge is cheap, but necessary since they charge nickels instead of quarters. So those fancy new videogames will cost you a quarter to try, standard video games less, and all the classics are free.
So if you want to be smart about it, get there nice and early and go to one of the old school games that you were never able to beat and feel the glory and sense of accomplishment that comes with victory.
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I have been here about 4 times total so I believe I have an accurate opinion about the place.
PROS: CHEAP! 2 Dollar entry fee, and games take nickels. Average game is about 2 nickels, with the max I have seen going up to 6. Selection of games is decent, has some of the older games like pac man and mortal kombat on free play. Has ticket games also.
CONS: Selection is limited. The majority of the games they have are racing games. They have a couple fighters and about 4 shooters, which only Time Crisis is worth the time.
Only 1 austin powers pinball machine, and they dont always have staff at the snack bar. If you wanted to get something to eat there, you have to go to the front counter, request somebody, then if you were paying by card you would have to follow them all the way to the front counter cause they dont have a credit card machine by the snack bar.
All in all, a great place to spend money for some cheap fun. What keeps it from getting 5 stars is its limited selection.
Flippin' sweeet! I remember when this place was super just games - I geeked out when I first came here - Everything in nickels?!? WTF? Back in highschool this was a great place to spend a whole lot of time for like less than ten bucks...TEN BUCKS!
If you don't want to be surrounded by kids, I recommend going a couple hours before closing time
If you are looking for something fun to do and trying to save money this is the place to be!
Had way too much fun for less than 20 dollars!
I am an expert at this place.
Since I used to get paid to take kids out on fun outings, this was always my alternative to Chuckee Cheese...and the kids always liked it too.
First off, Julia K. explained the concept pretty well...games cost between 5-40 cents. In the front there are a whole bunch of ticket giving/skill type games. In the middle there are numerous racing, shooting and fighting games. Then you have the rhythm games....and then in the back are the games people over 15 would spend hours playing. Revisit all the wonders of the 1980s and early 1990s and play Packman, Tetris, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Viper. Best of all is that the games in the back are all free.
When I go here I end up playing a lot of DDR because I'm addicted to it. Their console is okay, but sometimes it needs adjusting. However, the little sign says that it costs 8 nickels to play...but if you put your nickels in slowly, it only costs 6...oh yes I have been here waaaaay too many times.
The prizes you can get for your tickets are waaaaaay better than those at Chuckee Cheese. However, unlike at Chuckee Cheese, there are games that won't be appropriate for children.
Oh, and if you to their website they have a coupon for getting free nickels with paid admission.
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I used to come here all the time when it was called "Super Just Games" and once or twice when it was "Capcom Super Nickel Arcade." Aside from being turned away for some kids birthday a couple of times, the biggest disappointment I had was discovering once that they had gotten rid of all their pinball machines. I'm not sure if this is still true since I haven't been back for a couple of years, though I'm trying to arrange some kind of trip with my friends from the city.
Overall, it's a fun experience. For adults like myself, I wouldn't plan on spending more than a couple of hours in there unless you're dragging a niece around or something. The games are fun, but the whole place can get a little tired after a while.
Don't make this place a destination, but it's a great place to drop by if you're checking out a movie or a bar elsewhere in the same night.
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If you want to drive yourself insane with hundreds of kids...maybe thousands, lots of old loud video games, and on top of that more children, this is the place! Its a great place to go and take a group of kids because games are usually free or a nickel or more and there's sooo many games. you can easily get caught up in the ride...i played that star wars game forever while my other camp guys were determined to finish the simpsons game.....but be warned, the nba jam game...Shaq sucks. He doesnt play D and gives a half ass effort. Plus i think the refs are out to get you. Another good thing about NC is there's only one way in and one way out, so if you're guarding the door you know you cant lose any kids!
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I love the selection of videogames at this place. My problem is that its soooooooo far from Chicago. Keep the arcades alive!
The idea of this place is very very cool! You walk in, pay a $2.00 admission fee, then exchange extra money for...NICKELS! All the games here are either really cheap or free, hence the name Nickel City. It's mostly older games, and most of those are fighting games so it's not as much fun for me as it could be, but they do have some solid old favorites that even I can enjoy. Because it was only five cents a pop, I was FINALLY able to beat the Simpon's arcade game where they steal Maggie! That's been a dream of mine since I was 7 years old man! There's also REALLY old games like Tetris and Excite Bike and you can play these for free! This is a great, inexpensive place to bring your kids, but I wouldn't have a birthday party here. That is just TOO cheap, you know? That's deadbeat dad who sees his kid once a year cheap because the games aren't that great and there aren't even any jerks in costume to scare the really little ones. It's just a buncha old video games!
There's a fair amount of ticket games here too, and holy shit the prizes here are hilarious! I went here with my bosom buddy Jennifer D. and we won enough tickets to get a mechanical pup named ACTIVE BEN. ACTIVE BEN. WHAT KIND OF NAME IS THAT!? So she had to get him!
I haven't been back, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't go again. It's at least worth one trip to reminisce about the good old days when you spent all day at Rainbow Roller Rink cheating on Big Bertha and getting pushed over by gang bangers in neon roller blades.
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ACTIVE BEN
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this place is a migraine waiting to happen. lots of bratty kids running around, terrible food, and a staff that is lazy and/or doesn't care. it takes forever to cash in your tickets, and if a machine is broken, don't count on anyone fixing it. i refuse to take the kid i babysit for here, especially cause last time we were there i got pushed over by a 7 year old boy. it was quite the scene...
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