Good Time Emporium

I wish you could give more than 5 stars.
I will always miss you, and I say that with tears in my eyes. Good Times was where we had birthday parties as children, and where we played as teens. I remember putting my coin up at a game as the sign for «I’m next». Eating their pizza, then working it off with a few rounds of DDR.
Winning stuffed carebears for 500 tickets.
Please come back! I will never shop at an ikea in my entire life. And I know many who feel the same.

I miss this place. A lot.
Sure, it seemed like a popular place for teenage mothers to dump their kids.
And one time when my friend was playing Para Para Paradise I noticed a creepy old dude in a dirty gray sweatsuit ensemble watching her play while shoving his hands down his pants.
But.
I had more good times (!!!) than bad. Mostly because I was baked 90% of the time I went. They had a Slush Puppy machine, Time Crisis 4, and nachos. That’s all I really needed.
6÷30÷08 R.I.P. NEVER FORGET

THANK GOD this place closed.
I did used to go here a lot. Sort of a one-​stop shopping to drink and shoot pool and smoke, back in the day.
–5 stars because the Mafia actually used to stake this place out to steal cars from. True story. Cop friend of mine used to do stakeouts here to catch’em in the act. Will the mafioso never learn?

Sorta like Funspot crossed with a bus station.
God forbid anything fun in this city ever lasts awhile. Where am I going to get really drunk, win two thousand tickets on a trivia machine, and hit in a batting cage now?
On the bright side, now it’s marginally more convenient for me to go buy a dresser.

Soon to be R.I.P in Somerville (See you never in Brockton)
I freaking LLLOVEDD it here. Made me feel like a winner in life. due to my luck in games and the compliments on my new kicks from the gangster thugs. Thanks homies, please don;t hurt me. why don;t you… run your tickets!!! *digging cowboy shootout game gun into your back*
The laser tag and go kart combo for $ 10 was win… like me in both games. Skee ball and the game where the frog sticks out his tongue and you can knock the cute bugs out… WIN WIN! I also very much enjoyed that virtual ride where all you do is lay down and the seat shakes the crap out of you. Bowing was hard. there were also ping pong tables. By the way this place was ginormous! You could run in circles screaming your head off with your hands flailing everywhere after those stiff drinks for 5 minutes straight and no one would recognize you once you turned the corner.
Smooth rolling by some tard asian girl while she slammed into the wall during go kart and then finding out it was Meh afterwards… priceless.
–1 Star for the light weight fake metal Air Hockey machines. not cool. Even though I won and won again.
If you taught me one thing here Good Time. it was WINNING. Oh and cussing at strangers in their face during games doesn;t get you beat up. Say what?
Props to all the workers there. They were all chill and hilarious. The guys at the prize stand are damn hard workers who are very good at turning down bribes… If I ever get to open my Effing A It’s a Super Time Emporium. I’d hire you all.
Mad Love. *shaking finger but handshaking at the same time to Ikea*

Good Time is closing its doors on June 30^th to make room for the new Ikea… sob! sob! And lame-​o me didn’t make it out here for the first time until last night. I have SO been missing out, and now that I’ve been, they can’t close! Pleeeeease don’t close!
One of a kind, that’s what Good Time is. Places like this just don’t exist any more. You’ve got your usual pool tables, air hockey, and arcade games. Then you’ve got your ski ball, you’re rip-​off Guitar Hero, and your Tower of Power. BUT THEN you have Go Karts! Bumper cars! Laser Tag! Batting Cages! Snack bar with a FULL BAR!!!
So let me get this straight… it’s free to get in. $ 10 will buy you a freakin zillion tokens (okay, 44, and $ 20 gets you 100). A combo ticket for laser tag and go karts is only $ 10. And I get to eat waffle fries and get drizunk? WTF have I not been living here?
Closing thoughts:
–I RULE at laser tag! That person scoring a zillion points off you? The one that kept sneaking up behind you? Yeah, that was me.
–I absolutely suck at baseball. It’s a good thing I have a sense of humor.
–There’s gotta be somewhere else that Ikea could take over… why oh why must they move in here? Nooooooo!!!

I heard a few things about this Good Time Mumbo Jumbo and decided to head over the river and through the woods to the middle of nowhere to get a feel for the place myself. Here’s what I found:
«For a Good time call Melanie…»
What the hell?
Okay, I’m just kidding about that but what I am about to say next is no joke.
Good time Emporium is the kind of place where you’ll walk into the bathroom and read Good timing one liners graffiti on the wall, probably written in blood, maybe chalk, anything a poor grub can get his hands on.
It reminds me of the trashy carnival that used to come into Jersey every summer. Now don’t get me wrong, the people who work there seem super nice. Completely down to Earth. The idea for the place is rooted in good intentions. But it reminds me of the movie that creeped the beJesus out of me as a kid…
You know the one… they park their space ship as a big tented carnival/​circus in the middle of nowhere. Those dag nabbit Killer Clowns from Outer Space. Everyone thinks the carnival’s gonna be a GOOD TIME until they start getting murdered by clowns.
I shutter at the thought of this, and perhaps my predisposition to be hesitant to go to places that could potentially bring that sci-​fi scenario to real life is rooted in my fear of having alien clowns wrap me up in their cotton candy cocoons.
One plus: There are huge TV’s and a wrap around bar, probably a cool place to watch a game if you have a niece or nephew you are supposed to baby sit that day, and all you want to do is get drunk off cheap bear and watch the Sox game, but the responsible side of you reminds yourself of the promise you made to your brother in law to watch his kid.
Little Billy wants to go for ice cream and you’re a lazy drunk in your mid-​twenties.
Not to worry! With Good Time Emporium, rain or shine, you can give a kid fifty-​cents to go play in an indoor park with little rides and amusements and get yourself wasted off Coors Genuine Draft.
I don’t really even know if they carry Coors Genuine, but all I’m saying is that those are the kind of people you’ll find in this place. No big deal. Just saying you won’t be seeing many people from Newton drinking mojitios.
If it weren’t for the fact that the walls seemed to be sweating and the entire warehouse type feel gave me the heebie-​jeebies, I’d say, sure watch the game here with your kids.
There’s Go-​carts, little amusement stuff you see on the boardwalk, and yes, laser tag. I thought the laser tag room would be cool, but it’s maze like mirrors and creepiness brought back more nightmares from the Killer Clown movie.
Maybe it’s just my own issue with Clowns.
There aren’t even clowns at Good Time Emporium. There is just a feeling of ickiness that perhaps there could be a Clown hiding behind a corner somewhere, waiting to kill me.
Ahh well. Check it out if you feel like embracing your inner child. I prefer to keep my inner child issues and fears buried beneath my childish and fun-​filled often mistaken for immature exterior. The irony.
I give this place one star if you are single looking to have fun on your own. Two stars if you have a kid you’ve got to entertain. And no matter who you are, lets pull the Bearded Lady Blonde Card. Good for admittance to a carnival parked in Somerville, MA.

D: What the hell are you doing? Get rid of that shirt and put on a hoody.
Me: I thought this place was a bar. Thought I should try to look nice.
D: Yeah, uh… you don’t want to stand out too much. And wear something with zipper pockets. And don’t carry too much cash.
Me: Dude, it’s an arcade, it’s probably all little kids.
D: Yes, highly-​trained vagrant children with skilled pocket-​picking fingers.
I just wanted to play some Point Blank, maybe a little Simpsons: The Arcade Game. Instead, I spent the night trying to find games that weren’t busted while constantly checking my wallet and trying not to look anyone in the eye. OK, it wasn’t really that bad. I had some pizza, had a few beers, and got in some much-​needed arcade time. Where else can you shoot pool, take shots, and play whack-​a-​mole in one place? Anyway, I’d keep a close eye on your posessions and stay in a group, but there certainly are good times to be had… and there really don’t seem to be many arcade alternatives in the area.
On a side note, if you’re bringing your children, try to go earlier in the day… a bit seedy after dark.

Remember when you were ten and went to the arcade and would think, «man this would be so much more fun if I had some booze.» Well Good Times Emporium gives you the opportunity to fulfill that child hood fantasy.
I threw a bday party for the GF here (at her request. I’m not really that much of an ass hole).
There are video games, laser tag, go-​carts, pool tables, batting cages, teen-​agers with truancy issues and LOTS OF BEER ETC. ($ 8 a pitcher)
We all had a fantastic romp, and it’s a shame that Ikea is going to tear it down to bring Swedish ingenuity into the homes of the North Shore.
But, on the upside I do love their meat balls.

Ok so yeah. they have batting cages. That’s cool right? You can finally imagine your boss and get your anger out on something. And it’s not very far out from the city. Cool. They also have a billion zillion trillion televisions with plenty of stuff to watch on them. They also have a full bar, pool tables, darts and by some god awful reason, they also seemed to have managed to get a gambling license of some kind because you can also play blackjack and poker there. Not sure how they pulled that one off, especially since the place is… SKETCHY.
I’ve been to many places in my life, including a Popeyes in the middle of Harlem. That Popeyes had more bulletproof glass in it than Fort Knox. There were police line do not cross signs around in there. and yet I was still comfortable in Harlem than I was walking up to the entrance to Good Times. And I’m not exaggerating. There’s like some sort of gang of teenagers who are the about-​to-​become-​murderers type. They just stare you down. Very uncomfortable.
I know that they have more stuff like table tennis, lazer tag, an arcade and a bunch of other stuff but I decided to leave before my car got broken into. They should seriously consider having the police patrol that area more often, but outside and inside.
A health inspector in their bathrooms would also be welcomed. They are disgusting.

Birthday #27 was Saturday and for our high class fête we sojourned to Good Time Emporium.
Oh man, I thought it would be ironic, sketchy fun– but it was just fun straight up… with a twist.
Ok so here’s the deal– get some drinks, get some tokens, drink and play games. Once you’re about half drunk, play DDR. When you’re good and sauced I’d recommend Laser Tag (especially if you have a big group) or Go Karts. Driving drunk legally and with bumpers– how fun!
They also have a row of classic skeeball, which is fun fun times.
Go in a big group and ignore the teenagers and everything will be fine.
Also, I hear they’re tearing it out and putting in an Ikea this summer– if so, we should have Unilocal night at GoodTimes… oh baby.

If you don’t play your cards right, you’re going to get stabbed here. Yes, friends, Good Times may well be the location of your first knife assault.
Everyone in the place (aside from the people you’re with, hopefully) is between the ages of 14 and 17 and look like they’re going to kill you. And hey, they just might. Keep your head down and look up only to play video games.
When you play laser tag, keep your wallet with you. If not, it will get stolen. A friend of mine, a kind man with an inherent trust in others, left his money and tickets tucked into a sweatshirt in the laser tag waiting area and it was gone after five minutes. That, coupled with the fact that I pwned him like a n00b on the laser tag floor, ruined his night.
The pizza ruined mine. But hey, it was my fault for ordering it.
That said, you’re not going to find many enormous arcades that are T accessible, so it’s pretty much this or going to a friend’s house to play Wii.

How to have fun at Good Times:
1. Go to the bar side, play pool, darts or watch a game on one of the eleventy-​billion tvs. There aren’t as many kids at the bar, and there is alot of room, so people don’t really bother you.
2. Get $ 20 worth of tokens and get buck wild. Yes. Do this. You know you want to play Dance Dance Revolution and sweat up a storm. You know you ‘used to be’ real good at… Pac Man, The Simpsons game and Cruisin’.
3. Don’t touch anything in the bathrooms — they gross. Just know this.
4. Don’t get bummed when seeing babies walking around by themselves at 2am. These babies are hardcore, and will probably cut you. No one steals knife wielding babies high off pepsi at 2am.
5. Play Skee-​Ball. Alot. Win tickets and get yourself a super bounce ball or 30 army men. You won’t be dissapointed. Plus chicks dig prizes.
Follow these simple rules and bring a fun group of people, and you too can have a good time at Good Times.

I’ve only been once, but I can say, without hesitation, that I love Good Time Emporium.
I mean, where else can I get batting cages, skee ball, laser tag, go-​karts, arcades, and beer, all under one (admittedly sketchy) roof? If you know of another place, I would very much like to hear about it!
Located in scenic (?) Assembly Square, the Good Time Emporium offers all these and more, and certainly delivers on the promise of its name. The $ 10 combo go-​kart/​laser tag ticket may have been the best use of a Hamilton I have yet encountered.
I highly recommend hitting this up with a group if you like fun. Watch out for the sniping spots in laser tag; a well-​positioned players can hit the recharge area without being seen from across the arena.

Good Time was actually a good time… despite all the sketchiness that crawl all over this place. It’s a dirty but good feeling. Lots of teeny boppers running around, and weird sketchy dudes sitting at the bar.
However, the staff are super friendly. Props to Tay, Morgan, Alex, the Go Kart dudes, and that bartender/​cashier that got me my mozzarella stix and soco/​coke! And especially to that girl who was left at the bar alone on her 2^nd night. The mozzarella sticks were actually really good. Hot, fresh, and probably from some frozen bag, but they were delish and I was hungry!
If only bumper cars were open, that would have been more fun!
For $ 10/​person you can do a combo of Go Karts & Lazer Tag, but personally I think it’s overpriced for what it is really worth here.
Go Karts was fun, even though we circled around and around. I wanted so bad to beat all these mo’fo’s in a race, but que sera sera, the speed was controlled by the staff.
Lazer Tag was fun, even though I got my ass kicked by Dana. Sweating our asses off, it would have been more fun if shields weren’t up for most of the time. Maybe if it was more team play it may have been better as opposed to the free-​for-​all.
I looooove collecting tickets. Whether it be skee ball, jump roping (which I suck at — virtually), basketball, catching pitchers of water, shooting range (I love handling that gun!), wheel ‘em, catching lights, and so much more! Downfalls were that there were a few machine that weren’t working. Fortune teller was broken. Half the basketballs were out of order. The derby race was broken and ate Chere’s tokens. The wheel ‘em didn’t give me any tickets even though I knew it landed right in the middle of the damn ticket!
The «bowling alley» were like puppets on strings. It stopped working during the second frame where the balls weren’t coming out to play and we had to get someone to fix it for us. Once it was up and running, it was like candlepin bowling. You only have 10 minutes to bowl 10 frames.
I also learned that Chere’s got some awesome mechanical claw picking up skills! Next time I want something out of a machine, I’m bringing her with me!
For those of you who don’t like the arcade games, there is also a batting cage, a ton of pool tables, and a bajillion projector screens with various channels on. I’d assume that this place is packed whenever there is a game on, but who knows.
If they weren’t already gonna be closing in April, I’d suggest that if they renovated the place and if all games were working, that this would be a 5 star location. Maybe back in the 80’s — 90’s it was. I will come back to get my ticketing groove on to get those dorky prizes at the end of the night before they close for good, despite all the sketchy skeezy people here.
P. S. we walked out with a Brian, a Stewie, a Dora the Explorer, 2 penguins, a piggy bank, a frog prince, 20 vampire teeth, 4 army men, and 2 bouncing balls. I think that’s everything…

Shady+dirty — toilet paper+bar+fun games-​unnattentive parents = Good Times. My goodness!
So I pick my Lil’ Sister up today to spend some time in Boston. As I get into her house her brother mentions she needs to be dropped off at Good Times for a birthday party. My first thought, «My god! Not that skethcy place that Jeffrey, Sarah and Doris described». Who in their right minds would do that to little seven and eight year olds? Mind you I hadn’t even walked in but reading the reviews had put a chill up my spine thinking I had to go there. Do people go there in broad daylight? Apparently so.
Fast forward 3 hours later, coming off the high of watching a little girl so excited being at the top of the Pru to ERRRRCCHHKKKKKKK! Brakes on! Holy Moly! It was like chaos at it’s finest. Thankfully it was early enough so I didn’t have to watch any drunk people — I think the kids running out of control without their parents in eyeshot was enough. My Lil was content to be left with her brothers. I on the other hand was not about tho leave her to an 11 year old — mind you a very mature and responsible one — yeah but no. So we walked and walked and walked and walked… now on to lap 3, geez didn’t I just see that merry go round a few minutes ago? Until we finally found the Auntie who would be taking them home.
Yeah, honestly it looked like it could be fun. There were some interesting little trinkets and life size games to play around on. Skeeball, bumper cars, killer video games and a bar that I’d considering going back to enjoy with an adult crew. But it is dirty and choatic with rambunctious children and parents that are no where in site. Which leaves me at giving this place 2 stars. I just have no tolerance for parents that let their kids run wild like that. Apparently, they don’t watch enough TV and Good Times doesn’t care enough to have some guidelines. I think I’ll rate the chaos of China Immigration or pushing needles through my eyeballs a tad higher than this place.
So to sum it all up — I cannot recommend this place for families — mainly because there are already enough here. But a night out, when there’s nothing else to do but play skee ball with a drinky poo in you hand? Ehh what the hell…

Oh Good Times!
How I love the feeling of being magically whisked to what would probably be the most hopin’ bar in any southern state the moment I walk through your doors. Your décor is, um, unique and your clientele… well there are really no words to describe them.
There are however a few things I do love (and by love I mean not hate with a passion):
1) Laser tag.
I’m a competitive as they come and this is right up my alley. I was James Bonding all over this bitch. Unfortunately I only came in 4^th place (or 3^rd if you don’t count the guy that works there because we had uneven teams).
2) Go Karts.
Now this I totally won. I even made a girl cry and only got yelled at once. Seriously if you can’t handle a little whiplash then get out of my way! I didn’t even realize the thing had breaks until the mean guy yelled at me… oops!
3) Your broken games that give me a million free tickets and your staff that’s too idiotic to realize it.
I told the man that the machine didn’t give me my (3) tickets. When he checked it he said it was all out but he quickly filled it again and said my tickets would be right out. It was only after he walked away that I realized 500 people must have played this before me because hundreds of tickets were coming out. Jeffrey H. and I stood there for 10 minutes trying to look inconspicuous until it was finished and then grabbed them and ran away. Sucker.
I would rarely come to you by choice but if forced I know that I will still have some sort of fun whether it be laughing at the ghettoness or beating small children for stealing one of my balls in the middle of a game (little bastard!).

Good Times… where ugly people meet to breed!
This place gets TWO stars:
1) For laser tag and kicking Jenna C’s a$$
2) Go Karts and watching a grown girl cry as myself and Jenna C tried to run her off the track several times before getting yelled at over the loudspeaker
The overall atmosphere of this establishment can be summed up in one statement I made as I walked around…“I feel like I’m back in Ohio.“
The people here are some of the most interesting people I’ve seen in Boston. One man sat at the bar and had a hair style that was a combo of AC Slater from «Saved By the Bell» and Otto from «The Simpson’s.» I tried to take a pic with my camera phone but my friends wouldn’t allow it. Whilst in the smoking room, I overheard an overweight 20-​something with a goatee and lesbian boots discuss proposing to a girl on one-​knee in 7 – 11, hitting on 4 girls at Good Times that evening, and trying to teach his ex about Ghost Rider (I don’t even know what that is). There was an employee struttin’ her hot stuff around wearing white flip flops with the word «Diva» painted all around the sole. These are just a few examples.
I was also horrified of the fact that there were children younger than 5 staying at Good Times until close, which is 2 AM mind you.
THANK GOD there were bars there. Although the alcohol was a nice relief to the pain, I still felt like they were overpriced for that kind of establishment.
Overall, a ghetto/​disgusting place. A lot of people seem to like it… but maybe that’s because they love arcades or making fun of the trash…

In the words of every corporate citizen, «it is what it is.»
When I moved here, a friend said this place is the only spot to air every University of Florida basketball game. We’d walk in, request the channel and which of the numerous wall-​sized projection screens we’d want it on. Bingo bango, done.
The food is edible (except the pizzas, blech!) and the beer is, well, available. Solid pool tables with decent house cues, although the rates are a little high. The arcade waxes Atari nostalgic and there are a few pinballs to play — sweet! What’s with those light gun games? You point here X and they shoot here X — — -O. Great, now the zombies ate my face. Jerks.
Don’t sweat the skeeze hype. The spot rocks some good clean fun, give or take a parking lot shanking. Besides, aren’t virtual boxing and indoor batting cages worth it?

This is basically the ghetto version of Jillians and I love it!
Concrete floors, cheap pitchers of beer, pool tables, an arcade, bumper cars, inside basketball court, ping pong, batting cages, laser tag and oh so much more! There are also tons of big screen tvs showing whatever sporting event is on that day.
The crowd is diverse and fun, though I prefer a Thursday night to a Saturday day when screaming children abound. I see that other people have reviewed this place as sketchy– I don’t think it’s really sketchy, a little less classy, ok a lot less classy then Jillians but not dangerous by any means.
A great rainy day activity! This place rocks– highly reccomended! Would only be better if they served some good pizza and wings.

Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for Good Times yet… well, here goes.
I’ve been here twice now: once for a date last year, and most recently, last Saturday night for Lynn D’s birthday. The journey up to Somerville from Brookline was treacherous; I was catcalled by shady local Scummerville residents, including a group of fratty drunk Red Sawx donkeys pissing up against a dumpster whose jeers were so badly slurred, I couldn’t tell what they were harassing me about.
After my narrow escape from Rapetown, I made it to Good Times and promptly ordered a (cheap!) Sam Summer Ale to erase the memory of the journey.
So here’s my most accurate description of Good Times: it’s like the county fair, only indoors. Laser tag, go-​karts, bumper cars, air hockey, pool tables, and tons of arcade games. I noticed that all their «classic» games (Pacman, Ms. Pacman, Millipede, and maybe a couple others) are kind of huddled together in one area, like they’re standing in solidarity against the newer-​fangled games.
It’s a place where you’ll endlessly empty your wallet into token machines and pay about $ 70 worth of little purple tickets for a stuffed animal. It’s a place where you’ll see small children (as young as 1 or 2) still awake and screaming at 11:30 pm, and possibly the most broke-​down families here for their «big night out». It’s a place where everyone comes out of the woodwork to play some cheap games, and I mean EVERYONE.
There is good cause to be suspicious of the food here, but I can honestly say that I haven’t gotten sick from anything I’ve eaten here so far. *crosses fingers* Also, the beer is cheap, albeit limited. And I discovered that Sam Summer Ale on draught is quite tasty.
There’s a «nightclub» upstairs, and I’ve heard that a lot of rock bands play the venue. If one goes into the bathrooms, one can hear the bands with almost perfect clarity.
So if you’re ready for a cheap and ultimately entertaining night out, and like to people-​watch an often-​avoided stratum of society, then go to Good Times. Just be careful getting there if you’re not driving.