Simon P.
Yelp
One of the most UNIQUE, exhilarating experiences I've ever had! I came with a group of friends - 4 in total - on a Sunday afternoon, and it was absolutely busy and crawling with young kids, teens, and parents. *** ARRIVE IN THE MORNING TO AVOID CROWDS ***
They open 9am thru 11pm.
GAMES
Each room is equipped with different tools to get you and your friends to accomplish your objective. Expect button smashing, laser guns, LOTS of running, LOTS of hand-eye coordination, balls to pass & throw, puzzle-solving, and much more! Each room also comes with a competitive and cooperative mode, and when you beat Level 1 you get to select higher level difficulty.
FACILITY
Activate COQUITLAM location has 10 game rooms, group selfie room, plenty of storage lockers, a water fountain, and a giant TV scoreboard in the play area. (Washroom is inside play area at end of hallway on your left.)
PROS
There's nothing *quite* like this that I can find in Vancouver. E-SPOT in Richmond and REC ROOM in Brentwood & downtown are both fun arcades, but I think it pales in comparison to what ACTIVATE offers in variety, physical & mental stimulation, and amazing value. It's definitely worth coming back every couple of months in a year!!
CONS
Two things stuck out to me in my 1st experience at Activate Coquitlam. Aside from how busy weekends are, the games in all rooms are quite SHORT lasting only a few minutes per. While some may (and can) find it to be the perfect amount of time, I do think that after 90 minutes of playtime, it still felt overall short in each room. Kind of like getting a typical scoop of ice-cream and you finished it in 4 bites. You're expecting to enjoy it a little longer but it was over before you know it.
The other problem I found was service to be a tad little slow? There's only 2 lanes so it makes sense only 2 staff can help customers. But it's still slow especially if it can and will get hectic and more groups starts piling in.
This is more of a minor issue but I experienced the selfie room to glitch out on me during group photos. Everyone was fine but my white tshirt got greenscreened out so it wasn't registering in the camera/screen. Staff said it needs re-calibration... Not a deal-breaker but definitely annoying.
OVERALL
I found ACTIVATE COQUITLAM to be an amazing, ENJOYABLE experience, and one I will definitely come back for more with new & old exciting friends. Entry is well-worth the pricepoint and I STRONGLY RECOMMEND booking for 90-minute -- it's worth it.