Hard Knocks

Hard knocks leaves more to be desired.
First, I did not like the «training» video. We were there for a 17 year old boy’s birthday party. Although the boys probably enjoyed it, the video starred half dressed girls explaining how to play laser tag in a very seductive voice. This made me very uncomfortable. The process to play was very easy, with a set amount of time loaded on your card. You simply swiped your card to enter the game. However, it seemed very over priced, for what we were doing. So, we walked in to get our «guns» and of course each gun had a name… and you guessed it… all of them were named after women. But, not normal names, like Sara or Emily, they all reminded me of stripper names. Another thing that made me very uncomfortable in a room full of 16 and 17 year old boys. Next, we entered the «arena». Really, just a big room filled with a couple of barriers and tires… not that fun. They only had two rooms to play in and would simply change the «mission» each time. Now, I know I am kinda old school, but the laser tag I remember involved black lights, hiding, and way more excitement. This laser tag left me uncomfortable and tired.
I would not recommend Hard Knocks… especially for a child’s birthday party.

Pretty boring, actually. First, you have to stand in the noisy lobby area to listen to instructions from a video. The game itself was bland, it’s in a dimly lit room and you can see from one end to the other. You just kind of hide behind things so you can keep all the targets on your vest hidden. The guns fire a blue flash of light and make some really weak firing sounds and sounds of empty cartridges hitting the floor. When you get tagged, it makes a really poor «Ouch» sound. The coolest part about it was the selection of weapons, but the feel of the weapons don’t match the look. I couldn’t wait until it was over.
Also, you have to purchase a package of games, you can’t just buy one game. And lastly, they’re certainly not shy about promoting their experience as using weapons which isn’t cool for kids,

The facility is very clean and modern looking. The lobby is large and includes a snack bar.
Signing up for missions is easy enough. Once you get your card and watch a training video, you can start taking part in missions. The missions aren’t all that different from competing laser tag companies. Team elimination, valuable target protection, king of the hill. Not much is new here. The arenas, however, are very nice. This one featured an «office» environment (a warehouse full of Hermann Miller cubicles with a computer here and a printer there) and a «warehouse» environment (a chain-​link dividing fence in the middle with pallets and containers everywhere).
All the glitter and resemblance to «real life» battle environments is ruined by the actual «weapons». They’re neat looking, heavy, and resemble actual weapons. You can pick up a pistol, shotgun, submachine gun, or a rifle. The guns all have names like «Roxanne», «Tiffany», or «Heather». If you shoot someone or are shot, that’s the name that shows up on the scoreboard and on your gun. No personalization here, but that’s a minor gripe compared to the performance of the guns. The guns (except for the shotgun) feature sights of some kind. The submachine gun and rifle feature a dot sight and the pistol features a rail sight. None of these guns were on the mark with their sights. Furthermore, there’s little visual confirmation of where you’re firing or when you’ve hit someone. All of this makes it feel less like «battle» and more like waving a wand around until you hit someone. Friendly fire is a real issue because of this as well. Teammates who think they’re shooting over your shoulder are usually shooting you in the back. Young children are also great sources of friendly fire. «Reloading» is also cumbersome, and requires you to mash on an unreliable button in the dark and wait on the gun to make a «locked and loaded» sound. Many of the guns had loose batteries coming out of the mag-​wells or missing lenses at the end of the barrels. Getting a «good gun» was of great importance. I found one gun that shot true (look for Grace, avoid Charlize like the plague) but wasn’t able to use it every time, which sapped my enjoyment considerably.
To make matters worse, the gaming system is very primitive. The «Regulator» who monitors the game has to shoot you to activate your suit and gun as you walk in the door and shuffle off to your starting point. At this point, fire is live. Having the enemy team fire upon you and take health off before the start of the match is a regular occurrence. Once the match is complete, it’s often unclear who won, who lost, and there is definitely no score keeping. You have no idea who you hit, who hit you, and how you contributed to the mission.
Traditional laser tag may be dorky looking, but the systems used at these locations have had time to become mature and well thought out. Guns go live all at once at the beginning of the match, vests unambiguously indicate which team someone is on and when they’ve been hit, and you get to see your score at the end of the match. Hard Knocks has a long way to if they hope to compete.

«Beyond Laser Tag: Your Indoor War» Hard Knocks is a combat sports entertainment facility featuring 30,000 square feet of two separate urban-​themed arenas and an armory with multiple weapon models. The unique combat simulation takes aspects of laser tag, paintball, and airsoft and combines them with advanced weapon simulation technology, creative mission objectives, organization, sophistication and a little bit of attitude to create a realistic (projectile free) combat experience that is exciting, challenging, and unique for all ages. There are over 85 different missions that will challenge combatants to rescue hostages, defuse bombs and eradicate the enemy.