It is not every day we get an invitation to check out and play a newly released pinball game. We were lucky enough last year to experience Game Of Thrones before its official release, and it seems that we got lucky once again! This time, Zax Amusements were kind enough to open their doors and allow us to have a bump and tilt on Stern’s new pinball machine, Ghostbusters.
Before we could get to grips on the new Ghostbusters Pro pinball table, Zax’s Business Manager, Phil Boniwell gave us a grand tour of Zax Amusements – let’s just say that we were like kids in a candy store! There were 1980s and 1990s JAMMA boards carefully stacked on shelves, a myriad of gun peripherals, control panels, Neo Geo MVS carts and an amazing array of arcade machines from all eras! We honestly didn’t know where to look – it was a 360 degree visual onslaught of the amusement kind! You can take a peek at the photos further down below to see why we went all gaga.
Once we wiped our drool and returned to Zax’s business showroom, it was time to put Ghostbusters Pro through its paces. So what did we think? Having played the pinball machine a few times, our first impressions were very positive indeed. Like with any new product, it was the visual and aural beauty of the machine that captured our immediate attention. Based on the original Ghostbusters movie, the colours, set scenery and characters on the playfield were an instant trip down memory lane. Not to be outdone in the sensory game, the sound effects, Ernie Hudson’s speech guiding you through the game and Ray Parker Jr’s Ghostbusters soundtrack were literally music to our ears. Stern have really captured the feel of the original Ghostbusters movie to a T! We reckon Stern has created another winner!
Thank you to the team at Zax Amusements for their hospitality (Scott Kellett rocks!). You can read more about Zax Amusements over here.
Z marks the spot!
Zak (Zax final boss) and yours truly!
Oh wow, OutRun 2 SP and Sega Racing Classic (aka: Daytona USA Mk II)!
THIS is still our all-time fave arcade driving game!
Kick it to Homer!
Now this is a reasonable price for a twin seat Daytona USA!
The great wall of PCBs!
You need guns? Zax has you covered!
Guitar riffin’
Dayyyyyytona!
You don’t control me!
A view to a thrill!
Silverball classics waiting for some TLC
15K out! That is perfect vision!
Time to flip some balls!
Oh wow, what to play next?
Our spidey sensors are tingling!
Who you gonna call?
I ain’t afraid of no ghost
Ecto-1 in glorious colour!
Let’s play Slimer!
Busting ghosts has never been this much fun!
Aim well and true!
This machine is flippin’ magic!
Ball Saved! Lucky break!
Keep your eye on the target(s)!
What has spooked Slimer?
Mmm, marshmallows!
The outlanes can be brutal – be ready to bump!
A row of beauties! It’s very hard to leave Zax Amusements!
We roll the clock back 17 years to see what games were hot on the Playstation, N64 and the humble PC. As you peek at the games charts below, you’ll notice some very well known gaming franchises that are still going strong till this day. But what makes it great to look back at old charts like these is the more obscure and long forgotten games, like Rollcage for the Playstation, Virtual Pool 64 on the N64, and The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield on the PC.
Dust off the C64 and grab that ideas pad where you scribbled down your game design all those years ago, as you now have the opportunity to enter the 
Apple’s history in gaming goes a long way back. Heck, even my first computer gaming experience was on an Apple ][e playing the awesome text adventure, Transylvania way back in 1983. The Apple line of computers had its avid gaming fans and also paved the way for many a developers that cut their teeth on the trusty computers. When the Apple Macintosh computer was launched in the mid 80s, it’s built in screen, graphical user interface and the mouse pointing device were at the bleeding edge of computing. Apple may have aimed the computer at the business end of town, but the beloved Mac was also thriving in the gaming community too. Sadly, not much has been written or shared with the gaming masses about the Mac gaming communities, till now.
STOP THE PRESS! Thanks to our good friend Skott Kellett, we were made aware of Sega-Interactive’s 
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Ladies, kids of any age and gentlemen, listen up! 
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Put your retro party hats on peeps! SEGA Europe Ltd. is celebrating the launch of the all new 
Just in case you have been on a sojourn to the moon and have just landed back on earth, we have some HUGE news – those awesome folks at 
image source: NG:Dev Team