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Zax Amusements Is Now At A Bigger & Better Location

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Looks like 2023 is the start of new beginnings!

Our friends at Zax Amusements have relocated from their Port Melbourne location to a much bigger warehouse, service centre and showroom at 1661 Centre Road, Springvale, a south-eastern Melbourne suburb.

We will miss the old Port Melbourne location as it was convenient for us, however, the bigger showroom is a drawcard for us to visit Zax Amusements in Springvale to check out the latest arcade and pinball machines.

image source: Zax Amusements



The Flipside Barcade: Adelaide’s Cool New Pinball Bar

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If you are visiting Adelaide (or live in the great state of South Australia), then checking out The Flipside Barcade in Daw Park (about 7km south of the Adelaide CBD) should be at the top of your “must check out” list!

Infused with an American-style menu, craft beers to quench your hard-earned thirst and nostalgia inducing arcade and pinball machines, The Flipside Barcade is the hottest destination in the Festival State! The mix of food, drinks and amusement action is exactly what the doctor ordered. Oh yeah, if you are feeling competitive, then Flipside has plenty of pinball and arcade gaming tournaments on offer!

The important details:

  • Venue: The Flipside Barcade
  • Address: 538 Goodwood Road, Daw Park South Australia 5041

image source: The Flipside Barcade



Scooby-Doo Pinball Is Revealed

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The Best Pinball Company in Benton, Wisconsin – Spooky Pinball has dropped the official reveal trailer of their latest pinball machine, Scooby-Doo!

There will be three models available, with the Collector’s Edition being the most expensive (US$9,769) and limited to 1969 machines, followed by the Blood Sucker Edition (US$8,769) and finally, the Standard Edition (US$7,769).

Sales for all three editions will open on December 9, at 10:00am Central Standard Time (CST) – so set your alarms in Australia, as that makes it very early morning on Saturday!


source: Spooky Pinball via YouTube

The reveal trailer only shows the Collector’s Edition, which looks great and captures the campy theme perfectly. Of course we will reserve judgement on the game play, but we are excited about this title! The upper playfield in the top left seems to take up a lot of real estate, but the left hockey stick flipper looks cool to whack the silverball around. From the below photo, it seems that the Blood Sucker and Standard Editions look a bit lackluster in the art package, but again, you don’t play the art package, it’s all about what is under the glass!

According to Spooky Pinball,

This will be a widebody game based around solving original series mysteries, collecting Scooby snacks, and having the ultimate Scooby Pinball Experience!! Featuring the iconic Voice Actors Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Kate Micucci, and Grey Griffin. Let’s hop in the Mystery Machine and find some clues!

With tons of general and gameplay features (see below), including talented voice-overs, these machines will no doubt sell quickly!

Our pick would be the Collector’s Edition – it’s gorgeous!

image source: Spooky Pinball (various social media)



Get the Stern Experience at the Pinball Hall Of Fame

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Vegas Baby! If you ever needed another reason to visit Las Vegas, then Stern Pinball Inc. has you covered!

The new Stern Experience at the famous Pinball Hall Of Fame (we visited the old Pinball Hall Of Fame in 2015) will showcase all the hottest and latest Stern pinball machines featuring the award-winning Insider Connected platform! The Stern Experience will offer players brand new high score leaderboards to compete on, the ability to earn exclusive achievement badges, and participate in exclusive Stern events and tournaments only available in this one-of-a-kind interactive exhibit.

Don’t forget, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!


source: Stern Pinball



Latest Trailer for The Super Mario Bros Movie Has Dropped

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image source: Universal

Back in early October we all went a bit nuts at The Super Mario Bros. Movie teaser trailer.

The movie starring Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario is coming out in April next year, so there is still a way to go. But don’t fret, as the latest trailer has dropped, which we get to hear Chris’ (terrible) accent voicing Mario and also that of his brother Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day).

The latest trailer shows many connections to all kinds of Super Mario games, from Donkey Kong and Super Smash Bros. to Mario Kart – yes, Mario Kart!

Now stop reading and hit play, lets-a-go!



TGX – The Game Expo Is Coming To Melbourne in 2023

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Melbourne will now have another big gaming and pop culture event, TGX (THE GAME EXPO) – March 11-12, 2023!

Move over PAX Aus, there is a new event for gaming, pop culture and tech, THE GAME EXPO, debuting March 2023 at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

From the press release below, we can see that TGX’s mission is to be an event that closely connects with the community, is focused on participation, through creativity and competitive events – as well as freeplay and heaps of fun activities! There will be something for everyone at TGX come March 2023!

The Game Expo (TGX) is dedicated to gamers, focused on the things gamers love to do, and the culture and creativity of gamers. The Game Expo is all about YOU, and everyone who loves games. This new home grown, Australian owned event will showcase gaming at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, putting gaming culture forward on Melbourne’s festive Moomba weekend, March 11-12, 2022.

You will get to dive into esports tournaments from beginner to pro level. You can show your creativity and meet creators showing wonderful cosplay, artwork, and meet Youtube or Twitch content creators. Relax and enjoy gaming of all kinds from tabletop and card gaming, to console freeplay and a massive BYOC PC LAN. And see the games from indie developers up to major publishers. Whatever you love in the gaming community, it’s at The Game Expo.

Each corner of the show is about games culture, and everywhere you look, there’s something to see and do. A show focused on gamers and gaming culture is about participation first. Guided by a concept of games culture with the three Cs:

  • Creativity
  • Competition
  • Community

Four themed zones of the event correspond to the coloured buttons on the Game Expo logo. These colours match floor plan and schedule so it’s easy to find your favourite activity. Each zone will have a feature area or stage to highlight the fun.

Red – Tournaments – Community and Competitive – esports, Console and PC Live tournaments, and stage events with prizes.

Yellow – Expo Hall – Tech and Gaming Brands – Explore new games and tech at exhibitor booths, try demos, and complete event quests.

Blue – Creative – Show your love of gaming – Meet your favourite streamers and content creators, witness amazing cosplay and live performances, and discover the talent of fantastic artists.

Green – Freeplay – Everyone is welcome to play – There’s fun freeplay all over the show, with special zones for console and PC play as well as a dedicated tabletop gaming zone where you can learn to play from the free library of board and card games, join tournaments, and more.

Stay tuned for guests, tournaments, and more announcements as the event nears!

The Game Expo:

  • DATES Sat 11th & Sun 12th March 2023
  • LOCATION Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
  • TICKETS www.thegameexpo.com

 



Modding Our Arcade1Up Pinball With IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Panel

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There were a couple of things we were looking forward to this year, Stern Pinball’s Insider Connected Kit for our Star Wars pinball machine, and IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Panel for our Arcade1Up (virtual) pinball machine.

Well, it was almost 2 for 2 in 2022, however, our Stern Pinball Insider Connected kit was delivered incomplete – which means we will have to wait for the next boat to arrive down under.

On the flip side, the IntecGaming panel for our A1Up pinball machine arrived and we can’t wait to get it installed! Just in case you have no idea what this thing is or does, check out our previous post here.

We will write about our exploits of getting this mod installed, so stay tuned (and wish us luck)!



Aldi 80s Special Buys

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Aldi (Australia) sure knows how to cash in on the retro craze!

Starting next Wednesday (November 30), Aldi will stock some sweet 80s special buys, from retro tech to fashion and leisure items which they are calling Retro Entertainment.

So what kind of stuff will Aldi have up for grabs on November 30? We are glad you asked! Take a gander at these:

Our picks are the retro skateboard, Stack Hat, the micro arcades and that hot boombox! Better get that DeLorean ready to head back to the 80s!


source: Aldi – YouTube



Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – Steelbook Edition

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We are late to Atari’s 50th Anniversary party, but we are glad that we are!

We waited to see what everyone thought of the compilation before pulling the trigger, and it has been overwhelmingly positive – which was great to see! With 100 games, surely you’d find several absolute gems.

Since we wanted the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration in physical format, we inadvertently stumbled upon the JB Hi-Fi exclusive Steelbook Edition pre-order, which will be available on November 25th. Well, without hesitation, we put in our pre-order and can’t wait for this Friday to roll around!

Anyone else grabbing the Steelbook Edition for the Nintendo Switch?

image source: Five Star Games



Numskull Designs Launches Space Invaders Quarter Arcades

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Whoa, what a way to finish off the week! Numskull Designs have launched their new entrants in the Quarter Arcades series, Space Invaders and Space Invaders Part II!

With Space Invaders celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2023, Numskull Designs are releasing the iconic and influential masterpieces in the form of two new quarter scale arcade cabinets –Space Invaders & Space Invaders Part II. Pre-orders are now open via the Numskull Designs site right here.

Space Invaders originally burst in the scene in the golden era of arcade gaming and set the bar for those that followed. Since its release in 1978, it has gone on to become a global pop-culture phenomenon. Developed by Tomohiro Nishikado, the game has been cited as revolutionising the arcade industry as well as having an influence on many famous video game designs since.

Quarter Arcades -Special Editions:

Commemorating the 45th anniversary of the iconic SPACE INVADERS franchise, its creator – the legendary Mr. Tomohiro Nishikado has kindly signed 78 x SPACE INVADERS cabinets to celebrate the release date of 1978, and 79 x SPACE INVADERS PART II cabinets to celebrate the release date of 1979.These are strictly limited edition cabinets, perfect for you to play or display in your home for the most authentic experience of the classic arcade game available on the market. STRICTLY LIMITED TO 78 x SPACE INVADERS AND 79 x SPACE INVADERS PART II WORLDWIDE.

Oh yeah, you can start drooling now with their official announcement trailer below 😉

image source: Numskull Designs