Pinball

Jersey Jack Pinball Announces The Future Of Pinball

14/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

As we had predicted in our Pinball Expo 2016 feature, Jersey Jack Pinball have announced their newest machines, and let’s just say, they have hit it out of the proverbial park!

Jersey Jack’s new machines will definitely be making history by being right on the bleeding edge of pinball design! First up, Pat Lawlor’s Dialed In. The legendary designer’s highly anticipated, original concept game will be the first pinball machine to feature Bluetooth® connectivity, a camera and additional player capabilities through a smartphone! The other special features of Dialed In will make your head spin, like the swivelling LCD mount, hidden trap door and the 3D interactive projected image to name just a few. Dialed In will come in two different variants, a Collector’s and Limited Editions.

The second machine announced is their Black Arrow Special Edition, named after the arrow that defeats Smaug™ in the acclaimed The Hobbit™ film trilogy. Special features include Black Arrow track mode animation, Black Ink body armour, black pinballs, gold Smaug™ character and plenty more to keep you excited. We honestly can’t wait to find out more about this one!

Pat Lawlor and Jersey Jack’s Jack Guarnieri proudly show-off Dialed In

The Dialed In playfield looks very inviting!

Oh that RGB lighting is gorgeous!

Who you gonna call? Jersey Jack Pinball!

Do as Bob says, visit him when flashing!

Get your smartphones ready, pinball wizards!

Holy black pinballs!
source: Jersey Jack Pinball

Pinball Expo 2016

10/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

Pinball Expo 2016 is almost upon us! the 32nd Pinball Expo will take place from October 12 to 16 at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, Illinois. The expo will be jam-packed with new pinball machine reveals. Being the biggest Pinball Expo to date, expect the major pinball industry players to showcase their latest (and future) wares.

Here is what you can expect from the big boys (if you are one of the lucky attendees):

American Pinball:

The newest kid on the pinball block will showcase their first game, Houdini Master Mystery.

Dutch Pinball:

The diverse Dutch group of pinball maestros will have their much anticipated The Big Lebowski machine on display.

Heighway Pinball:

The UK pinball manufacturer will finally reveal Alien.

Jersey Jack Pinball:

The crew that brought us the brilliant The Wizard Of Oz and The Hobbit machines have been busy tinkering on their much anticipated 3rd machine, designed by the veteran pinball designer, Pat Lawlor.

Multimorphic:

The company behind the P3 Pinball Platform will show their latest version of the Lexy Lighspeed machine. They will also have the mini games from the Texas Pinball Festival from earlier in the year.

Planetary Pinball / Chicago Gaming:

With their extremely popular Medieval Madness Remake still high in demand, the Californian based company is teaming up with Chicago Gaming yet again for their second title! All be revealed at Pinball Expo.

Spooky Pinball:

The Wisconsin pinball makers will be busy showing their Rob Zombie Spookshow International, Domino’s Spectacular Pinball Adventure and possibly news on future titles!

Stern Pinball Inc:

Last but not least, the biggest pinball manufacturer of them all, Stern Pinball, will be revealing their Batman 66 machine. This will be Stern’s first game utilising a full colour LCD replacing the dot-matrix display. The game will feature a second smaller LCD on the playfield as well. The Batman 66 design team will be headed by George Gomez, with Lyman Sheats taking care of programming and artwork featuring Christopher Franchi’s impressions. The game will borrow heavily from the Batman The Dark Knight (2008) playfield, including the crane, but the left side of the playfield will be totally redesigned.

The other Stern pinball machine to be featured at Pinball Expo will be the Pabst “Can Crusher”.

image source: multiple – supplied

Thrill Of The Chase: The Walking Dead Pinball

21/09/2016 By ausretrogamer

It’s true what they say: it really is better to give than to receive. And that’s what makes this ‘Thrill Of The Chase‘ extra special, because I was chasing something for a very important person (hint: her name rhymes with Ms Ausretrogamer).

Ms Ausretrogamer loves ‘The Walking Dead‘ and she loves to play pinball, so we’re always on the lookout for TWD tables to play. We’ve travelled far and wide in our quest to kill those zombies, and we’re yet to get tired of it. It’s such a fun table, whether your a newbie or a wizard. So, while watching Ms Ausretrogamer clearing the prison yard and unleashing the Well Walker multi-ball, I made a decision – I had to get her a TWD pinball table of her own! But with only six months until her birthday, I had to move fast.

Searching far and wide, the pinball machine was secured. The next part of the plan was to get it delivered and setup without Ms Ausretrogamer’s knowledge. To keep her off the scent, a decoy birthday gift was created.

With everything in its place, it was time to execute Project Happy Birthday. Ms ausretrogamer was presented with the diorama, where not even Rick Grimes playing a Twilight Zone pinball machine gave her any indication of what was to come! Under the ruse of checking out the birthday decorations in the games room, the surprise was revealed and the look on Ms Ausretrogamer’s face was priceless! That’s when I knew, this thrill of the chase was totally worth it.

The decoy gift

Rearranging the fun factory

Space cleared next to Pin*Bot

The careful delivery – thanks to Skooota and Tony!

The surprise is set!

Even the machine knows it’s an important day!

Surprise!

Las Vegas Shenanigans: The Fun Dungeon At Excalibur

29/07/2016 By ausretrogamer

In this last of our Las Vegas Shenanigans feature series, we hit the Fun Dungeon at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino! If you thought that The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade looked awesome, wait till you see how much fun we had at the Fun Dungeon! Well, what are you waiting for, take a look down below! Viva Las Vegas!

The upside down Atari sign is pointing down! Let’s go!

Oh no, not this guy! Nah, we don’t wanna know our fortunes!

Ello, ello, ello, what do we have here then……Golden Oldies!

Right-io, let’s fight then!

Woohoo, silver-ball action!

Where to go next? Aha, perhaps to a galaxy far, far away?

The menacing T-Rex looks enticing!

What’s this red bubble thing then……..

Should we challenge this dude? Nah, we don’t wanna embarrass him 😉

Oh man, so many choices – to fight or go off-road driving?

No punching on this ice skating rink!

Big rig drivin coming up!

Ms ausretrogamer tries her hand at flying! Land that plane!

Some snow action too!

Rushing off to San Fran, baby!

Love being a (crazy) taxi driver!

Shoot! Dodge!

Where play saves the day? Indeed it does!

Found another Atari arcade machine in the desert!

Batwoman, oops, we mean Ms ausretrogamer shows Batman how it’s done!

All this play has made us work up a massive hunger (and thirst)!

Las Vegas Shenanigans: The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade

26/07/2016 By ausretrogamer

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Pfft, if that were the case then we would not have told you about our exploits at Toy Shack and A Gamer’s Paradise while in Sin City. What we haven’t told you about (yet), is our arcade and pinball shenanigans at the resort casinos, like the The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade in New York New York.

Rather than write about this experience infinitum, we’ll let our photos tell the story. What we will say is that The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade is damn awesome! It has that Coney Island (seaside) amusement feel, which makes the experience even more authentic. To top it off, there is a roller coaster whizzing around on the top of the resort for that ultimate adrenaline rush! Enjoy the ride!

All stairs lead to The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade at New York New York!

We have reached amusement nirvana!

Locked and Loaded!

Time to have some flippin fun!

What to play first?

Ms ausretrogamer chooses wisely!

While Metallica is in use, AC/DC gets a workout by yours truly

What should we play next? Oo, gun games!

Gonna hunt us some dinosaurs!

From one Jurassic Park to another!

Whoa, Max Flight – VR 2002 style!

Ms ausretrogamer tries out some old school Virtual Reality!

Ticket Track? Ahhh, why not….

Oo’er, very glowy!

Raw Thrills? Count us in!

Some NITRO action coming up!

Decisions, decisions! Let’s Go Jungle then!

All roads lead back to pinball!

When in Vegas, you gotta check out The Wizard Of Oz: 75th Anniversary pinnie!

There is no way I’ll be dragged off this pinball machine!

Alright, we need our adrenaline rush! Let’s ride the Manhattan Express!

Gotta grab a feed before we get back into more gaming!

In the next of our Las Vegas Shenanigans series, we’ll feature the Fun Dungeon at Excalibur!

Film Review: Wizard Mode

22/07/2016 By ausretrogamer

There is something enticing about pinball – the flashing lights, pop bumpers, drop targets and the challenge of playing better in each game seems to draw people from all walks of life. Among the top tier pinball players in North America, there is one name that constantly stands out, Robert Emilio Gagno. Through his dedication to pinball, Robert has won many a tournaments and competitions and now strives for the ultimate pinball reward, Wizard Mode. Oh, and Robert happens to have autism.

Wizard Mode is a candid personal perspective on autism through the life of the current world champion of pinball. The film follows Robert as he seeks to balance his quest to become a world pinball champion and his growing real world responsibilities, culminating in the largest pinball tournament at the world, Pinburgh, in Pittsburgh, PA.

We laughed, we cried, we cheered, we applauded, and most importantly, we were inspired by Robert Gagno’s story to become (spoiler alert), the pinball champion and a champion in life! Robert has definitely achieved Wizard Mode and the filmmakers from Vimeo and Salazar Film have hit the Super Jackpot!

Currently available on Vimeo in the U.S. and Canada. Wizard Mode will be available worldwide later this year.

source: Wizard Mode Film

PinCade: All-In-One Pinball Arcade Machine

15/07/2016 By ausretrogamer

If you are a keen arcade and pinball gamer and you don’t have the space in your home to cram a bunch of machines, perhaps this PinCade – an all-in-one pinball and arcade machine is your answer!

The PinCade is currently available on eBay and is going for a pretty penny (or best offer). If you factor in all of the pinball machines you can play (yep, we are well aware that they are digital) and all vertically oriented arcade games, then this machine becomes a pretty good proposition. It also doesn’t hurt that it looks damn awesome! Ah, if only we had the funds to add this to our games room.

Oo’er, are you scared stiff?

Choose your pinball table!

Flippin hell, it’s Indy!

Once you are done playing pinball, get some Pac-Man into ya!

If Pac-Man is not to your liking, then perhaps some shmup action!

source: eBay

An Ausretrogamer Birthday Mystery Tour

23/05/2016 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Weekends can get filled up with so much boring stuff – groceries, washing, vacuuming… blerg! So when Mr Alex Boz’s birthday came around, we knew it was time to put adult life aside for a day and have some fun instead – and what’s more fun than a Birthday Mystery Tour?

It was a beautiful sunny day, and after a quick breakfast at our favourite cafe – we were off. All destinations were a surprise to Alex, he had to solve clues along the way to work out where we were heading next.

We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day in Melbourne

Stop #1: Escape Room – Burlesque at EscapeXperience

‘Strange things are happening at the Burlesque. You’re going in undercover to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances. Behind the glamour and mystery lies a dark secret that someone is desperate to keep hidden. Can you solve the mystery and escape before it’s too late?’

We heard this was the best escape room in Melbourne, and we were not disappointed. This was our first real-life escape room experience, so we were a little nervous, but the staff were awesome – very friendly and reassuring. They gave just enough help to point us in the right direction when we got stuck – without giving too much away. We had a blast and will be returning to try out their other rooms very soon.

Stop #2: Snack shopping at USA Foods

One of our favourite things about travelling to the US is trying out all the weird and wonderful snack food, but forget about the airfare and the jet lag because all our favourite snack foods are available right here in Melbourne at USA Foods. Alex’s clue was ‘Peanut Butter M&M’S’ and he guessed it right away!

Stop #3: Waverley Antique Bazaar

A fun day out would not be complete without a stop at a second-hand store, and the enormous Waverley Antique Bazaar was just the ticket.

Stop #4: Pinball at Pixel Alley

I know what you’re thinking – what about pinball? Well, don’t fret, Alex got his pinball fix at Pixel Alley. They have a nice selection of tables currently on-site: Metallica Master of Puppets (Premium), Spider-man Vault Edition, Game of Thrones (Limited Edition) and KISS (Premium).

Stop #5: Coburg Drive-in

The final Birthday Mystery Tour stop was the Coburg Drive-in to see The Jungle Book. It had been a long time since we’d been to the drive-in but all the fond memories came flooding back as soon as we drove through the gate, we especially loved the adorable retro diner.

We also spotted some interesting sights while out-and-about all day.

An old Pentridge Prison watchtower – spooky

Groovy vintage cars

What a day! Now, excuse me while I start planning for next year…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Ghostbusting At Zax Amusements

13/05/2016 By ausretrogamer

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!

Pinfest 5: Festival Of The Silver Ball

28/04/2016 By ausretrogamer

Ladies, kids of any age and gentlemen, listen up! Pinfest 5 has just been announced by the Newcastle Pinball Association! Mark the 24^th and 25^th September 2016 in your calendar and make sure you head to the Caves Beachside Hotel, which is 90 minutes north of Sydney.

Celebrating its 5^th consecutive year, Pinfest 5 will be bigger and better, with awesome special attractions to mark the occasion, including an exclusive Pinfest patrons raffle to win a Data East Time Machine pinball table! If that wasn’t enough of an incentive, there will be up to 70 pinball machines to flip and tilt on, ensuring that every patron experiences as many pinball machines as possible.

No matter your age or your level of interest, if you have itchy flipping fingers, you need to be at Pinfest 5! Keep an eye on the Newcastle Pinball Association Facebook page for more details.

Pinfest 2015 highlights

source: Newcastle Pinball Association

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