Pinball

Let’s Reminisce: The PAX Aus 2015 Classic Gaming Area

November 8, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Well PAX Aus 2015 is over, and I think we can all agree that the Classic Gaming Area was a huge success! Let’s reminisce…

The PAX Australia 2015 Classic Gaming Area was a joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts Ausretrogamer, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro (all providing retro consoles and computers), local barcade Bartronica (providing arcade machines), and pinball enthusiast Scott Kellett with Amusement Machine Distributors, Bayside Pinball Club, and Pinmem (providing pinball tables).

Over the three days we had a constant stream of happy guests and even had people queuing for turns on arcade machines, pinball tables and consoles.

Many people were involved in organising and running the Classic Gaming Area – here are just a few of them.

Lots of awesome people visited the Classic Gaming Area including ‘Blow the Cartridge‘ comic book creator Cameron Davis, the guys from Fury Fingers Films, game developer and YouTuber Rob Caporetto (pictured with pinball wizard Shane Rubans), and videogame history expert Harmik.

Freelance technology journalist Adam Turner (read Adam’s SMH article about the Classic Gaming Area), the guys from Mana Mojo (watch Mana Mojo interview Alex Boz), Marcus and Jen from Retrospekt, and game developer/artist/DM/all-round great guy Ant Stiller also stopped by.

…and last but not least, the lovely guys from Combustible Props (visit their Facebook page for amazing cosplay/prop photos), Nich ‘NichBoy’ Richardson from Good Game Pocket, and special VIP guests: Mr and Miss Daz Retro Jr.

The enforcers in the Classic Gaming Area did a fabulous job: as well as creating a great energy, they answered questions, solved technical problems, looked after lost kids and generally kept the area running as smooth as silk. Thank you to Zailee and the rest of the team.

Now let’s see the area in action – beginning with the consoles, computers and handhelds.

Arcade machines and pinball tables were new to the Classic Gaming Area in 2015 and they proved to be very popular!

We had such a great time and we are already looking forward to PAX Aus 2016. If you like this article, here’s our coverage of PAX Aus 2013 and 2014; as well as PAX Aus 2015 cosplay, the 2015 PAX Aus / AMD Classic Pinball Tournament, and Good Game Pocket’s visit to the Classic Gaming Area.

Images sources: ausretrogamer.com and Brant Raven

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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

2015 PAX Aus / AMD Classic Pinball Tournament

November 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Ah, another PAX Australia (PAXAus) expo has been and gone. If you were there last Saturday and got stuck in the main hall between the Star Wars Speeder and the PAX Rising indie area, you missed a flipping great pinball tournament in the Classic Gaming freeplay area!

Nestled among the old school handhelds, Commodore computers and arcade machines were the designated pinball tournament tables, which included Stern’s brand new Game Of Thrones. The 2015 PAXAus/AMD Classic Pinball Tournament was open to all patrons, young and old.

With four qualifying rounds during the day, it was down to the business end come Saturday evening. The usual pinball wizards were left to contend the final, with a sprinkling of new faces (Ed: well done Aaron Clement) – which is always great to see. Young gun, Jordan Tredaway set the pace with a huge score on Game Of Thrones, which saw him progress further into the night. The seasoned veterans, led by Wal Dickie, Martin ‘Marty’ Robbins, Luke Marburg and John Ebejer, were all racking up consistent high scores to remain in the top five.

As the evening progressed, it was down to the two pinball wizards, Wal Dickie and Marty Robbins, to battle it out for first place. With nerves of steel and precision flippin’, Wal Dickie was crowned the 2015 PAXAus/AMD Classic Pinball Tournament champion. Wal claimed that it had been a long time between wins and that this one was even sweeter as it was his birthday the next day – what a great birthday present! Marty Robbins had another exceptional tournament coming in second, while Luke Marburg collected third place to round off the podium.

Once the tournament formalities were done and dusted, pinball tournament director Scott Kellett declared the pinball tables open for play, which immediately attracted a swarm of players to the machines to have fun and rack up high scores against friends! Ah, it was quite clear that the winner at PAXAus was definitely pinball – keep flippin’!

Shane Rubans is using ‘The Force’ on Star Wars, while Marty Robbins is in deep concentration on Lethal Weapon 3

Tasmanian Aaron Clement shows everyone he can flip with the best of them

Which ‘House’ will Johnny Crabtree choose?

The battle between the young and the young at heart: Jordan Tredaway vs. Stacey Borg

Stephen Tredaway shows them how to play The Machine: Bride Of Pin•Bot

Young gun Jordan Tredaway records another top score on Game Of Thrones

Ball Saved! Marty Robbins lives to flip again!

Wal Dickie plays the game of his life on Game Of Thrones

Norbert Snicer and Scott Kellett present the players with their trophies

Wal Dickie proves that he is a pinball wizard – a well deserved champion!

PAX Australia announces return of the Classic Gaming Area at PAX Aus 2015

October 26, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is proud to announce that the Classic Gaming Area will be returning for the third time, bigger and better than ever, at PAX Aus 2015. The Classic Gaming Area joins the dozen of areas on the show floor catering to PAX Aus badge holders over the three-day event including Tabletop, Console, PC, eSports, and more.

Image source: Blow The Cartridge

The Classic Gaming Area will feature a plethora of playable retro consoles and computers from the 1970s to the early 2000s, and for the first time, arcade machines and pinball tables! This will also include the new and much anticipated Game Of Thrones pinball tables!

Image source: IGN

A joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts Ausretrogamer, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro (all providing retro consoles and computers), local barcade Bartronica (providing arcade machines), and pinball enthusiast Scott Kellett with Amusement Machine Distributors, Bayside Pinball Club, and Pinmem (providing pinball tables), the Classic Gaming Area will transport PAX Aus attendees young and old to the golden age of video gaming.

Consoles on display will be NES, SNES, Dreamcast, Saturn, Master System, Mega Drive, GameCube, N64, PC-Engine, C64, Amiga, Atari ST, Atari 2600, Atari Lynx, Game Boy, Wonderswan, PS1, PS2, and Xbox.

The classic arcade section will include Mortal Kombat 2, Time Crisis, and even an original Donkey Kong cabinet.

Image source: Prima Games

Ausretrogamer’s Alex Boz explains “besides freeplay consoles, computers, arcade machines, pinball tables, and friendly retro gaming experts, the Classic Gaming Area will be running tournaments all weekend with some great prizes!”

Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, PAX Aus Content and Community Manager adds “the Classic Gaming Area has been a very popular and successful part of PAX Aus since we began in 2013, we are thrilled it is back for 2015 and excited about this year’s expanded range of activities.”

More information about the Classic Gaming Area, including tournaments, can be found at https://www.ausretrogamer.com/paxaus-2015-classic-gaming-tournaments.

Friday and Sunday badges and 3-day international badges are still available and can be purchased online at www.paxaustralia.com.au/registration.

For further information visit paxaustralia.com.au or follow PAX Australia updates via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Source: PAX Australia

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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

Pinball Frenzy At PAXAus

October 22, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Who said that pinball was dead? Well, it may have taken a back seat a decade and a half ago, but boy, has pinball come back in a big way. There has been a resurgence of flipping the silver ball with companies like Stern Pinball making contemporary tables based on the hottest bands and pop culture franchises on the planet, from AC/DC, Metallica, KISS, to Iron Man, The Walking Dead, Star Trek and WWE Wrestlemania, there surely is no shortage of great pinball machines to tilt and bump on.

Since pinball has once again become cool (Ed: it never lost its cool!), it was a no brainer to start thinking about including pinball machines in the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area. After meeting Scott Kellett at Supanova earlier this year, we had a brief chat and that is when Scott mentioned how cool it would be to have pinball machines at PAXAus. A few discussions later, Scott’s idea was given the greenlight to pursue having pinball machines in the Classic Gaming area. Through sheer determination and dedication, Scott has round up the big names from the pinball community (Bayside Pinball Club, PinMem and AMD) to deliver us an array of amazing pinball tables (Ed: there will be 10 pinball tables!) for all of you to enjoy and compete on. In a major pinball coup, Scott has arranged to have the first Game of Thrones pinball table available for play in Australia at PAXAus 2015 – even more reason to see you all at PAXAus 2015!

For those with a competitive streak, the ‘PAXAus 2015 IFPA Pinball Tournament’ (proudly brought to you by AMD) will be on Saturday, October 31 – more details here. There will be great prizes on offer, including showbags full of Stern goodies and an awesome Game Of Thrones backboard translite! Get your flippin fingers ready for some pinball frenzy at PAXAus 2015.

Event: PAX Aus 2015
Date: Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2015
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
Tournaments: PAXAus 2015 Classic Gaming Tournaments

image source: Amusement Machine Distributors (AMD)

Flipping Out

October 5, 2015 By ausretrogamer

If you have an interest in pinball, even if it is in passing, then this Flipped video by Mike L. Miller is a hoot to watch. I think a fair few of you (Ed: and me!) will relate to the jubilation of multi-ball play and the despondency when that shiny metal ball drains – the reactions of players in this video are priceless.

If you think pinball is just a passing fad a second time around, then think again! I am glad we are all keeping the (pinball) dream alive!

source: Flipped on vimeo

The Pinball Revolution Continues: Real Meets Virtual

September 23, 2015 By ausretrogamer

image source: Stern Pinball Inc.

What do you get when two titans from the leisure entertainment industry join forces? You get excitement, that’s what! Stern Pinball, the force behind modern day real pinball machines, and FarSight Studios, the force behind virtual pinball games like The Pinball Arcade, have announced a new expanded partnership to connect the real with the virtual when it comes to pinball gaming.

This partnership will see FarSight Studios develop a new digital platform called The Stern Pinball Arcade that will feature exact virtual replicas of Stern Pinball’s hottest pinball machines. If The Pinball Arcade is anything to go by, then we are all in for a treat! The full announcement can be read here.

It’s time to get excited pinball wizards! Let the pinball revolution continue!

Flippin Fun at the Seattle Pinball Museum

September 21, 2015 By ausretrogamer

I got to hand it to Ms. ausretrogamer, her research skills and effort to find fun (gaming related) venues in cities we visited on our North American trip, was second to none. I knew Seattle was going to be a cool city to visit, but we were totally blown away by how much there was to do and see. Rather than cram everything in one article, we thought we would start with the highlight, the Seattle Pinball Museum!

The Seattle Pinball Museum (SPM) is in the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown / International district (508 Maynard Ave S Seattle). Entry is $13USD for an adult ($18USD if you want to come and go), which gives you unlimited play on all the pinball and arcade machines inside the multi-storey entertainment centre. Once you pay your entry fee, you just hit start on any machine and go for your life (except The Wizard Of Oz machine)! We started proceedings on the world’s biggest pinball machine, Hercules! This thing was massive! Instead of a metallic sphere to knock around, Hercules uses a white billiard ball! The flippers were more like bats, and there was no way you could bump and tilt like you would on a normal table. I must say, it was an experience playing on Hercules, but my eyes quickly diverted to Fish Tales!

On the ground floor, the pinball tables were arranged from oldest to the latest offerings from Stern and Jersey Jack Pinball. There were no queues to wait (on the day we were there), so we jumped from one table to the next – experiencing everything from the early 70s right through to the current day machines.

Upstairs was a mix of pinball tables (Gorgar, The Flintstones, Taxi, Terminator 2, Space Invaders among others) and arcade machines straight out of the golden age era – Asteroids, Missile Command, Pacman and Galaga, just to name a few. It was great to see these machines once again, and it was even better seeing the new generation of kids enjoying these classics.

We had such a great time at the Seattle Pinball Museum, we totally lost track of time. Ms ausretrogamer had to tap me on the shoulder to let me know that we were the last ones inside and that the other machines were being turned off for the day. Luckily for me, Mike (from SPM) was cool enough to let me finish my game. Before we did leave, we bought a few souvenirs from the SPM, an awesome tee and a few pinball badges to remind us of the great time we had. If we lived in Seattle, I know where we would go every week!

At last, we arrive!

Entering the wonderful world of the Seattle Pinball Museum!

Even the wall art was awesome (and in theme) in this place!

The pinball wizards having some flippin fun

Whoa! The World’s largest pinball game! This thing was huge!

Yep, that’s a billiard ball to play on the largest pinball game on the planet!

Yours truly enjoying some Fish Tales! Haven’t played this in ages! So good!

The pinball tables were arranged from oldest to latest – Texan is the oldest at the Museum

Texan’s starting control deck – oh how beautiful

Oh wow, this Star Trek Enteprise Limited Edition table had to be seen to be believed (it was so sleek and gorgeous)

No matter where you turned, there were pinball tables begging to be played!

Best part of being here – trying pinball games I had never played before!

LoTR is now in my top 10 fave pinball tables of all time! That’s a big call!

Nice to look at, but a nightmare to play. Perhaps I needed more practice…

Ms. ausretrogamer was hooked on Scared Stiff

Woo hoo – top 4 high score on Theatre of Magic!

He shoots, he scores! Another classic Bally table!

This Indy machine brought back lots of fond memories.

Make it so, Number One. Two absolute classics side-by-side!

Let’s start shootin!

A signed Stern AC/DC Pro table! We loved the info on top of each pinball machine.

Found a couple of Pinball 2000 machines too.

Looking back at all the awesomeness.

Ah, The Wizard Of Oz – a table you must play at least once in your life!

The rise of the arcade machines……..

I wonder what wonderment we’ll find upstairs?

More awesome pinball machines upstairs, and……..

Golden Age arcade machines!

Baby Pac-Man – a hybrid arcade and pinball machine!

A different perspective of Baby Pac-Man

Oh wow, I had forgotten how hard Missile Command was at the arcade!

Aha, there she is! She is still beautiful, even after all these years…..

The new generation enjoying the old generation of arcade machines

Oh man, another absolute classic from the Golden Age!

The view from above.

Finally, I get to play the real Gorgar instead of playing it on the iPad!

The view below still looks good.

What to play first? The Who’s Tommy Pinball Wizard or Taxi? Tough decision.

Another rock band inspired pinball table!

While we are here, we might as well have a go on The Flintstones.

More awesome wall art upstairs (wish we could have taken some home!).

Oh yeah baby, a bit of Stardust always goes down well.

Another one of my all-time fave tables – you better believe it!

Found you! I can never get enough of Monster Bash!

Just reading up on my fave table before we have to leave *sad face*

We couldn’t leave the Seattle Pinball Museum without some souvenirs and mementos! Hooray!

Venue: Seattle Pinball Museum
Address: 508 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
Hours of operation:
— 10 to 5 on Sunday | Monday | Wednesday
— 12 to 10 on Thursday | Friday | Saturday
— Closed on Tuesday

Bartronica: Lair Of The Barcadian

August 4, 2015 By ausretrogamer

After a hard days work, where does one go to quench their thirst and get a fix of gaming nostalgia? That’s an easy one to answer – you make your way to Bartronica, a city barcade establishment at 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

Nestled between Elizabeth and Queen (streets), the barcade is in the perfect spot in Melbourne’s Central Business District. The entry to Bartronica is via downward stairs, and upon entry, the establishment is revealed in all of its glory, beginning with the well stocked bar. Speaking of which, there are plenty of beverages which would definitely quench your hard earned thirst. As you down your drink, you notice the upright arcade machines; NBA Jam, Street Fighter II, The Simpsons, Mortal Kombat II, Golden Axe and 1943, and these are just the tip of the iceberg – there are plenty more upright machines jostling for your attention. It doesn’t end there, the venue also has driving and shooting cabinets plus six great pinball tables to get you flippin!

For those seeking comfort, Bartronica also has cool lounges for you to sit and take a load off. If you like to play from the comfort of the lounge, there are old school consoles from Sega and Nintendo which are free to play! The consoles provide a fun way to challenge your friends in some awesome multiplayer gaming action, like Super Mario Kart 64, all while kicking back and sipping on a drink.

With their wonderful hospitality, Bartronica makes everyone feel welcome – it is the kind of place where you would visit quite frequently, on your own or with friends. So the next time you are in the city and in need of a watering hole with a twist, then head on over to Bartronica, you’ll have a blast!

Entering the lair of the barcadian

Anticipation builds, one step at a time!

Hello Bartronica!

What is your poison?

In the driver’s seat, Bartronica owner – Josh Flamank

What to play first?

TMNT it is!

A row of beauties begging to be played

Retro Domination’s Daz Retro hits Ninja Gaiden

Daz Retro gets hacking on Golden Axe!

Behind the bar

Working up a serious thirst!

Taking a load off with Super Mario Kart 64!

Run out of coins? Don’t stress, whack in some notes

The view from the deck

Hello Lisa!

Getting some 16-bit action

Playing some Sonic from the comfort of the plush lounge

Cool light artwork!

Golden Axe immortalised on the wall

Hang on a second, there’s pinballs over there!

There they are – glorious pinball!

Demolishing Demolition Man

Retro Domination’s Matt Cawley gets flippin on Fastbreak!

Matt has silver ball fever!

Drinking + playing = a good night

Action aplenty!

Retro Domination Street Fighter II Battle: Daz Retro vs Matt Cawley!

Venue: Bartronic – Arcade Bar
Address: 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Pixel Alley: The Place To Be

July 24, 2015 By ausretrogamer

On a windy Tuesday evening, we headed to Pixel Alley, an awesome barcade in Fitzroy, and a pinball tournament broke out!

Organised by Luke Marburg, the inaugural Pixel Alley Pinball Tournament pitted players in a head-to-head format, with players being eliminated after two losses. With twenty two players competing on the Iron Man and Monster Bash tables, the competition was fierce, but always friendly and lots of fun – these pinball tournaments are always a great social event. With any competition, there could only be one winner, and for this tournament, Martin Robbins (MTO) cleaned up big time. Martin was unbeatable, especially on Monster Bash – he was setting successive (huge) high scores on the table! I must admit, watching Martin smashing those flippers incessantly was quite mesmerizing – the dude is a full-on pinball wizard. With a $100 bar tab and a Pixel Alley tee, Martin walked away quite satisfied with his win. We definitely can’t wait for the next tournament at this wonderful establishment.

Pixel Alley Pinball Tournament table 1: Iron Man

Tournament table 2 (which is now my all-time fave!): Monster Bash

The competition heats up!

Apart from the pinball action, these tourneys are awesome social gatherings!

Tournament Manager, Luke Marburg ensures everything is above board

Before we leave you to gaze at some of the photos from Pixel Alley, we wanted to tell you all that this place has something for everyone – from old school arcade machines, deluxe driving games (Ed: Daytona 2 anyone?), pinball and pool tables, to an indoor Bocce court, this place is amazing. Oh yeah, the walls are adorned with great gaming artwork, which adds to an already great atmosphere. Did we mention there is a food caravan upstairs? Yep, you read that right. So, if you haven’t already hit Pixel Alley, put it right up the top of your “must visit” list for next time you are in town!

Pixel Alley, the place to be at!

Cool wall art!

More cool wall art!

I wonder who would win this battle?

I really, really like the framed gaming art in this place!

I wanna take this one home. Surely no one will notice…

Oh yes, another one I wanna take home….

The well stocked bar to quench a player’s thirst

One of the great arcade games – The Simpsons!

If The Simpsons isn’t your thing, then Mortal Kombat II might be

Don’t worry about the Iron Bartender, I want to flick that light switch!

Pixel Alley is full of surprises! Time to grab a bite

Time to go old school!

Finishing the night with some DK Junior action!

Dreamy Custom Pinball Tables

June 26, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

After the Australian 2015 Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship Victorian State Final and Cramer’s Pinball Tournament, we have gone a bit pinball mad! Although we love the traditional tables, we are in awe of these amazing custom machines.

They call this table ‘The Goonies’

Mike Johnson from Orlando, FL has built a beautiful custom The Goonies pinball table for the film’s 30th anniversary (yes, 30th anniversary!). It’s really hard to believe no one has made one before.

Video source: Cinereelists on YouTube
Source: Kotaku UK

Order that pinball table a red cap and a speedo

Wes Anderson has designed a new cafe in Milan, called Bar Luce and it’s gorgeous (no surprise!). Most beautiful of all are the custom pinball machines based on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and short film Castello Cavalcanti.

Image source: sissirossi on Instagram

The pinball machine that really ties the room together, or ‘f**k it, let’s play pinball’

The Big Lebowski custom pinball table is not only fantastic (it will feature original movie clips and movie quotes in the game), but is soon to be available to buy from manufacturer Dutch Pinball!

Backbox Translite artwork
Image source: The Big Lebowski Pinball

Video source: Dutch Pinball on YouTube

Wow, so pinball, such flippers

See our previous post about how an old Baby Doll table was saved from the scrap heap and converted into Internet Meme Ball.

Image source: Liberty Games

Bite my shiny metal balls

This one-off Futurama: Space 3000 table was made in a mere 6 months by Evan K. from Seattle using the shell of an old Superman machine and a Futurama Space Pilot movie poster – wow! Check out how he did it.

Image source: Special When Lit

Don’t cross the flippers!

Brian Stahl, or ‘Betelgeuse’ as he’s known on forums, built this amazing custom Ghostbusters table in 14 months from a worn out Flash Gordon machine. The soundboard contains over 40 quotes and music from the movie. Why has this not been made before?!

Video source: superiorcrown on YouTube
Source: Gameroom Junkies Poscast

Everything about this pinball table is awesome!

An awesome life-size LEGO pinball machine with a fully automatic reloading system made by ElectryDragonite.

Video source: ElectryDragonite

By now you should be thoroughly inspired, our dream table would be Pulp Fiction (just imagine the quotes and music alone!) – what would yours be? Let us know on Twitter using #dreampinball.

Image source: Miramax

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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

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