At the recent PAXAus, we were lucky enough to have two Game Of Thrones Pro Edition pinball machines placed in our Classic Gaming area (Ed: thanks to Scott Kellett and AMD). Having played the table and then watched other pinball wizards battling against ‘House Targaryen’ for a huge multi-billion score, we can safely say that we were quite impressed with Stern’s latest table.
Designed by legendary pinball guru Steve Ritchie, the Game Of Thrones Pro table is made for fast, furious and rewarding action (Ed: as a good pinball table should be!). The Pro table comes with great (superspeed) ramps and toys, like the battering ram sliding bash target and the Sword of Multiball to name just a few. As per tradition, there are electric gates (for those start bonuses to rack up your points) and three pop bumpers with LED lighting to get your hearts racing. Oh yeah, Sandor Clegane (aka: ‘The Hound’) lends his voice to narrate the action!
The aim of Game Of Thrones is to win the war for the Iron Throne. This is done by selecting one of six Houses of Westeros (Stark, Lannister, Greyjoy, Baratheon, Martell, Tyrell) to fight for. House Targaryen cannot be selected – you’ll face Daenerys, her army and her dragons in the last battle. Once you select your House, your goal is to conquer all other Houses standing in your way to the Iron Throne.
Every flip of the silver metal ball feels accurate. The ball remains true when hit, which makes aiming at targets that whole lot easier and very satisfying – perhaps being a fan of the HBO TV show helps here too! The layout of the Pro table draws you into play and the gameplay is so rewarding that you don’t even feel cheated by a lost ball. The two ramps are at perfect angles so that balls do not drain if you haven’t flipped hard enough to complete the shot. Even the Dragon Kickback is forgiving with the ball firing back at the right flipper – good for us middle-aged people with slower reactions! There is something second-nature-ish to playing this table, almost like your hands are an extension of this wonderful world of Fire and Ice!
Watching people play then return to the back of the line to play again was a resounding endorsement for Stern’s latest offering – this machine is an absolute winner! The table will please novice and pro pinball wizards alike – it has plenty of challenges no matter your experience. For all those pinball fence-sitters, do yourself a favour and drop a gold coin in the Game Of Thrones pinball machine, you won’t regret it! Game Of Thrones has translated perfectly to the realm of pinball. Get flippin’!
Game Of Thrones Pro ready for action!
Beautiful side art
Learn the rules!
The playfield (with glass removed!)
The Westeros Families
Swinging the Sword Of Mutliball!
Cash in your multipliers at the Iron Bank
Keep your wits about you – this dragon kicks back hard!
The ultimate goal – sitting on the Iron Throne
Weird and Retro’s Aleks ‘Serblander’ Svetislav gets flippin’ on GoT
Stacey ‘Dr Curlytek’ Borg shows us all how it is done
For more details on the Game Of Thrones pinball machines (Pro, Premium and Limited Edition), go to the Stern site. If you want to get head start on your friends when battling it out on the Game Of Thrones Pro machine, grab the strategy guide right now!
There was no doubt that the 
Ms. ausretrogamer
If you are in the market for a huge (instant) pinball collection, now is your chance to strike! With a starting price of $35,000 on this eBay lot, there are roughly 53 pinball tables from various eras in various condition that may require some tender loving care.
The PAX Australia 2015 Classic Gaming Area was a joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts 
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 
Nich Richardson with Alex ‘ausretrogamer’ Boz, Retro Domination’s Daz Retro, Pinball Wizard Scott Kellett, and Kerith ‘ms ausretrogamer’
Lights, camera, action ausretrogamer!
Interviewing Alex Kidd aficionado Braden
Interviewing pinball prodigy Jordan Tredaway
Interviewing Donkey Kong maestro Ryan
Yesterday we celebrated the Japanese release of the Mega Drive, today, it’s NEC’s little pocket rocket, the PC-Engine’s turn to bask in the glory of its awesomeness. On this day (October 30) in 1987, a little white unassuming console, the size of a chip packet, burst onto the Japanese market and caused an immediate stir. Within its compact size was an 8-bit (CPU) heart with twin 16-bit (GPUs) eyes, which resulted in beautiful looking games that were equally packed with great sound and gameplay. It’s games came on cute little cards called HuCards (Hudson Cards) or Turbo Chips in North America.
Sega’s 16-bit beast may have arrived on our shores late in 1990, but on this day (October 29) in 1988, Japan got a taste of the future with the release of the Mega Drive. A leap from the Master System, the Mega Drive brought home (almost perfect) arcade conversions, especially those from Sega’s own arcade stable.