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Go Fast or Go Home! Rumours Swirl Around Sonic The Hedgehog Pinball by JJP

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Go Fast or Go Home! Rumours Swirl Around Sonic The Hedgehog Pinball by JJP

Strong rumours, along with a few cheeky teaser morsels – are beginning to surface that Jersey Jack Pinball’s next machine could be something very special. Word on the street is that Steve Ritchie’s upcoming JJP design may be based on none other than SEGA’s legendary speedster… Sonic The Hedgehog!

Now, just take a second to imagine that.

The Sonic Pinball Machine That Never Was!

Sonic and pinball are practically made for each other. Both thrive on lightning-fast gameplay, split-second reactions, and heart-pumping action. Looping ramps? Check. Blazing ball speeds? Absolutely. Chaotic multi-ball madness? You bet your chilli dogs!

If these rumours turn out to be true, a Sonic-themed table could be an absolute dream pairing, a fusion of high-speed video game chaos with Steve Ritchie’s signature pinball design philosophy. For those unfamiliar, Ritchie is known for crafting some of the fastest, most adrenaline-fuelled tables in pinball history, making Sonic feel like a perfect thematic match.

Ryan McQuaid’s (aka:McSquid) homebrew Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball

Adding even more intrigue, Jersey Jack Pinball has been known to drop subtle hints and teasers leading up to major announcements. Whether it’s artwork, sound bites, or cryptic social media activity, the breadcrumbs are often there… if you know where to look.

For now, nothing has been officially confirmed – but that hasn’t stopped the speculation machine from going into overdrive.

We’ll be keeping our ears firmly to the ground and our eyes glued to JJP’s social channels for any confirmation (or denial!) of this supersonic rumour – we won’t have long to wait, as June is only around he corner!

In the meantime… Would you be excited to see Sonic The Hedgehog brought to life as a pinball machine?

Because honestly – if this thing is real… it’s going to need to be played fast.

Go fast, or go home 😉

The Master of Flow - Steve Ritchie
The Master of Flow – Steve Ritchie

image source: Jersey Jack Pinball

 

Review: PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon

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There has been one aspect of classic gaming that we’ve always enjoyed, and that is books! There have been a number of awesome classic gaming books released over the years which we have covered on this site, and we are quite chuffed to review the latest book from Cook and Becker, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon.

The iconic PAC-MAN (and his ghostly foes, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde) needs no introduction, as the arcade game captured the hearts of millions around the world upon its release 41 years ago, and has been played many times over on home systems during the intervening years. There is a reason that the arcade machine is still the number one highest-grossing arcade machine of all time – it was and still is an amazing action maze chase game. Once PAC-MAN crossed over from niche fascination to mainstream appeal, there was no stopping this gaming juggernaut.

The Standard Edition

The Collector’s Edition

PAC-MAN’s appeal has transcended generations of gamers, and this officially licensed (by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.) book, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon, is the ultimate tome that is filled with historical facts about the yellow dot muncher, including; origins of the game (and going from Japan to America), design philosophies, original arcade source code, concept designs, art, archival imagery, marketing campaigns, merchandise and its impact to popular culture to name just a few. PAC-MAN’s story spans decades, touching everything from video games, pop culture to our world today, and PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon captures it all beautifully in a quality book that has fast become the definitive work on the iconic dot muncher.

Lots of great chapters on all things PAC-MAN!

Go Toru!

Pac-Man Fever!

With every page filled with eye popping art and images, it is the stories told that capture your attention and keep you glued to each and every page till the last word. We absolutely loved reading the journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the actual game and its inevitable success. The road from Japan to America is another fascinating insight into how Puck Man became PAC-MAN. Oh yeah, to read about Toru’s early life and love of pinball was another cherry on top of an already amazing layered cake. Another aspect that was a pleasant surprise which our inner geek loved, was the PAC-MAN Gameology. This portion of the book lists details about every PAC-MAN related video game from 1980 to today – we were gobsmacked to see (and learned something new!) that PAC-MAN features in so many games!

The design philosophy behind the golden age arcade hero!

The art inspiration of the yellow dot-muncher

The co-authors of this special tome,  Arjan Terpstra (Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book) and Tim Lapetino (Art of Atari and other books), have captured every aspect of PAC-MAN and translated it all into an amazing, hefty and beautifully presented book which every PAC-MAN fan and video games historians need on their bookshelf. PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon will reignite your PAC-MAN Fever, so you have been warned!

Pac-Man invades popular culture!

There are two versions of this book that can be pre-ordered right now; the PAC-MAN: Birth of Icon standard edition (AU$89.95) and the limited to 2,000 copies Collector’s Edition (AU$169.95), which includes:

  • The PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon book;
  • A unique PAC-MAN shaped box and level 256 glitch shaped slipcase, celebrating the visual history of PAC-MAN;
  • An exclusive PAC-MAN arcade token; and
  • A limited, brand-new 7” vinyl pressing of the 1981 smash hit “PAC-MAN Fever” by Buckner & Garcia!

You don’t get too many opportunities to get something special like this book, so if you have the opportunity, we highly recommend either of these editions. And if you were bitten hard by the PAC-MAN Fever back in the day, then we highly recommend you grab the Collector’s Edition – it is amazing!

PS: Australian readers can order either PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon edition via our friends at PixelCrib!

No matter your language, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon has you covered!
image source: Cook & Becker



Disclaimer: The ‘PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon Collector’s Edition’ book was kindly supplied by Cook and Becker for this review.

1/12 Retro Upright Arcade Cabinet TAITO Set

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We are suckers for anything that gives us a hit of nostalgia. This officially licensed 1/12 Retro Upright Cabinet TAITO Set has certainly hit our nostalgic spot! These 1/12 scale arcade cabinets definitely bring back that familiarity in playing these machines back in the day.

The awesome bit of kit comes complete with wooden cutouts for the arcade cabinets, cabinet colour artwork, game screens and control panel cards for three of TAITO’s arcade games; KiKi KaiKai, Bubble Bobble and Elevator Action. These are so darn cute!

Product: 1/12 Retro Upright Cabinet TAITO Set
Store: Play Asia
Price: US$17.99 / AU$28.34

image source: Play Asia