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Pinball Frenzy At PAXAus

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PinballFrenzy_PAXAus_TitleWho 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

GoT_Pro_pinballimage source: Amusement Machine Distributors (AMD)

 

Pixel Alley: The Place To Be

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PA_titleOn 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
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Tournament table 2 (which is now my all-time fave!): Monster Bash
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The competition heats up!
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Apart from the pinball action, these tourneys are awesome social gatherings!
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Tournament Manager, Luke Marburg ensures everything is above board
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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!
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Cool wall art!
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More cool wall art!
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I wonder who would win this battle?
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I really, really like the framed gaming art in this place!
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I wanna take this one home. Surely no one will notice…
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Oh yes, another one I wanna take home….
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The well stocked bar to quench a player’s thirst
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One of the great arcade games – The Simpsons!
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If The Simpsons isn’t your thing, then Mortal Kombat II might be
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Don’t worry about the Iron Bartender, I want to flick that light switch!
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Pixel Alley is full of surprises! Time to grab a bite
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Time to go old school!
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Finishing the night with some DK Junior action!
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Cramers Pinball Tournament: A Flippin’ Success

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Cramers_bar_titleThe Cramers Pinball Tournament (an IFPA endorsed competition) was run and won, and boy, did we have a lot of fun!

The competition was stacked with players from all age groups and experience. The wizards all had a crack on the Cashbox Amusements supplied Metallica Premium Road Case and AC/DC Luci pinball machines to qualify for the top eight and the finals. The play was frenetic and exciting – lots of bumping, slamming and tilting going on. To ensure the crowd could enjoy watching the pinball action from the comfort of the Cramer’s Hotel lounge chairs, a camera was rigged up to the overhead projector – a stroke of genius.

The tournament generated lots of interest in the media, from local newspapers, websites, radio stations, and even national commercial TV stations!  The Channel 7 morning show, Sunrise, had a cameraman videoing all of the action for a segment on the show the following morning. Watch the video (at the bottom of this article), which also features an interview with tournament director, Scott Kellett.

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Like all good things, the tournament had to come to and end. Congratulations to Greg Quinn on becoming the inaugural Cramers Pinball Tournament winner. To all the other participants, well done for playing hard! We get the feeling that the pointy end of the winner’s circle is going to become crowded in upcoming competitions.

These tournaments don’t just spontaneously appear out of nowhere. There are hard working people behind the scenes that make it all happen. It’s people like Scott Kellett that should be applauded and recognised, so for that, we thank you Scott, for a job well done. A big thank you to Cashbox Amusements for the all important pinball machines, and last, but by all means not least, Cramer’s Hotel for having us at their venue. Can’t wait to participate at the next Cramers Pinball tournament – speaking of which, keep July 28 free!

The Tournament Control deck – let the registration begin!
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The tournament area is abuzz! 
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Even the menu gets the pinball treatment! Anyone for some TNT Wedges?
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Oo’er, the prizes!
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The Cashbox Amusements supplied Metallica table!
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Getting in a bit of practice before the tournament.
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The Wal Dickie Lego Pinball – I hope Stern make this one!
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Great recognition from the Cramers Pinball Tournament!
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Scott Kellett calls for the official start of the tournament!
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Dr Curlytek (Stacey Borg) gets flippin on AC/DC Luci
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More tournament flipper action on AC/DC Luci.
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National broadcaster, Channel 7, getting up close and personal!
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Teenage pinball sensation, Jordan Tredaway showing everyone how Metallica should be played!
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Yours truly’s fancy footwork being videoed
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Announcing the finalists!
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Nick Hamhougias bumps his way to the top 4 finalists!
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A top 4 finish for Jordan Tredaway – a future Australian pinball champion in the making!
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The top 4 [L to R]: Jordan Tredaway, Brian Shleibs, Nick Hamhougias, Greg QuinnCramers_Finalists_top4

Cramers Pinball Tournament winner: Greg Quinn
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Cramers Pinball Tournament

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Cramers_HDR_titleAttention all pinball wizards and potential pinball wizards! If you want to participate in a local International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA) sanctioned pinball tournament, then diarise June 11!

Scott ‘Skott’ Kellett (Tournament Director) will host the inaugural pinball tournament at the Cramers Hotel in Preston. Registration opens at 5:30pm with a $10 entry and all machines set to free play to hone in on your flipper skills. The official tournament commences at 7:00pm, with great prizes on offer, like tickets to PAX Aus 2015. Another bonus for participants is that they will receive IFPA points and gain a world ranking! With a great specials bar and menu on the night, it promises to be an all-round awesome evening.

Tournament: Cramers Pinball
Date: 11 June 2015
Where: Cramers Hotel – 1 Cramer Street, Preston VIC
Entry fee: $10
Registration time: 5:30pm
Tournament start time: 7:00pm
Tournament pinball machines: Metallica Premium and AC/DC Luci

For more details on the tournament and to register your attendance, go here.  We hope to see you at Cramers!

Are you ready?
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Let’s get it on!
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The tournament tables are waiting!
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