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Belles & Chimes Melbourne – A Pinball Group For Women

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Pinball should be enjoyed by all, so it was awesome to find out that there is now an official Belles & Chimes Melbourne chapter up and running!

If you haven’t heard of Belles & Chimes, it is a pinball league for women that started in the US, with chapters popping up all around the world, including Melbourne – which is simply awesome news.

The Belles & Chimes Melbourne chapter is open to women (cis and trans) and non-binary pinheads of any diverse background and skill level living in this great city. The inclusiveness of this group ensures that everyone gets to experience and enjoy playing pinball.

Belles & Chimes Melbourne will have meet-ups as well as their own tournaments in the near future, so if you are keen on pinball and would like to get involved, join their Facebook group to keep up to date and follow them on Instagram.

For more information about Belles & Chimes and chapters around the world, check out their site.

Pinball enjoyed by all!

 

TGIF: Friday Shopping Frenzy

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Well, Thank Gawd It’s Friday, or better yet, !

Friday always feels good as it is the end of the working week and knowing that the weekend shenanigans are nigh.
To make Friday flow even easier, we thought we’d go shopping for some cool retro gaming and general pop culture stuff that you may also be interested in. Oh yeah, if you are keen on any of the gear below, just click on the pic and it will take you to the relevant merchant/store – too easy, here we go!

 

Japan Amusement Expo: JAEPO 2019 Highlights

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We have always wanted to attend an amusement (trade) expo, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO), which was held over the last weekend.

The heavy hitters of the industry were all there showcasing their latest games and machines (Sega, Taito, Konami, Capcom, Bandai Namco), hoping to attract distributors and operators alike. Oh yeah, Taito’s ‘Mega Rage Darius’ throwback section was a nice touch and proved quite popular!

image source: megarage_mizo

Here are some highlights and new machines that caught our eye from JAEPO 2019. Obviously Space Invaders and anything pinball related caught our eye.

Taito stand

Taito’s Densha De Go (train simulator) – Standard and Kids versions

Taito – Space Invaders Gigamax (10P Space Invaders with a display that fits on a side of a building)

Taito / Raw Thrills – Halo: Fireteam Raven

Street Fighter V Type Arcade (Capcom @ Taito’s stand)

Taito – Space Invaders Pinball Jam

Arcade1Up Japan – Space Invaders 40th Anniversary

Konami – stand

Konami – Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) 20th Anniversary Edition

Bandai Namco Technica – Pac-Man Panic Pinball

Bandai Namco Technica – Super Panic Ball (pinball)

Bandai Namco Technica – unique tool display from a Jersey Jack Pinball cabinet

exA-Arcadia – the NEOGEO MVS of our time!

Arcade Buttons galore!

image sources: Arcade Heroes, Taito Zuntata on Twitter, Taito, Arcade1Up Japan, BemaniStyle, exA-Arcadia & BK2000

 

Polish Arcade Parlours and Games from the mid 1990s

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We love seeing old photos of arcade games and parlours, especially ones from Eastern Europe – just like these photos uploaded on Flickr by Marcin Wichary from mid 1990s Poland.

If you look closely, you will find some interesting bootleg machines, but that doesn’t matter, as this is great to see what gamers got to play in Poland in the mid 1990s.

You can check out the rest of the photos on Flicker.

source: Marcin Wichary on Flickr

 

The Munsters Pinball Unveiled at CES 2019 in Vegas, Baby!

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Stern Pinball keep pumping out pinball machines with themes that strike a chord with a lot of you out there.

Their latest pinball machine, The Munsters was unveiled to much fanfare at CES 2019 in Las Vegas earlier this morning (Australian time). With Jack Danger’s Dead Flip Twitch channel live streaming the reveal, there were lots of eyeballs around the globe glued to screens to check out what Stern had delivered – they weren’t disappointed.

We can safely say that Stern has released a machine that will have mass appeal for operators and home collectors alike. The best part of showing their new title was that all three models were available to be checked out and of course, played. The Pro, the Premium and the LE (Limited Edition) were all there, with their distinct packages, garnering a huge buzz online, both on social media and forums like Pinside – which is exactly what Stern was aiming for!

Oh yeah, a bit more detail regarding this new pinball title:

There are three machine variants of The Munsters; there is the Pro, Premium and Limited Edition (LE). Aside from each having distinct cabinet art, the Premium and Limited Edition versions contain some cool extra features with the most obvious one being the mini-playfield under the centre of the main playfield. The mini-playfield contains miniature flippers with it’s own tiny ramps, including a wireform one (ramp) with an upkicker and its own multi-ball – how cool is that! The entry level Pro model doesn’t have the sunken mini-playfield, but all three versions share the following features:

  • A left ramp that lifts up to reveal a Spot (dragon) toy you can bash with the ball
  • A right ramp that Stern describes as a “turn-around, flip-up ramp”
  • A large Herman Munster with a magnet to catch and throw the ball around
  • A “Zap” button on the lockdown bar
  • Built in metal protector on scoop
  • Unique cabinet art for each model, with the Premium version having a full black-and-white art package
  • LCD screen in the backbox with custom graphics and scenes from The Munsters TV sitcom

The Limited Edition (LE) model will have a production run of 500 units, which we have been informed have all been sold out worldwide – now that was quick!

We must say that the Premium’s black and white colour scheme is cool and quite refreshing, which may polarise hardcore pinheads (we love it!).

The Pro version will be available in Australia from the end of January, with the (already sold) Limited Edition coming in March and the Premium in mid May. We can’t wait to check these out in the flesh and give them a flip! So, which one appeals to you?

The Munsters Pro model

The Munsters Premium model

The Munsters Limited Edition (LE) model

image source: Stern Pinball

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PAX Aus 2018 Classic Gaming Area Captured on VHS!

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Now this was a pleasant surprise from Jack (aka: NewOldStock)!

If you like your videos to be authentically gritty and grainy (like they were 30 years ago), then check out this one of the Classic Gaming Area at PAX Aus 2018 captured on a 1986 National (Panasonic) M5 VHS camera!

We spoke to Jack to tell us a bit more about how this cool video came about. Jack told us that he is an avid collector of vintage A/V equipment that he loves to restore and use – his dream is to ultimately become a filmmaker. The National (Panasonic) M5 camera that he used for this footage cost him AU$70 at Cash Converters – we reckon that is money well spent. He informs us that he wanted this particular brand and model due to its reliability and the fact that batteries are still being manufactured for it – some 32 years after its initial release (totally mind blowing)! Jack’s challenge to transfer the VHS footage to be viewed on the net was daunting, however with sheer determination and tenacity, he found an old DVD recorder in hard rubbish that he used to digitise the VHS footage – now that is fortuitous!

Thanks heaps to Jack and his hard work in creating this awesome video – we feel like we have been transported back to the 80s and absolutely love it! Enjoy!


source: OldNewStock

 

Wishing You All An Awesome Xmas

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‘Tis the season to be jolly, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

No matter where you are on this beautiful blue marble of ours, and no matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, on behalf of the Ausretrogamer and Pinball Press team, we wish you all a safe and awesome Christmas / Festive Season! All the very best to you all for 2019!

Thank you to all of you that come and visit our site – you all rock!

Oh yeah, if you have all been good, we hope Santa can drag himself away from playing pinball and deliver your presents!

image source: boredpanda

 

Merry FlipMas: Pinball Gifts For Any Occasion and Any Budget

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Do you like pinball? Do you have a special someone in your life that is into pinball?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then we have some really unique and cool handmade and vintage pinball related gifts (to suit any budget!) so you are all sorted for Christmas (or any other occasion)!

Oh yeah, just click on the link or photo to take you straight to the product item.

Attack From Mars Shadowbox Art

Same Player Shoots Again Enamel – Pinball Pin

3″ Vintage Reproduction Williams Electronics Manufacturing Corp. Pinball Company

Guns & Roses Data East Pinball LED Backbox Display light box

Gottlieb Haunted House Pinball Shadowbox Art

Vintage 70s Pinball Wizard t-shirt

Pinball Flipper Pendant Necklace in Brushed Pewter

The Machine: Bride of Pinbot Williams Pinball BackBox LED Display light box

Mini Virtual Pinball Machine

The Walking Dead Pinball – Pile of Skulls: Pinball Flipper Bat MOD

25 Cent Pinball Arcade Video Game LED Night Light

Pinball Flipper Keychain

Pinball Pop Bumper Button / Keychain

Pinball Addict Necklace – for her (or him)

Pinball Obsession Greeting Card

Pinball Addict 3″ Embroidered Patch

INDIANA JONES The Pinball Adventure – keychain (gold)

Midnight Pinballing (Giclée Fine Art Print)

Shaky Pinball LCD Handheld Game

Tiger Electronic Vintage Handheld Pinball LCD Video Game – 1987

Miniature Football Theme Pinball Machine Clock

Night Shift – Pinball Oil Painting

Twilight Zone Pinball pin

The Addams Family Pinball LED Illuminated BackBox 3D Art Shadow Box – deluxe limited edition signed numbered

Solenoids & Asteroids – limited edition Pinball themed silkscreen print

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Pinball Press is the coolest PR & Social Media engine that drives awareness to your pinball related products, events, news, podcasts and streams!

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

 

 

Nintendo Switch Review: SEGA Mega Drive Classics

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Woohoo, the iconic retro collection Sega Mega Drive Classics has landed on the Nintendo Switch™ and boy, it is a ripper! We thought the PS4 version was awesome (which it is!), but you can’t take your PS4 on the train with you to play these classic Mega Drive games.

Sega Mega Drive Classics on the Nintendo Switch is the largest collection of retro classic games in one pack. There are 50+ classic Sega 16-bit games to satisfy almost every genre under the sun, from arcade action, adventure, pinball (sort of), shooters, beat ‘em ups, fighters, puzzlers, hack’n slashers, tactical RPGs to everyone’s favourite, platformers – and there are lots of platformers (which isn’t a bad thing)!

These old favourites aren’t just dumped from their cartridges and thrown in this package, no sirree, they have had a raft of cool modern features injected into them including mirror mode, rewind (for when you slip up), controller customisation, online multiplayer and achievements, optional emulation enhancement filters like pixel scaling and save states to save your game at any time, meaning players – both old and new, should find revisiting these retro games an absolute blast.


source: Five Star Games

Once we loaded Sega Mega Drive Classics we were totally impressed by the opening title sequence, which we will leave as a surprise (Ed: Unless you have already experienced it on the PS4/XBone), but we can tell you this much, it’s pretty darn awesome – either that or we are too easy to please. Anyway, once you stop drooling from the title sequence you are greeted by the menu system where you can access the 50+ Sega Mega Drive games and various other options. The menu resembles the bedroom of an early nineties Sega fan, which is a great throwback, with dynamic time-of-day conditions, retro SEGA paraphernalia, a shelf full of the aforementioned 50+ Mega Drive games, and of course, a CRT TV with the sexy Mega Drive console underneath it.

When selecting a game to play, its corresponding cart is removed from its case and then inserted into the Mega Drive console – pure nostalgia overload. On top of the already mentioned modern conveniences and features jammed into this package, the most important thing we can tell you is that the emulation of the games is spot-on. The word ’emulation’ may trigger negative connotations, but we are here to tell ya that this is as close as you will get to playing Mega Drive games without forking out for the console on eBay and then fishing around for the game cartridges.

A lot of you may already know this, but for the peeps that don’t know, we aren’t much of adventure or RPG fans, so we stuck to Sega’s arcade conversions, platformers, beat’me ups and puzzle games in this collection. After playing a lot of Sonic, Ristar, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Columns, Comix Zone and the Shinobi games, we can say that we definitely felt like we were back in the early 90s – good times!

Before we go on, here is the full list of games included in this package:

  • Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
  • Alien Soldier
  • Alien Storm
  • Altered Beast
  • Beyond Oasis
  • Bio-Hazard Battle
  • Bonanza Bros.
  • Columns
  • Columns III: Revenge of Columns
  • Comix Zone
  • Crack Down
  • Decap Attack
  • Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
  • Dynamite Headdy
  • ESWAT: City Under Siege
  • Fatal Labyrinth
  • Flicky
  • Gain Ground
  • Galaxy Force II
  • Golden Axe
  • Golden Axe II
  • Golden Axe III
  • Gunstar Heroes
  • Kid Chameleon
  • Landstalker
  • Light Crusader
  • Phantasy Star II
  • Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
  • Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
  • Ristar
  • Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
  • Shining Force
  • Shining Force II
  • Shining in the Darkness
  • Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
  • Sonic 3D Blast
  • Sonic Spinball
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • Space Harrier II
  • Streets of Rage
  • Streets of Rage 2
  • Streets of Rage 3
  • Super Thunder Blade
  • Sword of Vermilion
  • The Revenge of Shinobi
  • ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
  • ToeJam & Earl
  • Vectorman
  • Vectorman 2
  • Virtua Fighter 2

The problem with a pack like this is that players will concentrate on all the games there were left out. Granted, they probably could put the entire Mega Drive catalogue on the cute little Switch cards and flog it for $90.00+, but then we would find something else to complain about. The games that are included are solid, bar a few questionable titles, however, just because we don’t like adventure and RPG titles, it doesn’t mean they should be excluded. Same goes the other way, if you loathe platformers, beat’em ups and puzzlers, it doesn’t mean these genres should be thrown out for more RPGs. Actually, if there was a driving game like Super Monaco GP or a motorcycle-racing-bashing one like Road Rash, then we could say that most, if not all, genres are well represented. Come to think of it, a few more shoot’em ups, like Truxton and Thunder Force would have rounded out this already pretty awesome package. Ah, we can speculate all we want, but we have to give it to Sega, they have tried to cater for the majority and we reckon they have done an admirable job.

After waffling on about this Sega Mega Drive Classics package on the Switch, the ultimate decision to buy or not buy is yours, but we’ll leave you with this little nugget – if you want to get your Sega 16-Bit gaming fix on your modern console and also play it on the go, then you can’t go too wrong with Sega Mega Drive Classics.

Review System: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: December 6 2018
Format: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One & PS4
Price: $48.99 on Nintendo Switch (via OzGameShop)

Disclosure: Sega Mega Drive Classics [Nintendo Switch] download code was kindly provided by Five Star Games for this review.

 

Flipout 2018 Highlights

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Wow, what a weekend it was! The third Mr. Pinball Flipout 2018 in Melbourne was an absolute flippin blast!

To ensure we got our fill of pinball, we arrived at Flipout 2018 nice and early and were quite chuffed to have found ourselves first in line for entry. Within minutes of arriving, we looked behind us and were greeted by a line snaking through the Sandbelt Hotel, with guests eagerly awaiting the clock to strike 10:00!

Once the doors flung open, we were greeted by a cacophony of pinball machine noises that were music to our ears. Being first through the doors, our eyes immediately fixated on the pair of Jersey Jack Pinball’s new Pirates of The Caribbean (PoTC) machines. We knew we had to play these right away otherwise we would have had to queue up to play these, as Jersey Jack Pinball machines always prove popular with the masses. Once we drained our third ball on PoTC it was time to move on to the next big new pinball machine for 2018 – Chicago Gaming Company’s Monster Bash Remake (MBR)! This was the first time the machine was available for play anywhere in Australia, so we counted ourselves quite lucky. There were two MBR machines to play and an original Monster Bash (MB) so we could play them back-to-back and compare the old versus the new – as much as we are fans of the original MB, the Remake just takes it to another level, from the vivid art work and amazing light and sound package, to the ultra clear coated playfield that ensured your shots were precise, making this a complete and wonderful experience. Oh yeah, the huge HD screen just topped off what already is a stellar pinball machine.

Up close and personal with the new Monster Bash Remake

Pinball has had its fair share of controversies over the years, and none are bigger than John Popadiuk’s failed Zidware venture. We won’t bore you with the controversy, which is still a sore point for many (and rightly so), but Mr Pinball had somehow secured one of only a handful of Magic Girl machines to be available for play at Flipout. As you will see in the video and accompanying photos, Magic Girl is one tall and absolutely stunning machine. The machine might be gorgeous, but that’s where it all ends – there is no substance to it, as the game is incomplete, rendering the experience to be somewhat subdued. However, it was amazing to actually see and touch this rare and exotic machine.

Oo’er, the exotically rare and controversial MAGIC GIRL

From one controversial machine to another, we threw some tokens into Alien and plunged the ball to check out (the now defunct) Heighway Pinball’s last production machine. The dark theme nails the feel and atmosphere of the huge movie franchise and of course the Xenomorph sticking its tongue out to grab your ball was one feature we were keen to see in the flesh – it didn’t disappoint. Alien is a striking machine, demanding your attention with it’s unique lines and huge backboard. I just wish Heighway had completed the machine and got the code to a level where the game would just suck you right into the Alien universe. Hopefully the dedicated community of owners out there will do this machine justice with code updates in the future!

Heighway Pinball’s strikingly beautiful and scary Alien machine

While there were plenty of other hard-to-find-on-location machines on free play, like Team Pinball’s The Mafia and Spooky’s Total Nuclear Annihilation (TNA), it was Ben Heck’s America’s Most Haunted (AMH) that actually grabbed us by the scruff of our neck and would not let go. While initially waiting for our turn on TNA, we noticed that no one was playing AMH, so we thought, what the heck, let’s flip this thing. Wow, the machine sucked us in right away – it was so up our alley, that we forgo more machines, including playing TNA more than a couple of times! We played AMH close to 60 times, so we would say that it was our most played machine at Flipout. The cheesy theme, the great sarcastic callouts and butter smooth shooting were among the many things we loved about it. The changing RGB lighting was just the icing on an already delicious cake! We may have to have a chat to Mr Pinball’s Wayne Gillard about finding AMH a new home.

Pinball Party Bus’ Dion Miksad shows us how to play AMH

Ausretrogamer and Pinball Press Co-Founder, Alex Boz reckons AMH was best in show!

With 60 plus machines on offer, including some amazing EM machines, there was plenty of variety to cater for all kind of pinball tastes at Flipout 2018. Of course the event also had an array of great seminars, from Jersey Jack Pinball CEO, Jack Guarnieri’s keynote speech, to Haggis Pinball’s unveiling of their new pinball machine theme. For the competitive types, Melbourne Silverball ran IFPA endorsed tournaments all weekend which were also streamed live on Twitch.

After 7 hours of constant pinball in a day, we had a bout of severe arm-pump, which sadly rendered our day complete. We definitely didn’t leave disappointed – Flipout 2018 far exceeded our expectations. We left the venue with a big smile on our face, knowing that we will have great memories locked away in our cerebral cortex. We can’t wait for Flipout 2019!

We have our tickets ready!

Big thumbs up for Scott Danesi’s TNA!

Plenty of great seminars at Flipout 2018

Just one final plunge!

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Pinball Press
Pinball Press is the coolest PR & Social Media engine that drives awareness to your pinball related products, events, news, podcasts and streams!

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook