pinball

Ausretrogamer 2016 Highlights

30/12/2016 By ausretrogamer

As another year draws to a close, one can’t help but to reflect on the year gone by. With a record number of visitors hitting the site, we had a heap of highlights in 2016, so dwindling them down to a handful proved to be harder than we thought. Are you ready? Here we go!

We started the year by learning how pinball machines work and how to troubleshoot general problems – a course that was well worth doing!

Getting the grand tour of ZAX Amusements and getting to play the newly released (at the time) Ghostbusters Pro pinball machine was a double highlight!

What better way to spend your birthday than having the awesome Ms. ausretrogamer organising a birthday mystery tour involving escape rooms, USA foods, retrogaming hunting at vintage markets, arcade action and a drive-in movie!

It is always a wonderful surprise when you go on a holiday and find a market that has retrogaming goodies! Carrara Markets delivered the thrill of the hunt buzz we were looking for!

After the birthday mystery tour, it was only fair to repay Ms. ausretrogamer in kind, by surprising her with The Walking Dead Pro pinball machine for her birthday. The look on her face was priceless!

When Marcus Sezonov extended us an invite to his Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament, we definitely could not pass up the opportunity. With a fantastic pinball collection comprising of classic machines from a variety of manufacturers from around the world, we could not stop flipping the silverball. Oh yeah, Marcus also had an original Japanese Space Invaders cocktail table to satisfy our arcade urge.

Being part of Australia’s biggest gaming event is a privilege. For PAX Aus 2016, our Classic Gaming Area was even bigger and better – more arcade and pinball machines, old school computers and consoles, handhelds from yesteryear and for the first time, a classic gaming museum!

Another PAX Aus 2016 highlight was participating in Seamus Byrne’s Geek Trash or Treasure? Finding Collectibles with Real Value panel in the Gamespot Theatre! We can now say that we popped our public speaking cherry.

Last but not least, meeting Jack Guarnieri at the recent exclusive Melbourne Jersey Jack Pinball event was a huge highlight and one we will not forget in a hurry! Oh yeah, playing the Pat Lawlor designed, Dialed In, was pretty great too!

We can’t wait to see what awesomeness 2017 brings us all! We’ll take this opportunity to thank you for your patronage and hope that you’ll come and visit us again in 2017.

Happy New Year to everyone – we hope it is a happy, healthy, successful and fun one!

Get Sponsorship for your IFPA Pinball Event

19/12/2016 By ausretrogamer

The good people at Playfield Protectors are putting their money where their mouth is, not only as the manufacturer of products for protecting pinball machines, but as passionate pinball players.

Playfield Protectors value the IFPA’s efforts in boosting the profile of competitive pinball, they have decided to support IFPA endorsed tournaments.

If you are organising a tournament that is registered with the IFPA and you have 25 or more participants, Playfield Protectors will contribute a prize voucher for the tournament winner worth:

• € 25 for tournaments with 25 or more participants
• € 50 for tournaments with 50 or more participants
• € 100 for tournaments with 100 or more participants

In addition, if your tournament takes place before the next IFPA14 World Pinball Championship (June 2 to 4 2017), they will also provide you with a 10% discount code for each registered player in your tournament.

If you are an organiser of a pinball tournament and are interested in getting a tournament package (including the voucher and an information card) then get in touch with the good folks at Playfield Protectors via email.

The small print: This offer is available worldwide until the sponsorship fund of € 5,000 is exhausted.

Get flippin’

title image source: Playfield Protectors and IFPA

Melbourne’s Pinball Paradise

12/12/2016 By ausretrogamer

So why is Melbourne the most liveable city? Well, one good reason is that we have our very own dedicated pinball and whisky bar, aptly named, Pinball Paradise. Perhaps when Guns N’ Roses sang about Paradise City, they meant this place!

Set in the north-west part of Melbourne’s Central Business District and across the road from the Queen Victoria Market, Pinball Paradise is a pinball wizard’s dream come true – fifteen pinball machines covering multiple eras and a bar stocked with alcohol to quench your hard earned thirst. There is definitely no better place to meet with friends, have a drink and get flippin’!

The lowdown:
What: Pinball Paradise
Where: 1st Floor, 213 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Australia
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 4:00pm to LATE
Pinball Competitions: monthly Melbourne Silverball League

Our only problem, what to play first?

We started with some old school pinball

And then we ended up on Jersey Jack Pinball’s Wizard Of Oz, 75th Anniversary Edition

Check out Martin Robbins’ ‘Grand Opening’ vid to get a feel of Pinball Paradise, oh and its secret entry!

source: Melbourne Silverball League

Dialed In: Meeting Jersey Jack Pinball’s Jack Guarnieri

09/12/2016 By ausretrogamer

If you weren’t aware, there is more than one player in the pinball manufacturing business. Jersey Jack Pinball started in January 2011 and immediately took the pinball scene by storm, creating and releasing innovative, fun and quality pinball machines. This trailblazing pinball company was founded by Jack Guarnieri, an amusement veteran of some forty years and a visionary that understands that pinball must break new ground in features and technology to keep players interested and to attract new ones to this wonderful game we call pinball.

In their short history, Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) has introduced a number of pinball innovations; the high quality backboard LCD-HD screen, RGB-LED playfield lighting, rich audio, QR codes with social media integration and exquisite playfield toys to name just a few. Keeping this ground breaking momentum isn’t easy, but JJP understands that it is crucial to their continuing success.

JJP definitely took a leap of faith with their latest machine, Dialed In – it is refreshing to see a pinball company take a risk and be at the bleeding edge of pinball design and technology! Pinball designer extraordinaire, Pat Lawlor jumped on board and has integrated a number of mind-blowing features, like Bluetooth connectivity enabling additional player capabilities through a smartphone and a camera that emblazons player selfies on the backboard LCD screen. You would think that Dialed In’s original concept may not attract players to it, but we reckon Pat Lawlor and Jersey Jack Pinball have absolutely nailed it! With the game being meticulously developed over a number of years, it shows that no stone has been left unturned for an engrossing and engaging experience. With only the software left to be completed by the legendary Ted Estes, we can’t wait to see the final result!

Dialed In undercover! Waiting for the Australian unveiling

The unveiling of Dialed In! The anticipation was unbearable!

This past weekend, Mr Pinball and Bayside Pinball Club hosted the Jersey Jack Pinball event, with JJP founder and CEO, Jack Guarnieri as the guest of honour. Jack’s Australian unveiling of Dialed In drew a capacity crowd at the Sandbelt Hotel in south-east Melbourne. Eager onlookers could not wait to get their first glimpse of the machine and have a play. Once the machine was available for play, it was like moths to a flame – the queue to play the machine became longer by the second! We were glad that we waited for our turn, as playing Dialed In was a mesmerising experience that left us wanting to play it over and over again. The playfield was inviting, the ‘feel’ of the flippers felt right, the flow of the silverball was precise and that rich thumping audio was just so visceral! Dialed In is already a winner from our brief experience!

Meeting Jersey Jack Pinball’s Jack Guarnieri was both an honour and a humbling experience

The crowd is abuzz awaiting Jack’s inaugural Australian keynote speech!

The other highlight of the event was meeting Jack. Greeted by a warm hug, we knew that Jack was the kind of person we could immediately call our friend. Jack’s eagerness to get to know people, his intellect and humour made him very endearing. He made himself available for people to approach him, even going without food all day to ensure that he got to meet as many folks as possible. Jack’s keynote speech at the unveiling of Dialed In and the Q&A session were great insights into the man and the JJP company, from his fascinating beginnings in Manhattan and the Jersey Shore, to pinball operations, manufacturing and distribution. We hope that Jack returns to Australia in the not too distant future!

Many thanks to Wayne Gillard from Mr Pinball and Lucas Bardin from Bayside Pinball Club for putting on such a great event!

Jack introduces Pat Lawlor’s original concept game, Dialed In! And it’s a beauty!

The crowd gathers to take a closer look!

Always drawing a crowd – Martin Robbins gets dialled in!

Check out Marto’s selfies on the backboard!

Finally, it was our turn to play!

We were mesmerised by the playfield

The Hobbit – Black Arrow edition made its Australian debut at the event too!

Australian IFPA Co-Director, Luke Marburg is taken by The Hobbit

Getting ready for Jack’s fireside (Q&A) chat

Even with technical problems, Jack managed to power through and keep the crowd entertained!

Grant Levy shows off his Battle Pinny homebrew pinball machine

Always available for a chat

Jack and his magic TEXTA!

Last call of duty – autographs!

Bayside Pinball Club were raffling off this Judge Dredd beauty

There were other pinball machines to be played!

Stacey Borg (aka: DRC) and Martin Robbins go head-to-head

Pinball was the winner on this day!

We’ll definitely keep flippin & tweetin’

Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade

28/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

Pinball is such a great social game. Don’t get us wrong, it is fun to play on your own, but in a gathering, it takes it to a new level. By attending pinball events, we have met a lot of great folks, just like Marcus Sezonov. When Marcus extended us an invite to his Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament, we definitely could not pass up the opportunity. As you’ll see in the below photos, Marcus has a fantastic pinball collection comprising of classic machines from a variety of manufacturers from around the world – we still can’t stop thinking about Zaccaria’s Robot machine!

So on a warm Sunday afternoon, we and our fellow pinball guests arrived at Marcus’ private residence for some good old fashioned pinball action and a backyard barbie – perfect! As Marcus was flipping chicken sausages on the BBQ, we thought it was a great chance to ask him a few hard hitting questions about his love of pinball and gaming in general.

Our awesome host, Marcus, flips a mean chicken sausage!

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: What is your earliest memory of playing pinball?
Marcus Sezonov [MS]: I am pretty sure it was the late seventies in a fish and chip shop on a Sunday evening. I played doubles with my dad and I remember watching him and I was just amazed at his skill. I was hooked immediately and just wanted to play as good as him.

ARG: What is it about playing pinball that draws you to it?
MS: That there is real skill to playing a pinball machine and the wonderful artwork. Back in the 70s and 80s I did like video games but on some you could learn their repeated movements to win. Pinball was never the same game twice. I also like the fact that you are controlling a real moving part.

ARG: How did you get started in collecting pinball machines?
MS: I like art, I like games and I love the 70s and 80s – pinball machines are something that fit all of that and are obtainable and still work. It all started with one old electro-mechanical machine just to put in the corner of the lounge room to look at – of course one gets a little boring so you need two . . .

ARG: You have a beautiful collection of classic pinball machines, what drew you to these older tables?
MS: It really is the artwork. The detail in the hand drawn artwork really is stunning – no photos on these machines. I also like the fact that they are difficult to collect and get working. I always wonder how many are really left. For example, there was only 1,600 Centigrade-37 made back in 1977!

ARG: This question would be like asking to pick your favourite child, but we have to ask, do you have a favourite machine from your collection?
MS: I suppose I would have to answer that by thinking about if I had to keep only one, which would it be. I think Centaur II. It has really incredible artwork that looks like a big tattoo. There is a half man half motorbike who is holding a big axe with a girl on the back on the backglass – it really stands out. Scary echo speech that actually taunts you if you miss a shot like ‘Bad move human’ or ‘slow aren’t you?’ and up to 5 ball multiball! This game came out in 1981, but was so popular they made another 1500 special editions in 1983, which is the one I have. One of its special features was its red display – it made it look a little devilish!

ARG: How do you go about picking a machine to add to your collection? Is it a long process (to find it)?
MS: I started off looking at the top 300 list for games pre-1984, then check out the theme and artwork, then read all of the reviews about gameplay. I have also been travelling to a few pinball festivals such as the Newcastle Pinfest and the Australian Pinball Expo in Penrith from a couple of years ago. I used the opportunity to play and decide on a machine I might like to add to my collection. Armed with all of that, I generally start searching eBay – and wait.
Once I had 10 and I could only fit 5 more in, I wanted to ensure a well balanced collection – so a good distribution of eras, art, design and gameplay. I thought the best way to do that was to get hold of different companies machines from around the world. So I focused on getting a Playmatic from Spain, A Zaccaria from Italy and a rare Atari. I also wanted a very rare classic woodrail from the 50’s. I am pretty determined when there is one I want to add to the collection. I had chosen Robot as the one Zaccaria machine I would get. I watched eBay every day for 3 years waiting for it to come up.
There was a 1980 Stern Flight 2000 pinball that a guy in Sydney had 3 of – I bid on the first two and lost. When he put his third one up I was determined to get it no matter what – I would bet 1 million dollars if I had to (not really quite that much!). When I sat down that night to bid, it was gone! I called him and he said he took it off eBay and sold it to a friend! That was the one (or 3) that got away!

ARG: Are there any other machines you have your eye on to add to your collection, or is that a secret?
MS: There is always another one I want, but unfortunately I am confined by space. I can only fit 15 machine at the very most. I just bought my last one after I missed out on Flight 2000. I was looking again for something different. I found a 1983 Bally Vector. It has a ‘flip speed’ calculator. It calculates the speed of the ball up along a top ramp. In fact Vector is being fixed up at the moment and I am not quite sure how everything is going to fit – I think it could be a struggle to even open the door once it is in!

ARG: The cabin idea to house your machine collection is brilliant – how did that come about?
MS: Well . . . When I first met my now wife, I lived in a little unit and I had 4 machines. There was one in each bedroom, kitchen and lounge. When we moved into a house the four were lined up along the back of the lounge room. As she was not into pinball as much as I was, she said she would like them out of the house (although I had identified many little corners they could fit nicely – she didn’t quite agree). I moved three up into the little rickety shed at the back but one had to stay in the house. But then the rule of no pinballs in the house was mentioned and she suggested I build a proper shed in the back to house them. I built a really nice cabin for them.Based on the fact it was only meant to comfortably house 4 and now I have squeezed 15, I am quite happy with it. Although of course I do wish I had made it larger. And it would have been bigger if the wife had let me dig up her lemon tree and move it!
So yes, the cabin works really well as it is away from the house right up against the back fence. So the wife is pretty happy, but the neighbours aren’t!

ARG: You also run the Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament – tell us how this all started?
MS: Almost all of the pinball tournaments are on the newer pinball machines, so there is definitely a gap there for it. To be a good pinball player, you have to be good on all eras of machine, not just the new. I really want others to see and experience just how amazing these pieces of history are to play, so a tournament that is open to anyone is the best way. I did have to limit the numbers though. I intend to run an IFPA endorsed tournament once a year. Last year was the first one and I even got t-shirts made up specially for the occasion. I do have tournament ideas for next year to get more people playing – so look out for that.

ARG: Other than pinball, do you play video games? If so, do you have any favourite systems / games?
MS: I have played video games all my life. It all started with the Atari 2600. I sold that to buy a C-64 computer. I had all the accessories, 1000s of games, joysticks etc. I recently found the big bag I put it all in back in 1986 when I packed it up – and sold it on eBay. I advertised it as a time capsule – it really was! I then got a Game Boy and Game Boy Advance SP, PS1, PS2 and now, a PS3. I also have a PSP which is great when travelling. I bought the XBox 360 a few years ago for one game – Fruit Ninja. I couldn’t get enough of it when I first saw it at a games expo. Swinging your arms about like a ninja rather than using a controller was such a great idea.

Ms ausretrogamer and I would like to thank Marcus and his family for their hospitality and for hosting a great day at the Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade.

Attention to detail – Marcus has all the details of his 15 pinball machines on the back of his tee!

It’s on like Donkey Kong!

Love the beautiful and vibrant artwork on Gottlieb’s Circus

Pete The Chef hits up Last Lap!

Last Lap is beautiful to look at and equally beautiful to play

Checking the score!

Yours truly mesmerised by the Electro-mechanical, Grand Slam!

The tapered backbox oozes timeless beauty

The Grand Slam baseball playfield may look simple, but it’s wickedly difficult & addictive

Skooota gets flippin’ on Fathom!

Bally’s Fathom is a magnificent pinball specimen

A closer look at that awesome Fathom backbox artwork

Wonder which game this is from?

Of course, it’s Playboy!

It takes steel balls to play pinball!

Pinball works up a thirst!

Can’t go wrong with 5c gumballs. Then we’ll play some Space Invaders

A top read!

We are not alone!

Paragon

Xenon

Don’t look into her eyes!

Are you a straight shooter?

Marcus hits 37 degrees centigrade!

Slaying Paragon

Daniel ‘LEX’ Luth is next to slay Paragon

Keeping an eye on the opposition scores

Pop’n jet bumpers!

The dynamic duo!

Even the drop targets are a work of art

Keep flipp’n

5K when lit!

Astounding level of detail on the playfield

No coins required

Triple-treat

The Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade still kick’n it!

A satisfying smile

PAXAus 2016: Classic Gaming Tournaments

25/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

Attention gamers: Sharpen your gaming skills now and prove your retro gaming worth in the Classic Gaming tournaments at PAXAus 2016. As usual, you can compete for fun or glory!

There will be head to head racing, high score challenge competitions on arcade machines, consoles, 8-bit computers and pinball tables to show off your prowess. Speaking of pinball tournaments, Saturday’s competition will be fully sanctioned by the IFPA!

We suggest you put the Classic Gaming tournament schedule in your diary right now. Are you game to compete?

Keeping the Ball Alive: 30 Years of Stern Pinball

21/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

STOP THE PRESS! If you have been looking for a coffee table art book with an inside look at the world’s largest pinball manufacturer, then this Stern Pinball Inc. and PaperFlock collaborative Kickstarter is for you!

Presenting Keeping the Ball Alive: 30 Years of Stern Pinball, a commemorative coffee table art book that will give fans an inside look at the history, design, production, and manufacturing of pinball machines, as well as the people behind them! The 200-page coffee table book will feature over 160 photo pages, colour foldouts, and artwork from thirty years of games. Alongside the photos and artwork will be interviews with important game designers like John Trudeau, Steve Ritchie, George Gomez, John Borg, and many more!

The Book!

To make it even sweeter, fans/backers will get a chance to become part of the books production through PaperFlock’s unique crowd collaboration process. Content will be crafted with input from the projects forum on PaperFlock.com. This gives fans a real sense of ownership in the project. With unprecedented access provided by Stern, there surely will become a highly sort after pinball tome.

The Kickstarter campaign is live and will run for a few weeks yet. So check it out, there are plenty of pledges and rewards to tickle your pinball fancy!

Behind the scenes: Stern prototypes

The Rewards!

We had to back it!

source: Stern Pinball Inc. and Keeping The Ball Alive – Kickstarter

Get Ready For Some Classic Gaming At PAX Aus 2016

19/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

Get your nostalgic senses ready, as the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is back, bigger and better for 2016! We say this every year, but this year is no exception – there will be games that will take you back to your younger years, and you never know, you may discover golden oldies that you may have not known or had forgotten about.

With systems like the Commodore 64, Sega Master System, Sega Dreamcast and the NEC PC-Engine (to name just a few) to tickle your retro gaming fancy, your only problem will be, what to to play first!

If you want a trip down memory lane while at PAX Aus 2016, then make sure you come on over to the Classic Gaming area!

One fire button is all you need to play on the Commodore 64!

Anyone up for some Alex Kidd action?

Shoot’em up action on the Engine that could!

Let’s go make some crazy money!

The PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is proudly brought to you by: ausretrogamer, Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, PinballScore, Pinmem, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro and Zax Amusements.

Jersey Jack Pinball Announces The Future Of Pinball

14/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

As we had predicted in our Pinball Expo 2016 feature, Jersey Jack Pinball have announced their newest machines, and let’s just say, they have hit it out of the proverbial park!

Jersey Jack’s new machines will definitely be making history by being right on the bleeding edge of pinball design! First up, Pat Lawlor’s Dialed In. The legendary designer’s highly anticipated, original concept game will be the first pinball machine to feature Bluetooth® connectivity, a camera and additional player capabilities through a smartphone! The other special features of Dialed In will make your head spin, like the swivelling LCD mount, hidden trap door and the 3D interactive projected image to name just a few. Dialed In will come in two different variants, a Collector’s and Limited Editions.

The second machine announced is their Black Arrow Special Edition, named after the arrow that defeats Smaug™ in the acclaimed The Hobbit™ film trilogy. Special features include Black Arrow track mode animation, Black Ink body armour, black pinballs, gold Smaug™ character and plenty more to keep you excited. We honestly can’t wait to find out more about this one!

Pat Lawlor and Jersey Jack’s Jack Guarnieri proudly show-off Dialed In

The Dialed In playfield looks very inviting!

Oh that RGB lighting is gorgeous!

Who you gonna call? Jersey Jack Pinball!

Do as Bob says, visit him when flashing!

Get your smartphones ready, pinball wizards!

Holy black pinballs!
source: Jersey Jack Pinball

Pinball Expo 2016

10/10/2016 By ausretrogamer

Pinball Expo 2016 is almost upon us! the 32nd Pinball Expo will take place from October 12 to 16 at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, Illinois. The expo will be jam-packed with new pinball machine reveals. Being the biggest Pinball Expo to date, expect the major pinball industry players to showcase their latest (and future) wares.

Here is what you can expect from the big boys (if you are one of the lucky attendees):

American Pinball:

The newest kid on the pinball block will showcase their first game, Houdini Master Mystery.

Dutch Pinball:

The diverse Dutch group of pinball maestros will have their much anticipated The Big Lebowski machine on display.

Heighway Pinball:

The UK pinball manufacturer will finally reveal Alien.

Jersey Jack Pinball:

The crew that brought us the brilliant The Wizard Of Oz and The Hobbit machines have been busy tinkering on their much anticipated 3rd machine, designed by the veteran pinball designer, Pat Lawlor.

Multimorphic:

The company behind the P3 Pinball Platform will show their latest version of the Lexy Lighspeed machine. They will also have the mini games from the Texas Pinball Festival from earlier in the year.

Planetary Pinball / Chicago Gaming:

With their extremely popular Medieval Madness Remake still high in demand, the Californian based company is teaming up with Chicago Gaming yet again for their second title! All be revealed at Pinball Expo.

Spooky Pinball:

The Wisconsin pinball makers will be busy showing their Rob Zombie Spookshow International, Domino’s Spectacular Pinball Adventure and possibly news on future titles!

Stern Pinball Inc:

Last but not least, the biggest pinball manufacturer of them all, Stern Pinball, will be revealing their Batman 66 machine. This will be Stern’s first game utilising a full colour LCD replacing the dot-matrix display. The game will feature a second smaller LCD on the playfield as well. The Batman 66 design team will be headed by George Gomez, with Lyman Sheats taking care of programming and artwork featuring Christopher Franchi’s impressions. The game will borrow heavily from the Batman The Dark Knight (2008) playfield, including the crane, but the left side of the playfield will be totally redesigned.

The other Stern pinball machine to be featured at Pinball Expo will be the Pabst “Can Crusher”.

image source: multiple – supplied

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