pinball

Total Recall: The Pinball Table That Never Was

February 1, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Celebrating their 30 years in business, Stern Pinball Inc. is being quite active on their social media channels, releasing interesting facts about pinball. One that stood out to us was the unreleased 1990 pinball table based on the Total recall movie. Apparently, the Total Recall rare prototype never made it into production. Stern go on to say that “Designed to be a dual player team effort machine, it was ultimately scrapped for production and sent to the depths of the Data East factory. Sometime between 1996 and 2000 the machine “mysteriously disappeared”. Some say it went into the trash, some say it was broken down and forgotten. Some say that the machine made its way to places unknown and anyone who sees it in person is sworn to secrecy. No one knows for sure, and if they do, they aren’t talking.

Had Total Recall been produced as designed, it would remain today one of the most ridiculous pinball machines ever created. It was not meant to be, and will likely never be seen by the public again.”

We will definitely be keeping a close eye on these interesting and lesser known pinball facts coming from the great people at Stern!

source: Stern Pinball Inc.

Altar Furniture: Beautiful Pinball Coffee Tables

January 30, 2016 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Budapest-based furniture company Altar Furniture make beautiful (mostly interactive) coffee tables with superb attention to detail. Here are just a few of their marvellous creations, be sure to check out their website to see the whole amazing collection.

Future World
(made from 1978 ‘Future World‘ by Zaccaria)
Panthera
(made from 1980 ‘Panthera‘ by Gottlieb)
Hot Tour
(made from 1978 ‘KISS‘ by Bally)
SMASH!
(made from 1979 ‘Incredible Hulk‘ by Gottlieb)
The Beast
(made from 1987 ‘Arena‘ by Gottlieb)
The Shuttle
(made from 1991 ‘Star Trek‘ by Data East)
The Droids Series
(all made from 1992 ‘Star Wars’ by Data East)
The Droid
The Droid EVII
The Red Droid
R2PO

Source: Altar Furniture

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Scott ‘Skooota’ Kellett On Pinball At PAX Aus 2015

December 10, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Check out Episode 167 of New Games Plus (a TV show about videogames, culture, anime, movies and more which airs on community channels around Australia and New Zealand) for an interview with the awesome Scott ‘Skooota’ Kellett about how he organised the very popular pinball section of the Classic Gaming Area at PAX Aus 2015. Skip to 12:18 for the start of the interview – great work Skooota!

Video source: New Games Plus on YouTube

Source: New Games Plus

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Pinball Heaven: A Tour Of The Stern Pinball Factory

December 4, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Hey peeps, prepare to be absolutely gobsmacked! John’s Arcade together with Greg from Arcade Impossible, go on an exclusive access-all-areas tour of the new Stern Pinball Inc. factory in Elk Grove, IL.

This already awesome tour is made even more awesomer by having the famed pinball designer, George Gomez, as the personal tour guide – it doesn’t get any better than that! Whether you are a pinball fan or not, you will appreciate the behind-the-scenes of how pinball machines are made and distributed around the world. Grab the pop-corn as this great feature runs for 1:37:56 (to be exact), settle in and enjoy!

source: John’s Arcade Game Reviews & Tech

2015 Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship Grand Final

November 30, 2015 By ausretrogamer

This past weekend pinball players from all around Australia descended on Supanova Brisbane to compete in the grand final of the 2015 Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship, with the winner walking away with a brand spanking new Stern WWE Wrestlemania Pro pinball machine! With all Australian state winners (and runners-up) in attendance, this wasn’t going to be an easy flip and tilt to become the national champion.

With an impressive line-up of pinball machines (2 x WWE Wrestlemania Pro, 2 x Kiss Pro and 2 x Game Of Thrones tables) to compete on, it was game on! After winning the Supanova Melbourne state final, we interviewed Johnny Crabtree and predicted that he would be a sure bet to hoist the national trophy and truck back the brand new pinball machine. So, how did we go with our prediction? We were right on the money! With 34 points in the final, Johnny fought off some stiff competition from Greg Siegele (2^ndon 33 points) and Richard Rhodes (3^rdon 31 points) to win by one point to claim the national title and the big winner’s prize of a Stern WWE Wrestlemania Pro pinball machine. It just goes to show how close the competition is among the top tier pinball wizards. Congratulations Johnny, a very well-deserved win!

The crowd gathers to watch the pinball wizards do what they do best

Let the flipping begin!

Marty Robbins keeping a close eye on the competition

Greg Siegele scores an impressive 126,523,740 on WWE Wrestlemania!

And the 2015 Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Champion is – Johnny Crabtree!

Enjoying their spoils – winners are grinners!

image source: Australian Pinball League

Congratulations and thank you to the organisers, volunteers and sponsors (AMD, Timezone Australia, Supanova Pop Culture Expo and Australian Pinball League) of the event – without them, this would not be at all possible.

Roll on 2016 and keep flippin’!

First Impressions: Stern’s Game Of Thrones Pro Pinball Table

November 12, 2015 By ausretrogamer

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!

Instant Pinball Collection

November 9, 2015 By 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.

If you have the funds, the space, the transport, the passion and the know-how to repair pinball machines, then this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Whoa! Wish we could grab this lot!

Oh wow, an Atari Superman table!

I am buying a Tattslotto ticket!

image source: eBay

Let’s Reminisce: The PAX Aus 2015 Classic Gaming Area

November 8, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Well PAX Aus 2015 is over, and I think we can all agree that the Classic Gaming Area was a huge success! Let’s reminisce…

The PAX Australia 2015 Classic Gaming Area was a joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts Ausretrogamer, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro (all providing retro consoles and computers), local barcade Bartronica (providing arcade machines), and pinball enthusiast Scott Kellett with Amusement Machine Distributors, Bayside Pinball Club, and Pinmem (providing pinball tables).

Over the three days we had a constant stream of happy guests and even had people queuing for turns on arcade machines, pinball tables and consoles.

Many people were involved in organising and running the Classic Gaming Area – here are just a few of them.

Lots of awesome people visited the Classic Gaming Area including ‘Blow the Cartridge‘ comic book creator Cameron Davis, the guys from Fury Fingers Films, game developer and YouTuber Rob Caporetto (pictured with pinball wizard Shane Rubans), and videogame history expert Harmik.

Freelance technology journalist Adam Turner (read Adam’s SMH article about the Classic Gaming Area), the guys from Mana Mojo (watch Mana Mojo interview Alex Boz), Marcus and Jen from Retrospekt, and game developer/artist/DM/all-round great guy Ant Stiller also stopped by.

…and last but not least, the lovely guys from Combustible Props (visit their Facebook page for amazing cosplay/prop photos), Nich ‘NichBoy’ Richardson from Good Game Pocket, and special VIP guests: Mr and Miss Daz Retro Jr.

The enforcers in the Classic Gaming Area did a fabulous job: as well as creating a great energy, they answered questions, solved technical problems, looked after lost kids and generally kept the area running as smooth as silk. Thank you to Zailee and the rest of the team.

Now let’s see the area in action – beginning with the consoles, computers and handhelds.

Arcade machines and pinball tables were new to the Classic Gaming Area in 2015 and they proved to be very popular!

We had such a great time and we are already looking forward to PAX Aus 2016. If you like this article, here’s our coverage of PAX Aus 2013 and 2014; as well as PAX Aus 2015 cosplay, the 2015 PAX Aus / AMD Classic Pinball Tournament, and Good Game Pocket’s visit to the Classic Gaming Area.

Images sources: ausretrogamer.com and Brant Raven

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

2015 PAX Aus / AMD Classic Pinball Tournament

November 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

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 Classic Gaming freeplay area!

Nestled among the old school handhelds, Commodore computers and arcade machines were the designated pinball tournament tables, which included Stern’s brand new Game Of Thrones. The 2015 PAXAus/AMD Classic Pinball Tournament was open to all patrons, young and old.

With four qualifying rounds during the day, it was down to the business end come Saturday evening. The usual pinball wizards were left to contend the final, with a sprinkling of new faces (Ed: well done Aaron Clement) – which is always great to see. Young gun, Jordan Tredaway set the pace with a huge score on Game Of Thrones, which saw him progress further into the night. The seasoned veterans, led by Wal Dickie, Martin ‘Marty’ Robbins, Luke Marburg and John Ebejer, were all racking up consistent high scores to remain in the top five.

As the evening progressed, it was down to the two pinball wizards, Wal Dickie and Marty Robbins, to battle it out for first place. With nerves of steel and precision flippin’, Wal Dickie was crowned the 2015 PAXAus/AMD Classic Pinball Tournament champion. Wal claimed that it had been a long time between wins and that this one was even sweeter as it was his birthday the next day – what a great birthday present! Marty Robbins had another exceptional tournament coming in second, while Luke Marburg collected third place to round off the podium.

Once the tournament formalities were done and dusted, pinball tournament director Scott Kellett declared the pinball tables open for play, which immediately attracted a swarm of players to the machines to have fun and rack up high scores against friends! Ah, it was quite clear that the winner at PAXAus was definitely pinball – keep flippin’!

Shane Rubans is using ‘The Force’ on Star Wars, while Marty Robbins is in deep concentration on Lethal Weapon 3

Tasmanian Aaron Clement shows everyone he can flip with the best of them

Which ‘House’ will Johnny Crabtree choose?

The battle between the young and the young at heart: Jordan Tredaway vs. Stacey Borg

Stephen Tredaway shows them how to play The Machine: Bride Of Pin•Bot

Young gun Jordan Tredaway records another top score on Game Of Thrones

Ball Saved! Marty Robbins lives to flip again!

Wal Dickie plays the game of his life on Game Of Thrones

Norbert Snicer and Scott Kellett present the players with their trophies

Wal Dickie proves that he is a pinball wizard – a well deserved champion!

Good Game Pocket Visits PAX Aus Classic Gaming Area

November 2, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

So PAX Aus is over for another year, the event was a huge success and the Classic Gaming Area was more popular than ever!

We had a ball and were especially excited when the super-friendly guys from ABC TV’s ‘Good Game: Pocket Edition’ stopped by to enjoy the nostalgic vibes.

Nich Richardson with Alex ‘ausretrogamer’ Boz, Retro Domination’s Daz Retro, Pinball Wizard Scott Kellett, and Kerith ‘ms ausretrogamer’

It’s great to see retrogaming getting some serious air time – now watch ‘Pocket Edition’ presenter Nich Richardson (@NichBoy) explore PAX Aus, and most of all – skip to 3:23 for an interview with our very own Mr Alex ‘austretrogamer’ Boz!

Video source: Good Game on YouTube

Behind the scenes:

Lights, camera, action ausretrogamer!

Interviewing Alex Kidd aficionado Braden

Interviewing pinball prodigy Jordan Tredaway

Interviewing Donkey Kong maestro Ryan

Stay tuned to ausretrogamer.com for more stories about our adventures at PAX Aus 2015 over the coming days.

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

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