Pinmem

We Had A Blast At The Inaugural Melbourne Pinball Expo

December 2, 2024 By ausretrogamer

A Silverball Sensation: The Melbourne Pinball Expo 2024 Rocks the Flippers!

The pinball buzz has finally landed in Melbourne, and it hit with a bang! The inaugural Melbourne Pinball Expo (MPE) lit up the Matthew Flinders Hotel in Chadstone this past weekend, delivering a bumper-packed event that left attendees flipping out—literally.

Back in June, we gave you the heads-up about this one-of-a-kind gathering, and oh boy, did it live up to the hype! MPE brought together an eclectic mix of new and classic pinball machines, offering something for everyone, from seasoned flipper wizards to first-timers discovering the magic of the silverball.

A Playground for All Ages

Whether you came to chase high scores, bask in the nostalgia of retro classics, or marvel at the cutting-edge innovations of modern pinball, MPE had you covered. The best part? Seeing the pinball community in full force—old friends reconnecting over their shared passion and new faces lighting up with excitement. It was a celebration for all ages, proving that pinball truly is timeless.

Star Attractions Steal the Spotlight

Choosing a favourite machine was nearly impossible with so many crowd-pleasers on the floor. Stern Pinball dazzled attendees with their blockbusters like Jaws, John Wick, Foo Fighters, and Venom—machines that had players lining up for another go. Meanwhile, Jersey Jack Pinball wowed with Avatar, The Godfather, Toy Story 4, and Guns N’ Roses, drawing in pinheads eager to experience their stellar craftsmanship.

But the surprises didn’t stop there! American Pinball (AP) and Pinball Brothers (PB) made waves with standout offerings. AP’s lineup of Legends of Valhalla, Barry O’s BBQ Challenge, Galactic Tank Force, and the adrenaline-pumping Hot Wheels were absolute crowd favourites. PB turned heads with their music-inspired pins, ABBA and Queen, with ABBA’s interactive helicopter ball lock being a delightful highlight that never got old.

The view from the Jersey Jack Pinball stage

A Special Shoutout

Of course, we couldn’t forget CGC’s Cactus Canyon Remake and the ultra-cool Pulp Fiction SE—machines so popular, we had to elbow our way in just to get a turn. If you managed to snag some time on these, consider yourself lucky!

Already Looking Forward to 2025

Missed the fun? Don’t fret! The MPE team hinted that they’re already gearing up for an even bigger 2025 event. Make sure you follow our channels to stay updated, and in the meantime, feast your eyes on the gallery of moments we captured from this unforgettable weekend.

The MPE venue was perfect for pinball

Woohoo, a selfie with Slash!

Yep, I did TILT – and that was Game Over!

Some Mr Pinball Australia and ZAX Amusements goodies from MPE

Classic Times at PAX Aus 2018

October 31, 2018 By ausretrogamer

There is one undeniable fact about PAX Aus – attendees love reliving their gaming past in the Classic Gaming area!

For the sixth year in a row the ever popular Classic Gaming area returned to PAX Aus – this year brought to you by Ausretrogamer, Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, Mr. Pinball, Pinmem, Press Play On Tape podcast, Weird and Retro and Zax Amusements. These groups all brought along their carefully preserved (and awesome) wares to create the magical and nostalgia inducing area.

From the Commodore 64, Amiga 1200, Atari ST and MSX old school computers to the Atari Lynx, Game Boy, WonderSwan, Neo Geo Pocket handhelds and Atari 2600, Vectrex, Sega Master System, NES, PC-Engine, Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo consoles (just to name a few!), the Classic Gaming area had your retro gaming covered.

Of course the area didn’t just cater for old school computer and console gamers, it had arcade machines from the golden age like Asteroids, Bad Dudes, Rampage, Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat 2, Rastan, Street Fighter II and a dozen pinball machines, from the new Stern Deadpool to the old High Roller Casino just to tickle your sentimentality without the need of extracting coins from your pocket!

Another section that made a return due to popular demand was the display museum. Standing along the right perimeter of the Classic Gaming area, the glass display cabinets created the perfect backdrop by showcasing carefully curated classic and exotic gaming pieces that invoked strong feelings of intoxicating nostalgia from gaming’s past. This of course was the intention the Classic Gaming team was going for.

With the area proving to be popular as ever, there was never an empty seat or a lonely controller – attendees took full advantage of playing on machines from their childhood and for those with families, it was great to see kids playing games that their parents would have enjoyed when they were their age. With smiles all around and a lot of positive feedback, we can safely say that the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area was a huge success.

So what will we have in store for you all in the Classic Gaming area at PAX Aus 2019? You will have to wait and see, but rest assured, we will definitely be tickling your nostalgic nerve.

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.