The Pop-Culture E-Zine
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed during the Tech Games Fest event (TGF 2020) by our good friend Andrew Owen from Cause and Effect Gamers – Andrew is also the co-ordinator of TGF.
We talk all things retro gaming, our involvement with PAX Aus, the lure of pinball, toys – especially Masters Of The Universe, and of course, movies we love to watch!
Grab some popcorn and enjoy 🙂
source: Cause and Effect Gamers
Listen up Star Wars fans and stamp collectors, Australia Post has something really cool for you all!
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Australia Post has a released a commemorative (licensed) The Empire Strike Back 40 Years stamp pack! This awesome stamp pack contains 20 $1.10 Map of Australia stamps from their Joyful Occasions stamp issue, as well as action-packed The Empire Strike Back graphics in the stamp tabs!
Oh yeah, they also have the Rise of Skywalker stamp pack too!
image source: Australia Post
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far too close to home, I was excited when Stern Pinball announced their Star Wars pinball machine. I was so excited by this news, I almost bought one without playing it!
But there was a disturbance in the (pinball) FORCE in mid 2017! Bear with me here, as this story delves into the depths of the dark side before I see the light.
Cooler heads prevailed and I took Ms. ausretrogamer’s advice to play the pinball machine before making a decision to buy it or not. Well, on that fateful day in mid 2017, my initial impression of Stern’s Star Wars pinball wasn’t at all positive. I played the Pro model of the game, and let’s just say that it didn’t inspire me to press the start button to play it again. The FORCE just wasn’t strong enough to engage me. I was gutted! I felt that the machine did not capture the theme and universe of my all-time favourite movie franchise. I buried my disappointment and forgot about the machine. As the great Jedi Master, Yoda once said, “Disappointment is the path to the dark side. Disappointment leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Welllll, he didn’t say that exactly, but you get my drift.
Luckily I did not give in to the disappointment, no matter how tempting the dark side of the force was. At the time, I found solace in another pinball machine, Chicago Gaming Company’s Attack From Mars Remake. My pinball mojo was back to peak level and the disappointment of the Star Wars pinball machine was all but a distant memory.
source: Stern Pinball Inc.
Then in mid 2019, there was a flicker in the FORCE. My brother-in-law, who got the silverball bug after playing our machines, went hunting for his first pinball game and settled for a Stern Star Wars Premium pinball machine. I remember thinking to myself, I hope he loves the game. Well, to my surprise, he did. What surprised me even more was my reaction to the game – once I pressed the start button and started flipping, I was immediately grabbed by the FORCE, just like Darth Vader’s force choke. Taking Yoda’s advice to heart, we had to unlearn what we learned about this game.
Wow, what a difference two years had made! The updated code and of course, this being the Premium model of the game, it felt like I was in the middle of the (original) Star Wars universe! I found that my excitement for the machine was at the same level as when Stern first announced that they were making a Star Wars pinball game. I knew then that I had to hunt down a machine to fulfil my wish of owning my pinball dream theme.
Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum-te-dum, Dum-te-dum#StarWars #pinball #SternPinball pic.twitter.com/rqht7UaPKT
— ausretrogamer (@ausretrogamer) May 9, 2020
Just like all Star Wars stories, starting with a struggle and then ending on a positive note, so has this musing. I finally saw the light side of the FORCE and procured my pinball dream theme, a Stern Star Wars Comic Art Premium machine, beautifully presented by Star Wars comic artist, Randy Martinez – it’s so eye-poppingly beautiful. It was a long time coming to get to this point, but I am glad I went on this journey and reached my destination. The moral of my story is, never judge a book by its cover and always come back to a pinball game you haven’t played in a while, it may surprise you.
Thanks to the folks at Zax Amusements for fulfilling my wish – they made this Padawan very happy. May the FORCE be with you!
A lightsaber is required to bust open this beauty!
The Ausretrogamer Fun Factory is READY!
The machine is (almost) in its position – love the right side cabinet art!
Love the left side art cabinet too!
And we are upright!
We have the keys to the Millennium Falcon
Time to play and defeat the evil Empire!
Always Use The Force!
Love the LCD – it integrates the theme with visual Star Wars eye-candy
The comic art is eye-poppingly gorgeous on this machine
Taking in the comic art with the glass off!
Randy Martinez should be commended for his brilliant art work on this machine
Let’s blow up the Death Star
Making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs
The magnets on this machine whiz the balls around on the hyperspace loop at breakneck speeds!
And we are on, like Donkey K… Ah, never mind!
Who doesn’t like seeing their name on the high score table
Just enjoying the view
A handsome threesome in the Fun Factory
It’s STAR WARS DAY peeps! May the 4th be with you!
As huge Star Wars fans, we can’t go past celebrating this day. Since Star Wars Day almost coincides with our birthday, it makes it that little bit extra special.
We are celebrating this day with our new cool and very special gift, a Star Wars – Han Solo Limited Edition Invicta watch. We love everything about this awesome watch, from Han encased in carbonite sharing the watch-face with his beloved Millennium Falcon, his heavy blaster on the second hand, to the leather strap depicting his attire, and of course, the Millennium Falcon side plate and the see-through automatic watch movement. Do you have any special Star Wars items celebrating this occasion?
From all of us at ausretrogamer, have yourselves a great Star Wars Day, and May The 4th Be With You!
Let’s start by saying we don’t condone illegal graffiti. However, when graffiti is welcomed as street art and makes a societal impact, we definitely take note.
The /r/Graffiti Reddit thread is one place that is full of great graffiti, some topical with recent events, and some tugging on our nostalgic heartstrings.
Here are a few that caught our eye, even the freight train carriage with the three-button NES controller! Check out the rest on Reddit.
image source: reddit – /r/Graffiti
Following on from the Diary Of A First Time Pinball Buyer feature, Nick has put pen to paper (Ed: shouldn’t that be fingers to keys?) to give us his take on owning Stern’s Star Wars Premium pinball machine.
We have now had our Stern Star Wars Premium pinball machine for 3 and a half months and have already clocked up playing over 6,400 balls or over 2100 total plays! The whole family has loved it, from my wife to our 11 and 7 year old sons. Although I still classify myself as a novice player, I have found it a really rewarding and enjoyable pin to play. Having the four different Star Wars characters and all the different missions, means it is an incredibly deep game to really engross yourself in, or just have a bash and see what happens!
As a huge fan of Star Wars, this is a very special pin to me. The artwork, playfield, excerpts from the films and the game itself, is just a terrific homage to the original Star Wars trilogy (which are arguably the best films of them all!). Stern have done a great job of making the playfield pop out and use of the screens without detracting from the mechanical elements of the game. I also love the ramps and the hyperdrive loop, they are so satisfying to hit again and again! While playing this machine over and over again, I find new details, scenes or features that I haven’t seen before.
I still haven’t managed to blow up the Death Star – through Death Star or Endor missions, but have been one shot away (hitting the hyperdrive loop) from doing so. I have adjusted the settings to easy, so as to encourage longer play and obviously some bigger scores. Also, playing the game at night with only the pinball lighting up is really cool – the Escape from Bobba Fett mission looks pulsating and amazing when you get to it.
Except for an occasional stuck ball, the machine has been trouble free. I have also bought a cover for the machine it doesn’t get affected by UV in our gaming shed. Since I do not have the official topper, I came up with one of my own – decorating it with Return Of The Jedi themed bobble-heads! It is an evolving collection!
Star Wars Premium Pinball, you are like cinnamon!
PS: For those that don’t get the you are like cinnamon reference, check this out 😉
Before the big CES 2020 event kicks off, the CES Unveiled event showcases the latest products and trends leading up to the main event.
Three products caught our attention from Arcade1Up, iiRcade and My Arcade which we thought we’d share with you all below.
We can’t wait to find out more about these hot items, so stay tuned!
Arcade1Up has teamed up with our friends at Zen Studios to bring you a couple of pretty awesome three-quarter size pinball machines which include titles from Bally/Williams and other yet to be announced, big names in the pinball space! We love both the Star Wars and Attack From Mars machines and can’t wait to hear more about them.
image source: northvibe via pinside
This new ultimate home arcade, iiRcade, with online capabilities, enables gamers to legally download and play their favourite officially licensed arcade games – no more shady arcade ROM sites! Gamers who want to enjoy their favourite retro arcade games or play modern games in the arcade environment can now have the full arcade experience in their homes, either in a full size stand-up or bartop guise, it is up to you. With iiRcade, gamers can select and purchase a game they want on iiRcade’s app store, which is then automatically downloaded and installed on their iiRcade machine.
image source: iiRcade
The Super Retro Champ console is the successor to My Arcade’s award-winning Retro Champ and enables retro gamers to enjoy their SNES, Super Famicom, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges from a single console. The Super Retro Champ features a 7-inch screen and a built-in rechargeable battery that offers up to 5 hours of play time. Retro gamers can play the Super Retro Champ in handheld mode or use the 2 included wireless gamepads to play in tabletop and TV mode. An HDMI® output allows users to enjoy their classic games from the comfort of their couch.
image source: Games Press
We recently visited our friends at Zax Amusements to wish them all the best for the Festive Season and while we were there we got to play Stern’s Star Wars Pin. In case you weren’t aware, this is the ‘home’ edition of Stern’s popular Star Wars commercial pinball machines.
Don’t let the ‘home’ moniker fool you, this machine shares a lot of DNA with its bigger brother, like the Spike operational system architecture, flipper, drop targets, slingshots and pop bumper sub-assemblies. Not only that, the playfield dimensions are also identical! The best part of this machine is its price, at AU$6,850 it is almost $2,500 cheaper than the entry level Star Wars Pro model. So for those budget conscious pinball fans that are into Star Wars and don’t want the complex maintenance, this machine may be for you.
So how does it play? Well, since it’s a George Gomez designed game, it of course shoots darn well! All of the 11-shots (in a fan layout) feel great when nailed, some being easier than others, which makes it great for all skill levels. What we loved most about this machine was its flow and ease of understanding in how to progress through the game, including getting to the timed wizard mode called Jedi Multiball. The implementation of sounds and iconic dialogue from the original Star Wars trilogy also add to the overall experience and theme immersion. Nothing is ever perfect in this world, so our main gripe was the small screen as we struggled to view the videos when looking up quickly while playing, meaning we missed our shot and drained our ball. Apart from this niggle, we felt that there was enough on the playfield to shoot at, from drop targets, a spinner that sounds awesome when hit and the two ramps, to keep us coming back for one more go – we were hooked by the FORCE.
For those that love easy to understand rules and objectives, this machine keeps things fairly simple – hit the F-O-R-C-E target on the left side of the playfield to light up each letter. Once FORCE is all complete, the Rebels (Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker) are then lit, which you then shoot one (for example Luke Skywalker) and proceed to complete the designated shots for that character. Once all Rebel characters are completed (including R2-D2), the timed wizard mode Jedi Multiball begins, with the objective being to rescue Luke, Princess Leia and Han Solo by shooting the lit shots before time runs out – pretty straight forward if you manage to not lose that elusive silverball.
With four multiballs, including the aforementioned timed wizard mode Jedi Multiball, super jackpots, timed double scoring, bonus mutlipliers and the clever R2-D2 ball lock (which you can use to start or steal your opponents locked ball for the R2-D2 mutliball) , there is enough depth in the game to have you playing over and over again. Without a doubt, one of our fave and most satisfying objectives and shot (apart from ripping the blaster spinner) is destroying the Death Star – the light show, video and sound are choreographed perfectly, making you feel like you had a hand in the Rebels bringing down the Empire.
This game really surprised us. We love pinball, so we were sceptical at first since this machine is targeted for the home. But once we started flipping it, all that scepticism went away. The total package does look and feel good, from the art, sound, sound effects to the video (even though the screen is on the small side) and general playfield, we felt like we were in the original Star Wars universe. If you are interested in Stern’s Star Wars Pin, you can contact the folks at Zax Amusements today to have a flip and see if it is for you. However, if after playing it you feel that this machine is not to your liking, then then check out the commercial-grade Star Wars Comic edition.
The Force is definitely strong in this Pin!
It’s that time of year when the ausretrogamer team does the hard yards by going shopping to curate a plethora of cool retro and pinball products that you can grab as Christmas gifts for your geeky friends and family (and yourself too)!
Here we go!
Tiny Arcade Frogger via Amazon AU$32.64
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego Handheld Game via Amazon AU$28.66
Boardwalk Arcade: TMNT Mini Pinball via Amazon AU$32.57
The Mandalorian t-shirt via Amazon AU$28.99
MicroArcade Tetris via Amazon AU$32.57
Retro-Bit Official Sega Genesis USB Controller 8-Button Arcade Pad via Amazon AU$32.57
My Arcade Mini Data East Retro Arcade Player via Catch AU$79
The Game Console : A History in Photographs via Book Despository AU$38.16
Complete Pinball Book: Collecting the Game and Its History via Book Depository AU$88.46
Pinball Wizard Enamel Pin (Red Glitter) 1980’s Throwback via Etsy AU$15.24
Custom NES Retro Gaming Themed Black Shoes – Ladies/Mens via Etsy AU$106.66
Sega Mega Drive Mini via Amazon AU$129
Polaroid OneStep 2 Viewfinder i-Type Instant Camera via Catch AU$196
Star Wars Chewbacca Jumpsuit via Catch AU$59.99
LEGO® Star Wars Darth Vader’s Castle Building Set via Catch AU$197
Star Wars The Black Series Darth Vader Premium Electronic Helmet via Catch $159
Harry Potter Hogwarts Back To School Backpack via Catch AU$29.99
My Little Pony – Princess Celestia via Amazon AU$15.00
GO-TCHA Evolve Smartwatch for Pokemon Go Daredevil Red via OzGameShop AU$59.99
Sonic Boom – 5 Figure Multipack – Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy & Dr. Eggman via OZGameShop AU$32.69
Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition Nintendo Switch via OzGameShop AU$57.99
Star Wars Pinball Nintendo Switch via OzGameShop AU$42.99
Rick and Morty Spaceship & Garage Large Construction Toy Set via Amazon AU$29.31
Data East Classic Collection SNES Cartridge via Amazon AU$36.04
Attack From Mars Pinball – Shadowbox Art via Etsy AU$196.59
Tempest X RepliCade via Amazon AU$215.06
Casio Retro Calculator Unisex Watch via Amazon AU$39.00
8BitDo SF30 Pro Bluetooth Controller via Amazon AU$59.99
Ah life, it can be quite stressful and difficult at times, so it’s even more imperative to inject as much fun as you can for yourself and your family.
If there is one thing we know about pinball, it’s a lot of fun, no matter your age. The other thing about pinball, once you get bitten by the silverball bug, there is no shaking it off – it becomes part of your life.
This is exactly what happened to our brother-in-law, Nick. Once he (and his family) experienced pinball in the comfort of our Fun Factory, there was a twinkle in the eye that we had seen before – it happened to us years before, when we had been bitten by the same bug. Nick was hooked. He made it his mission to one day get a pinball machine for his family home.
Looking for your first pinball machine can be a daunting task. Which pinball machine do you choose? Will your family and friends enjoy your choice of pin? Do you go new or secondhand? What budget should you allocate? Once you answer these questions, you then have to decide, do you trawl the internet, forum or social media marketplaces to find your machine or do you go to a traditional bricks and mortar establishment to try before you buy?
Our advice to Nick was simple, when looking for your first home pinball machine, the most important aspect is to play and experience as many different machines as possible – this then determines the style of games, layouts and themes you (and your family) enjoy, which helps narrowing the choice of candidate machines. Once Nick got to play a myriad of machines at locations around Melbourne, he quickly had a number of candidates he wanted to check out and also have his family to play them to ensure they enjoyed them as much as he did.
After trying his hand at secondhand pinball machines, Nick found the process difficult and frustrating, as machines were either not as advertised, or worse, not in a working state. To help Nick, we told him about our dealings with Zax Amusements when we were buying our pinball machine, which made the whole process a breeze, with added peace of mind that we weren’t buying a lemon. This reassurance gave Nick the confidence to go to Zax with his family to play test the machines in their showroom and chat about his options to buy a new or secondhand pinball machine.
Before making his final decision, Nick checked out other Stern pinball machines at Zax Amusements
When purchasing a pinball machine, the family should be included in the decision making
With the family decision being made, Nick ordered a new Stern Pinball Star Wars Premium machine. He was kept informed of every step of the process, from when the machine would land in Australia, to his options in adding optional features and most importantly, delivery and setup. Once the machine arrived at Zax Amusements, Nick was invited to be present during the unboxing and setup of the machine. This level of customer service was the reason we recommended Zax Amusements to Nick.
Speaking to Nick about his overall experience in purchasing his first pinball machine, he informed us that he appreciated the peace of mind by dealing with a reputable distributor with great customer service. As for playing the machine, we are happy to report that it has been played every day since it was delivered, which is music to our ears. The Force is definitely strong in pinball.
All eyes are on Star Wars!
After playing many machines, it was settled – Stern’s Star Wars Premium was the chosen one!
Nick’s Star Wars Premium pinball machine on the line at the Stern Pinball factory in Chicago!
The machines are ready to travel across the globe from the US to Australia!
After a long ship ride, Nick’s machine lands in Australia!
Unboxing and going over the machine
The proud owner of their first pinball machine – it’s a beauty!
Play testing – it works flawlessly!
Playfield looks all good!
Getting the machine ready for delivery
Delivered safe and sound!
Final checks, adjustments and setup of the pinball machine
Family test – passed with flying colours!
One happy camper! May the Force Be with You.
Many thanks to Nick for allowing us to tell his story, Zax Amusements for allowing us to follow Nick in their showroom and prep area, and Zach Sharpe from Stern Pinball Inc. for providing photos of the Star Wars Premium machines rolling off the assembly line.