New arcade machine

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Retro STrife
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Re: New arcade machine

Postby Retro STrife » August 30th, 2017, 10:34 am

VideoGameCritic wrote:I have two pinballs: Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. LotR (2003) feels a lot heavier because it is older and used better parts. You can tell Stern started to cut corners with PotC (2006). Still, glad to have both because they feel very different. LotR has a rhythm, but PotC is a more rapid-fire style game.


Lord of the Rings is a good one. I've played that one several times over the years and always liked it. Never tried PotC. And I agree with you about Stern... they definitely starting slacking in the 2000s and early 2010s, when they got complacent as the only big manufacturer. Now that competitors like Jersey Jack have joined the fold, it has forced them to step their game back up. Pinball really seems to be having a nice revival right now, after appearing to die off in the late 90s.

X-Files pinball (Sega, 1997) isn't highly regarded, but I think it's very underrated. I've had it for over a year now and still love playing it. Despite being a lifelong gamer, I had always avoided pinballs. I realize now it's because I misunderstood them.. I thought it was boring to just bat the ball around for a high score. Getting my own machine changed that, as I've now realized that most modern machines have objectives to achieve around the playfield. There are still goals I haven't achieved on my machine. As a result, I've really grown to appreciate pinball a lot more in the past 2 years, after not caring at all before that.


VideoGameCritic wrote:I do notice people tend to gravitate towards the pinball - probably because it's such a unique experience. But man, those pinball machines are huge - and loud.


Huge, loud, and don't forget - expensive. My pinball machine cost 4 times as much as the Neo Geo machine. I was pretty shocked to learn that any decent used pinball usually costs over $2000 and the best of the best often cost over $5000 (used). But yes, I definitely notice that they are more appealing to the casual person. Most people enjoy trying out the pinball machine when they first see it at my house. But I don't expect the same result with the Neo Geo--I feel like just gamers and kids will appreciate that. I'd like a Pac-Man machine as my next purchase, and perhaps that will have more casual appeal. But there is something "cooler" and more approachable about pinball over video games, so I think that's part of the appeal. Plus, as you point out, it's a very unique experience and, even though some good pinball video games exist, they can't replicate the feel of playing pinball, the flashing lights, the cool mechanics of the toys on the playfield, etc..

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scotland
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Re: New arcade machine

Postby scotland » August 30th, 2017, 11:02 am

If you are ever near Asbury Park, NJ, there is a Silverball Retro Pinball Museum. You pay a flat fee to play, and has pinball covering the 50s on, including newer ones like Wizard of Oz.

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: New arcade machine

Postby VideoGameCritic » August 30th, 2017, 11:14 am

I had no idea about Jersey Jack Pinball, but glad to hear about them! I want that Hobbit game!

http://store.jerseyjackpinball.com/Games/

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Retro STrife
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Re: New arcade machine

Postby Retro STrife » August 30th, 2017, 1:27 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:I had no idea about Jersey Jack Pinball, but glad to hear about them! I want that Hobbit game!

http://store.jerseyjackpinball.com/Games/


Yeah, it's a great company. They're really pushing the envelope for new pinball machines right now, especially by incorporating innovative toys to the playfield and video screens to the backglass that add a ton of versatility to the play objectives. Adding video allows you to incorporate a lot more tasks into the game, and using video clips make the game more interesting (i.e., they use clips from the Hobbit movie to introduce objectives during the game or when you accomplish a goal). Of course, all this innovation comes with a cost, as the Jersey Jack games cost almost $10,000 new.

Sadly for you, Hobbit is the worst of the bunch. Wizard of Oz is a modern masterpiece.. Dialed In is brand new and it might be even better (it's produced by Pat Lawlor, famous for the Addams Family and Twilight Zone pinballs of the '90s). The Hobbit is decent, but it's far less impressive than the other two and most people didn't pay it much attention.


scotland wrote:If you are ever near Asbury Park, NJ, there is a Silverball Retro Pinball Museum. You pay a flat fee to play, and has pinball covering the 50s on, including newer ones like Wizard of Oz.


I would definitely check that out if I'm ever down that way. I'm up in CT which has a very good pinball scene at the moment. There's several places to play around the area, and there is a big convention in Massachusetts called Pintastic each summer. All that has allowed me to learn about all the different games very quickly, despite being new to the hobby. To my knowledge, the biggest pinball convention in the northeast takes place in Allentown, PA, called PinFest. I haven't been, but it's probably well worth the trip for anyone down near that area.

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scotland
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Re: New arcade machine

Postby scotland » August 30th, 2017, 4:08 pm

Never heard of Pinfest, but I will pencil it in the calendar - thanks.

I am awful at pinball, but for a flat fee, I am more than happy to be awful at pinball for several hours.


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