Midwest Gaming Classic Starts Tomorrow

If you are or will be in the Milwaukee area over the weekend, be sure to drop by the Olympia Resort for the 2008 Midwest Gaming Classic, the Midwest's largest electronic gaming convention. Visitors will be able to buy and play classic to current arcade and pinball machines, buy, sell, and trade your video game systems, games, and accessories, or listen to talks given by guest speakers like modder Ben Heckendorn, Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day, former EGM editors "Trickman" Terry and Sushi X, and Marty Goldberg, who will be talking about the plans to revitalize the classic Microprose brand. It sounds like a damn fine way to spend some time and money over the weekend. Tickets are $10 a day for adults, or completely free for children 12 and under. Hit up the website for directions and more information.

The 2008 Midwest Gaming Classic [Official Site - Thanks ZRDollarz]

A few months back I mentioned that The Arcade Flyer Archive, an amazing collection of vintage and new arcade flyers, would be liquidating their collection. They've already been through one portion of the sale which we unfortunately missed out on. But never fear, there's still plenty more to be had. The flyers cover Arcade Video Games, Pinball machines and other types of arcade amusement machines. Everything you need to know about the sale including the list of available flyers, prices and shipping can be found at coinopvideogames.com. These guys have put a ton of hard work into cataloging this amazing collection so help support them by buying a few flyers. They're going cheap!

Arcade Flyer Art Saturday: Pinball Edition

Long before I loved video games I was a pinball fanatic. I spent more money on pinball than almost anything else in my younger years. Ever since I've been doing Arcade Flyer Art Saturday I have perused the many flyers available on The Arcade Flyer Archive. Several months back they added pinball flyers and I was thrilled. In many cases, the art on them is better than the art on the video game flyers. But, alas, pinball isn't a video game so I was barred from using them. And besides, there's not a terrible lot to say about how to play a pinball game and the gameplay doesn't exactly vary wildly.

So, today as i was browsing TAFA for tonight's AFAS I noticed that they had quite a few pinball games that were inspired by video games. Finally I had my chance to show off some pinball flyer art! So, for your pleasure I present some of the finest examples of vg inspired pinball games. The Joust one is especially great as they designed it like a tabletop arcade game. Too cool.

"Everyone loves pinball. It is an unusual kind of entertainment in that it bridges hardcore and casual gamers, while translating very well to videogames," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "We are going to give the medium the respect it deserves."

Free Pinball FX Level on XBLA

For those who haven't tried it, Zen Studios' Pinball FX is a pretty spectacular little pinball game on Xbox Live Arcade. While virtual pinball physics may never be perfect, the graphics are beautiful and you can actually follow the action through a few decent camera angles. The only real issue I have with it is the lack of levels. Starting this Halloween, Pinball FX will be offering a free level on XBLA called Buccaneer. We were excited that it might be a spooky Halloween-themed pack at first, but buccaneers are a close second in our hearts.

Free Pinball FX Halloween Level [vh1]

Arcade Attack: The Pinball-Video Game War

1UP's Jenn Frank was lucky enough to have come into possession of one of the wildest, wackiest animation moments from the 80s. It was a heady time, one that saw the genre cleansing of former arcade mainstay pinball viciously brutalized by video games. There are no words that could do justice to this animated battle between wannabe Space Invaders and not quote The Bride of Pinbot. Could've used a more metal soundtrack, but it's worth a watch regardless. Frank reveals more about the documentary from whence this came in her latest 1UP blog entry.

Arcade Attack: More '80s Than You Can Handle [1UP]

It's the beginning of the month so it must be time for another Arcade Flyer Archive update! As usual TAFA graces us with another hundred flyers in each of their three categories: video games, pinball games and arcade amusement games. This month in video games we get Dead or Alive, Burger Time, House of the Dead 4 Special and Metal Slug X just to name a few. Pinball and Arcade Amusement also get their fair share with some new SMB Pinballs and Ashcraft's favorite Love and Berry Dress Up Dance. So, head on over to TAFA and see what all the hub-bub is about.

The HDTV Pinball Machine

The "real world" level represents kids' media usage and their parents' attitudes towards it. Left hand (parents' wishes) sends the ball (the kid) to school, books, church and museum. Right hand (the kid's wishes) sends the kid to TV, peers, videogames and the Internet-connected computer at the top left.

Furminator, First Person Pinball

First person shooters are a dime a dozen, but first person pinball is something rare and special. The ///furminator, named so because of its origins as a Terminator 2 pinball table, puts players closer to the playing field, giving them an intense first person perspective on the game.

That the player wears a force feedback helmet—which looks like a modified hockey or lacrosse gear—only provides an experience with more immersion. A pair of Commodore 64-era triggers and a series of mini-LCD screens that give players a look at hidden portions of the playfield add to the technical modifications. Watching the videos is highly recommended.

///furminator [via Waxy.org]

Kirby Golf, Satanic Pinball, and Shining Forces

Arcade Flyer Art Saturday: Video Pinball

Why Europe Gets Metroid Pinball Later

Europe Finally Gets Metroid Prime Pinball

TAFA Opens The Curtain On Two New Archives

Travel Channel Features Pinball Wizards