Every time we talked over the years he would mention his infomercial. An hour long commercial for his place that was so packed with info, silly jokes and eyes on retro machines, that it had earned itself a cult following. Finally, one day I asked him how I could watch it and he said that it wasn't online. So I told him to send us a copy so we could host it.

The entire hour may not be for everyone, but if you like arcade gaming, you should probably watch a bit of it. Personally, I think it's awesome.

TNT Amusement

Found among this list of just eight machines is the advent of holographic play fields, the tilt mechanism, flippers, and player mods.

The full list includes Brokers Tip, Humpty Dumpty, Wizard, Hot Tip, Checkpoint, The Twilight Zone, Revenge From Mars and my personal favorite, The Addams Family.

Found among these games is not just a collection of new pinball technology, but a short history of the game that blends so well the mechanical with the virtual.

Top 8 Most Innovative Pinball Machines of All Time [Popular Mechanics]

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."

Southpeak Games Announces Dream Pinball 3D Cutting Edge Pinball Videogame to Make North American Debut on PC, WiiTM and Nintendo DSTM in Spring 2008

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS - January 9, 2008 - SouthPeak Games today announced Dream Pinball 3D is coming to PC, Wii™ and the Nintendo DS™ in Spring 2008. Developed by veteran studio Topware, this superb pinball simulator creates an authentic pinball experience with refined controls that capitalize on the unique qualities each platform.

"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."

Dream Pinball 3D boasts six table themes, several different ball options, multi-ball power-ups and the most intense visuals and ball physics a pinball game has ever seen. The Wii™ version utilizes the Wii Remote™ and motion sensor capability to enhance gameplay. The Nintendo DS™ version includes intuitive touch screen control options and clear 3D graphics. The PC version offers pristine visuals and precise flipper controls with the mouse. With this many options to choose from, Dream Pinball 3D will bring out the pinball wizard in everyone!

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]

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.

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]

WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

July 23, 2007

Ah, the three classic summer leisure activities: golf, pinball and battling hordes of evil creatures. Luckily, it's Monday and once again Nintendo has you covered. Players can hit the crazy links with the spherical Kirby, become a pinball wizard or just enjoy an afternoon of helping good triumph over evil. So pour yourself a tall glass of lemonade and settle in for some classic gaming fun.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Kirby's Dream Course™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Step up to the tee for the wackiest golf game of your life. This one- or two-player game features a floating golf course in the sky. High above Dream Land, players can pitch and putt the ever-popular puff ball, Kirby, through a maze of three-dimensional obstacles on a zany checkerboard course. Players must aim for the multitude of enemies that are spread throughout each fairway. Kirby must hit all the enemies to make them disappear, and the last one becomes the hole. Sink Kirby into the hole to advance to the next stage and clear all 8 courses - 64 holes in all.

Devil's Crush (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): Devil's Crush is the exciting sequel to the hit pinball game Alien Crush and features even smoother ball movement and enhanced special effects. Shoot the ball onto the board with the Devil Shooter, then use flippers and nudging to keep it in play and rack up a high score. Complete certain conditions to play up to six different bonus stages. Get a "Perfect Clear" on those to earn a huge amount of points. The game's ominous theme is enhanced by its enemies: wandering skeleton knights, sorcerers and even a giant face that changes from a goddess to a sinister serpent.

Shining Force™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): In ages long forgotten, Light fought Darkness for control of the world. Finally, the Ancients defeated the evil ruler of the dark forces known as Dark Dragon and cast him into another dimension, though he vowed to return in 1,000 years. As time passed, all memory of Dark Dragon was buried, and the land of Rune enjoyed 10 centuries of peace. Yet, as promised, the dark ruler returned, along with hordes of evil creatures that ravaged the land. As chaos erupted, several strongholds of Good still held out, awaiting a hero who could wield the Powers of Light.

To get an idea of why I say this, grab your Wiimote and nunchuck attachment. Now hold them with your hands about as far apart as your average pinball table. Pull the trigger buttons, imagining the left and right flippers kicking up. That's how pinball is played, and that's how Willliams plays on the Wii. Such a simple mechanic works wonders in recreating the feel of actually playing at a pinball table. I'd daresay you could even craft a little mount for them to recreate the feeling of resting your thumbs on the glass of the machine, which could even help a little bit considering shaking your controllers acts like smacking the machine, possibly tilting the game if you shake it too hard.

Pinot was recreated in painstaking detail, with the original bells and whistles intact. The gentleman showing me the game explained that Williams has been very hands-on with this project, testing the game at every juncture and coming back with little changes and tweaks to make sure that every table included in the collection was as authentic as video game pinball can get. I'd daresay they're doing a bang-up job so far.

If you're a quarter of the pinball fan I am and own a Wii then you'd be doing yourself a favor to keep an eye out for Pinball Hall Fame: The William's Collection. While I am sure the PSP and PS2 versions will be at least passable, the Wii version of the game looks to bring all new levels of realism to the world of video game pinball.

A few weeks back I brought you news of The Arcade Flyer Archive and their effort to launch two new archives, one for Pinball Flyers and another for non video game Arcade Game Flyers. On April 30th TAFA opened it's two new archives both of which can be accessed from their main page. The two new sections have been supplemented with over 400 new flyers each in addition to the many that they already had in the mix. Also present is a fancy new logo and streamlined navigation system.

If you are a fan of these old arcade treasures, do yourself a favor and check out the new archives. The art is great and these guys deserve our support. Without them, there would be no weekly Arcade Flyer Art Saturday not to mention that a huge portion of arcade history would be lost to the ages. Flynn De Marco

The Arcade Flyer Archive [TAFA]

According to them the show was filmed while Stern was knee deep in production on their Elvis Presley pinball table so expect to see that game heaviliy featured.

With the recent Xbox Live Arcade release of Pinball FX and an upcoming collection from Crave, plus the release of the Pinball 2000 documentary Tilt!, this is looking like a year of pinball ecstasy. I just tilted in my pants, I'm so jazzed. Michael McWhertor

John Ratzenberger's Made In America [Travel Channel via Arcade Heroes]

The main ingredient to any pinball game is the ball itself. You can have the most beautiful table in the world, filled with ramps, spinners, bumpers, floaters, roofies, and any number of odd items that may or may not be pinball terms and it all means nothing if the ball physics are off.

I'd say Pinball FX completely nailed it.

In this game, the ball is a pinball, no doubt about it. It takes spin, reacts to the table surface, and even does that damn thing pinballs tend to do right between the flippers where it feels like they are being magnetically pulled to their doom. For better or worse, it plays very much like the real thing.

Along with the excellent ball physics, Pinball FX has one of the best implementations of the rumble feature I've ever encountered. Along with the realistic sound effects, I could almost imagine I was getting my hands jarred by an actual machine at an arcade and not a console facsimile. Very well done indeed.

The game comes packed with three tables. Speed Machine, which is all about racing, Extreme, which is about trying to be hip but failing, and Agents, which is about real estate sales. Or spies. Probably spies. Let's give them each the once over, shall we?

Speed Machine

The only table available in the demo version, Speed Machine has the best lines of any of the three initial tables in Pinball FX. By lines I mean the way the ball flows about the table, allowing for more fluid movement and less randomly hitting bumpers, hoping you don't lose the ball. Some very well placed ramps and loops on this table. It's fast and flashy with some great sound effects, and it's the one I'm the best at, which of course makes it my favorite.

Extreme

It's all about rap, skateboarding, and other hip, extreme things, and it comes off feeling like a Jamie Kennedy joke. The table is effectively split into two sections, with the lower half consisting mainly of a hidden loop that just returns the ball right back to you. There is fun to be had here, especially when you get three balls going at once, but it's all a bit too hokey for my tastes.

Agents

It really was neck and neck between this table and Speed Machine. In terms of style, Agents wins out, with modeled pistols, what looks like an industrial complex, a yacht, and a random bird. While the lines don't flow quite as smoothly Speed's, you can get some really nice loops going, and I love the spy-themed missions.

More to come

Even if none of these tables tickles your fancy, Zen promises the release of more tables as DLC later down the line, much like Epic Pinball for the PC back in the early 90's - the best game Epic has ever released. Take that, Gears of War!

Multiplayer

I don't like the way they multiplayer set up, though I suppose it is for the best. Instead of taking turns playing as you would in a bar, everyone plays at the same time, with scores tallied at the end. You might as well just rely on leaderboard scores, as you really aren't playing with other players as you are playing at the same time as other players. It makes sense from a time standpoint, and I guess watching another person play pinball in a bar is only fun because you are in a bar.

Vision Camera Support

No. I will not. Knock yourself out, but there is no reason to control a pinball game with a camera. That's the great thing about giving impressions rather than posting an actual, scored review. I don't have to do silly things like this.

One of the Best

I cannot recommend the game enough to pinball fans. It is one of the best pinball simulations I've come across, and I've been playing these things since Pinball Construction Set back in 1983, before some of you were born. Zen Studios has done a stellar job with Pinball FX. Michael Fahey

Pinball FX features three tables with more coming as DLC down the line, online multiplayer (you're going down, Crecente), and innovative Xbox Live Vision Camera gesture support. I'm not even going to begin to speculate on how this will work, because every thought I am having is oh so very dirty.

Eets: Chowdown is the critically acclaimed PC game that I have not played, but grrlgamer.com called it "Lemmings on crack," which sounds utterly delightful. While it features 120 new levels, the new Marsho Madness action game, and tons of zany characters, it is not pinball, which I find slightly disappointing.

So not only are we getting two titles again this week, they're two titles worth getting excited about. Keep up the good work! Michael Fahey

Xbox LIVE Arcade Double Header this Wednesday! Eets: Chowdown and Pinball FX [Gamerscore Blog]

And it is. Pin*bot in all its glory, along with Gorgar, Firepower, Black Knight, Space Shuttle, and Taxi. Not pictured are Jive Time, Whirlwind, and Sorcerer. That makes nine tables, when the press release clearly reads eight. Gives me hope that The Machine: Bride of Pin*bot might still make an appearance! *crosses fingers*

My only nitpick about these PS2 screens is that the tables look too clean. Might I suggest a special table editor that allows you to add scratches, cracks, grafitti, and cigarette burns to the table for authenticity's sake? Michael Fahey

Confirmed tables include talking-pinball pioneer Black Knight as well as Space Shuttle, which capitalized on the space exploration craze of the mid-80's until it suddenly became too sad to play in January of 1986. If they don't manage to package Pin*Bot and Bride of Pin*Bot in there I shall be a very sad panda indeed.

No concrete release date or cost has been announced, but I'm guessing they'll stick to the $20 price tag of the Gottlieb collection.

I found the last collection to be a real blast, but then again I am relatively old in terms of gaming fandom. While you younglings need your death rays and rag doll physics, back in the day we were quite content to stand around a smoke-filled bar all day long, smacking our balls around the table. Sometimes we'd play pinball. Michael Fahey

Crave Entertainment Hits the Target with Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection

Simulator for PSP system, PlayStation 2 system and WiiTM faithfully recreates classic Williams tables

Newport Beach, CA - Mar 27, 2007 Crave Entertainment, a leading publisher of console videogames, today announced Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection, the follow-up to the popular Pinball Hall of Fame - The Gottlieb Collection, for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system and WiiTM.

Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection faithfully recreates eight of the most memorable tables from the golden age of pinball in stunning, photorealistic 3D. Working closely with Williams to ensure authenticity of each of the games, the collection is highlighted by some of the most popular and innovative Williams pinball tables, including GorgarTM, the first-ever talking pinball machine, Black Knight , which introduced "Magna-SaveTM" and Bonus Ball, and Space ShuttleTM, which took the pinball industry by storm in 1984. Every table has been meticulously recreated to bring players the visuals, sound effects and gameplay that made these games legendary successes. Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection harkens back to the arcades of the 1980s.

Players begin Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection with access to four pinball tables, and the remaining four tables are unlocked as the game progresses. Players can spend as little as two minutes on a quick pinball challenge, or delve deeper into the game, gaining rewards in a token-based system as they unlock each of the pinball tables. Single-player Arcade and Challenge modes provide hours of solo entertainment, and a Multiplayer mode lets players face each other head-on.

Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection will be available for PSP system, PlayStation 2 system and WiiTM this year. Crave Entertainment is a publisher on this product for FarSight Studios, a licensee of Williams Electronic Games, Inc.

VH1 Games Harold Goldberg, who I hear once dated Jade Raymond, had a chance to sit down with Jon Bon Jovi recently to talk about Electronic Arts' Arena Football: The Road to Glory.

To summarize the Q&A:

JBJ isn't a gamer, but played a touch of Pong and loved pinball and his kids love video games.

Anyone who loved pinball, and how could Jon Bon Jovi not be a huge pinball fan, I mean look at that hair, is A-OK in my book. Brian Crecente

Exclusive: Jon Bon Jovi: Old School Gamer? [Game Break]

The development of Pinball 2000 and the demise of Williams pinball is chronicled in the new documentary TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball which is now available for pre-order at the official site.

A pair of trailers are available for pinball fans to see what they can look forward to, both of which feature well known pinball designers like Pat Lawlor and George Gomez. The DVD ranges from $20.95 to $29.95, depending on features. Pre-order now and get it shipped for free. Go on! Get! Michael McWhertor

TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball Official Site [Thanks, Mick!]

GameSetWatch has a wonderful gallery up showing off some of the amazing pinball machines that can be found at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

In their second set of pictures, the site concentrates on some of the "classic" pinball machines found in the collection. The grooviest by far has got to be Bally's Tommy-themed pinballer Capt. Fantastic, though there are plenty more to see on the site. Brian Crecente

Pinball Hall of Fame Vol. 2 [GameSetWatch]

Let's take a moment and examine our roots, yes? Pinball is but one element of the gamer's noble heritage (the other elements being sodium and caffeine).

Located in a strip mall in Vegas, the delightfully low-budget-looking Pinball Hall of Fame has enough slapping, ringing, blinking nostalgia to keep you nodding knowingly and feeling superior to lesser nerds for days.

The Pinball Hall of Fame is an attempt by the members of the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club to house and display the world's largest pinball collection, open to the public. A not-for-profit corporation was established to further this cause. The games belong to one club member (Tim Arnold), and range from 1950s up to 1990s pinball machines. Since it is a non-profit museum, older games from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s are the prevelant, as this was the "heyday" of pinball. There are no "ticket spitters" here (aka kiddie casinos or redemption). It's all pure pinball (and a few arcade novelty games) from the past. And since it's a non-profit, excess revenues go to non-denominational charities.

I am all about giving props to games-for-charity schemes, and this is a fun one. Thanks, Shii. Eliza Gauger

Pinball Hall of Fame Official Site

Back in 1992, pinball king Gottlieb produced a Super Mario Brother cabinet, complete with the Nintendo Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Under the tag line "Mario Mania Comes to Pinball", the machine boasted a Princess rescuing sequence on a dot matrix display. Though, the in-cabinet line "Skill Shot—Shoot Yoshi For MILLIONS" is what sold me on this machine. Hit the jump for a gallery. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [eBay] Thanks, Dan!

Stern, the last pinball manufacturer in the world, is working on a Pirates of the Caribbean creation. Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean blends the characters and settings from both films into one game.

Hit the jump for the upcoming game's features.

A mechanical pirate ship that the player strikes with the pinball. With each hit, the ship lowers its sails and eventually sinks into the playfield, thus revealing a shot into the Kraken's mouth. In this area, the player can sink the ship, destroy the Kraken, and fight Davy Jones.

A mechanical treasures chest, the Dead Man's Chest, through which the player can shoot the ball. When the player has the KEY, the chest opens. They can then spell H-E-A-R-T to begin HEART multi-ball.

A contained spinning rubber disk where the player can capture up to three pinballs. The disk bounces them around in the contained area and holds them for an extended period of time till the player starts multi-ball. The disk sometimes represents Tortuga and other times Port Royal.

A map compass comprised of playfield inserts that shows the player each feature they need to finish. Complete all eight features and play Four Winds Multi-ball.

The game should be hitting locations this month, though I can't think of a single place I'd expect to find a new pinball machine near me. If you're lucky enough to see one of these creations in the wild, drop a quarter in and take it for a spin. Brian Crecente

Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball Announced [Retro Blast, via GameSetWatch]

Gizmodo has a post up about an amazing DIY pinball project. Someone took an old Superman pinball machine and turned it into an unbelievable Futurama machine. The pinballer includes playfield art, 3D Futurama models and even an little LCD screen that shows episodes of the cartoon. Evan K. was able to pull this unbelievable mod off in a mere six months.

Futurama Space 3000 Pinball Machine [Gizmodo]