True-TRUE HD Resolution
Well over 120 fps with NO FRAME DROPS
Realistic, dynamic lighting
Unparalleled advanced physics engine
Best Anti-Aliasing solution
Perfect camera control, excellent FOV
Almost entirely skill based gameplay
Flawless stereoscopic 3D
Harder than Dark Souls
In all seriousness, I rediscovered pinball a little over two years ago and what an incredible thing it is. In a time when everything is digital, ephemeral, virtual and simulated it is fantastic to have a giant, monolithic carnival-in-a-box existing in a physical space and providing frenetic, kinetc action you can feel.
As I've improved I have gotten much more invested. I have a lot of video games and consoles yet I play more pinball than anything else. It's one of the most satisfying games I've ever played. When you start having consistently good shots and combos, longer balls and higher scores... damn, it feels good, man. That "CLACK!" as the knocker indicates that you just earned a free game is almost as satisfying as putting your initials on the board.
And unlike videogames, you really can't predict how things are gonna go every time. You have to have split-second reactions, good judgement and impeccable hand-eye coordination.
The death of pinball is far more depressing to me than the death of arcades in general - and believe me, the loss of the arcade hurts my soul. Things are clinging on, especially with the surge in bar arcades, but pinball faces a unique problem:
Limited production. These games, once a proud icon of Americana, are literally decaying. Unlike video games, you can't just back them up and make copies. You can't just build a new cabinet for a jamma board or make a MAME cab. Parts are getting harder to find. These games are gone when they are gone. Many number in the lower thousands, some in the hundreds. Finding certain pins in the wild is like find gold.
I really hope we keep this tradition alive. All the major manufacturers are dead, with the exception of Stern. They still make a few new games a year. Recently, some indie upstarts have started producing tables and boy are they cool. Hopefully they survive, too.
If you do go to arcades/barcades, give pinball your attention. I garauntee it is a far more rewarding solo experience than the solo video games they have. Find local pinball, support this dying art form. Git gud, play in tournaments. It's hard, there's a steep learning curve, but once it clicks you will be hooked.
http://www.pinballmap.com/
Use this site to locate places with pinball tables or track down specific games in your area. If you know of one that isn't on there then please add it!
Summer 2017 Update:
Pinball is making a big comeback! Lots of new tables from new companies! If my city is any indication, new games are being out on location all over the place!
Coming soon:
Star Wars (original trilogy) - Stern
Houdini - American Pinball
The Jetsons - The Pinball Company
Total Nuclear Annhilation
(Backlgass Art for finished game)
(WIP whiteboard, game is set to ship next year)
Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle - Spooky Pinball
And Elvira 3 with the original design team and Elvira herself!
Shipping Now:
Ghostbusters - Stern #RIPDMD
Batman '66 - Stern
Aerosmith - Stern
Alien - Heighway
Dialed In - Jersey Jack
The Big Lebowski - Dutch Pinball
Attack From Mars REMAKE - Chicago Gaming
Some (slightly) older tables still in production include: Metallica, The Hobbit, The Wizard of Oz, Game of Thrones, Woah Nellie!, Spider-Man Vault Ed, Iron Man Vault Ed, Star Trek, The Walking Dead and more!
Well over 120 fps with NO FRAME DROPS
Realistic, dynamic lighting
Unparalleled advanced physics engine
Best Anti-Aliasing solution
Perfect camera control, excellent FOV
Almost entirely skill based gameplay
Flawless stereoscopic 3D
Harder than Dark Souls
In all seriousness, I rediscovered pinball a little over two years ago and what an incredible thing it is. In a time when everything is digital, ephemeral, virtual and simulated it is fantastic to have a giant, monolithic carnival-in-a-box existing in a physical space and providing frenetic, kinetc action you can feel.
As I've improved I have gotten much more invested. I have a lot of video games and consoles yet I play more pinball than anything else. It's one of the most satisfying games I've ever played. When you start having consistently good shots and combos, longer balls and higher scores... damn, it feels good, man. That "CLACK!" as the knocker indicates that you just earned a free game is almost as satisfying as putting your initials on the board.
And unlike videogames, you really can't predict how things are gonna go every time. You have to have split-second reactions, good judgement and impeccable hand-eye coordination.
The death of pinball is far more depressing to me than the death of arcades in general - and believe me, the loss of the arcade hurts my soul. Things are clinging on, especially with the surge in bar arcades, but pinball faces a unique problem:
Limited production. These games, once a proud icon of Americana, are literally decaying. Unlike video games, you can't just back them up and make copies. You can't just build a new cabinet for a jamma board or make a MAME cab. Parts are getting harder to find. These games are gone when they are gone. Many number in the lower thousands, some in the hundreds. Finding certain pins in the wild is like find gold.
I really hope we keep this tradition alive. All the major manufacturers are dead, with the exception of Stern. They still make a few new games a year. Recently, some indie upstarts have started producing tables and boy are they cool. Hopefully they survive, too.
If you do go to arcades/barcades, give pinball your attention. I garauntee it is a far more rewarding solo experience than the solo video games they have. Find local pinball, support this dying art form. Git gud, play in tournaments. It's hard, there's a steep learning curve, but once it clicks you will be hooked.
http://www.pinballmap.com/
Use this site to locate places with pinball tables or track down specific games in your area. If you know of one that isn't on there then please add it!
Summer 2017 Update:
Pinball is making a big comeback! Lots of new tables from new companies! If my city is any indication, new games are being out on location all over the place!
Coming soon:
Star Wars (original trilogy) - Stern
Houdini - American Pinball
The Jetsons - The Pinball Company
Total Nuclear Annhilation
(Backlgass Art for finished game)
(WIP whiteboard, game is set to ship next year)
Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle - Spooky Pinball
And Elvira 3 with the original design team and Elvira herself!
Shipping Now:
Ghostbusters - Stern #RIPDMD
Batman '66 - Stern
Aerosmith - Stern
Alien - Heighway
Dialed In - Jersey Jack
The Big Lebowski - Dutch Pinball
Attack From Mars REMAKE - Chicago Gaming
Some (slightly) older tables still in production include: Metallica, The Hobbit, The Wizard of Oz, Game of Thrones, Woah Nellie!, Spider-Man Vault Ed, Iron Man Vault Ed, Star Trek, The Walking Dead and more!
