What is Digg?122 Comments
- doublefelix, on 12/29/2008, -3/+91Shortage of deaf, dumb and blind kids?
- Greengoo, on 12/29/2008, -5/+53From Soho down to Brighton, I must have played them all.
- pe5t1lence, on 12/29/2008, -2/+49Well if the pinball games were still a quarter instead of 50 or even 100 cents, then I would play them more!
- badqat, on 12/29/2008, -2/+37Who sure play a mean pinball?
- buddamus, on 12/29/2008, -1/+30I still love playing pinball when I see it in a pub
- wdw25, on 12/29/2008, -1/+24But I ain't seen nothing like him, in any amusement hall.
- StacMasterS, on 12/29/2008, -0/+20The problem is pinball machines require much more physical upkeep than arcade games do, which is one of the reasons they slowly got phased out. I own the original Star Wars pinball machine and kept it in my dad's bar to make a few bucks, and it was popular, but the regular maintenance and parts required to keep it running really take their toll on the owner.
So my point is, pinball machines should cost more to play because you're getting a better experience out of it. Or at least... a classic experience. Nothing will ever replace the feel of a game that runs on real physics. - 3MM3, on 12/29/2008, -0/+18That deaf, dumb, and blind kid, sure plays a mean pinball.
- korvan504521, on 12/29/2008, -5/+23Pinball games cost too damn much.
- PhantomRogue, on 12/29/2008, -0/+17Well *****, if thats the case, why aren't the "arcade games" only 25cents still? Sad fact is that Pinball (and all arcade games for that latter), are too expensive for the short return of time.
I remember as a kid, going to the Mall, and playing for a few hours on 5 bucks. But now, you go through 5 bucks in 10 minutes. When games cost 75cents and continues are 50... you won't get very far with your 5 bucks.
Sadly, Pinball and most other arcade games priced themselves out of the market. - theexitwound, on 12/29/2008, -0/+12I just bought a pinball machine - Starship Troopers by SEGA, made in 1997. Amazing table in my opinion. Pinball will always be my game of choice.
- Ghengis, on 12/29/2008, -1/+13with crazy flipper fingers!
- Ferretman, on 12/29/2008, -2/+12Uh--no pinball machines, no pinball wizards.
Pretty straightforward. - sjbdallas, on 12/29/2008, -11/+20May as well ask where all the disco dancers have gone.
- PrairieDoggin, on 12/29/2008, -1/+10Right band, wrong song.
- brianez21, on 12/29/2008, -0/+8* guitar solo *
- bmcnally, on 12/29/2008, -1/+9More people need to play by intuition.
- franklymister, on 12/29/2008, -1/+9Gamers raised on unlimited lives, auto-aim, etc., can't even handle old school video games like Defender or Ninja Gaiden - forget about actually handling a real pinball game.
Some things are just too hard for kids to do today. - bigbangbuddha, on 12/29/2008, -0/+7IMO, most arcade games suck now compared to consoles and online games. Pinball is the only reason to play at an arcade anymore, except for the nostalgia of playing an old Centipede or Gallaga cabinet with a roller ball. Personally I wish arcades would just scrap all their video games and go totally tactile, Pinball, Air hockey, etc. stop trying to compete with home systems.
- wafflesomd, on 12/29/2008, -0/+7There isn't a single pinball machine within 20 miles of my home.
That's why. - razrielle, on 12/29/2008, -0/+7Arcades themselves are a dying breed. I went from having 5 in the area to 2. People would rather just play the games at home or on a console. Arcades need to pay rent and utilities too, so to cope with the lack of people going, they have to raise prices
- StacMasterS, on 12/29/2008, -0/+7As I mentioned above, charging 25 cents a game is madness due to the amount of upkeep and cost of parts required to keep a pinball machine running properly. It would be more efficient to charge 50 cents, have half the number of people play it, make the same amount and do half the repair work.
Besides pinball isn't going to interest young people anyway... people who actually care about it and will appreciate it are more than willing to pay more than 25 cents a game. - deaftly, on 12/29/2008, -0/+7The Family Guy pinball machine ***** rules.
- shaka999, on 12/29/2008, -0/+7So your saying owning/running a pinball machine isn't economically viable.
- jakerudy7, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6such a supple wrist
- jonnyeh, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6Except, pinball's golden age was in the early nineties, around when Street Fighter II brought people back to arcades. The Addams Family pin (1992) is the best selling pinball machine in history, 22 000+ units sold. That's astronomical. A machine is usually considered a 'hit' at about 4000 units sold.
- floorman56, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6The best part of pinball is that you know it obeys the lawes of physics, there's no wondering if the computer has done something sneaky to prevent you from getting a high score
But
The guy who owns the machine can set the tilt higher and the angle of the table steeper. There are still ways to mess with ya on a pinball table - ackack, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6I used to go down to the local pub every Friday night to drink beer and play Pinbot, High Speed and Cyclone. Then the company that serviced them decided to replace them with a claw machine and video golf, so I stopped going there. When pinball machines got hard to find around here, I went on ebay and bought a used Twilight Zone and refurbished it myself. I've been offered three times what I paid for it but if I sold it I'd have no pinball to play at all.
The best part of pinball is that you know it obeys the lawes of physics, there's no wondering if the computer has done something sneaky to prevent you from getting a high score, as some video games are known to do. - HappyScrappy, on 12/29/2008, -1/+7The machines are gone, so the players are gone. Because, they're expensive, they're a terrible value next to a video game.
It's really sad too, because I love pinball. - gnooly, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6I managed a video arcade in the mid-nineties, and quickly learned that the upkeep on pinball tables is non-stop. With a video game you might have to replace the occasional switch or coin mech, but pinball machines have a countless amount of mechanical items that require frequent maintenance (not to mention the weekly polishing of the table itself). I rather enjoyed fixing them, though.
- oriondr, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6There's got to be a twist.
- wblackh, on 12/29/2008, -0/+6attack from mars!
adams family
whitewater
junkyard
twlightzone
PLANET PINBALL LAWRENCE KANSAS REPLAY LOUNGE - strictnein, on 12/29/2008, -0/+5$0.50 = "rape price"? 25 years ago it was $0.25. Adjust for inflation and $0.25 in 1983 is $0.53 now. So, you're paying less now than one used to.
- Smokeydabear, on 12/29/2008, -0/+5When I was in college (Central Michigan University) I used to play Cueball Wizards all the time at this bar called The Green Spot. I got freaking amazing on the game and would play free games until I couldn't stand it anymore. There was another place called H and R Subs, near a 7-11. I would go in there and order a good old "Billy K" and play "The Who" pinball game while they made my food, often playing well after the old guy came from behind the counter and set the sandwich on the machine for me. I loved the pinball machines of Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
- bruins72, on 12/29/2008, -0/+5I wish there were more pinball machines around. I loved playing them. I used to play them a lot in the early 90's. Now it's rare to see them anywhere. If you do, they're old and not working properly.
- ywgflyer, on 12/29/2008, -0/+5I've got a machine in my house as well - Data East's Secret Service. Old, but awesome.
And yes, I still play it. - Moonkeeper, on 12/29/2008, -0/+4If anyone lives in NJ, there is an arcade in Seaside that has a separate section, I think it's called "Flashback." They have about a half dozen old classic pinball machines (High Speed, Whirlwind, Pinbot, Funhouse, etc...)
Among the newer ones Monopoly is my favorite game. - newman8r, on 12/29/2008, -0/+4foreigners
- Spoomeister, on 12/29/2008, -0/+4Because the currently correct PC phrasing of "hearing challenged, speech impaired differently sighted youth" doesn't have the same ring to it.
- compgeek, on 12/29/2008, -2/+6I'd say that pinball lost it's edge when 3D games come into play in arcades. not to mention some arcades charge a rape price for pinball sometimes 50 cents or $1 when there are WAY more advanced games with cockpit style cabinets and stuff like that to play for the same cash, I still make a point of playing at least 1 game of pinball whenever I go to the local arcade though
- reaper527, on 12/29/2008, -0/+4sounds like he sure plays a mean pinball
- koolmoecraig, on 12/29/2008, -0/+3Yeah but don't forget that you have to split the profits with location owner 50/50 on top of having to pay around 30% taxes.
.50 a game or three games for $1 is not expensive at all. Maybe you are just cheap. - Amazetbm, on 12/29/2008, -4/+7Pinball Wizards started to fade away when Pong and the Atari 2600 took over.
- miles32, on 12/29/2008, -1/+4They can be set as easy or as hard as the operator wants. Everything from drop target timing to points per bumper hit are programmable since the 80's
- DrKai, on 12/29/2008, -1/+4Sadly, it is incredibly difficult to find well-stocked arcades with working pinball machines. I can't imagine kids growing up without physical pinball machines.
Luckily there is at least one fantastic pinball game out there: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. When played on the Wii, you get fairly intuitive controls with motion-sensing translating into table nudging. They did an excellent job translating the graphics, physics and (importantly) the sounds of real, classic pinball machines. Here's to hoping they release more!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Hall_of_Fame: ... - ThornHarvestar, on 12/29/2008, -0/+3Stern's Lord of the Rings table is amazing as well. I wish it was still being made.
BASH THE BALROG! - riptor666, on 12/29/2008, -0/+3Xenon is an amazing machine to own for like $800-$1500, but for the most part it is simply too expensive to own a pinball machine. I'd love a Southpark or Family Guy machine but who really has 5-6k laying around for a new pinball machine that can get you a decent used car. Till I have the money though VPIN MAME will have to do.
- web2pointYo, on 12/29/2008, -1/+4"Marge, may I play devil's advocate for a moment?"
- Chordonblue, on 12/30/2008, -0/+3Williams pinballs were the best, IMHO. Good gameplay, terrific physics, balls didn't get stuck as much, brilliant and funny animation, and the overall build quality was better. That's why Midway used Williams parts.
Personally, I think pinballs and many arcade games screwed up when they started rewarding players with 1,000,000 points for hitting a bumper. Part of the fun and challenge of pinball was beating the high score or at least your personal best.
It's kinda hard to do that when the number's so confusingly big that you don't bother remembering it: "Wow! I got 12,237,432,543,010 points on that first ball!" - jflaker, on 12/29/2008, -2/+5Once the games started costing 2 quarters, I stopped playing
Yet another institution brought down by greed.....at 25 cents, the game halls were packed and you usually waiting in line for the popular games...at 50 cents, there were not as many people........at 75 cents, the gaming halls are a dying breed........ -
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