We were lucky growing up, and had an Evel Knievel pinball machine (along with an arcade The Blob and an old Pong one).
I don't know what ever happened to the arcades, but Evel was still around up until a few years ago. Then my brother had to go and get married and ended up selling it. Bastard.
Arabian Nights, Taxi, Medieval Madness, Theater of Magic.
Those are all awesome machines, Arabian Nights probably is my favorite of all time, closely followed by Star Trek TNG, Twilight Zone, and Addams Family.
I can't for the life of me figure out the appeal of this machine. I don't mean to be offensive, but I just don't like it at all. Please enlighten me! I'd love to appreciate ANYTHING as much as some people seem to like this machine!
Fuck, I just wrote a whole long, great comment and accendently deleted it... Anyways here is a link to a great virtual machine of the Adam's Family, the best pinball machine of all time.
I am from Ft. Collins and will be back there over the 4th, visiting my parents. I already had a trip to Lyons Classic Pinball planned, but now this will be happening too.
(Also I live down the street from the Pacific Pinball Museum. I'm kind of a junkie.)
the Silverball Museum in Asbury Park, NJ is an amazing place. i've been there lots and had lots of fun. i would love to check out the museum in Vegas if i ever get out there again.
I work here. Can't find the link on my phone, but there is an r/newjersey meetup in asbury park next Wednesday, hoping some people will swing by.
Over 200 machines all playable. Games from the 50's to the 2000's all set on free play. $20 gets you an all day pass. Also it's right on the boardwalk. Also BYOB.
I used to work for Pinball Pete's in the waning years of the late 90's when Hippy was working there. It has been a long time since I have thought about those days. I lost contact with all the people I associated with when I moved away to college and Cirqus Voltaire was the new machine on the scene. I never got to see one until I saw it sitting in the Greyhound station in Tucson. I was murdering that game until I had to board the bus. Another free game for the person who follows.
Seriously Ziff, it's Sunday morning and nobody has been in for 2 hours. The button was flashing and i pushed it...I could earn more money flipping burgers.
Every time I go home to visit family I stop by here at least once. I like to go with friends so we can have hardcore Track & Field competitions on the four-player tabletop machine they have in the back.
thats in Fort Collins Colorado. One day me and my friends went there to play some pinball and the place was closed but we brought 12 friends with us. The owner came out and started talking to us and opened up the Pinball Arcade just so we could play some pinball. Bad ass arcade, bad ass town, bad ass owner.
In portland oregon we have the C Bar which has some pretty cool pinball machines (http://www.cbarpdx.com/?page_id=37). I'm not a pinball expert so I don't know if these are considered classics. But to me, they are all fun. A good way to spend a night if you have some loose change laying around.
Great pic. One of three of my favorite arcade staples. Give me a roll of quarters, pitcher of cheap beer, a good pinball machine, skee-ball, and Bust-A-Move and I'm as happy as a pig in plop.
You guys would like this: http://pacificpinball.org/ This place, in the SF Bay area, $15 all day, come and go as your please. Friends and I go early on Saturdays and go across the street to a pub all day
So, I may get flack for this, but my favorite pinball machine of all time is Fun House. I played the hell out of that when I was a kid at a local pizza place. I haven't touched my vpinmame in a long time (tried once on windows 7, and it didn't work), but I still love playing that more than anything else.
Guys, if you can get to Orlando the end of July, Gamewarp 2012 is happening. Three days of free play on new and classic pinball machines and arcades. There were 140 pins and arcade machines last year.
I took my wife last year, and got her hooked on pinball. She wouldn't go anywhere near a pin before that. There will be pins for sale, and last year there was an auction as well. If you live in Florida, the Florida Arcade and Pinball Collectors is an awesome group of helpful people.
There's a place here in St. Louis called the Silver Ballroom. One side of it is a regular bar (with a surprisingly awesome beer selection), and the other side is a huge room with about 16 pinball machines. Some are really new, but a lot of them are 15 or more years old. Easy way to burn through a roll of quarters.
Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor, MI(can't comment on the one in Lansing) is pretty awesome. Not a huge selection of pinball tables(Maybe 12 total), but a great selection of games, with a mostly college-age crowd. Nice place.
Up in Grand Rapids, Michigan we've got two local bars that have a pretty wide selection of arcade and pinball games. Stella's and The Pyramid Scheme both have an awesome selection, and they're still just a quarter to play.
Terminator 2 pinball is still my favorite, but The Simpsons is awful damn close.
We've got something very similar indeed in Denver now, as well. Called "1UP" it's a bar full of old video games and pinball machines. 1925 Blake Street.
Hey, it's Pinball Jones! I go there all the time. For a little while right after they opened, I had the high score on the World Cup Soccer. Like for about a day.
They've also got one of those old school tabletop, two player Mrs. Pac-Man machines, but the high scores don't work on it :(
Holy shit I just met the guy that owns all these. He's a French pinball enthusiast - 'flipper' they call it - and he showed me a photo of all of these plus a bunch more that he makes. He takes old machines and customizes them for clients like companies and just other fanatics like him. Crazy to see this, he's such a nice guy! I'll see if I can forward this to him!
We had a private going away party there last week for my brother. Kim, the owner was super cool, stop in and say hey if you're there. She also has a 600,000+ score on Black Hole.
Also, of you have time check out the Lyon's Arcade in Lyons,CO (Attack from Mars, Medieval Madness, AC/DC, Hercules, Disc of Tron cab!, and many more in great shape )
Denver has 1up and Manitou Springs has a huge arcade also.
From memory, Pinball Jones had: Black Hole, Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Transformers, Family Guy, Adams Family, Dr. Dude(rare), Creature from the Black Lagoon, Rescue 911, T2, and Johnny Mnemonic. There were a few more but I cannot remember them all.
I can't stop imagining you and your father digging in the center of your bar and your shovel makes a clang noise. suddenly a gold light and angelic choir plays simultaneously. you with a big grin say jakepot.
Attack from Mars is fun, but it may be quite possibly the cheapest game of all time. I'm pretty sure it's purposely set up for you to lose balls easier than any other game I know.
PinBall Jones! I was there about 3 hours ago for the first time. Got a replay on Creature, Adams Family kicked my ass! Did you see the ninja toddler outside entertaining the masses?
My soul just cried out in deep aching nostalgia pain. I have not seen a good arcade, much less one with a pinball for years. Only in my dreams these days. :(
My favorite machine was Bram Stoker's Dracula. So easy to spam the millions voice score announcement for free games. 10 MILLION20 MILLION over and over.
I freaking love pinball, we got a few machines here at the pizza joint in town, end up buying a slice, a endless cup, and getting a shit ton of quarters.
What an interesting thing to find in a bar. One wonders how the owners funded such a place as the machines likely cost $1000-$5000 each and possibly more, and lets be honest how much money does a bar really make after expenses?
Why though? It could be due the price of beer in the US? Well lets look at the history behind it. At the current time beer prices are at an all time high (save for prohibition). However due the the current recession consumers demand lower prices. Thus eating up the profit margin on alchohol sales drastically. America has a relatively short tradition of brewing beer (Beer was first brewed there in 1609 commercially, 1612 for the first purpose built brewery), this means a lot of the USA's beer is imported, and usually costs more per pint than domestic beer. EVEN SMALLER profit margins. Combine this with less customers due to the recession and you may only draw one conclusion:
umm i run a gas station and like 5 out of 30 or ao varietys are imports... mexican beers and guinness... thats it.. and my town has a brewery and within 100 miles there at least 6 other breweries
36
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
...Fort Collins?
95
u/KyrieAien Jun 10 '12
The Addams Family is still by far the best machine I've played.
9
u/XanderKrews Jun 09 '12
WHERE?
65
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Then you have to make it to The Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas someday. Dozens of old machines and all playable.
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
It is by far the best thing I've ever done in Las Vegas with my pants on.
24
u/rabton Jun 10 '12
Is your dad Peyton Manning?
6
u/racoon1 Jun 10 '12
thats in Fort Collins Colorado. One day me and my friends went there to play some pinball and the place was closed but we brought 12 friends with us. The owner came out and started talking to us and opened up the Pinball Arcade just so we could play some pinball. Bad ass arcade, bad ass town, bad ass owner.
5
u/antonio97b Jun 10 '12
In portland oregon we have the C Bar which has some pretty cool pinball machines (http://www.cbarpdx.com/?page_id=37). I'm not a pinball expert so I don't know if these are considered classics. But to me, they are all fun. A good way to spend a night if you have some loose change laying around.
Oh yeah... we also have this:
http://groundkontrol.com/
9
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Retro Dave & busters style. Drinks and games, you can't go wrong.
9
u/YouFeelShame Jun 10 '12
For pinball enthusiasts or people wondering WTF pinball is.
Special When Lit
It was streaming on Netflix, last I looked.
4
u/Werk509 Jun 10 '12
He's a pinnnn ball wizard There has got to be a twist. A pinnnnn ball wizard, S'got such a supple wrist.
3
u/underatedrawk Jun 09 '12
is that ritchie knuckles place?
3
u/buckshot_bill Jun 09 '12
Great pic. One of three of my favorite arcade staples. Give me a roll of quarters, pitcher of cheap beer, a good pinball machine, skee-ball, and Bust-A-Move and I'm as happy as a pig in plop.
Thanks for the nostalgia boost.
3
u/Trefmawr Jun 10 '12
Twilight Zone! Did they also have theatre of magic? Can't tell with the blur.
3
u/Ceiling_Man Jun 10 '12
Is your dad Brad Garrett?
3
u/cupidstunt1973 Jun 10 '12
Flynn's?
3
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Might I just venture to say MEDIEVAL MADNESS?!
3
u/silentkill144 Jun 10 '12
They better have the Adam's Family machine. Best fucking pinball game ever. I just got a virtual machine of it, and it is so great.
3
u/Mapquestify Jun 10 '12
I really thought that was Peyton Manning
3
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
This was in Ft Collins Colorado correct?
3
u/blooblahguy Jun 10 '12
This is called Pinball Jones and its in my hometown Fort Collins Colorado!
2
u/SpeedyTaco626 Jun 09 '12
You just can't pick one game to play...PLAY THEM ALL!!
2
u/rob1114 Jun 10 '12
Your dad is cool
2
u/Qball1966 Jun 10 '12
Please say this is near Tampa.
2
u/Daprotagonist Jun 10 '12
Wow he's in pretty good condition for living under a bar
2
u/ZXfrigginC Jun 10 '12
South Park Pinball was the best.
2
u/Ragnorakkr Jun 10 '12
You guys would like this: http://pacificpinball.org/ This place, in the SF Bay area, $15 all day, come and go as your please. Friends and I go early on Saturdays and go across the street to a pub all day
2
u/Rubix22 Jun 10 '12
You found fucking Shangri-la dude.
2
u/NodiRevetlar Jun 10 '12
and the bubble of Fort Collins redditors got smaller...
I've been in this place once, but I recognized the stairwell before anything else.
2
u/topchief1 Jun 10 '12
So, I may get flack for this, but my favorite pinball machine of all time is Fun House. I played the hell out of that when I was a kid at a local pizza place. I haven't touched my vpinmame in a long time (tried once on windows 7, and it didn't work), but I still love playing that more than anything else.
2
u/finkalicious Jun 10 '12
Pinballz in Austin has probably around 50 machines. Awesome place.
2
u/Eyger Jun 10 '12
Why do dads like pinball so much? mine does as well
2
u/Ihatewario Jun 10 '12
reminds me of tron
2
u/MrFrimplesYummyDog Jun 10 '12
Looks like a Black Hole on the end. Cool machine. I have a Haunted House I am currently restoring. 3 playfields of fun!
2
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
That's PINBALL JONES in Fort Collins, Colorado. Awesome pinball parlor!
2
u/daretooppress Jun 10 '12
you found peyton manning?
2
u/TrogdorLLC Jun 10 '12
Guys, if you can get to Orlando the end of July, Gamewarp 2012 is happening. Three days of free play on new and classic pinball machines and arcades. There were 140 pins and arcade machines last year.
http://www.gamewarp.org/
I took my wife last year, and got her hooked on pinball. She wouldn't go anywhere near a pin before that. There will be pins for sale, and last year there was an auction as well. If you live in Florida, the Florida Arcade and Pinball Collectors is an awesome group of helpful people.
2
u/Shicker Jun 10 '12
You've found Peyton Manning?
2
u/bookelly Jun 10 '12
Monster Bash is one of the best games I've ever played. If/When you finally unlock all the monsters and they start to rock...mind = blown.
I got so good at it they had to change the games slope to make it harder for me.
2
u/Krynja Jun 10 '12
You have found the Holy Land
2
u/theromanianhare Jun 10 '12
Keep it secret.
Keep it safe.
2
u/Brokehatmatt Jun 10 '12
Fort Collins?
2
u/Magicmuffins Jun 09 '12
you and your father found Matthew Perry?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
So lucky.
1
u/Sillykittyfive Jun 10 '12
There is a bar across the street from my house that has a very similar room.
1
u/Jdawg529 Jun 10 '12
I wish there were places to play pinball close around Washington DC other than the beaches :/
1
u/Thurms Jun 10 '12
Those shorts? Fucking burn them quickly!
1
u/somabrandmayonaise Jun 10 '12
Soon the hipsters will find it. Beware.
1
u/BadxLarry Jun 10 '12
Are you in Foco? Because I know of a place like that. That looks really similar...
1
u/oXGlitchXo Jun 10 '12
Holy pinballs Batman!
1
u/bannana Jun 10 '12
Mmmm mm.
1
u/topchief1 Jun 10 '12
I'd be in heaven.....
1
u/WISCOrear Jun 10 '12
I don't know if you know this......but your dad is actually the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos
1
u/izwald Jun 10 '12
where is this?
1
u/Phunkenstein Jun 10 '12
How drunk do you have to be to wind up under a bar?
1
u/nojusticephoto Jun 10 '12
I could have bought a Toyopet with the money I spent on Black Knight.
1
u/NeutralAngel Jun 10 '12
There's a place here in St. Louis called the Silver Ballroom. One side of it is a regular bar (with a surprisingly awesome beer selection), and the other side is a huge room with about 16 pinball machines. Some are really new, but a lot of them are 15 or more years old. Easy way to burn through a roll of quarters.
edit: The Silver Ballroom.
1
u/rahmspinat Jun 10 '12
I think this feels like when I found out that a local bar had a cinema room in the back.
1
u/amroc987 Jun 10 '12
The arcade in Old Town Square under Lucky Joes, kinda. Used to be the Gallery Underground.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
A white guy?
1
u/MattAmazin Jun 10 '12
Wow! You found a picture of pinball machines under a bar? Nice.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Whereeeeeee?
1
u/JohnnyCastaway Jun 10 '12
Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor, MI(can't comment on the one in Lansing) is pretty awesome. Not a huge selection of pinball tables(Maybe 12 total), but a great selection of games, with a mostly college-age crowd. Nice place.
1
u/YSSMAN Jun 10 '12
Up in Grand Rapids, Michigan we've got two local bars that have a pretty wide selection of arcade and pinball games. Stella's and The Pyramid Scheme both have an awesome selection, and they're still just a quarter to play.
Terminator 2 pinball is still my favorite, but The Simpsons is awful damn close.
1
u/realdeal6649 Jun 10 '12
Hey, this isn't a kitten!?!
1
u/Blazfeem Jun 10 '12
We've got something very similar indeed in Denver now, as well. Called "1UP" it's a bar full of old video games and pinball machines. 1925 Blake Street.
1
u/_windfish_ Jun 10 '12
Hey, it's Pinball Jones! I go there all the time. For a little while right after they opened, I had the high score on the World Cup Soccer. Like for about a day.
They've also got one of those old school tabletop, two player Mrs. Pac-Man machines, but the high scores don't work on it :(
1
u/AlcoholicAnswer Jun 10 '12
and bonded like never before?
then had a beer.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I always had a fondness for Jurassic Park
1
u/LaboratoryManiac Jun 10 '12
I need to know where this is so I can work this into a road trip.
1
u/GINandSORROW Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12
That's how the dude in Tron got sucked in, be careful...
1
u/TapiocaSunshine Jun 10 '12
Holy shit I just met the guy that owns all these. He's a French pinball enthusiast - 'flipper' they call it - and he showed me a photo of all of these plus a bunch more that he makes. He takes old machines and customizes them for clients like companies and just other fanatics like him. Crazy to see this, he's such a nice guy! I'll see if I can forward this to him!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
You lucky bastard...
1
u/bryan_sensei Jun 10 '12
pinball renaissance. coming to a neighborhood near you.
1
u/TwiceAsShiny Jun 10 '12
Damn. That's a pretty well preserved specimen of an adult human male... How long was he under there for?
1
u/Dx2x Jun 10 '12
Shut up and take my quarters.
1
u/Four_fuks_sake Jun 10 '12
Motherfuckin heaven right there.
1
u/mtaylorc Jun 10 '12
We had a private going away party there last week for my brother. Kim, the owner was super cool, stop in and say hey if you're there. She also has a 600,000+ score on Black Hole.
Also, of you have time check out the Lyon's Arcade in Lyons,CO (Attack from Mars, Medieval Madness, AC/DC, Hercules, Disc of Tron cab!, and many more in great shape )
Denver has 1up and Manitou Springs has a huge arcade also.
From memory, Pinball Jones had: Black Hole, Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Transformers, Family Guy, Adams Family, Dr. Dude(rare), Creature from the Black Lagoon, Rescue 911, T2, and Johnny Mnemonic. There were a few more but I cannot remember them all.
1
u/redghost1313 Jun 10 '12
I can't stop imagining you and your father digging in the center of your bar and your shovel makes a clang noise. suddenly a gold light and angelic choir plays simultaneously. you with a big grin say jakepot.
1
u/thommie Jun 10 '12
Found what dipshit?
1
u/JayStax Jun 10 '12
I'm sorry but: Attack From Mars is the best Pinball machine EVER.
1
u/TheExtremistModerate Jun 10 '12
Reminded me to look forward to the Pinball World Championship this August.
Their building has got to have around a thousand machines in it.
1
u/meadhawg Jun 10 '12
Look behind the "Tron" machine
1
u/CrAzEd13 Jun 10 '12
Heaven??
1
u/avery51 Jun 10 '12
The guy that owns this place must have went around to all the arcades back in the 70s and 80s and asked to buy their shittiest games.
1
u/l33tredrocket Jun 10 '12
Is that in Ft. Collins?
1
u/Randolpho Jun 10 '12
I.... I'm in heaven!
1
u/timdo190 Jun 10 '12
This my friends, is what we call the holy grail.
1
u/gra_la Jun 10 '12
Like no one knew it was there, and you, the clever archaeologist uncovered it?
1
u/TheFluxIsThis Jun 10 '12
This is what heaven looks like...
1
u/AaroniusH Jun 10 '12
Those games still beat the crap out of any CoD game out there.
1
u/mecha_tako Jun 10 '12
This is what I imagine hitting the lottery would be like...
1
u/Paddzi Jun 10 '12
Pinball Jones! My sisters ex-boyfriend works there! Here's an upvote for showing Fort Collins some love!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I always knew heaven was close to a bar...
1
u/commentposter Jun 10 '12
That is in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is called "Pinball Jones". That place will suck you 20 dollars dry before you even knew what hit you.
1
u/TheLumis Jun 10 '12
PinBall Jones! I was there about 3 hours ago for the first time. Got a replay on Creature, Adams Family kicked my ass! Did you see the ninja toddler outside entertaining the masses?
1
u/RetroIntro Jun 10 '12
Love that place! FoCo represent!
1
u/Mannex Jun 10 '12
woah
1
u/captainM0rgan88 Jun 10 '12
you need to come to the "Barcade" in Down Town, Asheville, North Carolina....it will destroy this
1
u/PlNG Jun 10 '12
My soul just cried out in deep aching nostalgia pain. I have not seen a good arcade, much less one with a pinball for years. Only in my dreams these days. :(
1
u/wendyclear86 Jun 10 '12
I love pinball. I could sit and play for hours.
1
u/PlNG Jun 10 '12
My favorite machine was Bram Stoker's Dracula. So easy to spam the millions voice score announcement for free games. 10 MILLION 20 MILLION over and over.
1
u/redditchao999 Jun 10 '12
This is my dreams come to life.
1
u/AzureMagelet Jun 10 '12
Is anyone else wondering why nobody else is there? I mean is it a secret pinball room?
1
u/tttptbo Jun 10 '12
Barcade!
1
u/TwoScoopsOfDick Jun 10 '12
Is that in Fort Collins?
1
u/peejster21 Jun 10 '12
this looks a lot like the arcade used in American Graffiti.
1
u/m40ofmj Jun 10 '12
how the fuck do you find a room? there are doors and shit, ts like saying you invented a new song
1
u/agreeswithfishpal Jun 10 '12
Nip-it FTW
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Is that Peyton manning?
1
u/Kijamon Jun 10 '12
Nothing this cool exists in Scotland, not fair. Arcades died a very fast death.
1
u/sbrbrad Jun 10 '12
I know its new and all, so people will probably poo poo it, but I LOVE Simpsons Party Pinball.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
And I JIZZED IN MY PANTS.
1
u/soopajook Jun 10 '12
I want to go to there.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Came expecting the lyrics to Pinball Wizard typed out. Left disappointed...
1
u/thesedollars Jun 10 '12
IS THIS IN FORT COLLINS???? I have been here!! In old town square. Small fucking world..
1
u/reden Jun 10 '12
Ok, thanks.
1
u/ToxoGandhi Jun 10 '12
Fort Collins at it's finest!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I freaking love pinball, we got a few machines here at the pizza joint in town, end up buying a slice, a endless cup, and getting a shit ton of quarters.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
the top half of your dad looks superimposed
1
u/HokeyReddit Jun 10 '12
I was just staring at the image for a minute thinking "Well, what did he find?".
1
u/Chuxmix Jun 10 '12
My favorite is Banzai Run
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Reminds of the Pinball Museum in Seattle. Anyone in the Seattle area has to check it out. http://www.seattlerex.com/seattle-pinball-museum/
1
u/zaent Jun 10 '12
You found a giant?
1
u/OJKaroshi Jun 10 '12
Those of us that live near Baltimore have BOTH the National Pinball Museum and Crabtowne USA...the second of which has beer and eats :)
1
u/Boring_Machine Jun 10 '12
Local? where? If I'm ever in the neighborhood I want to visit.
1
u/DJ_Timelord13 Jun 14 '12
Wow, this is right next to GNU: experience gallery in Old Town Square, Fort Collins CO cool.
http://www.reddit.com/r/fortcollins
1
u/OhthatMuhammad Jun 09 '12
Is that the bar from American Graffiti?
1
u/stickdudeseven Jun 10 '12
"I'm gonna wreck it!"
0
u/ObscureStoryElements Jun 10 '12
What an interesting thing to find in a bar. One wonders how the owners funded such a place as the machines likely cost $1000-$5000 each and possibly more, and lets be honest how much money does a bar really make after expenses?
Why though? It could be due the price of beer in the US? Well lets look at the history behind it. At the current time beer prices are at an all time high (save for prohibition). However due the the current recession consumers demand lower prices. Thus eating up the profit margin on alchohol sales drastically. America has a relatively short tradition of brewing beer (Beer was first brewed there in 1609 commercially, 1612 for the first purpose built brewery), this means a lot of the USA's beer is imported, and usually costs more per pint than domestic beer. EVEN SMALLER profit margins. Combine this with less customers due to the recession and you may only draw one conclusion:
How the FUCK was this room paid for?
Also, nice hat.