Best arcade NOT video game

[XtRaterrestrial]

Yes, Hang On! There was always a line of people waiting to play that thing even in those days.

[the_green_death]

@XtRaterrestrial

This stuff is well before my time. But luckily there was an arcade in town in the late 90s when I was a kid that had all sorts of old arcade cabinets. Got to play Galaga and Tyson’s Punch Out and a Sega motorbike game ( the name eludes me right now) which had a big ass bike you could hop on and lean to the sides like a real bike, it was engaging as hell.

Punch Out was a ton of fun as was Hang On - forgot about both of them!

[prologue_67]

The World Cup Soccer '94 was replaced by a Theatre of Magic a while back.

[queer_bait]

Sweet pinball machines,dude…

A few months ago i flew out to a Life of Agony show is Astbury Park,NJ(don’t ask)…we went on the boardwalk and found this retro arcade that had pinball machines dating back to the 50s and they were all in really good shape…video games that dated way back and every kind of cool retro game,video or otherwise that you could imagine…I could have stayed there all day long…it was killer…

[Gunnar]

@prologue_67

The World Cup Soccer '94 was replaced by a Theatre of Magic a while back.

Theatre of Magic is my all time favorite pinball game! They had one in the Student Union in college and I played it every day. The funniest part was I never saw others playing it, but there was another dude using “ACE” as his name that I was always vying with for score supremacy. I ended up meeting him when it turned out that we got grouped together in a marketing course project, haha! We gave each other proper respect… and both increased our commitment to the game so we could peacock and talk shit whenever we’d meet up, haha! Goddamn, I love that game!!!

[Gunnar]

Ooohh!!! Just saw Twilight Zone too!
Other favorites of mine were Addams Family, Elvira, Funhouse…

[prologue_67]

@queer_bait

Sweet pinball machines,dude…

A few months ago i flew out to a Life of Agony show is Astbury Park,NJ(don’t ask)…we went on the boardwalk and found this retro arcade that had pinball machines dating back to the 50s and they were all in really good shape…video games that dated way back and every kind of cool retro game,video or otherwise that you could imagine…I could have stayed there all day long…it was killer…

I’ve been collecting for a good 25 years. All my pins are in great condition. I don’t collect junk. What I have currently is my “permanent” collection. I don’t see myself selling/trading any of the pins I have now. The only exception I can think of is I would sell/trade the Theatre of Magic for a really nice Tales of the Arabian Nights. Other than that, the pins I have are it. I’d never, ever, and I mean ever ditch the Twilight Zone.

The person I sold the WCS '94 too was opening a “beercade”. I don’t know what ever happened as this was just before COVID hit. I would have preferred it to go to another collector but I needed the $ for the Theatre of Magic.

Never got into Life of Agony. I’m not sure why?

[prologue_67]

Theatre of Magic is one of my very favorite pins. I didn’t really want to sell the WCS '94 but I only have so much room in the basement. I don’t live in a McMansion and have small house (1225 sqr-ft ) in a old neighborhood. I love old homes and don’t see myself moving. Anyway… as noted, there is only so much room in the basement and one of the pins had to be culled from the herd.

Around here, back in the day, there was a place called Silverball that had a ton of pins all well maintained. I miss that place.

If anyone is in the area feel free to stop by and check out the collection and play a few games. I have to get the basement fixed up as I’m still dealing with the aftermath of a sewer backup. Oy… All are welcome though.

[Hedberg]

Really cool app out there called pinball arcade.
Virtually every pinball ever made down to the exact pixel.
Music is all correct too.
Available on most platforms.
And I can tell you upfront, twilight zone is definitely the most difficult to master.

Yes there is a tilt function.

[queer_bait]

That’s pretty cool…great to have something you are passionate about …

I’m a big Life of Agony fan and always liked them on record but when I saw them live that solidified it…I just wish they got more press for their music rather than their transgender front women…

[grmpysmrf]

So where did you get your pins? Around here we get “arcade auctions” every several months but the prices are crazy.

[prologue_67]

There are no “arcade auctions” around here anymore. I can’t remember the last one I went to. No more operators (arcades) so no more auctions.

If you are asking where I got the specific pins I have now -
ST:NG - bought semi-dead in an arcade
Demo Man - from a dealer in FL. Got it for a song including low cost shipping.
Indiana Jones - Sitting in a warehouse. tracked down the owner and bought it.
Theatre of Magic - bought from another collector financed with the sale of the WCS '94.
TZ - found on craigslist from a family that had it for almost 2 decades. The vast majority of the time just sat there dirty and broken in their basement. I spent a month of Sundays fixing/tuning/repairing. The playfield cleaned up perfectly and had no wear at all. The pin in exceptional condition and my very favorite pin. It will never leave my possession.

If you are asking where to buy in general -
Craiglist
Mr. Pinball
Pinside
Are all good sources. Pricing today is obscene. I couldn’t afford, nor will I pay, full price these days. I’d have to trade/sell one of current pins to finance. I don’t think prices are sustainable but I didn’t think they were sustainable when prices were 50% of what they are now. $10K+ pins are unaffordable, at least for me anyway.

[prologue_67]

I saw Life of Agony once. They opened for somebody. I don’t recall who. It was a very long time ago in a galaxy far far away. They didn’t do much for me then. Maybe I’ll give them another spin. It’s been ages.

[grmpysmrf]

I’ve got an old Abra Ca Dabra machine that my family got one Christmas (I think I was in first grade ). It’d worked perfectly until I decided to clean it, about a year or two ago, and I apparently jiggled something because the pop bumper stays stuck all the time now and makes this annoying noise as it tries to reset… I know nothing of pinball circuitry (and pinball cleaning apparently) so It’s been sitting until I can find someone to fix it.
I thought I found someone last January in Los Angeles but he wanted to do a complete overhaul of it for like 2 grand, and when I said I don’t need that. I just need the pop bumper fixed he quoted me a price much smaller, but said his pinball mechanic was out for covid and didn’t know when he’d be back. I got the idea it wasn’t enough money for him and didn’t want to do the job. So, it sits.

[prologue_67]

I’m pretty sure you can fix it yourself. Pinball machines break. They break whether you play them or not. You can hermetically seal them and they’d still break. Fortunately, there are resources out there that can help you help yourself.

Off the top of my head, I’d say either a stuck relay or a bad EOS (end of stroke) switch. It’s possible a wire just came off. It happens. Just solder it back on.

These are excellent resources to help you repair your EM pin.

https://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=EM_Repair
http://www.pinrepair.com/em/
http://www.pinside.com

Pinside has great forums where you can ask. Most people are pretty decent about helping out. Check out the repair guides first (1st two links).

You can find parts at a few places, amongst them are Marco (www.marcospecialties.com); Pinball Resource (pbresource.com) Pinball life (pinballlife.com), there are more. I’d highly advise picking up a volt meter if you don’t have one. You won’t get far otherwise. Go to Harbor Freight and just get a cheap one. It will work fine for your purpose.

Just school yourself a bit. You can fix this!

[grmpysmrf]

Thank you for those links. I was going to macro for my cleaning stuff. I got a replacement steely. And some other things. Ill check out those other links for the help.