Tales of the Silverball: Iron Man - an Interview with John Borg
GameRoom of the Month: Daniel Carsen
I Remember Them Well: Bally's Loop The Loop
Twin Galaxies Scoreboard: Funspot and More
The Last Word: Coin-Op and Pop Culture
GameRoom News and more!
Individual Digital Back Issues Now Available!
Yes, you read that right: You can now buy individual digital back issues. Each only $.99!
Pinball 101: The Art & Science of Better Pinball Play, a DVD by world-champion pinball player Keith Elwin. Ever wanted to play pinball like a pro? How better to learn than to let a pro teach you! Pinball 101 shows you the tricks and helps you understand the physics of what's happening on the pinball playfield. The ball may be wild, but that doesn't mean you can't be prepared!
NTSC DVD (US)
Only $19.95, and available now in our webstore!
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Namco Bandai announced late Tuesday that it was working on a new television program featuring its most popular character – one that would air in stereoscopic 3D. The show features a teen Pac-Man who is thrust into greatness and must save Pac-World when it is overrun by ghosts. The only way to do that: Eat the ghosts. He’s aided in this mission by a teacher/mentor, a group of Pac-friends and four friendly ghosts – Pinky, Inky, Blinky and Clyde (who, ironically, were the arch-enemies in the original arcade game). Since he’s not an adult, Pac-Man will suffer the usual angst of teenagers, including being forced to deal with his split affections for a friend and fellow student as well as one of the ghosts.
Written by Kevin Steele
//
Wednesday, 02 June 2010
Now available for Pre-Order! In Stock 6/14!
Well, it's taken far longer than expected, but we finally have the new Michael Ford books on the way, and will have them in-stock on June 14th!
Digital Restoration Secrets
Restoring an old game to "like new" condition is a challenge, even if replacement artwork is available. If you have a game that has no replacement art available, it becomes almost an impossible task.
Fortunately, digital art restoration has made it possible to repair or replace damaged artwork—everything from scratches to faded colors can be fixed with the click of a mouse.
Michael Ford’s book Digital Restoration Secretstakes you through the complete restoration process, showing you the best techniques for generating shiny new artwork for that classic old game. It’s an invaluable resource for the dedicated coin-op hobbyist who has a machine in need of new art.
Antique Arcade Games
There’s something wonderfully wacky about looking at ads from the past. From the dated fashions, to the outlandish hyperbole and blunt sales tactics, it’s like you’ve found a window into an entirely different civilization. No matter how strange the culture was, they still needed entertainment. Michael Ford has compiled a treasure trove of coin-op history, preserved in the form of the famous Mike Munves Amusement Device catalogs.
Antique Arcade Gamesis a collection of Mike Munves distributor catalogs from 1939 through 1962. Mike Munves Corp. supplied every type of coin-operated amusement device, from fortune tellers to jukeboxes and more. It’s like a reference guide to every vintage coin-op game ever made.
From the political-incorrect "Poison this Rat" game (where you try and kill HItler) to ads for early Seeburg jukeboxes with "Scientific Sound Distribution," its an informative look at the early coin-op industry and society as a whole.
compiles coin-op flyers and advertisements from the 1930’s and 40’s. In addition to providing more details on the games, the ads are a hilarious look at the advertising techniques of the past.
GameRoom's store manager is on vacation for the next two weeks. Orders will be processed as soon as she returns on June 13th. I apologize for any inconvenience.
All 12 issues of GameRoom Magazine from 2009, in PDF format on one handy CD with an integrated browser. Indexed and searchable, this is a great way to catch up on any missed issues from 2009, including those that are out of print!
Do you think your X-Box 360 has 3D? Then you haven't seen Tabletop Pong. Windell from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories posted an update to a real Pong game, including video and plans. Tabletop Pong uses a real ball and real solenoid activated paddles, and looks real fun.
Google’s PAC-MAN logo was one of the best surprises of last week, and faced with masses of appeals Google have done the only sensible thing and made it a permanent home. The playable doodle was only meant to be live for two days, but by “popular demand” Google have set it up permanently at www.google.com/pacman.
We've had a bit of a snafu in getting a shipment of the new books from Michael Ford: Digital Restoration Secrets, Antique Arcade Games, and Antique Arcade Game Ads.
We're expecting stock in about two weeks, and I will be setting up pre-orders on the site shortly. Watch the front page for an announcement when they are in stock and shipping.
Sorry for the delay -- we'll get them in as fast as possible!
Mills 3 Bells: An Electromechanical Slot Restoration by Sal Mazzeo
Back to the Backglass: Building a Translite Backbox by Bruce Elson
The Wayback Machine: Gary Vincent, Part 2
GameRoom Reviews: Classic Home Video Games: 1972-1984 by Brett Weiss; Digital Restoration Secrets, Antique Arcade Games, and Antique Arcade Game Ads by Michale Ford
Pinball 101: The Art & Science of Better Pinball Play
Namco Bandai announced late Tuesday that it was working on a new television program featuring its most popular character – one that would air in stereoscopic 3D. The show features a teen Pac-Man who is thrust into greatness and must save Pac-World when it is overrun by ghosts. The only way to do that: Eat the ghosts. He’s aided in this mission by a teacher/mentor, a group of Pac-friends and four friendly ghosts – Pinky, Inky, Blinky and Clyde (who, ironically, were the arch-enemies in the original arcade game). Since he’s not an adult, Pac-Man will suffer the usual angst of teenagers, including being forced to deal with his split affections for a friend and fellow student as well as one of the ghosts.
All 12 issues of GameRoom Magazine from 2009, in PDF format on one handy CD with an integrated browser. Indexed and searchable, this is a great way to catch up on any missed issues from 2009, including those that are out of print!
