GUNS N ROSES PINBALL

If you really want to rock out your game room or man cave, this new Guns N' Roses Pinball Game from Jersey Jack Pinball would be sure to give you the bragging rights on the block. At $6,700 dollars for the standard edition it isn't cheap but this amazing arcade quality cabinet would absolutely earn you to title of Pinball Wizard among your friends. If my wife would let me raid the kids college fund this pinball machine would be so in my basement!

Guns ‘N’ Roses ‘Not In This Lifetime’ is meant to mimic the experience of sitting in the front row of one of the band's concerts. The game is designed around playing through the Guns N’ Roses entire 21-song setlist with a concert stage and moving spotlights. Live footage and concert screen animations from the Not In This Lifetime World Tour are showcased on a 27” backbox display. Players need to get fans to cheer and get more pyrotechnics!

It comes set in Family Friendly default mode, but there is a switch to turn on Adult Only content which adds explicit songs, video content, and voice work. Speaking of vocals, the game includes voice recordings by Axl Rose, Slash, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, Dizzy Reed and GNR announcer MC Bob. Plus, full-length Studio Master Recordings of Guns N’ Roses songs are featured in this pinball game.

An avid pinball collector and longtime player, SLASH worked hands-on with Jersey Jack Pinball designer Eric Meunier for over two years, to develop the Guns N’ Roses ‘Not In This Lifetime’ game. As co-designer, SLASH crafted specific game plays and actions, recorded guitar riffs, music, voice, and video for the new game as well as, four unique guitar features for four playable modes in the game. Pinball designer Eric Meunier is widely known as the designer of one of the best-selling pinball games of all time, Pirates of The Caribbean, which currently sells for $5-7,000.00 over its original asking price. 

Hundreds of interactive LED lights and multiple LCD displays complimented by a 2.1 stereo sound system give players a front row seat to custom animations and hours of 'Not In This Lifetime' tour footage. The kinetic game brings together the band’s powerhouse live performance, signature sound and wild stage elements. Plus it adds some special touches like sculptures of Slash’s Iconic Top Hat, Screaming Axl Rose, and a Concert Speaker Stack. There is also a Drumstick Ramp featuring two Real Frank Ferrer Thunderchucker Vater Drumsticks as well as two Guitar Pick-shaped RGB Lit Spinners inside the game. Sweet!

Can't afford one of these to toss in your basement, home office or den? You can still plug getting one of these to the pub you hangout with your buddies at or the arcade you spend time at with your kids. You know you want to play this pinball game! I sure would be geeked to!

Internet Arcade Brings 900 Classic Video Games To Your Web Browser

I recently took some time to visit the Internet Arcade and it was like a time warp to the after school hours of my elementary school and junior high years when my friends and I would rush over to the ice cream parlor that also served as our town's arcade and spend hours playing video games.  The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of more than 900 arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s and 1980s.  Wow! you can really see how far technology has advanced when you spend some time playing these classic games that were state-of-the-art during their time and compare them to those we can play now on home video game consoles, tablets, or even our phones.  Still while the games in the Internet Arcade may not have high def graphics or dazzling special effects, they can still provide you with a lot of fun. Oh, and by the way did I mention they are also all FREE to play!

Capcom's AVENGERS

One of my all time favorite video games was called AVENGERS and I spent countless hours and an unimaginable amount of quarters enjoying brawling through its levels with my friends when I was in eight grade.  I haven't seen this game since junior high though I've always kept in eye out for it over the years...even considering looking to maybe buy one of the original arcade machines for my house if I could fine one.  Lo and behold the first game I stumbled across on the Internet Arcade was the AVENGERS! how about that...I just blew through an hour before writing this post having a blast fighting my way through Paradise City feeling like I was twelve years old again.

The game that was right next to AVENGERS at my local arcade hangout is also on the Internet Arcade: INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM.  I thought that game was so cool at the time and you look at the graphics now and just winch, but it is still fun running around a maze on the screen snapping at snakes and bad guys with your whip in one level and racing through tunnels in a mine car through the next one.

Atari Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom

These games work through emulating the original software through the processing power of an Internet browser.  While they work on most browsers the most effective ones to use are Firefox and Chrome to obtain the best game play.  Also these games don't work on tablets or phones even if you have Internet access...at least not when I tried to access them via my iphone and ipad...so you'll need to access them through a PC.

A nice feature is that if you have a game controller for your computer the games will recognize it and you can play like you are using an arcade machine's joystick.  If you don't have a video game controller for your computer...like me... than most of the games use the arrow buttons, Ctrl, Alt, and Space Bar tabs on your keyboard to control the action.  Each game is different though and unfortunately they don't do a good job of informing you of what the control buttons are so lots of time it is learning by just pounding keys til you get a grasp of things...which can be very frustrating.

Taito Jungle Hunt

I wish I had a game controller because the keyboard controls just aren't as much fun but they are doable, especially for games like Burger Time, Frogger, Jungle Hunt and Pacman.  I had a good time playing these games with the arrow buttons as my primary controls.  Unfortunately, I found not every game works with the keyboard. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi just would not work!  On the other hand the racing game Outrun worked great!

SEGA Outrun

For some retro fun take a moment to swing by the Internet Arcade to play some video games old school style.  Visit  archive.org/details/internetarcade for all the fun of going to an arcade without the expense of the quarters.  These games are all FREE to play but you do have to click on an insert coin button to start each game just to keep the experience legit.

For more information on exactly how these game platforms work through your web browser or if you are having trouble getting them to work CLICK HERE for "A Quick Guide on How to Play on the Internet Arcade"

Star Wars Battle Pod Video Game Flies Into Arcades January 2015

With the proliferation of home video game consoles and the fact that most phones probably have at least one game loaded on them (I happen to have Angry Birds: Star Wars and Star Wars Pinball on my iPhone) you wouldn't consider there to be much of a market for manufacturers to be creating new video arcade games.   Bandai Namco Games Inc. is betting that arcades aren't dead just yet though and has invested in a brand new video game titled Star Wars: Battle Pod.  It allows players to take command of vehicles from the original trilogy of films such as X-wings, the Millennium Falcon, snowspeeders, and speederbikes and race through digitally reproduced scenes from the movies in arcade-exclusive game play beginning in January 2015 within the United States and a global release will follow later in the year.   The Battle Pod features a unique dome screen enveloping a player's entire area of sight that leaving him or her with a sense of actually piloting and taking part in scenes from the film.

"The Star Wars universe is a vast galaxy of memorable experiences and epic storylines and we intend to put that level of fun and control in the hands of fans with Star Wars: Battle Pod," said Satoshi Oshita, president and CEO of Namdai Namco Game Inc., in the announcement release promoting this new video game. "Players can jump right in to true-to-film battles on Endor, Hoth, Death Star II, Yavin, and more."

Today's arcades are different than the ones I went to as a kid.  They are much more focused on providing "experiences" rather than actual game play because it is too easy to play games at home or on the go now.  But you currently can't replicate racing on a mechanical jetski or motorcycle (which seem to be some of the more popular games when my kids and I go to the arcade) in your living room or on a phone.  So in that same light this new Star Wars video game provides a visual experience with its multi-dimensional screen that can't currently be replicated outside of the arcade.  From the video previews it appears this game really lets players become immersed in the Star Wars scenario they select and live out a scene from the movies rather than trying to "win" a game or beat levels.  It appears for a set amount of money you are guaranteed to complete your selected mission in  one take versus having to spends lots of hours and tons of quarters trying to get from one level to the next.

In an interview about Star Wars Battle Pods with John McKenzie, president of Bandai Namco Amusement America and Europe by Polygon.com it was noted by the gaming company executive that there would be five levels to the game that each are designed to be accomplished in one sitting so players can enjoy it within a set amount of time for a set amount of money.  "When you go into an arcade you need something that delivers an experience you can't get at home," McKenzie said. "That typically means these much bigger, experiential titles. Games that feel almost like a theater experience or augmented reality, rather than simply something you play for fun. The added benefit of a game like Battle Pod is that it delivers a set experience, typically three to four minutes long, for a set price."



The Battle Pod game will feature five separate scenes to select from key moments in the original trilogy of Star Wars movies and each featuring a different memorable vehicle relevant to that scenario.  In Endor, players race through the forest moon on speeder bikes.  There is a Death Star II scene where you race around and through the space station in the Millennium Falcon.  You try to repel the Imperial attack of the Rebel base on Hoth in a snow speeder.  You can also pick from either Darth Vader's TIE fighter or Luke Skywalker's X-wing to reenact the famous Deathstar space battle from the original Star Wars movie.

So keep an eye out at places like Dave & Busters or Chuck E Cheese for this new video game. It looks pretty darn cool!  I know for sure my kids and I will be on the look out for it.

Play DONKEY KONG for FREE on your Internet Browser

I'm dating myself but when I was a kid the new high-tech toy was going to the arcade in my hometown to play DONKEY KONG.  I spent a fortune in quarters jumping barrels trying to rescue the lovely Pauline. This game featured the first appearance of Mario who later rose to fame with the video game Super Marion Brothers, for its time had better gameplay than the other games out at that time and was the best selling arcade machine of the early 80s.  As we play Playstation 4 in our living room, my kids don't believe me that when I was a child we had to go to places to play video games rather than just sit on your own coach and turn on the tv.  I try to use Chuck E. Cheese to explain it to them but that pizza chain has really become more about mechanical rides and skee ball than video games so they didn't really get the connection. Oh how the times have changed, but I still have fond memories of warm summer evenings watching the neon lights flicker on the video screen as I took on the evil Donkey Kong trying to save the day.

Nintendo who produced the game and owns its rights to boost its home video game platform sales so far has been reluctant to allow its classic games like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers to turned into apps that can be played on smart phones and tablets.  That is a bummer but probably helping me stay productive and not losing track of time while dodging barrels and grabbing coins on my phone's screen all the time.  You can though now play DONKEY KONG for FREE on your Internet Browser by visiting ArcadeYum.com.

Time warp back to the 1980s with this online game that provides the basic controls of left-right-up-down and jump as you try to make your way up the construction site to rescue your kidnapped girlfriend from the dreaded Donkey Kong.  Here's a screen capture of a game I recently played on my PC on the AracadeYum website.  Note you have to use Flash to be able to play the game but this may work on some tablets and phones that have compatibility.

CLICK HERE to play DONKEY KONG!

Be aware that ArcadeYum doesn't charge any money for you to play the games on their website but they do download some software that allows them to target you with advertisements when you are online. I've found that if you click this link the website doesn't download this software but if you visit this link it won't allow you to play without downloading the software.  For more information about ArcadeYum's software downloads, what they do and how to remove them, click here.  So far I haven't seen the ArcadeYum software listed on my computer or seen any advertisements generated by it so I think you're clean if you use the flash version of the game in the first link I posted. Just be alert to click cancel or no if you are prompted to download anything when you visit this website unless you are OK with receiving advertisements from them and having some of your Internet browsing habits tracked.