Russell Bergman
New member
- Feb 29, 2012
- 242
- 0
Howdy Ya'll!!!! First, let me just say the Texas Pinball Festival was the most fun, energetic, and memorable experience I have ever had at any pinball festival, including previous Texas Pinball Festivals! The event took place at the historic Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX from 5pm Friday til 2:30pm Sunday. With 45,000 square feet of pinball goodness, there was over 300 pinball machines and about 50 classic arcade machines (sorry, no Dance Dance Revolution....Lol), all set for free play. All you do is pay the admission fee and walk right up to the machine of your choice and hit start! The amount of people who attended was alot more than last year (I don't have the final numbers), and came from all over the world. About 90% of the machines were in very good, excellent, and near mint condition........because in these parts, us cowboys take care of our machines and continuosly clean, modify, and worship the pinball machine. 
I will break down The Pinball Arcade booth in categories ranging from what FarSight brought to the fans reactions. My role was just like last year, help people get setup on a table on their console of choice, talk to the fans about Pinball Arcade and the latest updates, refer fans to developers for anything that is troubleshooting related and/or concerns, and helping FarSight with whatever they needed. I was helping FarSight along with the DFW Pinball and Arcade Club setup and fix issues on machines that decided to act up. The DFW Pinball and Arcade booth consisted of about 50 machines and was located directly across The Pinball Arcade's booth. One big reason that attracted alot of pinheads to The Pinball Arcade's booth was the massive attract video that was being shown on a movie screen towering on the wall above the booth. The looping video was playing all the current tables with sound......the video was awesome! Ok.....here is the breakdown:
PS Vita, Android Phone, iPad Mini: FarSight brought these devices to show off the app on each device to show the guest how it will look on these devices. There were no new table packs, just the ones we have so far. The iPad mini looked amazing and played amazing as well.
iCade with the iPad: The iPad worked great with the iCade, and the buttons worked well with it. The iCade didn't have side buttons, but it still was fun to play with the regular buttons. Many people who tried the iCade told me they have to get and iCade after playing some tables!
PlayStation 3: In my opinion, this was the biggest hit of the booth because FarSight was showing off the tables in 3D! The very instant FarSight turned on the PS3, I put the 3D glasses on and almost fell outta my chair in amazement......and I was just at the menu screen! My maiden table to play first was Attack from Mars, and let me tell ya, I let out a Holy $***! You have to see it to believe it! This is the ESSENTIAL way to play pinball! The colors were great, the shaking martians were incredible, and it gives a completely better pinball experience. It was such a joy to see people put on the glasses and play in 3D for the first time and have the same experience I had. Several people said they need to get a 3D TV just to play The Pinball Arcade.....it's that good! Many spouses were convinced now they have a reason to buy a 3D TV! FarSight had every table pack in 3D, except for the Dr. Dude/Firepower and Cactus Canyon/Central Park packs....and I think Star Trek, which weren't on the PS3 dev kit.
360: Yes, Cactus Canyon/Central Park and Dr. Dude/Firepower were playable on the 360 and not the PS3, so 360 owners can say they have something on the 360 that isn't on the PS3. Lol! First, let me just say the people that have The Pinball Arcade on the 360 who came by the booth, were so nice and understanding about the publisher (legal) situation. There were no bad attitudes or hatred toward FarSight whatsoever. I talked to several 360 owners (I am a PlayStation owner), and they know how frustrating it is for FarSight....and the FarSight developers in attendance listened and felt their concerns also. They praised FarSight and they know it will be all worked out. FarSight had a Cactus Canyon Tournament (which was a hit!), and everyone loved the graphics and the way it played. I played it along with Central Park, and I cannot wait for this pack to be released. It's so much fun with alot of satisfying shots to hit!
PC: There wasn't a PC build at the festival, but just like in the recent interview with Bobby King, they have a meeting with Steam in about a month. With my talks with the FarSight developers, they are really excited about the PC build and I can't wait to see the finished product!
Fan Reaction: I attended the Texas Pinball Festival March of last year that FarSight attended, and this was a month after the four base tables on mobile launched and debuting the console launch tables and first DLC, and let me just say that the interest in this game has gone through the roof! Since a year has passed by, I was curious of how many people know about the app and if they like it enough to buy several DLC packs. I am happy to report that over 80% of the people who attended the show knows about it prior and has the app. Many people came up to us to show they have every single table pack FarSight has put out! There were so many stories about how people get into trouble at work playing The Pinball Arcade and how they have gotten their friends into playing The Pinball Arcade! To me, the biggest compliment is when people were telling us that how close to the real physics it is to each pinball table it is. Heck, I have never played a real Dr. Dude, and when I play The Pinball Arcade version, I drain alot. Well, I am happy to report that on the real machine it does the same thing! Same bounce, same drain! The only complaints I received is from collectors saying whenever a new pack is released, within a month or two the prices to obtain a real machine from the table pack goes up and up, along with some wives and girlfriends telling me after playing certain table(s), their husbands and boyfriends want to buy the real thing! I had a few couples shopping for a Theatre of Magic, FunHouse, and Scared Stiff to purchase for their home from playing The Pinball Arcade. Too Cool!
Miscellaneous: If ya'll know me, I ask......well, interrigate FarSight to give up any info that hasn't been reported, and I learned my Jedi Mind Trick doesn't work on Bobby or anyone else at FarSight! Lol! Plus, most of my questions were answered in the recent fan interview. Oh well! It was so much fun walking around the show floor with Bobby King and playing some pinball like we did last year. There was a private party from 1am to 3am just for vendors and people who brought machines to have the showroom floor for themselves. There were many rare machines like Big Bang Bar, a beautiful Varkon, Star Gazer, Silverball Mania (inside backglass joke, lol!), and Centaur. One of my pinball friends (the owner of the Varkon machine) brought a Safecracker machine, complete with the side panels and 300 official Safecracker tokens.....plus if you win it, you can keep it or place it in the Magic Token slot to play Assault the Vault! Everyone loved it and played to get the token! On a slightly different note, and I know I am in the minority, but I am a huge Williams Sorceror fan, and I was requesting (jokingly) several times to Bobby to consider putting Sorceror from the Williams Collection into the Pinball Arcade at some point, because the rumor from the forums is that it won't make it along with Jive Time, which I like also. Well, there was a Sorceror at the show and it won an award! All the developers laughed at Bobby and I when it won. Too funny! I would also like to point out that the pinball designers like Steve Ritchie and George Gomez love The Pinball Arcade. Talking with them throughout the show about pinball geek stuff is priceless. Something else that was priceless was watching George Gomez play his creation of Monster Bash in 3D on the PlayStation 3. He was so into playing the game and hitting all the shots, it was a sight to be seen.....even though watching him play without me having 3D glasses was cool! Such down to earth people and they are so interesting. George and I talked about the time he created the video game Tron when he was just 26 years old. Amazing! The Pinball Arcade and FarSight has captured the attention of pinball designers and artists.....and The Pinball Arcade has been out for only 1 year!
In closing, I will admit I was sad to see them go.......Bobby, Norman, Rosa, Scott, Jay, and Rob. They have so much passion for pinball, I wish everyone can experience in person how nice, fun, and cool they are. I know the developers who couldn't make it have the same passion too. Well, if anyone is in the Milwaukee area, surrounding cities, states, etc....it's worth the drive to see them at the Midwest Gaming Classic! Trust me! The future is bright for many years to come for The Pinball Arcade!
I will break down The Pinball Arcade booth in categories ranging from what FarSight brought to the fans reactions. My role was just like last year, help people get setup on a table on their console of choice, talk to the fans about Pinball Arcade and the latest updates, refer fans to developers for anything that is troubleshooting related and/or concerns, and helping FarSight with whatever they needed. I was helping FarSight along with the DFW Pinball and Arcade Club setup and fix issues on machines that decided to act up. The DFW Pinball and Arcade booth consisted of about 50 machines and was located directly across The Pinball Arcade's booth. One big reason that attracted alot of pinheads to The Pinball Arcade's booth was the massive attract video that was being shown on a movie screen towering on the wall above the booth. The looping video was playing all the current tables with sound......the video was awesome! Ok.....here is the breakdown:PS Vita, Android Phone, iPad Mini: FarSight brought these devices to show off the app on each device to show the guest how it will look on these devices. There were no new table packs, just the ones we have so far. The iPad mini looked amazing and played amazing as well.
iCade with the iPad: The iPad worked great with the iCade, and the buttons worked well with it. The iCade didn't have side buttons, but it still was fun to play with the regular buttons. Many people who tried the iCade told me they have to get and iCade after playing some tables!
PlayStation 3: In my opinion, this was the biggest hit of the booth because FarSight was showing off the tables in 3D! The very instant FarSight turned on the PS3, I put the 3D glasses on and almost fell outta my chair in amazement......and I was just at the menu screen! My maiden table to play first was Attack from Mars, and let me tell ya, I let out a Holy $***! You have to see it to believe it! This is the ESSENTIAL way to play pinball! The colors were great, the shaking martians were incredible, and it gives a completely better pinball experience. It was such a joy to see people put on the glasses and play in 3D for the first time and have the same experience I had. Several people said they need to get a 3D TV just to play The Pinball Arcade.....it's that good! Many spouses were convinced now they have a reason to buy a 3D TV! FarSight had every table pack in 3D, except for the Dr. Dude/Firepower and Cactus Canyon/Central Park packs....and I think Star Trek, which weren't on the PS3 dev kit.
360: Yes, Cactus Canyon/Central Park and Dr. Dude/Firepower were playable on the 360 and not the PS3, so 360 owners can say they have something on the 360 that isn't on the PS3. Lol! First, let me just say the people that have The Pinball Arcade on the 360 who came by the booth, were so nice and understanding about the publisher (legal) situation. There were no bad attitudes or hatred toward FarSight whatsoever. I talked to several 360 owners (I am a PlayStation owner), and they know how frustrating it is for FarSight....and the FarSight developers in attendance listened and felt their concerns also. They praised FarSight and they know it will be all worked out. FarSight had a Cactus Canyon Tournament (which was a hit!), and everyone loved the graphics and the way it played. I played it along with Central Park, and I cannot wait for this pack to be released. It's so much fun with alot of satisfying shots to hit!
PC: There wasn't a PC build at the festival, but just like in the recent interview with Bobby King, they have a meeting with Steam in about a month. With my talks with the FarSight developers, they are really excited about the PC build and I can't wait to see the finished product!
Fan Reaction: I attended the Texas Pinball Festival March of last year that FarSight attended, and this was a month after the four base tables on mobile launched and debuting the console launch tables and first DLC, and let me just say that the interest in this game has gone through the roof! Since a year has passed by, I was curious of how many people know about the app and if they like it enough to buy several DLC packs. I am happy to report that over 80% of the people who attended the show knows about it prior and has the app. Many people came up to us to show they have every single table pack FarSight has put out! There were so many stories about how people get into trouble at work playing The Pinball Arcade and how they have gotten their friends into playing The Pinball Arcade! To me, the biggest compliment is when people were telling us that how close to the real physics it is to each pinball table it is. Heck, I have never played a real Dr. Dude, and when I play The Pinball Arcade version, I drain alot. Well, I am happy to report that on the real machine it does the same thing! Same bounce, same drain! The only complaints I received is from collectors saying whenever a new pack is released, within a month or two the prices to obtain a real machine from the table pack goes up and up, along with some wives and girlfriends telling me after playing certain table(s), their husbands and boyfriends want to buy the real thing! I had a few couples shopping for a Theatre of Magic, FunHouse, and Scared Stiff to purchase for their home from playing The Pinball Arcade. Too Cool!
Miscellaneous: If ya'll know me, I ask......well, interrigate FarSight to give up any info that hasn't been reported, and I learned my Jedi Mind Trick doesn't work on Bobby or anyone else at FarSight! Lol! Plus, most of my questions were answered in the recent fan interview. Oh well! It was so much fun walking around the show floor with Bobby King and playing some pinball like we did last year. There was a private party from 1am to 3am just for vendors and people who brought machines to have the showroom floor for themselves. There were many rare machines like Big Bang Bar, a beautiful Varkon, Star Gazer, Silverball Mania (inside backglass joke, lol!), and Centaur. One of my pinball friends (the owner of the Varkon machine) brought a Safecracker machine, complete with the side panels and 300 official Safecracker tokens.....plus if you win it, you can keep it or place it in the Magic Token slot to play Assault the Vault! Everyone loved it and played to get the token! On a slightly different note, and I know I am in the minority, but I am a huge Williams Sorceror fan, and I was requesting (jokingly) several times to Bobby to consider putting Sorceror from the Williams Collection into the Pinball Arcade at some point, because the rumor from the forums is that it won't make it along with Jive Time, which I like also. Well, there was a Sorceror at the show and it won an award! All the developers laughed at Bobby and I when it won. Too funny! I would also like to point out that the pinball designers like Steve Ritchie and George Gomez love The Pinball Arcade. Talking with them throughout the show about pinball geek stuff is priceless. Something else that was priceless was watching George Gomez play his creation of Monster Bash in 3D on the PlayStation 3. He was so into playing the game and hitting all the shots, it was a sight to be seen.....even though watching him play without me having 3D glasses was cool! Such down to earth people and they are so interesting. George and I talked about the time he created the video game Tron when he was just 26 years old. Amazing! The Pinball Arcade and FarSight has captured the attention of pinball designers and artists.....and The Pinball Arcade has been out for only 1 year!
In closing, I will admit I was sad to see them go.......Bobby, Norman, Rosa, Scott, Jay, and Rob. They have so much passion for pinball, I wish everyone can experience in person how nice, fun, and cool they are. I know the developers who couldn't make it have the same passion too. Well, if anyone is in the Milwaukee area, surrounding cities, states, etc....it's worth the drive to see them at the Midwest Gaming Classic! Trust me! The future is bright for many years to come for The Pinball Arcade!
