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Welcome Back to Digital Pinball Fans - please read this first
Pinball Arcade @ Pax East in Boston
- Thread starter Captain B. Zarre
- Start date
Bowflex
New member
- Feb 21, 2012
- 2,287
- 1
Don't worry. Passes have been sold out for some time. The place is bonkers.
Nightwing
Active member
- Aug 1, 2012
- 1,137
- 0
I'm having a great time @ PAX East! The interview with Norman from Farsight went well. More details later, but I can tell you it is simply coincidence that they have two Stern tables at the show.
Ark Malmeida
New member
- Apr 3, 2012
- 360
- 0
Checked out their booth on Saturday (Sorry I missed you Nightwing - didn't check out the forums over the weekend) and got a game going on Ripley's. Really wanted to play that one since it's one of my favorites and I haven't seen one in the wild. Unfortunately balls kept sticking in the scoop so I didn't get a full game in. It was fixed for Sunday but the table was always busy when I went by. I did play enough to see that Farsight's recreation is quite good!
The booth was very well done. They had a few ipads out to play TPA on, the PS4 version of STTNG going, and a big screen above the booth streaming gameplay which could be seen from far away and really drew you in. You could also sign up to get a code on Steam, Android or iOS for the original four release tables and also gift it to up to five friends - very generous and hopefully a good way to bring in some new players.
I asked about cabinet mode since I'm in the process of finishing up a cabinet build. They said that they had actually made some good progress late last year and early this year - have back glasses working well - but had to back burner it for a bit to work on other versions, notably 360 and Xbox One. An issue that was mentioned was finding the best layout for each table so it looks good from an overhead perspective. They also said that since this will obviously be the steam version, we'll be able to look forward to even better looking tables since DX11 is still in the works.
Great choice to send the devs along to represent the product as you could feel the passion they have for the game coming through in my conversations with them.
The booth was very well done. They had a few ipads out to play TPA on, the PS4 version of STTNG going, and a big screen above the booth streaming gameplay which could be seen from far away and really drew you in. You could also sign up to get a code on Steam, Android or iOS for the original four release tables and also gift it to up to five friends - very generous and hopefully a good way to bring in some new players.
I asked about cabinet mode since I'm in the process of finishing up a cabinet build. They said that they had actually made some good progress late last year and early this year - have back glasses working well - but had to back burner it for a bit to work on other versions, notably 360 and Xbox One. An issue that was mentioned was finding the best layout for each table so it looks good from an overhead perspective. They also said that since this will obviously be the steam version, we'll be able to look forward to even better looking tables since DX11 is still in the works.
Great choice to send the devs along to represent the product as you could feel the passion they have for the game coming through in my conversations with them.
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Bowflex
New member
- Feb 21, 2012
- 2,287
- 1
The tables they have at the booth are rentals. When they rented the games they wanted to make sure they only had tables already in the TPA. Basically that only gave them those two and I believe one other which was in bad condition. The Harley they had was a version 1 (Sega). They did get a huge amount of people visit. If you ever have a chance to meet them at a show, definitely get in there. THey are really cool, love to talk pinball and other great topics, Norman is an excellent guitar player and will demonstrate and dazzle if you get him a guitar!!!
Nightwing
Active member
- Aug 1, 2012
- 1,137
- 0
Okay....what a long day!
I had a lot of fun yesterday @ PAX East,and bringing the equipment to tape segments for my cable access show was a bit daunting for me,but with the help of my wife Leslie & my friends Marc & Kevin,I count the day as a success.
I wasn't able to get there in time to see the PAPA panel,so since we are big fans of Rock Band & Harmonix Games,we decided to go to the N64 Royal Rumble challenge. It was complete with good promos,swerves,alliances,betrayals,and a VERY lively crowd. Oh,the match was fun to watch too,though we have really come a long way with graphics in games over the past fourteen years.
Shot a quick segment in the freeplay area,which is a REALLY cool thing @ PAX. Think of it as a library - there are two rooms filled with game systems & televisions. You go to the help desk,see what games are available,and sign one out to play.
The first room is the modern stuff - your Wii,XBox 360s/Ones,PS3s & 4s. It's a good way to try out a game that you might have some interest in getting. The other room has your classic consoles - everything from Nintendo 64s & Sega Saturns to an Atari 2600. Then even had a Pong game console setup! Cool,huh? (I didn't see the last room until I was leaving,but they also have a Steel Battalion room.Awesome stuff!! if you don't know what Steel Battalion is,ask & I'll tell you why it's so awesome)
Next, I stopped over at the freeplay arcade,courtesy of the American Classic Arcade Museum or ACAM for short. Now,some of you might remember my review of pinball in NH that I posted last summer...and honestly,I was pretty hard on Funspot - especially when comparing it to the PWA. But after my interview with the ACAM founder/President Gary Vincent,who was very informative (not to mention really nice) and learning a few things,I now have a much deeper appreciation for what ACAM is trying to do. Trying to maintain & repair pinball tables takes some knowledge - and so does an old school type arcade video game. And it's not like there is a new generation learning how to fix them either. All of the work done on the ACAM machines are from volunteers. In fact,Sarah St.John,the owner of the PWA - is one and was helping get the games ready for PAX. That speaks volumes to me. So I think a return trip to Funspot will be in my future...
I conducted a few more interviews,bought some Cards Against Humanity expansion packs for the wife,and with one small exception - I was very satisfied with what I accomplished on Sunday.
Wait a second...oh yeah, I almost forgot! I taped some coverage of TPA!
I had a excellent interview with Norman from Farsight. While most of my questions were pretty standard,and there wasn't any new earth shattering news that I got him to spill (outside of why which tables were there) you can easily see just how much he loves pinball. His passion & enthusiasm was very much evident throughout the interview,and it was great to talk to him. Besides,there isn't any way I couldn't like him - he's a huge fan of Banzai Run!
Mike Lindsey wasn't at the booth when I was originally there,so I made it a point to go back later & thank him & Farsight for agreeing to the interview for my cable access show. He was very nice to talk to as well! And as a bonus - I finally got to meet Justin & his girlfriend Sabrina and spend some time talking with them! (Justin = Bowflex) I still hope to have a NE TPA meet up someday...
And for the icing on the cake - I got to meet current PAPA World Champion Bowen Kerins!
All in all,it was a great day! If you ever get the chance to attend a PAX convention,you really should do so. You'll have a LOT of fun!
When I have the TPA segment for my show ready,I'll post it here. In the meantime,if you'd like to see some other segments from my cable show - Sci-Fi Journal you can watch some segments on our YouTube channel.
Until next time...
I had a lot of fun yesterday @ PAX East,and bringing the equipment to tape segments for my cable access show was a bit daunting for me,but with the help of my wife Leslie & my friends Marc & Kevin,I count the day as a success.
I wasn't able to get there in time to see the PAPA panel,so since we are big fans of Rock Band & Harmonix Games,we decided to go to the N64 Royal Rumble challenge. It was complete with good promos,swerves,alliances,betrayals,and a VERY lively crowd. Oh,the match was fun to watch too,though we have really come a long way with graphics in games over the past fourteen years.
Shot a quick segment in the freeplay area,which is a REALLY cool thing @ PAX. Think of it as a library - there are two rooms filled with game systems & televisions. You go to the help desk,see what games are available,and sign one out to play.
The first room is the modern stuff - your Wii,XBox 360s/Ones,PS3s & 4s. It's a good way to try out a game that you might have some interest in getting. The other room has your classic consoles - everything from Nintendo 64s & Sega Saturns to an Atari 2600. Then even had a Pong game console setup! Cool,huh? (I didn't see the last room until I was leaving,but they also have a Steel Battalion room.Awesome stuff!! if you don't know what Steel Battalion is,ask & I'll tell you why it's so awesome)
Next, I stopped over at the freeplay arcade,courtesy of the American Classic Arcade Museum or ACAM for short. Now,some of you might remember my review of pinball in NH that I posted last summer...and honestly,I was pretty hard on Funspot - especially when comparing it to the PWA. But after my interview with the ACAM founder/President Gary Vincent,who was very informative (not to mention really nice) and learning a few things,I now have a much deeper appreciation for what ACAM is trying to do. Trying to maintain & repair pinball tables takes some knowledge - and so does an old school type arcade video game. And it's not like there is a new generation learning how to fix them either. All of the work done on the ACAM machines are from volunteers. In fact,Sarah St.John,the owner of the PWA - is one and was helping get the games ready for PAX. That speaks volumes to me. So I think a return trip to Funspot will be in my future...
I conducted a few more interviews,bought some Cards Against Humanity expansion packs for the wife,and with one small exception - I was very satisfied with what I accomplished on Sunday.
Wait a second...oh yeah, I almost forgot! I taped some coverage of TPA!
I had a excellent interview with Norman from Farsight. While most of my questions were pretty standard,and there wasn't any new earth shattering news that I got him to spill (outside of why which tables were there) you can easily see just how much he loves pinball. His passion & enthusiasm was very much evident throughout the interview,and it was great to talk to him. Besides,there isn't any way I couldn't like him - he's a huge fan of Banzai Run!
Mike Lindsey wasn't at the booth when I was originally there,so I made it a point to go back later & thank him & Farsight for agreeing to the interview for my cable access show. He was very nice to talk to as well! And as a bonus - I finally got to meet Justin & his girlfriend Sabrina and spend some time talking with them! (Justin = Bowflex) I still hope to have a NE TPA meet up someday...
And for the icing on the cake - I got to meet current PAPA World Champion Bowen Kerins!
All in all,it was a great day! If you ever get the chance to attend a PAX convention,you really should do so. You'll have a LOT of fun!
When I have the TPA segment for my show ready,I'll post it here. In the meantime,if you'd like to see some other segments from my cable show - Sci-Fi Journal you can watch some segments on our YouTube channel.
Until next time...
Last edited:
I tried to PM you to get in touch before the show, but your box was full. I could have used my pass to get all your stuff in through the back door/hand carry entrance, would have saved some time.
Too bad you missed it, I was one of the guys running the Steel Bat room. We had over 1,500 player sessions during the con!
Yup, I had a chat with him on Thursday, he really loves pinball. He got a little miffed when I implied that pinball was kind of "dead in the real world", but hey, here in Boston we have ONE place that has more then one table. My point was that PA was keeping Pinball alive for guys like me.
Bowflex
New member
- Feb 21, 2012
- 2,287
- 1
There's actually lots of places, especially on the Cambridge side of the Charles. Lanes and Games in Waltham has a big array, and a couple tables at State Park, Flattop Johnny's have like 2 each. Pop Bumpers just opened in Dorchester or Hingham (can't remember) and it's all classic EMs.
Bowflex
New member
- Feb 21, 2012
- 2,287
- 1
They will be in Anaheim for Wondercon doing the same promo. But if anyone on this board signed up for the freebie, they have 5 invites they can give away.
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