Hey everyone,
In the last few weeks I have had the chance to go to the Silverball Museum in Asbury Park, NJ several times. It's about a 20 minute drive from me, and seems to be one of the most extensive Pinball Arcades in the country, if not the world. On top of that, its located on the boardwalk and has an Ocean view from their front door/window. As a huge pinball fan, I have decided that it would be a crime not to take advantage of this place being so close to me on days that I have off and the girlfriend is working. Generally, I'll go around noon and pay 15 bucks to go in until 5 PM. All machines are set to free play, no coins required. Here's a link to their site:
http://silverballmuseum.com
I figured I would give a little review of my experiences there and just kind of brag about some of the awesome tables I have gotten to play, some for the first time in years, and others for the first time ever.
Before I get into the tables, I have to admit that I just can't get into 99% of the EM machines, and tend to enjoy machines from the late 80's on. Maybe this is due to being only 32 years old, but the older pins just don't hit the spot for me, so I'm going to focus on the ones that I spent my time with. I will say though, this place has an INSANE collection of older pins.
So here are some of the tables that I have been playing there, with some comments on each one. I won't list them all:
- Wizard of Oz. This is obviously their newest machine, and I have to say, its absolutely incredible. It is such a clean and gorgeous layout, and you can tell the build quality is top notch. The different colored lights are the prettiest in any machine I've seen. It is a VERY low scoring machine...the all time leader on their machine had a score of about 260,000. This is the machine I have spent the most time playing, and my best score has been about 65,000. This is an interesting design choice but I love it...this is already one of my top pins of all time after spending a few hours with it.
-Addam's Family. The pin I spent the most time playing as a kid, and still brilliant to this day. There is nothing better in any pinball game than the sound cranking up for multiball and Gomez yelling, "SHOWTIME!!!!!" Machine in just about perfect condition considering its from 1994 (it's the gold edition).
-Simpsons Pinball Party. Great game, good layout, and lots of funny quotes for Simpson's fans. Bobby King seemed really positive about this ending up on TPA eventually...I'd love to see it.
-Medieval Madness. Never played this game until it came to TPA, and its one of my all time favorites now. The real version is HARD. Their machine was running well, although you can tell it has been through repairs. Still plays great though, and considering they cost like $12,000 to buy on ebay, I'm not complaining. I have gotten to battle for the kingdom on TPA several times without beating it. Just reaching it on the real table seems borderline impossible. In TPA, you can cradle the ball in the right flipper constantly to hit the castle door/gate. This simply isn't possible nearly as often on the real table. Another in my top 10 pins of all time.
-The Shadow. I had never played this before, and didn't really have interest, probably because the movie was a steaming pile of dog turds. This table is awesome! Several innovative mechanisms make it unique and tons of fun. I hope it makes it to TPA. The biggest thing holding it back might be Alec Baldwin wanting all evidence of this movie's existence exterminated from planet earth.
-The Sopranos. One of my favorite TV shows ever. A very hard table. The left bumper on their machine was very weak/dead, making it even harder. I kind of don't love the artwork and toys on this table, it almost looks like they didn't pull out all the stops in making it look high-end. The cheesy stripper poles, the stugots boat, and the safe all seem like cheap plastic. It also has the easiest skill shot in the world. Despite all this, I kept coming back to the table. It has a fun theme and ruleset, and cracking the safe is a lot of fun. What can I say, sometimes I nitpick the things I love the most. I wish it could come to TPA, but there are SO many likenesses on the table that I'm not sure it could get done.
-Guns N Roses/Elvis. I had played GNR plenty as a kid. It's cheesy but fun. The Data East tables from back then seem to lack the polish of Bally/Willams, but are good nonetheless. The Elvis table was a lot of fun. I like the metal ramps, and the overall theme. Unfortunately, these two music based machines are probably meant to be played nice and loud, and for some reason, the volume is set way too low at this place. I kind of wanted to say something, but don't want to be a jerk. They have other tables that are LOUD, so maybe I'll grow a set and let them know next time.
-White Water. Never played this before TPA. The real version is pretty fantastic. Its interesting seeing tables live for the first time that I was introduced to through TPA. The kickout on the real table is way more unpredictable than on TPA.
-Indiana Jones Pinball Adventure. This table looks gorgeous and is in pristine condition, but I need to spend more time with it, because it simply kicks my butt. I find it to be crowded...I enjoy a good amount of space in the middle of the table, and this thing just has ramps and targets EVERYWHERE. Hope it comes to TPA. Spielberg and Lucas are pretty video game friendly, so I think its a possibility.
-Twilight Zone. Along with Addam's Family, the one I played the most as a kid. Still as great as ever, although I prefer the relative simplicity of Addam's Family to TZ.
-Theater of Magic. Another that I never played before TPA. The real one is so cool. I have to thank TPA for making me realize that non-licensed tables are every bit as good as some of the licensed ones.
I can go on forever. I also played Funhouse, Demolition Man, Attack from Mars, Red and Ted's Roadshow, Cyclone, and others.
One weird note...many of the machines I listed are set to 5 balls per game instead of 3. I wish it would be set to 3. For one thing, since they are on free play, people walk away in the middle of games all the time. It's annoying to walk up to a game that is on its 2nd or 3rd ball out of 5. I usually end up purposely draining several times to start a new one. Also, when you have a really good game going with 5 balls, it can take quite a long time, especially when you factor in extra balls. The only games listed above that were set to 3 balls were Wizard of Oz and The Shadow. All the rest were set to 5. A minor gripe but figured it was worth mentioning.
Its interesting how much harder real tables are than their digital counterparts. My scores on my TPA tables would far surpass many of the top scores recorded at the museum, but in real life, I couldn't even come close. And that was with a lot of these machines set to 5 balls. For example, my TPA high score on Medieval Madness is around 269 Million, and I believe the high score at the museum was about 170 million.
Anyway, this place is a pinball fan's dream and I can't give it enough praise. If you live in or around NJ, take the trip to check it out. I'll be going back plenty more. Today, I set the 2nd highest score on Simpson's Pinball party, and I plan on taking first at some point
My hope is that they will eventually get some of the newer Stern pins that I have never gotten to play, such as Dark Knight, Spider-Man, all of the Marvel tables, Lord of the Rings, Metallica, AC/DC, etc.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far...
In the last few weeks I have had the chance to go to the Silverball Museum in Asbury Park, NJ several times. It's about a 20 minute drive from me, and seems to be one of the most extensive Pinball Arcades in the country, if not the world. On top of that, its located on the boardwalk and has an Ocean view from their front door/window. As a huge pinball fan, I have decided that it would be a crime not to take advantage of this place being so close to me on days that I have off and the girlfriend is working. Generally, I'll go around noon and pay 15 bucks to go in until 5 PM. All machines are set to free play, no coins required. Here's a link to their site:
http://silverballmuseum.com
I figured I would give a little review of my experiences there and just kind of brag about some of the awesome tables I have gotten to play, some for the first time in years, and others for the first time ever.
Before I get into the tables, I have to admit that I just can't get into 99% of the EM machines, and tend to enjoy machines from the late 80's on. Maybe this is due to being only 32 years old, but the older pins just don't hit the spot for me, so I'm going to focus on the ones that I spent my time with. I will say though, this place has an INSANE collection of older pins.
So here are some of the tables that I have been playing there, with some comments on each one. I won't list them all:
- Wizard of Oz. This is obviously their newest machine, and I have to say, its absolutely incredible. It is such a clean and gorgeous layout, and you can tell the build quality is top notch. The different colored lights are the prettiest in any machine I've seen. It is a VERY low scoring machine...the all time leader on their machine had a score of about 260,000. This is the machine I have spent the most time playing, and my best score has been about 65,000. This is an interesting design choice but I love it...this is already one of my top pins of all time after spending a few hours with it.
-Addam's Family. The pin I spent the most time playing as a kid, and still brilliant to this day. There is nothing better in any pinball game than the sound cranking up for multiball and Gomez yelling, "SHOWTIME!!!!!" Machine in just about perfect condition considering its from 1994 (it's the gold edition).
-Simpsons Pinball Party. Great game, good layout, and lots of funny quotes for Simpson's fans. Bobby King seemed really positive about this ending up on TPA eventually...I'd love to see it.
-Medieval Madness. Never played this game until it came to TPA, and its one of my all time favorites now. The real version is HARD. Their machine was running well, although you can tell it has been through repairs. Still plays great though, and considering they cost like $12,000 to buy on ebay, I'm not complaining. I have gotten to battle for the kingdom on TPA several times without beating it. Just reaching it on the real table seems borderline impossible. In TPA, you can cradle the ball in the right flipper constantly to hit the castle door/gate. This simply isn't possible nearly as often on the real table. Another in my top 10 pins of all time.
-The Shadow. I had never played this before, and didn't really have interest, probably because the movie was a steaming pile of dog turds. This table is awesome! Several innovative mechanisms make it unique and tons of fun. I hope it makes it to TPA. The biggest thing holding it back might be Alec Baldwin wanting all evidence of this movie's existence exterminated from planet earth.
-The Sopranos. One of my favorite TV shows ever. A very hard table. The left bumper on their machine was very weak/dead, making it even harder. I kind of don't love the artwork and toys on this table, it almost looks like they didn't pull out all the stops in making it look high-end. The cheesy stripper poles, the stugots boat, and the safe all seem like cheap plastic. It also has the easiest skill shot in the world. Despite all this, I kept coming back to the table. It has a fun theme and ruleset, and cracking the safe is a lot of fun. What can I say, sometimes I nitpick the things I love the most. I wish it could come to TPA, but there are SO many likenesses on the table that I'm not sure it could get done.
-Guns N Roses/Elvis. I had played GNR plenty as a kid. It's cheesy but fun. The Data East tables from back then seem to lack the polish of Bally/Willams, but are good nonetheless. The Elvis table was a lot of fun. I like the metal ramps, and the overall theme. Unfortunately, these two music based machines are probably meant to be played nice and loud, and for some reason, the volume is set way too low at this place. I kind of wanted to say something, but don't want to be a jerk. They have other tables that are LOUD, so maybe I'll grow a set and let them know next time.
-White Water. Never played this before TPA. The real version is pretty fantastic. Its interesting seeing tables live for the first time that I was introduced to through TPA. The kickout on the real table is way more unpredictable than on TPA.
-Indiana Jones Pinball Adventure. This table looks gorgeous and is in pristine condition, but I need to spend more time with it, because it simply kicks my butt. I find it to be crowded...I enjoy a good amount of space in the middle of the table, and this thing just has ramps and targets EVERYWHERE. Hope it comes to TPA. Spielberg and Lucas are pretty video game friendly, so I think its a possibility.
-Twilight Zone. Along with Addam's Family, the one I played the most as a kid. Still as great as ever, although I prefer the relative simplicity of Addam's Family to TZ.
-Theater of Magic. Another that I never played before TPA. The real one is so cool. I have to thank TPA for making me realize that non-licensed tables are every bit as good as some of the licensed ones.
I can go on forever. I also played Funhouse, Demolition Man, Attack from Mars, Red and Ted's Roadshow, Cyclone, and others.
One weird note...many of the machines I listed are set to 5 balls per game instead of 3. I wish it would be set to 3. For one thing, since they are on free play, people walk away in the middle of games all the time. It's annoying to walk up to a game that is on its 2nd or 3rd ball out of 5. I usually end up purposely draining several times to start a new one. Also, when you have a really good game going with 5 balls, it can take quite a long time, especially when you factor in extra balls. The only games listed above that were set to 3 balls were Wizard of Oz and The Shadow. All the rest were set to 5. A minor gripe but figured it was worth mentioning.
Its interesting how much harder real tables are than their digital counterparts. My scores on my TPA tables would far surpass many of the top scores recorded at the museum, but in real life, I couldn't even come close. And that was with a lot of these machines set to 5 balls. For example, my TPA high score on Medieval Madness is around 269 Million, and I believe the high score at the museum was about 170 million.
Anyway, this place is a pinball fan's dream and I can't give it enough praise. If you live in or around NJ, take the trip to check it out. I'll be going back plenty more. Today, I set the 2nd highest score on Simpson's Pinball party, and I plan on taking first at some point
My hope is that they will eventually get some of the newer Stern pins that I have never gotten to play, such as Dark Knight, Spider-Man, all of the Marvel tables, Lord of the Rings, Metallica, AC/DC, etc. Thanks for reading if you made it this far...
