PINBALL WIZARDS THREAD

[idunnosomename]

So this Christmastide I've discovered the Zen Williams Pinball Android app which has loads of classic Williams/Bally tables and I've got all misty about flippers. It's a ruthless freemium app but I think I started it at a good time because they have recently added extra ways to get the initially bewildering in-game currency. While I've had to grind a bit to unlock things without spending a penny, I've not minded, because basically I've got to play tables from my youth FOR FREE.

As a kid, my dad used to play them in pubs and tell me about them, which of course I couldn't have a go on, but in one arcade near me they used to maintain one Williams pinball amidst the coin-pusher shit, and most of the time it was Attack From Mars, replaced for a while with Medieval Madness. What is great about these particular mid-90s tables is how genuinely fucking funny they are: great voice talent and scripted jokes. I still laugh at the outRAgeous Frenchmen voices, in fact they are a formative part of my sense of humour I've overlooked till now ("they've taken our livestock and treasure historical monuments!").

I remember it being a total bugger when you found a good pinball table - a Centre Parcs I stayed at had The Addams Family and Twilight Zone - but they either had duff flippers or the tilt was set so high they were literally impossible to play. While these digital emulations aren't as good at least they aren't fucking broken half the time. I suppose actually my most-played table back in the day was the digital-only Timeshock on Windows, which also came out on the Playstation.

Where do you find 'em now? I never spotted one living best part of a decade in London, but visiting Leeds last couple of years I found two (Metallica in the Brewdog, another one in a pub near the universities, sorry, I think I was too pissed to remember what it was). Does anyone OWN a table?

PINBALL MEMORIES PLEASE I KNOW SOME OF YOU FUCKERS MUST'VE PLAYED THE SILVER BALL

[Dex Sawash]

I had that Williams app a few years ago. There's a couple CaBbers who are tournament pinball players pinball and I forget the other one or two.

Cyclone is my favorite table.

[idunnosomename]

I think a few years ago it was a different bunch of lads who had the licence. Most of those appearing on Zen are the same tables though.

Id personally like to put every build of Hurricane in the bin

[Ferris]

I have a mental map of every bar in the downtown core with a pinball machine in it. Love a go at the old silver ball.

[chocky909]

I had that Williams app a few years ago. There's a couple CaBbers who are tournament pinball players pinball and I forget the other one or two.

Cyclone is my favorite table.

Maybe me? I'm ranked 11th (was 10th til about 3 *fucking* weeks ago) in the UK and made a couple of posts quite a while ago.

I might post more info later but just quickly to say - I'm a co-founder for a pinball club called Flip Out London down in Waddon, Croydon (so not really London then...) and we have 50 to 60 pinball machines available to play at weekends on Freeplay for £10 entry. We also have a league night every Thursday evening but you can also play casually then if competition isn't your thing. http://www.flipoutlondon.com/ Get there while you can as it might not last forever.

Other places you can play in Londonshire are the Brewdog in Shepherd's Bush that has about 5 machines that my mate provides. Chief Coffee in Turnham Green has about 9 machines but unfortunately is only open during the daytime and closes at 5 every day.

Non London places include Tilt in Birmingham which is a Craft Beer and Coffee place which has nearly 20 machines including most of the latest machines provided by the UK's main Pinball importer Pinball Heaven (pinball.co.uk)

Also if you prefer to travel to Nuneaton, a couple of Pinheads have taken over a social club and made a pinball venue in the back room with about 50 machines at 50p a play.

For one off places such as pubs that have a machine or two check Pinformer.co.uk but beware that some of the info is out of date so always contact the venue and make sure before travelling far. The site is maintained by its own users so please help keep it up to date.

Lastly for more info about pinball in general in the UK check pinballinfo.com which has an very active forum.

http://www.flipoutlondon.com/
http://www.chief-coffee.com/
http://www.pinball.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/pg/electriccircusarcade/about/?ref=page_internal
https://tiltbrum.com/
https://www.pinballinfo.com/community/
https://www.londonpinball.co.uk/
http://pinformer.co.uk/

[idunnosomename]

Ooh. If i was in london again (who knows) def would give that a pop. Or Nuneaton. Cheers

[imitationleather]

Cor, that place looks fun. It's less than a mile from where my girlfriend's parents live, as well. Next time I am down south I will try to have a visit...

[Consignia]

For Northeners, the Bury arcade club has pretty decent selection on Freeplay.

[chocky909]

Ooh. If i was in london again (who knows) def would give that a pop. Or Nuneaton. Cheers

The best thing about Nuneaton place is its open pretty much all day every day.

[Gurke and Hare]

In my first year at university my hall bar had Banzai Run, and I played that lots. Do you have that at Flip Out?

[idunnosomename]

The best thing about Nuneaton place is its open pretty much all day every day.

downside is it's in Nuneaton

I might have my reasons to go to Nuneaton someday so good to know

[chocky909]

In my first year at university my hall bar had Banzai Run, and I played that lots. Do you have that at Flip Out?

Nah but we get all sorts coming and going. We should keep a record of everything we've had in the 2 years it's been open. Sometimes we have a game only for a few weeks before it moves on and some of our games have been there since day one.

There are a couple of Banzai Runs I've played. Both of them in a home collection that happened to have an event/tournament. It's a fun game and very impressive technically but not really the best ruleset for competitive play. The modern Sterns are better programmed for tournaments.

[chocky909]

Just come back from a weekend of pinball in Salisbury. I'm mainly posting to say that Special When Lit pinball club is one of only a small handful of places to play pinball in the UK and will probably be closing forever in October this year so if you are nearby and fancy a visit then make the most of it while you can.

http://www.specialwhenlit.co.uk/index.php

I didn't win any trophies by the way. I will however be going to Fulda in Germany to play competitive pinball solidly from Wednesday through to Sunday at the beginning of March. Ridiculous behaviour and a complete waste of time and money.

[idunnosomename]

finally something to put obscure town salisbury on the map

[chocky909]

I've been playing virtual pinball since lockdown but just found you can play this real life machine remotely albeit with horrendous lag.

https://www.surrogate.tv/game/batman66

Great recently released game but I can't get more than 50m or so due to the delay when flipping. Keeps getting the ball stuck in the carousel top left too.

Gimme a game - I'm on there now!

[Dewt]

https://www.surrogate.tv/game/toiletpaperclaw

JFC

[bomb_dog]

Pinball FX3 has a 'care package' free for the next week or so, on steam, with a load of tables for nothing. Have bought nearly all the tables for this - it's not always the same as the real thing but the recreation tables are pretty close.

If any of you CaBBers play this and fancy other Cabbers on your hi-score tables, PM me your steam username and I'll connect us up.

[idunnosomename]

took me ages to unlock on android as im a cheap cunt and refuse to pay for anything even with play credit but the Zen Aliens table is really fun. def the best "fantasy" table I've played.