So tonight, my 10-yr old daughter is going to a rollerskating party in our local town (Derby).
The place where the party is held is clearly stuck in the mid 1980s. The carpet the same, the music is from then, the people even look like they did in the 80s. It is like stepping in a museum dedicated to that era.
Anyway picking up time, i turn up 5 minutes early and locate my daughter on the rink. She seems happy so i relax and look around and absorb the ambiance when suddenly my eyes fall on a couple of old video games and next to them ... a pinball machine. Double take, i can't believe my eyes - there is an actual pinball machine in this grotty place. I haven't seen one in this town for a long time. I remember, 20 years ago when i first arrived in town, i went looking for the various places where i thought i could find games. I had located one in an arcade in the city centre. That lasted about 6 months and it disappeared. And that was that, the end of pinball in town.
But look, it appears that i was wrong, there is a game here.
The fun bit is that the rollerskating place is literally 500 yards away from my work! So i have been working next to a sited game for god knows how long and i didn't even know it.
Another quick look at my daughter and she is still on the rink. I have time to give the game a quick inspection.
To my surprise, it is a modern Stern, it is a TRON. That's a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately it looks like the local youth sometimes get confused between roller skating and ice skating and have decided to give the glass covering the playfield the Torvill and Dean treatment, so that bit doesn't look so good but underneath the playfield looks ok, nothing seems to be adrift. I rummage in my pocket and find a pound. Have i got time for a game? Surely a quick one won't hurt.
The pound goes in, i ask the local youths to move out of the way so that i can access the side buttons and off we go.
Or at least that's what i thought. I am rubbish, i get three outside lanes and the game is over in under a minute.
Just as well as my daughter is now ready to go.
In that one minute of playing, the emotions of my youth have come back to me, the sweaty palms, the accelerating heart beat, the tension. I had forgotten all this. Having pinball machines at home on free play is just not quite the same. The emotions aren't there. The stakes are not as high.
Anyway a quick verdict on the game and its state: in that one minute, i did manage to figure out that the game played well, the flippers are strong and all ramp shots can be made easily. It looks like someone has been looking after it. I wish i had more time to play it but i didn't. At least now i know it is there.
Just before leaving i thought i ought to figure out who sited this game there in the first place, so i looked at the front and it is no other than Phil at Pinball Heaven. So here is my message to Phil Palmer: if you ever want someone to take this game of your hands without the hassle of having to come and visit Derby, let me know and i'll oblige. I'll pay for it obviously.
Thanks for reading.
The place where the party is held is clearly stuck in the mid 1980s. The carpet the same, the music is from then, the people even look like they did in the 80s. It is like stepping in a museum dedicated to that era.
Anyway picking up time, i turn up 5 minutes early and locate my daughter on the rink. She seems happy so i relax and look around and absorb the ambiance when suddenly my eyes fall on a couple of old video games and next to them ... a pinball machine. Double take, i can't believe my eyes - there is an actual pinball machine in this grotty place. I haven't seen one in this town for a long time. I remember, 20 years ago when i first arrived in town, i went looking for the various places where i thought i could find games. I had located one in an arcade in the city centre. That lasted about 6 months and it disappeared. And that was that, the end of pinball in town.
But look, it appears that i was wrong, there is a game here.
The fun bit is that the rollerskating place is literally 500 yards away from my work! So i have been working next to a sited game for god knows how long and i didn't even know it.
Another quick look at my daughter and she is still on the rink. I have time to give the game a quick inspection.
To my surprise, it is a modern Stern, it is a TRON. That's a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately it looks like the local youth sometimes get confused between roller skating and ice skating and have decided to give the glass covering the playfield the Torvill and Dean treatment, so that bit doesn't look so good but underneath the playfield looks ok, nothing seems to be adrift. I rummage in my pocket and find a pound. Have i got time for a game? Surely a quick one won't hurt.
The pound goes in, i ask the local youths to move out of the way so that i can access the side buttons and off we go.
Or at least that's what i thought. I am rubbish, i get three outside lanes and the game is over in under a minute.
Just as well as my daughter is now ready to go.
In that one minute of playing, the emotions of my youth have come back to me, the sweaty palms, the accelerating heart beat, the tension. I had forgotten all this. Having pinball machines at home on free play is just not quite the same. The emotions aren't there. The stakes are not as high.
Anyway a quick verdict on the game and its state: in that one minute, i did manage to figure out that the game played well, the flippers are strong and all ramp shots can be made easily. It looks like someone has been looking after it. I wish i had more time to play it but i didn't. At least now i know it is there.
Just before leaving i thought i ought to figure out who sited this game there in the first place, so i looked at the front and it is no other than Phil at Pinball Heaven. So here is my message to Phil Palmer: if you ever want someone to take this game of your hands without the hassle of having to come and visit Derby, let me know and i'll oblige. I'll pay for it obviously.
Thanks for reading.
