City Heroes

Update - As of June 2016 available machines include - Iron Man, The Walking Dead, Kiss (2015), Tron Legacy,  Star Trek (Enterprise Limited Edition), AC/DC, Lord of the Rings (On and working - which bodes well as a place where machines actually get checked and fixed) and Avatar.


City Heroes is a pool hall located downstairs from Event Cinemas at 505 George st.  While primarily a Pool Hall and internet cafe they also currently have 9 pinball machines available.  I believe there were ten recently - including a Big Buck Hunter that was part of a pinball competition but I couldn't find it when I was there.

I asked this guy how many pinball machines there were inside

These have been put into the wild by The Pinball Network who, according to their website, also have machines in Maroubra and Eastlakes Sports Clubs, so I imagine their collection will be cycled through these venues.

Currently available at City Heroes are - Star Trek (Enterprise Limited Edition), Metallica Master of Puppets Limited Edition, Tron Legacy, X-Men, Spider-man, Lord of the Rings, Mustang, Batman and AC/DC:BiB.

Unfortunately Lord of The Rings had been turned off when I was there.  The Limited Edition version of Star Trek looked impressive and I hadn't seen it before - I didn't play it so I can't comment on whether there is any effect to the game play vs the standard edition.  

The only machine I did play was Mustang.  Not having seen it before I went straight to it.  I found it fairly enjoyable and despite the $2 a game for 3 balls the Extra ball feature was very generous and I found myself playing 5 balls each game I had anyway.

Mustang on, LOTR off

I'm not sure if it's always the case, I went on a Monday during the daytime,  but I found I was the only one playing pinball. There were plenty of people taking advantage of the PCs and a decent amount of pool players, but just me and 9 pinball machines to choose from.


This is a great find, well kept machines, apparently regularly cycled, plenty to choose from, all in the heart of the city.  Check it out if you get a chance.

Alight here for Ballshead

The Courthouse Hotel

The Courty is located at 202 Australia street Newtown.   It's something of a local institution and a great example of an inner west pub.  Even better, it has eight pinball machines.  They are regularly changed but last time I was there the following machines were available; Cactus Canyon, AC/DC (BiB Limited Edition), Metallica, Addams Family, Monster Bash, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Scared Stiff and Theatre of Magic.

The pinball wall - part 1

It seems strange that I've taken so long to write about the Courty as it's dedicated Pinball room seems made for a blog like this.  Its large courtyard is hugely popular in the summer months, there's reasonably priced pub grub available and plenty of beer on tap.  The front bar retains the old school tiled bar look and its location just off King st means this is one of the least well kept secrets in Newtown.

In fact, I find the courty so popular that I tend to try to avoid it on weekends.  If you arrive late you'll be lucky to find a seat outside, the bar can be 3 or 4 deep and the benefits of having 8 pinball machines in one small rom become outweighed by the sheer noise and heat that is generated on a busy summers day.

ACDC and Metallica - together in perfect harmony

That said if you can get along for a weekday lunch then I give it a big thumbs up.  The wide range of machines that are constantly rotated - in fact I wouldn't be surprised if my list of machines is already out of date (check the map for most up to date details) - and there are tournaments run whereby you can win yourself a pinball machine.  Check the ZBall website for more info.  Plus - and this is very important - many of the machines have drink holders!

Metallica and Cactus Canyon - note, machines are less blurry in real life

Theres not really too much else to say - a classic pub, a dedicated pinball room, well kept and often rotated machines - head along to the Courty for a beer and a pinball.

The pinball wall part 2 - the scared-stiffening

Frankies Pizza

Note: current machines are Guns n Roses, Star Trek, Metallica, KISS, Aerosmith and Rob Zombie Spookshow International


Frankies Pizza is located at 50 Hunter Street in the city.   They have five machines at the moment including Metallica Master of Puppets (Limited Edition), ACDC Back In Black Limited Edition, Family Guy, Austin Powers and Pirates of The Caribbean.   They are all $2 a credit and some are $5 for 3 credits.

Frankies has become a bit of a hip joint lately and it's a shame there aren't more places like this in the city, serving food late into the night at a reasonable price, giving an alternative to the high end cocktail and wine bars that seem to have sprung up lately.  The fact there are pinball machines here is really a bonus.  Pizza can be bought by the slice for $5 (there are usually four or five toppings to choose from) or $18 for a whole pizza - check out the menu here.

ACDC backglass featuring guitarist/bikini model Angus Young

The machines themselves are in good condition and thanks to the diverse crowd playing them the free credit score is usually relatively low and easy to get.  I'm not sure what the story is with the black glass for the ACDC machine, it features a bikini model rather than the usual BIB back glass and I can't find any reference to this version at ipdb.org But I assume its some kind of limited edition... not that it effects gameplay in any way, just thought it odd.

Frankies also features free live music on a regular basis so check out what's coming up here.

Overall I definitely give Frankies a thumbs up, It's great to see a venue like this in the city.  So next time your out and about in town and want a snack and a game of Pinball at 1am, head to Frankies.

The General Gordon

The General Gordon is located  at 20 Swains Street, Sydenham just across from Sydnenham train station.  They have one pinball machine, a Scared Stiff.  It is $1 or $2 for 3 credits and is set to be a 3 ball machine.  It is in good condition though does have a couple of minor issues.

The saucy minx herself

The Gordon is a large pub that has had some recent refurbishments, including a new bistro with plenty of pub staples on the menu.  It's a decent price and they are big servings. 

The front bar where the pinny is located has a large TAB area.  There's also general trivia on a Tuesday night.  

Scared Stiff is a bit of a classic that often pops up around town.  It has a fairly easy to follow rule set with a couple of multiballs and some saucy double entendres from Elvira to encourage you.

*Gloat*

It plays well but as noted above there are a couple of issues worth mentioning.  There are three Dead Head lanes behind the crate and the left one doesn't work/won't register.  Its not a major problem though as you can still use your flippers to change the lit lane and collect the Dead Heads feature.  

As on a lot of Scared Stiff machines the spinning spider on the head board doesn't spin, but the lights still work so this is barely worth a mention. Neither is the fact that the decal is missing on the crate.  

The only other thing worth mentioning is that we did get a ball stuck on a decal - as seen in the below photo.  This only happened once and a quick nudge dislodged it but as I got the photo I thought I'd show it.

no bonus points awarded for replicating this

Overall though this was a good machine, none of the issues break the game and the whole thing ran pretty smoothly.

So, next time the train stops at Sydneham station on a Tuesday night, consider jumping off and heading over to the Gordon for some trivia, a bite to eat, a beer, a bet and, of course, a quick game of pinball.

The Henson Park Hotel

The Henson Park Hotel is located at 91 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville.  It has recently reopened after some renovations and now has a dedicated Pinball room which currently has five pinball machines., including two old school Solid State machines.  The modern machines are  The Sopranos, The Addams Family and Circus Voltaire while the two older machines are Space Shuttle and Firepower.

They are all $2 a credit and 5 ball.

There is also a Big Buck Hunter, a Street Fighter and table top arcade machine as well as an odd little machine called little pro, a kind of novelty golf themed pinball-esque thingy that has been set up with the promise to win beer. 

Little Pro

Apart from the pinball room the other most notable change to the Henso is the new restaurant.  The night I went it was packed, the restaurant area is kid friendly and a few kids wandered into the Pinny room as well.  Depending on your feelings about small people this is either a good or bad thing.  It's certainly a change for the Henso.

The menu is a bit overpriced and trying for a gastro pub thing, but the $18 burger I had didn't impress.  I'll give it another go, and I guess its good you can now eat there.

Solid State machines in the wild

It's rare to see old SS machines so I went straight for them.  They are priced the same as the modern machines but they can be quite unforgiving.  I started on Firepower and instantly felt the pain of no ball save.  I found this machine to be quite a punish and was through my 5 balls pretty quick.  My second go I fared a bit better but these older machines are definitely harder going.

Space Shuttle was a little easier but there's a definite adjustment to be made when playing these machines.  So, after losing my money relatively quickly on these two I turned my attention to the newer machines.                         Circus Voltaire is quite good, though I had played it recently at The Courthouse Hotel.  The Addams Family machine was fully kitted out and in good condition but the machine I was most keen to play was The Sopranos.  I'd only played it once before and hadn't seen it for years. 

 The Sopranos a fun game based on a great tv show though apart from the Annie Liebowitz cast photo on the headboard I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork.  The chequered table cloth motif looks a little tacky to me and the art work in general was quite cartoony, suited more to Fish Tales than The Sopranos.  That said, the toys are interesting, spinning strippers on poles, a talking fish head and a safe that opens up.  Overall its a good game, and rare enough that its worth a go whenever you're at the Henso.

                                                         

So overall it's good to see this Inner West pub reopen and even if it can be a little crowded in the pinball room that's a small complaint to make when there are five machines to choose from .  So, next time you go see the Newtown Jets play at their local ground, wander up after the game to the Henso for a post match beer and pinball.

Intencity Broadway

Update:  I went by here last week and it appears that the X-Men machine has been removed.  Currently there are only two machines - AC/DC and Medieval Madness - at this location


The Intencity in Broadway shopping centre is located upstairs next to the Hoyts cinema.  They have three pinball machines at the moment, a Medieval Madness, an AC/DC (Premium) and an X-Men (Magneto LE) machine. They are all 3 balls games.

This area is a pretty good little hub for Pinball, with the Off Broadway downstairs boasting a Tron Legacy machine and The Lansdowne across the road traditionally housing three machines, though due to a fire and water damage it is temporarily closed. I'll try and get a post up once it reopens.  Just down the road The Clare Hotel has a couple of machines as well.  So, if for some reason you want your pinball without a beer just head here.

Just don't expect it to be a quieter or more relaxed venue.  I've seen bands at the Lansdowne that were quieter than the screams and cries of children and machines bombarding me while I played Medieval Madness.

You can expect the machines to be available though.  I only saw one five year old convince his mum to let him have a go on the X-Men machine the hour or two I was there, and most of the high scores and replays are relatively low, which, hopefully, will allow for a few free replays before you run out of coins.

oooohhhhhh, Lens Flare.

Medieval Madness is $1, or $2 for 3 credits.  This is a great machine and, although this one isn't immaculate it is probably the cheapest MM I've seen around.  The tilt is almost non-existent as well so those 3 balls can go a long way.  On the downside the flippers were a bit weak which made it difficult, though not impossible, to collect the ramp shots. 

The other negatives are due to the venue though.  On the back wall is a linked 4 player car racing game, which during my time there was frequently occupied.  Not that the machines were overly loud but there were a lot of victory whoops and roars.  Meanwhile directly behind me was a machine that spat out tickets depending on how hard a sensor was hit with a mallet.  So its hard to get into the zone with the whoops and bangs - but maybe I'm just used to the sounds of a pub band, and angry drunk and the tinkle of the pokies while I play.

X-Men and AC/DC were both in good condition, as you would expect from relatively new machines.  They just didn't offer the value for money that Medieval Madness does.  At $2 a credit or $5 for 2 credits and only 3 balls I felt these were a bit over-priced.  

Not pictured - Loud Noises

This might also be because I just didn't have a great go on either machine.  With 5 balls I think I could get the hang of X-Men but the magnets just play havoc with my game.  That big image of Magneto on the back glass reminds you that in this machine the magnets are thematically justified, or at least gives you something to focus your swearing at.

As for AC/DC I'm just not a fan.  There seem to be so many modes that I just cant get a clear idea of the rule set involved.  They seem to be everywhere though so I'm sure that I'll have plenty more games over the years and maybe one day it will click.

Angus Young's head cut off for compositional effect

The only other comment I would offer would be that X-Men and AC/DC sit in the middle of the room, back to back.  And when not sitting against a wall, as you would normally find them, you lose a lot of the audio.  On top of the general noise level at this venue it can mean you just miss most of audio cues, dialogue and music.

Overall though, three machines in good condition, a cheap Medieval Madness and a cinema next door.  I'll definitely be popping back, maybe outside of school holidays next time.

Oh, free piece of trivia: Did you know Tina Fey contributed her voice talents to Medieval Madness?  Well now you do...

P.S. Apologies for the photo quality... I think I need a new phone

The Newtown Hotel

It appears there have been some changes here and the only surviving Pinball machines I could see last time I stuck my head in were the Scared Stiff machine and Playboy.

The Newtown Hotel is located at 174 King st Newtown and has RollerCoaster Tycoon, Funhouse, Scared Stiff and Playboy pinball machines.  They are all 3 balls at $1 a credit.

The Newtown Hotel re-opened a few months back after extensive renovations.  Its good to see the Pinball machines are still a fixture here, we'll have to wait and see how well maintained and cycled they are.

As it stands, while not in the greatest condition, all these machines appear to be in fully working order, at a bargain price, and are all well worth playing.

Scared Stiff - always a classic

Playboy, its been a while since I've seen this one about but its a fun machine with the chance to see some tits.

Fun House - I haven't given this is a full workout, and some will be put off by Rudy, the giant creepy head, but this is an acknowledged classic and I would like to return and put it through its paces.

Roller Coaster Tycoon - based on the best selling PC Game!  I had a few goes on this one as Id never played it before.  The roller coaster theme is a natural fit (though Im not sure how the Troll got in there) with plenty of ramps .  This is another Ill return and put a few coins through.

The Machines are located in the same room with two pool tables, two Buck Hunter machines (HD and world ) and a claw machine.  keep heading out the back for the beer garden or head upstairs to the restaurant or balcony seating.

Overall, while I was worried that the new look Newtown would forgo the Pinnies and while it doesn't have the sheer quantity (or quality) of yesterdays I'm happy we have another Pinball venue back in town.