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