Originally published in Skill Shot issue 6, October 2008
Have you ever seen an issue of Pingame Journal? The latest issue (#128) includes a few Seattle related pieces: one about Full Tilt Ice Cream and another about last summer’s Northwest Pinball and Game Room Show. As we mentioned last issue, the pinball show was a great success, and next year’s event is booked and will have more space, not only for more pins, but more video games and vendors too! Awesome!
We were amazed and fell in love with so many pinball machines at that show. So imagine our delight at being invited to a pinball party in Milton, that not only had the fabulous Spectrum pin, but also an Atari Superman machine! (Thanks James!) The first flipperless pinball game we had ever played was there too, and it was pretty darn cool, if a bit wobbly. Who comes up with this stuff?
Recently at Shorty’s, we were surprised to see every single pinball machine being played at the same time (even Surf Champ)! Could it be that people are practicing for Shorty’s 11th Annual Pinball Tournament? Players are coming from all over the country for a chance to win the mystery grand prize (which is a pinball machine and not a wide screen TV). Since this is an open tournament, contestants qualify to gain points for the IFPA (International Flipper Pinball Association), but regulars around Shorty’s seem less concerned about that, and more about someone from Seattle winning.
Apparently Shorty’s will change out a machine the day before the tournament. Those of us who like to speculate suspect that either Speakeasy or Pirates of the Caribbean will be the next to go. But what will be the replacement pin? If anyone knows for sure, they’re not saying, but we certainly hope that it’s not another Fish Tales! How many of those games does Seattle need anyways?
Speaking of places getting new games, The Twilight Exit is finally leaving their current location and will be in their new spot (at 25th and Cherry) by early December. Their new space sounds exciting because there’s going to be a game room with a lot more pinball! So if you want to suggest a pinball machine for them to get, we’re guessing that now is the time to do so.
As always, please check out both our website (www.skillshotzine.com) and our mySpace page (www.myspace.com/skillshott) for Seattle Pinball List updates as well as present and past articles from previous issues. New web-only features are also in the works. Do you know what the next new Stern pinball machine is going to be? C.S.I.