...where distraction is the main attraction.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Las Vegas, Day 2: The Pinball Hall of Fame

Running Tally:
Video Poker - DOWN $60.  Curse you, video poker!  Actually that $60 lasted for about 40-50 hands on a $1 ($5 max bet) machine.

Vegas tip:  If you choose to leave The Strip to drive around town, make sure you plan your travel carefully.  Roads change names, end abruptly, and seem to have existential crises near the highway.  When returning to The Strip, if you find yourself on Desert Inn Road, GET OFF OF IT IMMEDIATELY.

None of us (Jason, our pal Claire, and I) slept much on the first night.  Does anyone ever sleep well on the first night in LV?  I powered through the day without a nap and without lunch.  Yes, I forgot to eat.  That happens in Vegas sometimes.  That's usually due to a good run at the tables.  But for me, it was due to

THE PINBALL HALL OF FAME.


Source
Yeah, that's right, baby.  The Pinball Hall of Fame is a Must Stop for me every time I'm here.

She may not look like much on the outside, but she's got it where it counts.  [One of the many Star Wars quotes that goes seamy out of context.]

Their new facility is huge!  There are so many pinball games that......

......

......

......Sorry, I got lost daydreaming about the place again.

Source
Here's the game list.  Oh, there is indeed 150+ pinball games.  But here's the kicker:  They're in perfect working order.  Probably in better shape than the tables you played 15-45 years ago.  The place is a non-profit, using its proceeds for the upkeep and overhead, then donating the rest.

Yeah, it's freaking sweet.

$12 lasted me THREE HOURS.  Three hours of bliss for the same price as one ugly blackjack hand.

Two of my all-time faves (Addams Family and Jurassic Park) were getting fixed.  Had they been up, I'd still be playing right now.  But it was all good.  So many of my old favorites were bumping like they were shiny and new.

Star Wars - Got reamed on it like always do.
Twilight Zone - Killed it!  Played at least 8 games.  Hands went numb early.  REPLAYED.  Possible all time favorite?
Attack From Mars - A super table.  Forgot how awesome it is.  Didn't forget how bloated the scoring system is.  I was at 6 BILLION points when I was all, "The hell's the replay at?"  8.7 billion.  Five balls!  MATCHED ONCE.
Black Knight 2000 - There were 2 credits sitting on this oldie.  So I gave it spin.  Odd and not entirely intuitive double-leveled gameplay.  But it was free pinball.
Eight Ball Deluxe - A little older than the previous table, but very enjoyable.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Incredible how quickly the gameplay all comes back.  This is a modern pinball classic.  REPLAYED TWICE IN A ROW.  Yeee-ay-ah.  MATCHED ANOTHER ONE.  Seven games of this.  "Q, we don't have time for your games."
Bad Cats - Awesome.  Haven't played this one in about 15 years.  It's an uncomplicated but oddly addictive table.  I don't even remember how many games I played.  MATCHED TWICE.
Jack Bot - By this point my wrists were locking up and my mind was mush.  I think I played three rounds of this.  Scores were embarrassing.
Theatre of Magic - But I got my second wind here.  Must have played it for an hour, thanks to another two matched free games.  Got 92% of the way to the replay on my last game.  Then I just had to put down the pinball pipe.  My natural instincts were groaning for sustenance and hydration.

I have actual HD video footage of this experience.  It's terrible and terribly mint.  I'll edit one minute recap of this as soon as I'm able.

If you enjoy pinball, please go to the Pinball Hall of Fame.  It will refresh your pinball soul.  The games are all 25-50 cents.  The sounds will transport you to the arcades of the '80s and '90s.  And it's non-profit too!