If you owned a Windows computer in the late '90s or early '00s, you probably remember 3D Pinball for Windows - Space Cadet, a surprisingly competent virtual table included for free with multiple Microsoft OS releases through Windows XP.
"I think one of my most-played games is Pokemon Pinball, but the idea to make a pinball game came from Mario... he came to me and say 'JP, I want to make a custom engine for Playdate and we should make a pinball game.'"
The DNA of a good dive bar isn't necessarily its menu, but its feel. It should be well-worn, the vinyl on the stools crackling like a dry lake bed on the verge of a rip. The soundtrack is familiar and at a volume that muffles nearby table conversation. The lighting is low, augmented by ambient string lights and flashes from arcade games. Drinks should be cheap. Yukon Tavern in Sellwood is a couple of those things, and more.
When Mike Moretti opened "The Art of Picture Framing", a friend of his, who owned a demolition business and just finished a job, approached him and asked if he wanted a pinball machine for his breakroom. "I was like, 'oh man, no, they're really heavy,'" Moretti said. "My crew just needs to focus on getting work done." Moretti would later hire his friend's son, and when his friend, John, passed away a few years later, Moretti was again asked about the pinball machine.
Pinball machines are an enduring icon of gaming, but their main drawback is that they take up a lot of space. Luckily, AtGames has solved this dilemma with its compact Legends Pinball Micro Machine, and you can get one at the all-time low price of $310 during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The MSRP for these machines is $600, and while the price has fluctuated and dropped to around $330 in the past,
What's the cost of a high trust society? The sort of place where you could lightly lose track of your kid for, say, 20 minutes, and not necessarily double over with a triumvirate of guilt, panic, and shame? At the Next Level Pinball Museum, the going rate is $23 per person. It might be the best money I ever spent.
