A Trip to Pinball Paradise: The Pinball Wizard Arcade in Pelham, NH

Finding a true arcade in today's Chuck E. Cheese knock-off-filled wasteland is a tough task. Most modern arcades, if you can even call them that, are filled with loud, annoying ticket games and the occasional sit-down racer or first-person shooter. Not much diversity or excitement there, if you ask me. Thankfully, there are more adventurous entrepreneurs who buck this annoying trend by dedicating arcades to the classic video game, pinball, and even electro-mechanical arcade games. The most popular example of this is Funspot's American Classic Arcade Museum in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, but there are other fine examples of this phenomenon.


The Pinball Wizard Arcade, as you might expect from the name, is mainly dedicated to pinball games from all eras (well, at least from 1970 on) and companies. There's at least 90 pinball machines ranging from true classics like Black Knight (1980) and KISS (1979) to current titles like Tron: Legacy (2011) and Family Guy (2007). Seeing all the old classics and the brand spankin' new titles side-by-side in such pristine condition should give veteran pinball wizards flashbacks to their high school and college days. Let's face it, how many places are you going to find both a Star Trek pinball game based on the original series (1991, Data East) and one based on The Next Generation (1993, Williams) together?

"Beam up to the Pinball Wizard Arcade, Scotty." Trekkies will love this double dose of Star Trek

The Pinball Wizard Arcade is like a crash course on the history and evolution of pinball machines. The earlier games like Big Show and Champ (both 1974) are more low-tech but just as charming with their buzzers and bells and light-up scoreboards. Modifications and themes like digitized voice samples (my favorite by far is the "Welcome to Xenon" message you get when starting a game of Xenon), dot matrix scoreboards, multi-level playfields, and movie/TV series/band tie-ins are in abundance here, too. With the dirt bike-themed Blackwater 100 (1988), the player must shoot three balls with the plunger up into the double-level playfield. Fish Tales (1992) features a fishing rod-shaped plunger and a moving fish topper above the marquee. Each game has its own unique design and quirks that make them stand out from each other.

Extinguish the fire while you get rid of some pesky gophers on the golf course and fish off for some bass off the pier.

Pinball marquee artwork has a very rustic, comic book look as seen on these three late 1970s games.

Of course, pinballs aren't the only type of game available for play at the Pinball Wizard. There are also 180 or so video games dating all the way back to Tank (a 1974 2-player game released by Atari daughter company Kee Games). The golden age of video arcade games (1978 - 1984) is represented well here by popular classics like Pac-Man (1980), Defender (also 1980), Frogger (1981), and Q*Bert (1982). You'll even find lesser-known games that have slipped through the sands of time like Black Widow (1982), Wacko (also 1982), and Circus Charlie (1984). Fans of '90s fighting games will also get their fix here with the original Mortal Kombat (1992), The King of Fighters '96 (1996), and Street Fighter Alpha 2 (also 1996). 

It's the Taito All-Star Line-up! But wait a minute! Why is there a Tecmo game sandwiched in between Elevator Action and Jungle Hunt?

Now you can take out the centipedes and millipedes side-by-side! No need to bring bug spray here, just a lot of tokens and good game-playing skills.

The staff here is incredibly friendly and always willing to share various factoids about the games on the floor. Tokens are reasonably priced: four for a dollar, twenty for $5, forty for $10, and one-hundred for $20. I would highly recommend the Pinball Wizard Arcade to anyone looking to see and play classic pinball and video games. There are not many places where you can find these games in near-immaculate condition.The games at the Pinball Wizard look so good you'd swear they were just released last week. They look and play just as fine as when they were first shipped to pool halls, arcades, bowling alleys, and other public places where coin-op games could be played back in the 1970s and 1980s. This enthusiast of classic pinball and video games couldn't be more pleased with the selection and condition of the games here. Go check it out!

Looking at Retro Arcade: Pac-Man by Plug & Play

As long as the '80s nostalgia train has been running, companies have been repackaging the video games of that era for new audiences in several ways. Multi-game compilations for modern gaming consoles, anniversary re-releases for arcades, and TV plug-it-in-and-play games have brought the classics of video games' golden age to the 21st century. Today I'll be examining Retro Arcade: Pac-Man from TV Games, one of their selections in the TV plug-and-play genre. Combining 12 of Namco's arcade games from 1979 to 1983, this is a terrific buy for anyone who wants to relive their childhood or discover the games of an era they never experienced.

First off, here's a listing of the games to be found on this compilation:

1. Pac-Man (1980)
2. Dig Dug (1982)
3. Pole Position (1982)
4. Galaga (1981)
5. Galaxian (1979)
6. Bosconian (1981)
7. Super Pac-Man (1982)
8. Xevious (1982)
9. New Rally-X (1981)
10. Mappy (1983)
11. Pac-Man Plus (1983)
12. Pac & Pal (1983)

Now most of you reading are probably asking yourselves: where the hell is Ms. Pac-Man on this multi-game set? I was surprised myself when I found out that Pac-Man's female equivalent was missing but wasn't terribly disappointed. Let's face it: Ms. Pac-Man has seen a 20th anniversary reissue with Galaga (another game that is a tad overrated in my opinion), a 5-in-1 plug-in game, a 7-in-1 plug-in game, and God knows how many other re-releases. You can still find it in several arcades, bars, and movie theaters. It's great to see some of Namco's less popular but still fun Pac-Man entries make the cut here. While I'll concede that Ms. Pac-Man is better than Pac-Man, the title of the best Pac-Man game truly belongs to Super Pac-Man, but more on that later.

"Hey! How come Pac-Man makes it onto this set and not me? Doesn't anyone have respect for a lady like me?" We  hear ya, Ms. Pac-Man

I really like the design scheme of Retro Arcade. Complete with a joystick, two buttons (appropriately labeled "A" and "B"), and even a replica of a coin slot mech that takes you back to the main menu, it really takes the player back a good 30 years. Those old enough to remember the Golden Age of Video Games will like this added touch. It's a nice icing on the cake that complements this package.

For those not readily acquainted with these games, here's a quick description of the gameplay for each:

Pac-Man: The one that started it all. Eat up all the dots while evading the enemy ghosts and eat up the bonus fruits that periodically show up. Swallow a power pellet to turn the tables on the ghosts and eat them.

Dig Dug: Now you've dug yourself up some trouble here, haven't you? Help Dig Dug pump up the Pookas (red tomato-looking things with yellow goggles) and Fygars (green fire-breathing dragons) in order to advance to the next round. Get a bonus veggie every time you drop two rocks (which can also be used to squash the enemies).

Pole Position: This ain't NASCAR. Get behind the wheel of an F-1 race car and finish the qualifying lap on the Fuji Speedway. Do that and you'll enter the Grand Prix. Look for puddles, competing cars, and roadside signs!

Galaga: The extremely ubiquitous sequel to Galaxian. Shoot down the space bugs (butterflies, bees, and other intergalactic insects) and dodge their oncoming fire. Remember to let yourself get captured by a Boss Galaga and then shoot it down so you can reclaim your stolen ship and get double the firepower.

Galaxian: The game that took Taito's Space Invaders and added everything that was missing from the pioneering game (namely, full color and a slightly faster-moving  ship). It's pretty much the same as its more successful and superior sequel Galaga: shoot down these nasty space bugs. No double ship trick here, though. Bummer!

Bosconian: Move your space ship in eight ways to eliminate the enemy bases while clearing out enemy ships, asteroids, and space mines. Sadly, the joystick on this home version doesn't make it so easy to move in all eight directions as in the original arcade game.

Super Pac-Man: No dot-munching this time! Eat up doughnuts, apples, corn husks, and other goodies. Gobble a super power pellet to grow ten times your normal size and become invincible to the ghosts. Get keys to unlock doors to power pellets, super power pellets, and different kinds of food.

Xevious: One of the earliest free-moving space shooters is also one of the strangest ones too. Are those flying CDs you're firing at? Why are there square-shaped pyramids and gray orbs on the ground that shoot at you? How come none of the enemies in this game make any sense? Argh!

The first person who can explain what these enemies are supposed to be gets a Double Stuff Oreo cookie. Seriously!

New Rally-X: A rare, modified sequel to an underrated classic retains all the original's elements and adds a few new tweaks. Guide a race car around an obstacle course while evading enemy cars. Unleash a cloud of smoke to stop them in their tracks. Collect all the flags as well as the Lucky Flags (take your remaining fuel and add it to your score) and bonus flags (multiply your score).

Mappy: It's Tom & Jerry brought to the video game world! Help a police officer mouse recover the stolen items and avoid the cat burglars and the big boss cat. Open a flashing door to unleash a wave to capture the cats. Don't dilly-dally: they do come back.

Pac-Man Plus: Don't be deceived by this game's similar appearance to the original Pac-Man. Now you're drinking beverages for bonuses rather than fruits. The ghosts now sport green leaves on their heads when you eat a power pellet. Sometimes not all of them turn blue when you eat a power pellet. All this and other exciting changes to a tried-and-true game.

Pac & Pal: Now you've got a green little friend named Miru to help you out. He'll collect the fruits and bring them to you while you avoid the ghosts. Miru can get sneaky and bring the fruits to the ghosts' lair sometimes, so make sure you get them quickly!

"I'm a mischievous little guy, but no one ever suspects me because I'm so cute!"

I'm happy to report that the majority of these games are excellently reproduced here with all the original graphics, sound effects, and music. You'll hum to the catchy theme of Dig Dug, dance to the "Enter Your Score" ditty of Mappy, smile at the humorous cut-scenes in Super Pac-Man, and chuckle at the antiquated synthesized voice samples in Bosconian (Is he saying "Battle stations!" or "Oh baby!"?). This is almost as good as buying the original arcade versions of these games and setting them up in your home.

"You'll enjoy pumping up these nasty Pookas and Fygars as much as I do!" says Dig Dug

Sadly, this collection falls flat on a few levels. Let's start with my least favorite game here: Pole Position. Now I enjoy playing this whenever I can find it in an arcade because I can use a steering wheel to guide the car. Racing games were made to be played in an arcade where you can feel like you're actually driving. Not only that, but you also get a gear shifter, an accelerator, and a brake in the arcade version. Sadly, the home version has none of these features. Trying to move a car with a joystick is tedious because you have to toggle the "ball" of the joystick to move the car around. It's very sensitive, so driving off the track becomes a more common occurrence than in the arcades. Even worse, the "A" and "B" buttons are used in place of the arcade's gear shifter to switch between high and low gear. This feels cumbersome after a while and may cause you to take your hands off the joystick by accident. This version of Pole Position is better left untouched.

The version of Xevious contained here is ridiculously hard. When it comes to most video games, there's always a difficulty curve: start off easy, then gradually increase in difficulty. Not here. Shortly after encountering the first few waves of enemies (mostly CDs and skull-shaped heads) you're instantly bombarded by black pea-shaped things that explode, floating fireballs, and red-eyed, winged ships. Granted, these foes do appear in the original arcade version, but not until later in the game. Whoever put this version of of Xevious on Retro Arcade must be laughing his ass off at the frustration of players trying to advance.

Overall, there's really not much to complain about here. Ten of the twelve games are reproduced nicely, so that's a good batting average. The majority of Namco's classic arcade games are included here, although I can think of a few notable omissions (Jr. Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position II, Pac-Land, and Rally-X all would have made acceptable additions). Regardless of these quirks, this compilation is a must-buy for the serious or casual video game collector. Most physical and online retailers sell it for between 20 to thirty dollars, so it's a bargain by any collector's standards. Highly recommended, but don't tell Ms. Pac-Man that! I hear she might consider breaking up with Pac-Man over her being slighted.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 power pellets.

Quickie update... brought to you by Sunkist (the best soda in the universe)!

Breaking away from movie reviews for a spell, I thought I'd update my faithful readers on a recent trip made to The Time Capsule in Seekonk, Massachusetts, and Cranston, Rhode Island. But first, here's a cheap plug for my favorite soda: Sunkist! With a crisp, orangey taste, it beats the pants off all its competition (Fanta, Crush, and all supermarket knockoffs). Although not necessarily a retro thing, a bottle of Sunkist always goes good with a '50s drive-in monster movie or an '80s sex comedy. Here's a vintage ad from 1978 that uses a modified version of The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations and a beach setting. Check out all these beautiful women in the commercial, long before plastic surgery, overdone makeup, and boob jobs became "prerequisites for beauty".

Anyway, here's the low-down on The Time Capsule. Both stores are well-sized and offer tons of comic books, DVDs/videotapes, video games (going all the way back to the Atari days), magazines, and more. They also sell an assortment of paperback novels (some of which are movie novelizations), records, CDs, 8-tracks (ask your parents, if you're around my age), trading cards, and lots of other cool stuff.

For variety and selection, the Cranston, RI store gets my choice as the best of the two. As you walk in, your eyes dart in all directions at the boxes of comic books and magazines sitting on floors and tables. Want old Famous Monsters of Filmland issues? They've got those. How about DC and Marvel comics from all eras? They're here too. If you look hard enough, you'll even discover more mainstream stuff like issues of People and TIME.

Not satisfied yet? Then take a left into the next room. It's cramped, but the space is used perfectly. This is where the videotapes, records, CDs, and music memorabilia take precedence.

Lastly, there's the third room on the far left. Here you'll find DVDs, 45s/78s, and video games. All the movies are organized by genre and alphabetically.

So what did I find? About 20 vintage wrestling magazines spanning the years of 1978 to 1986. There's tons of great photos (both black-and-white and color), fan letters, interviews, and other pieces in these mags. I'll have a more comprehensive post on them, along with scans. Stay tuned!

Retro Reviews: Enter the Ninja (1981)

Looking over the various sub-genres and fads that run through movies, there's usually at least one film you can pinpoint as being the one that started it all. The Bela  Lugosi version of Dracula kicked off the 1930s monster cycle which also saw Frankenstein, Island of Lost Souls, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Mummy come to the screen. Airport begat the disaster movie fad that spanned the entire 1970s.

This brings us to the 1981 Cannon cult classic Enter the Ninja. Just as Enter the Dragon established kung-fu as a movie trend, Enter the Ninja did likewise for ninjutsu. It made an international star out of the then-unknown Sho Kosugi, who despite playing a villain here was cast in more heroic roles later in Revenge of the Ninja and other ninja movies. The actor who plays the hero in ETN, strangely enough, is not Japanese but rather an Italian (Franco Nero, familiar face from numerous Italian-made westerns and gialli). Throw in a cast of veteran B-movie stars and character actors (Susan George, Christopher George, Will Hare), loads of  fights, the most overdramatic death sequence in movie history, a nifty soundtrack, and nice location shooting in the Philippines, and you have one of the most enjoyable action flicks of the '80s.

After finishing his training at a scenic ninja school, Cole (the aforementioned Franco Nero) decides to pay his army buddy Frank Landers (Alex Courtney) and beautiful wife Mary-Ann (Susan George) a visit at their lush Philippine mansion. All is not right there, however. A greedy land developer named Charles Venaurius (Christopher George) wants to buy Frank's property for his own purposes. As if that isn't bad enough, Venaurius has recruited Cole's old rival Hasegawa (Sho Kosugi) to take him out.

If one accepts the fact that Nero had no ninjutsu training for this movie and was replaced by fight choreographer Mike Stone for all his fights, it becomes somewhat difficult to take Nero seriously in his role as Cole. After all, how could an Italian-bred and born man know anything about the martial arts and play such a character? Actually, the editing for his fight sequences is so seamless it's hard to tell that Nero is being doubled for his fights. His character is an American, which he does a much more convincing job of looking the part. Judging from his stilted dialogue, I'd say Nero was dubbed by another actor. Seems like a fair trade-off: looks American but can't speak with an American accent.

Kosugi was virtually an unknown before doing Enter the Ninja. After watching it I can understand why he was such an in-demand actor for similarly-themed movies. With a legit background in such forms of martial arts as Kendo and Judo as well as numerous tournament championships and trophies (three consecutive L.A. Open Martial Arts Tournament victories from 1972-74), he does his action scenes superbly. From the moment Cole is accepted into the school, it becomes readily apparent just how jealous Hasegawa is of the gaijin's (Japanese term for foreigner) success. Hasegawa makes for a worthy rival for Cole, making the anticipation for their climactic battle worth the wait.

Although I don't want to spoil the climax, I have to say I was struck by the emotions of both Cole and Hasegawa once the victor emerged. Despite being rivals, both men have a mutual respect for each other. In accordance with ninjutsu tradition, the loser must be killed honorably. I will leave it to you to find out who lives and who dies, but it is a very emotionally charged scene that may make your eyes a little misty.

The action sequences are masterfully executed. The first ten minutes contain no dialogue. It shows Cole's final test to become accepted as a ninja. He battles numerous red ninjas and evades several obstacles before reciting the Nine Levels of Power for Master Komori (Dale Ishimoto) and completing his test. It shows just how important visuals can be to telling a film story. Actions do indeed speak louder than words here!

Switching gears to a less serious side, I was laughing non-stop at Christopher George's over-the-top performance as the scummy land developer tycoon. He chews his scenes like Swiss cheese, often punctuating them with crazed rants. When Venaurius bitches at his chubby, hook-handed henchman Siegfried (Zachi Hoy) or snotty British-accented right-hand man Mr. Parker (Constantine Gregory), he does it as if they've raped his wife and killed his dog. I'd be tempted to call it bad acting, but Christopher George can be forgiven. He clearly seems to be relishing his villainous role for all it's worth. After all, how can you hate a character who says such lines with gusto like:

"Murder him. Smash him. Waste him!"

"Are you ready for my supreme creation?"

"That's preposterous! This is twentieth-century Manila,. not feudal Japan!"

"Well I want a ninja. Find me a ninja who believes in the old ways, Mr. Parker."

You gotta love Venaurius. Did I mention he also has a team of female synchronized swimmers which he conducts to classical music?

And let's not forget Venaurius's death by shuriken at the hands of Cole. If there's a scene besides the final fight that makes Enter the Ninja so great, it's this one:

If I learned anything from watching Enter the Ninja, it's that death by shuriken will make you stretch out a long yell, raise your right arm up, put your left hand on your chest, look at where the shuriken hit, look back at your assailant, then fall over slowly.

Enter the Ninja: the movie that started it all for ninjas. Except for Susan George not being able to show off her lovely body, I haven't got a complaint about this classic. Surprisingly, it's not even on DVD, despite 2011 being its 30th anniversary. C'mon MGM, Enter the Ninja must be released within my lifetime, dammit! It does appear frequently under the Impact channel on Xfinity (formerly Comcast) On Demand, so you can check it out there.

Overall rating: **** out of ***** stars.