Pinballz

This new attraction opened last Thanksgiving and we also made a cursory visit a few weeks ago, mainly to make sure we could find it. As a part of my weekend-long birthday celebration we finally had an official visit.

Don’t let the place’s name fool you. Despite it resembling and sounding like an Eighties teen-sex romp you would’ve watched on Cinemax, HBO or Showtime…on those nights your parents weren’t home (anyone who says differently is a liar!)…it’s a genuine arcade. The emphasis is pinball but there is a decent selection of older video games, mostly from the golden age, the Eighties strike again.

If you’re looking to play some serious pinball, it’s definitely the place to hit in Central Texas. The selection is predominantly more contemporary than my other favorite locale (the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas). They carry many favorites I had a great time pumping money into: South Park (won two games from it with my high scores), Popeye, Black Knight, Revenge Attack from Mars (the video parts are hilarious) and the Simpsons (circa 1991, great sounds). There were others I hadn’t seen before: Starship Troopers (neat third flipper), Doctor Who (being repaired) and the Dallas Cowboys (I figure the other teams have machines, won a match score). It’s easier to remember the games which are licensed properties yet if they’re not well designed, they don’t get played much.

Somara didn’t have as much fun as I did, she needs a couple tutorials from me on the zen of these games. Thankfully there was a functioning Galaga console which she prefers over the PS3’s emulation. Until she lets me make her my pinball padawan, I need an interim arcade buddy to tag along…I still have $10 in tokens remaining to justify a return trip while it remains BYOB.

How I can’t wait to drag my nephews and niece to this place.

This entry was posted in Arcade Games, Austintatious. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply