We’re all big fans of pinball here at Robot Panic. In fact, it’s safe to say that most of us are pining for a table of our own and have been so for a long, long time. So, when anything even remotely pinball related comes our way, we have to share it with all of you.

Our latest find is The Pinball Blog, brought to us by the UK gentleman who writes the blog, known simply as Nick. The Pinball Blog is UK based and it bears mentioning that Nick is the man who organizes the UK Pinball Show, which has become a huge pinball event since it’s inception in 2004. Like I needed another reason to visit England. The blog is very, very cool and worthy of your precious internet time. One of the best parts of the blog is the Pinball Heroes features. Nick has this to say about them:

“I recently started a feature called Pinball Heroes where I ask leading pinball personalities a bunch of random questions. Already a few have been published on the blog. I’ve interviewed Pinball designers Steve Ritchie & John Trudeau, Las Vegas Hall of Fame owner Tim Arnold, LTG : ) from SS Billiards (and rec.games.pinball legend), plus pinball author Gary Flower. The latest interview is with the man possibly responsible for there even being a pinball hobby. Roger Sharpe, who argued to the New York city council that pinball was skill and not luck, and subsequently had the long-term ban on pinball lifted. And more pinball heroes due each weekend.”

All the Pinball Heroes articles are fantastic and it’s especially nice to see our friend from SS Billiards talk about his vast knowledge. Be sure to hit those up and throw Nick some love while you’re over there!

Thanks Nick, for pointing us to your awesome blog! Long Live Pinball!

We’ve posted a few articles here on Robot Panic that should give you all an indication that we’re big fans of pinball. From the Midwest Gaming Classic to awesome arcades like SS Billiards, our lives are blessedly filled with avenues in which to play them. Which makes it all the more sad when you notice just how few new pinball experiences there are these days. Sure, the classic games still hold all their power but it certainly is nice to get a new board to play on every once and awhile.

Those that continue to have an obsessive love for pinball all know that there still is one company (and I mean that. Only ONE) still holding the torch aloft. Despite the glory days of pinball going the way of the dinosaur, one company is still giving fans of the silver ball something to look forward to every year. And that company is Stern Pinball.
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The arcade, my friends, is not dead. A bold statement, considering the condition of arcades in places such as GameWorks or Dave & Busters. While those complexes may appear to be arcades, the corporate stench permeates them and the entertainment provided inside is more akin to a roller coaster ride than the arcades of our youth. The truth is, however, those neon lit rooms that rang with the sound of flipper hitting metal ball still exist. They are havens for those needing to spend a few precious minutes or hours dropping quarters into coin slots and challenging physics. They are rare, they are prized and they are sadly known only to a few.

Hiding away in a strip mall in the Minnesota suburb of Hopkins, SS Billiard is just such a place. It’s a room that is almost frozen in time. I had the privilege of visiting SS Billiards for the first time last week and the moment I stepped through the door, it was as if I were back in the arcades I loved as a kid. Pinball machines lined the walls from various generations. There were old favorites that I loved, such as The Addams Family and The Twilight Zone. New Stern pinball games such as The Dark Knight, Spider-Man and The Lord of the Rings stood as the last men standing; champions of a classic genre too long beaten yet still fighting. Even some classic machines such as Eight Ball Deluxe and the rare Capcom machine, Big Bang Bar, were in attendance. Each stood, tempting with classic lights and sounds and the elegant beauty of a wooden surface worn from years of play. While there were a few video games in attendance, they felt strangely out of place in this pinball mecca. It’s as if SS Billiards has one love and video games are simply a token gesture, as if to harken back to the 80′s but not to relive them.
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