KCET profiles the Orange County Pinball League

The Orange County Pinball League got a nice write-up and video segment over at KCET, an independent public television channel and website. The piece talks about the roughly 50 members of the OCPL and what their goals and activities generally include. The video piece is embedded in the article, which you can find here: https://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/orange/pinball-wizards-of-orange-county.html

I’d love to have a league out here that would meet regularly to hold tournaments and to help preserve pinball in my area. These sorts of groups have popped up all over in the last 15 years as pinball has moved from a location experience to a private collection affair. Great job, Orange County Pinball League members!

The Pinball Podcast Episode 9 – The Poop Bumper?

Here’s our ninth episode of The Pinball Podcast. It might be our best yet, which isn’t saying much, but it’s saying something.

So, there it is!  Hope we didn’t miss any links, but please remind us if we did!  Thanks for listening!

PS.  We totally forgot to mention that the Kickstarter campaign to bring Twilight Zone to The Pinball Arcade as been successful!  Look for it to hit around November.

Interview – Jersey Jack and Keith Johnson at E3

Imagine my surprise when I was attending the Nintendo E3 press conference and I got a text message from Don and a Facebook message from Matt Riesterer telling me that “Jersey” Jack Guarnieri were going to be on the E3 show floor with the public’s first glimpse at The Wizard of Oz pinball machine. I was heavily booked up with appointments on Day 1 of E3, so when Day 2 rolled around and I had a few minutes, I made it my priority to meet up with Jack and Keith to see what they had to say about the soon to come Wizard of Oz pinball machine.

Playing Wizard of Oz was a treat, even if the game was running on a bare bones set of code. The playfield layout is fantastic, and it felt like I was playing a game from the glory days of early 1990s pinball. There was a slight similarity to Twilight Zone with the double ramps at the top middle, but the game had a smoother flow to it overall. The toys, art, and lighting all looked wonderful, even if without the GI being lit up on the E3 show floor.

The LCD runs in HD resolutions and it blends in beautifully with the backglass, proving to me that an LCD just might be the future for pinball display technology. The animations were very limited, as Jack was reluctant to show more at this time, but the screen looked great even in its limited state.

For those who are worried that Jack decided to pack the machine too much, rest assured that they’ve managed to provide something that is dense in regards to targets and toys, but that the ball flow is still satisfying and smooth.

Take a look below for our quick interview with Jersey Jack and Keith Johnson. It would have been nice to have spent more time with the game, but what I experienced was enough to make me hungry for more. Big thanks to Jack Guarnieri and Keith Johnson for showing the game at E3 and for taking time out of their busy day to accommodate my hectic schedule at the show.

Jersey Jack Pinball at E3

[youtube]https://youtu.be/dHEKrkSePw4[/youtube]