Quoted from Mk1Mod0:My two cents - I have been attending TPF since 2012 and showing machines since 2013. With every year it gets bigger and better and more enjoyable.
From the Meet and Greet Friday afternoon until packout Sunday afternoon I get no sleep and complete joy out of almost every minute. The machines are fantastic and the people are even better. To all the old friends I saw and the new ones I met I cannot wait until we play together again. The small world we live on gets just a little smaller and friendlier whenever we get together and it is true what the back glass says... it IS more fun to compete!
New Games -
There is waaaay too much to say but I will throw in my personal highlights. The P3/MM area was as fun as ever. Still havan't mastered Lexy and cannot stop playing Cannon Lagoon. I enjoyed Dialed In for a game or two. To those who find the constant beeping annoying, try playing Batman 66 when the red phone needs to be answered and you just can't seem to hit it. I liked dialed in despite the 1000 or so magnets under the play field. Seriously.Aliens was pretty cool as well. It played very finished and the layout was simple enough for me to figure out what I was supposed to do. Not that I could, mind you. But it was fun. Hobbit was a drain monster for me, but I liked all of the real estate and the pop-up targets. Didn't get to play Houdini, but the glowing eyes creeped the bejuzus outa me. Just as well.
Batman was fun because the theme really speaks to my childhood. But if I were to take one home tomorrow, Aerosmith would be it. The play is fast but manageable. The music is the best. I love that machine.
Home Brew -
I hate to call a well-finished game a retheme, but sometimes it just is.'Buffy' was fun to play and the callouts were awesome. The wooden stake plunger was icing on the cake. My only complaint was that the flippers blended in too well with the playfield and Ill say that is why my scores were so low. Didn't get to play Doom or Wizard Blocks. Wished I had.
I played 'Total Annihilation' every chance I got and picked at Scott Denisi's(SP?) brain until it probably hurt. If you haven't watched the 'Dead Flip' video of this game you need to. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/126176110 The design is simple and elegant and it plays like a dream. No ramps, no subways, no joke. Just outright fun for beginners to pros. (I saw one guy take out 2 reactors, I didn't even start one!) No-hands super skill shot? Check! Great light show? Check! Kick-ass music and graphics? Check! Smooth flow that makes you come back for more? Yeah, it's got that. And the most innovative ball hold I have ever seen.
Moving on, 'Polynesia' was a real work of art. Can't wait to see it finished and running. 'Spinal Tap' was back and played full games this year. Rock-on!
Modified -The 'Fish Tales' and the 'Frontier' were the end all for me for older games. For newer games? The Pinball Refinery's Walking Dead made all others look sad by comparison. Whoever took that home will enjoy it for a long, long time!
The Show -
What can I say besides my feet and hands and back are killing me? Well, my mother came to join my brother and I this year and played pinball for the first time in her 75 years. We have created a monster. She loves it and is a natural. Her first game was on my acrylic beast but it was not long before she moved up to Batman 66!A few people seemed to notice...
And then naturally she ends up on the evening news along with my brother in the background, all three of my machines and a healthy dose of Eric Stinson! You just cannot make this stuff up!
http://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/Texas-Pinball-Festival-Launches-in-Frisco-417070893.html
We had celebrities!We had comic relief! (Pinbot says what???)
And mostly we had fun. Picture two guys who can tear an old Bally down to parade rest and completely rebuild it trying to figure out how to turn on Brett Butler's Batman 66SLE. Frickin' hilarious! Now we're home, safe and sound. The trailer has been returned to uhaul, my three machines are home safe and my garage is fat three coin doors, one transformer and 5 playfields. including the best 'Dolly Parton' that $5 can buy. rotordave
Audits -
I'll easily discount a hundred plays on the Acrylic and Space Invaders due to orphaned games when the ball got stuck, etc. Still puts them at an impressive 500+ plays EACH over the weekend. EBD racked up 638 flawless games. (Yeah, gotta fix the machine gun sling!) See y'all next year!!
Shawn
Glad the Dolly got some love if only for $5