Harry Potter Pinball Collector's Edition Art Revealed; Code Sounds Massive; WWE Coming to Home Arcades; Free Space Invaders & More
- Jason
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Minutes ago, Jersey Jack Pinball revealed the cabinet side art for its soon to be released Harry Potter Collector's Edition pinball machine in a brief Facebook video. The art for the CE is different than the art for the Wizard Edition and the Arcade Edition, which JJP showed off late Friday.
In other Harry Potter news. When word broke that JJP was going to make a Harry Potter pin, a number of people wondered how they were going to fit such a massive film series in one game? Warner Brothers released a whopping eight Harry Potter movies.
I don't know which films will be included in the game, but it sure sounds like the new JJP pin is going to be super deep. Jersey Jack's 2016 game The Hobbit is generally considered to be a very deep game and according to David Thiel, who is creating the sound package for Harry Potter - this game is way bigger:
"Yes, I've been on Harry Potter (since December 2023). By a factor of 3 this is the biggest sound package I've ever produced. And I thought that the Hobbit would never be surpassed. Hobbit, hold my beer. Until you have played it for a hundred games you will not be able to truly appreciate the epic scope of this one. This is one of the best that I've done so far."
Here's the words that accompanied Jersey Jack's reveal of the CE art:
"Wands at the ready, the reveal is near.
On June 5, the spell will be cast. 🕰 Harry Potter MinaLima"
It's been a very long time since the leader in the home arcade space for the past several years, Arcade 1Up, has come out with any new licensed machines. With this hole in the market, new competition is beginning to pop up.
A company called Basic Fun, which traditionally has made really small handheld arcade games, for classic titles such as Tetris and Pac-Man, has decided to branch out into larger home arcade-style cabinets. And they are starting off with a bang.
One of the Company's first home arcade products will be a 4-player cabinet for the beloved 1991 game WWF WrestleFest. In an article in Toy Book magazine, the company teased both WrestleFest and a large scale Centipede cabinet. Below is a description of and pictures of the products:
"While the cabinets use original game ROMs, Basic Fun! found smart ways to keep things premium without blowing up the price. The machines feature a mix of molded plastic and wood hybrids, true micro-switch joysticks, backlit marquees, and high-resolution screens. “Premium where it counts in the gameplay experience, smartly spec’d to stay accessible,” Westcott notes.
Connectivity features like Wi-Fi aren’t included in the initial rollout, but they are on the future roadmap. For now, the focus is on faithfully re-creating the past. Durability was also a must. “Each unit is rigorously play-tested, from ROM QA to age-tested controls and protected deck art,” Westcott says."
Some of you may be familiar with the arcade chain Round1. The Company has well over 150 Japanese-style arcades at various locations across the United States that are loaded with claw machines, Japanese rhythm games and redemption games. A number of Round1 arcades even have pinball.
This month, Round1 locations have Taito's massive Space Invaders Gigamax R arcade game set to free play. I have yet to personally play this behemoth yet, but it looks pretty awesome. If I find myself near a Round1 I'm definitely going to pop in and give it a try.
I usually don't talk a much about pinball mods in my articles here, but I just ordered one for my Stern Dungeons & Dragons Premium pinball machine that is absolutely amazing.
I've been on the waiting list for the Kyro Labs Tiny's Tavern mod for D&D for a while now and my item is finally available. This mod replaces the flat plastic Tiny's Tavery sign above the center spinner in the game. And what an improvement it is! This thing is a work of pinball art.
Check out the difference between the mod and the original in the pictures below. I'll make sure to share pictures of it and talk about the installation process once it arrives and I put it in.
"Tiny’s Teeny Tavern uses the same 2 mounting screws (hidden by a magnetic cover) and uses the same 4 pin molex connect that you disconnect from the stern board. The 4 posters light up to provide the indicators from the stock sign. An additional 2 pin connector allows you to backlight the window and give the fire a flickering effect (comet quick-connect gi bulb included)
Tiny's tavern is made of a durable resin blend and hand painted with acrylic paints before being sealed with a varnish.
The reception to this mod has been overwhelming. I have a list of 200 people with very few people dropping off, and I do not know if I will even make that many. Please consider this mod unavailable for the foreseeable future, sorry!"
