What's Your Favorite Game In Your Game Room?

[DIY Guy]

I have a game room in the basement with Foosball, Darts, PS2, Xbox, a Pinball Machine and Game table for cards/board games, but was interested in what others enjoy.

What games are in your game room that friend's and family seem to enjoy most?

[CPanther95]

It alternates between darts, billiards, and pinball. The one thing that gets much less play (and takes up a chunk of space) is the poker table - maybe I need more friends ;)

[Elfman]

Currently building a MAME machine that will be my first addition. Would love a pool table but I have quickly run out of space for one. Still hoping to squeeze a pinball machine in eventually. In the meantime, I will have to settle for Visual Pinball on my MAME cabinet.

[Marcus Parham]

My pool table seems to get the most action followed closely by my PS2. The air-hockey and darts don't get alot of play. This always changes when the latest addition off Madden Football comes out.

[tidalwdave]

I only have room for an electric dartboard/cabinet (on order), a foosball table, and a nine foot indoor shuffleboard table (on order). We just moved into a new house and it had a couple extra rooms, so I turned one into a small game room.

I do have all the MAME Roms on my computer in the loft outside the gameroom though, as well as some VP MAME games. Do those count?

In the home theater I'm building (screen and projector on order), I have a PS2, Xbox, GameCube hooked up to a soon to be replaced 55 inch HDTV.

Maybe I have three game rooms. :p

[lloyd_dobbler]

Ms Pac Man is always a favorite with the adults....kids would rather play PS2 than most of my arcade machines.

[DIY Guy]

Boy, if I had the room... I would add a shuffleboard table or old mechanical bowling arcade.

When the kids have new friends over, they like to try everything out and them will settle into PS2 or Xbox. Family get togethers tend to congregate around foosball games and can get a bit rowdy, while friend get togethers becomes a mixed bag, depending on the guests.

[Nabs17]

My arcade game of Phoenix. My pool table goes in and out of play but Phoenix is always in.


Thanks,

[jeeper]

I have 6 pinball machines and a dart board in my gameroom. Of the pinball games, FIREPOWER is my favorite to play...though I enjoy them all.

Steve

[jbalicki10]

The top Games that get played at my place are:
1) MS. Pacman
2) Track N Field
3) Chexx Hockey (Bubble Hockey)
4) Darts (Pub Time Machine)

[reedl]

Steve,
We agree on Firepower. It was in my mind one of the best designed pinball machines out there. Not too complicated, just alot of fun.

I really like the Rocky & Bullwinkle also. It just seems to always be moving. The loops, ramps and everything else just seem to work.

Of course all the pinballs are fun in their own way. Even the Countdown is an interesting game because it is so simple.

I had a Old Gottlieb Wedgehead Eldorado years ago, that I bought at a yard sale for $25.00 I cleaned it up and we gave it to my Brother in Law for catering our wedding. I wish I had that game now, since it was a target shooters game. The other one that "got away" from me was a two player Quick Draw. I sold that one when I thought I would not have enough room. I wish I had not sold it now... That was a very interesting game!

I guess the pinball machines are like my children..

Reedl

[Markito]

You sell or trade away your children?!? I'm calling the cops!!! :D

[reedl]

Given the right offer, perhaps for a mint Haunted house and Black Hole, the older one could be given away. She is 13 after all and at that teenager stage! :-) ;) :)

As you can guess I think of the pinballs almost as much as my kids.

A few months ago my bother in law made a rather interesting offer. He lives in Florida and attends flea markets all the time down there. He wanted to take my machines down there, and setup them in a stall of the flea market and try to make money. I thought about it for around 10 seconds, until I realized I would never see them again in any shape approaching the way they are now, and who knows what damage would be done. Furthermore, I would not be able to play them, and that is the whole point of having them isn't it?

The other two favorites are the Skee-ball and the Whac-A-Mole. Those are games that are in very few home game rooms, and when people see them their reaction is usually "You have one of these?" Both are real good games because anybody can play them without too much trouble.

Reedl


Reedl

[Dave Nelson]

reedl: You looking for a home use only Haunted House?

[reedl]

Dave,
You have Private Mail..

Reedl

[jeeper]

WOW, HUO HH...cool! Dave, did you buy it new in the box? or get from someone else that did?

Steve

[CptnRandy]

The Claw! (http://homepage.mac.com/cptnrandy/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-02-29%2009.05.14%20-0800/Image-6F4749826AD811D8.jpg)

[DIY Guy]

Yes, the CLAW! My daughter would love to have one of those games in our game room.

Ever since she was 4 or 5, she has had the uncanny ability to snag, drag, clutch and drop an array of stuffed animals, basketballs, nick nacs and doo dads out of these machines. It really amazes how often she wins compared to how little she spends to play them.

Mmmm, I wonder if I could make room?

Thanks CaptnRandy.

[CptnRandy]

Had to get the claw to get rid of all the stuffed toys that my 2 daughters and I won/bought over the years.

When we have guests, I give them a bowl of quarters to use with 1 requirement: if you win a stuffed animal, you have to take it with you!

Randy

[DIY Guy]

What a creative way to entertain and eliminate the clutter at the same. :D

I bet my wife would love to have me load up one the claw games with all my extra home theater stuff and invite my buddies over for a claw party! Yea...and I could do the same with my wife's tupperware...LOL :D

[Dave Nelson]

[QUOTE=jeeper]WOW, HUO HH...cool! Dave, did you buy it new in the box? or get from someone else that did?

Steve[/QUOTE]

Actually, Between my Father and I we have 2. My father bought his new back in 85. I grew up playing the game and had to have one, so a few years back I found a guy locally that had one he bought new and picked mine up from him.

My father also has a set of NOS HH playfields that have been clear coated and sighned by John Osborne (game designer). Probably one of the last sets of NOS HH playfields in exsistence.

[b curry]

Originally Posted by reedl
I really like the Rocky & Bullwinkle also. It just seems to always be moving. The loops, ramps and everything else just seem to work.

I've got a Rocky & Bullwinkle. Funny they never make the top 10 list's for pinball machines, but it's the first machine people walk up to and play at our house.

[KBMAN]

my only and favorate game is SPY HUNTER.......loved it as a kid and I'm much better at it now.

[DIY Guy]

KBman,

Spy Hunter is a fun racing game. Which version do you have, the stand up or sitdown cabinet?

[Elfman]

[QUOTE=b curry]I've got a Rocky & Bullwinkle. Funny they never make the top 10 list's for pinball machines, but it's the first machine people walk up to and play at our house.[/QUOTE]

I only played this briefly but I was told by a game collector that it had some very strange game elements and didn't follow the usual pinball scoring system and advances (i.e. locking the ball for multiball, skill shots, etc).

Still though, I am hoping to own a pinball machine of my own someday. Any pin would be better than what I have now.

[reedl]

Dave,
You have PM again.

Reed

[KBMAN]

[QUOTE=DIY Guy]KBman,

Spy Hunter is a fun racing game. Which version do you have, the stand up or sitdown cabinet?[/QUOTE]


Unfortunately, I have the stand up, but I KNOW that those sit down versions are very pricey and cool to boot. I remember as a kid in Sacramento asking the clerk at the arcade how much he would sell the sit down version. I STILL REALLY ENJOY MINE THOUGH. It's even got a brand new screen, so no burn-in. The game only cost me $400 but the shipping was another $400 (ouch).....my next games will hopefully be TRON and/or Miss PacMan.......I would prefer TRON. OR the Vector Starwars. LATER!

[DIY Guy]

I was at a friend's house for his son's graduation party over the weekend, and he had 3 pinball machines in his game room.

His first is Addams Family, which he said he's had for five years. It's in good shape and still gets a lot of play from the family. His second game, he picked up 3 years ago and it is the popular Indiana Jones machine. His latest machine he bought new from a local distributor; Stern's Lord Of The Rings. I spent my time playing this one since I had never played it before. This is a very entertaining game with plenty of targets, ball capture, multi level ramps and drops, along with multi ball.

After the wave of graduation socializing had died away, the game room became a focal point for most of the guests that were sticking around the house.

[BillNyeGuy]

I have a slot machine, dartboard, foosball/air hockey table, pool table, Frankenstein pinball machine, MAME machine, and TV with PS2 and Gamecube.

The pool table probably gets the most use followed by the PS2 and pinball.

If I were going to add to this I would definitely get another pinball. I really wish I had room for skeeball!

[DIY Guy]

Bill,

I've thought a Slot machine would be a fun addition to the gameroom. Is it possible to find machines that you would see in a casino, or are they offshore versions? What do you have and what do people think of it?

Thanks,

[reedl]

You can purchase real casino slot machines. There are companies in Vegas that sell them, but it depends on which state you are in as to which games you can purchase. some states allow no games, others have to be older than a certain number of years, others allow no games.

Reedl

[DinoT]

In my gameroom I've got a Mame Cabinet
and the following pins:
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Tales of the Arabian Nights
The Simpsons Pinball Party
Theatre of Magic (My personal favorite)
Lord of the Rings

I've also got a Super Chexx bubble hockey. I have to say that the Super Chexx usually gets the most plays at my get togethers. I like Theatre of Magic the best though. I go through pins like water.....In the past year I have sold:

World Cup Soccer '94
Twilight Zone
Creature From the Black Lagoon
Johnny Mnemonic
Shadow

and now I'm ready to sell my Tales of the Arabian Nights....If I find a nice project Cirqus Voltaire or Attack From Mars. (I like to fix them myself)

Dino

[DIY Guy]

reedl Posted:
You can purchase real casino slot machines. There are companies in Vegas that sell them, but it depends on which state you are in as to which games you can purchase. some states allow no games, others have to be older than a certain number of years, others allow no games.
Thanks reedl, good info. I'll have to look into this further.

DinoT,

You have a nice selection of games. Do you have any idea on how much Attack from Mars pins are going for these days?

[DinoT]

DIY Guy,
An Attack From Mars should range in price between $2700 (Needing work) to about $3600 (in very good condition). Of course you can find examples outside of this range but I would expect somewhere around $3200 for a working pin in decent shape.

Dino

[DIY Guy]

Thanks Dino,

A friend of mine just added Attack From Mars to his gameroom and he was able to get one in very good shape in the range that you described. This is one of my favorite pins and I'm green with envy!

Does anyone here have a networked version of Golden Tee in their gameroom? I would like to know more about it. Anyone?

[Stacey Adam]

I pulled the trigger on my first arcade game this weekend. It's a japanese neo geo candy sit down cab with the game Top Hunter (cute animated side scroller). Found someone locally unloading it. You don't find too many of these candy cabs on the east coast.

[FunkyBoss]

All I have so far in my basement (game room?) is a custom built Mame machine. The most popular games on the machine so far are 'World Class Bowling' and StepMania.

World Class Bowling is a huge hit with everyone that comes over for some reason. I think it's because everyone pretty much so understands the concept of bowling and it's really fun using the trackball. I've had hardcore xbox/ps2 gamers come over and play this simple bowling game for hours. :)

My newest addition to the cabinet is StepMania (a Dance Dance Revolution emulator) for the PC. I have an xbox dance pad hooked up through USB and it works great. I'm not too good at it yet, but my nieces and nephews play it for hours and I love music.

[bk2futr]

In my gameroom I have 3 pins and a video game.
The video game is a classic called "Bubbles" It was an old Williams game and is usually a hit with kids and women at our parties.
The sound doesn't work right now and I have to get someone to look at it someday.
The pinballs I have are:

The Addams Family
Back to The Future
Eight Ball Deluxe

I would say the Addams Family would be my favorite. I am in the process of getting some of the "extras" that are made for it and installing them. Like the Uncle Fester in the chair and the Cousin Itt. I found these on Ebay with lots of other stuff. I also want to change the main Ramp and put one of those CLEAR ones' on. Has anyone out there ever do this? I have one that should be in next week.

[Jim_F]

So far, the pinballs in general are the most popular, Scared Stiff in particular.
ToM-all in "gold"-is my prize (it's depicted as one of the examples on IPDB.org) TZ is probably my favorite game, but Getaway gets the most plays from me.
I'm having some people over Labor Day weekend, so it'll be interesting to see how the slot machine goes over. I also hope to have a Megatouch Radion in place by then, that might shake up the ratings a bit.

[Prozakk]

Burnout Revenge on my PS2.

[DIY Guy]

Posted by Jim_F

I'm having some people over Labor Day weekend, so it'll be interesting to see how the slot machine goes over. I also hope to have a Megatouch Radion in place by then, that might shake up the ratings a bit.

Hey Jim, how did your get together go over? Any feedback on the slot & radion?

[Jim_F]

Steve,
The party was quite a success. The slot machine (1964 Bally Money Honey) got some attention, but it's so tight that I just let folks play with "house" money for funsies. The stinginess of the machine pretty much limited the attention it received.

The Megatouch was a huge hit, esp. with the womenfolk. It was in use pretty much non-stop.

Scared Stiff remained by far the most popular pinball, though all the pins got a lot of play.

[motomania]

-Roadshow Pinball
-Lots of activity on the board. It's a hoot :-)

[Ronin_R6]

The Magatouch EVO gets played the most by far. I just got the 2006 upgrade pack. really didnt add much at all over the 2005.

Personally I like the Twilight Zone Pinball

[reedl]

In home arcades, slot machines are interesting, but in my experience, people are not interested in playing them because it is not like vegas where they get to keep the money.

A slot machine's interest is not the actual game, but what comes out of the machine. As a game, they are pretty boring...

Of course Pachinko can get interesting though..

But as I said before, Skee-Ball is by far the most used game I have. Everybody can play that game without trouble, and it is very easy to understand. Some pins can be so complicated that just keeping the ball in play is difficult.

Reedl

[Xing]

Halo2
GTA:SA

[Mit07]

Great thread.

Nobody has a ping-pong table (table tennis)? Too old school - or takes up too much room?

[DIY Guy]

Mmm, that's a good question. We had a ping pong table in the basement when I was a kid, but that was it.

Two families that we know have their ping pong table out in the garage, while the pool tables are in their gamerooms.

[chiguy]

We have a ping pong table and my wife and I used to play a lot a few years ago before having babies to deal with all the time. We've moved since then and are in the process of finishing the basement in our new home and haven't had it set up since the move.

The ping pong table has certainly presented a dilemma. We're thinking both it and the pool table take up too much room. So, we're thinking that we'll instead find one of those ping pong tables that can be put on top of the pool table when you want it. Of course, everything has trade offs. With that, we can't have both going during a gathering, and worse, we wanted a nice hanging light above the pool table and we'll have to nix that if we go that direction.

My favorite game room game though, is my Doctor Who pinball machine. Despite all the high tech computer games, I still really like the analog action of a real pinball!

[dparz]

Ping Pong table gets the most use - make sure you have plenty of balls (we buy by the gross (144) for $30) -- bending over to pick up/chase balls is a pain so have a big box handy to reach into....

Competes with Pool table and PC Games