Dann is a big fan of pinball and has been for quite some time. While exploring a mall local to my hometown, we saw Arcade Archaeology – which was closed at the time. Thankfully, we messaged them and they agreed to open on a day of the week they are normally shut to let us in! Arcade Archaeology is a primarily pinball venue that’s set up like a museum. It’s a non-profit, ran by volunteers, who all very much love pinball.
Arcade Archaeology have some pretty rare machines, but I am not one that actually knows which machines are rare. Dann however pointed out loads of machines he hadn’t seen anywhere before, and took lots of pictures to send to his mates who said they were very jealous that they don’t have a collection like this near them! This place is listed as a museum, and as such, there are some pinball machines with print out signs by them, which tell why that specific machine is important; maybe it was the first with an LED screen in it or the flippers were somehow different than previous machines. These little bits of information were a touch hard to read, but they do add an interesting element to the venue. The owner, who was there and very friendly, explained they’d be adding a more visual way to read about the machines.
There was a big variety of machines at Arcade Archaeology – from classics like Fish Tales, to a virtual machine that could play a large number of games, to the new Limited Editing Pokemon Pinball to ones I have never heard of like Strikes and Spares. This was a bowling themed pinball that had you knocking down pins with your pinball. We also played on Black Hole – a large machine that feels quite classic and challenging. My dad and aunt very much enjoyed Maverick the Movie (the pinball machine) which my cousins ended up playing as well.
At the back of the venue, there are some larger arcade machines and rhythm games, which my cousins very much enjoyed. One of the rhythm machines needed you to wave your hands around a big circle of censors, which was interesting to see! We also played on a Simson’s fighting game and there was a Family Guy bowling machine that took up a lot of space. In one corner, there was one shooting game, that everyone ended up playing and thinking was very fun (and retro feeling) which mixed things up.
Several of the machines at Arcade Archaeology were still being fixed and worked on, some of which were opened up so that you could see the inside. This was very interesting to have a look at and it’s great to see that restoration is happening to these pieces of history! This venue is still quite new, so it will be interesting to hear how it changes and grows over time.
You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!