As for pinball, Glenn is partial to Centaur and Patrick is a fan of Pinbot.
At the Arcade:
As soon as you arrive at the arcade, you know you're in for a treat. The decor starts outside with banners on the side of the building, lit up bushes and welcoming signage above the front door. The windows are filled with memorabilia, neon signs, rope lighting, etc.—all viewable from the outside.
Unique Titles:
Some of the most unique machines I've seen in Star Worlds are...
Crazy Kong - An "alternate" version of Donkey Kong that plays a little different than the original.
Baby Pac-Man - (a hybrid arcade/pinball machine where you must do well in the pinball section [below] to earn power-pellets for the arcade game section [above])
Super Mario Bros. Pinball - A pinball game based on the popular Super Mario Bros. franchise, complete with music from the series, voices and sound effects from the games.
Nintendo Super System - This unit is an arcade version of the Super Nintendo home console. Nintendo released these to let customers try games out before buying them. Users bought credits for limited play time on a game.
One of my favorite things to do in Star Worlds is to look around at all of the decor and memorabilia. The walls (and ceiling) are filled with vintage ads, t-shirts, housewares, toys, stickers, magazines, and just about anything else you can think of that has to do with video gaming in the 1980s. It's an amazing trip down memory lane to see how much they have collected over the years. A large scoreboard on the wall keeps track of the arcade's high score chasers, while a jukebox playing gaming tunes and hits from the 1980s fill your ears with the nostalgia of yesteryear. Pat's favorite piece of memorabilia is a Ms. Pac-Man mobile that hangs near the front desk in the arcade.
Star Worlds at MGC:
This year at the Midwest Gaming Classic (March 26-27, 2011), Pat and Glenn created a themed room, celebrating the 25th Birthday of Mario and Luigi.
Last year, Star Worlds put together a room at Big Bang 2010 in Ottumwa, Iowa celebrating Pac-Man's 30th birthday. I asked Pat if their Donkey Kong & Mario Birthday-themed room would be as cool as the Pac-Man Birthday room. I believe he said that "he hoped it would." I was thrilled to discover that it surpassed my expectations with a couple of red tents, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, and the Super Mario Bros pinball machine. The entire room was covered with Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong wall decals, cool lighting and gaming tunes on the jukebox. Mario and Luigi themselves even stopped by to say, "hi!"
The Documentary:
A documentary called, Star Worlds: A Pocket Full of Tokens an I'm Heading to the Arcade is being premiered at the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb, IL. on May 7, 2011 in Wirtz Hall, Rm. 101. The admission price is FREE (brought to you by NIU). The showing will be in the first block of films shown from 3:30 to 4:30pm. It's a film about the community, the arcade, the retro rediscovery, the kill screens, the quarters on the marquee, and the hope for the future in the preservation of an inherent part of the 1980s, which is classic gaming. For more information about the documentary, visit the event's Facebook page.
Star Worlds Documentary After-Party:
Star Worlds Arcade is hosting an after-party following the premiere event. There are a limited number of tickets available. The $12 admission fee includes pizza and soft drinks, two-and-a-half hours of unlimited game play, free tournaments during the party, and the first-hand experience of classic arcade gaming as described in the documentary. There will be two sessions: 6:30pm-9:00pm and 9:30pm - midnight. Space is limited, so contact the arcade via the information below for further details.
Besides providing a great place to play the games of yesteryear, Star Worlds does on-location game sales, service and repair. They also do special events such as birthdays, private parties etc. that can be booked via their website or by calling them direct. For more information, contact Star Worlds Arcade at 815-787-4599.
PS Nation-Ep268-Par for the Course
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