Pinball and Roller Coasters

[pinballandrollercoasters]

Mortimer's

this week I found myself in Minneapolis. after some pinside.com research I found out that there was a Wizard of Oz machine at a bar called Mortimer’s near Uptown. me and a couple buddies headed over there to check it out. strangely, the bartender told me that it was “out on loan”. after further inquiries she told me that it was on site at the Minnesota state fair. given that it was about 100 degrees outside I didn’t think I wanted to venture to the fair. nevertheless, Mortimer’s had about 16 other pinball machines. so, we played a few games of theater of magic, bram stoker’s Dracula, the sopranos, and T2.

[pinballandrollercoasters]

Wizard of Oz

i love pinball. but i'm an old school bally/williams guy. it bummed me out when data east started making their terrible machines. and now that stern has been the only gave in town for years i haven't been all that excited. however, there is a new manufacturer now called jersey jack. they just released their first machine "Wizard of Oz". having heard about it's giant TV screen scoreboard and overwhelming LED lighting i was none too excited, but i was told i should at least check it out. i found one in town and just got back from playing about 5 games of it. i am definitely intrigued. they actually figured out a way to make losing your ball fun. the game is slightly wider than a typical machine. anyway, first impressions are good. i haven't really figured out exactly what you are supposed to be doing - and there are not necessarily any rules posted anywhere to tell you. so, i'll have to figure it out with repeated plays. anyway, i'll definitely be going back. more  to come.