The latest arcade round-up covers the Big Buck Hunter World Championships XVI, rhythm-game competitions, Pinball Expo 2023, a Naruto card-battle test, a Pac-Man pop-up in New York and a busy selection of industry headlines.
Big Buck Hunter World Championships XVI
The 16th annual Big Buck Hunter World Championships brought together 128 competitors from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The event carried a $25,000 grand prize, along with the title of Big Buck World Champion.
The first day’s footage is available below.
The following day’s livestream confirmed Adam Holms as the 2023 Big Buck Hunter World Champion.
Raw Thrills also previewed the next content package for the game. The update adds new bonus games and the Caribou animal, both of which featured in the competition. It will also bring The Walking Dead to the game.
Details remain limited, with this tweet providing the available preview. The addition is expected to follow the approach used for the Terminator Salvation: Delta Mission content already found in Big Buck Hunter Reloaded.
More arcade tournaments
Competitive arcade action was not limited to hunting games. Rhythm-game fans could also watch these events:
- Pump It Up Prime Tournament
- DanceRush Stardom Tournament, which had already taken place
For readers comparing different home setups, RETROCADE’s racing arcade range shows how dedicated cabinets can create a similarly focused play experience.
Pinball Expo 2023
The final day of Pinball Expo 2023 featured a substantial selection of show-floor coverage, manufacturer presentations and industry discussions. Useful viewing included:
- Pinball Expo 2023
- Live Show Floor Tour
- Pinball Expo 2023 Part One
- Elton John Pinball Launch
- Elton John Play Vertical Style
- Pinball Expo 2023 Day 2 Livestream
- The Making Of Pulp Fiction Pinball
- The Making Of Venom
- Galactic Tank Force Panel
- Rare Pinball Machines At Expo
- Token Taverns Q&A Feat. Retro Ralph
- Marketing To New Audiences
- How To Become A Pinball Operator
- Brian Colin, creator of Rampage and Arch Rivals
- Todd Tuckey Takes Over
- Local News Coverage Of PE2023
Bandai Namco Amusements was also present, despite not having pinball machines in its range. Barrels of Fun marked the arrival of its Labyrinth game with a pizza party.
Alien: Ellen Ripley Version
Pinball Brothers revealed Alien: Ellen Ripley Version around the time of the expo. The machine was listed at $7,995 and includes new cabinet artwork, a Loader battle translite and Software Package 4.0, which adds previously unseen film clips to Alien Pinball.
The package also includes a hand-sculpted mini-screen, a hand-painted Xeno head and a redesigned apron. An interactive topper was being planned for the expo presentation, while Mini-Beacons and a Flasher Kit were also in development. These accessories are intended to connect with gameplay through future software updates.
Shipping was scheduled to begin the following month.
RETROCADE’s virtual pinball machines offer another option for players interested in pinball at home without committing to a specific physical table.
Naruto arcade card-battle test
Marvelous was testing an arcade card-battle game based on the popular Naruto anime and manga at two locations. A player was able to try the game and shared images of the collectible “Shinobi Plates”, although no hands-on impressions had been provided at the time.
An 11-minute gameplay video shows the test version in operation.
Pac-Man pop-up event in New York
Bandai Namco Amusements America supported a Pac-Man pop-up event in New York. Several Pac-Man games were available to play, alongside two photo booths, a Pac-Man mascot photo opportunity, four ghost-themed slushee flavours, Pac-Man GFuel cans and a live DJ. Music from the CEDX series also played during a mega mix.
The games area included five Arcade1Up cabinets, three upright Pixel Bash cabinets, five cocktail Pixel Bash cabinets, one World’s Largest Pac-Man machine, a Pac-Man air-hockey table and the Pac-Man Power Pellets ball-throwing redemption game. The air-hockey table was a standard version rather than Pac-Man Smash.
Four linked consoles demonstrated a beta version of Pac-Man Chomp Champs, scheduled for major consoles in the first quarter of the following year. The game played similarly to Chompionship Deluxe, which was available at Dave & Buster’s.
There were no limited merchandise drops, but attendees received free bracelets, quarter-holding fanny packs and small slushee cups. Entry was free.
More arcade and retro-gaming headlines
- Betson’s 12th annual Northwest Amusement Showcase took place in Oregon.
- Valo Motion launched Mine Time for ValoJump.
- S&B Toys executive Marty Luepker died unexpectedly on 25 September.
- A wooden 3D pinball puzzle machine was listed for sale.
- JET’s Big Shot showcased an 85-inch screen.
- Coin-Op: The Arcade Guide received an update.
- The Portland Retro Gaming Expo was covered by Indie Arcade Wave.
- A mini DDR machine was shown as available for sale.
- Previously unreleased Mortal Kombat 3 development footage surfaced.
- Behind-the-scenes photographs from Midway’s NHL Open Ice were shared.
- Sega’s arcade Super Circuit received a historical look.
- The sixth game in the ant-themed series was announced for the following year.
- Irem Collection Vol. 3 opened for pre-orders.
- Atari announced Neo Sprint, with Berzerk Recharged also coming.
- Black Finger JET received an alpha-footage video.
- A VR developer sued Meta over the cancellation of his game.
- Sega of America reportedly requested more than 50 changes to Dynamite Headdy.
With IAAPA 2023 approaching, the arcade industry had plenty more news in view. For Australian collectors and operators, the arcade-machine buying guide is a useful starting point when weighing cabinet size, game type and home or venue requirements.
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