Game|Life - Arcade Rarities Galore

(upbeat electronic music)

Oh hi, on this week's Game Life, we are here

at California Extreme.

It is an annual show where arcade

and pinball game collectors bring the gems

of their collection, set them all up in one room,

put 'em on free play, and everybody gets to go to town

for a weekend.

Now, all the games your remember from the heyday of arcades

and pinball are here, but there's also some crazy,

just one of a kind things like Marble Man,

which is the sequel to Marble Madness.

It was never released, there's only a couple of them

in the world, and one of 'em is here at California Extreme.

So come along with me, let's take a look at some

of the crazy rare or just plain crazy games

at this year's show.

(upbeat rock music)

So even if you know your pinball, I guarantee you've

never seen these machines behind me before in your life.

These are not production pinball machines.

These are machines made for Tilt,

a 1979 movie starring a young Brooke Shields.

They are one of a kind, made only for the move,

and they're being shown here at California Extreme

for the first time since the 70s.

(bell ringing)

Now pinball is all well and good, but this is my jam.

As a kid growing up in the 1990s, you wanted your arcade

to have a Time Traveler Machine.

You played a crazy time traveling cowboy who can

travel all the way back to 50,000 BC or forward

into to the far off future of 1998.

The game, and let me tell you guys, basically sucked.

It was pretty much Dragon's Lair, but worse,

but what made it cool was the fact that it had

this crazy hologram style graphics.

It always drew a crowd.

And one of the only places you can play Time Traveler now

is, of course, at California Extreme.

The Addams Family pinball machine is considered to be

one of the best pinball games of all time,

but this version here is a lot more difficult.

You have to actually ride this bicycle,

the flipper controls are on the handlebars,

and the flippers don't work unless you're actively

pedaling the bike.

Jeez, who says gamers don't get any exercise?

Well our day here at California Extreme is coming to an end.

We have played video games, and we have

played pinball games, so what better to finish of on

than a combination video pinball game.

Yes, that's right.

Baby Pac-Man.

It's an exceedingly rare machine.

It combines a game of Pac-Man with a little half-size

game of pinball.

When Pac-Man goes out the exits in the bottom of the maze,

he pops out in the pinball world.

It's a really, really, crazy fun game.

It's so hard to find one in working condition.

That's what makes the California Extreme show so cool.

If you couldn't make it this year, it's held every year

in July in Santa Clara, California.

It is like a dream for people who fondly

remember the 80s and 90s arcade scene.

We'll see you next week.

I'm gonna play me some Baby Pac-Man now.

(upbeat rock music)