Location Play: Columbia River Roadhouse
If you were to leave Portland and head west towards the Pacific Ocean on Highway 30, in a little under two hours you'd arrive in Astoria, which sits on the Columbia River not far from where it spills into the Pacific. Astoria was once a quaint fishing town but is now more diverse. If you've ever seen the movies The Goonies, Short Circuit, Free Willy or Kindergarten Cop, you are looking at Astoria in the background. (Sidenote: there should have been a Goonies pinball machine!) You can leave Astoria by heading south on Highway 101, or north on Highway 101 across the Astoria–Megler Bridge. This massive bridge spans the Columbia River for over 4 miles and is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America, joining Astoria to southwest Washington.
So why the geography lesson? Because after driving the two hours from Portland to Astoria, it's 15 minutes to cross the bridge and travel west to a small town in Washington called Chinook, which is part of the Long Beach Peninsula. And in Chinook, you'll find an unusual destination: the Columbia River Roadhouse. It's not the Roadhouse itself that's unusual - at first glance it's a pretty typical restaurant and sports bar featuring steak, seafood, and country music - the unusual part is the fact that within its confines, the Roadhouse is home to 23 pinball machines, and is found in a town with a population of less than 500 people.
According to their website: "There is nothing like this place on the peninsula. Incredible decor, great staff, amazing flavorful food dishes, 10 beers on tap along with a full bar and large flat screens everywhere. Did I mention the decor and environment? Plus a huge “Bonus” awaits with dozens of classic old school pinball machines to play and a gift shop as well for those touristy things."
After a trip out to Long Beach to visit my mom, I stopped in at the Roadhouse to play a little pinball. In addition to some old favorites like Attack from Mars, Tales of the Arabian Nights, and Lord of the Rings, were several machines I hadn't played before. Prices on the machines range were $.50 for 1 credit and $2 for 5 credits, with newer machines costing more, although there were a couple of exceptions. Most of the pinball machines are located in an "L" shaped hallway to the right of the main entrance; the remainder are in a small room at the rear of the building. As in my previous journeys, what follows are "quick hits", or my impressions that are formed during limited play, with games I have never played before in red and those I have previously played being green.
Monopoly - Boy did I really want to play this Pat Lawlor game that I had never seen before. But when I put quarters in, the game issued no credits. Without a service tech available, the bartender refunded my money and hung up an out of order sign. I'm still counting it as not played. Damn...
Austin Powers - Another game I never played before. I'm not an Austin Powers fan, but the first game was pretty funny, with the Fat Bastard toilet shot and multiball, the magnetic Mini-me spinner, and the Dr. Evil that pops up. I played a second game, won a free game, and proceeded to play a third game. The machine was still fun, but the theme music began to grate on me until I couldn't take it anymore. So to summarize I enjoyed the play and the sound clips from the movies, but the music was way too annoying.
High Roller Casino - I don't remember much about this game, except that it was not very fun and quite boring. Moving on...
The Shadow - I haven't done well on this machine in the past - boy is this game tough! - and since I suck on it, I'm going to play it every chance I get. I actually had my best game on it, but that still wasn't very good. The orbits were brutally fast, the ramp diverters were tough to figure out and the Battlefield was hard to wrap my head around. Still, I'm warming up to this one, on location it eats my quarters but I have a feeling it is awesome in a home environment as part of a good sized collection.
Striker Extreme - I didn't think much about this machine as I walked up to it. In fact, it's pretty ugly looking. It definitely tried to draw off the popularity of World Cup Soccer. This is the first title Stern designed and built after they bought Sega's pinball business, so I had my doubts. But damned if it wasn't a blast to play! Probably a bit too easy as I won 3 free games. I liked how the ball would come down a ramp to a flipper and allow you to take a shot at the goalie who moves back and forth in an attempt to guard the net. The sound of crowds cheering were a nice touch. I actually really enjoyed this game as I spent a good 15 minutes on it, with one game leading to entering my initials with high score #3. Would I own it? Not a chance, and I probably wouldn't play it again because it was too easy. But I did get to try something new and get a high score. Nice!
Congo - I was excited to get another game in on Congo. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have nearly as much success as I did on the machine at Quarterworld. It was still fun though. Note: a Congo came up for sale in the local area, I would have loved to have it but there's not enough money and no where to put it, but I would have been a great addition.
Junkyard - I decided to have a go at this machine despite having owned it and subsequently selling it. Let's call it nostalgia. After only 1 game I was reminded that I wasn't sorry to see it go when I sold it.
Elvis - I actually really enjoyed this machine. Since my buddy Kelly sings like Elvis, this had some extra appeal for me. The artwork and sound are top notch, although I would have preferred original songs over the live ones that Stern chose. The hip swaying Elvis toy is awesome, a lot of younger people don't appreciate how this man challenged the status quo and broke down barriers with those swingin' hips! I also like the Heartbreak Hotel upper playfield and I the fact that all the ramps are metal, meaning high cost/quality and low maintenance. Multiball was quite fun as well, and the spinners and drop targets were a nice touch. It was only later that I discovered this game was a Steve Ritchie design. I'd have to say it's one of his best. I wouldn't own it, it doesn't fit my collection theme-wise, but I'd put it in a bar if I owned one, and I'll not hesitate to play it again.
After playing Elvis I wanted to play Revenge From Mars (after the great game I had at Quarterworld) but it was out of order. Checking the clock I saw it was time to get going, so I reluctantly departed. But if you happen to be headed to the Northern Oregon or Southern Washington coast, and you're a pinball fin, you might want to stop and get something to eat and drink, and play some great pinball.
So why the geography lesson? Because after driving the two hours from Portland to Astoria, it's 15 minutes to cross the bridge and travel west to a small town in Washington called Chinook, which is part of the Long Beach Peninsula. And in Chinook, you'll find an unusual destination: the Columbia River Roadhouse. It's not the Roadhouse itself that's unusual - at first glance it's a pretty typical restaurant and sports bar featuring steak, seafood, and country music - the unusual part is the fact that within its confines, the Roadhouse is home to 23 pinball machines, and is found in a town with a population of less than 500 people.
According to their website: "There is nothing like this place on the peninsula. Incredible decor, great staff, amazing flavorful food dishes, 10 beers on tap along with a full bar and large flat screens everywhere. Did I mention the decor and environment? Plus a huge “Bonus” awaits with dozens of classic old school pinball machines to play and a gift shop as well for those touristy things."
After a trip out to Long Beach to visit my mom, I stopped in at the Roadhouse to play a little pinball. In addition to some old favorites like Attack from Mars, Tales of the Arabian Nights, and Lord of the Rings, were several machines I hadn't played before. Prices on the machines range were $.50 for 1 credit and $2 for 5 credits, with newer machines costing more, although there were a couple of exceptions. Most of the pinball machines are located in an "L" shaped hallway to the right of the main entrance; the remainder are in a small room at the rear of the building. As in my previous journeys, what follows are "quick hits", or my impressions that are formed during limited play, with games I have never played before in red and those I have previously played being green.
Monopoly - Boy did I really want to play this Pat Lawlor game that I had never seen before. But when I put quarters in, the game issued no credits. Without a service tech available, the bartender refunded my money and hung up an out of order sign. I'm still counting it as not played. Damn...
Austin Powers - Another game I never played before. I'm not an Austin Powers fan, but the first game was pretty funny, with the Fat Bastard toilet shot and multiball, the magnetic Mini-me spinner, and the Dr. Evil that pops up. I played a second game, won a free game, and proceeded to play a third game. The machine was still fun, but the theme music began to grate on me until I couldn't take it anymore. So to summarize I enjoyed the play and the sound clips from the movies, but the music was way too annoying.
High Roller Casino - I don't remember much about this game, except that it was not very fun and quite boring. Moving on...
The Shadow - I haven't done well on this machine in the past - boy is this game tough! - and since I suck on it, I'm going to play it every chance I get. I actually had my best game on it, but that still wasn't very good. The orbits were brutally fast, the ramp diverters were tough to figure out and the Battlefield was hard to wrap my head around. Still, I'm warming up to this one, on location it eats my quarters but I have a feeling it is awesome in a home environment as part of a good sized collection.
Striker Extreme - I didn't think much about this machine as I walked up to it. In fact, it's pretty ugly looking. It definitely tried to draw off the popularity of World Cup Soccer. This is the first title Stern designed and built after they bought Sega's pinball business, so I had my doubts. But damned if it wasn't a blast to play! Probably a bit too easy as I won 3 free games. I liked how the ball would come down a ramp to a flipper and allow you to take a shot at the goalie who moves back and forth in an attempt to guard the net. The sound of crowds cheering were a nice touch. I actually really enjoyed this game as I spent a good 15 minutes on it, with one game leading to entering my initials with high score #3. Would I own it? Not a chance, and I probably wouldn't play it again because it was too easy. But I did get to try something new and get a high score. Nice!
Congo - I was excited to get another game in on Congo. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have nearly as much success as I did on the machine at Quarterworld. It was still fun though. Note: a Congo came up for sale in the local area, I would have loved to have it but there's not enough money and no where to put it, but I would have been a great addition.
Junkyard - I decided to have a go at this machine despite having owned it and subsequently selling it. Let's call it nostalgia. After only 1 game I was reminded that I wasn't sorry to see it go when I sold it.
Elvis - I actually really enjoyed this machine. Since my buddy Kelly sings like Elvis, this had some extra appeal for me. The artwork and sound are top notch, although I would have preferred original songs over the live ones that Stern chose. The hip swaying Elvis toy is awesome, a lot of younger people don't appreciate how this man challenged the status quo and broke down barriers with those swingin' hips! I also like the Heartbreak Hotel upper playfield and I the fact that all the ramps are metal, meaning high cost/quality and low maintenance. Multiball was quite fun as well, and the spinners and drop targets were a nice touch. It was only later that I discovered this game was a Steve Ritchie design. I'd have to say it's one of his best. I wouldn't own it, it doesn't fit my collection theme-wise, but I'd put it in a bar if I owned one, and I'll not hesitate to play it again.
After playing Elvis I wanted to play Revenge From Mars (after the great game I had at Quarterworld) but it was out of order. Checking the clock I saw it was time to get going, so I reluctantly departed. But if you happen to be headed to the Northern Oregon or Southern Washington coast, and you're a pinball fin, you might want to stop and get something to eat and drink, and play some great pinball.
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