Las Vegas' Coney Island Debuts the Country's First Pinball 2000; Classic Coin-

Operated Game Revolutionized with Cutting-Edge Technology

LAS VEGAS, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinball, one of the most enduring forms of entertainment worldwide, is revived this week with the arrival of Pinball 2000. Coney Island Emporium inside the New York-New York Hotel & Casino is proud to announce a two-week exclusive of Pinball 2000, giving game players their first opportunity to experience this revolutionary hybrid of state-of-the-art computer and video technology and classic pinball elements.

Kicking off the premiere of Pinball 2000 today are members of the Las Vegas Pinball Collector's Club, who are competing in a Pinball 2000 Marathon. Tim Arnold, local member and collector of more than 1,000 pinball machines, said there is a buzz in the industry about Pinball 2000. "The insider scoop is that Pinball 2000 is the most remarkable effort by a game manufacturer to revolutionize a classic. Pinball needed something to wake it up because it has lost its appeal in the last five to ten years because of changing demographics and technology."

Michael Getlan, Owner and Director of Enthusiasm & Opportunity at Coney Island Emporium said that Coney Island is one of the few venues in town who buys pinball machines. "We are serious about the fun business and being the place for all players to play. That means operating classics that have always been favorites among amusement park goers as well as debuting the newest and most technologically-advanced games," said Getlan.

Developed by Williams Electronics Games in Chicago, Pinball 2000 combines classic pinball elements with state-of-the-art computer and video technology. The result is a totally immersive pinball experience that takes the familiar silver ball and flippers to a whole new level of interactive entertainment.

"Pinball 2000 showcases the latest in computer technology," said Larry DeMar, Director of Pinball Engineering for Williams. "Our designers have utilized a cutting-edge technology to create a new generation of pinball machines with a dynamic, interactive video display that directly interfaces with the silver ball on the playfield."

While Pinball 2000 shares some of the architecture of traditional pinball games-the long playfield with a backbox on top and two flippers on the side -- players will immediately notice the difference as they approach the game to drop their first coin. A computer processor and video monitor is housed in the backbox, with the signal from the monitor projected directly onto the playfield. The video signal creates "virtual" gameplay elements-from ramps and bumpers to enemies and targets. Players are now aiming at vivid, 3-dimensional animated video targets rather than plastic playfield "toys" that previous pinball games featured.

"We've been able to do some very creative things with mechanical toys," said Pinball 2000 designer George Gomez, but there was always a limit. We were only able to include a few mechanical toys in each game, and each toy could only occupy so much space on the playfield. We could only challenge players with a limited number of shots and variations. With the powerful processor and advanced video in Pinball 2000, we have no limits on the challenges we can provide. We can now create hundreds of different targets and move them all over the playfield."

The first Pinball 2000 game is Revenge from Mars, a sequel to Attack from Mars, a 1995 Bally release that has established itself as one of the most popular pinball games of the modern era. In Revenge from Mars, players battle evil Martians through nine terror and laughter-filled waves. Each wave provides players with very unique Martian confrontation, combining humor, special effects and challenging shots to create entertainment unlike any previous pinball or video game.

"You've got to see it to believe it," said DeMar. "From Aliens stealing cars and cigars from the White House to Martians bowling, it's clear that this advanced technology has allowed our designers to expand into new areas of creativity."

Owned and operated by Amusement Consultants Ltd., Coney Island Emporium is a 32,000 square-foot family entertainment center located on the second level of the New York-New York Hotel & Casino. The venue features 165 coin-operated amusement and redemption games, 22 midway-style games, Virtual Reality and multi-player driving simulator, 3,000 square-foot NY-NY Laser Patrol laser tag arena, Gridlock Alert bumper cabs and redemption counter.

Photography of Pinball 2000 can be obtained by contacting Dana Pretner at 702-862-4800.

SOURCE Coney Island Emporium of Amusement Consultants Ltd.

CO: Coney Island Emporium of Amusement Consultants Ltd.; Williams

Electronics Games

ST: Nevada

IN: CNO CPR

SU:

03/12/99 13:20 EST http://www.prnewswire.com