Golden Tee is one of those games that is everywhere, with roughly 10,000 machines in operation worldwide ensuring that it remains a constant feature of the arcade scene. If you’re one of those who just can’t get enough of it, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Golden Tee Connect service means that the game can now integrate with Facebook, allowing the game to automatically update your status with “[person] is playing Golden Tee LIVE 2010 at [location]“. That’s free publicity for both the game and the operator! Incredible Technologies has stated that 80% of Golden Tee players are also Facebook users, representing a significant overlap in demographics.

This won’t be the first time that Golden Tee has ventured onto the intertubes at large, as current versions allow players to upload replays of their best shots directly to Youtube – and upload they do, with over 70,000 going up in the past year!

[Via betanews.com] [Discuss on the forums]

News has been slow this week – which I will blame on the upcoming IAAPA show as companies hold onto announcements for the big event. But one piece of news that is sort of arcade related that has been brought out before the show is that Incredible Technologies is embracing the Wii once again(they had ported Target Toss Pro: Bags to the Wii a little while ago) and they are bringing one of their older games back from the coin-op world, Carnival King. If you are unfamiliar with Carnival King, it is a shooting gallery style game that IT released back in 2002 and the WiiWare port will only run you $7. IT sees this plan of bringing some of their content to home consoles as a way to develop interest in their current coin-op market titles. For more details on this new WiiWare release, see the press release after the break.

Incredible Technologies Releases Carnival King™ on WiiWare™

Former Arcade Sensation Available Now for Home Market

(November 4, 2009 – Arlington Heights, IL) Carnival King, Incredible Technologies’ classic target-shooting arcade game, is available for download now on Nintendo’s WiiWare system. Carnival King follows Target Toss Pro: Bags, IT’s first WiiWare release, which maintained a Top 5 ranking for six months on the WiiWare charts.

Just like the arcade version originally developed in 2002, Carnival King features three virtual amusement parks, each with four distinctly-themed shooting galleries plus a fast-paced bonus round. Each of the 15 games features IT’s signature 3D graphics, set to a rollicking soundtrack that transports you instantly to the midway.

Scott Morrison, IT’s vice president of marketing, said that he believes making IT’s classic arcade titles available to the home market will help boost popularity of the company’s current products.

“If people enjoy Target Toss Pro: Bags and Carnival King on their Wiis at home, they’ll be more inclined to try one of our games the next time they’re out with the family. All this exposure has to be good for operators,” he said.

Carnival King can be downloaded for only $7.00 making it affordable for everyone. Players can use their Wii controller or any gun peripheral. 1 or 2 can play at a time, and online and local leaderboards make it easy to see how players rank against friends and family.

“We’re providing a lot of entertainment for only seven bucks,” Morrison said. “We think it’s going to do better than TTP: Bags which was a hit for nearly a year.”

You can preview Carnival King online at http://wiiware.itsgames.com.

END

With Incredible Technologies rolling out the latest iteration of their Golden Tee series this month, I was wondering if we were going to hear anything about the other series they have been promoting heavily for the past few years – Silver Strike. As it turns out they have a new edition of that game preparing for a release in Q1 2010 and after the post break we’ve got plenty of details on the game. One of the most interesting aspects they have revealed about SSL is the increased focus on internet connectivity. Players will be able to win cash with every game if they so choose (although that will cost an extra $1 to play), which should prove to be a popular aspect of the game. The customization options in the game are also pretty substantial, you can find out more (including more screens) after the post break.

Thanks to Gary Colabuono for the following:

Bowling with a trackball has been tried many times before, but Silver Strike Bowling is one game that really gets it right.  Why do you think that is?

What color shirt does your bowler wear?

Since I tend to want to lead off, I usually play the blue guy.  But with SS LIVE, I’ll be able to create my own look and have it ready every time I play!

IT recently announced Silver Strike Live for Q1 2010 release.  What can we expect from this upcoming game?

Basically we’re taking the most popular tried and true features of Golden Tee LIVE and porting them over to Silver Strike.  For instance, every game will be a an online game. Whether you just want to play for fun and bragging rights - or you want to add a buck and play for cash, you’ll have a tournament option every game.  Win the 50-person tournament and pocket $10 from the $50 prize pool.

We’re adding Spare Challenge to the menu too.  Spare Challenge is a skill-shot contest that you can play for fun or cash.

And for players who may be a bit intimidated by tournament play, our Stats Play option allows for the tracking of stats and averages without the competitive element.

We’re allowing players to choose from a zillion different bowling ball designs as well.  Finally, we’re giving the player the ability to customize their bowler by lefty/righty, gender, face type, hats, shirts and pants.  When you play Silver Strike LIVE you’ll feel like you’re really a part of the game!

Do you expect Silver Strike LIVE to surpass the success of Golden Tee, or does it work better as a tag-team affair?

Golden Tee has been around for over 20 years and has the most loyal and dedicated player base of any pay-to-play video game in history.  We believe the new features of Silver Strike LIVE will resonate with players and continue to fuel its growth.  Besides the players who get a ton of bang for their entertainment buck, the amusement operators who buy our games and the locations where they’re placed win too.  Both games draw in a lot of people who eat, drink and play.

Are you guys planning on giving away bigger and better prizes with Silver Strike?  What about tournaments?

Since every game of SS LIVE is an online game, and the tournament options start on Day One, we’ll be awarding prize money right from the start.  Since Golden Tee LIVE debuted in 2005, over $15 million has been won by players.

Have you considered giving away cash prizes for “trick shots”, like 7-10 splits?

That’s what our new Spare Challenge is designed to do.  Pick up the most spares and win $10!  And yes, the dreaded 7-10 will be in there!

Well that was fast – while we had been waiting to hear more on a new project over at Incredible Technologies where the project manager was blogging about the progress of the game, the game has now been cancelled, due to unspecified reasons. We never got to find out what kind of game it was and so far there is no extra information on that yet but the project manager, Alan Noon does say on his blog that “at this point I am predicting that the project will be resurrected in the future.” I guess we’ll have to wait and see about that and at the very least since we didn’t know what it was we can’t feel too disappointed about not getting it now. The team that was working on it is still at IT working on something else but there is no information on what that happens to be.

More info can be found here.

[Discuss on the forums]

Anyone who is anticipating the upcoming (Oct. 1st) release of Golden Tee 2010 will get a chance to see the game early as Incredible Technologies will host the GT2010 world premiere event at Boomer’s Grill in Mansfield, OH. According to the info IT sent out, “the Ohio media is coming out en masse to cover this event” which will certainly assist in making the game one of the most covered coin-op games this year.

On top of that if you are a Silver Strike Bowling player, with Bowlapalooza now over, they will be giving the SSB National Sweepstakes another go here shortly. There is no word yet on if they will be providing a follow-up to SSB like they have with GT but I have a feeling that we’ll be hearing about that soon.

For more info on the GT2010 world premiere, click on the link below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

Contact: Gary Colabuono

Director of Marketing

847.870.7027 X 192

Ohio Pub to Host Golden Tee LIVE 2010 World Premiere

Boomer’s Grill in Mansfield to Become Center of Golden Tee Universe

(September 4, 2009 – Arlington Heights, IL) When Mike Zappa of Lorain Music in Crestline Ohio heard that one of his players won the 2010 Golden Tee Design-a-Hole contest, he called IT marketing director Gary Colabuono to tell him that they were going to throw a little party for the winner, Jim Little of Mansfield. Boomers Grill was Little’s home bar and the owners there wanted to celebrate the occasion.

Colabuono, never one to overlook an opportunity, said to forget the small party. How would they like to hold the 2010 Golden Tee World Premiere?

“This is just the sort of situation that a company like IT dreams of,” he said. “We have a passionate player, a super location and Mike is a great operator who really busts his butt to make everyone happy. What a great combination for success. Were coming down with our video team and we’re bringing the Golden Tee world champion too. It’s going to be a great night in mid-Ohio.”

Little’s design was chosen from a pool of over 150 entries. It garnered nearly 30,000 online votes.

“Over the next year, more than 5 million players will experience Jim’s hole, ‘Tropical Torment,’” said Colabuono. “It’s a great layout. Players will love it.”

“I can’t wait to play it,” says Little, who will have the honor of taking the very first shot on the 2010 courses. “It’s still hard to imagine my hole in Golden Tee 2010. It hasn’t kicked in yet.”

At the premiere party at Boomer’s, Little will see up close how Jim Zielinski, Golden Tee’s award-winning designer, brought his concept to life, because IT’s video team captured the entire creative process on film in a short quickie-documentary.

The iconic Zielinski says, “It’s an entirely different experience when you take someone else’s idea and generate it into an actual Golden Tee hole. ‘Tropical Torment’ has character and detail…it requires a nice combination of skill and strategy to play.”

And there’s more happening at Boomer’s. Golden Tee world champion Andy Haas of Stow Ohio will be on hand. Hass has won more prize money than anyone in the history of the game and will be giving Golden Tee pointers to the partygoers.

In addition, IT will showcase the video of its new theme song, “It’s Golden Tee,” which is written and performed by country rocker/Golden Tee fan Ira Dean. Formerly of Trick Pony, Dean has written hits for Montgomery Gentry, Smash Mouth, and Blues Traveler. See the video now at www.youtube.com/goldenteegolf.

And of course, there’s the unveiling of Golden Tee 2010. Among many upgrades, there’s new commentary from sportscaster Jim Nantz and PGA pro Peter Jacobsen, plus five spanking-new courses, which transport players from the Great Wall of China to the hills of Tuscany and beyond. Players will find all kinds of new goodies: a new Skins mode…9-hole prize tournaments…new equipment and apparel for their onscreen players…and the thrill of “Tropical Torment.”

Golden Tee LIVE 2010 is on schedule to ship October 1, 2009. Operators are encouraged to get their update orders in now to ensure inclusion in the first shipment. For more information call the IT Sales Hotline at 800.262.0323 x 106.

What: Golden Tee LIVE 2010 World Premiere

Where: Boomer’s Grill, 1400 W. Fourth St., Mansfield, OH

When: Thursday, September 10, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

END

We mentioned not too long ago that Incredible Technologies would be ramping up to deliver their most recent Golden Tee creation to the public and with that date fast approaching, they have begun to unload the details on what will make GT2010 different from past GT games. Skins makes a comeback, Jim Nantz and Peter Jacobsen have recorded over 5,000 lines of commentary for the game and they have added on the Facebook updating feature that we mentioned last time. The game ships on October 1st and it comes in the new IT Showcase cabinet which all of their games are now using. I could discuss everything they added to the game in this part of the post but they sent along a 5-page press release detailing everything you’ll ever want to know about GT2010 short of playing it, so I’ll just post that after the break and you can go from there.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

Contact: Gary Colabuono

Director of Marketing

847.870.7027 X 192

Golden Tee Comes of Age with 2010 New Courses Update

More Ways to Win and New Features Grab Spotlight as Game Turns 21

Updates Scheduled to Ship October 1^st

We all remember the day we turned 21. It’s a turning point in one’s life. On that momentous day we could legally do things that up until then were prohibited – most notably walking into a drinking establishment and ordering an alcoholic beverage. Our range of freedoms expanded and we truly became adults in every sense of the word.

That’s why Incredible Technologies is so excited about its flagship product – Golden Tee Golf – turning 21. Up until now it was simply the most successful pay-for-play video game in amusement history. Billions of dollars have flowed through over a hundred thousand machines. Players have won over 25 million dollars in online tournaments and contests. The industry has recognized the game by awarding it every conceivable honor. What more can one game accomplish?

As it turns out the first 20 years were just a warm up. IT and Golden Tee were just getting warmed up. In the immortal lyrics of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet!”

5 Unbelievable New Courses

No matter what fabulous bells and whistles the geniuses at IT add to the game every year, everything takes a back seat to the new courses. After all the new courses are the backbone of the game. According to Brian Jandula, Golden Tee project manager and senior software engineer, no matter how cool some new feature is the new courses will make or break an update.

“We can add a free beer keg to the game but if the new courses aren’t fun it won’t matter,” he joked. “We’re truly fortunate to have Jim Zielinski creating these fabulous courses that keep our players coming back for more. This year’s courses are our best yet – no doubt.”

Jandula also stressed that the art and images in the 2010 update are specifically designed for HDTV’s. “Old CRT monitors can’t display the game to its fullest potential,” he said. “Our new Showpiece cabinet is a breakthrough in both game play and earnings. Now’s the time to embrace hi-def and our Showpiece cabinet is the way to go.”

The Great Wall

Seventy kilometers north of Beijing is Mutianyu, the site of The Great Wall of China. Soaring mountains, unmistakable sand traps, demanding greens, and the legendary Great Wall make this is a Golden Tee journey players will never forget. Be accurate and stay clear of the Terracotta Warriors.

Monument Valley

Deep in the canyons of Navajo, Arizona is Monument Valley Golf Course. Roam around, over, and through eighteen holes of creatively positioned rocks, boulders and mesas, all the while taking in the breathtaking vistas and majestic tableaus of the West. While water here is rare, what few puddles there are can have a devasting affect on your score.

Tahiti Cove

The vast South Pacific is home to Taverea, Tahiti – the spot for the most exotic golf course in Golden Tee history. While Tahiti Cove is without question beautiful, its treasures are more appealing to the eye than the scorecard. The return of molten lava – and the sizzling sound it makes when a wayward shot finds its fiery embrace – is more than just a hazard to avoid. Be careful or you’ll get burned!

Bella Toscana

Tucked away in the peaceful hills of Tuscany, Italy is Bella Toscana Golf Course. A wide variety of terrain, highlighted by the return of thick and muddy mire, provides separate and unique challenges on each hole. The Panzano vineyards are the perfect setting for a round of golf and a glass of chianti.

Southern Oaks

The quaint town of Valdosta, Georgia is the last stop before the Florida state line and home to a Golden Tee gem. Southern Oaks Golf Club has the feel of a more traditional southern gentleman’s golf course. Rich in dense trees and lots of green, this shot maker’s course will test even the most skilled trackballers.

New! 9-Hole $2.00 Prize Play

Skilled players have come to expect bigger and better challenges every year and more ways to win – and 2010 does not disappoint. Besides Golden Tee standards such as 18-hole $1.00 prize play, Closest-to-the-Pin LIVE and Hole-n-Win, players looking for a more substantial return on their investment will love 9-hole $2.00 prize play.

“Top players have told us that they’d like the opportunity to win a few more dollars,” Jandula said. “So we created this new tournament format that specifically addresses that request. Operators will love the additional revenue this feature will generate.”

The Return of Skins!

Casual players are the life blood of Golden Tee. And though they may not be as vocal as the online community of skilled players, they represent the largest segment of Golden Tee players.

“When we developed Golden Tee LIVE in 2005, we focused our energy on creating the ultimate online entertainment experience,” Jandula said. “We created so many new online features that we thought Skins would be viewed as old fashioned and out-of-touch. Well, casual players across the globe have been asking us – pleading with us – to bring Skins back and I’m happy to announce that the greatest multi-player format of all – Skins – returns in 2010!”

Stats Play

Many players enjoy Golden Tee but cringe at the highly competitive nature of the national contests. For them the perfect Golden Tee round of golf is a game played for fun – with no pressure to perform at a high level. Jandula’s team isolated the one feature of online live play that does appeal to this market segment – statistics. Players want to know how many holes-in-one they’ve shot. They want to know their average score and their handicap. Now this information, and all their stats, is available to them at goldentee.com when they select Stats Play. This entirely new mode of play brings a casual sensibility to online play.

GT/Facebook Connect

As the amusement industry leaders in utilizing social media to expand its brands and connect with players when they aren’t in locations playing its games, Incredible Technologies adds another cool option to Golden Tee LIVE 2010 – GT/Facebook Connect.

“Basically the player can automatically update his Golden Tee play status on Facebook without having to wait to go home and do it on his computer,” said Dan Schrementi, IT’s marketing manager and social media strategist. “Last year Golden Tee offered players the ability to upload their greatest shots to YouTube. This year it’s their Facebook status. When you add our active blogs and Twitter feeds to this initiative our entire social media strategy is light years ahead of any of our competitors.”

Jim and Peter’s All-New Commentary

Golden Tee’s dynamic duo of Jim Nantz and Peter Jacobsen return with all-new commentary that will provide a fresh take on one of the most important aspects of the game. Both Jim and Peter recorded more than 5,000 new lines that will be debuting this fall. Most are good natured jabs, but look out for some biting remarks when a shot goes off course!

New Premium Equipment and Balls

Wallop top-of-the-line Callaway drivers and irons. Stroke long putts with deadly accuracy with Odyssey putters. Choose from Top-Flite’s incredible array of long and soft balls. Golden Tee is a virtual driving range for the greatest golf equipment and balls in the world – and players love to see how all the new equipment performs each year.

That’s Just OUTRAGEOUS!

A gorilla mask? An arrow through the head? A baby blue tuxedo? This is just scratching the surface of an entire selection of new clothing options and other zany items that players can use to outfit their on-screen character. The more outrageous, the more the players love it!

More Cool Bands on the Hit List

An entirely new soundtrack for 2010 awaits players who prefer a little cool indie music with their Golden Tee experience. The Hit List is a unique blending of music and gaming. And it’s back for 2010.

Go Ahead – Be a Showoff!

It’s been said before but it begs repeating. We live in a hi-def world. And now’s the time to get your head out of your cabinet and upgrade your route to Golden Tee LIVE Showpieces. Players have been heard to exclaim that playing Golden Tee on a Showpiece cabinet is a “religious experience.” That experience translates to more play and bigger cashboxes. When you order your 2010 update make sure you consider a Showpiece cabinet too.

21 Years and Counting

Golden Tee LIVE 2010 is the culmination of not only a year of hard work by the talented teams at IT, it’s the result of a continuous evolutionary process that began in 1989. As the game enters it’s 21^st year, everyone at Incredible Technologies wants to thank operators, distributors, locations and players for their trust, dedication, loyalty and passion, but most of all we want to thank you for your business over the years. We are truly thankful for every machine and update that’s been purchased and every game that’s been played.

For more information on Golden Tee LIVE 2010 visit the official website at www.goldentee.com, and check out the GT 2010 music video at http://youtube.com/goldenteegolf.

END

The next installment of the Golden Tee series is fast approaching, with a release of the latest title coming next month in September and Incredible Technologies is gearing up to hype the game for all it is worth – which is a good thing since not many arcade titles get a lot of hype behind them. Golden Tee 2010 will be the 21st installment of the game and in addition to improving the graphics they have also worked on the game physics, added new equipment, clothes, courses, and now they are adding a feature where you can update your status on Facebook from the game, which is a first for arcades. You might recall that last year they introduced a feature where you could upload a clip of a great shot in the game to youtube from the machine and I imagine that they will keep that feature although it is not confirmed yet.

As for the hype behind the game, here is a music video about Golden Tee by the Ira Dean band that includes a bunch of footage from GT2010. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard of a company going as far as producing a music video for a new game they are releasing, or having a band make a song about an arcade title do now I wonder what else IT will be doing to promote the game.

[Golden Tee 2010 announcement] [Discuss on the Forums]

Incredible Technologies has announced the beginning of their Bowlapalooza summer tournament on Silver Strike Bowling 2009 and if one thing is certain, it’s that there are plenty of people out there who will compete for cash and if they know about arcade games that do it, they will play. And play they did, IT has a total of 4,482 players who have qualified for the competition which runs throughout the summer and culminates in an “Encore” showdown in August and each month qualified players can win cash. The May opener has come and gone with one player, Ron Hammersley pocketing $1000. More details on the tournament can be found in the press release after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

Contact: Gary Colabuono

Director of Marketing

847.870.7027 X 192

Bowlapalooza Generates 64-Page Leaderboard as 4,400+ Qualifiers Compete for $10,000 in Prize Money

Hammersley Wins First Leg of Silver Strike Grand Slam Series

(June 9, 2009 – Arlington Heights, IL) Bowlapalooza, Incredible Technologies’ summer-long series of Silver Strike Bowling tournaments, got off to a roaring start as Ron Hammersley of Beech Grove, Indiana shot twelve 300 games and smoked the field by nearly 10 pins with an amazing average of 295 in the May “Opener” tournament. Hammersley pocketed $1,000 for his efforts.

To qualify, a player needed to play 25 games in 25 days. Players were encouraged to play as many games as they could since a bad game would not hurt their best 25-game average. Remarkably Hammersley played a total of 739 games.

“This is a perfect example of why this format is so popular with players and operators,” said Scott Morrison, Bowlapalooza tournament director. “Overall the 4,482 qualifiers played a total of 269,359 games or an average of 60 games apiece. The top 200 players who cashed in the tournament played an astounding total of 41,506 games. As a bonus for operators, we deposited their winnings directly into their player accounts where history shows us that 90% of those funds will be used to play more Silver Strike Bowling.”

The tournament was free for both players and operators as Incredible Technologies positioned the event as a way to generate interest in the game during the traditionally slow summer months. IT put up all the prize money and no extras fees were charged.

“We know players love to compete and this tournament underscores that sentiment,” Morrison said. “Our operators and their locations are the beneficiaries and we couldn’t be happier.”

2^nd place went to Rob Wright of Omaha, Nebraska. Wright won $500. “Deadeye” Del Flecker of Indianapolis finished 3^rd and won $300.

Bowlapalooza will continue throughout the summer culminating with the “Encore” tournament in August. To participate, operators simply need to make sure their 2009 SSB’s are registered properly.

To view the leaderboard for the May “Opener” tournament and for more info on Bowlapalooza visit the official website at www.silverstrikebowling.com.

END

We all know that one of the best ways for a company to survive in a downturn is to keep your name and product visible to the public with effective marketing and there are many ways to go about doing that. Incredible Technologies has come up with an interesting idea for promoting their Golden Tee series – by having a state issue a Golden Tee themed lottery ticket. Apparently the state of Illinois has done this before and now South Carolina is follwing their lead by issuing a $2 scratch-off ticket where one person could win up to $20,000. Where SC is a major state for golfing this seems to be a wise choice for target marketing – I wonder if we will see any other arcade games show up in similar marketing campaigns in the future.

On top of this, I nearly missed a story where IT is beginning a new phase in their Silver Strike Bowling online efforts with the Bowlapalooza series of tournaments this summer. The Bowlapalooza tournaments will begin in May and IT will be awarding thousands of dollars in prizes throughout the entire summer to the top 200 SSB players and this certainly will make SSB online games a hot item in many locations over the next few months. More details are contained in the press release after the break.

[Incredible Technologies] [Discuss on the Forums]

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New Series of Silver Strike Bowling Tournaments Starts May 1^st

Bowlapalooza to Keep Silver Strike Machines Humming All Summer Long

(April 8, 2009 – Arlington Heights, IL) This summer Incredible Technologies is conducting a series of four online Silver Strike Bowling tournaments – dubbed Bowlapalooza – that’s designed to keep interest high in the popular game all summer long.

There are four distinct monthly tournaments and Bowlapalooza’s rock concert theme will resonate with players as they start with the Opening Act in May, are thrilled by the Headliner in June, enjoy an Extended Jam in July and then return for an Encore in August.

Each tournament runs 25 days – from the first of the month to the 25^th – and has a prize purse of $10,500. Every month the top 200 players will cash with the winner pocketing a cool $1,000.

“Our format is designed to encourage repetitive play,” said Scott Morrison marketing VP and Bowlapalooza tournament director. “Players must play a minimum of 25 games during the tournament to qualify – and since they are ranked by their best 25-game average – they can play as many games as they like to improve their average. A bad game can’t hurt them. We even added a cool incentive by creating a series of four limited-edition Bowlapalooza player cards. Anyone who plays 100 games or more during each tournament gets a card. We know many of our players will want to collect all four.”

The weekly and monthly Silver Strike Bowling sweepstakes drawings will be suspended during Bowlapalooza.

“As attractive as our national sweepstakes is to our loyal players, we’re substituting the Bowlapalooza tournaments for the sweepstakes during the summer,” Morrison said. “We want to shake things up with a high profile event that sparks competition and will generate real excitement all summer long. And best of all there’s no additional cost to players or operators.”

Event promotion will include downloadable posters for operators, a full-color attract mode ad screen, a feature in the weekly LIVE WIRE newsletter to players, a tournament announcement before every game played and a special Bowlapalooza website.

MORE

Bowlapalooza Page Two…

“Operators are urged to download and print the posters from their Operator Services account,” Morrison said. “They should also consider piggy-backing on our contest with their own by offering local prizes for the best bowlers in their locations. All the leaderboards will be on the tournament website so there’s virtually nothing that operators need to do other than to make sure the game is registered properly and spread the word.”

Bowlapalooza will be conducted on 2009 Silver Strike Bowling games only and all players need to identify themselves before each game. Operators who wish to provide their players with Silver Strike Bowling player cards can call Cheryl Osorio at 800.262.0323 x 195. Each card is only 50 cents and will provide players who have not been participating online instant access to the tournament.

Operators who want to purchase 2009 SSB upgrades should call the IT Sales Hotline at 800.262.0323 x 106 now in order to be ready for the first tournament on May 1. Cost is only $895 or less.

About Silver Strike Bowling

2009 Silver Strike Bowler’s Club is the latest coin-operated video bowling game from Incredible Technologies. Previous bowling games produced by IT over the past 20 years are among some of the most popular video games in history. SSBC is the first online video bowling game and over 10,000 machines are online and on location in bars and pubs across the country. Each month hundreds of thousands of players enjoy a game of SSBC and track their averages and statistics at www.silverstrikebowling.com.

END

The popular Design-A-Hole competition run by Incredible Technologies last year to coincide with thier 20th anniversary is back after popular demand. What was supposed to be a one off last year is returning and it’s your chance to be part of the game by designing a hole for the legendary Golden Tee! 

In 2008 this contest was a big hit with players and generated over 20,000 votes. Last year, Dave Hollingshead of St. Charles, Mo. created the winning design. Hollingshead design “The Falls” can be found on Black Hills #15 with its unmistakable waterfall.  Head over to the Design-A-Hole website to put in your entry.

[Discuss on the Forum]

While Incredible Technologies did not have an official booth at ASI, there were a couple of their games on hand being shown through Fun Company, who we have talked about recently with their new designs for those IT pedestal cabinets. Even though they were not there in full force, they do have a new game coming soon, building on one title that they have in their library, Target Toss Pro. This new one is called Lawn Darts and it takes the concept used with Bages but changes it up for tossing darts in different scenari. IT calls it “outrageous and irreverent” as it not only is based upon a game that was apparently banned in the US and Canada about 21 years ago and it even includes an option called “Raw Talk” where the game can spout a number of “adult-oriented epithets” to help recreate the experience of lawn darts back int he day. That is optional for operators to set as active as well as for players to choose. Here’s a video of the game in action, you can go to the page with the video to see it in HD as well. Lawn Darts will be available on March 17th, and we have added it to our Arcade Releases for 2009 page as well.

On top of all this,  IT also indicated that they are spending millions of dollars on “developing new games that will attract and appeal to a new generation of bar-goers.”  and this is just the beginning of that effort. We look forward to seeing what else IT has in the pipeline and I imagine it won’t be long before we find out what else it is that they are working on.

For more info on TTP: Lawn Darts, hit the post break below for the full press release or discuss it on the forums.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

Contact: Gary Colabuono

Director of Marketing

847.870.7027 X 192

The World’s Most Dangerous Yard Game Is Back!

Thanks to the Newest Target Toss Pro Update –

Lawn Darts Isn’t Lethal Anymore – It’s Just @#%&! Outrageous!

(March 13, 2009 – Arlington Heights, IL) Banned for 21 years as the world’s deadliest backyard game, lawn darts is back – courtesy of Incredible Technologies.

Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts – the newest game in the TTP series – brings back all the fun you remember as a child (including your uncle’s profanity-laced commentary), minus the risk inherent in flinging heavy metal spikes directly at your loved ones.

In case you’re too young to remember, lawn darts is the love child of horseshoes and darts. The game is simple: heave foot-long javelins with aerodynamic fins into the air and hit the target on the ground, preferably without impaling your little brother. The game was outlawed in the U.S. and Canada following several unfortunate accidents.
But thanks to Incredible Technologies, pining lawn dart enthusiasts can finally get back in the swing. IT’s absolutely safe, 100% spike-free game starts shipping on St. Patrick’s Day March 17.

Oh, wait…did we say it was safe? It is, technically, unless you happen to be in the presence of your grandma or have an aversion to profane language.

As the industry knows one of the hallmarks of IT games is their authentic commentary. (Golden Tee, for example, features the voices of sportscaster Jim Nantz and golf legend Peter Jacobsen, and the PBA’s Randy Petersen calls the play-by-play in Silver Strike Bowling.) When scripting voiceovers for Lawn Darts, IT’s designers found inspiration in fond memories of family gatherings past—a heady mix of barbeque, Budweiser, and the awe-inspiring expletives of beer-soaked Uncle Bill. Hence the game’s uncensored Raw Talk option, which spews adult-oriented epithets with every shot. Raw Talk is an operator adjustable feature and players also have the option of disabling it before the game, but we doubt many will want to.

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Lawn Darts Release – page two

Lawn Darts, the second in IT’s series of Target Toss Pro games, follows on the heels of BAGS—a game so popular it was recently spun-off into a home version for the Wii, making the coin-op series more familiar and approachable to legions of new players.

TTP: Lawn Darts accommodates 1-16 players and features 4, 8 and 16 player team and tournament formats. The update includes four new games: Classic Lawn Darts, 501, Cricket, and Poker Darts, and BAGS is included as well. Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts and BAGS are offline games with factory pricing set at $1 per play.

This new affordable update will re-energize your BAGS cabinets,” said Sales VP Don Pesceone. “It’s just the shot-in-the-arm your locations were looking for. The game is available as an update, a kit and as a dedicated Showpiece cabinet. Call your distributor or the IT Sales Hotline today at 800.262.0323 x 106.”
Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts…way more fun than a sharp stick in the eye!

See the Lawn Darts Trailer on YouTube!
www.youtube.com/targettosspro

END

Here is some interesting and good news out of Incredible Technologies. They have supplied a Golden Tee 2009 game to the USS John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear powered US Navy supercarrier. I’ve know some people who have served in the Navy as well as friends and relatives who have served in a variety of positions throughout the armed forces and I know that recreation can be important to help morale (especially when sailors are at sea, it can get dull at times, at least from what I have been told). In addition to supplying the game to the carrier, IT has also sent a team to the carrier for a week and a blog has been created to get some ‘insider tales’ on Golden Tee. This has all come about due to the work of Golden Tee Lt. Mike Hall who serves on the carrier working with IT.

You can read the Golden Tee Insider’s Blog here

[Discuss on the Forums]

In these troubled times that we hear and see so much about lately, there are some good reasons to head over to your local arcade place which has online enabled games because competition in this arena is starting to heat up.  In the latest press release from Incredible Technologies, they are throwing down the gauntlet by making the announcement about increasing the prizes for Silver Strike Bowling online by 50% next year, while keeping the fees for operators unchanged. That’s pretty bold move considering the perceived and real state of the economy, but business is about taking risks and making bold moves, even when the going is tough. According to the release, the typical monthly prize is going to raise from $5000 to $7500 and they are getting rid of the ten $100 weekly winner prizes and are replacing that with one $1000 winner per week. If you feel like you need a ‘bailout’ of sorts, then it looks like online arcade competition gaming is going to be a good place to look for it.

IT’s SSB Sweepstakes press release is after the jump

IT Boosts Monthly Silver Strike Sweepstakes Prizes

Weekly Prize Returns to $1,000 – ITNet Fee Remains Unchanged

(December 18, 2008 – Arlington Heights, IL)  Silver Strike Bowling, the amusement industry’s most successful online video game – next to Golden Tee Golf – is entering 2009 on a roll.  And to keep the momentum going Incredible Technologies is increasing prizes while keeping fees unchanged.

“The best deal in coin-op just got better,” said Don Pesceone VP of Sales.  “For only a nickel a game, operators can participate in the biggest and most exciting sweepstakes in the industry.  While other manufacturers are scaling back plans for promotions and contests, we’re doing everything we can to keep our games number-one with players and locations.  This is a huge commitment on our part, but we want to make sure our operators know that we’re behind our online initiative one hundred percent.”

Starting in January the typical monthly mega-prize will increase approximately 50% from $5,000 to $7,500.  The ten weekly $100 cash prizes will be consolidated into one $1,000 prize.

“Although we had more winners with the $100 prize, it just didn’t generate the excitement that the $1,000 prize did,” said Pesceone.  “The return to $1,000 will be a big hit with the players.”

Prize Schedule for the early 2009

January – Silver Strike Bowler’s Club Deluxe Home Edition
February – $7,500 Sears Gift Card
March – $7,500 Best Buy Gift Card
April – $7,500 Home Depot Gift Card

Offline operators are encouraged to call the sales hotline today to purchase an online Bowler’s Club update for $895 or less.

“We make going from offline to online a snap and your players will love you for it,” said Pesceone.  “Call today and we’ll get you set up immediately.”

Operators can call the IT Sales Hotline toll-free at 800.262.0323 x 106, or visit www.itsgames.com or www.silverstrikebowling.com for more information.

END

This was meant to have been posted on Thanksgiving (last Thursday for the US) but I overlooked the mail then but figured that even though I’m almost a week late, it’s still worth posting. Despite the state of the economy here and elsewhere, arcade companies continue to hold national online tournaments where players can win some pretty big prizes. This comes from Incredible Technologies in reference to the Silver Strike Bowling 2009 tourneys where “three average people became superstars for a day because they play Silver Strike Bowling”. The press release after the break contains the full story but they have recently awarded a total of $25,000 in prizes, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Silver Strike Bowling Sweepstakes Awards New Harley and $5,000 Gas and Best Buy Gift Cards

(November 26, 2008 – Arlington Heights, IL)  Anthony Novak of Lakewood Colorado is tooling around on a new Harley in the Mile High city.  Allison Hughes of Tomball Texas is enjoying the ultimate shopping spree at Best Buy.  And Jamie Sellers of Forest Lake Minnesota doesn’t really care anymore how much it costs to fill her tank.

What do these three seemingly disparate individuals, living thousands of miles apart, have in common?

They love Silver Strike Bowling and won the latest rounds of monthly mega-prize drawings.

$15,000 2008 Harley-Davidson

Anthony Novak plays his Silver Strike at the Rusty Bucket in Lakewood and looks forward to experiencing the American Rockies on an all-American machine.  “I can’t wait to ride this baby in the mountains – it’s going to be something!”

The Rusty Bucket’s operator, Donavan Stepp of Dano’s Games was very pleased to have a mega-winner.

“You never know when lightening is going to strike,” he said.  “It’s great that a regular like Tony wins.  It makes for a real feel-good story.”

Novak’s entry was chosen from a total pool of 1,123,111 entries.

$5,000 Best Buy Gift Card

Allison Hughes has only been playing Silver Strike for 3 or 4 months.  But during that time she’s developed such an affinity for the game that she sports a 180 average and gets together with friends to play every week.

”We love coming down to Bernie’s to play Silver Strike,” she said.  “It’s a great game that’s simple but challenging.  I never thought I’d win a big prize – maybe a $100 weekly prize – but not the big one.  It’s unbelievable!”
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Page two…

Jim and Jeff Brame, co-owners of Pro Am Services in Cypress Texas, are the operators at Bernie’s.  They have 50 Silver Strike and Golden Tee games on their route.

“Silver Strike does very well for us and all our games are online,” said Jim Brame.  “We’re even  starting our own leagues December 1st and expect them to be a huge hit.  It’s great to have a big-time winner like Allison.  It’s good for business to be a part of all this positive publicity.”

Allison’s entry was drawn from a total pool of 1,416,936 entries.

$5,000 BP Gas Card

Jamie Sellers plays Silver Strike Bowling at least twice each week at Stella’s on 97 in Forest Lake Minnesota.  She loves the fact that you can check your stats with the 2009 edition.

“We run our own SSB tournaments all the time at Stella’s,” she said.  “And we’re very competitive.  Having our stats available makes it easy to say who’s the best.  I just can’t believe I won the gas card – but when I swiped my card my name popped right up!”

Jubilee Music of Centerville Minnesota is the operator for Stella’s on 97 and according to Jubilee owner Tom Suggs, it’s a great location.

“Stella’s has great food and a great clientele.  It’s a wonderful thing to have a winner like Jamie.  The local newspaper is even running a story on her winning.  My wife Linda and I are very happy for her.”

Jamie’s entry was chosen from a total pool of 1,081,426 entries.

Don Pesceone, Senior VP of Sales, says that it’s never too late to get online with Silver Strike.

“Our sweepstakes continues to generate the good will and the big earnings that operators need in these trying times,” he said.  “And remember, there are another 30 players every month who each win $100.  Get online today and find out what all the excitement is about.  Your players and locations will thank you.”

For more information on the Silver Strike Bowling sweepstakes call the IT Sales Hotline at 800.262.0323 x 106 or visit www.silverstrikebowling.com or www.itsgames.com.

END

Once again thanks to Kevin Williams of The Stinger Report for getting us this information. I will be talking with Kevin directly later tonight to get some extra details on all the things we are seeing here so that we will fill in the rest of the gaps. Either way, I think it’s clear that for an industry many love to call “dead” there is quite a bit of new content to go around, a little bit more than we’ve seen in previous years. As always, click on the thumbnails for a full view of the picture.

POST UPDATED – New info below

First off, a little extra detail on two games we’ve seen get a lot of attention: Guitar Hero and American Idol. In another surprise for Konami’s part, their name is also on American Idol and not just GH (there had been a rumor to that effect but it hadn’t been confirmed). According to the GH flyer, it will have over 50 songs, 11 playable characters in 8 venues and “Enduro-Ax Industrial Strength Controllers”.  UPDATE: Apparently the build at the show is only 60-70% complete – the final songlist is not complete and the cabinet will be changed for the final release. Here are what the flyers for the games will look like, just poster size. Also pictured is sort of a close up of the guitars, it sounds like GH has been a major hit at the show. Kevin even got Guitar Hero 3 tattooed onto his arm (fake or not Kevin? )

Stern was showing CSI pinball at the show and they also had their Spiderman redemption game there, which we first saw at AMOA. My local distributor tells me that they are expecting to receive a couple of CSI machines within the next few days so I’ll get to check it out soon.

Incredible Technologies wasn’t showing any product we hadn’t heard of before there but they had their full line-up of games running on their new pedestal cabinet that looked nice.

We mentioned Andamiro’s NX Absolute yesterday and today we have pictures of it. There were two versions of it there, a standard and deluxe. Not much else on this one though.

Next up, something from Tecway Developments. They are bringing Go Go Jockey to the US which is another game they showed off at the GTI Expo 2008 in Taiwan. This is a horse racing/riding game where you sit on a horse controller. I also believe that the next two pictures are from some redemption product in the Tecway area.

This next game is IGS’s answer to Sea Wolf called Battle Stations. It has what looks to be a periscope kind of controller and at least in the picture below it seems like the graphics are pretty nice. The game is polished and even includes boss battles at the end of each level, it also uses a different torpedo system than Sea Wolf does. While IGS generally releases some product to the US through their company American Alpha, this was found at the Smart Industries booth.

We also got two new shots of Trans-Force in action. It reminds me of Galaxian 3 by Namco with the multiplayer space shooter theme. It can house up to six players, each with their own contoller that moves gun turrets around on a space ship. On top of it having great graphics, the game also uses a motion base to enhance the experience further. This is being made by a Russian company who specializes in simulators.

[Discuss on the Forum]

Birmingham Vending

How do you make the number one commercial video golf game better?

Better Graphics – Sure that has continually been the most obvious solution in coin-op.  But Incredible Technologies has gone several steps further in creating a compelling new version of the classic game Golden Tee Golf 2009.

First:  Incredible Technologies has redesigned the cabinet to take advantage of the incredible variety, design and price points of flat screen televisions currently available on the market.  The new pedestal cabinet ships as a complete unit without the television.  The operator or consumer can choose to use any television or monitor of their choice.  This has many advantages.  The customer will not be paying freight on heavy monitors.  Warranty service can be provided closer to the machine location.  The monitor can stay with the location, while the machine (pedestal) is switched out.  The customer can choose what size and quality monitor they wish to purchase with their game.  The presentation of this product also increases the users enjoyment and subsequently increased the collections.

Second: Incredible Technologies has added a new feature to the game called “Great Shot Replays”.  The details of this feature are described below, but essentially, players are able to save their great shots during game play and upload them to You Tube to share with their friends.  What a great idea to help move this game beyond location play.

Golden Tee Great Shot Replays on YouTube™

Share your Greatest Golden Tee Achievements with the World!

Setup/Autorization Process

To use Golden Tee Great Shot Replays on YouTube™ you must undergo the setup/authorization process. Players using player cards will only need to complete this process once, all others will need to go through the process every time a video is uploaded.

Before uploading for the first time, you’ll need to log in to your YouTube™ account and authorize Golden Tee to upload videos. If you don’t have a YouTube™ account, register and set one up. It’s fast, easy and free!

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. When you make great shots on Golden Tee LIVE 2009, you’ll be given an opportunity to upload a video replay to your YouTube™ account. Select “YES” to accept, and enter your email address and/or SMS (cell phone) number on the game. Instructions will then be sent for first time uploaders (every time for non-player card players) on how to automatically upload your Great Shot Replay to YouTube™!
2. Watch for an email or SMS text message from Golden Tee.
3. Click on the link in the email, or enter the 6-character code from the email (or SMS text message) into the top of this page and click Go. Remember, you must have a YouTube™ account already set up.
4. A new web page will open with a link to a special YouTube™ login screen. Log in to your YouTube™ account.
5. Next, you’ll be asked to authorize GoldenTee.com to upload videos to your account. Click “Yes”.
6. Your Great Shot Replay will then be uploaded to your YouTube™ account. Please note that this process can take up to 24 hrs before your Great Shot Replay is available.
7. Once your Great Shot Replay is ready for viewing, a new email (or SMS text message) will be sent with a link to your video!

Now, if you always use the same player card, you’re set up to upload your greatest Golden Tee achievements with a simple push of a button! Note, if your YouTube account password changes you will need to undergo the authorization process once again.

And if you don’t swipe a player card when you play Golden Tee, you can still save your Great Shot Replays, but will have to go through the above process every time. Save time and Swipe It!

Third:  Incredible Technologies has added a new game feature called closest to the pin live.  This is a quick tournament that continuously rotates for every 50 new players.  Players are competing on a 9 hole course in a closest to the pin contest for all nine holes.  If you get a hole-in-one on the first hole, then you automatically share in the prize pool.  If nobody gets a hole in one, then the closest to the pin, will win the prize pool.  This feature provides a quick and exciting game.  Anyone can win, so it levels the playing field somewhat for the casual player.

Closest-to-the-Pin LIVE is an exciting new feature that offers players more ways to win playing Golden Tee LIVE! It’s a quick, easy and inexpensive way to play Golden Tee where one incredible shot could pay huge dividends to your player account.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS! Select Closest-to-the-Pin LIVE under Advanced Play, swipe your player card and be placed in a LIVE 50-player online contest Hit nine shots at nine random par 3’s and drivable par 4’s Cost is $2 – $1 for the game, and $1 towards the prize pool – PLAYER ACCOUNT MONEY, GOLDEN TEE GIFT CARDS AND CREDIT CARDS ARE ACCEPTED! $50 prize pool is awarded to the player who is closest-to-the-pin; prize money is split evenly in the event of ties. Hit a hole-in-one and you’re a winner no matter what!

Whether a Golden Tee Pro or an Average Joe,
Anyone has a Shot to Win in Closest-to-the-Pin!

Golden Tee Live at Birmingham Vending

Golden Tee Live 2009 Pedestal

Golden Tee LIVE, the groundbreaking iteration of the video golf phenomenon, was the first of its kind to utilize wireless technology (provided by Sprint®) to allow players to compete in real-time, worldwide Golden Tee tournaments. Golden Tee LIVE represents the future of video golf and out-of-home video game experiences.

Pitting video golfers across the world in head-to-head contests for prizes or glory, Golden Tee LIVE takes excitement to new heights by simply combining it with real-time competition. From the comfort of their local taverns and restaurants, thousands of players can play live and compete simultaneously while scores are updated universally, hole-by-hole.

Golden Tee LIVE 2009 marks the celebratory 20-year anniversary of the brand. And while the title may have a long, auspicious history behind it, Golden Tee LIVE 2009 earned this year’s coveted AMOA Innovator Award for continuing to raise the bar of industry innovation.

]]> http://arcadeheroes.com/2008/10/11/golden-tee-live-2009-ships-monday-oct-13th/ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:26:22 +0000 Shaggy http://arcadeheroes.com/2008/10/11/golden-tee-live-2009-ships-monday-oct-13th/

Incredible Technologies has announced that they will begin shipping the latest installment of the Golden Tee series this coming Monday, which is great news for fans of GT who have been waiting patiently for this game. Operators will also be happy to know that location test earnings have been “phenomenal” for the game and I know from AMOA that it also carries a low price tag to boot. We’ll have to keep an eye out for the youtube page where user videos will show up on, that’s one aspect of the game I’m interested in seeing function.

While this Monday marks the release of the game in the US and Canada, it will be shipping elsewhere around the world, including Europe, Australia, and South Africa within the next 4-6 weeks.

[Incredible Technologies Golden Tee website] [Discuss on the Forum]

Preview 2009 has now come and gone and thanks to Kevin Williams of The Stinger Report we have a look at what went on there. In addition to demonstrating a number of games we already knew of (Rambo, SR3,

Blazing Angels, NFS Carbon, Golden Tee, etc.) there were a couple of new additions, like a new game out of Korea that looks like a video version of Whack-A-Mole or TAB’s new large touchscreen unit (pictured to the right). So let’s get to it! As always, click on thumbnails to expand them and for interest of space we’ll put everything after the jump, so click below to begin.

GlobalVR’s showing. I’m surprised that they are still showing the older Paradise Lost cabinet, the sit down deluxe one since they just released a third variation of the game recently. I’m sure that they wanted to show off Justice League but that will have to wait until next month I believe.

Sega’s showing. As expected, Rambo was popular but I couldn’t help but notice how the cabinet is different than what I saw at AMOA. It looks a little better IMO.  I’m thinking of trading my defunct HOTD4 for a Rambo but that’s another story. Also you will see that Sega is bringing Sega Clay Challenge to the UK – this one has surprised me as on my youtube page it is one of the most viewed videos from AMOA I posted.

. . . .

Taito’s showing. While they didn’t have much there (no Elevator Action:Death Parade – as expected I supposed) they did show off the new Battle Gear 4 Tuned and the deluxe version of Chase HQ2 that I think is only available in Europe.

Incredible Technologies was represented with Power Putt Golf. It’s interesting to see the much different cabinet design than what will be seen in the States.

Raw Thrills’ also demonstrated that Nicktoons Nitro will be making it to the UK, along with the Deluxe version of Safari.One thing I forgot to check on is if the Online version of Safari will be any different for the Deluxe. I can’t imagine it being so but it’s always good to know.

What would an arcade show be without PacMan? I’m still pulling for a version of PacManCE to come to arcades though. Maximum Tune 3 was there but not the new DX version.

Here’s that Whack-A-Mole-like game out of Korea I mentioned. It’s called Hit Hit Alaska and I guess they missed out on the easy-to-check fact that Alaska naturally doesn’t have any penguins unless you count a zoo or pets brought there by fishermen. Whatever. It can be played in single or multiplayer mode and that’s about all we know about it at this time.

New touchscreen game system called Games WareHouse. I imagine this is setup to compete with the likes of JVL or Merit.

Here’s a new poker system, I’m not sure who it’s made by but it’s obviously a touchscreen. Must be hard to hide your cards in that tight of a spot though.

It’s not often when we have an exact release date for an arcade game which leads to a lot of guessing (of course when a game begins shipping usually means that it’s still a short time before it starts showing up on location) but it’s something we have become used to. Fortunately it’s not always the case and Incredible Technologies has sent out a press release today stating that their newest IP, Power Putt Golf, is now shipping and it is coming not just to the US but to Canada and the UK as well. I did have a chance to plat this at AMOA and it is a great game for arcades – it looks great in action and is simple to figure out although it can take a little bit of practice to get it down right (which I didn’t have a lot of and so I wasn’t terribly good at the game). But easy to learn, difficult to master is the mantra that all arcade games should follow IMO. As you know, PPG is coming out using IT’s new cabinet design which doesn’t include a monitor but it can hook up to any HDTV although the release today is that of kits (which I didn’t know would be available) so you can put them into an existing cab with a monitor if preferred. It does look really good on an HD screen but I did forget to ask them what resolution the game runs at and if getting a 1080p screen would be worth it or not. I know the price point of the dedicated units will be around $3200 (it’s a little higher than that and of course distributor prices vary), I’m not sure how much the kits are going to go for but either way I like the push towards more affordable games and at the very least with the new pedastal cab you can get a cheap HDTV set or an expensive one depending on your budget. Extra details can be found in the press release after the jump:

PowerPutt Powers Way to Sell Out!

First 500 Units of Mini Golf Video Game Shipping Now

(September 24, 2008 – Arlington Heights, IL)  The first units of the newest video game sensation from the award-winning innovators at Incredible Technologies, PowerPutt™, began shipping today to distributors and operators in the U.S., Canada and England.

According to IT’s senior vice president of sales, Don Pesceone, PowerPutt is the right game at the right time for the amusement industry.

“Operators and locations want games that are easy to learn and that are quick, inexpensive and fun to play,” he said.  “PowerPutt is all this and more.”

Available now as a kit and soon as a dedicated unit, PowerPutt is the perfect game for FEC’s, bowling centers, movie theatres, arcades and restaurants – as well as bars and taverns.

“The crossover potential for PowerPutt is huge,” Pesceone affirmed.  “This game appeals to kids, women and men who want a casual but compelling entertainment experience without all the complexity common to other videos.  Couples love PowerPutt.  Finally there’s a game for both sexes that everyone can enjoy.”

Pesceone continued.  “Everybody loves mini golf.  Our research shows that nearly everyone understands immediately how to play PowerPutt as soon as they approach the game.  And the $2 price point is very attractive to them.”

Second Run and Dedicated Units Shipping Soon

Pesceone was animated and excited when describing playing PowerPutt on a hi-definition screen connected to IT’s sleek and sexy new cabinet.

“Playing on the new pedestal cabinet – especially with a hi-definition screen – is an entirely new video game experience,” he said.  “We should be in full production of PowerPutt dedicated units and kits in early October.  I strongly urge operators to get their orders in without delay.”

For more information on PowerPutt call your distributor or the IT sales hotline today at 847.870.7027 x 106, or visit www.powerputtgolf.com and www.itsgames.com.

END

One thing I did miss out on at AMOA was the Golden Tee World Championship that took place on Friday and Saturday there. It would have been fun to watch and participate – I know that personally I wouldn’t have made it very far against the professional players but sometimes it’s just fun to compete. I did get a chance to play the new Golden Tee and it was fun – it has nice graphics and is easy to learn. When all was said and done, Andy Haas of Stow Ohio was crowned as the GT champion where he also got to walk away with a $20,000 cash prize. They also set records with the scope of the competition, IT reports that over a million GT games were played during the world championship online qualifying period. There were a few teams who came together to compete, including one international team which was made up of people from several different countries but in the end Team USA won again.  For the full rundown, check out the press release by IT after the jump or discuss it on the forums.

History Made at Golden Tee World Championship
as U.S. Squad Captures Cup and Ohioan Wins Crown

Largest Field Ever for Video Golf Tournament

(September 22, 2008 – Arlington Heights, IL)  The Las Vegas Hilton – home to some of the most exciting entertainers and momentous sporting events ever held – never saw anything like this:
50 brand new Golden Tee machines
350 players
10,000 square-foot gaming paradise
$100,000 purse
$20,000 top prize

The 2008 Golden Tee World Championship held the weekend of September 12-13 was the largest live video golf tournament ever conducted, and when the smoke cleared Team USA retained the World Championship Cup, and Andy Haas of Stow Ohio was crowned the new world champion.

Team USA seals the deal!

This year’s Ryder Cup win by the U.S. was surprising – especially since Tiger wasn’t competing, but when it comes to the Golden Tee Worlds, Team USA has been the dominant force with the Americans holding a 3-1-1 edge entering the competition.

The World Team was comprised of players from around the globe: one Brit, three Aussies and two South Africans joined six Canadians.  Last year’s tournament ended in a draw and hopes were high that the international squad would win the Cup outright.

But the 12 Americans had something else in mind and when the dust settled it was a bona fide blow out with the Yanks winning the Cup 32-16.

“All our guys played great and I think we overwhelmed them a bit in the alternating-hole first round match when we swept them,” said Graig Kinzler, captain of Team USA.  “This team was by far one of our strongest ever.  We played well.”

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GTWC Recap – page two…

Bruce Colbourne of Amusement Machine Distributors in Sydney Australia made the long trip to Las Vegas to cheer Team Australia on.

“Our boys are getting better and better at this game and we know they can play with the Americans.  It was a great tournament.  We’re looking forward to next year already.”

Kevin Weir of Electrocoin in London also praised the event.

“Incredible Technologies did a smashing job again this year,” he said.  “Our players in the U.K. love this tournament and look forward to it.  Vegas is a huge draw.”

Gary Walters of Starburst Coin Machines in Toronto echoed those sentiments.

“This is the biggest and best video game tournament held every year.  Las Vegas is a huge incentive for our players and they love mixing it up with the Americans,” he said.

Kimon Augoustatos of K & W Amusements in Port Elizabeth South Africa, though he was unable to attend the event in person, said that his players look to participating in the Golden Tee Worlds as the ultimate prize.

New to the tournament this year were Steve Reyes and Steve Ward of Seoul South Korea.  The Steves are bringing Golden Tee to their golf-crazy country and expect to be back next year with their own team.

“Our players aren’t ready yet, but hopefully they will be next year,” Steve Reyes said.  “This event is just overwhelming.  It’s unbelievable.”

Pros and Joes

Friday was all about international pride and glory.  Saturday was all about the money.  Over $100,000 was on the line with the champ earning the largest single cash prize in video golf history –  $20,000.

The Golden Tee Worlds is an open championship, and as usual the professional players dominated the leaderboards with Chris Litzinger of Cincinnati topping the field in the 5-course

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GTWC Recap – page three…

qualifier.  Litzinger, who finished 5-0 a day earlier as a Team USA member, smoked the field by an incredible 5 strokes in the qualifier.

“I was feeling it,” he said after Saturday’s preliminary rounds had concluded.  “Everything I hit was burning the cup.”

Other pros who challenged Litzinger during the qualifier were Ryan McCook of Jacksonville Florida, Andy Haas of Stow Ohio and Chris Thorbrogger of Minneapolis.  Defending champion Graig Kinzler of Chicago was also lurking.

The final four consisted of Litzinger, Thorbrogger and Haas along with Ramsey Thomas of Minneapolis.  Thomas, though an accomplished player, had never made it this far in a major tournament before and found himself in a tough foursome.

“I don’t know how I got here playing with these guys,” he exclaimed loudly.  “But I’m just free-swinging tonight and who knows what could happen!”

In the first round, Haas shattered Thomas’ Cinderella dreams and Thorbrogger derailed the Litzinger express.  In the final, the veteran Haas dispatched the up-and-comer Thorbrogger in two straight games in the best-of-three format.

“I can’t believe that I’ve finally won this championship,” Haas said.  “This is my fifth attempt and I started thinking I’d never win it.  It’s a great feeling!”

Haas donned the Golden Tee Society leather bomber jacket, the Golden Tee version of the Masters’ green jacket, and was handed his trophy and big check for $20,000.

“This is just incredible.  I knew this day would come sometime, but I still can’t believe it!”

Impact on the Industry

After the smoke cleared, Scott Morrison VP of marketing at Incredible Technologies, took a hard look at the numbers.

“Over one million games were played during the world championship online qualifying period,”

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GTWC Recap – page four…

he said.  “We know how important this additional play is and it’s a huge shot-in-the-arm for our operators and locations.  This is Golden Tee’s 20th year and we want our operators to benefit from all of the publicity and promotion that’s associated with this incredible milestone.”

Morrison went on to say that the Las Vegas Hilton was the logical location for the tournament.

“We wanted to make it easy for the industry to see first-hand the power of Golden Tee,” he said.  “With the AMOA Expo going on right next door everyone had a chance to pop in and see the action.  We surprised a lot of operators with how vibrant and alive the Golden Tee franchise is.”

Operators can order the 2009 Golden Tee LIVE update now.  For sales information call your distributor or the IT sales hotline at 847.870.7027 x 106.

For more information on the Golden Tee World Championship visit the official tournament website at www.goldentee.com.

END

Incredible Technologies was also at AMOA with a large and eye-catching booth where they were showcasing all of their games that are currently for sale in a new cabinet that features a smaller footprint that previous cabinets that also comes with a lower price. The only thing about the new cabinet that might be a catch for some while a plus to others is that this new cabinet does not come with a monitor – that is something you get for yourself. The rep told me that in addition to driving down the cost they also went this route since it allows operators to pick their own monitor. While the hardware currently doesn’t support HDMI, it does support component hook-ups which any HDTV should support. So if an operator has an HDTV laying around (it is likely that bar owners and FECs will moreso than an arcade-only location) they can use what is on hand or hook it up to a projector quite easily.

As for the games themselves, Golden Tee LIVE 2009 and Power Putt Golf both look great although I have to give the edge to Power Putt in the graphics department simply because the kind of game (mini-golf) lends itself to feature a lot more colorful items on the playfield. GT09 certainly has more features to it though, like the Youtube Replays where if the game feels you made a really good shot, it will give you the option to upload it to youtube. It will go to an account made just for this sort of thing although they tell me that you should be able to get your video to your own account as well (probably as a favorite). Both games use the trackball to work and you first pull back to prep your swing and then the harder you push forward the stronger the swing is. There are also buttons on the side for rotating your player to change the shot and on GT09 you can also change the type of club you are using.

Power Putt Golf will be selling for approximately $3200, using this type of cabinet. I didn’t find out the price on GT09 but with this new configuration it probably isn’t too far off that but I will find out for sure. They also had TargetToss Pro: Bags and Silver Strike Bowling in these cabinets and similarly they looked good.

For more, here is a video of the booth!

[Discuss on the Forums]

I’m back from AMOA 2008 and it was fun. I got to see many new games that are coming to the States, talk with great people and come away with video and impressions of what’s coming our way. I also got to see more of Las Vegas than last time, it’s only the third time I’ve been there and it was nice to see many things that I’ve heard people talk about like the Bellagio fountain show and more. I also dropped by Sega’s Gameworks and color me green with envy – just one of their Afterburner Climax Super Deluxe games is worth about everything I have in my arcade and they have two of them. They have a lot of great games there, including OutRun 2 SPX, HOTD4 Special (yes the one with 100″ screens), Jurassic Park Special (I never knew that this existed), Too Spicy, Lethal Enforcers 3 and lots more. I also was able to pick up a Tsunami TSUMO cab that’s in OK condition, that should arrive at my arcade next week and hopefully it will give me a boost in people coming in. I also might switch my Marvel VS. Capcom from 1 to 2 and upgrade my Drift games to use a keypad AND upgrade my Safari to online. More on that later.

So let’s get to it! First let me say that arcades are not dead. I say that all the time but I think that video developers came along with a strong showing to further prove that we’re making progress with arcades once again. Secondly, let me explain the part about the fire. Yes there was a fire at the GlobalVR and Trio-Tech booths yesterday. Fortunately no one was hurt and the damage was minimal. My little part – I was playing Need For Speed Carbon along with some other fellows at that moment and I think that everyone playing all the games at the GVR booth AND the Trio-Tech booth at the same time tripped something that started the fire. I’m not entirely sure of how it was hooked up and what happened exactly but the moment our games powered off the fire started. As you can see in the image to the right, it attracted the attention of quite a few people.

Beyond that though here’s a run-down of what I saw and don’t worry, I’ll get to posting videos of them all along with more specifics from each company as time permits. The first booth I came across was Raw Thrills’ and they had Nicktoons Nitro, Big Buck Hunter Pro Online, Big Buck Safari Online, Tokyo Drift and Super Bikes. Next to them was Sega with a much larger booth than they had at ASI and there they had Rambo (in deluxe and standard), Primeval Hunt, a new game called Sega Clay Challenge that uses the Atomiswave board (and we thought that the Atomiswave was dead), Sega Rally 3 in both configurations, a new version of Shoot This! Win This! and the Mini-Rider 2. Stern Pinball was behind them and while that rumor I mentioned a couple of posts ago about a Transformers pinball wasn’t true, they did have something there that surprised me quite a bit – a Spiderman Redemption game. I don’t know if Stern has ever done redemption before (you can hook ticket dispensers up to pinball games though) so this was unexpected. They also had Family Guy, Shrek, Batman and Indiana Jones there.

Moving further into the hall you next come to GlobalVR’s booth where they had four Need For Speed Carbon games linked (two deluxe, two standard, no conversions), four NASCAR deluxe games linked (with the new upgrade), a Blazing Angels, a GlobalVR Classics cab and Paradise Lost inside of a new cabinet design that was previously used with Aliens. TrioTech was next to them but I didn’t see anything new there. South of TrioTech was Andamiro and they had a strong showing with their Pump It Up Pro titles but the biggest surprise of all was they had two Arcana Heart 2 cabinets there! I had no idea that this was coming to the States but it is and soon, I’ll have more details shortly.

Incredible Technologies had a large booth with all of their current IPs on display, including Golden Tee 2009, the new Power Putt, Silver Strike Bowling, and Toss Pro: Bags. All of the games are using their new small footprint cabinet design, which does not include a monitor in the package which reduces the price for the cabinet but you’ll need to come up with an HDTV to mount on the wall or somewhere else. Namco was further south but had a small booth with only two videos, the PacMan/Galaga bartop and Rockin’ Bowl-A-Rama. I didn’t get a chance to talk with them and find out about MT3 DX or if they plan on bringing Nirin over.

And of course I was among the first people to check out Friction by Friction Game Studios. Many thanks to Juan and Jim for showing that to me and being courteous (and patient with all my questions). Having seen the game in person now I’m colored impressed. I certainly looks better live than in screencaps or the compressed video below. The power-up system hadn’t been implemented in the build I saw (which is why you see them seemingly gain power-up weapons at random) but the sound and physics are all there and they showed me a few interesting things with that (including how to make enemies fly towards the screen, which can be fun). There are a lot of things to break as well as to cause to explode and the levels were nice and long. There is also a bit of randomization as to how and what enemies will appear on your screen, determined by who you shoot first which can change the game everytime you play. Hopefully they were able to get what they needed at the show to bring this game to arcades soon so stay tuned for more. It was also flattering to hear that word about Friction was already making the rounds at the show as some people had read about it from the site, so I’m glad to hear how often people in the industry check out the site.

Unfortunately one game I did miss was Get Outta My Face! which was supposed to be at the show but I forgot to contact the author on where I could find him so I didn’t get to see it. If he was there then he wasn’t in a booth but I hope that he was able to show the game to the distributors.

UPDATED: I found out the unfortunate news that someone apparently died of a heart attack at the show on Friday. I don’t know who it was but it’s definently sad news to come over the show.

If you link to this particular post from elsewhere, just head to the main page for the several other AMOA posts that include more details and videos of most of the games I have mentioned above.

[Discuss on the Forums]

I have to hand it to Incredible Technologies, while I’ve heard that not everyone is excited about AMOA next week, they certainly are and they are looking to give attendees a reason to be excited. From a press release they issued the other day comes news that to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Golden Tee they are bringing together 50 GT machines to create the largest field ever for a live video game tournament where thousands of dollars are going to be given away as prizes. It’s going to run on Friday and Saturday of next week and on top of that they are going to be showing off the latest version of GT to the public along with massing media to the event, including ESPN to celebrate the 20th anniversary. Now this is what I call marketing your game properly

In regards to AMOA, I will be headed down to Vegas to pick up a game and I will be stopping by the show of course. I haven’t bought my plane tickets yet but it’s looking like I’ll be there Tuesday, Wednesday and part of Thursday, so I’ll catch the first 2 days of the show but miss out on this big event. I have responsbilities at home that I need to take care of so those come before any show but at the very least I’ll get some coverage of AMOA and with a proper camera this time around.

Hit the post break for IT’s press release on the GT AMOA event or discuss it on the forum.

Largest Field Ever for Live Video Game Tournament Expected Next Week for Golden Tee World Championship

AMOA Operators Urged to Attend Event at Las Vegas Hilton to See Spectacle First-Hand

(September 3, 2008 – Arlington Heights, IL) 50 machines. 500 players. A $100,000 purse. A $20,000 top prize. And the United States versus the World.

There’s just no better way to describe the 2008 Golden Tee World Championship!

Operators attending the AMOA Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center are invited next door to the Las Vegas Hilton on Friday and Saturday, September 12-13 to see all the action.

“We know that many operators will still be attending the Expo on Friday and staying over the weekend,” said Don Pesceone, SVP of sales at Incredible Technologies. “When we say we’re keeping Golden Tee meaningful and relevant to players around the world, we mean it – and these numbers back it up big time. Come on out and see for yourself!”

Along with the tournament, IT is unveiling to the public the much-awaited 20th anniversary edition of Golden Tee Golf in its slim, sleek and sexy new pedestal cabinet.

“ESPN will be there all weekend covering the event, and other media outlets have told us that they want to see our revolutionary new cabinet. If you turn on your TV, pick up a newspaper or surf the Internet, you’re going to see Golden Tee. It’s going to be everywhere next weekend!” he said.

The 20th anniversary of Golden Tee is big news, and when you combine this milestone with the biggest tournament ever and the release of the much-awaited 2009 update – you get a trifecta that’s impossible to beat.

“It’s the perfect storm of interest and excitement that our operators can take to the bank,” Pesceone said. “Order your updates now, order your new pedestals now, and be a part of the Golden Tee renaissance!”

END

I used to play a lot of Golden Tee a while back, but these days there aren’t that many about in my local pubs. Shame really, because Golden Tee is becoming more and more the kind of game that you can really invest your time in to and feel like your loyalty to the game is rewarded. The latest feature to bolster that statement is the online tracking which you can access 24/7 from you home (or work) PC. It’s the ultimate online Golden Tee community resource. Whether you’re a GT guru or just a casual duffer, the Golden Tee toolbar is designed to make your life easier on and off the virtual links.

[Download GT Toolbar here]

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