Between 1955 and 1970, pinball made more money than Hollywood films
 
Brooke Lewis discovers that Pinball lovers are taking matters into their own hands – and homes – as venues shun the iconic game with the balls of steel.
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Did the Sony PS4 launch give a good impression of what we can expect from the next generation of consoles?
Dan Wilks and Daniel Staines wax lyrical over sony’s latest creation
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Katie Williams gets meta about the game about getting meta about games
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It has been a month of change here at the Hyper Bunker. We’ve welcomed a few new faces into the fold, with Brittany Vincent, a new American correspondent penning her first feature for us and Zac Naoum joining the Next Media gaming family as our new intern, coffee boy and all around whipping post. Dan Hindes from PCPP and I haven’t made him weep as yet, but we’ve been gentle for his first few weeks, lulling him into a false sense of security before we hit him with the full force of our combined malevolence. I’m also trying to make it a condition of his contract that he officially changes his name to Zak McKracken, but so far my demands have fallen on deaf and uncaring ears.
It has also been a month of preparation, with requests for E3 media passes sent, similar requests to PAX Aus completed, multiple Visa forms filled out for the US and even more requests put through to management not to book a twin share room for Hyper and PCPP for either event. I don’t trust Hindes’ roving hands at the best of times.

Enjoy the issue.

Daniel Wilks,
Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

What’s in Issue #236 I hear you ask
 
Yep, it’s the contents minus the numbers
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You are Kindred: a newly sired vampire, inducted into a secret society of the undead. These are your first nights in the World of Darkness and you are growing to like your new-found identity.
 
>> GAME: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
>> PLATFORM: PC
>> Developer: Troika Games
>> PUBLISHER: Activision
>> RELEASED: 2004
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Real internet and red bull on a budget.
 
Liam Engel parted ways with his monitor for two months in November 2012, seeking a more fulfilling relationship with his notebook and more supportive download speeds.
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By virtue of their digital nature video games seem immortal, but in actuality nothing lasts forever. The ability to replay classics from days gone is almost trivial nowadays with downloadable services giving us quick access to different eras of gaming, but increasingly there are some experiences that will not stand the test of time. And the genre most affected by this harsh reality would have to be the massively multiplayer online games (MMO).
 
ANDREW WHITEHEAD visits the graves of games gone by and wonders: “What if…?”
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With recent examples such as the Star Wars: The Old Republic “gay pay-wall”, Tiny Tina “verbal blackface” and the controversial Cyberpunk 2077 trailer, do you think that gamers have become more sensitive to issues of race, gender and sexuality?
 
This is what DANIEL WILKS and DAN STAINES said to each other whilst clad in smoking jackets.
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