“Welcome to this thing of ours!” Enter the world of the Sopranos by playing this great pinball offering from Stern. Shake down “civilians,” crack safes, and hold up trucks to become a Good Earner, Soldier, Acting Capo, and eventually reach Underboss and the ultimate Boss ranking.

Life with the Sopranos isn’t all work, though: there’s the Bada Bing ramp for starting a 3-ball multiball party, climbing aboard Tony’s private boat The Stugots for 2-ball multiball and Super Jackpots, and paying respects to the fallen by completing the R.I.P. inlane lights. It’s all part of doing business with New Jersey’s most famous fictitious crime family.

- Posted by Anthony

Welcome to the third in a series of sneak peeks into what will eventually become Ground Kontrol 3.0: bigger, better and featuring even more classic games! Throughout this series, we’ll be taking quick looks at various things like equipment, construction, design, and most importantly:  games! But we won’t be pulling up the curtain completely – rather, we’ll just give you a brief glance. To see the rest, you’ll just have to wait!

This shooting game series saw its debut in the mid-90s. Players picked up a piece and shot their way through dozens of challenging levels that tested their speed, accuracy and, well… ability to distinguish colors! Though the education of the loftily-titled main characters could be questioned, their game was billed as a better choice for younger arcade players, since it lacked digital corpses (unless you count a piece of American engineering that was parked in the wrong place!)

Can you name the series (or a single installment in the series)? Email us your answer by Wednesday 9/8 with the subject “Mystery Game 02″! Out of the correct responses, one random person will get free admission to our next Free Play Party (9/16).

Whoever has the most correct answers by the end of our GK 3.0 Preview series will get a very special prize at our grand re-opening!

- Posted by Art

If you’re getting into town for Kumoricon early on Friday night, or live in town, Disko Warp is throwing an official Kumoricon pre-party at Ground Kontrol! This is a good chance to meet up with your friends and have a drink before the craziness of the con starts. Come show off your cosplay, play some classic arcade games, watch some crazy anime, have a beer with your friends and shake it to the sweet sweet sounds of these hardworking DJ’s:

Initial P (Disko Warp / Anime Love Hardcore) -
Happy Cutecore/J-Core/Speed-Trance/Eurobeat/Gal Trance
http://www.diskowarp.com/
http://www.animelovehardcore.com/

Graz (Reactionary/Donut Nook/Breakpop)
Breakcore / Happy Hardcore
http://www.myspace.com/graz

Foxdye (Reactionary/Chickenhed)
Breakcore/Artcore/Heartcore/Fartcore
http://www.myspace.com/foxdye

Also check out the official launch of Disko Warp’s brand new CD “Anime Love Hardcore”, produced by Initial P!

WHAT: Kumoricon pre-party, presented by Disko Warp, featuring DJs, anime & more!

WHEN: Friday, September 3, 9pm – close

COVER: No cover! 21+ only.

PLEASE NOTE: For security and safety reasons: No face masks or full face paint! We need to be able to see your face in order to ID you at the door. Thanks!

- Posted by Art

Schedule Update: Rock Band with Anamanaguchi starts at 8:30PM, DJ set starts at Midnight.

Last year, NES heroes Anamanaguchi played 2 fantastic live shows at Ground Kontrol before Penny Arcade Expo ’09. This year, we’re happy to have everyone’s favorite chiptune/punk/party band as part of one of our most popular events: Rock Band Tuesday!

The dudes will be kicking things off with a DJ set (sure to be full of classic jams and epic tracks) while you get a chance to play the throwback 4-player beat ‘em up game they scored, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Afterward, they’ll pick up some plastic instruments and play Rock Band with you! As always, anyone is welcome to sign up and play – just fill out a song request and please, tip your hosts!

WHAT: Rock Band Tuesday featuring special guests Anamanaguchi, hosted by MC Destructo & crew

WHEN: Tuesday, August 31st. Schedule:

8:30PM: Play Rock Band with members of Ananamanguchi. Just ask them to join your band!

11PM: Anamanaguchi plays a few Rock Band songs of their choice

12AM Midnight: Anamanaguchi DJs / Play Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

COVER: $1 to play Rock Band. 21+ only.

MORE INFO: Follow Rock Band Tuesdays on Facebook!

- Posted by Art

Bright lights! Brainiacs! Question after question! Ground Kontrol’s Video Game Quiz Show is not just another pub quiz, it’s a full-on big screen game show – complete with lightning rounds, buzzers and fabulous prizes!

Join your charismatic co-hosts Brandon Anderson and Daniel Grubbs as they present a totally home-brewed, often hilarious and absolutely unique game show night at 9PM every last Thursday.

This month, get ready for the ULTIMATE console mascot battle!

Growing up, the console wars were hard on us all! Torn apart by loyalty, exclusive games – and of course, our parents’ income bracket- we were forced to choose sides! Unless you were fortunate enough to be a double agent (#@%! rich kids!), only one gaming platform was connected to the gigantic wood-grain detailed TV in your living room, and you swore allegiance to the colorful character that led your 8-or-16-bit faction.

Old rivalries may be forgotten now, but the legacy of iconic console mascots lives on – and this month’s edition pays tribute to them!

WHAT: Video Game Quiz Show – featuring the Console Mascot Battle! Video game trivia in pub quiz and game show form, with prizes for winners!

WHEN: Thursday, August 26 (and every Last Thursday) at 9pm.

COVER: No cover! 21+ only.

- Posted by Art

We’ve had a lot of fun featuring live rock shows at Ground Kontrol over the past few years. Live shows helped us introduce Ground Kontrol to a wider audience, and gave bands a unique venue experience. We were never designed as a venue, but we made it work surprisingly well! Bands from all over the world played at GK, and everything from pop to punk to metal was featured on our makeshift stage.

Traditional live shows at Ground Kontrol have been on a semi-permanent hiatus while we figure out what’s going to be part of GK 3.0. We were able to sneak one more in before our upcoming remodel (tentatively planned for mid-fall) featuring four fantastic bands!

Come catch touring bands Audacity (lo-fi punk) and Todd Congelliere (slightly strange pop rock ‘n roll  from Underground Railroad to Candyland frontman backed by Audacity) along with local favorites The Bugs (spastic garage pop) and Guantanamo Baywatch (surf punk)!

This may be your last chance to see a rock show at Ground Kontrol. We’ve got some smaller-scale shows coming up, including Micropalooza ’10, but we may not end up with room for amps, guitars and drums – so don’t miss this!

WHAT: Fun World Presents – The Bugs, Audacity, Todd C., and Guantanamo Baywatch

WHEN: Sunday, August 22, 10pm

COVER: $5 for touring bands. 21+ only.

- Posted by Art

Welcome to the second in a series of sneak peeks into what will eventually become Ground Kontrol 3.0: bigger, better and featuring even more classic games! Throughout this series, we’ll be taking quick looks at various things like equipment, construction, design, and most importantly:  games! But we won’t be pulling up the curtain completely – rather, we’ll just give you a brief glance. To see the rest, you’ll just have to wait!

Next in our GK 3.0 line-up is a multi-cabinet featuring a classic action series. Spanning the latter half of the ’80s, this series featured a couple of angry guys facing off against wave after wave of enemies. The player arsenal and enemy line-up changed slightly from game to game, with the heroes wielding various weapons and bombs against everything from your average foot soldiers to tanks and… ninjas?!? Unique joysticks allowed you to avoid enemy fire and return the favor in 360 degrees. And although the toughest soldier might scoff, vehicles occasionally offered the chance to rest your weary combat boots… but not your trigger finger!

Can you name the series (or a single installment in the series)? Email us your answer by Wednesday 8/25 with the subject “Mystery Game 02″! Out of the correct responses, one random person will get free admission to our next Free Play Party (8/25).

Update 8/25: Congratulations to Isaac Walker, who submitted our randomly selected correct answer! Thanks to everyone who participated – stay tuned for more previews and challenges!

Whoever has the most correct answers by the end of our GK 3.0 Preview series will get a very special prize at our grand re-opening!

- Posted by Art

Welcome to the first in a series of sneak peeks into what will eventually become Ground Kontrol 3.0: bigger, better and featuring even more classic games! Throughout this series, we’ll be taking quick looks at various things like equipment, construction, design, and most importantly:  games! But we won’t be pulling up the curtain completely – rather, we’ll just give you a brief glance. To see the rest, you’ll just have to wait!

To kick this off, let’s take a look at a classic arcade cabinet that will be joining our line-up. Introduced in the mid-80s, this arcade cabinet nearly perfected a synthesis between the arcade entertainment industry and the quickly-advancing console entertainment industry in one neat system. Various configurations were produced to meet the needs of different types of arcades and game rooms, and the game selection grew steadily while it was being produced.  The cabinet even helped you learn how to play your selected game, but you were better off studying up before dropping a quarter, because time was money!

Think you know it? Email us your answer by Wednesday 8/11 with the subject “Mystery Game 01″! Out of the correct responses, one random person will get free admission to our next Free Play Party (8/19). Whoever has the most correct answers by the end of our GK 3.0 Preview series will get a very special prize at our grand re-opening! (Sorry, this installment of the contest is over! Stay tuned for the next mystery game!)

So, what was the game? Nintendo’s PlayChoice-10! It features up to 10 Nintendo Entertainment System games (and in some cases, import-only games) reworked for the special arcade system.

Update, Wednesday 8/11: Congratulations to Mike J., who was chosen randomly from the many correct answers we received! Thanks to everyone who participated – stay tuned for the next preview of GK 3.0!

- Posted by Art

Bright lights! Brainiacs! Question after question! Ground Kontrol’s Video Game Trivia Night is not just another pub quiz, it’s a full-on big screen game show – complete with lightning rounds, buzzers and fabulous prizes!

Join your charismatic co-hosts Brandon Anderson and Daniel Grubbs as they present a totally home-brewed, often hilarious and absolutely unique game show night at 9PM every last Thursday.

This week, we’ll run a special sneak preview round during Rock Band Tuesdays. The featured categories include a certain legendary hero, and another that is sure to “test your might.” See you there!

- Posted by Anthony

Matt Brass, a Portland resident, set the world record for Space Invaders and Space Invaders Deluxe back in 1982. As a result, he was invited to Twin Galaxies Arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa to be featured in a special photo for LIFE magazine’s feature on the world’s top gamers. The photo was instantly legendary – Matt and his fellow arcade champions (including The King of Kong star Billy Mitchell) stood above a line of arcade cabinets, presented by Ottumwa High’s cheerleading team.

Ottumwa would later be decreed “Video Game Capital of the World”, and Twin Galaxies would continue to grow into the official authority on video game scorekeeping and competition, tracking world-record scores for every video game possible. Twin Galaxies’ founder, Walter Day, has also become one of the most recognizable figures in video game history.

Matt’s Space Invaders Deluxe record still stands, nearly 28 years later, and he was featured in the 2007 film Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade – a film that centered around Walter and many of the arcade players featured in the iconic LIFE photo.

Recently, Matt was invited back to Ottumwa to attend The Big Bang, a video game event to support the development of the International Video Game Hall of Fame, a landmark museum in Ottumwa that will preserve the history of video games! The Big Bang will feature contests, panels, and special video game celebrity guests, among displays of historic video games. LIFE magazine will also be on hand to re-create their 1982 photo with as many of the original subjects as possible!

Unfortunately, Matt, a single dad who works full-time, does not have the funds to make the trip. Matt has reached out to Ground Kontrol and its loyal fans for support! To help Matt raise the money necessary for the 2,000 mile trip, we are holding a special marathon gaming event! Matt will play Space Invaders Deluxe on stage during our Last Wednesday Free Play Party as long as possible. Anyone who wishes to help send a Portland arcade champion to Ottumwa will be able to drop some cash or coins in our donation jar – from a quarter to a $100 bill, it all adds up!

In addition, Walter Day has sent Ground Kontrol customized birthday cards to celebrate Pac-Man’s 30th birthday. These cards will be signed by Ground Kontrol’s staff and customers and shipped back to Ottumwa where they will be presented to Pac-Man himself as he is inducted in into the International Video Game Hall of Fame!

We hope you’ll come to Ground Kontrol’s free play party on Wednesday, July 28 to help us celebrate classic gaming and send Portland’s Space Invaders champion, Matt Brass, to the “Video Game Capital of the World”!

WHAT: Last Wednesday Free Play Party featuring a Space Invaders Deluxe marathon event featuring Matt Brass and a group signing of birthday cards for Pac-Man!

WHEN: Wednesday, July 28 from 5pm – close. Sign Pac-Man’s birthday cards at any time during the party, until they are completely full!

COVER: $5 cover at the door for free arcade games and pinball all night! Donations graciously accepted at the counter for Matt Brass’ trip to The Big Bang, Ottumwa’s video game festival! 21+ only, we will be serving beer & wine.

- Posted by Art

Defender. Stargate. Joust. Sinistar. Moon Patrol. If any of these names ring a bell, you’ve probably played one or more of the great arcade games Williams Inc. released in the early ’80s.

We packed the best of these titles into one “Multi-Williams” cabinet that, unfortunately, had to temporarily leave the arcade. Now, after over a year’s absence, it has returned!

Ground Kontrol’s new “Multi-Williams” cabinet is located behind NFL Blitz, near the stage. After inserting coins, move either joystick left or right to select any of these great games:

* Defender
* Stargate
* Joust
* Robotron: 2084
* Moon Patrol
* Sinistar
* Bubbles
* Splat! (unreleased prototype)

- Posted by Anthony

One of the most popular events at Ground Kontrol is our Last Wednesday Free Play Party, where you pay a small cover at the door and enjoy free gaming all night long on our fantastic lineup of video games and pinball.

We are adding another Free Play Party to our calendar on Third Thursdays, and to show our appreciation of our wonderful customers, we’re making it totally FREE for its debut night!

That’s right – no cover and free gaming! How can you miss this?

Doors at 9pm. 21+ only, valid I.D. required for entry. Access limited by Ground Kontrol’s capacity. If we are full, please be patient!

No large bags or backpacks allowed.

WHAT: Third Thursday Free Play Party – Customer Appreciation Kick Off!

WHEN: Thursday, July 15 at 9pm.

COVER: Zero! Zilch! Nada! You still have to pay for drinks, though!

PS. Regular $5 Free Play Parties will continue to happen on Third Thursdays in future months!

- Posted by Art

Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade will be open for limited hours on Sunday, July 4:

CLOSED 12 noon – 5pm
OPEN 5pm – 10pm

As always, Ground Kontrol is 21+ after 5pm.

Please join us Sunday evening and have a safe and happy 4th of July!

- Posted by Art

Put on your gloves, step in the ring and practice your quarter-circle-forward technique:  Ground Kontrol is hosting Slugfest IV, a fighting game tournament featuring Super Street Fighter IV!

Registration opens at 9am on Saturday, July 3. We’ll be opening early to allow plenty of time for registration and casual warm-up play! We’ll be running the Xbox 360 version of the game, so please bring your Xbox 360-compatible stick if possible.

The first matches begin at 12 noon. Since this is an all-ages tournament, we’ll be wrapping it up by 4:30pm.  Casual play may continue for a little while into the bar hours, if some bruised and battered fighters just want “one more match”!

The top 3 players will earn cash and Ground Kontrol gift certificates (which we feel are even more special than cash!)

We hope to continue Slugfest as a monthly series, so stay tuned for further details on that – and we’ll see you this Saturday!

WHAT: Slugfest IV – Super Street Fighter IV Tournament

WHEN: Saturday, July 3rd. Registration begins at 9am (along with casual/warm-up play). Tournament starts at Noon. All-ages welcome (until 5pm.)

PRIZES: Cash and gift certificate prizes will be awarded to the top 3 players!

COST: $3 house fee (to cover venue costs) and $5 tournament fee per player.

- Posted by Art

A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated points! The results are in, and you can view them at Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 site!

From April 20th until 9:00am Tuesday, June 15, Ground Kontrol’s dedicated customers and fans racked up an amazing 624,871,000 points! At a maximum of 157,600 points per game, that’s at least 3,964 games of Cowbots 2010 played for GK! In the final week of the contest alone, our players rounded up a final stampede of 77,217,800 points to keep us at the top!

It wasn’t easy, though — and we have to thank Stride Gum for sponsoring this awesome contest, Arcade Infinity and Rocky’s Replay for participating with us, and our customers, fans, owners and staff for the incredible dedication they showed to Ground Kontrol throughout this contest.

Save the Arcades 2 has been one of the best things to happen for GK.  If you’re wondering what we’re going to do with the prize money, click here!

- Posted by The CEO

Stride’s Save the Arcades contest is technically over, but the winner won’t be announced until Thursday, June 17 at 11:00am PST. We were blasting Cowbots and earning points right up until the last possible second along with our most dedicated fans, so now all we can do is wait!

Ground Kontrol will be opening early on Thursday morning, at 10:30am, so we can all be there when the announcement goes live at 11am!

Join us! RSVP on Facebook and tell your friends. Hopefully we’ll all have something to high-five about! If you can’t make it to GK, just check the Save the Arcades website!

Thanks to everyone for your incredible support throughout Ground Kontrol’s involvement in Save the Arcades 2 – we’ll write more after the announcement!

- Posted by Art

Have you herd? Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 contest is nearly over! It’s time to show your love of Ground Kontrol by participating in our 24-hour event, The Final Cow-down! Prove your skills in special arcade game tournaments, including Ms. Pac-Man, NBA Jam, and more! Enjoy complimentary snacks and soft drinks, and play old and new console games on our stage. You can also help Ground Kontrol make one last stand against the moo-chanical menace by playing Cowbots 2010!

It all starts at 9:00am on Monday, June 14, with complimentary donuts and coffee for everyone. The first arcade tournament, Ms. Pac-Man, will accept sign-ups from 11:30am to 11:55am, and competition starts at Noon. More arcade tournaments will happen throughout the 24 hours, including a pinball tournament, and a raffle drawing will follow the end of each tournament! (Check the schedule for more details.) Raffle drawings are open to everyone and are free to enter.

In addition to our legendary line-up of arcade games and pinball tables, we’ll have old-school consoles set up for play. If you’d like to help Ground Kontrol win Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 and the $25,000 grand prize, we’ll have more PCs set up for you to play Cowbots 2010!

Remember, if Ground Kontrol wins Save the Arcades 2, we’re putting every single dollar of the prize towards making Ground Kontrol an even better place! Our remodeling plans include expanding our 2nd floor, putting in more games, more seating and expanding our food and drink selection! We just need some help paying for it – and $25,000 will go a long way towards making our arcade dreams come true.

This is it, Portland! We’re extremely grateful for all of your support not only as customers and fans, but Cowbots 2010 players, too! Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, we hope you’ll visit us during our extremely extended hours and help us make this event the most fun we’ve ever had!

View the full event details and RSVP at our Facebook page. We’ll see you there!

PS. Even if you can’t make it down to Ground Kontrol, you can help us stampede towards the Save the Arcades 2 finish line by playing Cowbots 2010 at home, at work or at school! Just visit Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 website, play Cowbots 2010, and donate your points to Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade. Play and donate as often as you like, and tell everyone you know! Check out this page for instructions.

WHAT: The Final Cow-down, a 24-hour event featuring arcade tournaments, complimentary food & soft drinks (while they last!), free raffle giveaways, and free console gaming. Also play Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 game, Cowbots 2010! (View the event schedule for more info.)
WHEN: Starts Monday, June 14 at 9:00am, ends Tuesday, June 15 at 9:00am. All ages are welcome 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday June 14, and 6:00am – 9:00am Tuesday June 15. 21+ only 5:00pm Monday June 14 – 6:00am Tuesday June 15 (no beer & wine service after 2:30am.)
COVER: No cover!

- Posted by Art

Green Day:Rock Band debuts today, and we’ll have the full game ready for you to play on stage tonight at 8PM! Choose any song from American Idiot, Dookie and 21st Century Breakdown, plus selected tracks from Warning, Nimrod and Insomniac. Harmonizing opportunities for singers, Tre Cool’s wild drumming, and Mike Dirnt’s barreling baselines ensure a great time for the whole band. Bring your friends and “have the time of your life!”

Green Day: Rock Band  is presented by Rock Band Tuesdays, a full-band karaoke experience featuring full-size instruments, professional lights and sound, and over 1500 songs to choose from.

For more information, check out the Facebook group Rock Band Tuesdays at Ground Kontrol. See you tonight!

- Posted by Anthony

Update 6/17: YOU DID IT! Ground Kontrol has won Save the Arcades 2 — click here for more details!

Update 6/2: Less than 2 weeks remain to play Cowbots 2010 for Ground Kontrol! Stride Gum has begun posting weekly score updates on their Facebook page, and Ground Kontrol has remained at #1 thanks to YOUR help! Whether you earn 100 points or 100,000 points a game, every game helps. Please keep playing for Ground Kontrol through 9:00am PST/12:00pm EST on Tuesday, June 15th!

Ground Kontrol is a finalist in Stride Gum’s Save The Arcades contest! The grand prize is $25,000 and we need YOUR help to win it. Here’s how:

1. Surf on over to the Stride Save The Arcades website and register an account. You can’t donate your points without one!
2. Play COWBOTS 2010.
3. Donate your final score to “Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade.”
4. Repeat as often as you like, and tell your friends! (Remember to sign in before each gaming session.)

The arcade that receives the most points by June 15th will win the prize.

Which begs the question – what would Ground Kontrol do with the prize money if we won?  As luck would have it, we’ve been working on plans to expand our second floor so we can feature more of the classic games you love.  But…we’ve had a hard time trying to figure out how to pay for it.  If we come out on top, you can bet we’ll put every last dollar to work bringing you more games and more fun. So, put those well-honed arcade skills to work and show your love for the best arcade in the Pacific Northwest! Thanks to all of our customers and fans in Portland and beyond for your support!

Visit Ground Kontrol on Facebook and click “like” on our page to share your Cowbots 2010 High Scores, discuss strategies, and more!

- Posted by Anthony

Cowbots are invading! Come fight the moo-chanical menace with Ground Kontrol at our Moo-morial Marathon!

From noon on Sunday, May 30 until midnight late Sunday night / Monday morning, we invite you to come down and show your support of GK by participating in mini arcade game tournaments, free raffle giveaways and retro gaming trivia! You’ll also be able to play several FREE console games on our stage, including Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 game, Cowbots 2010!

Every hour, we’ll kick off a special event or giveaway. Everyone is welcome to grab a raffle ticket at the front counter, and arcade tournaments will be first-come, first-serve, so sign up early! If you’d like to help Ground Kontrol win Stride’s Save the Arcades 2 and the $25,000 grand prize, we’ll have more PCs set up for you to play Cowbots 2010!

Whether you go the long haul or just come down for an hour or two, we’d love to see you this Sunday!

WHAT: Moo-morial Marathon featuring mini arcade tournaments, free raffle giveaways, retro gaming trivia, free console games and “Cowbots 2010″ play
WHEN: Starts Sunday, May 30 at noon, ends midnight Sunday night / early morning Monday, May 31. All-ages are welcome noon – 5pm. 21+ only 5pm-close. Retro Gaming Trivia will start at 9pm. Come down any time, there will be something cool going on every hour or so!
COVER: No cover!

- Posted by Art

Celebrate Pac-Man’s 30th birthday Saturday, 5/22 at GK!

Wear your best Pac-Man flair or a yellow shirt for drink specials all night long! 21+ only.

One of the most iconic videogame characters in history turns 30 this week! Pac-Man was officially released on May 22, 1980 and quickly became an arcade smash, gobbling quarters worldwide and spawning dozens of sequels. “Pac-Man Fever” swept the nation, producing a Saturday morning cartoon show, a breakfast cereal, and a top-ten pop single among countless other merchandise.

In the years since, the little yellow guy and his ghostly pursuers have migrated to  game consoles, cell phones and even the Roomba, but you can always find the  original and his “date” Ms. Pac-Man right here at Ground Kontrol. Stop in and drop a quarter or two to experience “Pac-Man Fever” all over again!

More Pac-Man festivities around the ‘net:

• Google’s playable Pac-Man “doodle”
• Gamespot’s Video Game History Month: Pac-Mania
• Namco (the company that created Pac-Man) 30th Anniversary Tribute

Read more about it: “Pac-Man Fever” – Time, April 5, 1982

- Posted by Anthony

After years of cracking cans and popping bottles, we’ve earned enough XP to unlock the Draft upgrade! We’re offering six distinct brews on tap:

• Rogue Dead Guy Ale
• Lagunitas IPA
• Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale
• Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
• Blue Moon
• Woodchuck Draft Cider Amber (which is naturally gluten-free!)

If you’re 21+ years of age, set your quest markers to Ground Kontrol and enjoy a fresh brew. If you’d like to see a particular beer on tap, please, let us know!

- Posted by Art

This year’s final was an epic battle between two CFFers – Jeff Gagnon of Seattle, the winner of the winners’ bracket, and Noah Davis of Portland, the winner of the losers’ bracket.

Jeff watches as Noah plays on the grand prize machine.

Here’s a rundown of this years’ top-ranked participants (prizes won in parentheses). Full standings after the jump!

1 Jeff Gagnon (Johnny Mnemonic/Pinhead trophy)
2 Noah Davis ($400/PBR mini fridge)
3 Steve Lampros ($300/dozen doughnuts a month for a year at Voodoo Doughnuts)
4 Mike Mahaffey ($150)
5 Russ Wallis ($75)
5 Cayle George ($75)
7 Robert Gagno ($75)
7 Danny “Backglass” Belrose ($75)
9 Brandon Smith ($25)
9 Ryan Gratzer ($25)
9 Keith Elwin ($25)
9 Miles Craig ($25)
13 Jake McGhee ($25)
13 Jared Kramer ($25)
13 Steven Ackley ($25)
13 Jason America ($25)
Read the rest of this entry »

- Posted by The CEO

For Portland Pinbrawl 2010, Ground Kontrol provided the venue, the dialed-in pinball machines, and of course, the one-and-only Pinhead Trophy:

Designed and made by GK co-owner Clay Cowgill (Click to magnify)

…but we received a lot of help make this year’s tournament a huge success:

• Aaron Nelson, Eric Hill, Frederick Franken, and Noah Davis, the tournament organizers;

• PAPA provided pre-registration & division entries for PAPA 13, the international pinball championship to be held in August 2010;

• Pabst provided a PBR themed mini-fridge (website requires age verification);

• Voodoo Doughnut provided a Gross ‘o Donuts gift certificate prize;

• Ace Hotel and Jupiter Hotel provided  discounted room rates for out-of-town players; and

• Backspace provided discounted food to fuel the marathon flipper sessions.

Thank you, everyone. We couldn’t have done it without you!

- Posted by Anthony

Pre-registration is now open CLOSED! On-site registration for the remaining slots will take place Sunday, April 18 at 10:00am and is first-come, first-serve.

ATTENTION: Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade will be CLOSED TO MINORS all day Sunday, April 18 for the Portland Pinbrawl pinball tournament. Non-tournament participants are encouraged to come down some other day!

On Sunday, April 18th, the finest pinball players in the Pacific Northwest will once again gather in historic Old Town for Portland Pinbrawl 2010, Ground Kontrol’s second annual pinball tournament. Join your fellow Portland ‘ballers to battle the best of the Northwest for the grand prize: a full-sized Williams’ “Johnny Mnemonic” pinball machine. As an added perk, Ground Kontrol will extend its beer and wine serving hours to cover the entire day of the tournament.

Ground Kontrol’s inaugural Portland Pinbrawl tournament in April 2009 drew over 120 players, some traveling from as far as Canada to compete. A packed house is expected for Portland Pinbrawl 2010, and registration is capped at 128 players.

Portland Pinbrawl 2010 will also feature two “side  tournaments” with highly challenging rules including one-handed play, and “split flipper” play – where 2 players each control one side of the pinball playfield!

Competition signup fee is $20 per person; spectators get in for free. Doors open at 10:00am, Sunday April 18th. Admission is limited to 21 and over with valid ID for competitors and spectators alike.  Please note: Admission to the pinball mezzanine will be limited to tournament participants, and play on the pinball machines will be limited to tournament games only. This tournament is brought to you by Aaron Nelson, Eric Hill, Fred Franken and Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade.

Pre-registration for Portland Pinbrawl 2010 is highly recommended and will be available starting February 18th Pre-registration is now closed.

For more details and to pre-register, click here!

- Posted by Art

Rumors of Rock Band’s disappearance from Ground Kontrol were greatly exaggerated! Back from a month-long Sabbatical at neighboring Backspace, Rock Band Tuesdays at Ground Kontrol (or “RB@GK” for short) returns this Tuesday with two big new features: a computerized rotation system, and instant purchasing of any song in the Rock Band Network Store.

Read the rest of this entry »

- Posted by Anthony

Step right up to the Funhouse pinball machine and meet the talking puppet Rudy, your capricious and lively host! Rudy talks, taunts, heckles, and keeps a constant eye on the ball, beckoning you to experience his amusement park world filled with Mystery Mirrors, Wind Tunnels, and Crazy Steps.

Advance the clock to midnight and Rudy falls asleep, snoring loudly. Target his open mouth to begin 3-ball multi-ball play and try for million-point scoring! A second plunger doubles the fun, adding skill shots for Rudy’s Hideout, Extra Ball and Frenzy scoring.

- Posted by Anthony

After four years of covering the explosive Chipmusic scene in New York City and producing the internationally acclaimed documentary, “Reformat the Planet,” filmmaking crew 2 Player Productions packed up shop and made for the Pacific Northwest to bring Portland its first monthly Chip show, dataPort.

Following in the footsteps of its wildly successful East coast counterparts, Pulsewave (NYC) and 8static (Philadelphia), dataPort presents a showcase of innovative, experimental, and lo-fi music with an emphasis on exploring the untapped potential that lies just beneath the plastic shell of vintage computing and gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy.

Head out to Ground Kontrol (511 NW Couch St.) on February 3rd to experience the first installment of this exciting addition to Portland’s electronic music scene and the ever-growing global Chipmusic community at large. The show kicks off with local act Spamtron followed by not one, but_two_veterans of the increasingly epic Blip Festival, Leeni and Trash80.

===Trash80 (Los Angeles, CA)===
http://trash80.net/music
Video: Trash80 “Missing You” @ Pulsewave
=================
An evocative and tuneful blend of chip and classic electronic instrumentation that will have fans and neophytes alike shaking their asses (or any functional equivalent) on the dancefloor.

===Leeni (Seattle, WA)===
http://leeni.us/
Audio: Leeni “Awake”
=================
Sometimes sweet, other times sultry New Romantic- and Synthpop- tinged tunes that you can either make out or break up to. If your Facebook Relationship Status is listed as, “It’s Complicated,” attendance is a must.

===Spamtron (Portland, OR)===
http://www.myspace.com/spamtron
==================
A delicate balancing act of fast-paced fist-pumpers and moody, spacey soundscapes that combine to conjure images of robotic combat, interstellar exploration, and other various epic adventures in between.

WHAT: dataPort, a live chiptune showcase featuring Trash80, Leeni, Spamtron
WHEN: Wednesday, February 3rd, 9pm
COVER: $5, 21+ only

Presented by 2 Player Productions

- Posted by Art

Portland’s most popular arcade honors some of the most popular video game companies ever with a celebration sure to warp you back in time: the Nintendo Party!

Not just limited to Nintendo, play classic Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis games on our stage! Who knows what else we’ll dig out of the attic?

Prove your d-pad skills in tournaments and flex your nerd knowledge in trivia, and win some cool prizes!

We’ll also have cleaned & refurbished systems and games available to purchase so the pixelated action can continue in your own home!

WHAT: Nintendo Party featuring NES, SNES and Genesis free play, trivia, and tournaments

WHEN: Thursday, January 28. Game play starts at 7pm. Tournaments will start at 8pm and will happen throughout the nite. A round of trivia will follow each game tournament.

- Posted by Art

Ace of Base reference aside, Ground Kontrol is finally getting lit outdoor signs, and we have the photos to prove it. (click thumbnails to see full image)

Nice, huh? The glow behind the “GROUND KONTROL” lettering isn’t a Photoshop trick; it’s the effect of white LEDs facing backwards inside the letters, lighting a blue panel behind them.

Here are mockups of how they’ll look on the building:

Signs will be installed this coming Wednesday and Thursday (Jan. 27th and 28th) between 8AM and 3PM. The electrical work needed to light the signs at night will be completed a month or so later.

We think the new signs will be quite eye-catching when viewed from the sidewalk, street, or MAX trains. Be sure to swing by and check them out!

- Posted by Anthony