On Sunday, April 17th, 2011, 128 of the best pinball players from Portland and beyond will gather at Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade for Portland’s biggest pinball tournament!
PRE-REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Register NOW by clicking here. Portland Pinbrawl is capped at 128 players and it usually fills up well before the day of the tournament.
Portland Pinbrawl 2011 takes place Sunday, April 17th. On-site registration (if any slots are available) begins at 10:00am. Tournament begins at 11:00am and ends “when it’s over!”
Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade
511 NW Couch St. Portland, OR 97209
(503) 796-9364
For directions, click here.
Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade is the premier arcade in the Northwest, featuring 26 of the most exciting pinball games and 80 classic video arcade games in a two-story game room.
Your very own pinball machine – title to be announced!
OTHER PRIZES
Cash prizes and assorted sundries will be awarded to top finishers, including:
More prizes will be added as they are received!
Players can pre-register online, or register on-site the day of the tournament. Pre-registration is strongly suggested! Read on for further details.
There is a $20 entry fee per participant. Registration is capped at 128 players. One entry per person is allowed, and no re-entries are allowed after elimination. On-site registration will begin at 10:00am Sunday, April 17th and will close at 10:45am or once we reach the maximum number of registrants. Cash is the only accepted form of payment for on-site registration. An ATM will be available on-site, but we recommend you come prepared with cash.
Pre-registration guarantees you a spot in the tournament bracket without the hassle of waiting in line. As an added bonus, pre-registrants will receive priority for first-round byes. All remaining first-round byes will be randomly assigned to players with same day registration.
Pre-registrations will be accepted from 12:00am PST March 8th, 2011 until 12:00pm PST Saturday, April 16th, 2011 or until we reach the maximum number of registrants.
As a reminder, all players and spectators must be 21+ years old with a valid ID.
The tournament will be limited to 128 participants, and spectator entry will be limited by Ground Kontrol’s maximum capacity of 130 persons. Registered participants are guaranteed entry to Ground Kontrol, provided they are 21+ with valid ID. Spectators will not be permitted between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm. After 4:00pm, spectators are encouraged to come down and watch the final matches! Admission to the pinball mezzanine will be limited to tournament participants, and play on the pinball machines will be limited to tournament games only.
The full list of tournament rules will be available online soon and will be available for viewing at the registration desk the day of the tournament.
The tournament will be a random bracket placement head to head best two of three double elimination tournament.
LIST OF GAMES
This list reflects Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade’s pinball lineup as of March 27th, 2011. Games on this list are subject to change at any time and are not guaranteed to be included in tournament play.
We’re pleased to announce 2 nearby hotels are offering discounted room rates for Portland Pinbrawl 2011 participants! Read on for the full details on how to book your discounted room.
JUPITER HOTEL – 800 East Burnside Street, Portland, OR - (503) 230-9200
Jupiter Hotel has rooms available until April 1st or until they are sold out. To book a room at the Jupiter Hotel, please click here. You will be directed to their online reservation system.
ACE HOTEL - 1022 Southwest Stark Street, Portland, OR - (503) 228-2277
To book a room at the Ace Hotel, please call (503) 228-2277 and ask for the “Ground Kontrol” rate.
From I-5 North: After entering Oregon…
From I-5 South: After entering Oregon…
Directions provided by Google Maps. To route your own trip, click here.
Street parking and paid parking lots are available. Street parking is metered from the hours of 1pm-7pm on Sundays. If you plan to drive to Ground Kontrol, we recommend you park in the paid lot next to Ground Kontrol or the paid lot on NW Couch Street between 4th and 5th Avenue.
GETTING AROUND IN PORTLAND
Ground Kontrol is located near several public transit lines, including bus and light rail. For schedule and route information, visit TriMet’s website or call (503) 238-RIDE. If you need a cab, call Radio Cab at (503) 227-1212.
All questions regarding Portland Pinbrawl 2011 can be sent to: pinbrawl@groundkontrol.com. Please allow 24-48 hours for a response. To discuss Portland Pinbrawl 2011 with other Portland players, visit the Crazy Flipper Fingers’ discussion thread.
See you there! Let’s make this great! - Portland Pinbrawl 2011 Organizers and Ground Kontrol Owners & Staff
Click here to return to Ground Kontrol news.
The hosts of local gaming podcast A Jumps B Shoots were kind enough to invite Ground Kontrol manager Art Santana (who is not talking about himself in third person at all) to be a guest on their show. Topics of discussion were “the former and current state of the American arcade, pinball in all its glory, some of our favorite cabinets, and some fond memories of times past”.
Listen to the show at the A Jumps B Shoots website or iTunes. Fair warning: This podcast is rated M for Mature!
Come down to Ground Kontrol before the Video Game Quiz Show on Sunday March 13 for a special game event. Incredible Ape will be on hand to demonstrate their new Xbox 360 indie game and invite you to play it live!
Unleash an aural assault with Incredible Ape’s new cooperative voice-controlled shoot-em-up, PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew! Armed with a pair of microphones, you and a friend will spit hot fire to annihilate the relentless geometric onslaught and save humanity from extinction.
To get an idea of the hilarious fun you’re in for, check out some video on Incredible Ape’s website.
The game will be available from play in our lounge starting at 7pm. There’s no charge to play and we hope you’ll stick around for the Video Game Quiz Show “Games We (Heart)” edition, which will take place immediately afterward at 9pm!
WHAT: Incredible Ape Game Event featuring PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew
WHEN: Sunday, March 13th, 7pm – 9pm.
WHERE: Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade – in the lounge
MORE: No cover! Must be 21+ or older.
Forget the strain of hauling tons of vintage video games and pinball tables from one location to another. For us, the hardest part of moving an arcade is closing it while we’re working!
In order to move back to our newly remodeled home and make sure all of the pixels are in place, Ground Kontrol will be closed the following days:
We apologize for any inconvenience, but trust us… the wait will be worth it!
When comics and video games clash, everyone wins! However, when the best Marvel vs. Capcom 3 players meet for Ground Kontrol’s first MVC3 tournament, the outcome is anyone’s guess!
Enter “Secret Wars”, a Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tournament presented by Best Bout. Heroes of all ages are invited to compete in a singles tournament for cash and other prizes for a small registration fee. Spectators are welcome to simply witness mindblowing matches like Hulk vs. Haggar, Thor vs. Arthur, Iron Man vs. Nathan Spencer and more!
Sign-ups start at 11am, and the fighting starts at Noon. Participants pay $12 to enter ($7 of which goes to the winners) and the tournament is free to spectate. Space is limited, so please do not bring any large backpacks or bags. No outside food will be permitted.
UPDATE: Bring your Xbox 360-compatible fight stick if possible! Additional sticks will be available for use at the tournament.
WHAT: Marvel vs Capcom 3 Tournament Singles Tournament
WHEN: Saturday Febuary 19th, 2011. Registration begins at 11am, tournament begins at Noon.
COST: $7+$5 entry fee ($7 to pot, $5 venue fee). No cost to spectate!
FORMAT: Standard Double Elimination Format. The grand finals will be best 3 out of 5. All other matches will be best 2 out of 3 games.
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 tonight. (Note: Video Game Quiz Show usually occurs on Last Thursday.)
This month the hosts show their love to games we hold dear! Show up at the door with flowers for Ganon or a box of chocolates for the Battletoads. Let Samus know how much you appreciate her with a poem and work out Dr. Wiley’s tension with a sensual massage. Or, just come on down and prove how deep your video game knowledge runs!
How do you play? A 9pm, we kick off a round of “pub quiz” style trivia. Teams of 5 can participate in these rounds to rack up as many points as possible. The top 3 teams then choose 1 player each to represent them in the final “Jeopardy” style round!
Game play challenges randomly hidden during the final round offer teammates a chance to tag in and help earn points!
Not only is it fun to play, it’s a blast to watch, too. So whether or not you know the difference between a Koopa and a Goomba, come on down!
WHAT: Video Game Quiz Show: Games We ♥ Edition
WHEN: Thursday, February 17. Starts at 9pm.
OTHER INFO: $3 cover at the door for Free Play, but no additional cover or charge necessary to participate in or watch the Video Game Quiz Show! 21+ only – please bring valid I.D.
Let’s party! After years of planning and months of work, Ground Kontrol is finally ready to unveil Ground Kontrol 3.0 – the best arcade & lounge you’ve ever seen.
Many upgrades await you, including a new food menu, new games, new tables & seating, new bathrooms and a sleek new look inspired by vintage video game art and the TRON film series.
What better way to experience the new GK than free play? Our regular Third Thursday free play party will be extra fun this month thanks to a special cover – entry to Ground Kontrol 3.0′s launch party will only cost 3.0 dollars!
Thanks to all of our loyal customers and fans for supporting us through the extremely difficult process of closing our doors at 511 NW Couch St. for nearly 3 months and moving our arcade twice* to accommodate the work needed to make Ground Kontrol 3.0 a reality. Thanks especially to those of you that supported Ground Kontrol in 2010′s “Save The Arcades” contest sponsored by Stride!
But enough talk… Seriously, let’s party! We’ll see you Thursday the 17th! Doors open at 5pm, and remember your I.D. – this is a 21+ event.
*OK, technically we had to move our games and equipment three times. Our backs won’t let us forget that!
WHAT: Ground Kontrol 3.0 Grand Re-Opening Party
WHEN: Thursday, February 17th, 2011. Doors at 5pm.
WHERE: Ground Kontrol “3.0″, 511 NW Couch St.
OTHER INFO: $3 cover. 21+ only – please bring valid I.D. No large bags or backpacks, please!
Own a one-of-a-kind masterpiece painted on an old-school NES game! In November 2010, we hung an extremely cool art display in our arcade – 40 NES cartridges hand-painted by 40 different artists in celebration of the Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos. The Autumn Society, a worldwide collective of artists, helped organize the display and put the call out for submissions. When it was time to move to our temporary location, we had to pack them up. Now we’ve brought the display back in virtual form – and you can purchase the art online, too!
Check out our virtual 8-Bit Calavera display-slash-store to view the submissions and purchase one today!
To check out more from The Autumn Society, visit their blog.