UPDATE: Advance tickets are now available! Find the Brown Paper Tickets button below after the event description or head straight to the purchase page.
After over two millennia in development, Project 2013 is out of beta and ready for launch.
For as long as we’ve been in business, Ground Kontrol has made it a point to celebrate New Year’s Eve as awesomely as possible. Some of our best parties ever have been to ring in the new year, and we’re gearing up to make this our best one yet! This year, DJs Epor and Capcom will keep it festive with their top-notch tunes, and we’ll celebrate in style with a champagne toast at midnight. All of our 100+ games will be set to FREE PLAY as well, so feel free to bask in the glory of unlimited gaming.
As an added bonus for all cosmonauts in the ‘cade, we’ll be hosting random giveaways all night long. How do you win? Just play games! You’ll find out…
So ditch that awkward house party, get your game face on, and join us as we ascend to level 2013!
WHAT: 20XX – The New Year’s Eve Free Play Party!
WHEN: Monday, December 31st, 2012. Doors at 5pm.
COVER: Just $15 for unlimited gaming, a champagne toast at midnight, and random giveaways! 21+ only – bring valid ID and leave your large bags/backpacks at home!
Advance tickets are available via Brown Paper Tickets!
ONE MORE THING:
Get home safe! Ground Kontrol recommends you take public transit, a cab or ride with a designated driver when you go out New Year’s Eve (or any time!)
Hailing from Chicago, Illinois and weighing in at 300 lbs, The Champion Pub pinball table has landed at Ground Kontrol, ready to rumble!
Skip the locker room – but hit the change machine – and prepare to face 10 different pinball pugilists from around the globe! Build up your health bar by hitting the heavy bag in the center, attempting the jump rope (where your ball literally jumps up to avoid a rotating gate) or pounding the speed bag (time your flipper presses to punch the bag as many times as possible!)
Once you’re fighting fit, enter the ring – and the heavy bag will rotate to reveal an animatronic boxer with his arms swinging! Shoot the ramps to light a jab combo, and shoot up the center ramps to complete it. If you flip like a butterfly and shoot like a bee, you’ll knock his block off and advance to the next rank!
It’s not all about bare-knuckle brawling, though – there’s plenty more to do in this turn-of-the-century trip. Score points and an extra ball by keeping the floors clean in the Spittin’ Gallery, play a hand of poker, and make the pub go ballistic by activating Multibrawl!
The Champion Pub is easily one of the most creative pinball games you’ll ever play.
“Come on in & pound a few!”
Ground Kontrol super friend John Leslie suffered a stroke on Tuesday, November 13 and has been in the hospital since. Since then, he’s been slowly recovering (and trying to get back to making his family and friends awesomely happy) but it’s going to be an extremely long process, during which John will be unable to work. In addition to that, he was not offered health insurance through his employer, so tens of thousands of dollars in debt are stacking up.
John was one of the original supporters of Rock Band Tuesdays at Ground Kontrol, going so far as to supply his own instruments and buy songs on his own dime when the night was just a handful of fans having a good time. Now it’s been lauded as the biggest and best Rock Band night in America, and we definitely have John to thank for his amazing contributions towards that.
We at Ground Kontrol are proud to call John one of our best friends and many of you at GK during Rock Band have heard everyone cheer when John enters the room. We’re hoping you consider John a friend, too, or are sympathetic to his situation and are able to contribute.
If you have anything to spare, please consider donating to John’s fund via FundRazr. We’re also going to be collecting donations at Ground Kontrol regularly, with special efforts to build support on John’s favorite night, Rock Band Tuesday. You can donate towards John’s recovery fund any time at Ground Kontrol, just tell the staff!
So far, nearly $1,400 has been raised for John at Ground Kontrol! During Rock Band Tuesday on November 20 and Baby Ketten Karaoke on November 21, Ground Kontrol was able to match funds collected at both events to power-up the financial favor! Special thanks to the hosts of both Rock Band Tuesday and Baby Ketten Karaoke for their extra generosity.
The next benefit event takes place Monday, December 10 at Backspace Cafe (115 NW 5th Ave., right around the corner from Ground Kontrol.) John Leslie is Super Awesome: The Benefit Show brings live bands and Ground Kontrol’s Rock Band experience together for a night of rock, revelry and relief! RSVP and get the full scoop on Facebook – we look forward to putting the “fun” in “fundraising” with you!
Please stay tuned to our website and the Facebook group John Leslie Is Super Awesome for more info on upcoming events in support of John, and send him positive thoughts – we want to see John return to 100% soon!
Ground Kontrol has teamed up with Big Weekend Portland to give away their brand-new Portland Events 2013 Calendar to our loyal customers!
The latest edition features over 250 Portland events and activities — including Ground Kontrol’s annual pinball tournament, Portland Pinbrawl 2013 – already printed on a convenient wall calendar, so you’ll never miss out!
This calendar is a great value at $15.97, but if you’d like a chance to get one of your own absolutely FREE, come down to Ground Kontrol Sunday, November 25. We’ll start giving away the calendars at 3pm and we’ll continue until they’re gone!
Remember, Ground Kontrol is all-ages from Noon until 5pm, and 21+ only after 5pm. So, whether you bring your family down for some afternoon gaming or swing through during happy hour (5-7pm every day) for a cold drink, we hope you can pick up your own Portland Events calendar and plan an awesome 2013!
Calendars will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you miss out, don’t worry – you can also pick it up at Powell’s!
WHAT: Big Weekend Portland Calendar Giveaway
WHEN: Sunday, November 25 beginning at 3pm, while supplies last. Ground Kontrol is all-ages until 5pm, and 21+ after 5pm.
Save your quarters: On Last Wednesdays and Second Thursdays each month, Ground Kontrol helps you stretch your gaming dollar by setting all of our video games and pinball tables to FREE play!
What’s “Free Play”? It’s exactly what it sounds like – during these special events, our 100+ arcade games and pinball tables don’t require any quarters to play. Just hit start and go! Of course, there’s one small step to unlock unlimited gaming: Pay $5 at the door and you’re good all night. Bring your ID, too — you need to be 21+ as we also serve a full bar!
Show up early and bring friends: Free Play Nights are one of our most popular events, and it’s a great night to team up on games like The Simpsons, X-Men or TMNT: Turtles in Time. There’s also a great chance you’ll meet some new foes-turned-friends on the field of Pac-Man Battle Royale!
WHAT: Free Play Nights
WHEN: Every 2nd Thursday & Last Wednesday. Doors typically open at 5pm, DJs begin at 9pm. Check our Events page for info on upcoming occurrences, including schedule changes.
COVER: $5 at the door for free play all night! Must be 21+ w/ valid I.D.
This Sunday, we’re hosting a retail appreciation event to say thanks to all you wonderful retail folks fighting the good fight this Black Friday Weekend!
Bring a name badge/business card/whatever to prove you work in retail, and enjoy exclusive drink and food specials as our way of saying thanks!
We’ll also be featuring — for the first time EVER — the music selections of DJ Switch! Switch is the host of the Dangerous Kids podcast, the resident DJ at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo and Wonder Northwest!
So, whether you work in a place of retail or just shop in one, come to Ground Kontrol this Sunday 11/25! Specials run 8pm-midnight.
RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends!
WHAT: Retail Recovery Night featuring DJ Switch – Drink & Food Specials for Retail Industry Staff!
WHEN: Sunday, 11/25, 8pm-midnight.
COVER: No cover! 21+ w/ I.D.
“It belongs in a museum!”
While remodeling Ground Kontrol in 2010, we discovered a hidden trap door leading to a secret basement. Inside was a crawlspace to the tunnel network beneath Old Town / Chinatown. Intrigued, we secured the services of a noted gameologist, Doctor Henry “Oregon” Jones of Portland State University, to explore further.
Deep in the musty catacombs, Dr. Jones discovered a trove of classic video games from the golden age of arcades: rare and quirky titles that haven’t been seen in the wild for decades!
Since Dr. Jones’ discovery we’ve been excavating these vintage arcade cabinets and dusting them off. As we revive them, we’ll exhibit each one for a limited time in Ground Kontrol’s “living museum” environment. Look for Dr. Jones’ insightful commentary and interpretive descriptions posted nearby!
The bounty of these raids are a golden opportunity to discover the secret treasures of gaming’s past, and maybe even see a lost jewel from your own childhood. Be sure to stop in often and keep an eye on the website; there’s no telling what long-forgotten favorite will be on display, or for how long!