The Guitar Hero arcade CA Extreme 2009 Championship

Shaggy July 16, 2009 1

California Extreme has come and gone once again but with it are some lucky players who participated in some of the competitions that were held at the big event. One of those tournaments was a Guitar Hero Arcade competition, sponsored by Raw Thrills and Betson Enterprises. Over 50 players competed against each other with the top 16 walking away with a prize of some sort, the grand prize being a Ultimate Guitar Hero Prize Package which included a Wii console complete with a full band kit and what the press release calls “5 Guitar Hero Arcade titles” although I assume that means console games and not full GH arcade machines. Here is a video that showcases a few parts of the competition and the press release can be found after the break.

GUITAR HERO ARCADE ROCKS CALIFORNIA EXTREME EVENT 2009

CARLSTADT, NJ – July 15, 2009 – CA Extreme, a celebration of coin operated pinball machines, video games and amusement novelties, cranked up the volume at its 13^thannual event with a two day Guitar Hero Arcade tournament. Raw Thrills, developer of Guitar Hero Arcade and Betson Enterprises the exclusive Raw Thrills distributor for coin operated products, were the official sponsors of this event which was held in Santa Clara, CA on July 11^th and 12^th.

Over 50 players from all over North America entered the contest to compete for the grand prize, an Ultimate Guitar Hero prize package that consisted of a Wii Console complete with a full band kit and 5 Guitar Hero Arcade titles. The total prize package of Guitar Hero products with a retail value of over $2,000.00, were awarded to the top 16 players.

Players were required to test their skills against each other on (5) predetermined Guitar Hero Arcade songs. Each player was required to compete on the same level of difficulty and was awarded points for the placement of their song scores in the 5 categories. The top 16 players advanced to a 4 round showdown that narrowed the field to 2 players who would battle it out in a best of three contest.

A lot of people were introduced to Guitar Hero Arcade for the first time!” noted Bowen Kerins, Tournament Director of CA Extreme. He added, “Guitar Hero Arcade was being played before, during and well after the tournament events on both days.” Boys, girls, men & woman from as far as Massachusetts and Burnaby, Canada entered the competition.

Alec Castillo, a 14 year contestant held off some stiff competition from Justin Kelly, a 33 yr old Pinball Enthusiast, who just couldn’t resist the chance to compete on the popular Guitar Hero Arcade machine. “I play the Guitar Hero Arcade at my local theater all the time!” said Justin. “It’s a great game!” At the end of the event Tony Maniscalco, of Betson Enterprises and Bowen Kerins, Tournament Director of CA Extreme presented Alec Castillo with a Guitar Hero Arcade championship plaque and the Ultimate Guitar Hero prize package.

“Coin Operators already know the value of promoting tournaments and contests on the Play Mechanix Big Buck Hunter Pro and Safari products.” stated Tony Maniscalco. “Guitar Hero Arcade is the perfect product to drive location traffic with organized contests!” To see the excitement created by the Guitar Hero Arcade tournament at CA Extreme 2009 visit the Betson4Games Channel on www.youtube.com.

About Raw Thrills

Former Midway game designer Eugene Jarvis founded Raw Thrills Inc. in 2001 to create the next generation of arcade game entertainment. After creating content for IGT, Raw Thrills has gone on to design and release the best selling titles Target: Terror, The Fast and the Furious, The Fast and the Furious Super Bikes and The Fast and the Furious Drift.

About Play Mechanix

George Petro, a former game designer for Midway Games founded Play Mechanix in 1995. In a little over a decade, Play Mechanix has created over 30 titles for the Arcade, Bar and Casino industries including the best-selling video hunting series Big Buck Hunter, Big Buck Safari, and Deal or No Deal. Play Mechanix is currently creating an on-line tournament system for use with Big Buck Hunter Pro and beyond. Play Mechanix recently merged with Raw Thrills.