In the pinball league at Amsterdam Billiards in NYC, I was able to post a record of 6 wins and 3 losses, which was good for third place overall. I’m generally happy with that even though I wish I could have done better, of course. We played Big Buck Hunter and Twilight Zone.

The Big Buck Hunter machine is one of those games in which it is difficult to score well, but you don’t know how difficult this specific machine is until you start playing.  There is the titular “big buck,” that you need to hit to start multiball and get jackpots, that goes back and forth on a track diagonally, in the middle of the playfield. However, this particular buck seemed to only register hits consistently if you hit it on the front edge. Many players would get frustrated when they made a solid hit in the center of the target, only to receive no points. This not only added to the difficulty of the game, it required players to have good patience and to control their play. Let me clarify that the target was not broken at all, it was just difficult in that you had to make a more accurate shot to score. It made the game better for tournament or league play.

The Powerball!

The other machine, Twilight Zone, is already notorious for being a challenging game. All seasoned players know this going in, but this Twilight Zone had a special feature: A slot machine kick-out that would throw the ball in a semi-random direction. Sometimes the kick-out would behave well in that you could dead-flipper-pass the ball from right to left. Other times it would kick-out the ball almost straight down the middle causing the player to have to perform an emergency slap-save to stay alive. Or, it might launch the ball harshly to the right, toward the right slingshot or outlane, where chaos would soon follow. You as the player, could not depend on which of these events would happen. Most players chose to try a reflex shot (think of a batter trying to hit a curve ball) and deal with whatever happened next. Sometimes I tried to live catch the ball, with mixed results. I don’t think anyone made it to the Lost in the Zone wizard mode this season, because of that wild kick-out.

One of the reasons why Twilight Zone is (as of this date) my second favorite pinball game is the Powerball. The Powerball is a ceramic ball which is the same size as the other metallic balls, but it is lighter and moves much faster than normal. When you get the Powerball out of the gumball machine, all of the geometry of the game changes because now you have to account for the increased speed of the Powerball. I have a love/hate relationship with the Powerball because it makes an already difficult shot, the right loop/gumball shot, even harder to make. If you miss, your ball could be over before you realize it. However, making the gumball shot starts Powerball Mania which is a feature where you can earn hundreds of millions of points. The Powerball can instantly turn the tide of a match which is why you are never really out of the game if you can get the Powerball out.

Overall, it was another fantastic pinball season and I look forward to starting up again next season, which I believe will be in September.

                          

Hey, I'm looking at YOU! I dare you to hit me!

Pinball News has completed Part 2 of its detailed review of Big Buck Hunter. This time they take you through just about all of the games features and modes including the wizard mode (* SPOILERS*). How about that? A STERN game was released with a wizard mode ready for players to try to achieve. That’s right, I’m talking to you, Wheel of Fortune and Batman: Dark Knight.

This game is starting to grow on me. I’m already far away from hating it, as this game is nowhere near the atrociousness of Indiana Jones IV. However, it will certainly not replace Spider-Man as my favorite STERN game.

                          

Looks like the STERN marketing team is starting to step up their game. Now let’s work on getting some LCD score displays!

                          

A beautiful video! The raw emotion! The passion! The pinball!

                          

EDIT: Cupids and Canines has been postponed due to the huge snowstorm. It will be rescheduled.

STERN’s Big Buck Hunter Pro Pinball is In the Wild!

STERN’s newest pinball game, Big Buck Hunter Pro, has been released to market. For those of you in the New York metropolitan area who want to try out the game, it will be on route at Amsterdam Billiards in Manhattan. Big Buck Hunter Pro, along with Twilight Zone by Bally, will be the games used for 2010, Season #1 of the New York City Pinball League. Commissioner “Max Pinball” is now accepting players to sign-up for this season. League rules, format and more information can be found at http://nycpinballleague.com. Players of all ages and skill levels are welcome.

Pinball + Gaming + Pooches = Charity!

On Saturday, February 6, 2010, the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) will host is annual Cupids and Canines Casino and Pinball Night charity event to benefit The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society and Bow Wow Buddies. The event will be held at the at the PAPA World Headquarters near Pittsburgh, PA. The facility is home to over 400 pinball games from every era. Along with the opportunity to sample all of these great machines, you can participate in the pinball tournament organized by world champion Bowen Kerins, and play blackjack, craps, roulette, and poker all for charity. The event starts at 7PM, but pinball tournament participants can get in as early as 11:00 AM.

Last year, more than $10,000 was raised for charity. Here are videos from the 2009 event.

Part One: Before the event

Part Two: Let the games begin!

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I’d like to give respect to Geraldo Beedog and Señor Perrito del Burrito for inspiring me to produce this tiny nugget of sweet journalism :`-)

                          

Pinball News provides coverage of the new Big Buck Hunter Pro pinball game from STERN, Inc. So far there are high res pictures of the playfield along with an introduction on the rules and features of the game. Keep this page on Pinball News bookmarked. As with previous Pinball News reviews, I expect that this initial coverage will soon be accompanied by recordings of the game’s sounds as well as a more detailed description of the game’s scoring features and modes. This game looks promising so far. Plus, this new pinball game is a natural compliment for any bar/amusement area that already has a Big Buck Hunter light gun arcade game.

                          

Breaking news from Pingame Journal: Big Buck Hunter from STERN Pinball, Inc. will start rolling off the assembly line at the end of January, 2010. Included is a link to a preliminary analysis of the game including playfield shots and targets. There’s also a deer that “runs” diagonally across the playfield. It’s looks like a prime target for smacking with pinballs, maybe during some sort of “bash the deer” mode. I hope such a feature is better than the “Bash Balrog” on the “Lord of the Rings” pinball game, because most players end up timing-out modes like that.

Also, the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada has finally moved to it’s new location. It’s way larger and closer to the strip than the old building. I can’t wait for my next visit to Vegas. Forget gambling, I want pinball!