new (2013!) Star Trek pinball machines

[+SpiceWare]

After 20-year absence, Star Trek returns to the world of pinball

 

 

Acclaimed pinball designer Steve Ritchie is handling the layout this time around. Ritchie was also the designer on the last Star Trek table in 1993

...

Stern is following its current business model by releasing the table in three flavors: the cheaper Pro model ($5,395), a more expensive Premium ($7,495), and an $8,795 Limited Edition model.

[Albert]

Looks like a pretty lackluster table, and no way it's going to top his Star Trek: The Next Generation table (which was a wide body, I might add). I'm still trying to figure out why there are two wadded up balls of aluminum foil on the table. The pricing for the LE model is also ridiculous, over $3,000 more than the standard table. I can't imagine what they might add to the LE table to justify that price.

 

..Al

[+SpiceWare]

There's a closeup of the foil asteroids/meteors.

 

[S1500]

Much of the consensus on pinside is more nay than yay. However, nobody's played it, so the gameplay judgement has not yet been passed. To me, the artwork is a turnoff. Why is space so red & purple? It also is going up against its predecessor, ST:TNG which is a well-revered table. This seems more like any typical Stern table we've seen in the past 5 years.

[Chuck D. Head]

I definitely like the look of the LE cabinet over the others. All I can say is that the playfield does not impress me, so it better have some kick-ass sound and be fun to play.

 

Edit: Yeah, it really looks like all you are getting with the LE, other than the nicer cabinet, is the wireframes and two metallic space turds.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Chuck D. Head

[+SpiceWare]

Maybe they'll have one at PRGE or HAE so we can see how it plays.

[+save2600]

I actually like the table layout for a change. Especially the spinner being a nice and close shot. Don't care for the regular "pro" edition translite though. Looks very home model to me. Other two back glasses look better. I'm sure if it bugs someone enough, they can swap 'em out pretty easy. Assuming the other two are available for purchase (they usually are).

[number six]

Its cool but Pinball prices are getitng out of hand. For a 'decent' model of this you are looking at over $6,000. That's a lot of scratch

[goldenegg]

My favourite pinball game is still the Star Trek 25th Anniversary table. I've wanted to buy one, but have been told by collectors that it requires a ton of on-going maintenance, which I'm not willing to deal with.

[Albert]

Its cool but Pinball prices are getitng out of hand. For a 'decent' model of this you are looking at over $6,000. That's a lot of scratch

For that kind of money, I'd just spend a bit more and buy a machine from Jersey Jack. They are wide-body machines, seem to be of high-quality, have color LCD screens, multicolor LED lighting, and lots of great toys. I bet their Hobbit machine is going to be great.

 

Stern just hasn't impressed me. Their tables from the last five years are all relatively simple affairs, with few interesting mechanical bits. Their best game is Lord of the Rings, and I'd love to have one of those someday. I also like TRON: Legacy, but part of that is I like the theme. Would love to have an LE version, which adds drop targets, the multicolor lighting (including along the lamps) and a few other things. Fun game, great music and audio.

 

..Al

[Albert]

My favourite pinball game is still the Star Trek 25th Anniversary table. I've wanted to buy one, but have been told by collectors that it requires a ton of on-going maintenance, which I'm not willing to deal with.

Yeah, I don't think I'd ever buy a Data East pin.

 

..Al

[number six]

For that kind of money, I'd just spend a bit more and buy a machine from Jersey Jack. They are wide-body machines, seem to be of high-quality, have color LCD screens, multicolor LED lighting, and lots of great toys. I bet their Hobbit machine is going to be great.

 

Stern just hasn't impressed me. Their tables from the last five years are all relatively simple affairs, with few interesting mechanical bits. Their best game is Lord of the Rings, and I'd love to have one of those someday. I also like TRON: Legacy, but part of that is I like the theme. Would love to have an LE version, which adds drop targets, the multicolor lighting (including along the lamps) and a few other things. Fun game, great music and audio.

 

..Al

 

I've logged time on Wizard of Oz. The Machine itself is impressive, tons of things to do.. tons of toys. The LCD is also very impressive. Of course you don't see the LCD much when you are playing, but if you are going to be spending $7,000 on a Pinball Machine it's nice to have something flashy like a full LCD display to show for it. My only gripe on WoZ was the theme. I like Wizard of Oz OK in theory, but just not that much.

 

I was intrigued by the prospect of The Hobbit as I'd like that theme much better. Ultimately what kept me away from it is JJP ability to get games out. I have a friend who was one of the first to preorder WoZ back when they first started taking orders. He still doesn't have his game and doesn't have a firm date when he's going to get it. Yes, the game has been shipping.. but people who bought the 'Emerald Editions' haven't gotten theres yet just people who ordered the normal editions. That coupled with all the delays on WoZ to begin with means if you preorder a Hobbit today it might very well be 2 years before you have the game. Plus what if the game sucks? I think I'd have to physically see the game before I committed.

 

As for Stern.. yeah most of their games are hard to justify the money on as well. I was real afraid when they announced X-MEN that i'd have to buy one given what a fan of the comics i've been but man I didn't like the game one bit. Tron Legacy is probably my favorite Stern of the last 5 years or so. It's a great game, decent rule set and even with the Stern Photoshop art it looks really nice.

 

Going back to Star Trek. Game looks like it could be OK depending on how it plays but I'm not too hot on the art package on the 'pro'. The Premium looks OK and that has all of the toys but that's $6,500.. which wow.. yeah. Plus I didn't much like the last movie so that sullies the theme a bit. At least I did like Tron Legacy.

 

Either way it's good to see Pinball making a comeback I just wish the prices were a bit more reasonable.

[Austin]

The pricing for the LE model is also ridiculous, over $3,000 more than the standard table. I can't imagine what they might add to the LE table to justify that price.

Ridiculous, perhaps, but I can guarantee you the collectors will eat it up in a heartbeat. And it's likely it will only rise in value in that scene.

 

Although, apparently they are doing LEDs in the Pro models now, so there's less of an advantage to going with the Premiums or LEs. I am curious if that will affect sales of the LEs (or the Premiums, which they will obviously make more of than the LE ones).

 

As far as the game, I think it will be fun. Lots of shots, ramps that may be backhandable (something I personally like), probably a combo/flow-oriented game (like Spider Man, unlike Metallica). I'm looking forward to trying it.

 

I also like TRON: Legacy, but part of that is I like the theme. Would love to have an LE version, which adds drop targets, the multicolor lighting (including along the lamps) and a few other things. Fun game, great music and audio.

Tron is a great game. I used to dismiss the idea of owning one because I thought it was too simple--and it kind of is compared to some other Stern games--but it is an awesome use of a license, with great use of movie quotes and music (I LOVE that they use the ending theme of the film--the best track in the flick in my opinion--as the main theme for the game). It's also a very well laid out game, with a lot of similar shots as other games (ala Fun House/Adams and Congo), but it has a lot of elements that make it both a good casual game, and a good "players" game (i.e., the End of Line jackpots for the "players").

 

As far as the benefits of the LE over the others, the only up-side is that it has drop-targets and the moving Recognizer. Of course, it also has the Daft Punk multiball mode, but I don't think that is a huge incentive to get a LE. The reason I say this is that a few pinheads have been working on duplicating the LE rope lighting and making it available for Pro users. Then there are a bunch of other mods and toys you can add to the Pro on top of that, such as the animated arcade cabinet screen, or the light cycles on the ramps, which make the LE even less enticing in my opinion (at least not worth the going $10K price, since the mods will cost so much less and look comparable).

[Austin]

It appears some gameplay videos have appeared. Unfortunately, none are of terribly high quality at all, but it should at least give an idea of what the game is like. There is a "glass off" video and I noticed in it that there is a center lock shot with a drop target in front of it. I think that's pretty cool.

 

Here's a general gameplay video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djm34a6b2Fo