Jurassic Park (Pinball)

[VectorGamer]

New pinball from Stern.

 

https://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/14162/stern-pinball-announces-new-jurassic-park-machines/index.html

 

[+wongojack]

I will look for it and play it, but somehow the Jurassic Park magic never really reached me.  I've never really been that into it.

 

That's the problem with basing like 90% of your machines off of licensed properties.  If people don't like the property they will probably skip the machine.

[VectorGamer]

Got to play this last night at the local bar. I wasn't impressed. I guess it didn't help that the volume was turned all the way down on the machine. After the skill shot, the only things lit on the play field were 3 targets and the gadget/loopy thing on the lower left hand side. I hit that gadget over and over again until I got multiball - which is easy to do from the left flipper.

 

Other than that, I watched a buddy start a mode somehow where a dino escapes and you have to save people by hitting the ramps and it also says to hit the truck to change gears. Well he hit the truck a few times and nothing happened.

 

So that's three releases in a row now from Stern (Munsters, BKSOR and JP) that I really have no desire to put money into.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

I wouldn't give up on them so fast, code updates can completely change how a game plays. I don't know what code you might have played on, but they're only at 0.87 (machines shipped with 0.86, 87 added a lot of fixes/changes). I would expect several updates to come along and do that. I know that happened with the Munsters, and heard from a few people who liked the game more after that. 

[Austin]

I put a few hours onto it over the weekend and picked up on just about everything I could in that time, putting up solid scores. The code out of the box is solid. I enjoy the playfield layout quite a bit. Things seem to be more inclined towards flow than Iron Maiden once you get a rhythm down. The right inverse ramp, to left ramp, to right ramp, to side ramp is super satisfying.

 

I will say it's not always obvious what to do. For instance, the Rescue mode is activated by the left ramp, but the ramp is never lit letting you know it can be started. It does seem like Rescue is something you will have running perpetually throughout the game, as there was rarely a moment for me where it the mode ended (it stacks on top of every other mode I played so far).

 

Spelling C-H-A-O-S is very important. The first time it lights Chaos multiball, then it'll light the computer room later, then you continue to spell it multiple times to get back to Chaos multiball again. That multiball can be huge.

 

I couldn't do anything with the cage/gate so I eventually ignored it. There's a target in the far back that I could never hit on the machine I was playing.

 

After the first two computer room modes, I couldn't figure out how to light the third one.

 

Hitting the truck will change the next map mode you can play, so that's a pretty important feature. I still haven't quite figured out how to start map modes intentionally, I'll need to look up a rulesheet, but I made it pretty far along in the map.

 

The game rewards constant flow, combos are a thing and they add up a lot. There's a 2X playfield multiplier activated on the rightmost targets and occasionally a white insert will light on the leftmost standup (by the computer room) which will light a virtual kickback on the left outlane (very important).

 

Any issue the game has will be sorted out. Stern has been good about *eventually* updating their games.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Austin

[Jumpman1981]

So... how does it compare to Data East's JP table?

Edited August 29, 2019 by Jumpman1981

[VectorGamer]

On 8/29/2019 at 2:30 AM, Austin said:

Spelling C-H-A-O-S is very important. The first time it lights Chaos multiball, then it'll light the computer room later, then you continue to spell it multiple times to get back to Chaos multiball again. That multiball can be huge.

 

I couldn't do anything with the cage/gate so I eventually ignored it. There's a target in the far back that I could never hit on the machine I was playing.

 

 

How do you spell CHAOS?

 

Yeah so someone informed me the other night that the loopty-loop thing on the bottom left is a cage. If you hit that over and over again it'll start multiball - easy to hit with the left flipper. I get more points from that multiball than the T-Rex multiball.

 

I got a few more games in last Thursday night and I'm starting to warm up to it. I think the problem with the machine is it's not intuitive as to what you're supposed to be shooting for. Iron Maiden was good with that. Like I said previously, after going for the skill shot off the plunge there's nothing indicating what you should shoot for.

[Austin]

12 hours ago, VectorGamer said:

How do you spell CHAOS?

 

Yeah so someone informed me the other night that the loopty-loop thing on the bottom left is a cage. If you hit that over and over again it'll start multiball - easy to hit with the left flipper. I get more points from that multiball than the T-Rex multiball.

 

I got a few more games in last Thursday night and I'm starting to warm up to it. I think the problem with the machine is it's not intuitive as to what you're supposed to be shooting for. Iron Maiden was good with that. Like I said previously, after going for the skill shot off the plunge there's nothing indicating what you should shoot for.

I agree that some things aren't particularly intuitive. But I assume it's something that will be fixed in later code updates. The more you play, the more you'll figure it out at the very least in the meantime.

 

Chaos starts on the left computer room shot (the yellow "C" should be lit and blinking). "H" is the left ramp, "A" is the right ramp, "O" is the inner loop next to the upper right flipper, "S" is the far right inverted ramp feeding the bottom right flipper. You have to hit them in order, the next one you need to hit will be blinking.

 

The Chaos multiball start shot is the small standup target at the back of the pop bumpers. You can try to hit it directly (through the pops, difficult), or shoot the center spinner and have it feed down there from the top, the pops often times bouncing the ball into it. That target is also the Super Jackpot shot during that multiball after you have started it.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Austin

[VectorGamer]

OK I figured out and got the CHAOS multiball last night. What I can't figure out is how to start the Raptor multiball. I've got it several times before but I'm not clear on how it starts. I just kept hitting the cage over and over again and it started - although other times I've hit the cage and nothing happened.

[WispFollower]

I ordered the limited edition, and I think it will be delivered tomorrow. I'm super hyped for this game. It has great shots from a top designer, fun and unique playfield toys, a theme I love, and awesome aesthetics. I can't wait to put hundreds of plays on this one!

[WispFollower]

I got the chance to dig into this game last night after work, and all I can say is it is the best pin I have played! It has a great level of challenge and very satisfying modes and shots. I put it in the arcade bar in which I work to share it with my friends and the community, but damn I would love to just take it home!! 

 

The limited edition extra featurea look great in pictures, but in person, the aesthetics really are fantastic- especially the real mirrored back glass and green powder coating on the armor. I was a bit nervous ordering this without playing it first, but I went with my gut and it paid off! It was being played every single moment during my shift at the bar last night. People were laughing and shouting all night while enjoying it.

 

I'll be going into work early and staying late to play the hell out of this game!!

[VectorGamer]

On 8/28/2019 at 12:18 PM, VectorGamer said:

I wasn't impressed.

 

On 9/4/2019 at 8:58 AM, VectorGamer said:

What I can't figure out is how to start the Raptor multiball.

Well I didn't have a good first impression but after playing this game for a while I like it.

 

As far as the Raptor multiball goes, the guy that runs my pinball league fixed a switch where the shots to the cage weren't registering. So now whenever I get the ball on the left flipper where I can cradle it, I just backhand it over and over to start the Raptor multiball.

 

I'm having a hard time hitting that right ramp consistently.

[Austin]

JP has turned into one of my favorites of Stern's recent titles. I'm a control player and this game is full Elwin control. It's easy to trap up and post transfers from either side work great. The combo shots feel very good too, particularly with the right ramp to side ramp combo. You can stage the upper right flipper as well which allows for lots of multiball control. Our game isn't particularly drainy and so I can have consistently solid games on it (400+ million), which is always nice.

 

Re: Raptor Multiball - our machine had the same problem with the target not registering. It looks like it's fixed now and so I was able to start it for the first time over the weekend. The shot itself is pretty risky and it takes a lot of hits, but I'm guessing it can probably be stacked with another multiball (like T-Rex or Chaos). I need to experiment with it more.

Edited November 13, 2019 by Austin

[VectorGamer]

10 hours ago, Austin said:

JP has turned into one of my favorites of Stern's recent titles. I'm a control player and this game is full Elwin control. It's easy to trap up and post transfers from either side work great. The combo shots feel very good too, particularly with the right ramp to side ramp combo. You can stage the upper right flipper as well which allows for lots of multiball control. Our game isn't particularly drainy and so I can have consistently solid games on it (400+ million), which is always nice.

 

Re: Raptor Multiball - our machine had the same problem with the target not registering. It looks like it's fixed now and so I was able to start it for the first time over the weekend. The shot itself is pretty risky and it takes a lot of hits, but I'm guessing it can probably be stacked with another multiball (like T-Rex or Chaos). I need to experiment with it more.

I went to the bar the other night for practice on Jurassic Park and I was not able to do post transfers. I guess I'll have to shoot the ramps in order to pass to the other flipper.