More pics of Iron Man, people playing it

jar155

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Looks like a better layout than I first thought based on these new pics.

http://www.tilt.it/flipper_pinball/2010/03/enada-primavera-2010/#more-4447

enada_015.JPG
 
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I dunno, I'd like to see it in person - but the playfield art is almost TOO minimal. I realize that Stern is just using the movie "style guides" for the characters...they did that on Spider-Man as well, but in a more interesting way. ....here, they're just basically pasting them about on a gray background w/ a white burst and some fire. Rather than the characters just pasted by their inserts...I would have rather seen some kind of action scene...Whiplash & the Drones attacking Ironman, w/ War Machine flying nearby...
 
The are does seem overly simple, but it might look nice in the dark with the GI lighting.

I don't get the KingOfTron comment. Stern has been putting out plenty of fun games. The art might be weak, but gameplay has been pretty solid for the most part. I haven't played Big Buck Hunter yet, but the general impressions seem favorable, and they really have hit some big home runs with Spider-Man, Simpsons, Lord of the Rings, and Family Guy/Shrek.
 
I'll admit that Lord of the Rings and The Simpsons are pretty sweet, but Family Guy, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Nascar, The Sopranos, Indiana Jones, Batman, etc. all look and feel too simlilar to each other for me. The artwork looks like ironed on photographs and the action figures aren't necessary. Family Guy and Shrek just seems like a cheap move on Stern's part.
 
I'll admit that Lord of the Rings and The Simpsons are pretty sweet, but Family Guy, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Nascar, The Sopranos, Indiana Jones, Batman, etc. all look and feel too simlilar to each other for me. The artwork looks like ironed on photographs and the action figures aren't necessary. Family Guy and Shrek just seems like a cheap move on Stern's part.

I'll give you LOTR and Sopranos...both being Gomez fan layouts...and even LOTR and Batman (another Gomez) since it's got the same "Path of the Death" (but reversed). Nascar and Family Guy are absolutely unique Lawlor games w/ unique features (Mini-Pinball, Racetrack) that don't really feel like anything else, Pirates is another unique Nordman game w/ an excellent toy (destroyable sinking ship)...Spider-Man's a great Ritchie game that if anything feels like a combo of STTNG and AFM ....Indy's just a boring Borg game where you have to shoot everything 50 times to advance.
 
Generic looking artwork - every where. I can;t comment on the game play because I haven;t touched one.
And people ranting and raving that this is a solid theme because Ironman is hot ... OK maybe Ironman is hot - that's cool. Yes super hero usually is a good thing to go for ... batman BK was a mediocre pin at best. Enter Shrek - meh. Not super hero but Shrek was HOT as well.

I'm sorry if I seem ultra negative - but what happened to the days of making a pin that didn't need to be based on a HOT subject. So many pins are soooooo ungodly fun because the artwork is crazy, and the toys/action of the table are fun. And these are NOT based on HOt subjects. Not meaning to offend anyone but I do value others opinions on the matter.
 
I thought these two bits of info helped with my understanding of the Playfield a bit. I'd like to see it in action though. I like the backglass better then Batman.

Pinball players will fight against Whiplash and his ball-catching
mechanism, which whips the ball around the playfield.

Adding to the challenge is the mechanical War Machine, firing the
pinball back to the flippers, and Iron Monger, rising from underneath
the playfield to do battle.
 
I thought these two bits of info helped with my understanding of the Playfield a bit. I'd like to see it in action though. I like the backglass better then Batman.

I think those descriptions oversell it a bit. The "ball catching mechanism" is just a magnet that will fling the ball around. "Mechanical War Machine" is really just a kick-back coil, like the Raptor Pit on JP. Iron Monger rising from below is exacly the same as Dr. Evil. Hopefully the motor mech. will be better, allowing him to rise up faster...although I'm not sure how they're going to keep the toy from breaking. Dr. Evil was notorious for having missing parts, being an off-the-shelf toy w/ moving joints and whatnot.

Software, great rules, and great sound will save this game from being a cheap Austin Powers re-theme.
 
I'm sorry if I seem ultra negative - but what happened to the days of making a pin that didn't need to be based on a HOT subject. So many pins are soooooo ungodly fun because the artwork is crazy, and the toys/action of the table are fun. And these are NOT based on HOt subjects. Not meaning to offend anyone but I do value others opinions on the matter.

Oh, this old debate. Look, it'll never happen...Stern will ALWAYS ONLY do licensed pins. Licenses have an instant recognition factor that get people interested in playing....and lets not forget the fact that some of the BEST pinballs have been licensed - Addams Family, Star Trek:TNG, Twilight Zone, etc....Licensing and pinball is something that can work quite well....would Lord of the Rings be as good and sold as well if it was some generic fantasy adventure theme? I don't think so...

Bottom line - these days coin-op manufacturers can't take risks....especially the last pinball company....that being said, I don't think improved artwork is something that necessarily costs more...just requires the right creativity.
 
I think those descriptions oversell it a bit. The "ball catching mechanism" is just a magnet that will fling the ball around. "Mechanical War Machine" is really just a kick-back coil, like the Raptor Pit on JP. Iron Monger rising from below is exacly the same as Dr. Evil. Hopefully the motor mech. will be better, allowing him to rise up faster...although I'm not sure how they're going to keep the toy from breaking. Dr. Evil was notorious for having missing parts, being an off-the-shelf toy w/ moving joints and whatnot.

Software, great rules, and great sound will save this game from being a cheap Austin Powers re-theme.

I'm not familiar with Austin Power Pin so when I first looked at the Playfield I thought Iron Monger was just a graphic. I did wonder what the "ball catching mechanism was though thanks for explaining it. I'd still like to see it in action.

Even if it is a re-theme, that may not be too bad for some collectors. It's not like Family Guy and Shrek which came out really close to each other. Although in general you don't seem too thrilled with Austin Powers so a retheme of a pin that doesn't play well may not be a good idea.
 
I'm also a fan of Monopoly, but in general as far as my personal tastes go, I put Stern machines in the same catagory as Hans Zimmer. For anyone familiar with the music of Hans Zimmer, he is to music what Stern is to pinball.
 
I'm not familiar with Austin Power Pin so when I first looked at the Playfield I thought Iron Monger was just a graphic. I did wonder what the "ball catching mechanism was though thanks for explaining it. I'd still like to see it in action.

Even if it is a re-theme, that may not be too bad for some collectors. It's not like Family Guy and Shrek which came out really close to each other. Although in general you don't seem too thrilled with Austin Powers so a retheme of a pin that doesn't play well may not be a good idea.

Actually I used to own Austin Powers....most people hate it, but I actually thought it was pretty fun...just very simple rules (shoot this 5 times to start multiball or mode) and waaaay too much reliance on Multiball. The layout is relatively uninspired, but a fun fan layout. With better software/rules, it could be really sweet. However, the fact that I OWNED Austin Powers for a while makes Iron Man's familiarity a bit less exciting.

Anyway, look at this pic and then look at the Iron Man PF:
-Ramps pretty much exactly the same
-Rising toy (although Iron Monger seems closer to the flippers)
-Kickback replaces toilet
-Magnet replaces scoop
-It's hard to tell, but it looks like a loop to the pops replaces the Time Machine
-Unfortunately the divertor to the "Frickin' Lazer Cannon" is gone ...that cannon would have made total sense in Iron Man
image-11.jpg

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I'm also a fan of Monopoly, but in general as far as my personal tastes go, I put Stern machines in the same catagory as Hans Zimmer. For anyone familiar with the music of Hans Zimmer, he is to music what Stern is to pinball.

Except that Stern has a good share of top 20 pins. Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, Simpsons, and Family Guy are generally found in most top 10 and top 20 lists that include all manufacturers.

The art criticism is fair (aside from Simpsons), but Stern has produced a good number of all-time great machines.
 
And some of the best pins were also NOT built around licensed themes. It's not an argument by any means it's fact just as licensed items are fact. It's not downgrading Stern as they have also produced phenominal machines. It'd just be nice to see someone as it was put (with more creativity). Yes indeed that is what these tables need.
 
And some of the best pins were also NOT built around licensed themes. It's not an argument by any means it's fact just as licensed items are fact. It's not downgrading Stern as they have also produced phenominal machines. It'd just be nice to see someone as it was put (with more creativity). Yes indeed that is what these tables need.

Would you rather take the sales of Addams Family and Twilight Zone or Medieval Madness and Cactus Canyon?

It's a business decision. In these days when pinball buyers are so few, Stern has to appeal to the lowest common denominator to survive, and that means more licensed pins. Operators won't trust non-licensed product at this point, and most people pass by a pinball machine without a second glance unless it happens to have some sort of hook for them...like them being a big fan of the movie/show.

I would prefer original themes too, but I don't fault Stern for only willing to produce licensed content. As long as the licenses are good, there's no problem.
 
I don't want to ruffle any feathers. I like you Jar, you're one of my favorite posters, and I LOVE your pinball lineup. I'm just not a huge Stern fan.
 
I don't want to ruffle any feathers. I like you Jar, you're one of my favorite posters, and I LOVE your pinball lineup. I'm just not a huge Stern fan.

Fair enough. I hate most Gottlieb/Premiere DMD machines (not all). I have to be convinced to like them it seems.
 
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