Houdini
American Pinball, 2017
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Williams, 1996Quoted from luvthatapex2:Someone should correct this posting. It should read New HOUDINI game by American Pinball. JPOP has nothing to do with this game. Interested to see more on this work in progress..
100% spot on.
When the visual leaks start trickling in......you all are going to be shocked.
They seem to be very quiet for some reason.
I think there is more going on in that dark quiet factory than we know.
Quoted from HOOKED:They seem to be very quiet for some reason.
I think there is more going on in that dark quiet factory than we know.
My thought would be recent silence to distance themselves even further from Jpop, especially with him being in some discussions since he started to ship out Magic Girls. I see Houdini coming to fruition, given that the game is already started (even though a ramp supposedly turns right into the side of the cabinet). At least there's a design, art and some functionality that can be finished. If it actually does happen, it might be my first NIB assuming I don't grab one before that happens. If it doesn't get finished, as others have said earlier in this thread, what a waste of a great theme.
Quoted from toyotaboy:Balcer will be at TPF end of this month.. Surely there will be some news. Not that far away.
Maybe even some pictures?
After the MG Hail Mary pass, these guys have the potential to be a real competition to Stern. I liked Houdini's original design and art and I'm eager to find out if they dumped the entire design or corrected the issues. Mainly because I'm not exactly a big fan of Balcer's designs.
I think it's s great theme but I would never buy nib as I'm very cautious about the company. I'd wait and see how it holds up, gets coded and how support is first.
As magic girl is now available to some Orginal buyers , did AP complete them and ship? The last time I saw them they were just empty cabinets?
I like the way these guys operate. They stuck their foot in their mouth with the "MG" thing... went silent for awhile, and then out of nowhere ship the completed game to get out from under it. Now they're a little silent about Houdini, I'd imagine they're going to pop up with a nice playing prototype soon. They seem to be capable of moving faster than most companies, which could be good or bad. Fun to watch, I wish them well!
Quoted from LyonsRonnie1:I like the way these guys operate. They stuck their foot in their mouth with the "MG" thing... went silent for awhile, and then out of nowhere ship the completed game to get out from under it. Now they're a little silent about Houdini, I'd imagine they're going to pop up with a nice playing prototype soon. They seem to be capable of moving faster than most companies, which could be good or bad. Fun to watch, I wish them well!
AP did not ship these MG's, it was JPop. Houdini will be 100% AP
Quoted from vdojaq:AP did not ship these MG's, it was JPop. Houdini will be 100% AP
JPOP shipped them out but AP entirely assembled them, right? I don't think JPOP has the ability to screw anything (together) other than his investors.
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:JPOP shipped them out but AP entirely assembled them, right? I don't think JPOP has the ability to screw anything (together) other than his investors.
AP officially has nothing to do with the builds of these games. AP did not build these, JPop did.....BUT.....he had help.
Quoted from vdojaq:AP officially has nothing to do with the builds of these games. AP did not build these, JPop did.....BUT.....he had help.
Ok who helped him? I am sure AP had something to do with the cabinets at least as early on they posted the picture bragging about it.
Quoted from Colsond3:Here's the first glance at the new cabinet.
Biggest bash toy I have ever seen, may pick one up for my TWD as a well walker replacement
Pinball Magazine just got the following press release from American Pinball. Jeff Busch being is charge of art is news to me. Looks like there will not be any references on the game reminding of the design originally showing at Pinball Expo 2016. There's also a new website up for American Pinball.
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HOUDINI, THE GREATEST MAGICIAN OF ALL TIME COMES TO LIFE IN THE FORM OF A PINBALL MACHINE
American-Pinball™ to Launch Houdini, Master of Mystery at Texas Pinball Festival, March 24th-26th.
Chicago, IL –March 24th, 2017 - American-Pinball, manufacturer of arcade games and amusements, is excited to announce the pending world-wide release of Houdini –Master of Mystery™ pinball machine for the home, arcades, gaming centers and magic collectors. American Pinball’s Houdini Master of Mystery will be available for purchase later this year for a limited-time introductory price of $6,995,
Based in the mecca of the pinball universe just outsideChicago, IllinoisAmerican Pinball features a team with decades of industry experience and a reputation that proceedsthemselves including legendary pinball designer, Joe Balcer, Director of Software Engineering,Josh Kugler,Director of Product development,Jim Thornton and Director of Sales, Jolly Backer and Art Director,Jeff Busch.
“We’ve built an incredible team that is responsible for some of the most well-known pinball games ever created,” explained Dhaval Vasani, founder and president of American Pinball. “We’re on a mission to create an immersive and engaging pinball machine that will distinguish American Pinball from others in the industry with the goal of delivering the ultimate fun experience for everyone including hobbyists, collectors as well asgeneral magic lovers and Houdini fans.”
Houdini is a name known around the world and one that is associated with greatness. This legendary figure is now celebrated with the newest machine from American Pinball. Houdini was more than just the world’s greatest escape artist, he was an illusionist, a movie star, a debunker of psychics and some believe he was also a government spy. The Houdini, Master of Mystery pinball machine celebrates his incredible life andimmerses the player in all fun things Houdini. Become one with Houdini and experience his greatest tricks, be a part of his movies, participate in a séance and go on secret missions.
“From start to finish, the timeline we’ve achieved for Houdini is unheard of in the start-up pinball world,” explained Joe Balcer, Director of Operations. “We’ve built a team and an incredible machine in under four months.”
With a limited-time introductory of $6,995, the “Houdini-Master Mystery” will be unveiled at the upcoming Texas Pinball Festival March 24th-26th2017. Come play the magic.
Please log on to American-Pinball.com for more details.
ABOUT AMERICAN-PINBALL
American Pinball has been listening and watching the industry for quite some time and has come to the conclusion that there’s a need for a new player in town. One that has their priorities straight and believes in quality craftsmanship and a “Made in America” mentality. People want a company that’s focused first on creating an incredible game experience and less on how to make a quick buck and that’s exactly what American Pinball is all about. We believe in hiring good people with an authentic approach to the pinball industry combined with decades of industry experience that will position the company to be an innovator, leader and pioneer for years to come. The entrepreneurial spirit is one of the company’s greatest strength as it provides us with an opportunity to make strategic and quick decisions with the goal of delivering the most engaging, fun and unique pinball machines ever created. Since day one of American Pinball we knew we wanted to create a company that would distinguish itself from the industry both as a result of the company itself and the products we manufacture. Our first game Houdini, Master of Mystery will be our first real example of that.
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So this thing will be playable there?
Still skeptical after all these other pinball startups that AP somehow is going to show everyone how it's done and get a complicated pinball machine out in record time.
Quoted from frolic:So this thing will be playable there?
Still skeptical after all these other pinball startups that AP somehow is going to show everyone how it's done and get a complicated pinball machine out in record time.
if they ask for ANY deposit/ pre-payment/ anything... that would be a BAD move!!!
Quoted from jlm33:The first Houdini trick: playing with time
(had to check today's calendar, just to be sure)
Got it today, it didn't say anything about an embargo or when it could go out, so I figured today immediate release was fine.
It's like weird 1990s "digitalized" photoshopping.
Them showing closeups is probably not helping, would have been better to wait 2 days and show the entire package.
AP's business sense, and common sense, have been shown to be lacking. The amount of research they engaged in prior to involvement with JPOP should be an indicator of their overall business practices and acumen. Everything they do must be taken with a grain of salt as this could happen to them again, repeatedly. If a completed, working game shows up for sale, that's one thing. But if they ask for any money before the machines are completed and available, watch out. They now have a track record of bad decisions and poor research as their foundation.
Agreed frolic. The green glow around the key and the orange glow and bad mask around the elephant are not helping the cause. Now if that elephant is 1in in size makes a big difference but overall i think they should have released images at the show at this point with the entire thing on display. The artifacting of the JPEG compression is not helping nor is the blurry textures...but I'm hoping for a nice reveal. Who knows maybe Houdini will be the surprise of the show
Quoted from frolic:So this thing will be playable there?
Still skeptical after all these other pinball startups that AP somehow is going to show everyone how it's done and get a complicated pinball machine out in record time.
Yes, 2 of them at least.
Quoted from FalconPunch:Where are the pics coming from?
Nothing on their website or Facebook I can see
Pics are on their web site: http://american-pinball.com/
Pretty interesting collection of folks that they have working at AP. Check out the "Who We Are" page on the site. Cautiously optimistic about seeing Houdini!
I have no idea what you guys are looking at, but that snippet of cab art is nice as heck. The details are excellent...Chris Franchi?
I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think that artwork looks terrible. Cut & paste Photoshop fest.
Artist's home page is here: http://www.jeffbuschcreative.com
Quoted from DBLM:Pretty interesting collection of folks that they have working at AP. Check out the "Who We Are" page on the site. Cautiously optimistic about seeing Houdini!
http://american-pinball.com
The great news is the Dot Matrix guy is the same one who did Batman Forever and Apollo 13, arguably some of the best dots from the Date East and Sega era.
Probably not wise to prejudge it, but:
• The $7k no preorder model has now become a limited time introductory offer (preorders), with presumably signifacant price increases thereafter.
• Art. Even if JPop's direction and production of the previous game's art was less than perfect, the artist had clear talent and craft, and was working along the right lines. Judging by the art revealed, he's been dispensed with and we now have a mid-2000s-Stern-esque clip art fest with some very basic photoshop layers. New artist may well be an old master, but he or she has clearly produced this very specific look under instruction.
• The press release is full of typos and semantic errors and is very poorly written and clearly not proof read at all.
Hmm. Doesn't bode well.
hmm, they def should not show closeups of the art like that... just looks horrible in my opinion. if you were gonna give a sneak peak, maybe just the translite or something in its entirety, not zoomed in shots of whatever.
Quoted from rubberducks:Probably not wise to prejudge it, but:
Doesn't bode well.
Your right, hold that judgement until you see the machine.
The artist looks talented; therefore my hunch is that much of these images are mockups to help people understand what the final game and layout will look like to understand the shots instead of showing a whitewood. I suspect that the artist will be refining these concepts into original art before the final game is shipping. It could even be Balcer's quick and dirty photoshop to give the artist an idea of how the game will play to help the artist work a little faster.
Based on the portfolio alone, I would be very surprised if this is final art.
Quoted from vdojaq:Your right, hold that judgement until you see the machine.
I'm not making a definitive conclusion. Hence the pre-amble.
But given what they have shown, it does bode less than well. Do you know what "bode" means?
Quoted from rubberducks:Do you know what "bode" means?
That thing you sail in?? 
Quoted from vdojaq:Your right, hold that judgement until you see the machine.
I think the position of AP nutswinger is filled and we haven't even seen the game yet. All other applicants can look for another job.
Quoted from frolic:It's like weird 1990s "digitalized" photoshopping.
Them showing closeups is probably not helping, would have been better to wait 2 days and show the entire package.
First thing I thought was 90's Sega Photoshop. I looked up Jeff Busch....he did a bunch of 90's Sega games! Why didn't they stick with the previous artist? He wasn't John...so, should be no "bad blood" there.
Quoted from Rarehero:First thing I thought was 90's Sega Photoshop. I looked up Jeff Busch....he did a bunch of 90's Sega games! .
And Balcer did a bunch of 90s Sega games. They are gettin' the band back together!!!
Quoted from CrazyLevi:And Balcer did a bunch of 90s Sega games. They are gettin' the band back together!!!
Well now that Stern has gone full hand-drawn, maybe some potential buyers are feeling nostalgic for Sega lol ...X-Files: $10k by Xmas!!!!
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