There's a lot of cool looking stuff here and the machine looks leagues better than it did at MPE a couple years ago...but those guys really need to make a different company logo. All I'm seeing is "Shit" written all over the machine.

I got to get hands-on with Predator at Shark Club's Halloween party last night. I would've taken some pictures and video, but there were enough iPhones and DSLR's surrounding the machine I figured somebody else would've had this taken care of already

Predator is fun but definitely felt "homemade". The game played as a pinball game should, but things just felt...I dunno...loose. The layout plays well, but I found it hard to make ramp shots. The ramps themselves have a nice shape to them, but are sort of milky/matte looking, especially when the UV lights kick on (more on that later). The ramps are also sort of long and high and "gave" a bit, making them hard to complete, especially after playing a lot of new Star Trek recently.

The plastics are overwhelmingly jungle and they have all these extra holes drilled into them - no idea what that's all about. The large plastic north of the pop bumpers is just screaming for a "chopper" or even some gameplay instructions - anything but more leaves! The designers should take a cue from High Speed for clever ways to break up a foliage-driven plastic set. The pop bumper caps were also green. Even if they don't turn the pops into straw huts, some red to break up the green everywhere would be nice!

Also, not to nitpick (but pinball really is all about the details...) the font used on the inserts looks pre-worn. I get that they're using the Predator logo-font on the inserts...but they shouldn't be. All-caps Arial is fine, whatever. Anything is better than print that looks 10 years old already.

The cabinet is reallllly classy. Great glossy paint and the red armor really ties the everything together. Also, the translite rocks and stares down the entire room. The flippers feel snappy, responsive, and crisp and the DMD and its effects are totally professional. The playfield art is what it is, but the box holding the thing together looks great.

Now that whole UV mode...it's pretty awesome! The "Hunt Mode" as it's called is quite innovative. The way you can "call your shot" with the extra flipper buttons, lighting your shot of choice, and then successfully nailing it makes you feel like Babe Ruth. The blacklights have a strong effect on the ramps and the flipper bats, but the playfield and plastics just turn kinda purpley. However, the DMD animation and sound effect of the Predator's vision totally sell the gimick, making you feel like you're playing both sides of the conflict in the movie. It's pretty damn cool and must be personally experienced. I doubt video will sell it.

Overall, I enjoyed it as a player (and a HUGE Predator fan!), but from a collector's standpoint, I've gotta say it still felt a bit cheap and incomplete, especially in a room full of similarly priced Sterns. But hey - new pinball is good pinball! I'm really glad they brought it out.

The best way I can describe how the playfield art reacted to the UV lights is "purple haze". It definitely reacts, but it doesn't turn the game into a blacklight poster experience. Objects that are white pop the most, everything else takes on a glowing purple tint. Now, perhaps with no ambient light in the room this will be a different experience.

I didn't notice any deliberate ramp side effects, just the ramp glowing according to how thick and polished the plastic was.

I didn't see anything that really qualified as a "drawing in UV reactive paint", no. Not like a "hidden message" that is revealed by UV light or anything. It felt more like the whole playfield was smeared in a UV reactive paint to make it glow? It's best to think of it as turning the playfield into "Predator-vision"...kinda.

The holes were sparse and about the diameter of a pencil. I noticed them on the major left and right side plastics. I dunno if they're making space for another layer of plastics/toys or what these are for. Probably should've asked but the guys seemed mobbed.