Quoted from Rarehero:Alrighty, it's probably too early for "first impressions", although these are actually my second impressions since I played it on location last year.
Gameplay first:
-I'm happy to say I'm having a lot of fun playing this game today...
I've been meaning to do a proper review for a long time, but then Rarehero came along and pretty much matched my thoughts, so that saved me some work. If RGP memory serves me well, we've been in the hobby for a similar amount of time, and have a lot of similar opinions. It's fascinating to think back to those ~2008 days; I also remember that sentiment that Bally/Williams was far and away the gold standard, that there were a few Data East games that weren't considered garbage, and that Stern being in business was nice consolation in the meantime. The analogy that UM isn't designed to shoot silky smooth like i.e Spiderman, but a little "weirder" and more unpredictable (like some cult-favorite DE or Gottlieb games from the era) helped me categorize how I feel about this game's shots. To be clear- it shoots great.
[Sidebar: I rewatched "Tilt" (The P2K documentary) a few weeks ago, and it's amazing how that story ends with a very grim outlook for pinball, and people like George Gomez being totally out of the industry and Pat Lawlor just starting to do a little contract work. We were just hoping for pinball to stay alive. And now we've got more companies and new games than we can keep track of, and in many cases, the games are better than ever.]
Flashback aside, a few other current UM thoughts:
- The Kaiju battles are *really* good. I love the variety of shots and creative goals. I was just playing one (can't remember which monster) and I was amazed how many "stages" the battle went through. The ongoing progression reminded me of LOTR, which has some of my favorite mode rules.
- I really like *idea* of the current UI (i.e. the old fashioned computer look, the 'monitor' and other 'meters' etc.), I think it's clever and I didn't really mind the smaller clips. BUT- once I got to the DADA mode (which is all full screen video), I was immediately hooked on how much better the full screen clips are. To agree with Rarehero again: the smaller looping clips are nice background (in the same way that people do those tiny TV mods with footage on Addams Family etc.), but when it comes to showing me that I'm hitting the right shots and progressing the mode, I need full screen clips to signal that. Similarly, I'm hoping the future updates include more clear direction (voice, video, sound etc.) of what to do, and clear reaction when I've done it.
- I've had a couple minor tech issues/questions and I can't express enough how quick and easy the Spooky tech support phone line made things.
- I was a little worried that the LED strip lights might be over the top, but they're not. They actually have a "pinstadium" sort of effect that keeps the upper 1/2 of the playfield really evenly lit. And the patterns they have programmed in are great (watch them on attract mode for a while).
- LOVE the music. Great variety, great energy. Can't think of many (any?) other games that sound like this one.
- If I could make one modification, I think I'd prefer that the left ramp be all metal (or plastic) before the wireform, rather than the metal ramp -> wood playfield -> wireform. I think it'd shoot a little smoother. But that's just me being picky.
Lastly- re: the in-lane lifters. I got used to them (as did my wife) in like ~2 games. They don't feel slow, and honestly sometimes it's nice to not have to "brace" yourself for hard eject from the scoop (a la FGY/Shrek, with a similar scoop position). However, I did try removing the monster plastic from one of my slingshots to see if being able to see the actual "lift" happen would make a difference. It is nice to see the action happen, but I don't know if it improves the game really.
I'd be curious, from Bug & Luke's perspective, what the motivation was for doing the lifters. Not in a "what were you thinking?!?" way, but what were they hoping it would add to the game? Is it just a unique way of returning the ball from the scoop, is it meant to be "sneaky" (a la Michael Myers), is there a mechanical/functional purpose they were addressing? If there's a specific idea or purpose with it, maybe there are code/video/lights/sounds ways that can make that difference shine and stand out more, rather than just seeming like an alternative to a normal scoop eject.
I had some of my best UM games so far this afternoon, I think I'm starting to find my groove and enjoy it more and more. Great work everybody at Spooky; I love seeing the code progress and I'm really grateful for your attention and dedication.