So my buddy Rascal and I finally made it up to Pinball Wizard to give the game that I have been bashing for 2 years a try............WOZ. So just to throw it all out there, let me start by saying Jack has made several mistakes along the way, all of them forgivable, except his first and biggest one.............betraying the pinball base by choosing WOZ as a theme for his FIRST game. The majority of pinball players are men and no one can deny that this was 100% ignored by Jack. Ignoring your customer base when you are starting a new company is foolish/pompas to say the least. That being said, let's get one thing straight, pinball does not need saving, pinball is alive and well. If anyone deserves credit for saving pinball it's the Stern team. Now that I got that out of the way..................On to the game. I played the game 15 times and watched 10 games by other people.
Appearance (Art/Lighting): The game is simple beautiful. The RGB LEDs and vast number of inserts make this machine look like Christmas. The play field and cabinet art work are amazing and both are a flawless execution of the theme. Those damn trees on the haunted forest pop bumpers are awesome, nice job Matt! I could go on and on, but all you need to know is that this game could very well be the most beautiful pin ever made................Even beating TOTAN, CV and TOM............Alright maybe it does not beat them, how about a tie. Overall Rating: 9.5, would have been a 10, but I had to take a half a point away off for those awful ruby red slipper flipper.
Sound: The stereo sound is impressive and because the speakers are at ear level, the sound projects right at you. There were a number of song changes throughout my longest 45,000 point game which was good to hear as I cannot stand, "We're off to see....Fk'ing shoot me." The call out kept to the theme, so there is not much to say. From a technical stand point the sound was a 10, but from a content rating, I give it a 7.5. As a person who listens to all types of music, I can tell you, you will never see WOZ music on my ipod nor do I ever want it on my $7000 pin. I don't care about technical sound quality, I would rather hear a homeless man playing Back in Black with a hair comb than listen to, "We're off to see the wizard." in perfect stereo.
Layout/Flow: The game is not original at all when it comes to layout/flow and if you can get past the theme, you will either hate this machine or love it based on flow alone. The layout to me is a TZ knock off, only worse. The mini playfields take up a ton of real estate and doesn't really contribute to the game. There are a few fun shots, but most are very long which can make the game seem slow. It's almost as though the team was so concerned with putting, "toys" in this game that they forgot what IM showed us, pinball doesn't need the BS to be great. My biggest concern is that this particular rating might get worse with the code up dates. Many of the magnets were not working and based on their location, I can see them having a negative impact on an already slow game. "Too much stop and go will kill the flow" and this game in it's current state already has enough. Overall rating: 7.0
Fun: Despite hating the theme and the fact that the games felt a little slow, I actually enjoyed playing all 15 games and it left me coming back for more. That being said, I am not sure I would be able to own it for long time as I like speed games. I think many people will buy it as a trophy pin, but it won't get as much play as the newer Sterns in the end. I can also see that Keith will be the "saving grace" for this pin. My guess is this will be his greatest programming masterpiece. The inserts alone make the rule possibilities endless, which will be a reason many will be drawn to it. Overall Rating: 8
Summary: To say that the JJP team created something special with WOZ is true, but to say the team created something better than what we had would be false. The JJP team has raised the bar on some elements in sound, system and lighting, but failed to truly innovate and pull these concepts together to create a revolutionary machine that raises the current standard. Although the LCD might offer something for the viewers, it really does nothing for the player. Pinball 2000's use of a LCD screen is creative, JJP's LCD back glass is not. In conclusion, despite theme, I give this game a solid 8.0, which leaves room for the rating to grow as the rules are not complete. At an 8.0, I feel I owe the JJP team an apology for all of the trash talk I have given them the last few years. This game is definitely something to consider when building a large collection and I look forward to seeing what they create with the Hobbit.
Poolesville, MD
Toronto, ON
Villejuif
Sana'a
Breda, Holland
