Curious what the club members think here... seeing this ebay post made me think how underrated Xenon is for me.
I've owned mine for over a year now, and in that year have played it enough to dial it in how I like it. My machine is a rough players PF.... but it works and looks good from far as they say
For me, arguably, no.1 Art package of the classic SS era. Also, my favourite sound package of the classic SS era.
Gameplay is where xenon I believe gets a bit of unfair flack. When I first acquired the game, I agreed with the published reviews about a lack of mechs etc., or what people would call scoring exploits... or do this all day long etc.
I am not sure how the setup is of those players, but on mine the shots are very tight, and like all pins many are adjustable.
My spinner shot is tight.. You can still backhand or forhand it, but unless your shot is true, you will miss and hit the post that partially blocks the shot (I know mine does its job as it is bent lol.). multiball is a challenge here because of this.
The tube shot is always going to be fairly open.. but obviously there is some set up to make sure this is never going to get a ball stuck, and a slow but true roller should be able to creep up the ramp and through the switch door. (Much to xenon's relief!).
The MOTA collect here is fine, but I've read that people say shoot this all day long to win.. Not on mine, after reviewing the documentation, the design is for this kick out to hit the right sling on the way out. This SHOULD_ make it a fairly dangerous shot.. not a scoring strategy IMO. I think as mine was originally, when people set a heavy angle on the machine, this will in turn return the ball to the right flipper.. not how it is designed, this must kick to the right sling, and if you put it at a steeper angle, you'll need to adjust this kickout accordingly.
Xenon strategy has to be to achieve multiball and then go for the lit spinner. when you have a bonus, if you didn't hit it by luck, and are not getting the top rollovers, maybe think about shooting the drop and maxing out your 4x.
I would not say it is the best of the classic SS era here.. but the gameplay really is solid, and it has never got old for me, even as I approach what I'd guess to be well over 500 plays... it's a fast and mean game... just curious to me how it does not seem as coveted as some other classic SS.