AC/DC is the best game to come from Stern in a long long time.
The Pros:
This is the best sounding pinball game... ever. The theme is incredibly well executed and the details of this game are well attended. Drops instead of standups are a welcome addition. The Bell diverter lane as well as the diverter from the left ramp. Oh yeah... the lower pf is a welcome return and addition to this game. Not too much time is spent down there and the scoring is not so significant that it is unbalancing. This table flows well and is a worthy successor to the T2 layout. Smooth flow and lots of different modes use the entire playfield and yet all the modes do not feel boring. 12 songs, 12 modes, 12 sets of rules within the same table. Stack you MB's, multiply your PF scoring and rock out! I like the stand ups better than the drops. Keeps things snappy and fast.
The Cons:
I need more time with this game. I'd love to see what they do with the wizard mode. You had better like AC/DC songs because you are going to hear a lot of it. The inlane/outlane on the right is obstructed by the cannon. The bell seems to break a bit on location. I stay away from a few modes at all cost (Thunderstruck, agh!). Once you play the LE version with the lower PF, you don't want to go back to looking at Angus's snarling puss. The lower PF isn't just a gimmick, it is an integral part of the modes inside the game.
The Takeaway:
With software updates and more tweaking of the modes on the way... this game is a winner. It feels great, it looks good and the gameplay is fantastic. I have to play this game more, and that is ALWAYS a sign of a good pinball game. Congratulations Stern... I am more excited to play this game than any other pinball game I have seen in years.
Update:
I got a chance to play the Pro version quite a bit this past week and there is good and bad to this "lesser" version of this table. Note that these comments are in comparison to the Premium/LE version of this game.
Not so Hot:
No lower PF. Angus's face is just way too big and ugly on this PF. An accurate shot to the Bell standup has a good chance of screaming SDTM. Can some sort of adjustment/ dribble gate be placed into this shot to make it less deadly for a successfully scored target?
Me Likey:
No drops in the main portion of the PF means that this game is FAST! Deadly FAST! When I get my AC/DC Premium... I may need to replace a drop target bank (or two) to keep this deck nice and quick. There is no real stop and go with this design... It's all go, go! GO!
Update:
This game has LOOOOOOONNNNG legs. I mean, it just keeps on giving and giving and giving. The game can be set up for easier play (If you absolutely need to make Encore), and can also be set up to be PAPA nasty and downright deadly as a player. There are some minor complaints about the cannon modes, but... these are such small matters as compared to the big picture that. They don't really matter at all. A true player in every sense of the term and quite possibly the only game that I don't have in my collection that I HAVE to own someday. When you really think about it, there are only 5 shots on the game.
Left Orbit
Left Ramp
Bell lane
Right Ramp
Right Orbit
and nothing of real note to the layout. This game is a true testament to the genius of Lyman Sheats and is one of the few games that Stern made that was not programmed by Keith Johnson to be a truly brilliant, deep game that is without exploits. This is a game that offers you many valid and earnable choices as to how to play as your game progresses. If pinball was art (I do most sincerely believe that it is) This pinball decck is analagous to DaVinci's David, Michaelangelo's Mona Lisa. So there. Ritchie and Sheats's AC/DC.
Manchester, NH
Perth
Beauharnois
Mödling
