Stern Spiderman is a great playing game. I was just not as into it as much as other Stern gmaes. Upon recent review... this is changing. The more I play this game, the more I like it. As Martha would say... "It's a good thing..." and this is a really good pinball.
The Good: Artwork and theme are very well implemented. Bonesaaw! Great shot. Full on Steve Ritchie PF design! The ball does not stop moving until you get to the final wz mode. This game has FLOW! The integration of the theme is one of the best I have ever seen. Stack your modes and THEN hit a multiball for maximum playability. Double and Triple scoring shots are way sweet! This game is a players game and there is lots and lots to do. Stacking is king here and to get your first mode and then your Doc Oc... you pretty much need to hit every shot in the game from the start. The LE version has a rumble motor and the spiderweb flipper guards are perfect for this table. Kudos to Lyman and Co. for the revised (and revised and revised) code. Gary Stern... give this man a raise. Lyman and his like make your good games GREAT GAMES! The upgraded sound system on this deck makes a difference with how this game sounds in a big way.
The Bad: Sounds are tinny and thin. Maybe turning up the sound will help. Or maybe upgraded speakers? Considering SR did World Poker tour... I thought the Green Goblin would have had drop targets. Movie clips on the DMD are muddy. Hit Doc Oc over and over and over.... The ramp from the upper right flipper either is super smooth or I just can't seem to hit the damn thing. I like the translite design and colors better than this backglass (I can't believe I'm saying that...).
The Takeaway: A great design and a real players table. It took me a long time to "get" this game. Playing with some other pin-heads who I respected made me see even more great things about this deck. Sometimes the games can be long, but that's not always a bad thing. The best Stern games in my eyes: TSPP, LOTR, AC/DC and then Spiderman, WPT, Tron , Ripley's, after that, a bunch of games lumped together including: Monopoly, Family Guy, Iron Man, Avatar and X-men. The rest... I forget.
Update:
The more I play this game, the more I like AND respect it. This deck is a true player!
Update v2:
At the world championships I witnessed Jorian Engelbrektsson (Former PAPA champ and current world champ for 2014) utterly destroy this game with over 400 million on the first ball by hitting Doc Ock over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... This qualifies as an exploit to me and after having played this game with that strategy (and having found it successful), I have to significantly reduce the scores on gameplay and longevity. This is a good game, but not a great one and because of that, it joins the ranks of Medieval Madness and just about every game JPop ever produced. It's a damn shame too. Can I still play this game for fun... yes. But when the win is on the line... I'm shooting for Doc Ock again and again and again and again and again and again...
So disappointing. This game is off the wishlist.
Update v3:
Now that I have gotten over myself and played more of this game, it's great when you play the entire game. Can you still Doc Ock all day? Yes. But double/triple the right ramp and hit super hero... big points! This PF design just FEELS right. I still wish there was more to do with the shot under the upper right hand flipper, but man... it is really hard to find much fault in this deck. I like this game a lot and have re-upped my scores on it's rating.
Spider Pig!
Spider Pig!
Does whatever a spider pig does!
Can he swing from a web?
No he can't
He's a pig
Lookout!
He is the spider pig!!
Royersford, PA
