Do Ritchie games really need a cheerleading squad? Personally, I have avoided rating both the High Speed games simply because I felt they speak for themselves.
My take on this is: how do the high speed games stack up against all the other games Steve Ritchie was involved with.
I believe they are superior to many of his licensed IP designs.
Why?
Themes!
High Speed and The getaway: High Speed 2 have a non licensed theme, based on most every kids favorite thing, car chases with fast cars. This open theme doesn’t limit itself to a particular IP, (Dukes of Hazzard, Smokey and the Bandit, Blues Brother, etc.) instead it sets up a basic car chase plot and it can be anything the player wants. Nobody walks up to it and says “I wish this was JUST a Fast and Furious machine.”
It can be though, if you want it to be, through the power of IMAGINATION!!! …and maybe a few toy cars, stickers, and a mug shot of vin Diesel taped to the backglass.
Don’t do that, people…
Because it’s Steve Ritchie, it’s expensive, but because it’s not The Addams Family, it’s not stupidly expensive. That is the other reason the High Speed games are superior, value for money.
Why do people pay twice the price for one particular pinball machine over another? Many reasons we all probably know and don’t need to go into.
If you buy this instead of the grail machine, you won’t have the adoration and worship of the community but you’re going to have lots of money left over and a really dang fun game.
Convinced you yet? No? Good! I am not here to sell you a machine, just encourage people to look at pinball for is gameplay and funfactor instead of its cash value.
I’d throw around words like flow and feel, but every machine is different. If you play one that’s been beat to snot, chances are it has no flow anymore and feels like dried crusty finger grease.
Instead, I recommend you try The getaway: High Speed 2, preferably well maintained, and see for yourself. Back in the day it munched your quarters and left you wanting another go. Even on freeplay High Speed 2 hasn’t lost its charm or frustration level. The ZZ Top(ish) music, the sirens, those ramps!!! Wow!!! When you get a good game going, it’s too satisfying to describe!
I could say “that’s what Steve Ritchie games are all about”, but it would be more accurate to say that’s what Williams pinball was all about in the 1980s and 1990s. Ritchie simply nailed it more often.
A quick word about the original High Speed.
Many people treat it like the lesser of the two games because it came out much earlier and lacks some of the bells and whistles being introduced in the later system 11 and WPC games. Don’t believe them! High speed is not an inferior version, it’s a completely different game and is just as good. Some collectors and fans have both of them placed side by side in their game room and wouldn’t part with either one.