The Munsters was a great show. Now it's a Stern pinball game.
The Good:
This game looks and sounds great. Judicious use if the Tv show footage is very well edited. The cabinet, PF and trans(ylvania)lite look fantastic! The shots are standard Borg and feel solid. The Herman randomizer is far enough up the PF to be less of a death shot than the magnet may suggest. I did not expect to see Spot on the Pro. The left lane is like the MM catapult, but with Borg frugality and functionality. The lower playfield makes the difference on this design. The Stewie Pinball layout with the super skillshot and 5 buttons with their individual actions, and multiball being played on 2 levels at the same time... YES! This gameplay is worth the preem/le. First time since AC/DC. The tiny ball on the lower PF works GREAT!
The Bad:
The marketing algorithm at Stern Inc. has determined that along with grandpa rock, 60's tv shows and comic books are what pinball is all about. The pro really feels ok. The preem/le is more of a game.
yay.
Lots of airballs down by the flippers into the outlanes. Probably needs the ghostbusters treatment. Personally I prefer the Black and White look of the tv show for the art treatment. Rules are Herman heavy right now. Two shots into the game and you are off, but the scoring is VERY heavy on Herman. Kind of like Sparky and Groot...
The Takeaway:
A great FUN theme to play. The game plays well and people are going to play it. Despite my grumblings, this game is going to do well on location. I actually got to play a 5 player zen game with the 4 flippers and the whammy button on the lockdown bar. Never done that before...Expect updates to this review as code progresses.
Update:
For a game that heavily relies on the layout of Medieval Madness, I’m struggling with why I’m walking by this game so much. I think more than anything it Hass to do with the patient and the rules of the game. The rules are very task granted and I feel like you have to complete one character before you get to the next part of the game. It feels a bit isolating and older and it’s vintage. A good comparison with the monster Bash. However, that video screen needs to have movie time. And the patient is much different than an older pinball game. Older pinball games with you theatrical exceptions kept the ball molding and kept the players eye on the ball. The DMV on this game takes up so much time and space, that it breaks the flow and the enjoyment of the game. Do you have a good animes that is how much of the aesthetic of the theme has been accentuated or in some cases replaced with more modern 3-D graphics. Part of the fun of watching the Munsters is the old black-and-white analog low budget television technology that was used at the time.
While software updates and polish to the game, the overall pacing and break from the look of the original show doesn’t do favors to the team. Out of the three, I like the black and white cabinet the best. Seen the monsters in color, just looks strange. I also really enjoyed the little playfield it is extremely well executed. I don’t like playing this game without the lower play field and while I know some people love it, I feel like the premium limited edition version is the only way to go while playing this design.