![]() ![]() Long story short, I didn’t enjoy this one. Careful rocking can be the solution, but Ripley’s table is very sensitive to tilt, so you’re better off just eating the ball and cursing out the maker. Lastly, it’s got a really clear “dead drop” zone: that is to say, you’re very likely to have the ball plummet straight from the top of the table between the flippers without any chance to save. More often than not, it’s a hindrance rather than a help, so players trying to get the higher up flags are better off shooting from the bottom. And the infamous “third flipper” is on the right side and aims positively nowhere. All of the audio revolves around ambient drums and tribal sounds while the shrunken head talking in a distinctly cajun style, which grates on the ears pretty quickly. Most of the goals involve trying to venture to other lands in order to discover more and newer oddities, but the posts and slots tend to be just beyond normal shooting range. Paying homage to the eerie and bizarre museum chain that acts as a modern day freak show, most of the items on the table – shrunken heads, wild jungle fronds – are campy in a way that doesn’t totally appeal to the overall gameplay. Although the table is fairly interesting on the eye, nothing about it really stands out for players looking for an exciting experience. The bottom rung of everything is Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Let’s take a look at the four tables here in this first pack. All of the tables are fairly new in terms of pinball machines (nothing made prior to 1996), but they carry the tricks, flaws and quirks of classic pinball. On the other, since everything is really wood and steel with some LED glass mixed in, younger players who are less into retro will get bored and frustrated FAST. On the one hand, some players will really enjoy this back-to-basics approach, and the nostalgia factor is HIGH on this first DLC that we’ll look at, Bundle Pack 1. ![]() This serves as both enticement and a warning for players looking for more pinball on their Nintendo Switches. There are no mind-bending creations or wormholes of magic, but, instead, clever designs that keep the players on their toes with both new and old ideas alike. Nearly every table you’ll find in the Stern Pinball Arcade is a real table somewhere in the world (ok, somewhere in North America). So keep those ideas in mind as we dive into Stern Pinball Arcade for the Nintendo Switch. It’s bold, but,miraculously, it’s worked out well and, despite re-investing in pinball when the industry was all but dead, they’ve managed to stay afloat and prosper. Stern, one of the most tenacious makers of pinball machines, had a different approach: change almost nothing and stay the course. Zen, the studio behind Pinball FX3, saw the changing tide and decided to go in a bold new direction, keeping the core ideas alive while totally redesigning how the game was played. Pinball is timeless, combining a physical mechanic with an ever changing landscape of electronic engagement. When you go into most arcades, if you can find one, you’ll see at least a couple pinball tables set up, usually in the back, away from the rhythm games and the noisier cabinets. Pinball is one of those wonderful things that, despite the changes that have happened in video games over the decades and years, never seems to fully change.
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