Reviews

2 short DVD's with almost the same content. The only part i enjoyed was the tour around the Stern factory. There are only interviews on these dvd's telling you how great pinball is and why you must love pinball. I already love pinball so they don't have to explain that to me. I was curious about the evolution and history about pinball, but the only thing they mentioned was when the first flipper was invented and some other inrelevent info for me. So don't expect to actually see some pinball action on these discs. waste of money.

I picked up this DVD on a whim since I just purchased my first pinball table (Star Trek: The Next Generation, for the curious). I had low expectations, since it had no reviews and I'd never heard of it. I'd watched the "Tilt" documentary, which I liked. "Pinball Passion" is just as enjoyable. Its scope is broader, examining the intrinsic appeal of pinball as compared to video games; 3D physics-based gameplay, no digital patterns to memorize, etc. It also does a good job of conveying the mechanical complexity of a table's inner workings, with respect paid to the engineers that bring them to life. The rising scale and budget of pinball tables through the decades is well illustrated. It doesn't discuss Pinball 2000 at all, but it does cross paths with "Tilt" briefly by exploring whether pinball has a future. The editing is very well paced, and the camera work is good for a true indie film (it was supposedly made for the cost of two pinball tables). My only complaint is the length. I want more. At 50 minutes, the main feature feels more like a television special than a feature documentary, and there is no topic that couldn't have been explored deeper. That said, there is a commentary mode, and a second disc that contains extended interviews. All in all, I really enjoyed this disc. It is a great primer and tribute to the hobby of playing/collecting pinball tables. The interviews are well done -- the names will be familiar to fans and collectors, but the discussions are inclusive and accessible. I could see this movie piquing interest of people who previously just didn't "get" pinball, and that's an achievement. Well done.

Reviews

I recently had the opportunity to play this game for about 3 hours straight. I had heard some bad reviews of the game, but definitely wanted to check it out for myself. I must say I was really pleased with the game. The first thing you will notice when you see this machine is the striking cabinet art and translite. I believe these are stock images from Warner Brothers Batman Style Guide (not positive) but they really look good. The side art is especially nice as well as the backbox sides. The translite is good, but I would have preferred just Batman and the Joker on it. The playfield art is also very good, and is similiar to Spiderman in that it has the photos of key players in the movie. There are plenty of lights in this game which make the lighting very good. The game features many toys, but they arent as interactive as in some games. Toys include: Batmobile Teeter Totter, a spinning Joker Stage, and the Scarecrow Crane. The Batmobile Teeter Totter doesnt really do anything special other than provide a break from gameplay. Joker Stage simply turns and reveals the Joker. The real winner of the toys is the Scarecrow Crane. At certain points in the game the Crane will move out onto the playfield over certain targets displayed on the playfield. The crane features a ball attached to a spring that you have to hit. This definitely adds a a good bit of randomness to where the ball will go which is always fun. There is only one ramp in this game, which is not an issue, as for some reason while playing it felt like there were more. There are plenty of shots on this game, and the gameplay is very smooth. Its not an extremely hard game, but it is fairly challenging. I am not sure what version of software the machine I played had, but it honestly didn't matter. I wasn't playing the "modes" of the game, I was more interested in just playing the game and figuring out what everything did. People trashed this game because of the initial software, but after reading Sterns software updates, it seems like plenty of improvements have been made to the code. One of the features that is now enable is support for a shaker motor. I haven't played one with a shaker, but I'm sure it really enhances the game, especially during crane hits. Overall I found this to be a really fun game with striking art and one of the coolest toys in pinball, the Scarecrow Crane. Its a great theme, and since it isn't specific to either Batman Begins or The Dark Knight, Stern will have an opportunity to rerelease this when the next movie comes out, assuming they still have the license. Continued software updates will make this game a sleeper hit in my opinion.

Reviews

This is a real arcade pinball machine made by the only company that now makes pinball machines - Stern Pinball. This is sold and warrantied directly through Stern which is better than dealing with a middleman. The other Stern machines on Amazon are sold through distributors. The machine arrives at your door in a large cardboard carton. You'll need a friend to help you move it into your basement. After that, all you have to do is bolt on the four legs and then raise and tighten the back box. This is easy to do. It is neat that you can adjust the difficulty of the game. For example, if you want you can move the pins for the left and right drains which makes it easier or harder for the ball to drain on the sides. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the tilt, the points needed to get multi-ball, etc. It is great that Amazon offers free shipping, but you might want to take a look at Cosco to compare price. If you have a rec room in your home, this is a great addition. When family is over, people always want to play pinball. The NBA game has a lot of challenging shots and it is a fun game to play.