I wanted to leave a review on this machine as it is a machine that suffered from the AC/DC hype with sales occurring while it was leaked that the AC/DC machine was being designed and made with LE's still available even now even though AC/DC LE's have sold out.
I will call this a first impression review because I have only had about 15 games and have enjoyed the experience on this machine. I haven't played the pro so I don't have anything to compare to only that of heading down to the local pub on 2 weekends and having a bit of a bash. I am not fully knowledgeable in all the characters so please forgive me.
Looks
- this is one of the 500 LE units that is a two tone coloured machine, and it looks smart even with the logo in the lockdown bar which at first glance looked like a transformer logo was printed on paper and stuck under a coat of clear - though once you check out the other graphics in blends in and makes sense.
- this is one of Luke's machine who tends to pimp them up so this had full leds and mirror blades - overall I liked it, not to distracting but then again all the ones of lukes have mirror blades are not as you the player looks straight on where if a spectator was watching from the side I could see how you could feel that it is busy with reflections but I think they enhance play - improving lighting and adding a bit of depth.
- I like the look of the 2 SS ramp sections with the laser cut transformer heads when you go up there is a nice lighting effect.
Sound
- definitely captures the sounds of the movie and that classic sound of the transformer changing into a car for example.
- is a busy machine with sounds and I think for me not being a total Transformers fan the noises could get a little old but if you love Transformers and all the movies you will be in your element.
Light Show
- awesome light show, this lights up like a Christmas tree - looks spectacular especially the cube thing on the left side pulsing away in some modes.
- there is so much to this machine that I was a bit confused but very quickly the lights and inserts detail what you have to achieve which is cool and helped by the odd voice command.
- The LE's have the gun mechanism where on the Pro does not exist so I can't confirm the lighting effect for that - but with this one a awesome gun firing flash effect with a strobe makes you feel the ball is shooting out of the gun where in fact it shoots out of the hole. Maybe someone can confirm this same effect on the Pro.
Game Play
- very fast game when returning off some of the static targets
- but then there are a few features that give you a break so on a single ball a slight stop / start effect, but once multiball kicks in man this is fast and very busy.
- the multiball mode is quite achievable making it enjoyable for beginners / kids and there are a few character ones to be achived also
- forgive me in that I do not know all the characters but will just start on the left and go around to the right and hopefully remember to mention all of the them. In edition when you first start the game you can select with the flippers either Autobots or Decepticons - meaning scoring and gameplay is diferent in the way of the goals that have to be achieved - does add some variety though I do not have enough experience to really talk it up or down. So with the following goals the figures / goals do vary. Also with achieving each character a number of times spelling the name like in IM with the Iron Monger starts a particular multiball.
- half way up the playfield is a recessed channel that the ball can enter and it holds the ball and then lightly ejects out *nothing like the lost mine on WH20) but with a pause slowing the game play a bit - one of the guys you have to beat.
- next you can shoot the ball up the left loop - hard will take you right around to the right flipper and soft will either get you to the pops or just returns back down to the left flipper.
- left ramp which takes you to another character (that the toy doesn't exist in the Pro version) - to me this adds some depth to the look but he just twitches every now and then and not something you would miss if you got the pro - maybe a toy bolted in would fix the depth look thing.
- next is the hole shot from the flippers, basically shot in here and it locks it for a multiball and once you achieve a multball the gun above fires at you - though with the lighting effect it appears that the ball is coming out of the gun but in really comes out of the structure just above the hole but under the character. This hole can also be accessed from the top part of the playfield from either a right loop shot, plunger shot or a weak centre shot - but all simply fire the ball at you without locking a ball for multiball. Also the character on top of the gun sometimes extends up, so don't know too much as earlier days to determine why he decides to stand up - but isn't often but tended to be in a multiball mode so not much time to really check him out.
- next is the centre shot that shot hard send it up and around to the right loop lane, shot weak either goes to the back of the hole or returns to the flippers. When a certain mode is achieved part of the lane lifts up so you can shoot the character which is a bit random sometimes taking off to the left or right onto other structures but I am sure this is covered with the design of the surrounding components as the ball just rolls off and into game play. You have to hit him hard to score a hit towards multiball.
- next is the car autobot which just bounces 2 balls and then the car into a target - didn't really do it for me.
- next is the right ramp which most of the time at the crest of the ramp returns it to the flipper (has a little gate up there) but when you get close to defecting this character the gate opens for a time period and then you have to shoot a ball in to the little v top playfield. The idea is to bounce the ball side to side via the flipper buttons timing it well to progress the ball up and down this mini playfield. Explained a bit deeper when you hit the left flipper button it dips the playfield to the left and then the right button makes the playfield dip to the right. You then need to activate some lights up the centre of the playfield via progressing the ball up and down. Sort of cool idea but not one that is worth bumping the price up on a LE for me as this does not exist on a Pro.
- last is the right loop which hitting hard shoots the ball to the pops and soft goes in between the centre lane and pops into a the back of the hole feature to then be shot out. When shooting the ball to the pops the ball can hang gere for a while giving you a rest but changing the game flow.
- the plunger - shot softly bumps the ball the right flipper, semi hard goes to the hole feature like the baove effect and hard goes to the pops.
- the lane selectors is different in this to others where the ones above the pops are half purple and half magenta as well as the ones near the left and right flippers so the left flipper button toggles the purples only and the right flipper button does the magentas only.
Rating
- overall I have enjoyed it alot close to the Iron Man (still one of my favourites of the new sterns that I have played) and AC/Dc but would not spend the dollars purely because I am not a transformers fan and the centre ptop playfield is a little busy and multiple direction flow just isn't quite my thing.
- for those who like this layout style and the theme will love this as have heard there is alot to this game meaning you will be busy trying to achieve everything which is a challenge.
- I can't tell you if the other LE's or Pro's have the selectable game mode - maybe someone can confirm this.
Hope this helps anyone tempted to buy - one of the better ones in my opinion.
