REVIEW. X - Men Pro Review with some photos.
Well, I am happy to say I played the X-Men Pro today for a good 2 hours and have done a small review for those AP members who havent had the chance to see or play a PRO yet.
Cabinet Artwork.
Well, I expected the cabinet artwork to be very pixalated after seeing the brochure on the Stern site etc, but I was delightfully surprised to walk up to the machine and see that the cabinet artwork is pixel free and absolutely beautiful. The colours are vibrant and the artwork itself is very detailed. Staring at it for a good 5 minutes each side and you see more and more the more you look at the detail. I was very impressed.
I was surprised and believe Stern have done an amazing job on the cabinet, both sides and headbox plus the coindoor area look great. The difference between the left and right cabinet art is significant. The art rocks for sure.
Translite.
The translite is very colourful and has a cartoon feel to it, where as the cabinet whilst being cartoon like, seems to feel alot more high definition and more movie high definition with alot more depth.The translite is nice and I would give it a 8 out of 10. The cabinet artwork i would give a 9.5 out of 10.
The translite colours work well with the playfield colours.
Playfield.
The playfield is vibrant. The colours are terrific. The toys are excellent and look amazing. The layout works really well. There is plenty to see and nothing looks wrong. You can clearly see 90 percent of the playfield exceptionally well and the lighting is ample.
Coloured inserts are many and the playfield looks very upmarket with alot of action going on with both LEDS and std bulbs present both above and below the playfield. The pop bumpers have Leds and I noticed a few more around the playfield. This is a very attractive playfield. All proportions look like they work well with everything else.
Playfield Shots n Gameplay.
Well, I was ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY, by this pinball title. It is missing nothing at all. It doesnt have the spinning disk like the LE, but it doesnt need it, or feels like it is missing it at all. There are ample shots to keep both novices and experienced players very busy and entertained. There are heaps of things to shoot for, and the 3rd flipper adds a dimension to this machine that gives it alot more to do than a 2 flipper game. The 3rd flipper can handle at least 4 different shots and it doesnt feel like a one shot pony at all. This is probably the best used and designed 3rd flipper I have used on any DMD game. Shaker motor effects are many and used well. Scoring is lower than most modern Sterns but it doesnt really matter even if ball times are very decent.
The pop bumper positions are excellent and the pops are used more than any other stern I have played before.
The magneto ball lock is excellent and there are 3 different ways to lock balls from different shots. The ramp shots are excellent and again there are plenty of shots for both ramps. The ramp shots and returns are very fast. The whole game is very fast. Multiball is fun, fast paced and even the game without multiball seems so fast paced, it feels like multiball all the time. Lots of fun here. Playfield magnets on this machine are the best random magnets I have played on any DMD.
Audio and Dot Matrix Display.
The audio is excellent. The dot matrix annimations are many and very detailed. This machine rocks here and no expense has been spared.
The missions allow you to press both flippers at once to choose a mission/action X Men character, and pressing left or right flippers gets you to toggle thru the choices.
The one dot matrix display I loved was a jet taking off and this was one of many which blew me away.
The code on this machine feels finished, and u could happily play the machine like it is forever. AC/DC needed 2 or more updates to feel finished. Whoever did the code at Stern has gone well n truly past any other recent titles with the code on this game. It feels very finished.
Overall Experience.
Steve Ritchie and AC/DC used, USED to be the Stern KING. Not anymore. This game is as good, if not better in some/many ways than AC/DC , and
AC/DC is a bloody excellent game. This X Men Pro game is highly entertaining and I found it a easier game to play than AC/DC which can be a bit brutal. Ball times on X Men are twice, three times as long, and there is just so much to do. It really keeps u entertained every second of every ball.
The entertainment factor of X Men Pro is probably as fun, or MORE fun than any DMD machine I have played, and I have played probably 80 DMD titles and own plenty. For a DMD game to stand out to me, to really blow me away, it has to be good. This machine isnt good, ITS GREAT !
Everything here is polished off very well. The art is better, way better than you see on the internet, the audio and annimations are excellent, the general illumination lighting and insert colours are great, this machine could be left stock without mods and you would be happy as a pig in mud forever. I played it for 2 hours non stop and I havent done that on any pinball machine in 4 years.
Question - Should you seriously think about contacting AMD/STERN and ordering one if you want a new STERN that is ALOT of FUN, hell YES.
I wasnt that excited about the X Men theme, I am not really into cartoons etc, but I am DEFINATELY into this pinball. It is that good.
I have sent a email to AMD/Stern distributor and I have ordered one tonight. You cant get a more positive review than that.lol
regards, Cavey !
( 8 x photos below.)
