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Pinball NERDS Podcast
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PNP 675- Sonic: Top 5 Rad & 1 Bad!

Podcast39 min listen
TL;DR

Sonic the Hedgehog (JJP) praised for innovative layout, glitter cab, and Eggman mech; concerns about speed and accessibility.

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Synopsis

Orbital Albert reviews Sonic the Hedgehog machine through a "Top 5 Rad and 1 Bad" format. He praises the collector's edition cabinet's glitter aesthetic, the unique dual-playfield layout (particularly the large upper playfield), the innovative right ramp with speed effects, the interactive Dr. Robotnik/Eggman boss mech, and the overall game speed that reflects the Sonic theme. He expresses concerns about gameplay visibility through the upper playfield and the game's difficulty for younger/casual players.

Highlights

  • The CE cabinet glitter implementation is the best since or better than Elton John, possibly the second-most beautiful cab ever (after Harry Potter's Mina Lima version)
  • The upper playfield takes up approximately 55% or slightly more of the total playfield, larger than Black Knight upper playfield
  • Steve Ritchie implemented a clear coat (plastic/polyurethane) on both sides of the upper playfield to maintain visibility of the lower playfield
  • The game speed is so fast that younger children (5-12 years old) may struggle, despite the kid-friendly Sonic theme
  • The right ramp features a magnetic speed boost effect when the ball hits it, creating a distinctive visual and audio effect
  • Dr. Robotnik/Eggman mech moves left, right, and up/down, allowing players to bash and smash it with the ball
  • Jersey Jack deleted their initial gameplay livestream quickly because it was poorly shot (over-the-shoulder, washed out)
  • The game lacks left-to-right shot combos because both upper and lower playfields require primarily vertical shooting

Notable quotes

“Sonic said, Elton John, hold my beer. I'm going to be the glitter master, not you, right?”
Orbital Albert
“The King of Flow, Steve Ritchie newest pin, Sonic the Hedgehog.”
Orbital Albert
“I think that there's a good chance that that's not true at all. But what is true with this layout is that if the upper playfield is fun, the lower playfield looks to be very fun.”
Orbital Albert
“Play before you pay. This is the way.”
Orbital Albert
“This man, this man cognitively to me seems like he's still like 110 percent. Like he was just right on with every question that they asked him.”
Orbital Albert
“Dr. Robotnik is by far the most rad thing in this game. I have been very critical of some of the past games, not Harry Potter, of course, but some past games for not having maybe enough interactive toys.”
Orbital Albert
“Wow, I think that is a super fast game. And the king of flow, the king of speed, Steve Ritchie himself, he's out there in his red frickin' Corvette running from the police on the California highway.”
Orbital Albert

Entities

  • Barrels of Fun· company
  • Jersey Jack Pinball· company
  • Spooky Pinball· company
  • Stern Pinball· company
  • Tilt Pinball· company/organization
  • Black Knight Sword of Rage· game
  • Guardians of the Galaxy· game
  • Harry Potter· game
  • Pokemon· game
  • Sonic the Hedgehog· game
  • Transformers· game
  • Elizabeth Gieske· person
  • Josh· person
  • Orbital Albert· person
  • Retro Ralph· person
  • Scott· person
  • Steve Ritchie· person
  • Travis Moseman· person
  • Zach Sharpe· person
  • Loser Kid· person/content_creator

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