Sonic The Hedgehog Pinball First Reaction
Sonic The Hedgehog Pinball First Reaction
Kineticist’s take
First reactions to Sonic the Hedgehog pinball based on video footage: impressed by design, uncertain about upper playfield.
Synopsis
Dr. C and Mrs. J from Pinball Pursuit react to Jersey Jack Pinball's Sonic the Hedgehog pinball machine based on video footage, since they haven't played it yet. They praise designer Steve Ritchie pedigree and express excitement about the game's bright, colorful aesthetic and fast gameplay, though they have reservations about the large upper playfield's visibility and practical usability. They note similarities to Pokémon's diamond-shaped battle zone and highlight cool mechanical features like inline drop targets and the inverted loop, but remain uncertain how the game will play until they experience it firsthand.
Highlights
- Steve Ritchie invented the upper playfield
- Jersey Jack's last Steve Ritchie game before Sonic was Elton John
- Black Knight Sword of Rage has a clear upper playfield that clouds over time
- Sonic appears to have a loop-de-loop that comes back toward the player instead of going into the back of the playfield
- Pokémon pinball also has a diamond-shaped battle zone
- Sonic's upper playfield flippers are very close together with a center post
- Nickelmania in West Jordan has an Elton John machine
Notable quotes
“Steve Ritchie is an incredible designer. He's made some iconic games.”
“It's huge! It's like half the game. And I usually don't like upper playfields because then it blocks my view.”
“I hate nudging. So, even less points for an upper playfield.”
“It looks bright. It looks colorful. It's going to bring in new audiences, which I think is great.”
“I love that there's inline drop targets that you hit and then you lock a ball for multiball behind it. That super cool.”
“I love that there's that one, like, rules designer coder that's in the videos. He's got longer hair. He looks so excited to be working on Sonic.”
Entities
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Sega· company
- Black Knight Sword of Rage· game
- Black Panther· game
- Elton John· game
- Foo Fighters (Pro)· game
- Harry Potter· game
- Pokémon Pinball· game
- Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball· game
- Pinball Pursuit· organization
- Dr. C· person
- Mrs. J· person
- Steve Ritchie· person
- Nickel Mania (West Jordan)· venue