BATMAN

Welcome to the start our coverage of Stern's newest game; Batman

Backglass image
The Batglass

Based around the upcoming movie The Dark Knight, the game is the latest design from George Gomez.

The game

This image is believed to be a mock up cabinet since the final production game will almost certainly have the tournament button below the start button on the front of the cabinet and the coin door will feature a Batman logo.

However, it gives us our first glimpse at the playfield, from which we can see a large yellow crane dominating the game, much like in Last Action Hero but with a dangling pinball as seen in JunkYard, and a rotating Joker machanism the the back left next to the red crane ramp.

A close-up shot
An enlarged playfield picture

There is also an upper mini-playfield at the back and what Stern describe as a "teeter totter mechanism that races a pinball against a Hot Wheels Batmobile".

A target bank on the left like the Green Goblin in Spider-Man and three rollover lanes at the top right are joined by an array of inserts over the main play area converging on another Spider-Man-like centre web of tasks to complete.

It certainly looks a packed and intriguing playfield and we'll bring you more details as soon as we get them but in the meantime, here's Stern press release about the game.

The THE DARK KNIGHT™ arrives in Stern Pinball’s new BATMAN™ pinball machine.

Available through a partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Comics, BATMAN™ is based on the action-adventure movie, THE DARK KNIGHT™, to be released in theatres July 18th.

Stern’s own Lyman Sheats designed the rules for BATMAN™ pinball, and the game designer for THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ created the playfield layout.

BATMAN™ is a perfect pinball machine for fans of DC Comics’ BATMAN™ comic books, as well as the DARK KNIGHT™ and BATMAN BEGINS movies.

BATMAN™ pinball is also a great piece for homeowners, resellers and game operators.

BATMAN™ pinball offers many exciting features, including: The Joker’s Reveal Mechanism, a mechanical cylinder that rotates to reveal and fight a taunting Joker; Scarecrow’s Crane, a mechanical crane featuring a spring-attach pinball which the player can strike with the pinball; the BATMOBILE™ Bridge, a teeter totter mechanism that races a pinball against a Hot Wheels® BATMOBILE™; an upper mini-playfield; and lots of multi-ball action.

Pinball Hall of Fame artists Kevin O’Connor and Margaret Hudson created the artwork, and Ken Hale did the sound.

Gary Stern says, “BATMAN™ was a great brand for us when we made games in the 1990’s. This new BATMAN™ game could be the best game we have ever built.”

The BATMAN™ pinball machine will begin shipping in July 2008.

The follow-up to BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT™ reunites Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of BATMAN/BRUCE WAYNE in his continuing war on crime.

With the help of LIEUTENANT JIM GORDON and District Attorney HARVEY DENT, BATMAN™ sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good.

The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the DARK KNIGHT™ even closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Warner Bros. Pictures will release THE DARK KNIGHT™ to theatres on July 18, 2008.

 

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