BIG BUCK HUNTER PRO

Hello and welcome to this first part of the exclusive Pinball News In-Depth Review of Stern's Big Buck Hunter Pro pinball.

The Big Buck Hunter Pro backglass
The Big Buck Hunter Pro backglass

As usual, we've split the review in two and in this part we'll be looking at the game's physical build, the artwork and the layout of the playfield. The second part will go deep into the rules, explaining how all the features work, what they score and conclude with our overall verdict of the game.

Big Buck Hunter Pro (don't forget the 'Pro' part, even though the shortened BBH name was adopted before the full name was public knowledge) is Stern's second "back-to-basics" machine, following on from NBA and featuring a simpler playfield layout, fewer custom mechanical devices and a less complex set of rules.

Gary Stern has publicly said this is the direction Stern Pinball will be going. He's also acknowledged pinball enthusiasts such as you aren't going to like those changes but they are necessary to increase pinball's appeal to the wider public, broaden the player base and keep Stern making new games.

We're not going to comment on the desirability or otherwise of these changes. However, we are pinball fans and so we have certain expectations from any new model. We can't pretend machines such as Medieval Madness, Big Bang Bar, Twilight Zone and The Simpsons Pinball Party never existed. They set the benchmark for certain elements of a game and once that genie is out of the bottle, he can't be put back.

Not that you need to pepper a game with expensive toys or have fiendishly deep rules to make it fun - both can actually detract from the enjoyment if not kept in check and designed to be in keeping with the game's feel.

Simpler games have been tried in the past, most recently when Capcom produced the first (and only) machine in their Capcom Classic range; Breakshot, and before that Premier's created their 'Street Level' series of Silver Slugger, Vegas, Deadly Weapon, Title Fight, Car Hop and Hoops.

In both cases, the selling points were making the game easier to maintain, easier to play and more affordable.

Neither Capcom nor Premier had much success with their attempts. Stern are running with the same ideas, except the bit about making the games more affordable. Neither NBA nor Big Buck Hunter Pro were cheaper than the preceding games 24 or CSI, and in some markets were actually more expensive.

If buyers are going to pay more for less, the whole gameplay experience needs to be up there with the best of them. So let's see what Stern has delivered...

As you may know, Big Buck Hunter Pro is based on the Big Buck Hunter video game series which proved to be very popular in the US market.  Its success has only partly been replicated in overseas markets where hunting is far less popular (or even outlawed), so in many of these areas the theme is effectively a non-licensed one.

Many elements from the video game turn up in the pinball as we shall see, but fortunately it's not necessary to know the video game to enjoy or understand the pinball.

So,let's get onto the pinball and the first thing most players will see is the backglass image you see at the top of this review along with the cabinet artwork.  It a pleasant enough mix of the slightly comic and the near-photo realistic.  The centre-piece - the buck itself - is highly detailed, as is the foreground flora.  The rising sun backlights the deer and makes an almost idylic setting, if you can forget how the game is all about killing the main subject.

The background, while less detailed as you would expect, occasionally lapses into the slapdash with odd tree branches painted in with a flick of the brush tool.

Painting in a few extra branches
Painting in a few extra branches?

The game's logo tops off the image and makes it very similar to the one found on the sides of the video game cabinet.

Speaking of cabinet sides, here's the side of the pinball machine.

The cabinet side
The cabinet side

There's no buck this time, just a slightly tweaked logo and a marginally more barren forest scene.

One thing you might notice here is the return to the old-style side rails.  The flipper button area is no longer covered by a metal plate, allowing the artwork in that area to wear.  Whether this is a deliberate measure to save money and reduce the longevity of the game, or if the artwork didn't allow for it we don't know, but our review machine was already showing signs of damage to the paintwork on both sides after 3 days at a trade show.

Wear on the cabinet side
Wear on the cabinet side

The backbox side art

The backbox is a continuation of the forest scene, concentrating on the four birds you also need to shoot in the game.

This artwork is by John Youssi who is certainly no stranger to either Big Buck Hunter Pro or pinball, creating the artwork for the video game as well as having a string of well known pinball titles to his credit.

John has his signature on the backglass below the buck's neck, in the bottom left corner of the cabinet side art and again on the backbox sides among the grasses at the bottom.

The Stern Pinball logo takes a back seat on Big Buck Hunter Pro to the predominant company behind the concept - Play Mechanix. George Petro's company created the original Big Buck Hunter game back in 1999 before developing a series of follow-ups which included the Pro version in 2006.  The Play Mechanix logo appears no fewer than seven times on the cabinet sides, front, coin door and backglass.

The other logo on the backglass is that of Raw Thrills, of which Play Mechanix is now a wholly owned subsiduary.

The cabinet art package is rounded off with the front design, featuring a fourth variation of the logo and some rather strangely placed acorn leaves right where the tournament start button sits.

The front of the game
The front of the game

All in all, it's an attractive enough design, taking its cues from the video cabinet and extending it for the pinball cabinet's extra length.  It's not beautiful, but it works well and tells you a lot about the game before you get as far as playing it.

Before we move on, it's worth mentioning one change to the regular hardware we tend take for granted.  With Big Buck Hunter Pro, the bottom apron has become plastic instead of the usual steel and it's also become a bit shorter.

The new plastic apron
The new plastic apron

The apron sits on standoff posts and although it looked good it did feel rather insubstantial, especially when pressing down on it to slide the playfield back into the cabinet.

So, on to the playfield itself and let's see what we've got.

The playfield
The playfield

Big Buck Hunter is a two flippered game and as a result there are no cross-playfield shots.  Everything eminates from the bottom of the game and those two flippers, so we'll start our tour of the playfield there.

 The flippers
The flippers

Big Buck Hunter uses black rubber throughout and this includes the flippers.  This might suggest a reduced amount of bounce, but the game proved to be plenty bouncy enough, so white rubbers aren't needed.

The flipper area is quite busy in artwork terms but the flippers frame the deer head trophy nicely.

The shoot again insert is positioned quite a bit lower down the playfield than usual and can be hidden by the bottom apron if you're not that tall.  It's probably placed there to avoid the 'Rudolph' effect seen on earlier sample games where the deer's nose lit up to show an extra ball.

Over on the left side we find a single inlane and a single outlane.

The left inlane & outlane
The left inlane & outlane

The inlane lights the first of the E-L-K letters - the other two being lit by the right inlanes - while the outlane can be lit to collect a critter award. You might expect the lit E-L-K letters to rotate round with the flipper buttons, but they don't; making it harder to complete the E-L-K sequence.

The left slingshot is of the regular design we've seen on all recent Sterns, featuring two tiers, a flasher on the top and a spotlamp illuminating the centre of the playfield.

The left slingshot
The left slingshot

Above the left outlane is the usual three-position adjuster post to vary the width of the outlane.  There's no denying ball times on Big Buck Hunter can be very short indeed, so this may well need to be adjusted to give more value to a game. The one in a nearby arcade has both outlanes set to minimum width but even that wasn't enough, so it was also set to 5 balls so paying customers got a reasonable length game for their money.

As we move up the playfield we come to...

A dead area
A dead area

...well, nothing very much.  It's a bit of a dead area with just two rubber rings to add to that bounce we were talking about earlier.

This is, of course, the end of the buck track so can't have anything protruding into the playing area, but still, you think something could have gone here.  Nice flowers, though.

The artwork on the plastic pieces shows we are approaching Pappy's Porch.  So despite the 'get lost' sign, let's pay Pappy a visit.

Pappy's Porch
Pappy's Porch

Pappy's Porch is the name given to the three-bank of standup targets which gives out mystery awards.  There are three jugs on the playfield which illuminate to show which targets have been hit and completing them all gets you a mystery award and a humorous quote from Pappy.

More about these awards and all the other rules in the second part of this in-depth review.

To the right of Pappy's is the first major shot of the game, the left orbit.

The left orbit
The left orbit

As you might have guessed from the name, the left orbit will normally send the ball round the back of the playfield and allow it to exit at the right orbit.

All the major shots are identified by the red arrow insert which means it can be lit for a jackpot during big buck multiball or one of the bird multiballs.

The bullseye insert indicates the left orbit can be lit during one of the bonus round modes, while the elk insert lights when the shot can advance or score elk hurryup awards, or start elk multiball.

The elk is the first of the five creatures to collect (or shoot if you prefer), the others being moose, ram, birds and the eponymous big buck himself.

The lamps under the adjacent ramp provide good illumination to the left orbit, while the long lead-in guide rail makes sure it's not too difficult to shoot.

Next to the left orbit entrance is the game's sole ramp, the moose ramp.

The moose ramp
The moose ramp

Mounted over the ramp's entrance is a moose trophy with some instructions to shoot the ramp for moose on the loose mode.  The trophy has the look of a prototype with very small text and screw heads which obscure some of the letters.  The text is also quite indistinct and the whole object is quite dark, but as yet we haven't seen a different version which improves on these shortcomings.  Hopefully it won't stay like that for production.

The moose trophy sign
The moose trophy sign

Under the moose ramp are two inserts to show when it is lit for extra ball or special, while in front are two more inserts which show the moose ramp can be a jackpot shot and features in the bouns round modes.

The moose ramp is quite a long single piece of plastic and includes some dips and turns as it heads round the back of the game and down to the right inlane, a little like the Insanity Falls ramp in whitewater, but without the same vertical drop.

The moose ramp
The moose ramp

Like the Insanity Falls ramp, though, the moose ramp does have an emergency escape at the lowest point so balls without the momentum to make the next climb have a way out.

The emergency exit
The emergency exit

But let's get back to the left side of the game and the next feature positioned to the right of the moose ramp is the ram kicker.

The ram kicker
The ram kicker

The ram is a double-action device, sensing hits and kicking the ball back at the player.  There is an opto pair in front of the ram which senses when the ball is present and fires the kicker to shoot the ball out, much like the raptor shot in Jurassic Park only not quite so powerful.

Shooting the ram enough times starts a timed period of double scoring, indicated by the flasher lamp beneath the ram insert which throbs while double scoring is in effect.

Once again, the ram is one of the major shots lit for jackpots and also a featured shot during bonus round modes.

The first B-U-C-K target
The first B-U-C-K target

On the right of the ram entrance lane is the first of four green standup targets scattered around the playfield which spell out B-U-C-K.

They tend to get hit during the game and thanks to the rules, there's generally no real reason to shoot for them so we won't dwell on them here.

Suffice to say, shoot one and it starts flashing.  Complete them all and they stop flashing.

Next to the B standup target is the shot for the fourth of the five creatures you need to collect, the bird lane.

To be fair to our feathered friends (before we blast them from the skies), there are actually four types of bird to collect as indicated by the lamp board at the back of the lane.

Shooting the standup target at the end of the lane registers a hit and counts down towards the next bird multiball.

When a hit is registered, the ball is held in the lane by an up-post which rises at the entrance while display and sound effects are played out.  The post then drops to return the ball to play.

The up-post also comes into play at the start of each bird multiball to create a captive ball which needs to be released by hitting it with another ball.

When not being used to start or play bird multiballs, the bird lane is another major shot for jackpots and bonus round modes as well as featuring a cute critter above the bullseye insert.

You might also notice a small red plate screwed into the playfield next to the up-post.  We've no idea why it was there.  It looks like a last minute fix but has a part number on it which suggests it's an official part of the game and it appears on the game flyer too.

The bird lane
The bird lane

Moving on, we skip past the second B-U-C-K standup target and go up a bit to reach the C-O-W rollover lanes and the pop bumpers.

The C-O-W rollovers
The C-O-W rollovers

This area is not just an apparent homage to Attack/Revenge from Mars because both cows and flying saucers turn up in Big Buck Hunter Pro Trophy Club games as two of the secret hidden features which turn each doe into either a bear, a cow, a UFO or Pappy.

The C-O-W rollovers are where most lauched balls will end up thanks to an up-post in the orbit lane which pops up to stop the ball and forces it into the rollovers.

The up-post in the orbit lane
The up-post in the orbit lane

As the ball rolls through the C-O-W lanes it enters the pop bumper area.

The pop bumpers
The pop bumpers

It's the usual triangular arrangement of bumpers but there is only one exit from them - between the bottom bumper and the U standup.  There is a one-way gate between the two right-most bumpers which only allows a ball into the pops area and not out of it.  That gate is also slighly springy and so it helps to keep the ball moving around and hitting more bumpers.

There's also a round insert covering a couple of 89 flashers which fire when there's action in the pops.

The reason for that one-way gate is to guard the spinner lane which is the next major shot in the game we'll look at.

The spinner lane
The spinner lane

The spinner lane is a short lane which is used to collect the super jackpot during different multiballs.  It is usually hidden by the buck in its home position but when it's revealed, just one spin of the spinner registers a shot to the lane.  When not lit for super jackpots, the spinner light and increases the value of the critters on the two outlanes.

The C standup target is also partially hidden by the buck but it can just about be shot directly from the left flipper.

The sixth major shot is the right orbit lane.

The right orbit
The right orbit

Apart from being lit for jackpots and for scoring during bonus rounds, the right orbit also starts those bonus rounds when enough pop bumper hits have been scored and the bonus round insert is lit.

The ball can either travel all the way round and exit at the left orbit entrance or be stopped by the up-post above the rollover lanes if there a bonus round is started.

The ball shooter lane
The ball shooter lane

The right orbit lane is also where balls from the ball shooter lane end up.

As they leave the plunger, they travel under a rifle plastic and join the right orbit just under the emergency exit from the ramp.

The ball shooter lane joins the right orbit lane
The ball shooter lane joins the right orbit lane

Some other games have a super skill shot where you can plunge softly and not send the ball into the rollover lanes, but let it roll back to the flippers for a flipper skill shot instead.  Big Buck Hunter doesn't have this, so the only skill shot is into the rollovers to the flashing lane.

We're not finished with the ball shooter lane though as our next feature brings it into the gameplay.  We looked at the elk shot on the left orbit before, but this is where elk multiball really takes place.

The elk
The elk

In its rest state the elk is in the poition above, allowing access to the right orbit.  When the elk is activated, however, it rotates out to block the right orbit and send any balls shot up the left orbit lane back into the ball shooter lane.

The elk when activated
The elk when activated

It's actually best to think of the elk feature as just what it is - a giant flipper.  It even uses a standard flipper mechanism under the playfield to activate it.

But the elk flipper does more than just move out, as indicated by the elk jackpot insert in front.  The game uses the end-of-stroke switch on the elk flipper mechanism to sense when the elk is hit with a ball and registers that as an elk jackpot shot.

Stern autolaunchers being what they are, it's possible to get too many balls in the shooter lane for the autolauncher to handle, so some manual plunging is sometimes needed to help the game out.

Below the elk are the game's two right inlanes and the solitary right outlane.

The right inlanes and outlane
The right inlanes and outlane

Having the two L & K inlanes on the right is unusual as it shifts the centreline - a line drawn vertically down the playfield between the flippers - further to the left.  The ball shooter lane already does that to a degree and putting two inlanes on the left side has counterbalanced that effect to some extent in the past.  Putting them on the right increases the unbalanced look of the game, though it didn't seem to affect gameplay at all and that's what matters.

The moose ramp feeds the rightmost K inlane, while the outlane - like it's left side equivalent - can be lit to score a critter after you shoot the spinner enough times.

Although the inlane and outlane dividers are made of metal, they do seem to exhibit an amazing springiness and really want to bounce even the most innocuous-looking ball down the outlane.  In short, they are not to be trusted.

Which leaves us with the game's most prominent and eye-catching feature to examine.  Yes, it's time to bring on the buck.

The buck stops here
The buck stops here... and here

Mounting it on an oversize chocolate lego block isn't the most elegant solution but it largely works, although the buck in this game had lost its front left foot.

The buck acts very much like the crane in Batman - having a rest position behind a deer blind and moving out to one of five marks where you have to shoot it with the ball.  Shoot it at all five positions and big buck multiball begins.

Each position at which the buck stops is marked out with a shotgun case  and equates to one of the major shots, effectively blocking that shot until you either hit the buck or the time allowed expires and the buck returns home.

The deer blind
The deer blind

In its home position behind the deer blind, the buck can still be shot and this will bring it out to one of the five positions not already hit.

A sensor inside the buck's base registers the hits with varying degrees of sensitivity.  Some games we've played only required a weak hit with the ball, while others only recorded the strongest, most direct hits.

The buck moves across the playfield with surprising speed, so let's have a look to see how it works.

Under the playfield, the buck mechanism runs from one side of the playfield to the other along the track.

The buck mechanism
The buck mechanism

The central section is covered with a metal channel which protects the buck carriage as it moves and also provides some strengthening to the playfield to help compensate for the cut across its width.

At one end of the track is a motor connected to a long screw thread.

The buck motor
The buck motor

The thread runs the full length of the track and has microswitches mounted at either end to tell the game when the buck has reached the limits of its travel.

The buck track screw thread
The buck track screw thread

The buck's carriage is mounted on this screw thread so when the screw turns, the carriage moves.  Its direction depends on the direction the motor turns.

The buck's carriage on the screw thread
The buck's carriage on the screw thread

The game uses the combination of the two endstop microswitches and an opto sensor on the motor which counts the number of turns to determine the position of the buck.

So that's how the buck moves across the playfield.  Let's get back to the fun side of the wood and finish off our tour of the playfield.

We've returned to the flippers but between them and the buck track is the game's progress grid showing the player which features they have completed and which remain.

The progress grid
The progress grid

The objective is the usual one - light all these inserts and play  the wizard mode called 'open season'.

We'll explain what you have to do to light each of these in part two but before we finish this first part, here's a look at the whole underside of the game:

Under the playfield
Under the playfield

We finish this part with a listen to the game's main theme - a suitably southern rock-style track with screaming guitars and a good catchy beat to draw you into the game.

Get the Flash Player to hear this audio clip.

Check here regularly because we'll be back soon with the second part of the In-Depth Review of Stern's Big Buck Hunter Pro.

In the meantime, why not tell us what you think of Big Buck Hunter Pro?  We'll publish a selection of comments right here, so just tell us your thoughts and have your say.

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Your comments:

Joe The Dragon:
It does feel like a non-licensed game and that is good and gives stern the room to have fun stuff like Mars needs Cattle and nice to see a captive ball lock.
Mr Tobias:
I worry about the durability of this game. The buck, which is the main toy in the game, has already failed to register hits in at least two test games. This review sample now shows it having a broken front leg. Add a broken elk on another game and wear around the flipper buttons after just three days at a trade show, and it's not what I would hope to get for £4295. Looks like Stern needs to supply a spare buck or two plus an elk in the goodie bag, or are we expected to shell out a fair bit of dosh to buy them when they inevitably break like the Spiderman centre plastic and Batman Joker plastic did?
The Kirbinator:
I don't particularly like this game. It seems remarkably slapdash for a pin; like they fired the lead designer halfway through and then pulled someone off the street to finish it. I dunno... I'm starting to side with Lawlor in that the pin industry is on its last legs.
Roytoy:
When has cheaper ever been better. Lame theme it will never fly. Why has stern never taken heed of the Williams/Bally games that were very popular and come up with a new design that makes the theme better. They should have made an MM style game and watched it fly.
Antoshka:
Haven't stern leard from gottlieb and their other computer licensed game Rollercoaster tycoon that this is not a good license???? WHile, gottleibs Streetfighter plays better than many recent sterns!! Get Ritchie back!!!

Pinball Daddy Daddy Bigboy:
Big Buck Hunter is a great game that continues the Big Buck Hunter saga to a pinball playing field. I have played the game about a hundred times and all in all my comments are as follows. Excellant use of toys, left out lane is very hungry. Each and every game is essentially very different play so it keeps my attention.

The combination of the Elk multi ball, Moose on the loose, Ram and Bird multi ball when combined with Big Buck Hunter gets you the scores we all are after. With this said, the game I think was purposefully designed to stack multi ball to get one the bonus points. With the goal of stacking multi balls, it means you must learn the game, the shots and stop, hold and shoot the ball to raise the bonus values. I consider each game I play very different then the last game I played so that is why I like it. Due to the hungry left outer lane, it makes very short play for novices so I recommend everyone to move that rubber down.

I am happy with the results of the product. I plan to purchase one shortly. If I was to make a suggestion, it would be for an adult mode to include more heckling, more rants and more raves from Big Buck Hunter Girls when playing the game in search of the trophies including the necessary video play to keep them playing. If I played in a bar , I would be more inclined to place more dollars in a machine being ridiculed by a girl than a man.

I congradulate everyone involved in this project and wish much success with Stern and its partners on Big Buck Hunter. I suggest that if you see one, you play it and have FUN with it!

GreenLED:
Also not that impressed. I agree with the other comments, I understand them trying to keep costs down, but don't really see how they can cheapen the game that much without also lowering the costs to the end buyer. Hopefully this isn't going to be an ongoing thing, or this may turn into pinball's death spiral.

I'm thinking the mystery red piece may be to deflect balls stopped by the up-post from going STDM... or something like that.

Krellan:
At first glance, it looks like a cost-reduced Stern Batman. Notice the similarity of the playfield. Many shots are in the same location as Batman.

The deer toy, held on by just a stretched black rubber ring, is a new low for Stern. What's the point of paying thousands of dollars/pounds for something that breaks immediately? Where is the money going?

Unfortunately, the last operator in this area who bought NIB Stern games, finally gave it up after NBA.

Jonathan Joosten:
First of all: great review! The dead area comment is hilarious :)

I am known as being very critic on Stern games. I have played over 40 games on several machines on several trade shows (IMA and EAG) and this is probably one of the most entertaining Sterns ever. Both outlanes are drainmonsters which keep the balltimes short (which is a good thing imho). It looks simple but is rathjer difficult to master (at least for me). Played several games with Martin (the author of the review) and while Martin at the time was not very fond of the luck factor on this game (shooting the buck can result in and instant drain or stdm), he is a better player and did win most of the games we played together. So luck may be a factor, but the better player still comes out on top.

Personally I like the game a lot, probably due to the higher luck value. That is what pinball was all about and it gives 4 average Joe's in a bar the impression anyone can win. That may stimulate plays on location.

The theme may not appeal to all, but as a game it is very very nice. Too bad the BBH girls are nowhere to be found in or on the game. I did make a list of possible future improvements. A super skillshot like Medieval Madness (holding down the left flipper button should lower the up post above the pops, so the ball goes round to the left flipper) being one of them.

As mentioned in the review: for many Europeans the game can be considered a non licensed theme. That being said: being familiar with hunting jargon will help in order to understand which animal is what. My English is pretty good, but I had no clue what a Buck, Elk or Moose were. I figure most Europeans with English being not their native language will have the same 'handicap'.

I spoke with Gary Stern at the EAG show and commented on the old style siderails. He mentioned metal protectors can be ordered to be placed around the flipperbuttons. Main reason to go back to the old style siderail was the huge amount of wasted metal during the production of the newer model siderails.

With BBH being a pleasantly surprising fun game I will add some more comments and suggestions at part 2 of the review.

KRB:
As a pinball enthusiast, I can't but help be disappointed in the trend towards cheaper (in construction, not price) and simpler games. But I accept it as a reality of the business. While I can't see buying a NIB game now and in the future because of these things, as an owner of some much better older Stern games, I would rather have them in business than out of business.

I sincerely hope these games do reasonably well.

Alex:
The cheap ram kicker is like the Yagov kicker in f-14... I also think stern took a huge hit from pirates, their games went down hill after that game.

Pinball Wizard:
"Let it be known in the history books that February 2010 be the month that the last game being made by the only major pinball company left finally put Stern 6 feet under."

If Stern wants to keep alive they must realize that following paths that already have been tried by companies like Premier is not the answer. Premier decided "Hey, let's put out a single level game with no ramps out" at the same time every other company was saying "Designers, every game you make must be multi-level". Now Stern puts out a machine that has only 1 ramp in the game, otherwise it's single level. Plastic aprons??? That doesn't get much abuse in play but it looks cheap and the ball hole is where most operators grab the playfield to open it is now a flimsy plastic. Stern cuts costs on their end and then charge the same amount to the consumer! Long term playfields are going to break with that huge slit for the buck to run across.

Innovation, Stern, is the only way you are actually going to sell games to operators, not cutting costs. I put quarters in games that play well, are fun, innovative, different, unique, etc, etc. Operators will buy new games if you can get the players back. You'll get players back if you can make a good quality game that plays well, not by using cheaper plastics to make toys and cut features out.


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