PULP FICTION REVEALED

Having confirmed the title four days previously, Chicago Gaming and Play Mechanix today launched their first joint collaboration with the reveal of their Pulp Fiction game.

The game comes in two versions – the top-end Bad Mother Flipper Limited Edition with a maximum of 1,000 units, and the simpler Special Edition. Both, as we previously reported, have a definite old-school feel to the design both on the outside and on the playfield.

The game uses alpha-numeric LED displays rather than a dot-matrix display or an LCD panel, meaning there will be no clips from the movie displayed. However, the game does feature more than 250 sound samples from 19 different characters. It also includes five music tracks featured in the film – Comanche, Jungle Boogie, Misirlou, Son of a Preacher Man and You Never Can Tell.

The sounds and music come from speakers below the backbox behind a stainless steel grille.

The brushed stainless steel coin door is similar to an ’80s Bally design, with two illuminated coin slots, two coin return flaps, a backlit game name panel and a lit start button.

The cabinet artwork is also retro-looking with a three colour design giving a stencilled appearance, although it probably uses cabinet decals like all modern games.

The top of the backbox sees the Limited Edition-exclusive animated topper featuring Mia and Vincent doing their iconic dance at Jack Rabbit Slim’s.

Here’s a video of the topper in action:

The $9,499 Limited Edition comes with a range of extra features over the Special Edition, such as a shaker motor, mirror blades, a numbered sculpted wallet on the bottom arch and a promo banner.

The $7,999 Special Edition comes with the same cabinet and backbox artwork as the Limited Edition, but lacks the topper, the flourishes on the speaker panel.

For those who wish to operate the game with a bill acceptor or card reader, a version of the Special Edition with a standard coin door is available at the same $7,999 price point.

The playfields of the Limited and Special Editions appear to be identical.

As we said before, it’s a throwback to an age before ramps were mandatory with most of the action taking place at playfield level.

That doesn’t mean it lacks playfield features though. In fact, the reverse is true.

There are three inline drop targets in a lane leading to an upkicker, three more drops in an angled bank in the centre with a subway lock behind, and another drop target down a lane which ends with a saucer. There are spinners in the left and right orbit lanes, and a grab magnet on the right triggered by hitting a standup target.

Up at the top, there’s a classic saucer with adjacent lanes as seen on games such as Mata Hari. It’s worth noting that while the wallet on the bottom arch uses the phrase “Bad Mother Flipper”, the writing on the plastic next to the ‘2’ lane is less modest.

There are several sculpted models on the playfield.

Here are the details of the main team members who created Pulp Fiction.

• Game Design: Mark Ritchie
• Game Software: George Petro
• Art Design: Scott Pikulski
• Sound Design: David Thiel
• Game Rules: Josh Sharpe
• Mechanical: Eureka Design
• Manufacturing & Distribution: Chicago Gaming

The rules are more complex than a typical early ’80s game, but nowhere near as complicated as its more modern counterparts. There are five multiball modes, for example, as well as three mini-wizard modes and a full wizard mode called Divine Intervention.

Here are the rules of the game:

• 1-2-3-4 Lanes: Advance Bonus X, lights Extra Ball and lights Royale W/Cheese Hurry-Up.
• Big Kahuna Bonus: Make the upper left and right targets, then hit the right magnet target for instant 2x or 3x scoring.
• Briefcase Boogie: Lock 3 balls in the left saucer to start Briefcase Boogie. Shoot Payoff shots for big points.
• Royale W/Cheese: Awards Hurry-Up points, lights Super Spinners and lights Gun Bonus.
• Roll Scene: Right drop target lights Roll Scene. Make the right saucer to start 1 of 5 Roll Scene modes.
• Cast Chaos: Start 1-5 characters at the top saucer. Collect characters and light at the right saucer. When all 5 characters are lit, shoot the right saucer again for Cast Chaos.
• Pulp Fiction Frenzy: Make all 7 red arrow targets to advance P-U-L-P-F-I-C-T-I-O-N spell out. Shoot the Pawn Shop for Pulp Fiction Frenzy.
• Pawn Shop Panic: Make 3-bank drop targets to light locks. Lock 3 balls into the Pawn Shop for Pawn Shop Panic. Shoot 3-bank targets again to re-lock and advance to light Payoff shots for big points.
• Drive Fast: Left and right lit return lanes light Drive Fast and raise MPH Bonus at orbit shots. Collect MPH Bonus at the target behind the centre 3-bank drop targets.
• Gun Bonus: Collect Gun Bonus at right magnet target. Awards lit value in the Gun Bonus string.
• Divine Intervention: Complete all 5 modes for Divine Intervention.

A flyer is available for Pulp Fiction. Here it is:

Chicago Gaming announced their new game with the following message:

Pulp Fiction was developed in a collaboration between Play Mechanix and Chicago Gaming Company, and is being sold exclusively through Chicago Gaming Company’s pinball dealers.   Pulp Fiction is a retro-inspired full-featured modern pinball machine. Developed at the request of Quentin Tarantino who wanted an 1980’s style Pulp Fiction themed pinball machine for his home. Tarantino’s continued involvement throughout the project shaped the final game. Tarantino rarely licenses his intellectual property, it is a unique privilege to produce a game which pays tribute to this masterpiece. Pinball designer Mark Ritchie masterfully crafted a playfield which on its surface appears comparable to games from this era but outside of initial perception features more mechanisms and greater depth than most games produced today. David Thiel forcefully pulls the player into this world utilizing over 250 iconic lines from Pulp Fiction’s legendary cast, five licensed songs from the original movie soundtrack, and a number of original compositions. Josh Sharpe developed an approachable rule set that is both intuitive and deep enough to engage even the most skilled player.   o    250+ Iconic Lines of Pulp Fiction Dialogue Featuring 19 Movie Characters o    5 Licensed Songs from the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack – Comanche, Jungle Boogie, Misirlou, Son of a Preacher Man & You Never Can Tell o    Mirrored Backglass with Custom Hand-Drawn Artwork from Pulp Fiction’s Legendary Jack Rabbit Slim’s Dance Scene o    RGB LED General Illumination Lighting, 15 RGB LED Featured Inserts, RGB LED Lower Arch Lighting o    Vintage Stainless Steel Coin Door with LED Pulp Fiction Logo & Start Button on Door (Non-Coin Operated Models ONLY) o    4 Memory Drop Targets, 3 Drop Targets, Pawn Shop 3-Ball Subway Lock, Briefcase 3-Ball Lock;  Knocker Assembly

Here’s the matrix showing which of the various features are included in each model. The SED model noted here is the Special Edition with the black door.

250+ Iconic Lines of Pulp Fiction Dialogue Featuring 19 Movie Characters	ALL MODELS
5 Licensed Songs from the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack – Comanche, Jungle Boogie, Misirlou, Son of a Preacher Man & You Never Can Tell	ALL MODELS
Custom Sound & Music Audio Package Designed By David Thiel	ALL MODELS
Mirrored Backglass with Custom Hand-Drawn Artwork from Pulp Fiction’s Legendary Jack Rabbit Slim’s Dance Scene	ALL MODELS
Playfield w/ Custom Artwork Featuring Vincent Vega, Jules Winnfield, Mia Wallace, Winston Wolf & Jimmie Dimmick	ALL MODELS
Classic Pinball-Inspired Cabinet & Backbox with Custom Hand-Drawn Pulp Fiction Artwork	ALL MODELS
Retro 13-Segment Alphanumeric LED Scoring Displays	ALL MODELS
Knocker Assembly	ALL MODELS
RGB LED General Illumination Lighting	ALL MODELS
Fully-Integrated, Built-In RGB LED Lighting System on Lower Arch	ALL MODELS
15 RGB LED Software-Controlled Featured Inserts	ALL MODELS
Gun Magnet Capable of Catching & Throwing Pinballs	ALL MODELS
Custom Sculpted Vincent Vega & Jules Winnfield Figures, “Royale With Cheese” Burger, Illuminated Gold Watch, and Interactive Briefcase	ALL MODELS
Playfield Plastics with Custom Hand-Drawn Artwork Featuring Vincent Vega, Jules Winnfield, Butch Coolidge, Captain Koons, Pumpkin & Honey Bunny	ALL MODELS
Pawn Shop with 3-Ball Subway Locking Assembly	ALL MODELS
3-Ball Briefcase Locking Assembly	ALL MODELS
4 Memory Drop Targets & 3-Bank Drop Targets	ALL MODELS
2 Adrenaline Heart Hall Effect Spinning Targets	ALL MODELS
5 Multiball Modes Including “Briefcase Boogie” & “Pawn Shop Panic”	ALL MODELS
5 Roll Scene Modes – “Twist Contest”, “BMF Wallet”, “Gold Watch”, “Clean The Car” & “The Shot”	ALL MODELS
3 Mini-Wizard Modes – “Cast Chaos”, “Pulp Fiction Frenzy” & “The Shot”	ALL MODELS
“Divine Intervention” Wizard Mode	ALL MODELS
Vintage Stainless Steel Coin Door with LED Pulp Fiction Logo & Start Button on Door	SE & LE ONLY
Traditional Black Coin Operated Pinball Door with DBV Connector and Start Button Located on Cabinet	SED ONLY
Jack Rabbit Slim’s Topper Featuring Custom Sculpted Vincent Vega & Mia Wallace Dancing Figurines, Custom Sculpted Classic Car Models with Flashing Headlights, Jack Rabbit Slim’s Neon Sign with Scintillating Starfield & RGB LED Lighting	LE ONLY
Vintage Chrome Speaker Grill with Play Mechanix Pinball & Chicago Gaming Company Medallions	LE ONLY
Shaker Motor Assembly	LE ONLY
Interior Mirror Blades	LE ONLY
Custom Sculpted Bad Mother Flipper Wallet with Exclusive Limited Edition Plaque	LE ONLY
Pulp Fiction Pinball Promotional Banner	LE ONLY
Certificate of Authenticity Signed by Game Designer Mark Ritchie	LE ONLY
Production Limited to Only 1,000 Machines	LE ONLY
CoinUp Online Connectivity	ALL MODELS

Finally, there is a fairly lengthy promotional video showing all the key features.

Texas Pinball Festival has confirmed that you will be able to play Pulp Fiction at their show later this month, and of course we’ll be there to report on it. You can click here to buy tickets if you too want to attend.