Mick On A Stick !
Poor old Rolling Stones - Certainly one of the forgotten Sterns now. It's a classic case of many people having never played one , or had a couple of games .. laughed at Mick prancing around and then slated it on Pinside ... but you know what, imo its really not bad a game - I have had plenty of pins through here over the years and honestly I have had so much fun on the Stones and its still here after a few years when several much higher rated machines came and went.
It was poorly received on release ... I think there were several factors contributing to this -
1. It came at the end of a long run of pretty underwhelming Stern games CSI,
24, NBA, Big Buck Hunter, Iron Man, and Avatar .......... now I know Iron Man and Avatar have their fans now but at the time they got a pretty lukewarm reception too. During this time if felt like Sterns were getting more and more stripped out - fewer toys and cheaper production values. And I certainly can't argue that the basic Stones Pro doesn't look a little cheap.
2. The Tron factor - the ultimate fanboy title, this came shortly after the Stones and basically eclipsed it in the attention it got.
3. The 'Theme' - The Stones was always gonna polarize opinion. Seen by many as rock dinosaurs, it didn't help that the machine features the older looking Stones.
4. Initial code - the usual story. Early code - featured really stupid easy scoring loopholes. This was subsequently corrected but by then the damage may have been done - especially as many ops dont bother updating site machine code.
5. The Music - Due to licensing there are no pre 1970 tracks featured in the game. This disappointed many. And I agree .... you play The Stones ...you want to hear Satisfaction cranked up.
6. Mick On A Stick - yep, poor old Mick. A lot of how you feel about the Stones as a game depends on how you feel about prancing, dancing ball blocking Mick
I agree it is ridiculous, but it adds something unique to the game - Mick moves with purpose - he is not just random. In certain modes he will block shots, or you need to hit him to make him move to a certain place etc. And yes sometimes he gets in the way of a shot but when you are tuned into the game you kind of have a half an eye on him all the time and play accordingly. Yes he can cause a certain amount of randomness to ball movement but you could argue that with many pinball toys.
So why do I like it ???
I'm a huge Stones fan so that certainly helps. With Pinball Browser you can add in whatever Stones tracks you like
So I now have classics like Paint It Black, Sympathy For The Devil etc . Its awesome having these cranked up.
The game is fast and furious. The ramps are butter smooth and if you can avoid Mick then this is a flow and combo dream.
The rules are solid - they share many similarities with Avatar and Iron Man.
The sound effects are insane - smashing glass, crazed Jackpot callouts . Some nice lighting effects.
There are modes/features to start and try to complete - World Tour, Fast Scoring, Licks, Combos which also can qualify timed Super Combos mode. Record collecting mode which features 4 different 'Records' each with their own record collecting rules ...and rewards you with Records Multiball. Modes can also be stacked into Album and Rock Star multiballs which is crucial for point scoring and mode advancement
Throw in the Shot Multipliers that can be added and there is a whole ton of strategies to think about.
Several Multiball modes ........ Album Multiball - multiple stages to collect all the Stones Albums.
Rock Star multiball - this is one of the best mutiball modes ever - multiple Add A Ball action, Mick blocking shots to Keef, several stages in it .....it's just a blast.
Mini Wizard Mode ...Encore that is achieved by at least starting all the different modes. And then full wizard mode ...Encore Multiball ...if all modes are COMPLETED. I have never ever got to Encore Multiball. It is a tough challenge ! Which is good.
I really really enjoy this game, and its always a hit with guests. Non Pinheads come at it with no pre conceptions, and pinheads are generally surprised that its not the total clusterf*ck that its often made out to be.
Anyway, there it is ....it will probably always remain a hated title
... I enjoy it so thats all that matters
I have added a bunch of stuff to mine that improves on the stock look. Integrated backboard lighting, custom speaker inserts and lights, replaced the crappy flat guitar amp plastics with solid realistic looking ones, added some guitars around the playfield, mirror blades, LEDs .
