Wizard Blocks Resurfaces?

[Pinballwiz45b]

It may have been shelved, and may never surface on TPA, but the prototype has been discovered once again:

Also, I hear someone on Pinside is making a Wizard Blocks as a fan-made project... I'd love to see one that is finished and how it truly shows what Pinball 2000 could do.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/theres-one-more-wizard-blocks

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I may be wrong, but I think [MENTION=134]shutyertrap[/MENTION] is acquainted with the owner of the prototype - a collector in California - and may even have played it. I'm sure it got mentioned in one of the podcasts.

Also... the recent article about Gene Cunningham (thread here) mentions he was thinking of going after Wizard Blocks after BBB. All very interesting. Wonder what Pat Lawlor thinks of it all?

 

[shutyertrap]

Yes, I have indeed played the prototype, as well as the even less complete Playboy table for Pin2000. The owner of these collects rare prototypes, which is how I've also gotten to play Kingpin, King Kong, Krull, Sea Serpant, and more. This is also the guy who has Zingy Bingy, but I've not seen it myself.

 

[Snorzel]

What prototype do like best [MENTION=134]shutyertrap[/MENTION]? What one is most complete? Best sound? Best feeling shots? What one would you most like to see in TPA?

 

[shutyertrap]

What prototype do like best [MENTION=134]shutyertrap[/MENTION]? What one is most complete? Best sound? Best feeling shots? What one would you most like to see in TPA?

Kingpin was 100% ready to rock as far as I was concerned. Had a good time with it too, as I seemed to have figured it out as opposed to the people I was playing against who couldn't get anything going. Managed to activate all the main modes in one game.

King Kong from Data East was also seemingly good to go, but I liked it ever so less than Kingpin. I don't remember which table had better sound, but for some reason my gut is telling me it was Kong.

Wizard Blocks would be the best Pin2000 had it gone into production. Even as a whitewood and with limited amount of holographic display, I found it really intriguing and a much better layout than RFM or Ep1. I could really get a sense for where they were going with the table, and the display seemed much more integrated into the game than slapped on with the other two. Playboy was in such an early state that there was barely anything even going on with the video. It did seem like it would be an extremely 'adult' table.

I found Krull to be rather dull. It's a huge widebody Gottlieb, but the shots seemed uninspired. Lower play field also felt a million miles away for some reason.

Loch Ness Monster (not Sea Serpent as I posted above) is a 1 of 1 prototype, the last table from Game Plan. Not bad for a 1985 machine, played solid. On par with say Flight 2000. No holograms like Creature, but instead a model of Nessy is in full view within the playfield window!

So of these, I'd love to see Kingpin and Kong in TPA. This guy also had proto tables of Radical and Dredd. Radical has an extra upkicker to habitrail not in the production run, and Dredd had the working Deadworld. Things like that I really wish FarSight could put in as an option. Cactus Canyon with bandit stickers on drop targets, Firepower with drop targets instead of stand-ups (which I have played on, and it completely changes the speed of the game), those are other options I long for.

 

[Kolchak357]

Kingpin and Kong are my two most wanted to play pins. As you can guess, I've never seen either one. I can't imagine how Farsight could get their hands on either one. But it would be great if they found a way.