I have said it before, pinball is not my choice for gaming but the more I play the more I like it. I would much rather be on the arcade sticks any day than hitting flipper buttons but, this is a classic entertainment choice regardless. A friend of mine recently purchased a Godzilla Premium Edition pinball machine and, I got to spend some time on it. The gameplay is great but what was most enjoyable was that the pesky quarter switch was turned off. That’s right, I could play as much as I liked for free. This is the real advantage of owning one of these machines. Jokes aside, let’s talk about the Godzilla Premium Edition pinball machine from Stern Pinball, Inc.
Of the pinball I’ve played, this machine could easily be my favorite but, I’m calling Elvira’s Monster Party my favorite. I would have to play both these machines side by side to really see. Ultimately though, I think my fandom would win out and Elvira would hold the title. I am a Gojira fan though, make no mistake. I have around 12 Godzilla films and an autographed photo. Pardon me while I go on a rabbit trail. I was supposed to meet the fellow that played the original Godzilla at a convention once, but he had to cancel due to illness. In his place, another fellow that had played the Japanese monster came and signed photos. Either way, this was cool. Now, back to the game.
The gameplay was smooth on this machine. It had plenty going on to keep you distracted from the silver ball but not so much that you couldn’t pay attention and rack up some points. There are a lot of lights and sounds to go along too. A TV screen below the back glass rolls clips from several different Godzilla films while you are playing. My favorite is the footage from the early black and white movie. The board has a Godzilla and a Mechagodzilla character on it along with some awesome art. There are 2 animated pieces on the board as well, a bridge and a building. The bridge breaks and the building would raise if you activated the right targets.
For me, personally, this is a super fun hobby but and expensive one. Maybe one day I’ll invest in a pinball machine, but I think (given I had thousands of dollars to spend on games) it would be invested into arcade cabinets and vintage systems. X-Men, The Simpsons, Tekken Tag Tournament, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the old Star Wars stuff, Terminator with the Uzi controller, and Mortal Combat II would be some arcade cabinets in my game room without a doubt. I do still love to hit those flippers on an Elvira’s Monster Party pinball machine…and a Godzilla Premium Edition Pinball Machine though. It is satisfying when you unlock things on these games and see the machinery work. The level of engineering that goes into pinball machines is impressive. Ultimately though the art on pinball machines is what grabs me – wow, it never ceases to amaze me. In this case, shout out to Zombie Yeti for the awesome artwork on the Godzilla Premium Edition Pinball Machine.
Check out the links below if you interested in learning more about this machine:
Godzilla (Premium) Pinball Machine (Stern, 2021) | Pinside Game Archive