The next Stern pinball machine will be based on the John Wick movie franchise, featuring music, movie clips, and likenesses of all the major characters – most notably Keanu Reeves', art and possibly many clips of the murders. This isn't Keanu's first pinball appearance — he's already been the star of Williams' 1995 machine Johnny Mnemonic, and Reeves was a cast member who appeared in Williams' Bram Stoker's Dracula, also a 1993 game. was
John Wick seems to be primarily themed around murder in a proper way, and this is where things get weird. Trouble for you is an AI-controlled opponent. Here's how Stern says it will all work:
To raise the stakes, John Wick Pinball introduces Stern's all-new dynamic AI battle system, an innovation that brings the frenetic combat of the legendary films to the game. The Stern team created a primitive video game AI system to control enemy lights on the playfield, setting John Wick pinball games apart from old pinball machines, where all the lights were controlled by player actions, timers, and random numbers. Controlled by generations. In this new AI battle system, enemy icons are responsive to the player's behavior and will dynamically light up around the playfield to challenge the player. Enemies move strategically with this dynamic software to counter players' objectives, creating a unique challenge in every game session. The system also features a new action video player that dynamically displays player action – as you defeat three enemies, you'll see video clips of John Wick in the movies!
There seems to be a bit of randomness involved, and that's with the unpredictability of pinball. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
John Wick series protagonist Ian McShane will reprise his role as Winston in a way in the game, lending his voice to the callouts that you can get a taste of here in the first trailer.
A closer look at the various special features of the Premium and Limited Edition versions can be seen in the slideshow below. So far we've got a motorized car toy, a drop target that goes into the red circle club area, a ramp diverter (center), an up kicker, and a weapon case toy that hides a subway shot, among other custom toys and features. Except that the Pro version will be dropped. The Limited Edition comes with all sorts of extra non-playfield goodies.
Notably, all three versions have unique artwork, but the premium version's artwork is described as Neon Noir and is really killer, with a very retro-futurism vibe. The bright neon plastics throughout the playground seem to complement this well.
Stern Pinball recently hosted a John Wick Pinball preview event that IGN attended. Here's what IGN host and producer Benjamin Watts thought about it:
Stern's John Wick Pinball Machine is out now. MSRP for the Pro Edition is $6,999, the Premium Edition is $9,699 and the Limited Edition is $12,999. You can buy them. Here – Except for LE, it's already sold out! And if you need a series refresher, Here's where you can stream John Wick movies right now..
Samuel Claiborne is the managing editor of IGN and fixes/breaks antique arcade and pinball machines in his garage. TCELES B HSUP to follow @Samuel_IGN On Twitter