Via Starwars.com:
STARWARS.COM SPEAKS WITH THE DESIGNERS BEHIND THREE NEW SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY-INSPIRED TABLES — PLUS, WE SMUGGLE SOME HINTS ON HOW TO UP YOUR GAME.
In many ways, being a great pinball player is a lot like being a successful Star Wars scoundrel: you have to know the angles, always keep your eye on scoring a jackpot, and wait for just the right moment to shoot. Today, that’s especially true — the Solo Pack, featuring three new Solo: A Star Wars Story tables, has arrived in Star Wars Pinball for Pinball FX3.Having played the release in advance, StarWars.com is happy to report that the tables are a wonderful celebration of Solo and its characters, and great pinball games in their own right. The Solo table is a faithful trip through the film, complete with a zooming conveyex train, Millennium Falcon in the playfield, and the film’s various worlds all represented; the Calrissian Chronicles table is a love letter to Lando, incorporating his style and stories from various mediums, including Marvel’s acclaimed Lando series by Charles Soule and Alex Maleev; the Battle of Mimban table, based on a short scene in which the Empire looks to take over the mud-covered planet, is a muddy masterpiece, with rusty habitrails and up-close looks at the not-so-pretty Mimbanese. From a purely design perspective, the pack is a major success; these tables are all unique from each other, but still look purely Star Wars and Solo. Moreover, they’re all filled with fully-animated 3D characters, creatures, and vehicles, taking advantage of the video game form to further capture the feel of the movie. But if you stripped away Star Wars and judged the tables as pure pinball experiences, they’re just as successful, featuring layers of smart design and gameplay surprises, from the Solo table’s clever skill shot to games of sabacc with Lando to Mimbanese warriors that pop up out of the ground. To celebrate the release, StarWars.com caught up with Thomas Crofts, table designer, and Márk Kovács, lead character artist, to discuss the making of the Solo Pack, from collaborating with Lucasfilm to creating a Lando table that covers the character’s entire history. Here are some of their greatest insights, along with some tips for those looking to up their digital pinball skills. Punch it — or in this case, launch it.
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