Sederien's Collected Pachinko Impressions and General Q/A Thread

[Sederien]

Welcome to Sederien's Collected Pachi Impressions Thread!

For those of you who joined in the last couple of years, I'll be a new face on the boards, but for everyone else, I'm an old hand who's probably played a bit too much pachi for 'es own good. I also had the benefit of living and working in Japan for 3 years and speak passable Japanese.

Well, I've done a few reviews of modern pachinko machines in the past, they seem to have been well received, and I always had the intention of doing more... but since I was short on time due to work (thus my brief absence from the board) I never did get around to it. Sooooo...

Here's how it'll work for now in order to (a) make this more manageable for me and (b) make this more relevant to what people want to hear about:

Step 1: You name or provide an image of any pachinko machine made in the past decade along with any questions you have about the machine.

Maybe you saw it online and were curious about the machine or you're thinking about purchasing it and wanted a second opinion. Whatever the reason, I've probably got a pretty good shot* of having played the machine in question or at least being familiar with the machine enough to comment.

*

Spoiler

Seriously, I've got maybe a 75% chance of actually having played it... far less if it's a live-action and more if it's animated.

You're also welcome to ask anything about my time in Japan or more general pachinko questions outside of how to fix them (which is far better handled by members who do such things!).

Step 2: I answer your questions and rate the machine based on my experience. Then I'll add the machine to the (barren wasteland or steadily growing) list of other reviews done and this board will start having a collected list of impressions concerning the latest in pachinko. Hooray!

If others feel passionate about a machine one way or another, I'll even add their voice into the mix so this becomes more of a community thing than just a me thing.

---

EXTRA INFO ABOUT THE REVIEWER'S PREFERENCES:

1. I find music to be one of the most important aspects of any pachinko, because when you play a machine, you're going to be listening to this a LOT. While I'll try not to subject my own personal music preferences into my opinions, I'll certainly note when the machine in question doesn't use music appropriately.

2. I tend to like interactive games more-so than ones which show videos only. Failing this, it needs to be darn well put together in such a way that I am entertained while playing, even if there's no mini-games.

3. Current favorite machines (in no particular order): New Weather Studio, Go! Go! Hiromi Second Stage, Dawn of the Fantasy, Nangoku Sodachi (Series), Club Moon.

[KimbaWLion]

Welcome back! Your help in the past has helped me GREATLY with selections and I am GLAD your back! I have made good ones for me since you have not been around but your insight
has really made a difference to me and I am truly welcome it! I finally got a PatchQue Next based on how it looked AND your recommendation! I also just got a RAVE Groove Adventure too
since I like the anime so much!

I am really happy your back and will make reviews! Right off the back I will make a request! The one based on the Queen's Blade anime! The Demo page makes it look kewl but that does NOT mean it is...

CR ???

[Sederien]

I am really happy your back and will make reviews! Right off the back I will make a request! The one based on the Queen's Blade anime! The Demo page makes it look kewl but that does NOT mean it is...

CR ???

Glad to be back. ^^

As for that model, I have indeed seen it in palours and had the pleasure of trying the light version out very briefly... but I can't, unfortunately say it left much of an impression because it of the very short time I had with the machine. That having been said, a couple of things to note:

CR Queen's Blade (CR クイーンズブレイド) and CR Battle Vixens (CR 一騎当千SS)

qb_arudora.jpg ikki_ha.jpg

This machine is made by Takao, who has made a -very- similar machine in the past. If you're at all familiar with Battle Vixens,

1. Typical special reach variation is somewhat limited, but the smoothness of regular play and the many many ways to get into each special reach and the variety of characters used within them makes up for it big time.

2. Sound production and graphic quality is top notch on the order of that in the Macross series of pachinkos... but much more chaotic/busy in comparison. These machines are kindly like staring into a kaleidoscope on steroids, but it's a relaxing one rather than a dizzying one.

In short, if that's your focus, either CR Queen's Blade or CR 一騎当千SS (Battle Vixens / Survival Soldier) would be a worthwhile addition to any collection. They're very hypnotic machines. In fact if it wasn't for the theme being that of super sexy schoolgirl battles (which just isn't my thing, I admit), Battle Vixens would easily have made my list of top favorite pachinkos back when it was released in 2010.

Hope that helps and sorry I couldn't save you any money on this one!



EDIT: Awww... I just remembered I can never edit my first post in this forum as in most. There goes the idea of putting all the reviews in the first post for easy sorting. Oh well, I'll make a compilation blog or something to track of this in the future. ><

[KimbaWLion]

One can get Battle Vixens for a decent price these days! Having watched all of both series I found Queen's Blade more entertaining as I found more "wrongness" in it, something about Angel Naneel will always sit that way!
The only Pachi that COULD have more wrongness in it could possible be one based on The Qwaser of Stigmata. I would bet most of our female forum members would find that one based on that rather reprehensible...
Ones such as Macross and Ghostbusters are STILL too pricey for me... THEN there is the matter of room..

As always thanks for your insight, it is GREALY appreciated... Though AFTER the 5 pachis I recently acquired over the last 6-7 months: GoDannar, Black Lagoon, Godzilla 4, Rave Groove Adventure, AND PachiQue Next, my family members would be a little MORE than bent...
THOUGH a Queen's Blade one would certainly be welcomed by me! Once again welcome back and I look foreword to your reviews and insight!

[Sederien]

Godannar wasn't my fault too, was it? ^^ (Seriously, I could watch that little spinner for hours and not get bored. Best spinner I've -ever- seen on a pachi model.)

Also, how is Black Lagoon? It didn't seem to be a particularly wide release in Japan... or perhaps it just wasn't popular enough because I didn't see it anywhere on my last trip out this past month.

P.S. Minor clarifications to the "not much of an impression" comment on my last post. The palour I was at happened to have such horrible pins (we're talking 2-3 spins vs. the 10 expected) that I walked out without really having played it at all. Then in other palours, I must have mentally checked the machine off my list. ><

[KimbaWLion]

Well Godannar rates as one my MOST favorite Robot Animes EVER made... There is MORE in that Anime than most 5 added together... I need to play it more to get to super sexy mode...
Black Lagoon is AWESOME! ( at least to me... The Anime is something else and the Manga is getting started again. It has TONS of Animatronics, mini games etc. (Gotta LOVE the Ravi KILLING Zone!) It hard to think about it for another
person since I REALLY loved the anime and that makes me too biased...

Try the RAVE:Groove adventure if you get time eventually. It is fairly new 2012, and it looks awesome lots of features, I like the music etc. etc. I am mostly an anime guy as you know with only 3 of machines NOT being anime based,
Sunset Gunman (have to have since its Clint Eastwood), Koda Kumi Live in Fever Hall 2 ( I like her music especially her Cutie Honey ), Ultraman (Memories of me as a kid, I loved it!)

There is also another one I was thinking about, came out around 2/2012: The Girl who leap into space, Sora Kake Girl.
The music is Progressive Rock a LOT of the time and HEAVILY influenced by Keith Emerson!!! Sunrise makes GREAT animes too!
Here is the demo for the RARE chance you have to not seen or played it! And if you did what did you think of it? Sorry to hit you up a lot but I need to look ahead save and find room!
奧�パ�ンコ新� 宇宙を��る少女 - YouTube

[Sederien]

Ah, yes... I've seen that one in palours, but didn't actually sit down to play it.

Sadly, because it struck me as decidedly average and not really worth the time compared to other options that were available. It's one of those machines that doesn't do anything particularly to make itself stand out from the crowd, even if it basically does everything a pachinko should in the end. That is to say, if you really like the source theme and material, there's probably something there for you, but if you're not familiar with it in the beginning, it's not going to be like Dawn of the Fantasy and draw you in sight otherwise unseen.

[Ikaria]

First off, Welcome Back!!!

Secondly, Let me join in on the fun. I've been eyeing 2 different Lupin III machines. 2010 Treasure of Tokugawa, and 2012 World is Mine. Any opinions?

I have 2008 Tower of Lupin for comparison.

[Drunkenclam]

I'd have to agree about the music. It's what makes my Maison Ikkoku my favourite machine at the moment. I was looking at the second one. But I just didn't like the graphics. Plus now I have 4 games in the Heiwa Lupinasu frame. Including the New Weather Studio currently under repair.

[Ikaria]

I'd have to agree about the music. It's what makes my Maison Ikkoku my favourite machine at the moment. I was looking at the second one. But I just didn't like the graphics. Plus now I have 4 games in the Heiwa Lupinasu frame. Including the New Weather Studio currently under repair.

I have 3 Lupinasu frames as well (would love the blue), but will Tokugawa fit in that frame? There are a few differences between the 2008 and 2010 frames. If it will fit, then it might be worth just picking up the cell, if it's a fun machine.

[Sederien]

Let me join in on the fun. I've been eyeing 2 different Lupin III machines. 2010 Treasure of Tokugawa, and 2012 World is Mine. Any opinions?

I have 2008 Tower of Lupin for comparison.

You know, the 2008 version of the game never really did much for me... A bit too shrill in terms of sound effects vs. music and not nearly as fun to play as the newer versions. Actually, if it wasn't for Fist of the North Star, I'd say the Lupin series would have been a close run for "Most Improved Pachinko Sequel."

As for the actual pachinko choice you face:

CR Lupin - Treasure of Tokugawa and CR Lupin - World is Mine:

Both play remarkable similarly and are both fantastic in their own right. Characterized by smooth play, very inventive and occasionally humorous ways to get into reaches which go a step beyond the typical reach / super reach playstyle.

In addition to reaches (any two numbers match, look for a third) and super reaches (your typical video chance after a reach is declared and the machine keeps going), Lupin III 2010/12 machines added the concept of "opening reaches" which are midway between the two. The series didn't invent the concept, but I think they went the furthest in many ways in perfecting it. So you can reach, opening reach, and then super reach in one spin... and they make it the normal progression in a neat, tidy, entertaining package.

As for the major difference between the two and my preference, it comes down to the animatronics. The 2010 version has sliding shutters and the whole screen can move and tilt. This would have been an ok gimmick in any other machine, but the skill in which the animators added to the presentation by making full used of the area around the screen as it tilts is simply fantastic. The 2012 version has an open close shutter (bullet hole, I believe) and a logo which can drop drown. Both machines have the spotlights.

Personally, I far and away prefer the 2010 version as the 2012 version doesn't really add too much in terms of reach variety or new modes whereas the 2010 version has something special you just don't see on other machines. If you're thinking of picking one of the two up, go for the Treasures of Tokugawa without question.

[Drunkenclam]

I have 3 Lupinasu frames as well (would love the blue), but will Tokugawa fit in that frame? There are a few differences between the 2008 and 2010 frames. If it will fit, then it might be worth just picking up the cell, if it's a fun machine.

simple answer is no Thats the lupinasu heart frame. I have a manual for that frame around here somewhere, The lupinasu X frame manual should be here in a week

Although It sounds like a machine worth getting

Thanks Sederien

[PachiPachi]

What do you think of Evangelion 7 Pachinko? I do not care for the Eva drama but I love the art and battle scenes. I have one in the mail. I chose the machine because of all the bells and whistles. Have any comments about it?

[Sederien]

What do you think of Evangelion 7 Pachinko? I do not care for the Eva drama but I love the art and battle scenes. I have one in the mail. I chose the machine because of all the bells and whistles. Have any comments about it?

The Eva series has, from their very first incarnation, been consistently above-average in terms of entertainment regardless of whether you ever watched the series or not.

Personally, I think whether or not you like 7 comes down to the music. I -love- the sweeping orchestral direction they selected for general play and I think they did a fantastic job at moving back towards entertaining reaches vs. 6, which was too much of a gamblers machine (reaches would end early with no chances for the animation to continue).

Unfortunately, this is hampered a bit by some rather large steps backwards for the bonuses themselves... Instead of tightly coordinated music videos, you know just have some random collection of screen caps/animation to a pretty annoying (halting) song as the default win. On top of that, there's scrolling text reminding you every single time you win that you can use the trigger to see more of the story (which just displays text on the screen in an ugly box over the animation). The animatronics on this one are better than usual.

Also, on a personal note, I really never liked the new character addition. So... I'm still partial to 5 out of the 7 available, but 7 itself is a great choice if you get a heavy version (1/300+) as general play is simply fantastic.

[PachiPachi]

Thanks for the info! Well put. I love the bells and whistles as well as the lighting. Im on a phone so I can't really post photos, but the machine is the blue one with orange/green/red mixed in. Any idea if that is the heavy version?



Edit here's a photo!image.jpgimage.jpg

[Sederien]

Not a clue.

But there's always a sticker on the cell side that will say 1/XXX and 1/XX which will let you know.

[p.opus]

To continue our discussion on my Yamato machine...you said:

Your particular machine (FPW) breaks down as follows:

12% of wins = 2R kakuhen (You won't make any balls on this, but you're now in 1/9.9 mode... and yes, it's 1/9.9, not 1/9 as listed on their site. ^^)
52% of wins = 7R kakuhen
1% of wins = 15R kakuhen
Rest = 7R regular (I assume)

I looked over the stats and My machine does not have a 2R bonus. Only the FPW for the Yamato 2. In the meantime, I did hit a 15 rounder tonight so that question is answered and you were correct, it was a Kakuhen win. It's not tied to a specific number, because the 15 rounder hit on all 5's, so it's like you said, a percentage.

While it is nice that the FPW pays more often, the shortened bonus rounds (7) and less balls per round (8 vs 9) actually makes the machine super tight. My star wars machine has way worse odds, but if I get two Kakuhen wins in a play session, I am guaranteed to make money. However with the Yamato, even with a couple of Kakuhen wins under my belt, it's still very easy to go negative because each fever round only nets about 500 balls.

Over all, it's a very fun machine, and considering the work I had to go through today to install my counter, I'm going to play the heck out of it.

[Sederien]

This is the machine, yes?

CR宇宙戦艦ヤマト | パãƒ�ンコ機種攻略情å*± | パãƒ�ンコ攻略ã€�パãƒ�スãƒ*攻略ã�ªã‚‰K-Navi(ケイナビ)

If so... yeah, you actually do have a 2R bonus. But you need to keep in mind what a 2R bonus actually is. It's not an actual bonus. You won't see the machine match 3 symbols and win only 2 rounds. There won't be any fanfare. There often isn't even an indication you've won. Most often, a 2R bonus is incurred when you see a reach, lose that reach, and enter into a new mode. (Not always, mind you!)

Here's what you should look for, though. You'll know the machine has a 2R bonus if, while playing, you eventually see the bonus gate flip open two times very quickly sometime during regular play (usually during or at the very end of a spin). That's all a 2R bonus actually is. No balls will enter the gate unless you just happen to get super lucky and, even if any balls do make it in, nothing special happens after.

[KimbaWLion]

I have a Minisuka Police 2 and it the light version, the KS. I am going to assume to get a 15R it will take some luck too!
I guess I will have to play it a lot more! Let me know what you think as usual! Its always appreciated!

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[PachiPachi]

For every pachinko machine is there a lite and heavy version that looks identicle to one another? Same frame and cell, just different ratios?