# The Uncanny X-Men Pinball Presented by Stern Pinball

**Source:** Stern Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-09-04  
**Duration:** 5m 31s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSXexM09APM

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## Analysis

George Gomez and Jack Danger present Stern Pinball's The Uncanny X-Men, a new machine based on Marvel's Days of Future Past storyline featuring an innovative playfield layout with articulated Sentinel mechanics, a Danger Room mini-playfield, 35+ X-Men characters, and premium components including interactive speaker lighting and custom sculpts. The game emphasizes unconventional shot design, cross-playfield flow, and physical ball interactions through motorized toys and wire-form obstacles.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The Uncanny X-Men is based on the Days of Future Past X-Men comic storyline — _George Gomez opening statement identifies Days of Future Past as the source material for the new game_
- [HIGH] The game features a motorized, articulated Sentinel with chin piece that breaks away and hands that destroy wire forms — _Jack Danger provides detailed mechanical description of Sentinel toy featuring motorized chin, kicking target, and articulated hands_
- [HIGH] The Danger Room is located on the left side of the playfield as a high-risk, high-reward mini-flipper area — _Jack Danger describes Danger Room location, features (mini flipper, ramp, outlane spinner), and access via XJ crossover shot_
- [HIGH] The playfield includes a custom sculpted Wolverine action figure thrown by Colossus in the Fast Ball Special — _Jack Danger describes Beast slab and adjacent custom Wolverine action figure positioned as Fast Ball Special reference_
- [HIGH] Premium and LE editions feature an interactive speaker Expression Lighting system with X-Men themed effects — _Jack Danger explicitly states LE includes interactive speaker Expression Lighting system available as accessory_
- [HIGH] The game intentionally features unconventional shot design including backwards ramps and targets difficult to hit on purpose — _Jack Danger states design philosophy: 'I wanted cross shots I wanted ramps that were backwards I wanted targets you couldn't hit on purpose'_
- [HIGH] The game includes Magneto's magnet toy capable of catching and throwing the ball with special ball effects — _Jack Danger describes Magneto's magnet playfield element and its interactive functionality_
- [HIGH] The Pro Edition features a destructible Sentinel head bash toy with illuminated eyes — _Jack Danger describes Pro Edition includes 'custom sculpted destructible Sentinel head bash toy with illuminated eyes'_

### Notable Quotes

> "when I was in the fifth grade I used to hide my X-Men comics in my geography book one day I got caught while reading the issue where the Juggernaut fought the X-Men"
> — **George Gomez**, 0:15-0:35
> _Establishes Gomez's personal connection to X-Men IP and the Juggernaut character, framing the game as a passion project_

> "the story that sticks in my mind is one of the greatest X-Men stories ever told it's called the Days of Future Past and that is the comic book that the new game is based on"
> — **George Gomez**, 0:35-1:00
> _Confirms the source material and thematic foundation for the machine design_

> "the art is by Zombie Yeti and it is truly a love letter to the epic Marvel illustrations that created the iconic X-Men franchise"
> — **George Gomez**, 1:20-1:35
> _Credits Zombie Yeti as art director and frames the aesthetic as a homage to classic X-Men visual style_

> "I wanted flow unlike anything that I've seen before I wanted cross shots I wanted ramps that were backwards I wanted targets you couldn't hit on purpose essentially I wanted to make something that was weird fun and engaging"
> — **Jack Danger**, 4:20-4:50
> _Articulates unconventional design philosophy prioritizing novelty and complexity over traditional shot hierarchy_

> "the Sentinel it's motorized its chin breaks away it even fights back with a kicking target in its mouth the Sentinel's hands are also featured on the playfield destroying wire forms and knocking the ball off of its path"
> — **Jack Danger**, 3:15-3:45
> _Describes the marquee mechanical feature and its interactive role in gameplay and ball routing_

> "the Danger Room located to the left of the main flipper this is a high-risk high reward area featuring a mini flipper a ramp an outlane spinner and a whole lot of danger"
> — **Jack Danger**, 4:55-5:15
> _Establishes the Danger Room as a distinctive playfield zone with unique challenges and risk/reward mechanics_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball designer; presented the game and provided personal history with X-Men IP; emphasized Days of Future Past source material |
| Jack Danger | person | Playfield designer for The Uncanny X-Men; described innovative layout, Sentinel mechanics, and design philosophy |
| Waison Chang | person | Credited team member on The Uncanny X-Men (role not specified in content) |
| Kevin Cog | person | Credited team member on The Uncanny X-Men (role not specified in content) |
| Charlie Benante | person | Composer of musical score for The Uncanny X-Men |
| Jerry Thompson | person | Audio production for The Uncanny X-Men |
| Chuck Ernst | person | Director/head of animation team; created all original animations and video content for The Uncanny X-Men |
| Zombie Yeti | person | Art director for The Uncanny X-Men; responsible for all playfield and cabinet artwork |
| The Uncanny X-Men | game | New Stern Pinball machine based on Marvel's Days of Future Past storyline; features innovative Sentinel mechanics, Danger Room mini-playfield, 35+ X-Men characters, available in Pro/Premium/LE tiers |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of The Uncanny X-Men; producer of this announcement video |
| Marvel | company | IP licensor for X-Men theme and Days of Future Past storyline |
| Days of Future Past | product | X-Men comic storyline; source material for The Uncanny X-Men game narrative and theme |
| Danger Room | product | Mini-playfield zone on left side of The Uncanny X-Men; themed around X-Men training facility; features mini flipper, ramp, outlane spinner |
| Sentinel | product | Motorized playfield toy on The Uncanny X-Men; features articulated hands, destructible chin piece, kicking target mechanism |
| Magneto's Magnet | product | Interactive playfield toy on The Uncanny X-Men; capable of catching and throwing ball with special effects |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern Pinball's online/connected system; on Pro edition allows discovery of mutant powers in online quests |
| Expression Lighting | product | Interactive speaker lighting system on premium editions of The Uncanny X-Men; features X-Men themed effects; available as accessory |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Playfield Design Innovation, Marvel X-Men IP Adaptation, Mechanically Complex Toys, Days of Future Past Storyline, Danger Room Mini-Playfield
- **Secondary:** Pro/Premium/LE Feature Distribution, Connected Gaming (Insider Connected), Character Roster (35+ X-Men)

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Enthusiastic presentation with Gomez emphasizing personal passion for X-Men IP and design ambitions. Jack Danger conveys excitement about innovative layout and unconventional mechanics. Framing of game features emphasizes novelty and complexity. No negative criticism or concerns expressed. Tone is celebratory announcement.

### Signals

- **[licensing_signal]** Game features 35+ playable X-Men characters including Wolverine, Magneto, Professor X, Storm, Colossus, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, Mystique and additional favorites (confidence: high) — George Gomez lists primary cast; Jack Danger references Fast Ball Special (Colossus/Wolverine) and multiple character-specific toys
- **[community_signal]** Insider Connected system on Pro edition enables online mutant discovery and quest gameplay, extending engagement beyond physical playfield (confidence: high) — Jack Danger describes Pro edition: 'players can extend the fun with Stern's award-winning Insider Connected system by discovering mutants with Cerebro and using their mutant powers in online quests'
- **[design_philosophy]** Jack Danger prioritizes unconventional shot design and complex ball trajectories over traditional accessibility; intentionally creates challenging targets and counter-intuitive ramp routing (confidence: high) — Jack Danger states: 'I wanted cross shots I wanted ramps that were backwards I wanted targets you couldn't hit on purpose essentially I wanted to make something that was weird fun and engaging'
- **[licensing_signal]** Zombie Yeti as art director for X-Men machine; artwork described as homage to classic Marvel X-Men illustrations, indicating conscious stylistic fidelity to IP aesthetic tradition (confidence: high) — George Gomez: 'the art is by Zombie Yeti and it is truly a love letter to the epic Marvel illustrations that created the iconic X-Men franchise'
- **[design_innovation]** Use of articulated motorized Sentinel toy with reactive mechanics (hands destroying wire forms, chin breakaway) as central playfield feature integrating theme with gameplay (confidence: high) — Jack Danger describes motorized Sentinel with articulated hands, destructible chin, and physical interaction with ball trajectory
- **[announcement]** Official reveal of The Uncanny X-Men pinball machine with full design details, mechanical features, and tier differentiation (confidence: high) — George Gomez formal presentation of game with designer credits, playfield description, and mechanical specifications
- **[product_strategy]** Expression Lighting interactive speaker system exclusive to Premium/LE editions; Pro edition features destructible Sentinel bash toy but without articulated hands (confidence: high) — Jack Danger specifies LE/Premium include 'interactive speaker Expression Lighting system' while Pro features 'destructible Sentinel head bash toy with illuminated eyes'
- **[licensing_signal]** Days of Future Past X-Men storyline adapted as narrative framework for game missions and multiball sequences (confidence: high) — George Gomez: 'our heroes are trapped in a dismal future and to reverse their fate they must travel through time to change the past'

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## Transcript

hello everybody it's George Gomez at Stern Pinball and before I reveal our new game I want to tell you an X-Men story when I was in the fifth grade I used to hide my X-Men comics and my geography book one day I got caught while reading the issue where the Juggernaut fought the X-Men fast forward to the 80s and I was working at Midway games and still reading the X-Men the story that sticks in my mind is one of the greatest X-Men stories ever told it's called the Days of Future Past and that is the comic book that the new game is based on our heroes are trapped in a dismal future and to reverse their fate they must travel through time to change the past I'm very happy to present The Uncanny X-Men brought to you by Jack danger weisen Chang Kevin Cog a musical score by Charlie Charlie Benante audio production by Jerry Thompson and of course Chuck erns group has created all all original animations and video content for the game the art is by zombie Yeti and it is truly a love letter to the Epic Marvel illustrations that created the iconic X-Men franchise the first thing you'll notice is a truly unique Playfield layout Jack has created a completely fresh array of shots with surprising ball trajectories and results add to that a mechanically articulated Sentinel that reacts physically to game events the bottom of the Playfield is also truly unique themed around the famous X-Men training facility the danger room you too will have to train to survive it of course the game features a huge cast of X-Men Wolverine Magneto Professor X storm Colossus Beast Rogue Gambit mystique and all of your favorites Stern technology provides new ways to play with Insider connected and now Jack will take you through the game have fun play The Uncanny X-Men hi I'm Jack danger designer of Sterns all new The Uncanny X-Men growing up I've always loved comics and X-Men was the comic to have as a kid and now that this is a pinball machine title I get to work on I couldn't have been more excited to get started on this let's jump into my craziest layout yet with the features of the LA and Premium Edition let's start with the main big bad from the X-Men Universe The Sentinel it's motorized it's chin breaks away it even fights back with a kicking Target in its mouth the sentinel's hands are also featured on the Playfield destroying wire forms and knocking the ball off of its path of trajectory next we have Beast slab this is an elevated captive ball very Target in the back you will also see a custom sculpted Wolverine action figure having been thrown by Colossus in what is known as the fast ball special also included in the Ellie is an interactive speaker expression lighting system with X-Men themed effects which will also be available as an accessory so let's talk about the layout of this game I wanted to flow unlike anything that I've seen before I wanted cross shots I wanted ramps that were backwards I wanted targets you couldn't hit on purpose essentially I wanted to make something that was weird fun and engaging and what's an X-Men game without a danger room located to the left of the main flipper this is a high-risk High reward area featuring a mini flipper a ramp an outlan spinner and a whole lot of danger hit the XJ crossover shot to the Mansion ramp to make your way to the danger room cerebral ball lock mechanism holds the ball to transition to the Future the Midtown shot is a Playfield elevated wire ramp that wraps around the back of the sentinel's head shoot the ball to Magneto's magnet which is capable of catching and throwing the ball with special ball effects shoot the right sub way shot to feed the back panel ramp shoot for the double turnaround downtown ramp to watch a ball do something you haven't seen before the highway ramp on the right features a diverter that can feed the ball to the left or right flipper stain the steel uptown left ramp with chrome wireform return shot now let's take a look at the pro Edition Gamers will experience a lot of the same interactions in gameplay custom sculpted destructible Sentinel head bash toy with illuminated eyes mute it Beast lab leaper Target players can extend the fun with Stern's award-winning Insider connected system by discovering mutants with cerebro and using their mutant powers in online quests mutant registration accepted so go rally the heroes of the past to save the future in Stern Pinball and Marvel's all new The Uncanny X-Men at Stern pinball.com

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 81c32bf1-8bb9-40b5-8f66-3de4e7ee266b*