# Jurassic Park Pinball Premiere @ Replay FX 2019 **Source:** Stern Pinball **Type:** video **Published:** 2019-08-23 **Duration:** 2m 53s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdW1yIcyfxk --- ## Analysis Stern Pinball premiered Jurassic Park at Replay FX 2019, with overwhelmingly positive community reception. Players praise the game's exceptional shot flow, balanced geometry, innovative mechanical features (T-Rex animatronic, Raptor Paddock multiball), and designer Keith Elwin's ability to create an accessible yet deep game appealing to both casual and tournament players. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Jurassic Park has exceptional shot flow and is one of the best shooting games played in a long time — _Player who played the game multiple times at the premiere, comparing directly to other modern machines_ - [HIGH] Keith Elwin's background as a top tournament player directly improves his game design, creating games satisfying to both new and experienced players — _Tournament player observer commenting on design philosophy and player skill transfer to mechanics_ - [HIGH] Replay FX is the capital of pinball tournaments and an ideal premiere location — _Official Stern representative framing the venue choice_ - [HIGH] The T-Rex animatronic features a moving head that leans onto the ramp and catches balls in its mouth, dropping them to show capture — _Direct player description of mechanical behavior during gameplay_ - [HIGH] Jurassic Park is approachable to a huge number of people due to the theme and accessible design — _Non-expert player commentary on accessibility and appeal_ ### Notable Quotes > "So I got to play Jurassic Park half a dozen times yesterday, and the flow is amazing. It's one of the best shooting games I've played in a long time." > — **Tournament player/attendee**, early in commentary > _Strong endorsement of core gameplay experience from experienced player_ > "It's hard not to smile when you see a T-Rex literally lean out onto a ramp. Do you get to shoot a ball into its mouth, and it literally kind of drops it to the lower part of its mouth to show you, like, hey, look what I got? I got your ball." > — **Tournament player/attendee**, mid-commentary > _Highlights the delight factor of the T-Rex mechanical feature and its engagement quotient_ > "I think it makes a difference, like, the player designing the game, because they know, like, what sometimes the people want. He's designed a game that is satisfying for both new players and very experienced players." > — **Tournament player/attendee**, mid-commentary > _Direct commentary on designer Keith Elwin's approach and its success in balancing accessibility with depth_ > "I think Elwin hit it out of the park again. It's a win amongst a larger group of newer pinball machines." > — **Non-expert/casual player**, late in commentary > _Casual player validation of the game's quality compared to modern competition_ > "This is like the capital of pinball tournaments, so it is pretty exciting to premiere a game here." > — **Stern representative**, opening > _Strategic venue selection framing for premiere event_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Jurassic Park | game | 2019 Stern Pinball machine designed by Keith Elwin, released July 2019, featuring T-Rex animatronic and Raptor Paddock multiball | | Keith Elwin | person | Legendary Stern Pinball designer credited with Jurassic Park; recognized as top tournament player whose skills translate to accessible, deep game design | | Replay FX | event | Major pinball tournament and expo event described as 'the capital of pinball tournaments'; location of Jurassic Park premiere | | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer premiering Jurassic Park at Replay FX 2019 | | T-Rex | product | Animatronic feature on Jurassic Park playfield that catches balls in its mouth and moves its head side-to-side | | Raptor Paddock | product | Multiball feature/game mode on Jurassic Park praised for quality and execution | | Pro version | product | Base tier of Jurassic Park played and praised by tournament player | | Premium version | product | Mid-tier of Jurassic Park played and praised by tournament player; features different cosmetics/features vs Pro | ### Topics - **Primary:** Jurassic Park game design and mechanics, Keith Elwin's design philosophy and player-to-designer skill transfer, Replay FX 2019 premiere event and community reception - **Secondary:** Accessibility vs competitive depth in modern pinball design, Mechanical innovation: T-Rex animatronic and Raptor Paddock, Shot layout and playfield flow quality standards - **Mentioned:** IP licensing and theme appeal in modern Stern releases ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.92) — Overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception from both tournament players and casual players. Multiple speakers use superlatives ('best shooting games', 'hit it out of the park', 'amazing flow'). No critical feedback or concerns expressed. Community described as 'excited' and engaged. ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Jurassic Park premiere at Replay FX 2019 as flagship launch event with strong community turnout and positive response (confidence: high) — Official premiere at 'capital of pinball tournaments', multiple tournament players in attendance, overwhelmingly enthusiastic reactions captured in video - **[design_philosophy]** Keith Elwin's designer background as top tournament player directly informs game design approach balancing accessibility with competitive depth (confidence: high) — Tournament player commentary: 'I think it makes a difference, like, the player designing the game, because they know, like, what sometimes the people want. He's designed a game that is satisfying for both new players and very experienced players.' - **[market_signal]** Jurassic Park positions as commercially viable high-end release appealing to both casual and hardcore audiences (confidence: high) — Non-expert player praise: 'With this being a Jurassic Park, it's gonna be something that's approachable to a huge number of people'; tournament player validation of competitive-level shot design - **[announcement]** Jurassic Park officially announced/unveiled at Replay FX 2019 with Pro and Premium tiers available (confidence: high) — Official Stern event, players testing both Pro and Premium versions at premiere --- ## Transcript this is the unveiling of Jurassic Park at the stern pinball booth at replay FX the first time people are getting to play the game and the response has been overwhelmingly exciting this is like the capital of pinball tournaments so it is pretty exciting to premiere a game here so I got to play Jurassic Park half dozen times yesterday and the flow is amazing it's one of the best shooting games I've played a long time I played both the pro version and the premium and it's very fun and there's lots of cool interesting shots it's somewhat intuitive as to what you want to do the overall geometry and the balance just great I was probably in fourth grade I think I got t-rex multiball it was my first time playing the premium got one big hit and trucked into a pretty man oh those goes we were trying to hit the t-rex whenever you hit it the t-rex is face like moved side to side it's hard not to smile when you see a t-rex literally leaned out onto a ramp do you get to shoot a ball into its mouth and it literally kind of dropped it to the lower part of its mouth to show you like hey look what I got I got your ball the Raptor paddock is super awesome the multi balls were very fun I like the curly - right ramp that feeds the upper flipper where you can loop and then hit a side ramp I think it's kind of undeniable he's probably the best pinball player that's ever existed at this point all of that mastery and skill he has as a player definitely shows in his game designs I'm watching people play just to see how they're playing it a lot of my friends are here a lot of the high-end tournament players are here I picked up brain about how they're playing it I think it makes a difference like the player designing the game because they know like what sometimes the people want he's designed a game that is satisfying for both new players and very experienced players with this being a Jurassic Park it's gonna be something that's approachable to a huge number of people yeah I am a very large fan of Jurassic Park I love the movies I don't play a lot of pinball and really enjoyed that there was a story pinball if it's an endless story that's the Wonder and the brilliance of you know good solid pinball and pinball design I think Elwin hit it out of the park again it's a win amongst a larger group of newer pinball machines I'd like to play it more in the future and just to improve to be able to have more fun with it just a fun machine to play I'm a fan of the Jurassic Park game _(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d28be85a-5f1b-49bb-a99e-5b56ef358ff8*