# The Uncanny X-Men: Jack Danger Morphs the Stern Playfield

**Source:** Bash Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-09-12  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.bashpinball.com/2024/09/12/labyrinth-pulp-fiction-the-new-williams-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/

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## Analysis

Bash Pinball hosts enthusiastically discuss the newly revealed Uncanny X-Men pinball machine by Stern, designed by Jack Danger. They praise its innovative offset three-flipper layout, extensive ramp design, removal of traditional out lanes, and compelling Danger Room feature as a major departure from recent Stern releases. The hosts express excitement about the game's learning curve, unique playfield geometry, and perceived quality comparable to classic Williams machines.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] The Uncanny X-Men playfield has approximately 47 ramps — _Host states 'freaking 47 ramps' during final discussion, though this appears to be hyperbolic emphasis rather than precise count_
- [HIGH] The Pro version lacks the moving Sentinel hands and the descending Sentinel head mechanism — _Hosts explicitly compare Pro vs Premium/LE features: 'the head just doesn't move up and down' in Pro, and 'doesn't have the moving sentinel hands'_
- [HIGH] The game eliminates traditional left and right out lanes entirely — _Host observes: 'This game is missing out lanes' and notes the right out lane area is where the ball plunges out_
- [HIGH] The third flipper replaces the left in lane, with a pop bumper positioned there — _Host explains: 'The third flipper on the left...it actually replaces the left in lane. Yeah. And you've got a pop bumper right there.'_
- [HIGH] There is no left slingshot on the playfield — _Host states: 'There's no left slingshot in this. There's just the pop bumper.'_

### Notable Quotes

> "I didn't think that this could be a thing anymore"
> — **Bash host**, early_discussion
> _Expresses surprise that Stern would produce such a bold, unconventional design after recent conservative releases_

> "Jack danger went buck wild dude. I feel like he went into that danger room and he cranked this thing out. He trained for this."
> — **Bash host**, mid_discussion
> _Suggests Jack Danger treated this as a passion project with meticulous attention to detail_

> "This is the most Williams this is the Williams game in recent memory...maybe like more to more than recent memory like for a while"
> — **Bash hosts**, late_discussion
> _Compares the game's design philosophy and execution to classic Williams machines, indicating a dramatic stylistic shift_

> "This is the most excited I've been about a new release that I can remember. This makes me feel like when I first played Radical."
> — **Bash host**, conclusion
> _Highest praise; compares excitement level to legendary Dan Lawlor games_

> "This feels to me like the first time I play this is going to be kind of similar to one of the first times I played pinball."
> — **Bash host**, conclusion
> _Emphasizes the game's novel design elements and unpredictability will require learning from scratch_

> "I think Jack Danger understands what people want to see in a layout and I think all of these different elements that are exciting to us that we want to see are probably in this game"
> — **Bash host**, late_discussion
> _Credits designer with understanding community desires and delivering substantive innovation_

> "It doesn't seem exceptionally nerfed...I think they're going to play very similarly [Pro vs Premium]"
> — **Bash host**, product_comparison
> _Notes that unlike recent releases, the Pro version retains most of the game's core features_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jack Danger | person | Lead designer of Uncanny X-Men; credited with creating innovative offset three-flipper layout and Danger Room feature |
| The Uncanny X-Men | game | Stern Pinball machine released September 4, 2024; Marvel-licensed X-Men themed game featuring Days of Future Past storyline and 80s animation aesthetic |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of The Uncanny X-Men; subject of discussion regarding design philosophy and feature differentiation across product tiers |
| Jeremy Packer | person | Artist credited with creating artwork for The Uncanny X-Men; described as producing elevated comic art that integrates thematically with playfield layout |
| Dan Lawlor | person | Legendary Williams pinball designer; hosts compare Jack Danger's design approach and ball flow philosophy to Lawlor's work on games like Radical |
| Pat Lawlor | person | Classic pinball designer referenced for offset flipper designs; hosts note Uncanny X-Men has even more pronounced offset than Lawlor's games like Funhouse |
| Bash Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast hosting this discussion; community-focused pinball commentary and analysis |
| X-Men 97 | product | Animated series continuation referenced by hosts; mentioned as context for game's thematic inspiration alongside Days of Future Past storyline |
| Godzilla | game | Recent Stern release used as comparison point for playfield innovation and Pro vs Premium feature differentiation |
| Danger Room | product | Distinctive playfield feature on Uncanny X-Men; small play area in lower left replacing traditional left in lane, with pop bumper and third flipper |
| Sentinel | product | Bash toy target on Uncanny X-Men; features moving hands (Premium/LE only) and pop-open jaw that can kick ball back toward player |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Playfield innovation and unconventional layout design, X-Men IP licensing and thematic integration, Pro vs Premium/LE feature differentiation and value proposition, Jack Danger's design philosophy and legacy comparison, Community excitement and hype cycle for new releases
- **Secondary:** Game learning curve and playability experience, Comparison to classic Williams machine design principles, Flipper mechanics and offset layout strategy

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Hosts express exceptional enthusiasm and praise throughout discussion. Language is consistently laudatory (e.g., 'blown away,' 'shook,' 'mad props,' 'so stoked'). No negative critiques of the game itself; only minor critical comments about other games (Circus Voltaire) used for context. Overall tone celebrates innovation and departure from recent Stern design conservatism.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Hosts credit Jack Danger with understanding and delivering what community wants: innovation, learning curve, unpredictable ball paths, and departure from stale 'pick it up and figure it out in 5 games' design pattern (confidence: high) — 'Jack danger understands what people want to see in a layout,' 'thanks for listening and delivering dude,' 'this seems like a like a passion project'
- **[competitive_signal]** Offset three-flipper layout and non-traditional shot geometry will likely force players to learn new positioning, aiming, and strategy compared to conventional two-flipper games (confidence: high) — Host analysis: 'I got to play this game differently now,' 'you can't just use the same strategies,' 'going to have to play this game in a different way,' 'stretch yourself' comparing to other games
- **[design_philosophy]** Uncertainty about how offset three-flipper layout and non-traditional shot geometry will affect game flow and competitive play, despite enthusiasm (confidence: medium) — Host asks 'really curious to see how this game is going to play,' notes 'I'm going to have to play this game differently,' questions about shot geometry and flow implications
- **[design_philosophy]** Jack Danger's Uncanny X-Men represents a deliberate break from recent Stern design conservatism, emphasizing innovation, unconventional mechanics, and player engagement through learning curve and discovery (confidence: high) — Hosts repeatedly praise the bold design choices: 'jack danger went buck wild,' comparison to legendary Williams designers, emphasis on 'something different' and 'not phoned in,' description as 'passion project' with 'obsessing over all the details'
- **[licensing_signal]** Game's narrative framework tied to Days of Future Past storyline with 80s animation series aesthetic and concurrent relaunch of Uncanny X-Men comic book series for marketing alignment (confidence: high) — Host confirms: 'It's actually based on Days of Future Past, which was covered in the original animated series,' and 'from a marketing perspective, it makes more sense for it to tie in with that' comic relaunch timing
- **[market_signal]** Uncanny X-Men positioned as potential flagship/premium release that 'didn't cut any corners' and has 'strong Williams energy,' suggesting Stern is investing heavily in this title despite X-Men IP constraints (confidence: high) — 'This one feels like the next flagship in a way,' 'they didn't cut any corners,' 'This is the most Williams this is the Williams game in recent memory'
- **[product_strategy]** Uncanny X-Men Pro version retains more core features than typical recent Stern releases, with differentiation limited to cosmetic and moving-toy elements (Sentinel hands, descending head) rather than fundamental gameplay (confidence: high) — Host analysis: 'pretty much most of the game is there' in Pro, 'this might be kind of the least nerfed one that we've seen in a little while,' Pro still has Sentinel target, Danger Room, and core mechanics
- **[sentiment_shift]** Dramatic positive sentiment shift in Stern community expectations; hosts describe unprecedented excitement level compared to recent releases (confidence: high) — Statements like 'This is the most excited I've been about a new release that I can remember,' 'I am shook,' comparing to foundational pinball experiences like first exposure to Radical
- **[technology_signal]** Uncanny X-Men's Sentinel bash target incorporating both pop-open jaw and optional ball kickback functionality may represent novel mechanical combination not previously seen in pinball (confidence: medium) — Host questions 'I can't think of anything right now' when discussing bash targets with kickback capability: 'combining two things in one space, which is really efficient and cool'

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## Transcript

 I have a pretty good track record of like getting the exact pitch in these scenarios. Let's do it. We'll see. Let's see what happens. Let's see what happens. All right. So you ready? Yeah. I don't know. I'm just going to jump straight into it. X-Men. And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The X-Men theme by Matt and Don. Not original. We actually recorded that without the song. For real. Yeah, I mean, this is a new game launch. We've got September 4th. X-Men The Uncanny X-Men The Uncanny X-Men Which I always thought was a weird word For a children's cartoon Uncanny They can't be canned They're not cannibal They're not cannibal They're not canny They're the X-Men Well I'm kind of in shock right now We just watched the Well we watched both Stern trailers yeah and uh so yeah we we are now what day is today september 7th 7th okay so we've been avoiding spoilers at all trying to not watch this trailer it's hard to avoid it's been impossible yeah uh scrolling through every other post you know something about it and actually i think i i think i did a pretty good job the only thing i knew before we watched the trailer today was just from that initial like teaser video where the sentinel head comes up Yes. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's pretty much all I saw, I think. Yeah, same, same. I didn't, man, I was, I am shook, dude. I am shook. Shook and shocked. And shocked. I'm kind of blown away. Like, what I'm trying to say is that I'm shocked slash shook in a good way. Yeah. This has answered our call a little bit. I thought you were going to say answered your prayers. Like, you're kneeling beside the bed every night. like dear pinball god dear pinball god please stern bring me something with many ramps and toys so many ramps and fun things that move unpredictable paths weird fingers something different i think i i feel the same way like just looking at this game i was like i didn't think that this could be a thing anymore i liked your comment that when we first watched the trailer and you were like wait how many ramps are in this thing that's the question that i had but i didn't i didn't realize i had the same question it was more of a feeling and then you said and i was like oh my god how many ramps are there what is happening what is going on yeah he was going through the the list of features and he's like and this feature is a ramp and this next feature a ramp and this next feature also a ramp it just went on forever man i love it dude i've jack danger went buck wild dude I feel like he went into that danger room and he cranked this thing out. He trained for this. This is exciting. So anytime I watch, like getting ready to watch a Stern reveal video, because we've done this a few times now, I have expectations that are kind of like relative to every other Stern game that's come out in the last five, six years or whatever. You kind of think like, all right, kind of know what we're getting into. it's going to be this and this. Two flippers at the bottom. Yeah. Maybe an upper flipper on the right. Yeah. Maybe like an upper right flipper, a couple ramps. Yeah. A couple ramps. Fanny type layout or something. Yeah. Yeah. Toys that you've seen other places, but you know, they're kind of slightly different variations on that. Weird fonts. Yeah. And, and that's kind of it. So yeah, I mean, I guess going into it with those sort of expectations and you see this layout and like this play field and stuff and you're just kind of like what uh oh what uh uh or uh we had to pause the video like several times because we couldn't like wrap our head around like what was happening what is happening man it's it's exciting yeah oh man i yeah um i love the colors like the aesthetic yeah and the whole i mean it kind of matches our colors yeah it's It's kind of neon-y and 90s-y colorful. I mean, the artwork looks... Yeah, the artwork is awesome, man. It's pretty great. You know it Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) artwork everybody favorite comic pinball artist Yeah yeah Godzilla among others you know but yeah it does feel like kind of even more elevated than than the previous ones it feels um i don't know how to say it man it feels better somehow it feels more appropriate it feels more so here's an example right the bash target yeah sentinel he actually looks like a comic yeah he looks like part of the artwork you know which is is cool because he doesn't stand out as like a like totally different object. It kind of does immerse you in the space and the artwork and the layout, which I thought was really cool. On some level, we've seen a lot of comic art pinball games in the last 10 years, including an X-Men game in 2012. Is that the one with the giant Wolverine? Yeah. I haven't played that one. It's actually really fun, I will say. Except the Wolverine target is way too big and doesn't have good feedback when you hit it. You want a badge target to kind of move or react like the Walking Dead Well Walker guy. Right, right. The giant Wolverine just doesn't really... He's like a canny. He's more canny. He's a canny Wolverine. Yeah. But yeah, it feels like they had extra time to work on it or something. It's just like a little bit next level. It kind of does feel next level, man. The second thought I had besides the cool aesthetic and artwork, what Godzilla is today when this game comes out. Could this be the next game that everybody falls in love with and rises to the top of the list? It's got all the cool art. Maybe. Somehow I feel like Godzilla is going to keep its throne just based on the somewhat more traditional layout. Right. I wonder if it'll be more divisive among the casual players because it is so unusual. For this game, man, I'm watching it in the trailer and I'm looking at the playfield images and that third flipper. on the bottom, right? Yeah. Immediately, I'm like, I got to play this game differently now. I can't just use the same strategies that I use for left and right. Like now I have to incorporate this other element of this side flipper. The whole like third flipper on the left, you know, it actually replaces the left in lane. Yeah. And you've got a pop bumper right there. Yeah. I mean, certainly this is original. You know, to me, the third flipper over there, the danger room. Danger. Jack danger room. Kind of reminds me of like an upper play field. but it's down in the left corner out of the way sort of. It's like an upper play field but as low as you can go. Yeah, it's an upper super lower play field. It's freaky. I don't know. I'm looking at it right now and it's freaking me out a little bit. I love it. It's an upper play field that also makes it into the pro version which is interesting. Pretty cool. This does also replace, there's no left slingshot in this. There's just the pop bumper. So So you're kind of substituting these inlanes and these kind of passive components of pinball with something more active and interesting, which seems like a smart, pretty smart layout decision. I don't know if you noticed on the basically the right out lane. Yeah, it is the area where the ball plunges out. This game is missing outlanes. It's interesting. Yeah, yeah. Because within like 30 or a minute of the trailer starting, you said, is this a wide body? Because you're like, how can you have that much stuff? Yeah. And it's because he's kind of moved it around, eliminated some things that are maybe arguably kind of redundant or unnecessary. Really curious to see how this game is going to play. I know. That's what I'm saying. That's exactly my feeling. It's like I'm going to have to play this game in a different way because I think I'm going to play this game as its own thing. Like it's still pinball, but it's not only still pinball. It's more. It's more pinball. Yeah. Yeah. Because you're figuring out stuff again. You're trying to figure out new things and new shots. and like when all the games pretty much shoot the same it starts to feel kind of stale this i'm so excited about because it's offset i'm not even centered yeah like it's offset am i gonna play a little bit leaning more one way to kind of make up for that you know or what's gonna happen i don't know i mean so you know it's not the first offset flippers game obviously right right like a lot of pat lawler games are offset flippers this seems almost even more offset than those that I'm thinking of, like Funhaus, for example. I mean, there's almost an equal amount of space between the three flippers. So that's what I'm saying. It's almost like my body is going to be centered with the quote-unquote left flipper. Yeah. Which is now the center flipper. Yeah. So I'm going to have a left flipper, center flipper, and right flipper. That's how I think I'm going to approach this game. So previously, you've said you don't like having that extra flipper right beside the flipper. But this is different. It's not really linked to the two main flippers. Right, right. So I think I am going to like this one. Yeah. Because I don't like that Gottlieb mess, you know? The Starship Trooper flip fat flipper fingers? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. This feels right, dude. This feels like the first three lower flipper game or multi lower flipper game that I'll actually like. And it also has functionality in the danger room. Yeah, I wonder how it's going to affect just the shot geometry in general. you'd think on some level having the two flippers off to the side might make some of the shots you know harder than you're expecting because stuff's just not quite where you're used to it being i know it's going to change all that geometry and force people to kind of learn this game from scratch which is pretty awesome so many questions so much excitement exactly x generally for me i got into it with an animated series card saturday morning cartoon in like 93 or whatever At the time for me that cartoon felt like something new and exciting compared to other stuff If you compare that show to like G.I. Joe or even like Turtles, it's a little more adult themed. It's more serialized, like they continue storylines. And it very much felt like an event type of show compared to like other kids shows that were on. It felt like a more real show. It felt like a real story. And as a kid, I kind of felt growing up watching it. I 100% relate to that. Yeah, and you didn't want to miss it either. I didn't want to miss it, yeah. Because like if you missed it, you might never see it again. You know, it's like unless you tape it or unless you catch a rerun. But because they were serialized, you had to keep watching it. And that was like an event show for me. It's like Saturday morning. That came on at like 11 or something. And I just would always watch it. I was bummed out when that show ended. But now they've got the new X-Men 97, which is kind of a continuation of that. And I haven't watched it yet, but everybody says it's great. I've heard that it's good, yeah. And the rumors going into this game were that it was going to be X-Men 97, which kind of checks out because it's actually based on Days of Future Past, which was covered in the original animated series. Part of the storyline. And also ended up being a movie later. It's a story that's been hit a bunch of times. Yeah, yeah. It's basically the story. It's a part of the story from the same animated series. Right, right. I think there was a multi-part episode or something in the original animated series that was that story. I think the reason it's the uncanny accident is because they're doing – they're actually – it's timed with the launch of – relaunch of that comic book series also. Oh, that's right. That's right, I think. Yeah. So I think like from a marketing perspective, it makes more sense for it to tie in with that even though in a lot of ways it's very much kind of that Saturday morning cartoon vibe as well. The other thing that I was into around the time of the animated series in the 90s was the comic cards. Did you ever – X-Men comic trading cards? Yeah. Baseball cards were huge in the 90s and football cards and basketball cards and all that stuff. But comic cards also started to become a thing, and they had an X-Men series. I think they were by Fleer, like Fleer Ultra series or something. But it was just really cool comic art, like really, really cool comic art on these cards. and I think I had like several sets of them. I would, you know, collect them and stuff. Oh my God. You have some memories coming back? Yes. Yeah. Oh my God. I had a couple of these. Did you forget about them? I totally forgot about these. Yeah, they're really cool. I think I still have all mine like in little binders somewhere. We got to go find those things right now. What are you most excited about for this game? I just want to learn a weird new play field and layout. I want to play a game that just, I have no idea what's going on. It takes me 20 games just to figure out what the heck's going to happen with the ball. I can't hit any of the shots on my first try. That's what I want. I want all of these things. Because so many games nowadays, it's just like you pick it up and it's like, you know, You play a few games and you got a free game and you're like, okay, I've pretty much got this down because the shots are kind of predictable. Yeah. You know where everything is and where everything's going. The biggest, the most fun for me with pinball in general is just the first 50 to 100 games. Yeah. Just learning it. Figuring it out. Figuring it out. And it seems like this game is going to have maybe a steep learning curve, but a really fun learning curve. I bet it's going to be tons of fun, man. This is going to be a game that makes people a better player too. Because if you own a bunch of similar games, you can get really good at those games. Those types of games. Yeah. With those types of shots. This is totally different. And then you play something different and you're like, oh. I can't hit anything. I'm only good at the games that I've played a lot. And so you have to like stretch yourself. For me, I'm most excited to hang out in the danger room. Yeah. And basically comboing everything, dude. I just want to hit ramps on ramps on ramps and combos and just hit that Sentinel guy. and then figure out how those arms work and the hands like yeah like what's the flow what's the flow of this yeah that that's what i'm most excited about is to basically just get in there start hitting a bunch of shots and ramps and just kind of like play with the toys and um just understand the danger room man i'm so curious about that like what's gonna happen is it can i just can i just play there the whole time can i just like in the danger in the danger room yeah like like uh stewie's uh play field or something yeah yeah the whole time like you know what this is the best part i think jack danger understands what people want to see in a layout and i think all of these different elements that are exciting to us that we want to see are probably in this game jack danger thank you thanks for living on the edge man and and being dangerous yeah and not being afraid no fear yeah just you're doing it man i i gotta i gotta say like more than anything i can think of this is the most williams this is the williams game In recent memory In recent memory correct that how i feel as well i mean even maybe like more to more than recent memory like for a while yeah exactly i was gonna say that too it has strong williams energy i really just also wanted to give a shout out to jack danger and just say thanks man for listening and delivering dude you know it's uh i think he's a real pinball player and he knows that there needs to be some shake-up happening and just something different yeah and this is exactly what it feels like he's this this seems like a like a passion project yeah like some this was not phoned not phoned in somebody's been like obsessing over all the details like trial and error figuring everything out like going the extra mile and it's uh it's really cool to see mad props mad respect thank you man like i'm so excited to play this game you don't even know so here's something that i i thought was interesting from my perspective. Usually, when you see a premium or an LE versus a pro, there are significant things about the game that are missing. And for this one, right away, it felt like pretty much most of the game is there. I think this might be kind of the least nerfed one that we've seen in a little while. So the Sentinel doesn't go down into the playfield. But the Sentinel target is still there. It still has the mouth thing that pops open. The jaw. The kickback thing. It backs up, then interacts with the ball. Which also, by the way, I think that's a wholly new thing. Like a bash target that optionally kicks the ball back at you. I don't remember seeing that ever before. That's a good question, man. I can't think of anything right now. It's like combining two things in one space, which is really efficient and cool. I can't think of one right now. So anyway, it keeps that, but the head just doesn't move up and down. I'm not sure how that affects the flow of the game and stuff. Yeah, either way. It still kind of keeps the essence of the Bash toy. It's still there, and it's still doing the basic functionality. Yeah, kind of a little Rizzler, Circus Voltaire vibes. He's totally the Rizzler, yeah. But such a better layout than Circus Voltaire. That game is cool, but I think it's a little overrated in terms of it gets a little old. Shots fired. Gets a little tired. Shots fired. That Ringmaster Target up there is just kind of like, okay, we get it. I think somebody's going to come at you for that comment. Some people love that game. I think it's good, but it's not the best. The other difference is with the Pro, it doesn't have the moving sentinel hands. Right, the hands. That makes sense. That feels like a real kind of bonus-y sort of feature toy. Luxuries. Yeah, yeah. And obviously, like, those hands can affect the ball paths. Yeah. So I'm not sure how that affects the flow of it. You know, maybe this is another, like, game where the pro is more flowy, you know? Sure. Pros flow, that's what people say. Either way, it doesn't seem exceptionally nerfed. But I don't think it's going to be as different as Godzilla, per se. No. You know, like, Godzilla Pro versus Godzilla LE or something. Right, right. It's going to be, I think, very similar to the pro and the LE version. I think they're going to play very similarly. Yeah, and it retains the danger zone. It retains the essence of the bash toy target. I'm still going to want the premium. Well, of course. Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward. This feels to me like the first time I play this is going to be kind of similar to one of the first times I played pinball. This is the most excited I've been about a new release that I can remember. This makes me feel like when I first played Radical. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or other Dan Stephen Lang Lau games because the ball's going forwards and backwards and sideways and like coming out in a weird spot and going across the play field and going the other way. That's exactly how this feels. Yeah. I get big Dan Langlau vibes from this, and I feel like Jack Danger is kind of picking up the mantle a little bit with this, just with these bonkers ball paths and flow and stuff. And it's like, I'm pretty hyped about that. I'm so stoked, man. Thank you, Jack Danger. Like, when we watched the trailer, man, and the balls were just like, he's like calling the shots, and the balls are moving in. They're going in, like, where is that going to come out? And then it's like, where? I love it. Yeah, they're like zigzagging around. Yeah, yeah, yeah. man that's that's what i wanted dude for so long this one feels like the next flagship in a way it's just like man they they didn't cut any corners with this one i guarantee you though like i already know i'm gonna love it i already know that it's gonna be weird with the flippers it's gonna be hard not to love this game like looking at it looking at oh man all the different elements and just the layout and the play field and the freaking 47 ramps yeah i am i'm really excited for this one Outro Music

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ffe3586b-bfef-472f-82d5-8096a48eb164*