Spider-Man is a Stern pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie, released in the mid-2000s as a licensed Marvel Comics title. The game is renowned in the competitive pinball community for its tight shot design, deep and deceptive ruleset, and villain-focused multiball gameplay mechanics. It has achieved lasting popularity as both a tournament favorite and personal favorite among enthusiasts, with multiple variants produced including a home edition designed by George Gomez. The machine features distinctive playfield design elements including a warp ramp concept and customizable center post modifications.
Spider-Man vault edition pinball lacks call-outs, which is a downside
Spider-Man pinball is superior to Star Trek due to having more 'soul'
Spider-Man is one of Drew's favorite Stern games with great flow
Spider-Man had a major code upgrade 1-2 years after release that added content not in the original code, including Sandman Beach headlines
Stern pinball machine available in vault edition; present at arcade
2007 Stern pinball machine that catalyzed Project Pinball's founding; was broken at a children's hospital for 2.5 years before Spoler repaired it in November 2011
Stern Spider-Man; Dave had been trying to sell; successfully sold to a nurse from Marlborough after demonstration
Original Bally/Williams game with color DMD; Drew acquiring from distributor Troy Smith
Stern pinball machine (Steve Ritchie design, 1990s Williams era) that served as Ian's first pinball experience at a corporate office; required frequent maintenance
Jersey Jack game; layout comparison point for Elton John; three-flipper game with similar but different geometry than Elton John
No linked glossary terms
Spider-Man (2008-2009) shipped with .5-amp fuse instead of required 5-amp fuse
The Doc Ock ramp is raised from the playfield and acts like a bump, potentially missing the opto sensor when hit from the left flipper
Clearing all Dick White arrows on Spider-Man causes the next Dick White arrow shot to be doubled for the rest of the ball
The Doc Ock and multiball strategy is the primary scoring path for Spider-Man
Jonah Jameson voice callouts were pioneering in making a pinball machine feel interactive and directed at the player
Spider-Man and Game of Thrones each retail for approximately $4,500
Pinball machine recently sold by Bill Labb to a St. Louis-area customer named Tom
Recently acquired by Steve Beattie (HEO model)
Stern pinball; host expresses preference for it over Star Trek for having more 'soul'
Referenced as part of hypothetical Marvel pinball collection (may be Stern or other manufacturer)
Pinball machine discussed briefly; Jorge references layout similarity to Star Trek
Pinball machine; previously at Wicked West as part of Burrell's lineup
Stern pinball machine, Steve Ritchie design, one of the reference games for discussing layout
Classic Stern Marvel pinball by Steve Ritchie; referenced as benchmark for quality Marvel games
Recently released Stern machine at Jack Abbey's Brewing Company; was at Lansing Games before relocation
Stern pinball game in Ron's collection with custom difficulty (3 hits to start Doc Ock vs. standard 2); subject of high score achievement
Gottlieb System 80 game; problematic NNWC board requiring reprogramming; tilt error that could not be resolved mechanically
Stern title in Scott Ian's collection; scored almost 500M; approaching wizard mode
2007 pinball machine purchased by Drew from Troy Smith to replace sold LaserCue; features LEDs
Stern pinball machine previously at Metreon; code was modified with pirate-themed software
Stern Pinball machine from 2007 featuring Marvel Spider-Man IP; subject of this gameplay stream
Referenced alongside Game of Thrones as photorealistic art style example Drew opposes
Stern game; Drew reports beating Wizard mode twice; hosts discuss difficulty tuning
Stern pinball game recently acquired by Drew; includes color DMD and chrome webbing topper
Classic Steve Ritchie game in Drew's collection; noted as favorite Stern with great flow
Stern pinball machine; released around time of 2007 German Pinball Open; cited by Wiest as 'best STERN game'
Stern pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie; spawned Spider-Man Black limited edition with mirrored backglass feature approved by Gary Stern
Stern Marvel pinball game; host previously had it in collection, mentions it as 'so much fun'; no longer at Free Gold Watch
Stern pinball machine mentioned as physical machine in Manu's garage for comparison with virtual pinball; Micah more familiar with real machine play
Stern pinball; MBT3K owns; referenced for code depth comparison to Batman '66
Recent Marvel movie discussed; Manu went to see it, has high praise from others, Manu found it good but not better than Thor: Ragnarok
Stern Pinball machine, criticized as repetitive but with satisfying shots
Richie design; frequently discussed and compared; appears in multiple selection scenarios
Stern pinball game; coded by Lyman Sheets; listed as major work in his portfolio
Stern vaulted game mentioned as comparison
Pinball machine mentioned as one hosts owned and miss, used in keeper title discussion
Stern Pinball game (Tobey Maguire version) ranked #10 by Zach; noted for flow and fun factor
Williams pinball with code by Sheets
Premium pinball machine available at Grant Stark's house for potential Deadflip streaming
Pinball machine previously owned at Dead Flip; owner later took machine to their house
Stern pinball machine from 2006, designer Steve Ritchie, plasma DMD, with Back Alley Creations mods and Pinball Refinery LED kit
Pinball machine featured in lineup; Jon plans to play Vault Edition version after stream
Stern pinball game; Jack praises timing of release to match movie releases
Pinball machine at Penn Stack with non-functional target; filthy condition; potential left outlane magnet issue
Stern pinball (2007-2009 era); Tom Graff's first new-in-box machine; shipped with .5-amp fuse instead of 5-amp; signed by Steve Ritchie and Gary Stern
Referenced for comparison to Venom's visual art direction (Carnage side has red tones similar to Iron Maiden styling)
Steve Ritchie design; host mentions as modern example of his work
Stern pinball machine designed by Ritchie with programmer Lyman Sheets; successfully launched post-2008 financial crisis
Stern pinball machine brought to the GMA studio for on-air play.
Modern tournament machine at Biar 2016
Stern pinball machine from 2007, located at Timezone City Square
Stern pinball machine from 2007 on location at The Brat Stop as of September 2017
Stern superhero-themed pinball game referenced as part of recent product line
Pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie with Lyman Sheets at Stern Pinball; spawned multiple remakes and editions; understood to be Stern's biggest seller.
Earlier Stern pinball platform that Star Wars The Pin is derived from; had small run originally; playfield and code base reused/evolved for subsequent games
Stern pinball machine; destroyed in 2008 fire; replaced with new machine in 2010 reopening
One of 18 supported pinball titles
Licensed IP mentioned by commenters as desired game theme that would appeal to broader audience
Vault Edition pinball machine at NickelRama #1
Pinball machine featured on free play during Silver Ball Planet event
Stern pinball machine at Moonwalker Arcade
Stern pinball machine programmed by Sheats and Steve Ritchie; major commercial success
Stern pinball machine; gifted to Lloyd Olson as appreciation token; designed by Steve Ritchie and Lyman Sheets
Pinball game designed by Ritchie under contract with Stern
Stern pinball machine installed at Weston-super-Mare pier, destroyed in July 28, 2008 fire
Stern pinball machine in first machine bank at Fort Worth location
Stern Marvel pinball machine (2007)
2007 Stern pinball machine in the arcade
Stern Pinball machine at Quinnz Pinz
Pinball machine; Tri-State Selfie League game
Stern pinball remake featuring laser-cut rails, compared to Ghostbusters LE cosmetics
DMD-era Stern game; mentioned as potential candidate for future remaster if licensing allows
Pinball game designed by Lyman Sheets; Lyman continued iterating on game design well after release
Stern pinball machine with code by Lyman Sheets. Had major upgrade 1-2 years after release with additional content (Sandman Beach headlines) not in original code
Stern pinball machine; Macho noted as 'best part' via Bonesaw Mode
Recent Stern pinball game with high demand; vault edition was created due to popularity
Pinball machine available at venue; mentioned as game someone is playing
Classic pinball machine referenced for left ramp shot placement similarity
Stern Pinball game; Bowen Kerins demonstrated gameplay achieving 1.5 billion points with full multiplier
Referenced as exemplar of player agency design in modern pinball; Bowen cites it as model for intuitive feedback and protagonist feel
Game in Drew's collection; theme resonates with Drew; original version with J. Jonah Jameson callouts; traditional Steve Ritchie layout compared to Star Trek.
Ritchie design for Stern (2007); one of Stern's biggest sellers; launched during Ritchie's contractor phase; exemplar of successful licensed game
Stern Pinball game that served as Ian's entry point into pinball; played extensively for approximately one year before competitive expansion
Pinball machine lacking specific software rule for ball stuck behind visor; treats such situation as stuck ball requiring TD assistance.
Stern pinball game where Lyman Sheets placed Werdrick's flipper codes as high score entry
Pinball machine referenced for upper flipper design limitations, contrasted with Legends of Valhalla's more versatile upper flipper implementation.
Flow-oriented pinball game in Scott's collection, referenced for upper flipper behind-the-back shot mechanic
Marvel licensed game used as example of title with strong mechanics but potentially awkward social implications of ownership for home collectors
Stern pinball game; cited as more commercially successful and better-received than Wheel of Fortune
Stern pinball game; Steve Bowden's favorite game of all time
Home edition designed by George Gomez; featured early iteration of visible ball lock mechanism
Pinball machine owned by Scott Larson; Steve Ritchie signed the translite during Rocky Mountain Showdown encounter
Stern pinball by Steve Ritchie; Jeff modified center post (removed, steep, waxed); described as basic layout with deceptively deep ruleset; Steve Ritchie's Attack from Mars variant with cross shot
Stern game cited as example of shot multipliers (placement-based) rather than blanket playfield multipliers
Upcoming Stern pinball game scheduled after Family Guy; publicly known release
Pinball machine at Hall of Fame that has significantly underperformed in revenue generation
Ritchie's latest game mentioned in introduction; he directed music for it
Pinball machine acquired by Eric A from private seller for $375; described as home-use-only condition with good playfield and backglass
Pinball machine at venue; host notes 'Is this the Comic Book Edition?' suggesting multiple variants exist
Stern Pinball title featuring villain battles and multiball-focused gameplay mechanics; serves as tutorial subject
Stern game by Steve Ritchie featuring similar warp ramp design to Star Trek TNG
Stern game (10 years old at time of discussion); lost to Deadpool in Round 2 by two votes; considered player favorite by competitive players; praised for tight shots and deep rules
Stern pinball machine identified as Lyman Sheets' favorite from past 25 years
Stern Pinball game; Ryan owns it; purchased years ago at lower cost; compared favorably to Venom
Stern title by Steve Ritchie; hosts debate relative merits vs. Spider-Man: The Vault; Joe values original's call-outs and J. Jameson character