The Oc - C

TL;DR

Incredible Technologies' Orange County Choppers video pinball reviewed: fun physics but flawed tilt controls.

Summary

Key Claims

• Orange County Choppers is an update to Incredible Technologies' Video Pinball System announced in August 2004

  high confidence · Article states 'After we first reported on Incredible Technologies' Video Pinball System game back in August last year' and this article is dated August 10, 2005

• The cabinet was completely redesigned from the previous version

  high confidence · 'the cabinet has been completely redesigned although the control panel is largely unchanged'

• The game features three-ball multiball mode instead of the previous two-ball limit

  high confidence · 'The lack of an extra ball has been rectified as has the limit of two-ball multiball with a new three ball havoc mode'

• The table pitch is 10-12° compared to a real pinball table's standard 6-7°, making it faster than normal

  high confidence · 'The first thing you notice about the game is the step pitch of the tables, equating to something like 10° - 12° compared to a real table's 6° - 7° making this one fast game, probably too fast'

• Ball physics and movement feel superior or equal to Pro Pinball games

  high confidence · 'the ball movement and general game physics feel spot on, perhaps even better than the Pro Pinball games'

• Tilt control mechanics are fundamentally flawed, with buttons causing an unnatural twisting sensation

  high confidence · 'The biggest area of criticism though is the tilt control and how the way in which works completely wrong... it feels as though that side of the game has physically sunk into the floor. It produces a kind of twisting motion that is not what you're expecting at all'

• Switching between playfields causes approximately 15-second load times

  high confidence · 'It takes something like fifteen seconds to load the Vegas playfield or switch between playfields later in the game'

• The game costs $1 per play

  high confidence · 'Priced at $1 per play'

Notable Quotes

• “After we first reported on Incredible Technologies' Video Pinball System game back in August last year, it looked as though the game was not going to be developed any further. But twelve months later the new Orange County Choppers has shown up in the Chicago suburbs.”

  Pinball News review author @ N/A — Establishes the timeline and context that this is a continuation of a previously reported project

• “The first thing you notice about the game is the step pitch of the tables, equating to something like 10° - 12° compared to a real table's 6° - 7° making this one fast game, probably too fast.”

  Pinball News review author @ N/A — Identifies the most immediately noticeable design characteristic and raises concern about playability

• “The biggest area of criticism though is the tilt control and how the way in which works completely wrong. This is because when you hit one of the tilt buttons, it feels as though that side of the game has physically sunk into the floor.”

  Pinball News review author @ N/A — Highlights the primary mechanical flaw in the game's design

• “Overall though, this is a fun game for fans of the real deal. It's never going to be as good as a genuine game but it's an entertaining alternative and a sign that IT is still serious about video pinball.”

  Pinball News review author @ N/A — Provides overall verdict acknowledging the game's place as a video pinball alternative while tempering expectations

Entities

Signals

• ?

  design_philosophy: Tilt control mechanism fundamentally flawed, with physics implementation causing unnatural 'twisting motion' rather than expected tilt behavior — described as 'completely wrong'

  high · 'The biggest area of criticism though is the tilt control and how the way in which works completely wrong... it feels as though that side of the game has physically sunk into the floor. It produces a kind of twisting motion that is not what you're expecting at all'

• ?

  product_strategy: Orange County Choppers represents a major update to Incredible Technologies' Video Pinball System with cabinet redesign and new game features (three-ball multiball, extra ball mode) addressing prior limitations

  high · Article details complete cabinet redesign and specific improvements: 'The lack of an extra ball has been rectified as has the limit of two-ball multiball with a new three ball havoc mode'

• ?

  product_concern: Table pitch set significantly steeper than standard (10-12° vs 6-7°) creates gameplay that is 'probably too fast' — design choice that may negatively impact accessibility and play experience

  high · 'The first thing you notice about the game is the step pitch of the tables, equating to something like 10° - 12° compared to a real table's 6° - 7° making this one fast game, probably too fast'

• ?

  technology_signal: Multi-playfield switching creates significant technical bottleneck with 15-second load times between Vegas and Show playfields, degrading gameplay experience

  high · 'It takes something like fifteen seconds to load the Vegas playfield or switch between playfields later in the game'