Tag: Pinball FX Williams

Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray (Pinball FX Table Review)

Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray
First Released August 29, 1990
Zen Build Released October 20, 2020
Main Platform: Pinball FX
Designed by Dennis Nordman
Conversion by Zoltan Vari
Set: Williams Pinball Collection 2 ($23.99)
Links: Internet Pinball Database Listing – Strategy Guide – Pinball FX Wiki
Sasha looked at me like my head was on backwards when she found out I rated the Pinball Arcade version “MASTERPIECE.” I’m not doing a bit here for comedy. She thought we were kidding. “THIS table? Dr. Dude? You think THIS is a top tier table? Maybe it’s better when the physics don’t kick the ball out of the Mix Master after a couple bumps, but even then, a MASTERPIECE should be reserved for a table with flexible strategies. Dr. Dude doesn’t have that except for the order you check off the three main shots to light the mix master. The shots are fun, so I could see going GREAT, but this isn’t a MASTERPIECE, ever.” Everyone else and Dave backed her up. You’re all wrong and I’m right so pooey to you.

Much like the Pinball FX 3 version, Dr. Dude still features a ball that could go straight down the drain off a plunge. No ball save. The awesome series of sequence shots is hard to appreciate when you don’t even get a swing at the ball. It’s why Dr. Dude and his Excellent Ray is one of the few Pinball FX tables where I still prefer the now decade-old Pinball Arcade release. It’s just more forgiving, with a nudge that’s much better at defending against this type of thing. This isn’t a table for the faint of heart, with brutal difficulty and hair-raising angles. Oh, and the Dude-o-Meter doesn’t carry over between games, so you can’t even hit the Gazillion Point Shot unless you start the multiball five times in one game, an especially tough task for a table this heartless, with a key shot (the Magnetic Personality) that isn’t easy to lock onto.

Having recently played a real Dr. Dude AND the Pinball Arcade version, I was reminded of how fun Dr. Dude can be. It’s one of my favorite underrated tables. But on Pinball FX, the Mix Master is significantly less likely to hold a ball. A reminder that, as much as we admire Zen Studios, the engine for Pinball FX is lousy. Sorry, it just is. Real tables do not behave this way, and it wasn’t rare to have the ball pass through it doing only a single bump per shot. The physics are just too heavy whether you play classic, pro, or arcade.

The good news is Dr. Dude still has one of the best “awesome shot” to “meh shot” ratios of any alpha-numeric table. Nobody can ever accuse it of being boring. The key shots that actually matter are too exciting for that. Do you know what Dr. Dude reminds me of? An old, dependable car that puts up a fight when you turn on the ignition. The tricky part is just getting it started. Once you do, you know it’ll get you where you need to be. Once you find your rhythm in Dr. Dude, you’re in for one of the most satisfying pins of the late alpha-numeric era, where every shot, and even the act of trapping the ball, is rewarding. Despite being one of the few times Zen didn’t handily defeat the efforts of Farsight doesn’t matter all that much. Dr. Dude is still really good. We’re giving it an award and everything! But it’s a table I’m willing to rate MASTERPIECE and accept all the eye rolls in the world for, and I can’t for this build. It’s just not the best digital build modern gaming technology can do. Or 2010’s technology, for that matter.
Cathy: GREAT (4 out of 5)
Sasha the Kid: GOOD (3 out of 5)
Angela: GOOD
Oscar: GREAT
Jordi: GREAT
Dash: GREAT
Dave:  GOOD (Played on Nintendo Switch)
Elias: GOOD (Played on Nintendo Switch)
Primary Scoring Average: 3.66 📜CERTIFIED EXCELLENT📜
Nintendo Switch Average: 3.5 🧹CLEAN SCORECARD🧹
Some review copies were provided in this review, others were paid for.