It’s been a while since I’ve last talked about Pinball FX! It was back in May of this year, with a new volume of the Williams table collection. That company’s output in particular has been one of the game’s mainstay of DLC, populating the already sizable collection of tables in Pinball FX’s roster of licensed classic playfields from decades ago. But let’s not forget that there were other great developers, one of which is Bally, as this newest inclusion makes quite clear.
In the almost 50 years since its arrival in Rebellion’s 2000 A.D comic anthology, Judge Dredd has remained a perennial pulp series that, although in purely satirical form, pokes at issues that have been growing more present in our everyday lives. And while it’s gotten its share of ambitious adaptations to other media, like the Stallone and Karl Urban films, each with their own set of pros and cons, in videogames, it’s been kind of a wet fart.
Rebellion in particular had tried to bring the character over in a more literal sense by offering up a so-so FPS in the early 2000s, but in all honesty, the very best interactive product featuring the product was indeed Bally’s table released in 1993. While not a videogame per se then, it is now one as it’s the latest DLC to be put out for both Pinball FX and Pinball Midnight (the horror-themed one that used to be called Pinball M). It’s definitely on the higher end quality-wise when it comes to licensed tables, even if it isn’t that big on innovation in comparison to what else is on offer currently.
The biggest addition to Judge Dredd is likely its double game feature. Right out of its digital box, the table offers two distinct ways of starting a match. One is the basic mode that has you tackling missions as you would a normal pinball game, while the other, Super, has you juggling a multiball right from the very get-go, excitingly so, considering the table’s busy ramp design and playfield approach. While not necessarily shocking in any way, all things considered, those looking to dive right into the deep end will find the second option quite exciting, if not purely chaotic.
But back to the table’s design. It’s got a playfield split among the usual deal of having to hit ramps in order to activate and complete objectives, while also delivering a space where the other world, a concept in the comic book where judgment takes place in a (more) hellish interpretation of Earth, in the form of a small section in the upper left portion of the table. There, you get to keep the ball in play by quickly using the flippers in order to boost your score up the leaderboard as long as it’s alive.
Speaking of score, while not nearly as insane as World Cup, Judge Dredd does rack your count to the 9-digits very easily, and it’s all the more fun for that. It’s a colorful table to be sure, one that is exciting and not necessarily difficult to play, making it surely one of the more beginner-friendly out of the bunch, which is saying a lot. It’s a close rival to Epic Quest, one of Zen Studios’ original creations when it comes to that, and in all honesty, it’s better for it.
While it’s become clear that it’s way harder for Zen to find new content to release for their pinball platform given the ever-growing list of tables already on offer, it’s exciting to think that they’re making an effort to look into classic licensed content like this and releasing it piecemeal for those who are carving for more to play and not necessarily buy in on packs that might include tables that they don’t really want to invest in. Judge Dredd is among one of their most out there picks, which makes it cool to think what could be coming up next. For what it is in the grand scheme of things for Pinball FX, it’s one hell of a YES if you’re still on the fence about whether or not to buy it.
