Everything got better when I became a green-haired 2D girl. I do fun and unusual things with video games and pinball.

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Download: Harlem Globetrotters VPX by JPSalas

This is Bally during their golden age.

Harlem Globetrotters is a great machine to compete on. It constantly tests your control of the ball, especially because an unwise flip can cause the ball to roll between the two left flippers (a "scissor").

It rewards you for taking risks, mostly in the form of shots to the inline drop targets, which simultaneously advance your bonus multiplier and advance you toward spelling GLOBE for more points.

The multiplier means that a long, well-played ball can pay off in a huge bonus, which is always an exciting moment, and has happened to me once in a real tournament.

The theme is a little loose -- sure I guess the ball going in the inlane is vaguely like a "rebound", but why is the "slam dunk shot" nowhere near the saucer that represents the basket? But then, licensed themes had only been a thing for 4 years when Bally came out with this table, so give them a break.


Let's talk about the VPX implementation by JPSalas. First of all, the most important thing about the physics works -- the upper left flipper is great at hitting the inline drops.

Something that has to be an intentional choice is how incredibly reflective the playfield is. You can see the spinners reflected in it like a mirror. It's unusual but it gives the impression of a freshly-polished basketball court.

Now the more arguable things about JP's physics.

When I play Harlem Globetrotters in real life, there are lots of angles that the ball can bounce in the top area to land in the saucer that spells GLOBE. This rarely happens in this VPX. You pretty much have to nudge to get the ball in the saucer.

And, as is typical for JP, the nudge strength is extremely strong. I just played a test game where the ball was falling off the divider into the right outlane, and I gave it a nudge, and the ball immediately left the danger area, flew across the table, and ricocheted off of the left targets. The virtual tilt bob had absolutely no objection to this happening.

I think it's a little unrealistic, but a JPSalas table is a good way to practice when to nudge. You will get lots of feedback. There will be no question about whether you successfully influenced the ball by nudging. And it does avoid the problem I've seen on other JP tables like Mars Trek: it is not easy to "bang back" the ball out of the drain with a nudge (a move that's illegal in tournaments, and highly discouraged in any case by most operators, but oh so tempting when a VPX lets you do it in one well-timed button press).


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