Pinball machines based on popular musical groups or bands are certainly nothing new at this point. However, a pinball machine based on an artist so whimsical and entertaining as Weird Al Yankovic definitely seems like a match made in heaven. With his vast repertoire of hilarious parody songs and unique lyrics that have earned him five Grammys throughout his career (which, curiously enough, is also the number of flippers that this game has), he’s an artist whose appeal spans generations and musical tastes. This new machine is called Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity, and it’s just as great and exciting as it sounds.
For those who are unfamiliar, Weird Al is one of the most influential parody songwriters, possibly of all time, known for his songs and medleys that poke fun at modern pop culture. His comedic wit and affinity for Polka are odd blends which have been a part of the charm. While he is mainly known for his award-winning parodies, he’s versatile enough to have a rather large catalog of original songs too. In short, Yankovic is an artist known for his creative and funny lyrics, which are two aspects that mesh great when trying to make a pinball game based on his character.
This pinball collaboration comes from the folks at Multimorphic, a group that created an advanced and quite unique exclusive pinball platform, called P³. These consist of multi-leveled modular machines with LCD screens instead of hand-painted wooden panels for the playfield, combining digital elements with the traditional mechanical parts of pinball games such as flippers, ramps, bumpers, and more. The result of these advances are games that not only give us the same style of pinball gameplay that we know and love, but that also look amazing and cutting-edge, especially when certain conditions are met and the screen transitions to offer exciting visuals as the player racks up more points with their gameplay.
Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity offers a ton of different mechanical and digital elements, which is something to be expected from one of these games. However, one of the main aspects that sets it apart from the rest and that immediately stands out is its LCD panel playing field, which changes its visuals depending on the song that is currently playing. And speaking of which, this game comes with 17 Weird Al Songs, as well as over 2,000 custom callouts recorded by the artist himself. This combination of visual and audio elements are designed to draw the gamer into the game and songs, and to create a unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else.
Here’s an excerpt of the game’s description as shown on its product page, as well as its trailer video:
Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity is based on the music and career of “Weird Al” Yankovic, the 5-time Grammy award-winning singer, musician, and actor. It features 17 Weird Al songs, over 2000 custom callouts from Al himself, and a software and graphics package that immerses the player into his songs and lyrics.
Song List:
- Amish Paradise
- Like A Surgeon
- My Bologna
- White & Nerdy
- Word Crimes
- Dare To Be Stupid
- Germs
- Fun Zone
- Hardware Store
- Harvey the Wonder Hamster
- I’ll Sue Ya
- Mission Statement
- Sports Song
- Traffic Jam
- Weasel Stomping Day
- UHF
- You Make Me
The game includes a feature-rich playfield layout that presents a museum full of interactive and hilarious references that span all of Al’s illustrious career.
Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity comes in a standard Game Kit edition for the P³ platform, as well as in a Limited Edition Package. The game itself will go for $3,000, which is on top of the original $8,300 for the P³ platform. The Limited Edition Package costs an extra $1,800 but includes unique benefits like autographed pieces, exclusive artwork, and more, not to mention that there will only be 227 of these in existence. You can order your own kit through Multimorphic’s ordering instructions, or by getting in touch with any of their representatives through [email protected].
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