While this news might not come as any big surprise, Stern has a run of 250, limited edition AVATAR Pinball machines up for sale. I say it’s no surprise as the move isn’t unusual for Stern as they’ve done it on several of their recent releases, such as Big Buck Hunter Pinball. If the game sells well enough, it generally warrants the special edition (this is sort of like “Going Gold” or “Going Platinum” in the game console sector) and it appears that AVATAR Pinball has been doing just that. What do you get with the limited edition?

“enhanced game play and superior mechanical features.” and “numbered with a plaque and a certificate of authenticity.”

The press release suggests to visit the Stern website to find out more about the new features but at the moment I write this, I can’t find anything about the limited edition of the game on the site. I am curious to see what they changed about the game – as I had mentioned in a previous review on the game, it didn’t excite me very much. I still want to give it another shot, just to see if it was just me. Perhaps I will get a chance to check out the limited edition version of this game as one of my local distributors generally gets a limited edition machine in every now and then. However one question is, how will people who already bought a machine feel about this? There was no indication that there was going to be a better version of the game coming out down the road (usually the limited editions don’t offer anything more than a signature and different artwork) and with them touting better features for the L.E., that can end up causing some turmoil if they are significant improvements.

You can read the press release after the break

[Via Prnewswire.com] [STERN Pinball]

World’s Only Pinball Manufacturer Celebrates the Largest Grossing Film of all Time with a Special Run of Premium Machines

MELROSE PARK, Ill., Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Stern Pinball, Inc., the world’s only maker of arcade quality pinball machines, announced today the Avatar Limited Edition Pinball machine. After the success of the arcade version of the Avatar pinball game, Stern is releasing a limited edition run of handcrafted machines featuring enhanced game play and superior mechanical features.

The Avatar special edition pinball machine brings players to the paradise planet of Pandora where they become hero Jake Sully on a quest to protect the Na’vi people from an invading mining colony. Staying true to the innovative nature of the film, this pinball machine translates James Cameron’s history making epic into a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. Stern Pinball is only producing 250 machines for this limited edition run that will each be numbered with a plaque and a certificate of authenticity.

“The Avatar Limited Edition machine has been a very special production for Stern Pinball and game designer John Borg,” said Gary Stern, founder, CEO and chairman of Stern Pinball. “We believe it to be worthy of James Cameron’s masterpiece film and firmly believe the pinball community will feel the same.”

The Avatar Limited Edition game continues both the Stern Pinball and the Stern family tradition of producing quality pinball machines for young and old. The company traces its lineage to Philadelphia in the 1930s when Sam Stern entered the business of operating pinball games. Stern passed his lifelong enthusiasm for the game and the business of pinball to his son Gary Stern who founded Stern Pinball. Today pinball remains one of America’s favorite pastimes.

View the Avatar Limited Edition machine in action at: http://bit.ly/aKBzSD

Pricing and Availability

The Avatar Limited Edition machine is $5,499 and only available for a short time.

For more information and to view the limited edition machine visit: www.sternpinball.com

About Stern Pinball

Stern Pinball, Inc., located just outside Chicago, Illinois, designs and manufactures arcade-quality pinball games. Stern is the only maker of full-sized, arcade quality pinball games on the planet and has released many popular games, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Shrek, Batman, Spiderman, the Simpsons Pinball Party and many more. Stern’s games continue to be enjoyed by both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe. For more information visit www.sternpinball.com.