While I do not need to detail the circumstances that have brought ours and many other industries to a halt, it has meant that it’s been a terrible time for launching a new game. Every spring sees a number of arcade releases, so the pandemic shutdown has meant that several games have had their launches put on hold.
One of those titles that were in the process of shipping was the latest version of Play Mechanix’s Big Buck Reloaded. A number of update kits for existing commercial versions of Big Buck Wild had already been sent out and installed to locations, but the process was disrupted (my location did not receive it, and last time I checked the mail there wasn’t anything; although I don’t know what would happen with anything listed as “undeliverable” – I imagine they’ll try again when things begin to re-open).
I did get a chance to play Big Buck Reloaded at Amusement Expo 2020, but I decided not to film it too much, since I thought I might have the kit in hand (and at that precise time, we didn’t realize that everywhere would be getting closed within the next couple of weeks). Since that hasn’t panned out yet, and most are unable to check the game out, I contacted Play Mechanix and they kindly provided a cache of direct screenshots from the game that I will share with you here. I’m using sliders, but you can click on any image to get a larger view.
UPDATE OCT. 29TH : For some reason, the slider plug-in just stopped working across various browsers, so I’ve gone and inserted the images.
Big Buck Reloaded – Main Game
The game comes with a sharp new UI, here are some shots:
Terminator Salvation: Delta Mission
Big Buck Reloaded comes with a bigger variety of games than just buck hunting – Big Buck Wild already came with a few different games like Doe of the Dead and Duck Dynasty, and Reloaded ups the ante with even more. I filmed the return of Terminator Salvation at IAAPA 2019, and here are some screenshots. The revision of the 2010 arcade title has been modified to offer around 20 minutes of gameplay, along with some gameplay changes to fit with using a pump shotgun and enhancing the graphics (increasing the resolution from 720p to 1080p, improving textures, and updating the lighting engine). Here are a few shots:
Zombie Deer Adventure
Another new game is something that I have wanted to see since Big Buck Safari first offered online play – a complete hunt of Zombie Deer. They’ve put a bit into this to give it some personality, including having a zombie girl trail guide. This one is a bit of a challenge, as you can only take these ones out with a headshot; You can play with either the gun or a bow. There are more screenshots of this mode than any other.
There is also the Monsters of Lost Island, a sequel to Doe of the Dead.
Big Buck Reloaded is technically out now, although it is hard to say when things will re-open to the point where you will be able to go out and play it. Hopefully by May. What do you think about the new Big Buck?
Hey, I hope things are going well for your family and your arcade.
If it helps to gain any insight into what the game is like, I can give you some details. I have a personal machine in my basement (RePlay Magazine wrote an article about it in March I believe, you might want to read it), and I have had Reloaded for about a month now.
The Zombie Deer is pretty nice, but it’s very hard. Many people in the Big Buck community have a burning hatred for the Whitetail Deer animal because it jumps all around, and Zombie Deer is just that but more difficult since they can only die with headshots. There are no new Bonuses but someone at Play Mechanix said during a Twitch stream in early March that this is because this animal is based on one that currently exists, so some Bonuses from BBHD’s original incarnation were used.
Bow Hunting is also pretty good but IMO it gets old quick. The arrows do have a lot more delay than the normal bullets, which can affect your score. This is likely why the leaderboards for each animal have one column for gun scores and a column for bow.
In Case of Monsters was pretty fun, but it’s about the same length of time as In Case of Zombies. I watched your Big Buck Wild review from 2015 and remember one of your personal gripes about it was it not being longer. I respect that opinion, but personally, I would only have that expectation if it was its own game, and not one part of the whole dish.
As for Terminator, it’s really just the 2nd mission from the original 2010 arcade game with those changes you mentioned. I actually watched a video of the original game’s mission alongside my own captured footage and there are more similarities than differences.
I’m also not sure if you’re aware of the new business model but it is much more accommodating for people who operate these games commercially since they only have to pay a portion of the fee for every game mode. Let’s say someone plays something for $1.00. In that case, $0.15 of that goes to Play Mechanix (just an example). Of course, given what’s going on in the world right now, that’s probably the least of most operators’ concerns.
I also recently heard about a new marquee topper that Play Mechanix is selling for $100, I guess to keep the lights on somehow. It has a T-600 head and definitely reminds me of the old marquee topper from the original Terminator. That might be appealing to operators once this whole thing subsides and businesses can open again, though that might not be for a while.
Sorry for the long comment, but that’s pretty much my mini-review on Reloaded.