Episode 35: JAWS 50th Anniversary Edition Revealed… But the Real Surprise? Stern’s Code Updates!
The Flipside Pinball Podcast
33 min
Summary
Jaws 50th revealed with bold 50th anniversary styling; v1.0 code update benefits all owners.
Retro Ralph reviews Stern's newly announced Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition, a premium-tier reimagining of the successful 2024 Jaws machine featuring updated artwork (blood red armor, movie poster styling, glittered playfield), brass-plated ramps, and holographic stickers. Concurrent with this release, Stern has pushed Jaws code to version 1.0, adding co-op multiplayer, new wizard modes, and expanded achievements: a benefit to all existing Jaws owners. Ralph's reaction is measured; while he praises the game's design and thematic fidelity, the aesthetic changes don't compel him to trade his existing machine. He pivots to broader commentary on Stern's code update strategy, praising recent improvements to Uncanny X-Men and John Wick while critiquing Stern's tendency to release games with incomplete code compared to Jersey Jack's more polished launch state.
Highlights
- Stern is producing Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition only through the end of 2022 (roughly six months from announcement), likely under 1,000 units total
- Jaws Premium and Pro variants remain available for purchase; only the original LE version sold out quickly
- Jaws code has now reached version 1.0, adding co-op play (2v2, 3v1), new wizard modes including a final wizard mode, and expanded achievements
- Godzilla 70th Anniversary Edition featured foiled artwork that generated significant community excitement, making it more visually distinctive than Jaws 50th
- Jersey Jack Harry Potter (CE) includes glittered artwork that appears more visually prominent than Jaws 50th's glitter enhancement
- Uncanny X-Men and John Wick have received recent code updates that are meaningfully improving gameplay
- Mike Vinicore is now handling code development for John Wick and expected to improve the game significantly
- Jaws sales surged around the 50th anniversary due to Universal Studios' Jaws 50th marketing and merchandise distribution (Jaws ride nostalgia campaign)
Stern Pinball just revealed the long-rumored JAWS 50th Anniversary Edition! In this episode, we react to the reveal and dive into the art, features, and whether it lives up to the hype. But that’s not all...Stern also dropped major code updates for several games that really needed it.
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