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Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
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Episode 15 - Die on this Hill: No Fear

PodcastAnalysis updated 3d ago40 min listen

Highlights

  • No Fear is Steve Ritchie's last pinball design for Williams after an ~20 year partnership, released May 1995
  • No Fear sold 4,450 units, making it the second-highest selling game of Williams' nine releases in 1995
  • No Fear currently ranks #183 on Pinside's Top 100 list
  • Steve Ritchie didn't design another pinball game for 8 years until Stern's Terminator 3 in 2003
  • The game features a jump ramp designed by Ritchie that is superior to Robocop and Jurassic Park jump ramps
  • No Fear's art package ranks in top 10 game art packages of all time

Notable quotes

If you believe in something, you sign your name to it.
Opening monologue (sourced from external media, not podcast)
It's a Williams game designed by Steve Ritchie. It's probably what I would consider his best... No, no, it's not his best, but it's really good.
Alex (co-host defending No Fear)
Stern does. Stern releases three maybe in a year. They were doing nine, okay?
Host (comparing Williams' 1995 output to modern Stern production)
This game's fast, frantic with straightforward rules and wrapped up in this amazingly cheesy 90s theme. To me, it's like, this is a fucking winner on all fronts.
Host (summarizing appeal of No Fear)
I only liked it because of the theme before I played it... I only enjoy no fear because Alan liked it and forced me to play it a few times.
Host (co-host's conversion experience)
It's covered the whole cabinet's covered in like night... guy's head exploding... it's sick as hell.
Alex (defending cabinet art package)
He's a hack... this guy's a hack but limited only ramps... if you're ignoring the modes if you're ignoring the extra ball.
Host (responding to Pinside review claiming game is 'only ramps')
No Fear equals no forgiveness. You suck. You are nothing.
Host (riffing on Pinside review tagline)
I love when he makes you forces you to hit shots that you don't like... if the safest option is throwing it into exposed pops you're like now we're talking, yes, this is pinball.
Host (on shot design philosophy and risk/reward balance)
It's like the epitome of... you got a full Richie fan and you have a repeating upper loop shot but the repeating upper loop doesn't take any space on the lower playfield because it's up in the air. It's awesome.
Host (on jump ramp innovation)

Entities

  • Capcom· company
  • Stern Pinball· company
  • Williams Electronics· company
  • Attack from Mars· game
  • Black Knight: Sword of Rage· game
  • Jurassic Park Home Edition· game
  • No Fear· game
  • Robocop· game
  • Terminator 3· game
  • Theater of Magic· game
  • Ultraman· game
  • No Fear (brand)· organization
  • Pinside Top 100· organization
  • Alex· person
  • Chris Roads· person
  • Greg Freres· person
  • Jeremy McGrath· person
  • Mark Ritchie· person
  • Sammy Duvall· person
  • Steve Ritchie· person

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