Normally, I repair machines for other people and record gameplay before they head out the door. But today's video is this 1979 Stern Dracula and it's actually mine and staying in my personal gameroom.
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I'm a big fan of the early solid state Stern titles and am delighted to finally have this project finished, at long last.
This machine came to me without any boards or displays. It was a definite project and I'm very happy with how it turned out. And, no, I don't care about the wear and tear. This machine shows like an old, well-loved game, but it plays great and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Dracula has an interesting layout with a wide sweeping loop around the top to the upper flipper. The upper flipper gives access to the upper 4-bank of drops. By default, completing the 4-bank (or spotting the cats) lights the right return lane for extra ball. Completing the 4-bank a second time lights the left return lane for special.
On the left side, completing the 3-bank twice lights the double bonus, which alternates between double bonus and 5x on the last ball.
On the right side, completing the XYZ targets (I guess XYZ is more horror than ABC?) three times lights the "Y" target for special.
Some of the rules are kinda odd and could use a bit of an overhaul... the spinner, for example lights only when the bonus is at 2k, 4k, 8k and 20k. And the bonus alternating between 2x and 5x on the last ball in conjunction with slingshot hits is pretty weird.
However, in spit of the strange rules, Dracula is a pretty quick game with a cool layout and lots to shoot at. The artwork is decent enough, although, admittedly, it's not great. I quite like the cabinet art.
A lot of people hate the sound that the Stern SB100 puts out, but I find it quite endearing and really like it. I'd take a SB100 over chimes any day, frankly. Lectronamo, my favorite game of all time, was the first to use the SB100 and I adore it.
Drac was designed by the one-and-only Harry Williams, who also designed Cheetah, one of my other all-time faves.
More info on Dracula can be found here: http://ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=728