FoCC Con Report: Venom Pinball

By Jason Delgado

I was excitedly looking forward to trying out Venom Pinball at San Diego Comic Con 2023 and the game did not disappoint. Stern Pinball kindly scheduled a private session with a representative (Zach Sharpe) of the company. The game brought me back to the fun old days of my childhood when arcades were everywhere (although chains such as Dave & Busters still make them available), while Zach told me about the brand-new features, such as being able to save your game with their Connected™ system. The game action can come at you fast and furious (check out a trailer of the action here), just like the chaotic iconic central Marvel antihero, and there are also many cool character appearances such as Carnage, Knull, various incarnations of Spidey, Gwen Stacey, as well as Venomized versions of Cap, Hulk, and Wolverine.

I happened to mention the excellent independent movie Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game to Zach while playing and to my shock and awe, that film is based on his father Roger. Only at Comic Con! The film is a fictionalized version, based on the true story of how pinball was actually outlawed in New York City until 1976 because it was seen as gambling, until Roger went before Manhattan City Council to show that pinball is actually a game of skill. It is a fun movie with heart, about an underdog whom we can all get behind. This film is also a well-crafted love story about how Roger met his eventual wife.

I also learned that Zach himself is a champion pinball player and got to watch him in action. The pinball game, the movie, and Zach are all more amazing than the Spectacular Spider-Man himself, so it could not have been a better experience. Learn more about Venom Pinball at Sternpinball.com.

Did you play Venom Pinball at Comic Con? Or are you geeked out waiting in anticipation like I was? Discuss Venom Pinball in our Forum!