CSI:
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

Pictures by Stephane Pinck, courtesy of Mel Appels

Following our initial pictures, we can now bring you a selection of images from Mel showing the playfield detail, as well as some information on several of the game's features.

The backglass image is unchanged from the version we brought you before.

The backglass image
The backglass image

The cabinet artwork is also the same.

The CSI cabinet
The CSI cabinet

We can finally see the playfield and it shows a mass of inserts, features, wireforms and different hues used in the artwork. Stern has certainly packed a lot into this three-flippered game.

The whole playfield
The whole playfield

Looking a little more closely, the skull ball lock we saw before the the back left corner is now completed and we can start to see some of the structure of the game.

The top half of the playfield
The top half of the playfield

There is a spinning disk centrifuge in front of the skull, a microscope loop on the right and a bullet scoop in the centre left of the playfield. Each major shot has a traffic light system of red/green/blue inserts to show your progress as well as yellow arrows to indicate the shot is lit for a mode or feature.

There is a single ramp which feeds the right inlane while a ball popper behind the microscope feeds a second wireform which leads to the left inlane.

The bottom half of the playfield
The bottom half of the playfield

The traffic light system is replicated in a grid above the flippers while the left side of the playfield features the classic Pat Lawlor split inlane, allowing the two left and one right inlanes to spell out C-S-I.

A closer look at the lower playfield
A closer look at the lower playfield

The left outlane can earn an extra ball - collected at the bullet scoop and its opposite number on the right can be lit for special. The three different multiball modes are shown between the flippers. Completing all three may well start a mini wizard mode like Bat Signal Challenge in Batman. A lengthy copyright message is printed in the right outlane.

The bullet scoop
The bullet scoop

Each area of the playfield is allocated one aspect of the investigative process. DNA processing is represented by the three drop targets on the left side. The bullet scoop illustrated ballistics while other numbered shots build up more evidence to solve the case.

The left side of the playfield
The left side of the playfield

The skull works as a ball lock, holding a ball in each eye socket. Balls are locked by shooting the ramp when lock is lit, which activates a diverter. If lock is not lit, the ball travels behind the skull and down the left side of the game. The skull rises until the balls can roll out of the sockets onto the playfield for Skull Multiball.

The skull lock
The skull lock

The spinning disk in the top centre of the playfield has a post at the entrance to keep the ball in the centrifuge until it is time for it to be released or another ball added to start the second multiball mode - Centrifuge Multiball.

The centrifuge
The centrifuge with a single ball

The centrifuge
The centrifuge with two balls for Centrifuge Multiball

The skill shot is similar to that for Wheel Of Fortune, requiring just the right strength plunge up the right loop to drop the ball into the skill shot lane.

The finger print lab and skill shot
The finger print lab and skill shot

The skill shot lane feeds the ball popper behind the microscope, which kicks it onto a wireform, leading across the playfield and down to one of the left inlanes.

The right side of the playfield
The right side of the playfield

The microscope is another numbered shot used to collect more evidence. It is a u-turn loop which can be shot in both directions for different awards. The microscope also has red/green/blue indicators in the form of LEDs used like different magnification lenses.

The microscope
The microscope

The microscope features the third of the multiball modes and starting it lights the corresponding insert between the flippers.

The ball's-eye view
The ball's-eye view

That concludes our first look at the CSI playfield. We'll have much more on Stern's newest game very soon here at Pinball News.


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