Milanowski’s Hit List: The Assassin Breaks Down The Getaway: High Speed 2

If you’re reading this, statistically speaking, Kassidy Milanowksi is likely younger than you and also better at pinball. Sorry, dude. Me too. That’s life. Deal with it. In her short time on this earth, she’s become a regular on the (extremely competitive) Fox Cities pinball stream, racking up tourney wins at D82 en route to being one of the top women’s players in the world. All this before she’s graduated high school. Also, her nickname is the assassin (because of the trademark fingerless gloves Milanowksi uses for grip). I mean, shit. No one under the age of 18 should have this much 😎 .

We caught up with Kassidy and asked her to walk us through one of her fave games — strats and all. To our surprise, she picked the Steve Ritchie absolute-banger-of-a-pin, 1992’s The Getaway: High Speed II. So get in, buckle up and get ready for a white-knuckle thrill ride with the assassin. Yes, just like in that movie with Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Yes, in this scenario you are Jamie Foxx — not too shabby!

Hitlist #1 —The Getaway: High Speed II

Released by Williams in February of 1992, the sequel to the game-changing immersive experience of High Speed from ‘86 lives up to the hype with a blend of innovative physical attributes and snazzy, yet strangely classy gameplay—surely, you’ll find gear-ly everything your pinball heart desires. (Buckle up for some driving puns. They’re not gonna stop. Editor’s note: for real. They don’t stop. Like ever.) So, the first question a real (pinball) player asks: how do I blow it up? Thankfully, I’ve played Getaway once or twice before, and am ready to walk you through how to become an ACE DRIVER and enter three letters of your choosing in the high score list. (And, always remember, pinheads: it’s always a cool move to use that space to write something rude and not use your actual initials.)

Physically - what’s going on with this game?

Let’s start with plunging the ball… aaaand, there’s no plunger. No manual plunger, no blinking launch button. Instead, we have a gear shifter (that confuses most players the first time around). But, come on—who doesn’t feel cool driving stick shift? There’s a sick racetrack, known as the Supercharger, which floats above the playfield while balls rip around in circles for a while before returning to the left inlane . Now, what about the strange topper on the backbox? It’s a siren--yet another unique component The Getaway boasts. (And, it may flash at a seizure-inducing rate during the video mode. Have fun!) At certain points in the game, it will administer a marvelous, beaming red light show. Not to mention the actual siren sounds that sounds like there’s a state trooper pulling up somewhere physically inside the building you’re playing in.

Blowing a game up can seem overwhelming at first, but you’re in luck--The Assassin is here to SAVE you from your worst nightmare: a low score. (True nightmare fuel.) It doesn’t get any worse than poorly playing your first two balls and then not having a (r)ace up your sleeve for a ball three comeback. So... let’s shift gears and get this show on the road! (Editor’s note: I hope we get a Road Show article soon.)

So…. now that I know there’s no plunger, how do I blow it up?

I’m so glad you asked. There are a bunch of ways to blow it up, and personally, I’m famous for my consecutive RPM loops, thanks to Fox Cities Pinball. Hard to miss a moment when they stream like 15 hours a day, amirite?! I’ve even gone as far as sporting RPM earrings that look identical to the inserts on the Getaway’s RPM orbits. Check these out, from local biz owner Jim Deidrich.

For real, how rad are these?! Wearing these while playing should automatically start your game giving you gear 5-level RPMs.

Video mode is also solid points. Remember: shift to gear 5 with the stick shift while the 3-2-1 countdown is happening for more speed and more points, and it’s somehow easier than level 1. Supercharger mania is great if you can find a way to hit a ton of left ramps in 20 seconds or so. But, who doesn’t love multiball? You’ve got two primary ways to get things going.

The Multiball Strat

With a quick glance around the playfield, you’ll find three banks of stand up targets, each bank consisting of green/yellow/red traffic light targets. For each bank’s completion, a lock will light. A solid shot to either the left orbit or the side loop that gets up the back ramp will lock a ball. Tip: Shots to the Supercharger, which are made via the left ramp, and the Tunnel, which is a saucer located on the upper right side of the playfield, will spot a traffic light stand up target, so you don’t have to accept your death by shooting them directly. Pro moves, pin nerds.

Locking ball three will immediately start multiball. Supercharger to light jackpot, lock ramp for jackpot collects. Once you collect the regular jackpot, it is time for the main event—scoring a SUPER jackpot. I mean, you gotta go for it--it’s kind of a big wheel. Two supercharger shots gets the party going, and the super jackpot will light at the same shot the regular jackpot was. (In ‘92, we’re officially in the shoot shot, shoot other shot, rinse and repeat multiball era, and I’m here for it.)

The RPM strat

Each time you hit an orbit, you advance your RPMs. You’ll hear the game call out “SHIFT GEARS!” - use the aforementioned shifter/plunger contraption to shift to the next gear, and if you don’t, you’re locked out of further RPM shots until you do. So, shift gears! You get an award after each, and 3 through 5 are highly valuable. 5 is the big kahuna: Redline Mania. Everything is lit, and a multiball begins similar to the “regular” one described above - except the super is worth an eye-watering 100 million. If you get this in a tournament, you probably win. (Editor’s note: my preferred strat by a longshot. F those standup targets for locks!)

The discerning cheeser strat

For more of a deep-cut strat, you can get some RPMs for free by cheesing the ball save, as the plunge around the loop triggers an RPM. You can *skillfully* drain during your ball save time with each relaunch giving you a free RPM, at the risk of you intentionally draining a ball and it not coming back. It’s an awful feeling… but, you could get some free RPMs. Roll the dice! Sometimes you cash out, sometimes you get a security escort out of the casino.

It ain’t the years, it’s the mileage. Light the kickback.

And, regardless of what strat you choose, it’s only a motor of time before the ball runs out of gas and gets sucked down the left outlane, so it’s crucial the kickback is lit whenever possible. Get it by hitting the 1-2-3 targets above the outlanes. Although many players couldn’t car less about lighting the kickback, you should remember, safety first! A lit kickback will ensure the ball is alive and wheel.

And…that’s a wrap! I’m going to give you the benefit of the route that you have what it brakes to put The Getaway in full-throttle and put up a high score. Loving the driving puns, or are you tire-d of them?