Total rating
This machine received 246 approved ratings by our visitors, averaging 8.521 on a scale of 10.
This currently ranks it #10 in the Pinside Ranking.
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There are 25 comments on this pinball machine
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Ratings histogram
This is a histogram of all 244 approved ratings on this machine.
Rating subscores
What are the scores of the four individual rating categories, which form the machine's total rating?
8.42 Game Design
The playfield layout, game rules, gimmicks and overall gameplay
8.81 Artwork
Playfield artwork, Backglass, Cabinet artwork and Dot Matrix animations
8.40 Sound & Music
The game sounds, music, the sound quality and variation
8.45 General aspects
Game lighting, lastability/replayability, theming and general fun rating
Our rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable Pinside.com staff (wink wink), rate this machine.
Ranking history
The Pinball Top 100 is re-calculated on a weekly basis. This means that we have a new top 100 every week! Here you can see this machine's movements throught the top 100 (the lower the ranking, the better).
Rating history
The Pinball Top 100 is re-calculated on a weekly basis. This means that this machine has a new rating every week! Here you can see this machine's rating over the last couple of months.
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LOTTABALLS rated this machine on June 08, 2010 with a score of 10.000 and said:
“I love this thing...smooth nice flow”
Der_Meister rated this machine on April 30, 2010 with a score of 8.426 and said:
“Really strange game, I don't love it but either don't hate it. Maybe I have to de more practice to understand and love it. Where to play near Almere?”
Leigh rated this machine on April 25, 2010 with a score of 9.635 and said:
“Gotta love the Cirqus.......this machine has it all.......pure brilliance..”
IceHill rated this machine on April 19, 2010 with a score of 8.223 and said:
“Just had a few games. The game looks really nice, specially the cabinet artwork! I'm not so sure about circus theme, but there is something about this pin...”
maldoror rated this machine on March 30, 2010 with a score of 9.654 and said:
“The near perfect pin. Beautiful yet deep and oh so fun. It truly has it all, the whole package. Only 10th on the top 100? No way, sorry but I will stand firm and swear to you that this is a top 5 pin. PERIOD.”
StevenP rated this machine on March 29, 2010 with a score of 9.593 and said:
“Great flow and some interesting toys (like the captive ball) mixed in with conventional ramps/orbits. GREAT modes, and a good game for beginners and experts alike. Novices can have fun attacking the Ringmaster, while experts can try to defeat the Join the Cirqus modes and get to Party Multiball. The music is addictive, and the home ROMs add even more modes and nice tweaks to the rules (like a selectable skill shot reward). One of the best set of dot matrix animations on any pin.”
scooter rated this machine on March 27, 2010 with a score of 8.416 and said:
“Good game,slightly overated”
Karzinom_Engel rated this machine on March 15, 2010 with a score of 9.353 and said:
“Such a nice pin. Fantastic gameplay. You will always scream like a child when the Multiball-Tower raises itself (when it's not broken again).
By the way, maybe the only machine which looks ok with LEDs next to Johnny Mnemonic (still not a very good idea, though ;-).”
PDXGeek rated this machine on February 09, 2010 with a score of 9.313 and said:
“This game has so many hidden features, jackpots, and secret modes, that its hard to ever get tired of the play. This is the only pinball I have ever played where you can really strategize maximizing points by linking several multi-ball modes together, then hitting a Voltaires Many Jackpots shot (hidden). Its a very nice change from the "shoot another combo shot for points" feature that is so common on most machines. Cirqus Voltaire can be very unforgiving at times though, especially in tournament mode! The playfield plays very quick at the factory recommended 6.5 degrees, and the wizard modes are the best I have ever seen in a pinball game.”
fxdwgmb rated this machine on February 01, 2010 with a score of 8.549 and said:
“Energetic color scheme. nice layout and rules. Hate that little annoying red ball divertor in the lower left that seems to always distract your attention.”
tatman9999 rated this machine on January 24, 2010 with a score of 9.895 and said:
“what a great game.Added leds and home 2.0 chip.Fast game love it.”
marz1970 rated this machine on January 06, 2010 with a score of 10.000 and said:
“The most beautiful pinball of all time !!! very challenging !!”
cabrioletsch rated this machine on December 03, 2009 with a score of 6.621 and said:
“did not appeal to me”
AsakiPhreek rated this machine on November 22, 2009 with a score of 9.417 and said:
“Weird and wonderful! Definitely one of the most original machines out there. I don't care much for the neon art - it looks kind of tacky and clutters up the playfield a bit - but the DMD animations and overall whimsy of it make it one of the better machines I've played. The ruleset is top-notch, lots of things to do and goals to complete. And what kind of review would this be if I didn't mention the Ringmaster?!
It is a VERY highly sought-after machine, so if you're considering purchasing it (that is, assuming you actually FOUND one for sale - I tip my hat to you!!), I would recommend playing the heck out of it to see if it fits your tastes as well as it fits mine.
Personally: highly recommended, but since it's a love-it-or-hate-it affair, your opinion may differ. Playing it is the only way to find out.”
cevans82 rated this machine on November 13, 2009 with a score of 8.885 and said:
“this is an awesome game wouls love to have on very different from most machines”
Go4Fan rated this machine on November 12, 2009 with a score of 6.357 and said:
“An "okay" game that appeals to some due to its low production count. I am of the opinion that it might have TOO much going on (lights, sounds, etc). The circus theme is not that appealing and the beach ball located on the lower left of the playfield is just annoying...”
Pinball61 rated this machine on November 07, 2009 with a score of 2.500 and said:
“Pas terrible ....”
wonderpuddle rated this machine on October 29, 2009 with a score of 9.482 and said:
“One of the best. I'd put it right up there with TZ and AF.”
DaWatsta rated this machine on October 22, 2009 with a score of 8.841 and said:
“The only problems I have with this game are the neon ramp on the right hand side and the ball diverter on the left. I feel they obstruct the playfield too much and the ball diverter is a bit too much of a gimmick. Other than that the game is very challenging and has great depth. It has some of the most challenging and fun video mode. Really good game but wouldn't be my first choice.”
Savage23 rated this machine on October 06, 2009 with a score of 8.282 and said:
“It is an amazing machine to look at. Turns out it plays well too. It plays fast, furious, and fun. When everything is working including the neon light it looks very impressive. It does lack the depth of some of the other top pins out there. The dot matrix display lowered to the playfield was a great move. The sound gets annoying after playing it for a while and the theme is a bit over the top. However, the multi-ball and dot matrix are awesome. It is a fun machine and without a doubt among the other all time classics.”
bugray rated this machine on September 14, 2009 with a score of 8.235 and said:
“Played recently (a lot) and loved it, great fun, excellent game play. Backbox toy boring, should have left it off. DMD on playfield is one of man's best creations. Deserves it's high ranking!!!”
smiley rated this machine on September 03, 2009 with a score of 5.131 and said:
“i found ring master very irritating”
LLUncoolJ rated this machine on August 10, 2009 with a score of 9.869 and said:
“Blown away. Believe the hype, this game is awesome. It nudged its way into my wishlist top 2.”
poezewoefke-2008 rated this machine on July 27, 2009 with a score of 8.905 and said:
“C'est un super pinball mais une petite peu façile”
troy2492 rated this machine on July 21, 2009 with a score of 5.026 and said:
“Spent a lot of time on this game but just could not get into it”