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Party Zone (Bally, 1991)

Party Zone

Total rating

This machine got 95 approved ratings and currently scores 7.458 out of 10 points.

This ranks this machine #113 in the Pinside Ranking.

7.458

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 7.517

Artwork: 7.46

Sounds/Music: 7.221

Other Aspects: 7.369



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Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this machine. 3 of us have rated this game.

7.923

There are 27 rating comments on this game

There are 27 rating comments on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 2.


“excelent multi players game!”

jazzmonkey

Pinsider since May. 2012
Karma: 505 pts.

Owns: 0 games | Rated: 27 games


“Very fun and underrated pin! The game play is the most memorable part for me, as every shot was fun and fulfilling. Everything else was kind of forgettable, though.”

AdamTheGamer ♥ 

Pinsider since Jun. 2012
Karma: 4801 pts.

Owns: 1 game | Rated: 104 games


“The Good: One of the BEST early DMD games. This pin will keep you coming back for more. Not too complicated, but NOT easy for a beginner. Great ramps and game flow. I have one in my collections and it is staying there for a while.

The Bad: DJ kick out gets worn and is VERY visible.

The Ugly: Cabinets FADES so easily. Fortunately, there are decals available to restore it to it's original beauty. Plastic ramps are hard to find and cannot be easily flame polsihed.”

PersonX99

Pinsider since Apr. 2012
Karma: 2451 pts.

Owns: 9 games | Rated: 14 games

+ User currently owns this game.


“This pinball is just a weird theme actually it dosent have a theme ....you really don't know what's going on .....dr dude , and Elvira and party monsters are really good and colorful like this one but you actually know what's going on .....but party zone is just to weird ,and boring .....”

Monarca1091

Pinsider since Dec. 2012
Karma: 2277 pts.

Owns: 15 games | Rated: 120 games


“Definitely not the most complicated rule set. And a bit of a mish-mash when it comes to the theme. But strangely addictive and fun. Love that it plays "Pinball Wizard".”

scylla

Pinsider since Dec. 2012
Karma: 2598 pts.

Owns: 7 games | Rated: 7 games

+ User currently owns this game.


“fun never ending laughs . if you grew up in the 80's this one is fun”

luch

Pinsider since May. 2012
Karma: 5003 pts.

Owns: 0 games | Rated: 16 games


“Party zone... hm... the better I get to know it. The less I appreciate it.

The Pros:
A sense of humor and comic book appearance. These are good things. The Art package looks like Greg Freres and Co. had fun with this table. Very much in line with Party Animals, Elvira and the Party Monsters and Dr. Dude... Does someone see a trend with these Nordman games? Seeing a dude in a dress pop up in a pinball game has never been this entertaining. Choosing the tune you play pin to during the game is a cool feature that I don't recall seeing anywhere else.

The Cons:
Shot selection is limited. After a few games, all to shoot for is the right lane. If the ball goes back to the right flipper, shoot the ramp and then the right lane again. Rinse and repeat, and again... light the 10x bumpers with the millions lit. 10 mil a pop. Yawn and put your initials into the high score. Never go for the center saucer unless you can bank it off the targets on the left. The dots are either on or off, very few shades of Gray.

The Takeaway:
Fun to look at, boring to play. Not Nordman's best playtested/score balanece/design effort. Fortunately, his next game is Whitewater!”

Caucasian2Step

Pinsider since Jun. 2011
Karma: 11462 pts.

Owns: 31 games | Rated: 546 games


“Like the theme. Interesting ramps, but not the best functionally, Some cool playfield features. I give it a thumbs-up. Some sounds/voices get old after a while.”

Pinball-is-great ♥ 

Pinsider since Sep. 2011
Karma: 17231 pts.

Owns: 6 games | Rated: 95 games


“An exceptionally rare game and was Bally's first game to use the then new DMD platform. Also, it was the last of the "party" games. Unique and has a lot of humer and good art work. The ramps could live with some better design work as they sometimes seem to struggle to keep control of the ball, at least on mine (I've seen others in worse condition that don't suffer from that problem).”

TigerLaw25 ♥ 

Pinsider since Jul. 2009
Karma: 70199 pts.

Owns: 3 games | Rated: 50 games

+ User owned this game in the past.


“Just didn't like the game. A few nice shots, but it got annoying for me pretty fast.”

Yukonjacks

Pinsider since Dec. 2010
Karma: 730 pts.

Owns: 5 games | Rated: 28 games


“This machine is making my other pinball machine get dust on them bcuz im too busy playing this one. A lot of different sounds and I love to "aim for the rocket!" for a quick 7 million. hahaha. Great machine!”

jbow

Pinsider since Mar. 2012
Karma: 255 pts.

Owns: 6 games | Rated: 7 games

+ User currently owns this game.


“I used to play this a lot as a youngster, I guess it was the craziness of it all that used to appeal. I can appreciate the gameplay a little more now and it is a fun game, if a little annoying!”

teachp8 ♥ 

Pinsider since Mar. 2011
Karma: 3937 pts.

Owns: 4 games | Rated: 93 games


“Was hoping to like it more than I did. Not on my wishlist anymore.”

Shapeshifter ♥ 

Pinsider since Nov. 2010
Karma: 39425 pts.

Owns: 5 games | Rated: 71 games


“I bought this machine and had to do a bunch to fix it. During the repairs, I thought the game was just ok at best but after playing it a bunch before selling I really started to like it. Going for the Big Bang seems easy enough but its its a nice challenge with the short ball times. I love the graphics and quirky feel of it. A dose of this game is whats lacking in new games today.”

DougPiranha ♥ 

Pinsider since Mar. 2011
Karma: 13393 pts.

Owns: 19 games | Rated: 33 games

+ User owned this game in the past.


“After doing more research on this game, it's kinda groovy, I'm on the hunt to find a nice one to experience and maybe buy someday to operate.”

HighProtein

Pinsider since Mar. 2011
Karma: 42324 pts.

Owns: 15 games | Rated: 246 games

+ User has this game on the wishlist.


“Almost criminally underrated because of it's theme. Great ramp, lots to shoot for, funny sounds and animations, and great comedic art from Greg Freres. Major knock is only a two ball multiball, and it's linear ruleset gets a little old for repeat plays, but for a fun and casual game it totally rocks!”

guymontag451 ♥ 

Pinsider since Mar. 2011
Karma: 16424 pts.

Owns: 2 games | Rated: 78 games


“Cool theme with cool art. I dont want to own it but its a fun game. Audio is great especially when the game plays Pinball Wizard! Looks striking and is non-stop fun. Not in top 100? It may not be the greatest machine out there, but its definately better than some of the machines in the Top 100! (EBD, Centaur, Paragon, Flash Gordan, Embryon, Fathom etc)”

Medieval_Gofers

Pinsider since Mar. 2011
Karma: 7154 pts.

Owns: 1 game | Rated: 161 games


“this is a fun fast pin”

trimoto11

Pinsider since Jan. 2011
Karma: 270 pts.

Owns: 0 games | Rated: 7 games


“What a fun Machine! Very Colorful. It's a laugh attack! Captain B Zarr is Great. This is in my collection and it's a keeper.
The only fault is the Captain B Zarr shot into the hole under him. It can't be done from the flippers and must be bounced in lightly.
Other than that...it's a keeper.

Update: I'm addicted to this game. It grew on me. the more I play it the more I love it. What makes it so great? Going for the big bang. It's a series of only 5 shots once you have a multiball. 3 to the feul pumps and 2 to the rocket. It sound much easier than it is. This game get more play in my collection than Twilight Zone, Champion Pub, White water, and Even MB. And I didn't really like it at first.
Update: Ok I sold it. But it wasn't easy. It's at a friends house so I hope to play it again. I've owned MM, MB,CP and other great games that I have sold but none will be missed more than Party Zone. Why? Short ball times and simple play. The Big Bang is the best Jackpot in pinball. It's a true jackpot that score huge points. Unlike other games that scream jackpot a lot but they score low points. It's only a series of 5 shots during multiball but it's much harder than it appears. This game always makes you feel like you were just one shot away.....so you push the start button again.”

wesperron ♥ 

Pinsider since Oct. 2010
Karma: 21127 pts.

Owns: 9 games | Rated: 56 games

+ User owned this game in the past.


“Very crazy color scheme immediately gets your attention, then the wacky twisting ramps keep it. This game is like a party.”

Roman

Pinsider since Jul. 2010
Karma: 661 pts.


“Fun game for the price”

sexyhusband

Pinsider since Sep. 2010
Karma: 420 pts.

Owns: 2 games | Rated: 8 games


“I had this machine for about a year and it is a way underrated game. I would say its major downfall is only a 2 ball multi-ball. It is an easy game for the casual player but also a fun machine to get into. My machine was wired wrong and for the longest time the big bang didn't work. I fixed it right before I sold it so I never really got to play it with the big bang but I will own another one someday.”

britrex1

Pinsider since Jul. 2010
Karma: 3112 pts.

Owns: 2 games | Rated: 47 games

+ User owned this game in the past.


“Feels like an early System11 game to me, nothing exciting here....”

Outlane-Avoider ♥ 

Pinsider since Mar. 2010
Karma: 12177 pts.

Owns: 12 games | Rated: 180 games


“really grows on you cool game”

tiltking

Pinsider since Mar. 2009
Karma: 1000 pts.

Owns: 0 games | Rated: 43 games


“An often overlooked pin, that is a lot of fun to play. The theme ties all of Dennis Nordman's "Party" games into one (Party Animal, Dr. Dude, along w/ Elvira & the Party Monsters), and produces a very fun casual friendly game. Good flow, really cool ramps (rocket ship), fairly simple PF layout for novices, user-chosen quality tunes (includes The Who's "Pinball Wizard"), some humorous vox (especially when the DJ, Captain B. Zarr, wants to sing-along to his own music request), and a few good dot animations round out the "Party Zone". The main gimmick is the two talking heads for Captain B. Zarr (also tracks your ball) & Supersonic Robotic Comic. They got it right by calling the host Captain B. Zarr, as this game sure is bizarre alright; particularly the art (may be too wierd for it's own good). Early DMD game with a limited ruleset (hit the rocket ramp non-stop), no video mode, and only a 2-ball multiball wrap up an otherwise underrated & affordable game from Bally. "Through the O-Zone!"”

drbond

Pinsider since Feb. 2010
Karma: 23948 pts.

Owns: 4 games | Rated: 81 games



12
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Ranking history

An overview of this machine's ranking over the last years. Lower is better.


Rating history

An overview of this machine's rating over the last years. Higher is better.





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