I have played this game alot as it's the only game at the shops near me it looks cheap plays cheap I don't know why this is in the top 100

Man, I really wanted to like this machine. Love the music, love the theme, love the light show, did I say that I loved the music? The problem is that the Pro is brutal, so much so that it is little fun. The slings were not adjustable and throw the ball into the number of standup targets which then throw the ball into the outlanes which stay hungry. The bell goes SDTM 50% of the time. No nudging here, fastest game ever, but not in a good way. Rules are setup to score a lot of points, but you don't feel like you're accomplishing anything. Everything is awesome on this game.........except for the actual gameplay.

Edit: little more time on one and fun factor has increased and rules keep me coming back.

Just can't get into this game. Love the songs but not the game.

Great game. The Pro is super fast because of the stand up targets on all sides. I added the Aurich art package to replace Angus face and man, what a difference. Great game to mod; music is sensational; great DMD animations, etc. etc. A winner all the way around.

I could not help feeling this was a cheep version of a pinball machine. Just too light, no drop-down targets, photos on the play filed and not art. I hope to find a AC/DC premium or LE to play and experience the difference.

Super fast, challenging machine. The combo scoring and jackpot scoring are great. I like that the songs relate the game play which is different than Metallica. With a bell mod this game becomes even better. I don't miss the lower playfield, but I do prefer the drop targets of the Premium vs. stand-ups in the Pro. Overall, very fun and addictive - this game rocks!!

Great game terrible artwork

Game is very fast to play and I find the ball drains down the middle easy. Could tolerate that more if there wasn't a great big head drawn smack in the middle of the PF where the lower PF is on the LE. Sound is awesome but game feels cheap. Good for a few plays before moving on the the next pin.

An amazing game that just seems to get better every time you play it. The amazing way in which the music is involved with each shot is something all music pins need to incorporate, because it really adds to the over all experience of the machine. The pro version does have a few less toys than the LE or premiums, but the game itself is almost identical.

This is just one of those games you just want to keep playing one last game. It will kick your butt, but then you will have an amazing ball that makes you fall in love all over again with it.

The playfield art is pretty bad compared to the amazing art of games gone by. It does look like a photoshop job gone awry, but when you are playing it doesn't really matter too much. The cabinet art is very nice however. The translite is cheesy, but there are great alternatives out there to replace it.

This is one of Sterns best games, hands down.

Great theme! I would like to play it again.

I agree with everything NPO said in his review.

** - My rating is for the LED Pro edition, NOT the regular Pro edition - **

There's always something special about your first NIB. It is almost comparable to your first love; it signifies a milestone in pinball ownership, and it tells you the rabbit hole is getting deep in the hobby for you.

So in March 2015, I took the plunge and brought home an AC DC LED Pro edition. The LED Pro edition is distinct as this one actually does have a swinging bell mechanism the ball interacts with, as well as a metal speaker plate and a mixture of metal (on top) and wood (on the sides) backbox. All this being said, let's dive right in to this review.

We'll start with the cabinet art. I am a big fan of the cabinet art; it just looks the part - lightning bolts on each side with printed speaker panels in the backdrop and AC DC smack dab in the middle. There's "artificial" damage that gives the cabinet a rougher look, and the decals feel silk-screened finally - a MAJOR advantage of avoiding flipper button wear. Will still get lollipop rails when it's time...

The translite is kinda "meh". I really prefer what Metallica did - a hand-drawn image of the band in caricature format - that looks AWESOME. Here, it's just a generic montage of the band, and it really is very banal. Speaker panel looks solid with round cut holes and lightning protruding out and around the circumference of the speaker holes - looks really good!

A lot of people are really hard on the playfield art. To me, it really isn't THAT bad. When I am in a high-tempo game, and I am concentrating really hard on ball control, the last thing I really do see is Angus' face. It's not THAT big a deal. What's the stock alternative, the "devil" Iron Man lower playfield....? It's not that big of an improvement at all, and I never ever have utilized the lower playfield when playing a Prem/LE/Luci, so nothing really lost to me there.

Kind of a shame Stern gave the game plastic ramps. It should really have metal habit trails; it would have definitely looked the part in this game. Plastic ramps are always such upkeep once they get dirty, and if they get too bad; it is a losing battle to keep them looking nice. Jukebox in the back looks GREAT; Stern's attention to detail shows on this static piece.

PF layout is pretty solid; I am glad this game doesn't have the "pf divided by 2 ramps at nearly 60 degrees" look to it like a decent number of Stern games have had lately. Stationary targets in the middle have a bit of a BSD throwback to them - go for them at your own risk. Orbital to the left flows very well with spinner; right orbital lane stop prematurely at the jukebox which is not too bad as it is necessary to change songs when the time comes.

Outlanes can be BRUTAL on this game, especially with the cannon blocking nearly the entire right in/outlane area. I won't deny, this game has brought my level of nudging to a higher plateau. If you "hope" the ball will bounce your way rather than influencing it by nudging, you're going to have very quick ball times.

Sound effects are AWESOME. The train whistles on the left ramp vary slightly and are always a treat to hear. Fire sizzling and popping up the right orbital is a treat. The bell sound never, ever gets old. Cannon rickshaw wheels rolling when firing the cannon is a delight, and the BOOM of the cannon - especially with a subwoofer - when you hit the lit target is masterfully done. VERY few callouts in this game, but that's not a bad thing at all.

Music is audible ice cream. If you like AC DC, you'll never get old of this game. If you don't like AC DC, well, might want to keep moving .....

The toys....the toys...... Lately, it seems like Stern has been making "bash toys" games - especially with Metallica and TWD. Here though, they did it right. The LED Pro version has an actual swinging bell that pivots from the back instead of the side like the Prem/LE/Luci. It may not swing as wildly as the Prem/LE/Luci version, but it is very active, and this is a "bash toy" done right. It is a bell; it is SUPPOSED to swing like this. The implementation is just spot-on awesome, and it is executed nearly flawlessly.

The other main toy is the cannon. Now, the device is very cool; a motor rotates a horizontal solenoid that fires a shooter rod out and launches the ball somewhere on the playfield. What I didn't like was the "meh" acrylic plastics of the cannon - come on... I spent some money and got the Pinball Refinery cannon mod of an actual rickshaw wheel prop cannon with red LEDs in the barrel and the fuse area and yellow LEDs under the base that activate when it is time to fire the cannon. Now THAT is a cannon.

This game is a modder's haven, and there are no shortage of mods on mine. Quick run down:

1. Premium 3D train in plastic of "acrylic billboard" version
2. Previously mentioned Pinball Refinery cannon
3. ColorDMD
4. EL-glo wires for the TNT box in the middle
5. Metal plate for the shooter lane wall to keep the wooden lane safe from ball damage
6. Devil horns on the backbox that light up with the bumper pop flasher
7. Upgraded 4" Pyle speakers for the backbox, 8" Pyle mid-range cabinet speaker, and external Polk subwoofer. Plan to implement Boss equalizers in the future.


There are scores more of mods you can do - YMMV.

Bottom line, this game is awesome. Sounds are great, flow is pretty solid, animations are a great time on the DMD, and a ColorDMD is an absolute must-have. There is zero buyer's remorse; it is an overall excellent game. We are planning to move into our first house hopefully next year, and I will gladly welcome this game home to its upcoming gameroom, where I do not see it leaving for a very long time.

This game doesn't count because it's a pro, therefore it's not the full game. It's 1/2 a game, stripped of extra options, since they made 1/2 effort for full price, they're getting 1/2 my appreciation on this one and all other pros.

Premium is worth the upgrade, but the "promium" might be enough

Must do something about Angus.... horrible art to stare at

While not as its premium counterpart (just like Metallica), this is a fun and solid game in its own right. Good toys/gimmicks, great soundtrack and a lot of fun to play.

VERY fast game, it's one of those tables that you just keep coming back to.

I played this at a local Siver City movie theater and i have to say,I'm impressed by how well it played. A few minor tweaks and it could be an amazing game!!!!!

This game is awesome! I honestly did not like it when I played it out in the wild, but once I got one home it became a top ten game for me. The rules are awesome, but if you dont understand them the game is really confusing. This isnt one of those that you can just shoot the blinking light and figure it out.

AC/DC Pro is a weak overall package. To put it in perspective, I'd rather play WoZ than this game, and I can't stand the theme to WoZ. I actually like AC/DC music. I don't own their music, but I like them in general as a band.

Originality: low.

Art/Lights/Theme: So bad I could barely look at the playfield.
This is the typical weak art package from Stern with photoshopped pics of band members all over the playfield. (Unlike what Dirty Donny did with Metallica)

Sound/Callouts: Can't hear since I was in an arcade… I did hear a bell.
Flow: weak. But there was a nice orbit shot in one direction only.

1. no orbits / orbit shots get trapped to pops
2. pop pen is a mindless waste of time ...zzz...
3. the way the ball dribbles out of the pop pen is insulting

Toys: There's a bell. If you miss this shot, wait a while and you may have a ball SDTM. (but not too often)

Ball Control/Hazards: weak. The stand ups might as well just be solid walls. The ball ricochets off them at full speed -- sometimes straight to the outlane, without giving the player a millisecond of any ball control to help avoid disaster. It's another fast "vertical" game from Stern that doesn't allow for much nudging. Most of their games are configured like this now.

Balanced Scoring: (unknown) I haven't played enough games to know how the scoring works

Fun/Lastability: 1 game was enough for me. No desire to play AC/DC again. I never finish it. I keep trying.

Symmetry: good. I’m rather sure its an asymmetrical design.

Use of pops: POOR. They only have scoring opportunities. They cannot hurt the player. I still have no idea why manufacturers continue to hide pops in the upper corner of the playfield in a spot where the cannot harm the player. The way the ball dribble out, when the game is busy keeping you from playing adds insult to injury.

PF Visibility: POOR: I didn't like the use of the cannon over the right sling, and some junk over the left sling, which makes playing a ball off the outlanes impossible (a la STTNG) -- this REALLY kills the game for me. It's like playing with blinders on.

All I can say is, thank goodness that Stern got pinball right with Metallica.
-mof

A fan of the band but I wasn't as attracted as I thought I would be to the table.

AC/DC Pro is ugly-playfielded pinball machine, "Stern-ugly" backglass is stern-photoshop-ugly, cabinet art does not hurt your eye...

But the gameplay is challenging. Very interesting ruleset and very nice audio will keep me coming back to this machine. Ugly but interesting machine with good rules and interesting gameplay..

No wonder Stern manufactured this game in several different cabinet/playfield designs. But the playability is Great. Insert Coins!

I enjoy this game. I find the bumpers are a bit worn on the one I have access to, but other than that, it is a fun pin.

Review edit: October 2, 2017

Downgraded my ratings. Found the 'lastabiity' to be wanting on this pin. I avoid playing it where possible.

AC/DC Pro is a very fast game . There is a few less toys on the play field as compared to the Premium / LE models but these fewer toys makes the Pro a much faster game. If I had to choose one over the other though I would go with the Premium / LE model because I think it's the extra toys that makes the game so much more fun.

Played this machine in Frankenmuth while on vacation, was just added to their game room this year, being they never had a pinball I bitched about it last year big time kinda loundly to my cousin...I suspect someone high up heard me! I have never played a pinball with so much action and with such strong speakers, I could hear the darn thing quite loudly from the eating area of the arcade and that was a good 100 feet away (in a loud arcade mind you) by the time I was done playing I put some high scores in the machine as well as $10.00 worth of quarters and plan to feed it $10 more next year, always feed a game in the wild some quarters when you can, it helps encourage operators to keep up with pinball!

People fuss about this game quite a bit, and I just don't get it. It's a pin with a theme that's 30 years too late. It's boring, it's uninspired. Admittedly, I only got to play a half-dozen games on it, but I think I got my fill...