Found 10 ratings (with comment) on this game

I have a lot of fun with this one. Punchy… pun intended.

A fun and important pin, IMHO. I'm not sure of which other classic pins celebrate an African American hero like this. Easy to understand and play, but challenging too. Really well made like other Stern's of this era. I'm lucky to have one at a brewery near me and I play it every time I go there. I'd own one, if the price was right, just to celebrate the man; "The Greatest!" Beautiful, if dated, aesthetically.

I know I'm giving this game a perfect rating, but I really can't find anything that isn't excellent about it. Great rules. Fast, furious, brutal at times, but with amazing "floetry". Just like The Greatest himself. Artwork is unique and (IMO) totally awesome. Love the Ali face on the playfield, as well as the gloves on the cab. Also the color scheme makes tis game a real stand out in the line up. Possibly a honeymoon phase, as I'd been trying to locate one for awhile. But it really feels like perfect pinball.

This machine is fun to shoot. You've got drop targets, a spinner and a couple ways to approach the game. What more can you ask for? You've also really gotta appreciate the bonus countdown sounds while you collect your hard earned points.

Note: My rating/review is based on the era of the machine and what it offers in relation to that. For example, the playfield layout doesn't get a low rating for a "lack of ramps," the same goes for the "simplicity" of the rules.

For sheer gameplay and supporting rules, this game really is the "GREATEST".

Completing the word "Greatest" is definitely a scoring objective for the game, and will light extra ball. To accomplish this will require you to shoot ALL over the playfield.

You also have two banks for drops, both equally important for scoring, along with numerous targets.

A timed rollover in the middle adds to the fun.

On completing the word GREATEST, the machine has a relay to flick the GI off and ON.

The uppercut bonus collect is an ABSOLUTE blast to shoot, and the collect for this is amazing.


If I were to pick cons, I would say that the sound is just slightly par for a classic stern.. this is mainly due to it being early in this classic era. If they had a real bell ding for the start and end of the ball instead of the beep.. man or man..

Not sure why people are complaining about the art.. It's a nice package and the figures for Ali are well drawn and characteristic for his personality.

Rip the spinner and win.
Kinda tough, has a few death shots on it.
Enjoyable game I’d buy if I had a chance to get one for a good price.

Look I love Ali ... Well Muhammad Ali and he was and still is The Greatest of all Times!!! A Real Champ in more way's than 10! We all know he was The Greatest and that play's a part of this simple but cool game we can all just rip and flick! Yes you heard it first from me "Rip and Flick" quick fun game not to deep at all but fun... Spelling The "Greatest" for the top left hand loop shot to open up for extra ball. I have the game set for 3 balls so we (me and my kids) try to get the extra ball 1st to try make the game last longer and of course score the most points. I like the way the game creates momentum via the sounds slowly moving up in tones adding toward pressure in a boxing bout, round or end of fight! Not sure if this is what the Designer Harry Williams had in mind but it works for me. I also like the Purple Coloring in the pin I find more warm and some bright WHITE LEDs help this to be an enhancement.

"Ali" is a Thriller, a Chiller, and a Killer when when we get the Gorilla in Manila!

Megadeth Western Australia.

A nice, fun, easy to pick up and play pin. Not "the greatest", but worth a spin

unexpected nice playing pin

Ali is another game from the great Harry Williams that he designed for Stern.

The Pros:
A nicely done open playfield reminiscent of Galaxy, that requires accuracy from the saucer on the right to the horseshoe loop on the upper left. The upper drop targets are necessary to build your bonus to get a decent score. I never cared for the saucers on the top lanes, but they do take a bit of nudging to land them. An open design and fast requiring control and accuracy.

The Cons:
This art package is hideous. I mean... Bob Timm did 3 packages and Seawitch was a masterpiece compared to this. 6 Ali's on the BG and a floating prototplasmic ghost of Ali on the PF. Count the shadowboxing profiles and that's 11 images of Ali's on this game. The signature by the bonus count... The cabinet says his name on the sides... ugh. WE GET THE IDEA! Another horseshoe spinner that doesn't really spin unless papmered to perfection.

The Takeaway: A good game that never really got around. Maybe people were scared away by all the Ali's.

Just in case you didn't see it... The game is called Ali.

Update:
I got the chance to play a museum piece quality copy of this game and I have to say that I was impressed. Nudge-tac-u-lar top saucer lanes mean that just because you got the ball into the right spot, doesn't mean it will sink in. The upper left hand side of the PF is your next focus and while similar to 9-ball, the 3bank means that you have to shoot even more accurately all the way up the PF. Rank that bonus up to 5x and now focus on the saucer on the righty-tighty lane to the bonus collect saucer. Rinse and repeat. While the 6 digit score could REALLY use another zero or a modded (no last digit zero) ROM to accommodate for the scoring needs of this table, you may have to just settle for keeping track of your own score. Shots dropping from the top of the PF must be paid attention to as the slow death of SDTM is a common fate on this Harry Williams design. In summary, take good care of this table, and you will be a happy pinhead!

The king is dead, long live the greatest!

Update:

Maxing out the drops on the left and maxing out the bonus collect on the right. Make sure to get to 5x from the top drops asap and mind the flipper gap. The rules on this game are quite balanced and the Harry Williams design on the PF is solid. This game is an excellent example of why Stern v.1 games are underrated and passed over by many collectors. This design is dangerous and fun to play. The only things it really needs is a modified rom to take out the last zero on the score. Re-theme or at least a re-envisioning of this art package, please. And while i do not care for the multi-ali art package, this pinball design makes up for it in solid gameplay.