Found 22 ratings (with comment) on this game

The relation to the original Firepower and the time frame (1983) must be taken into account to truly appreciate this machine. These were relatively dark times for pinball. Fewer games were being introduced since people were going away from pinball. Games were leaning towards longer ball times to try to pull people back in. We can see this with the rubber posts in front of the out lanes and the elimination of the brutal left scoop from the original. Stand up targets were lined up in a curve to reduce STDMs and give some wild variation to where the ball would deflect. These tweaks and a beautiful all around art package, equate to a worthy variant of the original. Easier 2 ball multi ball is not a deficit. Really, the only drawback is the ramp. It’s a neat idea and brought the original into the expectations of 1983. Ramps! But the execution seems off. Hard to hit and kind of pointless to the main objectives. Also, if one has some time on the original, you will definitely miss the speech. Seems like it should be there. That said, the before it’s time original soundtrack won’t let you down on letting you know what is happening on the playfield. Did I mention this one has a bell! All taken, and understanding the timeline, this came out before Space Shuttle, this was a very fitting game for its time and surely fit the bill when introduced. A great tribute to the original. Perhaps only Mark Ritchie could have pulled this off.

Decent game for it's era. I would say it's a little better than it's predecessor (Firepower) as far as additional features. Overall a good game and enjoyable.

COOl game but personally I prefer the Original Firepower. I think they tried to play off the success of the original too much with this sequel.

Dont get me wrong as it is still fun but the play-ability could be better. I am not a big fan of the artwork on this one or the music but it is not bad.

This game just isn't for me. Cool theme though.

A very fun game, with a slight layout change that works really well, sometimes that ramp shot can be tough!
Don't need 3 ball multiball to have fun, This isone of the few games that does a 2 ball multiball right, not too strenuous and a relatively simple game.

Getting a max bonus is a challenge and holding it is even harder.

In my opinion It would have been better if it had the voice callouts from FIREPOWER to be in this game, But damn if the Williams sounds don't grace the ears.

A fun game to play!

This game looks pretty sharp for its era and I'll never grow tires of the classic williams sounds. The gameplay is fast and unforgiving. The relatively easy to get multiball is nice, which helps to balance the unforgiving nature of the game. Not much strategy to the game but due to games being really short, it does have some "ok one more game" quality to it. The ramp is interesting but completely worthless, no reason to go for it except if you actually made it all the way to extra ball. I sold it for something else but I wouldnt say I was completely bored or hated it.

I picked this up as a project and when done I think I'll sell it. It plays okay, but one of the things I don't like is Williams was cutting costs at this time and it shows.

I have has 2 of these games and just coudnt get into it.
Its fun but not for me.

This is definitely an under rated game. Everyone that I have spoken to in the past, either loves it or hates it. I guess looking through the lens of the original Firepower, it doesn't have 3 ball multiball. Never bothered me. The game is challenging and tough to crack 2 million points on. It is also very unforgiving. You either get a great game going or you get a stdm game that makes you quit after 2 balls. They are usually pretty cheap, grab when you see them.

The under rated younger brother of Firepower. Great game with great flow and sound effects. The bell adds a lot to getting the jackpot loop as well. Great for multi player games.

Nice game just ashamed they didn’t add a speech card like the original firepower

This is my first Pin!
The art package seems to be a bit confused. They ships look like fighter planes, not space ships, yet they are flying around in space. I know it is a space game but it feels more like the art wants to be a fighter plane game. Many of the areas on the playfield actually look like they are worn spots when in fact they are just weirdly blotchy. I guess they are supposed to be engine discharge or explosions. The art is merely ok, not great.

Game play is entertaining. There are a few shots: the ramp, the spinner/orbit, the multi-ball target at the top center of the pf and the multi-ball lock. The spinner and the ramp are not easy shots. Multi-ball is only two balls and isn't as overwhelming as newer pins.

Disappointed that there are no call-outs but the sound chip takes me back to 1983 in less than 3 seconds. The sounds are FANTASTIC.

This is a solid, fun, underappreciated pin.

I've owned this game for awhile now and still enjoy playing it. It's a very fast playing game with a few challenging shots. Shooting the ball between the targets to get multi-ball never gets old. Multi-ball comes easy, so your playing at a high speed throughout the game. The ramp shot maybe difficult, but that's why I enjoy it. The only con I have is the right side orbit is clunky, which has been said in other reviews and the play field is a little dark when playing at night. There's no doubt that I enjoy FPII over FP.
J.R.

For me, the sequel beats the original. I'm a big fan of Firepower II, and enjoy playing it more than Firepower. The game was made during the Williams cost-cutting days, but the game feels loaded compared to other games of the period (looking at you, Laser Cue). The game doesn't directly copy the Firepower layout, adding a few more gimmicks, like the crossover ramp. FPII only offers a two-ball multiball rather than FP's three-ball, but it doesn't make the game any less exciting. Visual aesthetics of this game beat Firepower hands down, as early Steve Ritchie games always seem to be plagued with crappy artwork (looking at you, Flash). The game stands as a sign of things to come for Mark Ritchie, as you can see the early features and shots that he would hone into his design signature in later games.

I own this game, it is easy to understand and has some good shots, it is fairly fast for an 80's game. I would say though if the multi ball is your thing then look for the original Firepower, it does have a nice ramp shot that the first Firepower didn't have, but one less ball in the multi ball,

This is one of my favourite games...I enjoy playing it almost as much as the original! I know they cut costs and it's only two ball multiball etc etc... Play is fast and the sounds are awesome and take you straight back to '83. I especially like the bonus hold award at the end of the game when you think you're done and it fires off the bonuses like a machine gun. Love the 7 digit display; clocking a machine and not seeing that high score because it only has the 6 digits takes away some of the fun for me.

Very few sequels impress me.
I especially hate to see a sequel made by a different designer.
Mark Ritchie is my favorite designer, and I hate to give one of his pins a mediocre rating, but this one deserves it...

Firepower II is a sequel that falls flat.

A few flaws:

1. left flipper to upper right orbit shot is clunky. It's a tough shot to make, but not in a good way. It's a design flaw -- one you don't see often in pinball.

2. no speech

3. Crap outlanes.

There's a good reason there are no CPR playfields for Firepower II.
There's a good reason why there is no unique club for Firepower II.
There's a good reason why it's not in the top-25 of people's wish lists...

The only improvement over Firepower, is the art work and adding hurry ups...

Otherwise, it took every challenge from Firepower, and softened it:

1. easier to start multiball (this is the strength of firepower)
2. easier multiball to play

Overall, still a good game, I just have to judge it a little harshly in light of that it was cut from a much better game. Now we have something between firepower and sorcerer.

-mof

Fast game. Sounds are awesome. Effects gets really intense the further you progress.

A classic from the early eighties. If this is your generation and spent time in the arcades around 83, then the Williams sounds will bring you back. Simple rules, easy to play, hard to attain a super high score. Game play is fast and intense. Ramp needs more points to make it worth the risk. I love this title.

Last one I played was very fast. The game sounds are pure 80's Williams. Many good memories playing this one.

Firepower II is described by many as Firepower lite. This is in some ways an accurate assessment of this deck. In other ways this game has a character of it's own and when set up as it should be, is a player.

The Pros:
The Artwork is cool and the game looks the part. I'm not usually a Constantino Mitchell fan, but this deck has a great package on it. Stronger flippers mean faster play. Some of the shots are very satisfying. The curves of the standups mean that there are more "angles" to the center of this table. The multiball start standup at the top of the PF looks like it can't be made. It can be hit from either flipper. Just get your aim down solid first. The left orbit to the loop at the bottom of the PF can shoot straight down into the left outlane if you get caught sleeping. Stay on your toes at all times with this deck. The big speaker in the backbox pointing right at the player sounds great when the volume is cranked up!

The Cons:
This is the worst designed ramp on a williams game... ever. Unfortunately, we see this again in Sorcerer as well. A 2 ball multiball... really? Psst... the original had a 3 ball multiball and speech. What happened? Was it simply production costs making the decision? I hope so. The cabinet could have been used on ANY Williams game.

The Takeaway:
A fun straightforward skills game. If you set the rules to extra hard, take off the rubber bumpers between the inlanes and outlanes and open the outlanes... I got a chance to play a really nice copy recently and the more I played it, the more I wanted to play it again. This is a good sign.

Update:
This table is much more balanced than I thought it was. Heck, it just made the wish list. This particular table had been set up at Pintoberfest in Lakewood, CO. Adam brought in his own personal copy and it was very well tuned and it made a huge difference in my opinion of this game. The first thing I really noticed were the Stern (v1) bars between the lanes. We see this in Taxi and this particular setup is difficult to control the speed with. I really like it. Multiball is easy to prep, not always easy to start. The shot between the standups though the pops to start, is very dangerous to the point where sending the ball through the right lane to the top lanes to reflect from the pop garden into the standup. Risk/reward in multiple ways for the multiball start. Double score when in 2 ball multiball means that the left hand of the PF with a rippin' spinner or the Mystery score on the left ramp. The lock saucer from the right flipper at 50k is a worthy shot now as well. Making F-I-R / E-P-O / W-E-R lights up the tale features and ALL of those shots are dangerous to attempt. My strategy is to play the game, let the targets get hit as the game plays on and when I have a moment to check the table... I'll shoot for the last target or two if they need to be hit, but I say the heck away from them unless I'm sure that I can backhand the shot. Hitting any 3 bank and then looping the Blackout/Warlok orbit lights the bonus holdover. This is the key to the game. Build up bonus and between all the trips to the top 4 lanes, you'll be at 5x in no time. WORK IT! This game also features one of the best art pax ever done by Constantino Mitchell. Space themes are his specialty. This one is up there with Solar Fire, Defender, Blackout and Class of 1812.

Yeah, people will bag on this game. No speech, only a 2 ball multiball. I get it. The right orbit can be less than the ideal "smooth feel" that you'd expect from the Ritchie Brothers, But I have also seen the metal armature modified to But I like playing this game much better than the original Firepower. The PF has good shots and the rules require you to shoot all over the table. Some shots are dangerous, some are scored indirectly. Solid pinball action all around. Good scores on this game are indicative of quality pinball play. That is something that I sincerely appreciate about this table. I hope you find a nice copy of this table and enjoy it for the "pure" pinball experience that it is. Enjoy!

An overall good game, a lot of fun.