Bally
Future Spa Pinside Rating
This game received 81 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.168 /10
Future Spa
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.202
Artwork: 7.676
Sounds/Music: 5.03
Other Aspects: 7.303
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.
Found 37 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 37 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 2.
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6.519/10
8 months ago
Memphis, TN
This game doesn’t rate that high in most aspects but it sure is fun to play and has grown on me more than I expected. The left outlanes are tough. The right out hole can be a lot of fun to biff the machine just right. Nice scoring rules for the era.
7.395/10
1 year ago
Fredericton, NB
Fun machine to have in the collection. Frustrates everyone who plays it to no end, but they keep coming back for more!
Really has that one more game appeal and is ultra satisfying when you do finally get a decent score.
Overall, a great game in a larger collection. Would not want to own it in a smaller collection however. It's just a little to mean!
Really has that one more game appeal and is ultra satisfying when you do finally get a decent score.
Overall, a great game in a larger collection. Would not want to own it in a smaller collection however. It's just a little to mean!
7.195/10
1 year ago
London
Played multiple times at Pinball Republic in Croydon, London.
It’s a very attractive pin that is the epitome of average. It’s fun to play and weirdly similar to a very large number of other pins of its era, but that’s no bad thing because there were many fun pins made around this time.
Better than, say, Bride of Pinbot.
It’s a very attractive pin that is the epitome of average. It’s fun to play and weirdly similar to a very large number of other pins of its era, but that’s no bad thing because there were many fun pins made around this time.
Better than, say, Bride of Pinbot.
7.737/10
2 years ago
Almelo
Yuge playfield with lots and lots of stuff, most of which you simply don't have that much agency over cus this pin habitually plays itself leaving you to react at best and watch your umpteenth drain at worst.
Having said that there's something bizarrely compelling about it with it's incredibly short ball times and the exaggerated sense of satisfaction when you do manage to keep the ball in play for a bit thanks to shots you managed to make, i am to this day not a particularly good player so i expected to get fed up with this one fast but that's not the feeling it gave me and i ended up having a good time.
Cabinet is ho hum, i happen to like the backglass in all it's retro futuristic glory, the playfield says water park to me more than a spa but whatever it does look nice.
Having said that there's something bizarrely compelling about it with it's incredibly short ball times and the exaggerated sense of satisfaction when you do manage to keep the ball in play for a bit thanks to shots you managed to make, i am to this day not a particularly good player so i expected to get fed up with this one fast but that's not the feeling it gave me and i ended up having a good time.
Cabinet is ho hum, i happen to like the backglass in all it's retro futuristic glory, the playfield says water park to me more than a spa but whatever it does look nice.
9.262/10
4 years ago
The artwork on this game is always a conversation starter in my house. Like it or not that adds value to me. It's also the smoothest playing of the wide body Bally's that I own. My only complaint is I wish there were more targets to shoot at.
7.253/10
4 years ago
Another Pinball Machine/Theme I am not sure what to think of.
The theme/art likely has a lot to do with the era it was made -- but I grew up in the 70s and still don't connect with it.
Inline Drop Targets, Spinners, Kickout Saucer, Cool Inlane/Outlane Gate. . . all things I like. For some reason this game does feel wider than the average wide body with more space for the ball to roll around -- slowly at that. Some tweaks to playfield slope and a layer of clearcoat may have helped the machines I've been able to play. I have hit the ball to the upper playfield and had time to take a couple swigs of beer plus see what the players of other games along side of me are doing before the ball gets back down to the flippers.
Typical late 70s/early 80s sounds which I like and approve of.
The artwork. I suppose I can say it is an interesting vision of what the future looked like to the designers several decades back. I think my favorite is the Cabinet over the playfield and backglass. I am both fascinated and confused as to how the woman's upper garment drapes down and liquifies only to be caught by the much smaller woman in the pool below on the backglass (between score displays one and three). I never have been one to understand/appreciate some artist's visions though -- perhaps I need to ingest more chemicals.
In the end its a pinball machine and of course I'd play it again. Don't think I have the desire to own this title even though I'm a Classic Bally fan. . . but you never know.
The theme/art likely has a lot to do with the era it was made -- but I grew up in the 70s and still don't connect with it.
Inline Drop Targets, Spinners, Kickout Saucer, Cool Inlane/Outlane Gate. . . all things I like. For some reason this game does feel wider than the average wide body with more space for the ball to roll around -- slowly at that. Some tweaks to playfield slope and a layer of clearcoat may have helped the machines I've been able to play. I have hit the ball to the upper playfield and had time to take a couple swigs of beer plus see what the players of other games along side of me are doing before the ball gets back down to the flippers.
Typical late 70s/early 80s sounds which I like and approve of.
The artwork. I suppose I can say it is an interesting vision of what the future looked like to the designers several decades back. I think my favorite is the Cabinet over the playfield and backglass. I am both fascinated and confused as to how the woman's upper garment drapes down and liquifies only to be caught by the much smaller woman in the pool below on the backglass (between score displays one and three). I never have been one to understand/appreciate some artist's visions though -- perhaps I need to ingest more chemicals.
In the end its a pinball machine and of course I'd play it again. Don't think I have the desire to own this title even though I'm a Classic Bally fan. . . but you never know.
4.238/10
4 years ago
Ok, so who wants to own one of the most off tempo games ever? Imagine this, you have your pinball collection all lit up, some colleagues come over after work on a Friday to play pinball and you fire this this thing up. All you need to say now is “Anyone want a Harvey Wallbanger to drink?” Seriously, what the heck is this thing? Everyone is in tip top shape except for the dude on the back glass who they forgot to give a neck. Why is his head like way into his collar bone? Nothing like chasing a scantily clad lady around at the gym, am I right? In 2019, that would make the news. 1970s, naw, just make it a pinball. Throw in some muscle dudes and chicks making weird non workout poses and you have a pinball! This thing plays like a bowl of soup. Ever sit on the floor of a 1970 Toronado? It’s like that. You roll around because there is a ton of space, but you can’t go anywhere. I always feel like the ball wants to jump into the game next to it and get out of the future. Drop targets can be a challenge, but it has to be waxed to perfection. No pun intended. This thing is not a game I would want in my collection. I have tried it more times than I care to admit, but this thing is a bloated cow of 70s sappy body building. Who green lighted this? Hit that guy with a tack hammer. Topper for this game should be a big bottle of ‘Brut’, a bag of chest hair and bottle of East German steroids. Creepy.
5.000/10
6 years ago
Played it a few times at a recent tournament. Afterwards, choose to wait for F-14 (a game I'm not in love with) rather than try this one again. Theme, playability, art... just not my thing.
7.809/10
6 years ago
Coolangatta
When I bought it as a project I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do. If you weren't playing these Bally's as a kid in the 70's you probably won't get it but to me this was pinball at its best. The electronic sounds reminds me of 'Lost in Space' the TV show especially the sounds at the end of the game. I'm sure David Christensen had a thing for Joanna Lumley when he did the playfield as the blonde on the lower left looks just like her (she still looks good today, btw). The right spinner is really hard to hit from the left flipper but other shots just take time to get right. The layout looks a bit thrown together but somehow it works a treat. My favourite of the wide bodies.
6.093/10
7 years ago
I am not a fan of the wide body machines, I have played several and owned 2. This machine I did not care for, found to be very slow. Did have a neat kick out on the left of the machine, but a whole lot of realestate and not a lot of targets. It was one of the 2 wide body machines I had, I much prefered Star race. I found it to be a cooler game to look at then play.
8.109/10
8 years ago
My first pinball so of course I'm biased. Did a lot of research and watched some PAPA competition video on Future Spa and fell in love with the quirky 70's chic theme. It has a good balance of challenging shots, strategy, great artwork, and the price was within budget. I really like the asymmetrical design of the lower playfield; each side plays quite differently. And it's a great game to nudge your way out of trouble.
Overall, I'm very happy with the machine.
Overall, I'm very happy with the machine.
6.253/10
8 years ago
Future Spa is a nice early SS widebody that integrates some interesting features on the PF. But the main reason I rated it as highly as I did is because it is really a beautiful piece of art. A little silly, sure, but great to look at.
The various rollovers in the left out / in lanes are neat, as well as the far left ball save.
The stacked progressive drop targets on the left are dangerous but thrilling to shoot.
The skill shot is average and the saucer in the upper-left PF is mostly a luck shot, at least for me.
Great over all game - I'd recommend it to anyone for some great, lasting fun.
The various rollovers in the left out / in lanes are neat, as well as the far left ball save.
The stacked progressive drop targets on the left are dangerous but thrilling to shoot.
The skill shot is average and the saucer in the upper-left PF is mostly a luck shot, at least for me.
Great over all game - I'd recommend it to anyone for some great, lasting fun.
4.665/10
9 years ago
A truly massive pinball machine. A Supersize Bally is always a handful to play.
Awesome retro playfield theme with classic 70s art. The back glass is by a different artist so just does not match the game. The cabinet art is terrible and based on a white background which is always the wrong colour for a pinball in my opinion
Game is slow and brutal if you miss a shot. Interesting outlanes. Ball seems to travel for ever before actually hitting anything
A game of its time, but much better Bally Supersize tables exist.
Awesome retro playfield theme with classic 70s art. The back glass is by a different artist so just does not match the game. The cabinet art is terrible and based on a white background which is always the wrong colour for a pinball in my opinion
Game is slow and brutal if you miss a shot. Interesting outlanes. Ball seems to travel for ever before actually hitting anything
A game of its time, but much better Bally Supersize tables exist.
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