Pinside rating

This game has received 37 approved Pinsider ratings. 13 more approved ratings are needed to get a rating and for it to be eligible for the Pinside Pinball Top 100 ranking.

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.

9.46

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Found 17 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 17 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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9.196/10

1 year ago

BMA

Mechulus

Pinside+ Frequent

Atascadero, CA

4y 36,900 41 3 12 1

An ingenious idea that was too expensive to produce, sadly. It’s easy to miss as it looks like a rather oversized generic arcade cabinet. I was looking for it at the Las Vegas pinball museum since I knew it was the only chance I’d get to play it, and walked right past it twice! Maybe this is why it didn’t get the response it’s designers were hoping for. A flashier cabinet with lights would have only added to the expense, and thus more certainly doom it to failure. A MUST play - this machine is kept in impeccable condition by the lead tech and it shows. Flippers are snappy. Knock one through the creepy clown’s teeth and you’ll have the satisfaction of doing something few pinheads will ever have the chance to do - “beat” one of the rarest games ever made. We will never see a game like it from a major manufacturer. Hopefully a well funded home brew will someday be attempted that rivals it.

9.460/10

2 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,116 23 271

This is the best game most people will never play. It is just so unique and intriguing. If I could buy it, I would. The best anyone can really hope for is playing it in Las Vegas at the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum. I put a lot of time on it, and I highly recommend any pinballer do the same.

8.261/10

2 years ago

TOM

marioparty34

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 176K 1,454 123 1

Played it at PHOF. I dumped a lot of my money into it, but I like carnival skill games in general.

Novelty pin but worth playing for sure. If I saw one at a decent price (which will be never) , I would pick up.

9.600/10

3 years ago

NBR

theadicts77

Pinside member

Zürich

3y 54,050 243 17 26

What an absolute joke this machine is hovering in the 200s here. Wanted to have one ever since i discovered it in Vegas. Fantastic artwork, tons of fun to play. Here's hoping Circus Maximus will get it done some day.

theadicts77 has this game on the wishlist.

8.183/10

6 years ago

GIL

Imagineerie

Inactive member

10y 44,550 7 190

I believe this game was on the verge of mass production before Bally tanked. So there are only a few of these in existence. Bally was clearly trying to think outside of the box and planning on taking some chances with this one by going extremely vertical in the playfield design and overall game play. Fortunately for ma, the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas had a playable copy when I was there and I had the pleasure of playing several games. The gameplay and rules are fairly simple requiring the player to complete one or more challenging shots before advancing to the next level up (literally). This kind of (ironically) shallow rule set probably runs afoul for most other pinsiders, but I was fine with it because it is a fun game to play. I don't know how much long term replay value the game would have had in the mass market. But I sure enjoyed it a lot!

7.061/10

6 years ago

SUS

Grayont

Pinside member

Encinitas, CA

6y 51,550 84 1 129

Played this at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas and it was actually quite fun. I put up 2 high scores on it and played it several times. Not the deepest game ever as your only real goal is to hit the ball behind the clowns teeth to earn a jackpot. Never quite nailed down the exact rules and there are some things that are incomplete like the video mode which is not implemented. It's a very unique game with the 4 playfields and climbing the cabinet but it is not a game to play over and over again.

Grayont edited previous rating on April 19, 2018.

6.316/10

8 years ago

JAM

jroakland

Pinside member

Oakland, CA

13y 60,050 106 7 111

i was lucky to play this and was amazed by the machine not typical. it is uprite video style pinball,very different one of a kind game ,not a keeper cause u cant get one. two or three made im told... the one i played was in vegas..it is a trip to play but i wouldnt call it pinball,try it in vegas

8.259/10

9 years ago

ROB

RobKnapp

Pinside member

Colorado Springs, CO

13y 110K 3,116 13 183

One of a kind

8.373/10

9 years ago

JDA

A761506

Inactive member

10y 18,750 1 11

When I first saw this game in Vegas at the PHOF, I thought it was someone's homemade experiment. I loved how it was both creepy and cool looking at the same time. They were nice enough to fix the game for me so I could play it, as it was somehow missing the lone pinball. I thought the game itself was awesome. It's really a shame there is only one left in existence, as this one will surely not last forever.

7.542/10

10 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Pinball Circus is not your average game in a number of ways. If you love pinball, you must make your pin-jihad to the Hall of Fame in Las Vegas and say hello to Timmah!

The Pros:
I have played this game, my life is complete. The "juggling" of the ball in this game is an absolute blast. The elephant's trunk passing the ball from one PF to the next is straight out of a pinball dream. Working your way up to the top PF to knock out the clown's teeth has to be one of the most satisfying pinball tasks ever created. The best DMD animation integration I have ever witnessed. Even Circus Voltaire is in awe of the Rhinestone tuxedo'd ghost that lives in this box. The Mystery Wheel with the knife target stunt lady is spot on. Overall, the theme on this game is over the top and oozes character. Each of the 4 separate PF's has it's own tasks and gameplay feel to it. While climbing the ladder may be linear in terms of game progress, this game is a shining example of what can be done with creative design and a silver ball.

The Cons:
I have never been a fan of asymetrical flipper layouts by the outhole. There were only 2 ever made. This pinball clown frightens Rudy.

The Takeaway:
Working your way up the big top is always a fun and entertaining task. The challenge of this game may not be the biggest, but when you lose the ball on the upper PF with only 1 clown tooth to go... Gotta play this again! Would I ever want to own a game like this (if $$$ was not an issue much less availability), probably not. I can see why this game never made the production line, but I also am happy and grateful that I got the chance to play this righteous and super rare game. It's kind of like dating a beautiful model. You want the experience for the longest time and the anticipatory emotional attachment to the expectation may far outreach the actual reality of the situation, but then you do it, and it's fun, and in some ways it falls short. So playing this game is something you really should do, if only because of the rarity of the box, but also know that this game didn't make the production cut for good reasons. Enjoy!!!

Extra special thanks to The Arnold Clan and everyone who pitches in at the PHOF! My life is better for the work that you have done.

8 Pinsiders starred this!

3.460/10

10 years ago

ACE

Laser-Beam

Pinside member

Venice, CA

14y 36,900 8 1 47

The Pinball Circus certainly was different. Didn't really feel like a pinball machine. Interesting expansion of the concept though. Not my thing but worth a shot for the experience.

4 Pinsiders flagged this.

6.290/10

10 years ago

DAV

PersonX99

GSP mods

Manchester, NH

11y 87,550 1,102 16 36 1

It's unique! I recommend a few games of this. It's weird, but not in a bad way.
I see why this would not have taken off, but the concept is great. It's just a bit slow and it gets kinda boring after a while.

7.816/10

10 years ago

MAC

Mackin

Pinside member

Pflugerville, TX

12y 29,150 17 6 11

Finally had a chance to play this at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. I was really excited to see it in person. But after the initial games, I was a little bit disappointed. It is fun trying to get to the top, but once you've done that a few times, it doesn't feel like there is much more to do. That seems to be your only goal. It did have some fun DMD games. But for something that is this unique it's just not that much fun after awhile. It would of been interesting to see what could of been with additional themes. I do appreciate that it's different and unique. But it also needs to be fun, and it just doesn't/didn't captivate me.

8.470/10

11 years ago

NAM

kwiKimart

Inactive member

San Diego, CA

12y 90,650 10,693 3 71

Played it at PHOF, and what a great machine Pinball Circus is! Getting the ball onto the top level is extremely fun and addicting!!

It's too bad Bally didn't make a limited run of these, but it is what it is.

8.584/10

11 years ago

MAT

Anim8ormatt

Inactive member

Highlands Ranch, CO

12y 54,400 2,193 5 21

I feel fortunate to have played this game. It is unique and innovative. It uses its theme well and it was very addicting to play. It is hard and I suspect a flipper needed a rebuild, But it is something that i would pursue for ownership if I were a well connected and wealthy man!

6.267/10

12 years ago

WPG

guymontag451

Wedgehead

Portland, OR

13y 92,800 1,006 25 170

Plays like what it is, one big gimmick. Not horrific or anything, but the feeling of playing is just too strange to have a bunch of fun on. And considering it's just a prototype, the playfield art isn't finished, as well as the software. Worth a dollar or two if you ever find yourself at the PHOF in Vegas, but I, for one,am glad it never made it into real production.

7.847/10

14 years ago

RAY

bugray

Inactive member

Basingstoke

14y 54,650 697 97

Played this rare machine at PHOF, WOW this was fun, something completeley different and still highly addictive to play. Shame the concept never took off.

1

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