Williams
Pinbot Pinside Rating
This game received 476 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.920 /10
Pinbot
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.845
Artwork: 8.053
Sounds/Music: 7.463
Other Aspects: 8.063
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 6 of us have rated this game.
Found 263 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 263 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 6 of 11.
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9.024/10
8 years ago
Louisville, KY
Super fun pin. Have owned one and would like one again. Skill shot is very satisfying. Not necessarily the spiral but trapping the ball and opening the visor on the first try.Nice theme and music. Beautiful pin.
9.937/10
8 years ago
Pinbot is hands down my favorite game of all time. I love everything about it! Robots, space, the colors, sounds, everything. Trying to make it to the sun is definitely a "one more game" quest.
8.084/10
8 years ago
What a fabulous machine this is. I thought Bride of Pinbot was pretty fun, but this is definitely a better pin, as it has a wider variety of shots to make, and the premise is just more interesting. This is a challenging table, but not too difficult. Its ruleset also doesn't take too long to grasp. The layout and table art are both great, and the sound is quite good as well. I'll admit that I'm still not exactly sure how you advance planets on this game, but I've not played it a whole lot (though I plan to). As with many pins I have no idea what to do on, your best bet is to shoot at the flashing targets -- it seemed to work pretty well for me. Also, Pinbot has a pretty interesting skill shot that's fun to play. There are definite similarities between this table and its successor Bride of Pinbot, but this table just feels a lot better and like it has more to it.
6.380/10
8 years ago
Pinbot is a fun title, but it lacks lastability for me. The machine has some unique features that I appreciate, but I rarely find myself stuck to the coin door for long.
The unique features I like are the raised playflield on the right and the elevator ball lock in the center of the upper playfield (I think this inspired the elevator on Dr. Who).
I've yet to play on a machine where I could get the spiral skill shot to work - either I don't understand how to get the ball to the top or it is a poorly designed skill shot (that takes up a lot of room on the PF).
The colors are fun, and I like the "robotic" voices. I also like watching the ball bounce around on the raised PF, waiting to see if it will come down the return or just fall off the edge and cause me grief. I find the free-fall-wherever feature interesting because most games have well-defined paths once the ball hits a ramp or hole - but you never know where the ball is going to fall on Pinbot.
I wouldn't turn down a cheap Pinbot, but I wouldn't seek it out for my future collection. Still, give it a whirl if you ever see it.
The unique features I like are the raised playflield on the right and the elevator ball lock in the center of the upper playfield (I think this inspired the elevator on Dr. Who).
I've yet to play on a machine where I could get the spiral skill shot to work - either I don't understand how to get the ball to the top or it is a poorly designed skill shot (that takes up a lot of room on the PF).
The colors are fun, and I like the "robotic" voices. I also like watching the ball bounce around on the raised PF, waiting to see if it will come down the return or just fall off the edge and cause me grief. I find the free-fall-wherever feature interesting because most games have well-defined paths once the ball hits a ramp or hole - but you never know where the ball is going to fall on Pinbot.
I wouldn't turn down a cheap Pinbot, but I wouldn't seek it out for my future collection. Still, give it a whirl if you ever see it.
8.367/10
8 years ago
This game was confusing to me as a kid and didn’t quite get what did what and so I didn’t play it much.
Came back to it many, many years later and now I really dig this machine.
The hit matrix and visor are neato bandito and very innovative for its time. Great sounds and spacey music.
Holds up well for its age.
Came back to it many, many years later and now I really dig this machine.
The hit matrix and visor are neato bandito and very innovative for its time. Great sounds and spacey music.
Holds up well for its age.
9.200/10
8 years ago
This is a classic game with classic sounds and even now, 29 years post production, it still sounds and plays great. No collection is complete without at least one member of the PIN*BOT family. My favorite is Bride of Pinbot but Pin*Bot comes very close to that.
8.202/10
8 years ago
Damn you, OUSLER!!!! I'm sure many a pinhead in the know have hollered this phrase. Everything you've heard about this title is probably true. It's a drain-monster. It's a one sided game. It's a gorgeous work of art! All true! Somehow, this title is more than the sum of it's parts. Probably one of the most iconic machines ever. While it could have benefited from a right ramp/left flipper shot, there is enough to shoot for to keep things interesting. The art package is awesome! Great theme! How can you not like giant, robot, space pinball as a theme? I certainly can't! My biggest gripe is, like many system 11 games, it that it has a cumulative jackpot. I can see the benefit for arcade use, but it leads to unfair/unbalance scoring in home or tournament use.
8.627/10
8 years ago
The only thing about this game that isn't top notch is the weighting of the skillshot, getting 100k in the playfield takes a lot of effort and to do it in one plunge feels a bit overpowering. I'm thinking a 5k, 50k, 20k would have been a better option. That's pretty much the only bad thing. The visor mechanic, the light show, the many different shots you can focus on make this a very lasting game.
Kettering
9.705/10
9 years ago
I love that for its era the rule set is very solid
I enjoy having a goal and trying to achieve reaching the sun
its a very user friendly pin, it attract mode the display explains the rules and the PF lights up where you should be shooting for
I love that music and topper lights
I honestly have no complaints for Pin*Bot
I enjoy having a goal and trying to achieve reaching the sun
its a very user friendly pin, it attract mode the display explains the rules and the PF lights up where you should be shooting for
I love that music and topper lights
I honestly have no complaints for Pin*Bot
6.802/10
9 years ago
Its legendary but its not a lot of fun. Cruel outlanes, strange rules and obscure callouts really dampen my affection for this game although I really enjoyed it back in the mid 80s.
I may be biased but the under-rated Jack*Bot with the same playfield, superior artwork, superior lightshow and far deeper ruleset is a much much better game.
I may be biased but the under-rated Jack*Bot with the same playfield, superior artwork, superior lightshow and far deeper ruleset is a much much better game.
8.884/10
9 years ago
The machine that cemented my Pinaddiction. Sooo many quarters stuffed into Pin*bot!!!
One of the greatest Mid-80's SS machines ever made.
One of the greatest Mid-80's SS machines ever made.
10.000/10
9 years ago
Now I see You! One of the best Williams game ever...Lots to do on this game. Getting the opportunity to take the million plunger shot is an accomplishment! Getting to the sun and having Pinbot go into a robotic frenzy is wild. Lots of skill needed to hit the advance planet button! Just a great game that along with Sorcerer, will always be in my collection!
7.163/10
9 years ago
Pinbot has a simple 2 ball multiball that is activated by dropping the target bank and locking 2 balls. During multiball you need to re-lock 1 ball and then hit the left ramp to collect bonuses.
Add to this this the ability to re-drop to the shooter lane to collect multiplied skillshots and the planet hopping through the drop targets or the suicide target and this makes pinbot a fun game.
The soundtrack and the call-outs are fun but not amazing.
I might not have pinbot if I didn't have the bride. I comeback to pinbot just often enough to want him in my collection.
Add to this this the ability to re-drop to the shooter lane to collect multiplied skillshots and the planet hopping through the drop targets or the suicide target and this makes pinbot a fun game.
The soundtrack and the call-outs are fun but not amazing.
I might not have pinbot if I didn't have the bride. I comeback to pinbot just often enough to want him in my collection.
9.141/10
9 years ago
Pyongyang
I have picked up my Pinbot recently. It is a great game. Great original theme with excellent sound and music. I was avoiding system 11 games because of space issues, but I could not say no to this Pinbot. Now I am wondering if I should replace some of my WPC games which I do not like with Sys 11 games like Mousin Around and Banzai run.
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