Stern

The Simpsons Pinball Party

Pinside Rating

This game received 867 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.443 _/10

8.443

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #37 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.55

Artwork: 8.473

Sounds/Music: 7.956

Other Aspects: 8.573

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.

8.812

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Found 494 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 494 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.980/10

8 years ago

JAM

jroakland

Pinside member

Oakland, CA

13y 60,050 106 7 111

five flippers all needed... great layout, lots of shots, lots of rules to follow, low scoreing if you dont follow the rules, no ball save (worst ball ever) finally found it, not on factory install so finally I set it up...ha,ha ..i havnt finished alien invasion, close but no cigar... all in all a keeper, so much to do on this one, nice looking machine..
the only reason why i wont sell this game is because of the mystery spot oppisite flipper mode...great expirence very fun you got to get there once in life!! And 600 episodes!!! Classic, Great game!!! NOTHING LIKE II! one of the best games ever!!! It should always be in the top 25 if possible..

jroakland edited previous rating on July 30, 2023.
jroakland currently owns this game.

9.440/10

8 years ago

DON

Mattyg

Pinside member

Brisbane

9y 17,750 13 6

Very underrated game!
I've owned this for nearly two years and have 5 other pinnies inside the top 10 and would play this more than any of the others....
Great game play with an equally impressive playfield layout, get one if you get the chance!

Mattyg currently owns this game.

7.264/10

8 years ago

AKM

akm

Pinside member

Fairfax, VA

11y 86,650 1,577 1 23

The Simpsons Pinball Party is a deep machine that integrates the theme very well. The playfield layout is also one of the more interesting that Stern has made, with a lot of variety overall. However, the game is going to be a hit or miss depending on what you want in a game. There's not a lot of constant flow in the game--a lot of shots stop or pause the movement of the ball in some way. If you want a fast and flowy kind of game like, say, Iron Man, this is probably not what you are looking for. If you want something that almost feels more like a Lawlor pin, this might be for you.

For me, I enjoyed the game while I had it, but I ended up parting with it for something not nearly as deep, but faster with more flow while still feeling rewarding. One of my issues with TSPP is that if you want to blow the game up (score-wise), it involves relying on the Couch multiball to get everything else started safely. You can start pretty much any mode during a multiball, so this is what generally happens: 1. Start multiball; 2. Work towards other multiball; 3. Work towards Otto completions to qualify Mystery Spot; 4. Work towards TV mode starts to qualify Alien Invasion; 5. Hit some Comic Book Guy hurry-ups to qualify Secret Stash; 6. Get some Super Jackpots; 7. Rinse and repeat.

There's nothing inherently wrong with the above, but due to the majority of the shots on the playfield leading to danger (even the plunge offers no safe haven for the ball), It's tough to get very far in this game in single ball play. This leads to the Couch or Itchy and Scratchy multiballs acting as crutches to get other things done. Yes, it feels great when you stack eight different things into one or two multiballs, and yes, it feels great to even complete some of these goals in single ball play. However, with the dangerous nature of most shots on the playfield, you rarely feel like you are in full control without relying on that center garage shot, so full satisfaction is never felt in single ball play. At least it wasn't for me.

As mentioned earlier, the theme is integrated very well. Some of the real voice actors from the show are here, and it's great. The playfield art is some of the best on a Stern game. The familiar Simpsons theme is here as well, even if the overall quality isn't as high as some other Whitestar games (most notably, RBION). The humor is here as well and it rarely gets old ("Oh noooooo--in a stoner voice--coppers!"). I think for those that want a great integration of theme on a pinball machine, this is one of the better games that do it well. For serious players that care more about ball control and keeping their games going, the repetitive nature of the game rears its ugly head. A great game for a large collection or on-location play, or for big fans of the theme, but I don't think it's the ideal game for a tiny collection--at least it wasn't for me. Looking forward to playing it again in the future, but I wasn't sad to see it go. I had my fair share of 45+ minute games (the grind is real).

akm has owned this game in the past.

8.544/10

8 years ago

CAD

retrotilt

Pinside member

Prosper, TX

10y 103K 67 12 58

This machine has a great theme, super deep rules, awesome artwork and good music and call outs. There is so much to do that after 50+ games on this machine, I feel like I'm just scratching the surface. The sheer amount of content and strategies available make this game shine for the experienced pinhead, but it's still a very fun and approachable game for casual players.

On the negative side, it's a shame that it's missing the voices of Lisa and Marge in the call outs. However, with the dozens of character voices that the machine does feature, this is a small complaint. Also, high scoring games on this machine can get pretty long and start to feel pretty "epic", which is by design.

Overall, this is a top tier machine that gets almost everything right and is tons of fun to play! There's just so much packed into this machine that it's one of the most ideal games for the home environment.

retrotilt edited previous rating on February 28, 2022.
retrotilt has owned this game in the past.

9.160/10

8 years ago

COL

pinballwizard878

Inactive member

9y 24,900 10 7 17

I was lucky to come across this game. It was so much fun I could not stop playing it. I hope to add this one to my collection in the future.

8.424/10

8 years ago

YPS

cooldan

Inactive member

London

13y 54,800 129 5 53

Simpsons pinball party or TSPP is a classic, there's no two ways about it: rules as deep as the ocean, masses to do and plenty of shots to aim for, a theme to die for, an upper playfield, five flippers, plus it has drop targets and cool gimmicks on it like reversed flippers, hurry-ups, shot multipliers, several multiballs, and several skill shots. plus everything is stackable with everything else.

i don't know a single person who has even *reached* the wizard mode (Super Duper Mega Extreme Wizard Mode), let alone finished it. This may be because in order to get to SDMEWM you have to first complete six different mini-wizard tasks (in any order), each of which is no walk in the park by itself:
- finish all ten Otto modes, and win the reversed-flipper Springfield Mystery Spot with all 10 jackpots and then a Super. yes, this gets you just the one sixth of the way to SDMEWM.
- finish all seven TV modes (each of which has tasks to do), and win the Alien Invasion by locking 2 then 3 then 4 and then all 5 balls, all against a timer.
- collect all six hurry-ups, and win Secret Stash by shooting another ten while the timer counts down.
- finish all four daredevil Bart modes, and win Daredevil Mania by getting enough points (this is the easiest one).
- play all four Itchy & Scratchy multiballs, then win Scratchy's Revenge by collecting lots of jackpots (at least 5 and up to 15, depending how well you did on the way there) and then the Super.
- shoot five Superjackpots in Couch Multiball to light all five family members' faces. these are harder to get, the further along you go, so the first one is available from the off, but the fifth isn't available until after you shoot 4 jackpots

there's even more - there's a frenzy (D'oh) mode, there's secret awards, there's Treehouse of horror modes/awards, there's random awards (from chalkboard and garage), there's victory laps, there's combos, there's bonus multipliers ......

play it, you won't be disappointed

cooldan currently owns this game.

9.020/10

8 years ago

DCM

DMcNamara

Inactive member

Belleville, MI

8y 26,400 8 4 14

I'm a big Simpson's fan, and the game did a great job of incorporating the show. And the gadgets, sounds and details make this a really fun play.

8.358/10

8 years ago

CRW

crwjumper

Pinside member

Safety Harbor, FL

8y 103K 1,542 4 24

One of the best stop and go games out there. Love the stacking challenges.

crwjumper edited previous rating on November 28, 2017.

7.208/10

8 years ago

JH

jchiu

Inactive member

8y 39,650 260 4 8

The first time I played this, I thought there would be more to it given the hype. Supposed to have a deep rule set. It was interesting in a quirky way but not one where you are wowed. Nothing really spectacular about it. It was ok but not a have-to-keep-forever type game.

9.560/10

8 years ago

YYZ

flamehead

Inactive member

Martin, TN

9y 33,400 101 3 9

Definately one of the best Pinballs ever. The ruleset is incredibly deep and even though I've played th egame hundreds of times I'm still discovering new things.

I really don't have any negatives for this one :) Play it!

flamehead has owned this game in the past.

7.565/10

8 years ago

CBZ

Kineticross

Inactive member

Needham, MA

10y 69,150 1,103 1 62

Cheating makes baby Jesus cry!

Pros:
- Deepest pinball machine ever made! All modes stack, and share a timer that can be increased in several ways.
- Double scoring multipliers add a touch of strategy.
- Appeals to casual players thanks to its large variety of ways to play the game.
- Multi-color TV display is cool and helps players new to the machine out.
- Upper playfield is enjoyable, couch shot is extremely satisfying once it's nailed! :)

Cons:
- Cabinet art is horrendous thanks to how poorly it was printed out. Such an eyesore.
- Music can get really annoying after a while.
- A little too deep? If you play it a lot, it feels more like chopping wood than playing pinball.
- Some objectives aren't explained too well (ex. Treehouse modes, Multiball rules, Springfield Mystery Spot rules)

8.600/10

8 years ago

KL

knockerlover

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 126K 2,001 39

Another game I was surprised with the fun factor, but there are a couple of clunky elements to the game. Regardless I would like to own one someday.

9.840/10

8 years ago

MIK

netman63129

M&M Customs

St. Louis, MO

8y 54,050 278 8 10

This is probably the deepest rule set ever. I have a LOTR and a TSPP and LOTR is a better game for beginners but TSPP is the ultimate challenge. The resettable TV timer is genius IMO. Also, the five flippers and upper playfield is great. Getting a ball back on the couch during multiball is supremely challenging.

netman63129 edited previous rating on March 16, 2017.
netman63129 currently owns this game.

8.792/10

8 years ago

MRN

RampShot11

Inactive member

Matawan, NJ

9y 46,150 894 3 7

Played this on location the other day. I really enjoyed it, I am a pretty big Simpson fan so my opinion is going to be slightly bias but the artwork on the playfield is excellent imo. Also the tower pop bumpers were a great idea I thought. The garage is a fun shot along with the captive ball that has Bart on the skateboard. I wish I could have heard the call outs and music but it was too noisy to hear them so I couldn't score that section farely. Bottom line....I want one!!!

8.760/10

8 years ago

ALX

allicks

Pinside member

Calgary, AB

9y 47,850 48 28 32

Super fun to play. PF is well lit and there's a lot to shoot at. Couch 2nd playfield is a blast. Beautiful artwork and a classic cartoon theme. I don't feel you can go wrong with this one.

allicks has owned this game in the past.

8.704/10

8 years ago

ACE

wingnut707

Pinside member

10y 32,900 5 2 39

IMO, this is the best Stern pinball machine ever made. Very deep ruleset and amazing gameplay. There is SO much stuff to be done.

Also, I'm a music guy, meaning I play music. The music is FLAT on some examples and SHARP on others. I find this to be SOOO ANNOYING, especially as someone with perfect pitch. Then again, this is on most older Stern machines.

wingnut707 edited previous rating on August 31, 2017.

8.620/10

8 years ago

MIK

geekmiki

Inactive member

Oslo

9y 11,650 61 1 8

ColorDMD is definitely a huge plus for this game.

geekmiki has owned this game in the past.

8.280/10

8 years ago

DEB

Dbaum88

Pinside member

Roswell, GA

11y 90,050 1,274 8 78

Great game, obviously one of the deepest rule sets around. It's a keeper due to the rules and endless number of shots, modes, etc.

I will say, however, that although Pat Lawlor games are deep and interesting, I do not find their gameplay to be very smooth. Monopoly, RBION, Simpsons, Addams Family - to me the games just don't flow that well, like a Steve Ritchie game does. But it is a beautiful game with a ton of features, toys and sound.

Dbaum88 has owned this game in the past.

8.808/10

8 years ago

WAY

waynetrane

Pinside member

Recklinghausen

10y 57,800 217 15 41

I'm using PinSound which is a MUST for the machine in my opinion.

waynetrane edited previous rating on November 01, 2022.
waynetrane currently owns this game.

9.940/10

8 years ago

SWB

Scubascotti

Inactive member

Hillston

10y 13,250 1 25

Great game, keeper.

Scubascotti edited previous rating on August 11, 2015.

9.239/10

8 years ago

CJD

forensicd

Inactive member

Bloomington, IN

9y 49,650 875 7 6

Tremendous game with tons to do. I love the theme, so was instantly drawn to it. Lots of shots that never seem to get old. I wish I could override the comic book guy sound while playing other modes. This is the game I always wanted when I first started collecting, and finally added it to the collection! Tons of mods to add.

forensicd has owned this game in the past.

9.429/10

8 years ago

???

most71

Pinside member

Lenna

11y 31,000 8 51

Fantastic

most71 edited previous rating on December 19, 2020.
most71 has owned this game in the past.

8.980/10

8 years ago

ORB

Sugoiorson

Pinside member

Baulkham Hills

9y 31,000 2 30 12

This pin is loaded with modes, toys, shots, and is buckets of fun.
I guess you need to be a simpsons fan to really enjoy this game, there is so much going on with the game that it keeps you coming back.
I found myself playing very short games as I first started playing but improved quickly and once I understood the modes I was hooked.
The upper playfield is position very nicely so as not to take up too much lower playfield.
This pin is a not a flowing game, its more shot specific, but that’s ok. Sit it alongside an attack from mars and you have the best of both worlds.

Summary- awesome game.

Sugoiorson has owned this game in the past.

9.460/10

8 years ago

MEH

Hyderyoda

Inactive member

Flat Rock, NC

10y 21,700 20 6 7

OK I have played this game a few years ago and again now . NOW I HAVE to have it !!! Nice rules set . I want this pin !

Hyderyoda has this game on the wishlist.

7.960/10

8 years ago

CDF

Collin

Pinside member

Columbus, OH

11y 116K 5,271 29 82

I've played this one dozens of times, and have had about one decent game on it. Good layout, incredible software, but it seems like there's too much grinding to put in for a decent score.

Great art, theme, callouts, etc.

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There are 494 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 10 of 20.

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