Star Wars

Pinside rating

This game received 277 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.622 /10

7.622

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #160 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.402

Artwork: 7.942

Sounds/Music: 7.438

Other Aspects: 7.694


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

7.856

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Found 166 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 166 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 7.

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8.372/10
67 days ago
chad 1.07
7.253/10
81 days ago
Great game to look at. ....that's about it
8.692/10
7 months ago
Love this game. Grew up playing it. The original Star Wars are my favorite. Easier layout and repetitive, but I'm good with that. An easy game to come in and play without needing to grind.
6.860/10
8 months ago
My first pinball purchase and it's better with the v1.07 software. For the age of the pinball it's still a fun one and this fun sense of urgency for hitting the deathstar, or any of the ramp jackpots. The ramp feels great and the tie fighter sound is spot on.
7.272/10
9 months ago
This is the best Star Wars artwork pinball out there and then artwork is amazing.

The popping R2D2 is so cool and the Death Star shot feels so good when you hit it and the light show that comes with it really make the reward worth it.

Sadly, the lastablity wasn't there and the ramp shot was not balanced in the code.
7.280/10
11 months ago
This game has always just been "ok" to me, nothing more. Great theme but mediocre machine.
7.872/10
1 year ago
I'm fun of this series, and my vote probably affects this a bit too. I've only played the custom version 1.07, and I can say that the pinball machine is really cool, I really like the multiball and the ability to "repeat". C3PO is really nice. Then there are a number of tricks to play that make pinball varied. Sound like good, unfortunately the sound data east system is not the best.
9.840/10
1 year ago
Im playing the 1.07 unofficial ruleset, which makes a difference. I just love it. Yes, Im a SW fan, and all the grapchics, animations, callouts, music are just perfect for me and make the game superfun. For me its very rewarding when the music changes to the victory theme, its just supercool. Yes, the game could have been better for sure, but for me how it is with the newer ruleset it is always a big fun to play it. And pinballs are about having fun, right? And it is true I feel very nostalgic about this machine from my childhood, so my rating I think is way too subjective..
9.380/10
1 year ago
Fantastic machine. Plenty of variation in the different modes, fun callouts and sound effects from the movies. Playfield art is that great old comic book style that just can't be replicated. The death star multiball and subsequent jackpot shots are challenging without being too difficult to hit. And the game always gives players the chance to got the multi ball shot on the third ball. Great fun, endlessly repayable with many features that I'm still figuring out how to light and trigger. One of the best ever made
8.332/10
1 year ago
Okay, first pin I remember playing as a kid, first pin I ever bought. It's fun pinball, but honestly it can be clunky, shallow, and brutal on the outlanes. The original code is too easy - just spam the ramp all day, easiest shot in the game. The updated code improves it substantially, but reminds me there aren't a ton of shots, and really only the ramp and DS feel good. Still, it's a FUN game. Great sound, GREAT dmd use - absolutely one of the best to put a color dmd in. R2 bouncing and the death star spinning never gets old. Not a favorite game to play anymore, but unlikely to ever leave for sentimental reasons, and still genuinely fun even if there are much better games.
8.650/10
1 year ago
I grew up with this one in my friends' basement, so I'm partial
5.551/10
1 year ago
UPDATE 2023: Played this daily at an arcade in Prague. It has really great music, including a thumping techno-version of John William’s Imperial March (probably one of the best pieces of classical music of the modern era). The strobing light show during ‘tri-ball’ is brilliant. Oh, yes, and the DMD oozes with Star Wars theme. Unfortunately, from what I can tell, this game has very unbalanced scoring with most of the points coming from ‘tri-ball’ (i.e. multiball). Shoot Death Star, start multiball, shoot hyperspace. Rinse and repeat. It’s not mega-difficult to get tri-ball and, as a result, it’s fun at an arcade but your mileage may vary in a home collection. Also, the skillshot is the most gimpy bad video mode imaginable - yuck.

Played on vPin and (once) at Pinfest 2022. I played this because of the Star Wars theme and it's unfortunately a really bad pin. Based on a couple of plays (I wouldn't want to play more), I can't judge exactly why, but there doesn't seem to be a lot to do and most of the shots feel boring. The layout feels weirdly messy and incoherent, the artwork is terrible and the only decent thing about it are the Death Star and R2D2 mechs.

I was playing for ages at Pinfest. Every ball seemed to take 1,000 years to play without actually achieving much and, despite setting off R2D2 jumping about like a mad thing, and having million scores scrolling everywhere, I didn't care. I only finished the game because it felt rude to leave a ball unplayed at a public pinball event.
7.436/10
1 year ago
This is one of those games I really disliked initially, but have grown to appreciate.

Pro’s:

Really good Backglass and Cabinet art. Probably the best of the Star Wars machines Illustration-wise (though Phantom Menace had a solid art package).

The Death Star and R2D2 toys are great, I have to give credit to the mechanics team for pulling these off.

Skill shot is fairly fun and feels like an evolution of the Data East Star Trek skill shot.

I enjoy all of the shots on the right side of the playfield. They all either flow well or function well.

Rules, while shallow, are still fun to play through (I disagree that the game is a One Shot game, though the models I’ve played might have had updated code, the values really didn’t seem too ridiculous).

Sound is overall pretty solid, with some excellent transpositions of classic tracks.

Con’s:

Playfield art is a little overly gritty and dark for my liking: I think it could have been cleaned up a little bit, though the composition itself is well done and it’s nowhere near as bad as something like Data East Jurassic Park.

Sound quality is definitely behind the times, though at this point it wasn’t yet a big issue.

Not enough shots on the left side of the playfield: realistically there is only a single scoop to shoot for as there is no point to hitting the left loop.

Game is unbalanced to favor multiball: if you are going for points, stick with Multiball.

Overall, not that bad of a game. I had recently had only played rougher copies, but I finally got to play a finely tuned one and I am glad I did.
7.948/10
2 years ago
Had this game over 6 months now and it's still a favourite for me. On the 1.07 code so pretty balanced rules, but is more fun on easy settings as hitting the death Star can be a risky shot.

The art is great and music catchy. It's a keeper for sure.
3.863/10
2 years ago
Not a good game. Bad layout. Terrible lighting. Little flow. If this was Space Battle instead of Star Wars it would be worth 1/5 what it’s worth.
7.564/10
2 years ago
Another great Data East game. Can't ever go wrong with a Star Wars theme!
6.331/10
3 years ago
I own this game, restored/saved one that was in bad shape purely out of nostalgia of playing one as a kid. Comparing it to all of the Star Wars themed pins, I think this is a distant #2 to the current Stern Star Wars. I personally love the artwork and the backglass of the machine. All of the original trilogy assets are in the game, call outs, voices and animations from the first trilogy. Where the game truly lacks is shots and depth of code. The game is incredibly repetitive on every level. Mine is insane fast, airballs everywhere and tough to control. I am hoping as the wax wears down, it will slow down a tad like machines I have played in the past. This one won't stay long, but I am glad I was able to bring it back to life for someone else to enjoy. In a large collection, it's more for looks and nostalgia. I wouldn't recommend it for a small collection.
8.352/10
3 years ago
This rating is based on a game with the ChadH code 1.07

I like it- If I had one complaint I wish the artwork was a little better as well as some of the Yoda voice acting.

The game shoots fine, there is lots of great shots (I love hitting the orbit left and right to advance the letters) the music and call outs tweak the nostalgia buttons and blowing up the death star never gets old. One day it would be nice if the missing speeder code is added back into the game from the prototype roms.
8.000/10
3 years ago
This is a very fun game with lots of cool game modes and satisfying shots. The death star multi ball and multi ball jackpot are both awesome.. Some difficult shots to master, like the R2D2 run away mode. The DMD videos are awesome for this game, especially for the time.. Now with color DMD, it is even cooler. I've owned this game for close to six months now and I still very much enjoy the game.. Great representation for the theme. If you are a fan of Data East games, I would consider this one of the best they made.
5.994/10
3 years ago
Borrowed this machine from a friend and I have to say that it's a shallow game with little variation. The upgrade to the custom rom v1.07 did although make a big difference to the balance of the game when you can't abuse the highscores by grinding that ramp over and over again anymore. There is no wizard mode in this game, so all you do is basically hammering the death star for tri-balls to score big. The force hole might give you some good rewards like yoda. There is basically 4-5 shoots that you go for in this game with no real progression, except for the force hole that gives slightly better rewards after clearing it the first time. There is also a design flaw where the ball often comes out from lower pops and bumps from the top of the slingshot to the outlane for an almost unavoidable drain. I have seen this drain a million times and it's clear to me that it's not because how my game is set up, but how the game is designed. This makes for a more boring game where you need to avoid the pops by not going for the 3CPO shot and make sure to have the kick back up all the time for the left outlane. It takes away skill and makes the game more luck based, since the death star shot is also pretty dangerous.
7.738/10
3 years ago
I love the call outs, the artwork, and the theme. The game play is clunky and fairly basic, as much as I wanted to like it more, it had to go
8.480/10
3 years ago
This is the best star wars pin in my opinion. It has the toys, shots, callouts, and music that you want as a fan. I wish the Stern SW was able to expand on it...
7.750/10
3 years ago
Good skill shots. Still have fond memories of my daughter standing on a chair watching me play jumping up and down yelling "Shoot the deststr" The green bulb on the backglass for yoda's face was also a nice touch!
8.600/10
3 years ago
This was my first pin I purchased a few years ago. It was in its original condition. Very good but needing some love. I had a local pinball genius spend 40+ hours on it and wow what a difference. New updated roms, LED’s and new plastics. I know this isn’t the most fun pinball to play but I love the theme and how amazing it looks considering its age. I also have a Star Wars Premium and they look great next to each other. I love this hobby!!!
9.060/10
4 years ago
*** 1.07 code ***

I've only played this game a handful of times back in the day, and just thought it was neat. Nothing special, but a fun game.

I played it again in Las Vegas 3 years ago, and pretty much though the same thing. It's a beautiful game that just plays OK.

Earlier this year one came up for sale near me, and I got it. I was looking to clean it up, enjoy it a bit, and then possibly flip it. The one I got had the latest 1.07 code on it which I didn't know at the time I bought it. I didn't care either.
Until I played it.

What a difference a change in code makes!

The game is so much more balanced now. It doesn't rely heavily on repetitive shots up the center ramp to post up a good score anymore. Every area in the game has potential of awarding major points. Getting the death star multiball, and then the super death star bonus triggers a visual, and auditory rush that still makes me smile. This game is just plain fun!

The comic book-style artwork, R2 and the death star coupled with the great DMD animations and call outs just makes this the best Star Wars pin to date (Looks like Stern is releasing a comic-book styled pin now too!).

After a few hundred games played over the last 6 months or so it doesn't get old. In fact we added a color DMD, and redid all the lights with LED's to really make it pop. It's worth it.

Overall I'm glad I took the chance on this game. It won't be sold anytime soon!

-Paul

This game was an easy choice for us:
Star Wars: yes please
Great artwork: oh my yes
Game play: please and thank you!

This was our first big pinball purchase and we bought on the above features and we are still enjoying it!
This game was released when all the big hitters were coming out, think Addams Family, FunHouse, Creaure, etc., so it had a lot going against it at the time.
Even in my opinion, it still doesn't live up to those games, but it is so varied and all out fun that it is highly underrated and still the best Star Wars pin.
My favorite thing to shoot for is the force hole. It's always different. Getting Yoda and hitting the lane to activate it is always fun, waiting to see what goodies to choose from.
Hitting the double jackpot is probably the most satisfying shot in most pinball games. The triumphant theme plays and lingers, telling all how much you rule this game!
Other highlights: Cantina band, Jabba's bounty, all the boys diving in the Sarlacc Pit and the glory of a color DMD on this bad boy.
-Chrissi
There are 166 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 7.

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