Strato-Flite

Williams

Strato-Flite

Pinside Rating

This game received 18 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.013 /10

8.013

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #82 in the Pinside EM Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.88

Artwork: 8.154

Sounds/Music: 3.317

Other Aspects: 8.2


Pinside staff rating

None of the Pinside.com staff have rated this game. Sorry, no rating from us.

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Found 11 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 11 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 1.

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6.438/10
3 months ago
Actually this is a relatively hard game to master lots of skill shots to master to get high scores. Also definitely a game to learn placement plunger control.
9.386/10
7 months ago
Fast and Fun! Keeps you coming back for one more game. The art is cool with rare purple colors throughout and the pop-bumpers keep the action moving.
It takes some finesse and skill to play and the 2 save-ball gates are a bonus.
If it had a dmd it would keep up with the modern games of today!
5.931/10
3 years ago
Fixed one up but it just didn't grab me. Playfield isn't very cleverly laid out, basically everything is situated around the edges with one target in the middle. Relies on the jet bumpers a lot to complete the sequences and I'm more into games where they are all shootable, or mostly shootable with some rollovers thrown in.
9.183/10
4 years ago
I bought this game from another collector who said it was not worth restoring.
He was wrong. It was in horrible shape, missing inserts, PF was a wreck, Missing score motor, Missing coils and flippers,wiring harness hacked, 1 score relay had caught fire and burnt the wood in the head and melted the wiring.
I totally restored the game and re-cleared it.
Enough about that, just wanted to give my review some context, as any game you put this much into will mean much more than one you just bought in working condish.

First off, I have owned about a dozen EM's and I must say, this one is up there with one of my favorites. I never get tired of trying to hit all the stand up targets with one ball. Lighting 2 sets of 3 matching letters lights the extra ball lane. I love EM's that award extra balls. If you manage to light the free ball, and both gate arrows, the visual of all the amber lights is very cool. With the flippers rebuilt and the dc pops, this game is FAST. I also love Gates and this game has 2. The artwork is spectacular. This one is a keeper for sure.
7.954/10
7 years ago
Many features for an EM. Has a cool back glass. Theme ties in well with having to hit all the targets for squadron "A", "B", "C", and "D". Fun EM game to play with some decent speed on the ball to keep you attentive. Has many targets to shoot for. Neat features such as gates to open for an extra launch of the ball, bonus multiplier, and shooter skill shot for the 5,000 points.
7.915/10
7 years ago
Fast moving game
Good challenge factor
8.108/10
9 years ago
A classic Williams EM. When waxed up, it can be one of the faster EM games. Also, a pretty deep EM game with various strategies for getting the side gates open before aiming for the multiplier targets. The B-58 Hustler on the back glass is just a classic piece of 70's artwork. The purple and blue hues really convey a cool look. This is probably one of the best starter or first machines out there and perfect for a medium+ collection.
7.552/10
9 years ago
Strato-Flite in an enjoyable game. Pretty challenging since all targets reset after each ball, so you have to continually earn your chance at extra ball/replay. It's the type of EM that grows on you, at first it doesn't appear to be too challenging or fun to play, but as you experience it more & more, it draws you back in. Great theme, nice artwork on the back glass.
7.833/10
10 years ago
I recently picked this up without ever having played a game, but I did watch the action on the PAPA web site and it looked appealing.

http://pinball.org/videos/gameplay-videos/stratoflite/

As others have mentioned, with the DC pop bumpers this game really screams. Its the fastest EM I have played to date and find the need to bank the B and C shots alot of fun. Some times I get long ball times and others its fairly short due to the speed.

I think this is a must pick up if you can get it at the right price as the artwork is solid and the color scheme agreeable.
9.094/10
11 years ago
This is from my rating of Super-Flite, the only difference is 2 vs. 4 player versions of the bg/ scoring. Strago/Super-Flite is a game that surprised me. I had seen this game before and thought... what a boring design. Wide open pf, standup shots and a newly waxed pf offer one of the fastest games for it's time.

The Pros:
This game is FAST. The ball screams across the pf. Getting the A-B-C-D stars lit offers different levels of rewards in any sequence. The artwork is spot on. Thank you Christian Marche. The deltawing jet on the BG is perfect for this theme. B and C bank targets near the middle of the top saucer require banked shots aimed off of the sides of the pf!

The Cons:
Drop targets would have been cooler! Still this may be a case of the "firepower factor" where drops would be cool, but maybe not. Sometimes the game will reward the player for flailing, but true players will be able to stall the ball and aim for needed targets.

The Takeaway:
If you can find one in good shape, get it in your game room.

Update:
I found a great copy of Super-Flite in a man's basement who had owned it since 1979. I took it home, worked on it and waxed it up. The priority from the top of the center light which opens up the lower right hand gate. 5k + an extra ball is crucial on this table. Getting 2 out of the ABCD stars lit is massive as it lights 3x bonus AND the extra ball. Not much of a reason to complete the other 2 banks of 3 standups as it only lights the special standup in the center and if you are playing that well, you probably have earned a credit or three already. This game has a right sling, left sling right outlane combo that is your pinball death knell. Beware! The 15 standups on this game mean this deck never slows down. What I'm saying is that the ball moves so fast on this deck, I lost it in my field of vision. What?!? why is that ball in the outlane? The only games that have ever done that to me in my collection are my WPT and my Shadow. Both of those games are wicked fast and well known to be challenging. Well this EM table is the only analog deck that I know of that can do that as well. 5 ball games usually last less than a minute. Righteous!

Update v2:
I brought this deck to the Pinball Showdown and put it into the EM tourney bank. Between this and Surf Champ, this was the game that more players cursed out. One of the things that they spoke about was the "randomness of the game". I gave this a bit of thought and I have to agree with it. The design is a dangerous one and as soon as the ball is out of control, it is really out of control. Once you shoot for a target, then it is a matter of reaching for it and grasping for control again. Rinse and repeat. One thing that I really learned about this game is that it is all about making the most of your shots and after the ball is off the flipper, you must resign to the fact that the pinball universe will do what it will. All that you can do is, the best with what you are given. That's it. Super-Flite is the ultimate pinball life's lesson.

Play on!
6.424/10
11 years ago
EM machines are hard to rate.. Compaired to today...
But I rated this like back in the day...nothing special about this game some decent stand up target fun... Slope the machine for a super fast crazy game
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