Data East
Time Machine Pinside Rating
This game received 133 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.777 /10
Time Machine
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.504
Artwork: 7.791
Sounds/Music: 7.711
Other Aspects: 7.82
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 3 of us have rated this game.
Found 66 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 66 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 2 of 3.
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8.515/10
5 years ago
Kalmthout
The travel through time theme including matching music is fantastic. This could be the base for a great modern pin. I love theartwork, it is stunning. Technicalit was probably too early to make the most of the thema. As a pinhead you got to love the mechanical chimes that are playing at times......history. Loved it and now it moved on in time.........
7.566/10
5 years ago
Cooks Beach
First game I owned. Good introduction to owning a machine.
Shots are a bit limited and scoring is all about getting the 1 million.
Really cool bit, is going back in time and the music changing, including EM style chimes.
Shots are a bit limited and scoring is all about getting the 1 million.
Really cool bit, is going back in time and the music changing, including EM style chimes.
8.640/10
5 years ago
Upper Darby, PA
Great machine, sounds and music absolutely fantastic like most if not all David Thiel games!!!
9.058/10
5 years ago
I will be simple and to the point. This game is lots of fun. The going back decade by decade and the music changing is a cool theme. The 50’s bells emulating an EM machine? Pure gold. This game is fun, easy to work on, and inexpensive if you can find one. I mean, you can get a top 100 pin for well under 2k? I might buy every one I find. Haha. I have a lot of pins and keep coming back to this one.
7.314/10
5 years ago
A really solid DE game. One of my favorite DE games before 1990. Great layout and excellent music and sounds. Only issue is the rules are a little unbalanced and it could get repetitive in a smaller collection like mine. Great game for sure though.
8.101/10
5 years ago
This game caught me by surprise -- had the opportunity to add one to the collection for a good price and it is becoming a family favorite.
I'd say the best feature of the game is the music; the variation with the decades is nice and all the tunes are quite catchy. Game play is fast with plenty of ramps to shoot at and plenty of actions from the pop bumpers. Not a deep ruleset but that's ok when you just want to have fun and play pinball.
I'd say the best feature of the game is the music; the variation with the decades is nice and all the tunes are quite catchy. Game play is fast with plenty of ramps to shoot at and plenty of actions from the pop bumpers. Not a deep ruleset but that's ok when you just want to have fun and play pinball.
8.295/10
7 years ago
Really cool game. The call outs are obviously early data east which tend to be short 1 or 2 words phrases, the art work is busy but fitting. The game does have appeal and the music is very catchy. Anyopne who has owned this game or remembers playing it will know exactly what I mean. The cool gimmick of this game are the mechanical pin chimes that sound off as you progress through the game by "going back in time" through the 80's, 70's, 60's and 50's. This is when you get multiball. I am always looking for family friendly pins and this one hits the mark. This is enjoyed by all generations. The only reason why I sold mine was because I was pressured into selling it by the guy who came to look at another machine I had for sale. He didn't want the other one and fell in love with time machine instead. A good all around pin.
Goodna
9.579/10
9 years ago
After a 3 year hunt I found a close to mint Time machine. I really enjoy the music, lights and the art work. The rules are not that hard but still very challenging to achieve and it plays fast. This is a keeper in the couples cove.
8.692/10
9 years ago
The theme is where this game shines. It has plenty of charm regarding nostalgia, from the jukebox between the speakers to the call-outs that sound right at home on an oldies radio station. The game play is nothing groundbreaking for its time (hit the 3 sets of targets, light lock). But the progression of each lock takes you back through the decades, each decade with its own tune from disco to bubble gum to doo-wop. The payoff for this game is the multiball in the 50's. The music continues but the sounds stop and a three chime box comes to life as the machine starts to mimic an old EM game right down to the display which animates the scores to look like a scoring reel. A fun game, and one of my favorites.
8.095/10
9 years ago
Some of the best pin music up there with BK2000, swords of fury.. a few others. I love the going back in time music shifts and always rewarding to hit the 50's chimes 'n multiball. I don't plan to have it leave my collection anytime soon.
8.504/10
9 years ago
First working pin I ever purchased. Bought it in light of the great deal, wasn't overly excited about the machine. I of course wanted a cool Bally or Williams table. I then played it for hours and hours each day, grinding on the ramps and such. It was fun! Then I re-rubbered it. It was harder! I'm very pleased with this table and am happy it's getting a better rep these days. Best played in dim or dark settings, so that the playfield blackout during Starwarps really pisses you off. Simple but satisfying rules and great tunes. So awful it's kinda great backglass. Recommended.
7.785/10
10 years ago
A very well-rounded machine. Light STARWARP and go for the million point spiral shot. This also has a very colorful and noisy three ball multiball mode, once you have locked the balls after going from the 80's to the 70's, 70's to the 60's, and finally, back to the 50's. There are some really witty call outs in the game; my favorite is "Gag me with a spoon!"
Québec, QC
8.712/10
10 years ago
Time Machine is the rare game that didn't look like much but was very fun to play. I loved going through the different era's of music , especially the chimes for the multiball. The backglass is pretty cool, and the playfield has some great pop culture references from the different era's.
Overall an underated game that probably hasn't been played by many!
Overall an underated game that probably hasn't been played by many!
8.984/10
10 years ago
In short, if I ever see one for sale I would have to consider buying, lots of fun to play.
Edit: Played more recently. Sound was up and boy does that make a difference! Great sounds. Love how it changes to "50s" pinball sounds during the multiball. Way ahead of its time considering this was 1988...not too much other innovation out there.
Edit: Played more recently. Sound was up and boy does that make a difference! Great sounds. Love how it changes to "50s" pinball sounds during the multiball. Way ahead of its time considering this was 1988...not too much other innovation out there.
8.438/10
10 years ago
love this game! used to think it was gonna burn me out, but the theme on this thing is just great. You have awesome cheezy artwork scattered throughout the PF from each of the decades ranging from the 50s all the way to the 80s. Everything from the art and music for each time period is spot on. The game also features true 2.1 stereo sound, which was rare for the time period and DE's claim to fame for these early pins. The shots can get a bit repetetive after youve raped the StarWarp ramp about a dozen times, but the music, SFX, and of course the chime box when you finally get back to the 50's keep you coming back for more. If you get tired of raping the ramp, set the game on hard and try to hit the targets and its a whole new ballgame!
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