Stern

Transformers (Pro)

Pinside Rating

This game received 172 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.368 _/10

7.368

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 2nd in the game group "Transformers". The group itself ranks #125 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.294

Artwork: 7.384

Sounds/Music: 7.151

Other Aspects: 7.254

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.

7.989

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This title is part of group: "Transformers"

Transformers
(Pro)

Transformers
(LE)

Found 117 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 117 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.237/10

7 months ago

DRD

DrDrain

Pinside member

9y 42,900 57 159

Transformers is an underrated game.

The layout is very nice and George Gomez has incorporated some new ideas here like the left ramp for example. There is some nice flow on this game and the left and right ramp (which are both backhandable) are very satisfying shots to make. The toys on it look alright. On my game I had a Starscream figurine in the left corner of the playfield to fill up the empty space.

The rules are quite nice on this although they aren't too special. The feature in the beginning where you can choose your side is a nice addition. I love both main multiballs. Collecting jackpots during Optimus Prime multiball is very much fun.

I couldn't play this game over and over because it got repetitive after a while. It is quite easy to play and doesn't have many dangerous shots. But when I see it on location I always feel tempted to play it.

The artwork is quite good. The playfield is not that beautiful in my opinion but it is still nice to look at. And the animations are mostly movie scenes which is a bit of a letdown. But that sadly was common for Stern games back in 2011.

In conclusion this is a flowy and fun game which is ideal for a start into pinball. It will probably also be a game for casual players but I think an advanced player will find it very repetitive after a while.

DrDrain edited previous rating on December 20, 2023.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

7.081/10

7 months ago

EMB

electr0maniac

Pinside member

Bolingbrook, IL

10y 25,400 6 15

Transformers is my first Stern pin, and although it's easily the most attractive (best aesthetically-looking) pin I've owned so far, I found the ruleset repetitive and the playfield mostly barren.

The Good:
+ cabinet art is gorgeous, graphics are crisp and clear. playfield art is a bit busy but it's OK. decent translite across all versions.
+ sound quality is terrific for the most part, always nice to hear Peter Cullen's voice.
+ the motorized ramp to hit Optimus Prime in the tender bits is pretty neat.
+ great lightshow during multiball and certain modes.
+ shaker motor integration is a must for a theme like this.

The Bad:
- clips from the movie are sometimes difficult to see as animations on the DMD.
- playfield needs WAY more toys, especially considering this pin was based on a movie that was based on a line of Hasbro toys. A captive ball, scoop, saucer, and raising ramp are pretty much all there is.
- balls get stuck in the Megatron trough once you lock all 4; changing this from a physical ball lock to a virtual one circumvents the issue, but it's not ideal.
- starting modes is easy enough but completing them is another story. "shoot lit shot 15 times" gets old fast, and the requirement to FINISH every mode makes it feel like a grind.
- getting to the Battle for Cybertron seems close to impossible, and I've not seen many posts online of people achieving this regularly. I've been able to start wizard modes on every table I've owned, except for TF.

The Pro plays much faster than the LE versions; the additions of the Ironside mini-playfield, Megatron drop target, and Starscream diverter don't do much except slow down the pace of play. Ironically, I'm trading my Transformers Pro for a Johnny Mnemonic, which is another George Gomez table with an eerily similar layout. At least JM has the power glove and an attainable wizard mode!

electr0maniac has owned this game in the past.

7.259/10

1 year ago

DIA

mrossman5

Pinside+ Frequent

Warren, PA

6y 197K 3,175 7 253

A semi-rare example of a Pro that plays better than the LE. Theme is not for me but the game is fun enough. Great for location or for younger audiences.

8.480/10

1 year ago

???

GezTheHealer

Pinside member

Trowbridge

5y 17,250 3 20

I've really enjoyed the pro. I've played the premium as well. It's very fast, quick return, unique left ramp on the pro. Nice variation being able to play as the two different sides. Lights look good, sound is great from the film. nice little raising ramp toy and Megatron kickout. Never made it all the way to the wizard mode. Would be tricky to get there but probably eaiser to make than the wizard mode on btdk. Smooth playing and good flow stand out on this machine.

7.643/10

1 year ago

LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 221K 9,386 108 1 1

This game is fun once you get into the rules and understand what you’re doing. It’s certainly underrated, but at the same time there’s not much to it.

The design is very much enjoyable, a job well done by Gomez! However, the playfield is a bit lacking.

Unfortunately for Transformers, the game is barren and there’s really not more than meets the eye.

9.298/10

2 years ago

???

TwirlingFern

Inactive member

Unknown

2y 7,500 31

Super fun pin to play. I'm to a fan of Transformers but I loved this one for the gameplay. Cool toys to hit. Great flow. Good difficulty in that it's decently easy to hit the shots. Easy to understand what I need to shoot out based on callouts and lighting.

7.412/10

2 years ago

SUS

Grayont

Pinside member

Encinitas, CA

6y 51,550 84 1 129

Transformers is a bit of an underrated game in my opinion. The rules are similar to other stern games of the area with many modes to progress through, and a few main multiball modes to stack into them. The shot multipliers also are here which adds a bit of strategy. The layout is simple but works fine. No crazy toys here other than a sorta lame optimus you bash in the middle of the playfield. One thing in this game that's cool is you can choose to be autobots or decepticons and it changes the scoring in multiballs, and what modes you play first. This adds to the replayability of the game. Getting to the final wizard mode takes a good amount of time since you need to win modes to make it so I like that too. Overall a solid game.

Grayont has this game on the wishlist.

8.236/10

2 years ago

BJO

Toine79

Pinside member

Affligem

4y 42,050 314 6

My son of 6 years is a huge TF fan.
I was born in 1979 and watched G1 transformers.

If they made a G1 themed cabinet and playfield this would be a top 50 game for sure.

Is also my first Stern machine and I'm glad I've bought this pro version.
Restored it and added some extra layers of clearcoat.
Good wax and ready to play.

This game looks simple with open playfield, 2 flippers, 2 ramps but it is hard and you need to play it with a lot of patience.
I'm a huge fan how Bowen plays it on the PAPA pinball tutorial.

Fun game to play but very hard to master.

Toine79 has owned this game in the past.

6.673/10

3 years ago

CCR

jesperpark

Pinside member

Edmonton, AB

8y 82,300 909 6 9

At first you think it's so great, then after playing a few games you just feel like you are chopping wood. Really wish a G1 transformers them was done

jesperpark has owned this game in the past.

5.700/10

3 years ago

LSR

Ninja_Ryno

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

3y 21,250 1 9 15

Fun older game to play and multi ball is almost guard

6.614/10

3 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,116 23 271

There are lots of ramps and tunnel shots. It feels a bit unimaginative. I'm not a fan of the movies, so the theme isn't great for me. It us a pretty rare game (750 made), so play it if you get a chance.

Overall, I feel there are better games at the price point.

Daditude edited previous rating on November 03, 2020.

9.200/10

3 years ago

HMS

Deadman

Pinside apprentice

Plano, TX

5y 14,500 3 8

Not sure why this pin is dropping in the overall Top 100 ratings. I always have a great time when I play this one. It's difficult but not impossible, a great theme, fun to hear, fun to watch, all in all a good time will be had when played!

7.884/10

4 years ago

JIN

Pinasco

Inactive member

Malmö

8y 37,650 81 3 60

Transformers is a good and challenging Stern release that is quite enjoyable even for someone who don't know the story behind the Autobots and Decepticons (includes me). Players have the option to choose one of those sides in the game start-up.

There is a good variety to the different shots and a bunch of neat theme-based toys that add to the excitement. The left ramp and the Bumblebee-Camaro, activated by a captive ball, are my favourite spots on the this deck. Cosmetically the playfield is a little too cluttered with small images for me to appreciate it, but I do like the red/orange-lilac-silver colouring. Nice !
Music and call-outs are some of the better audio packages I've heard from Stern in this genre of games- compared to Iron Man and X-men for instance. I dont know if colour-DMD is available for this title- but I think that would be a huge improvement here. Especially since the game has really cool animations, but also unfortunately a rather dark lighting arrangement in the upper playfield area.

The main reason for not giving this pin higher points is that it lacks that certain formula of balance and thrill that makes Spiderman or Star Trek so interesting. Transformers is a very entertaining pinball, but unless I experience some new dimensions of it that eluded me before, I will continue to consider it a strong but secondary top title in the line of modern Stern pinballs. That gameplay is good, but nothing that breaks new territory or outshines other 'classmates' from the Stern top 5 in terms of speed or flow.

Worth checking out nevertheless. The game is entertaining and translate the theme into the setup and rules without
corny or annoying elements to it.

Pinasco edited previous rating on November 10, 2019.

7.598/10

4 years ago

JEF

SpinnerAddict

Pinside member

7y 60,550 367 3 39

Boy, this game really takes a beating from the reviewers. Im not really sure why. I found the game has great flow, a spinner to rip and alot of different modes. The toys are awful but then again im not one who needs that. I also have fun hitting the ramp into optimus prime. All in all i found it fun and the family likes it also.

SpinnerAddict has owned this game in the past.

5.693/10

5 years ago

???

cyberbear

Pinside apprentice

Glasgow

5y 18,750 43

Not a bad machine or a good one really, just typical stern average. My kids liked for the transformers theme, I found it distinctly average, not the worst Stern. Worth a try or two but that is about it.

7.449/10

5 years ago

DAD

ss-pinball

Pinside member

Kalamazoo, MI

5y 68,550 515 6 31

Whenever I pass this pin I drop in and play. It was the first and second game I ever got a free play on. Nothing about the game is particularly difficult. The shots are satisfying and one doesn't even need to have a particularly deep knowledge of the rule set. If you just guard the drain and make some shots it is a fun and repeatable way to spend some time.

7.219/10

5 years ago

MLP

tabascoman77

Pinside member

6y 46,150 4 110

Transformers is fun, if only just a series of ramps you have to hit. The "choose your side" gimmick is clever but there isn't much going on with the toys in the game, which stay stationary no matter what. It's all talk and no action. It has the easiest multi-ball in recent memory, which is odd. You can get that mode in about a minute. The rule set isn't complicated. It's by-the-numbers Stern, yet again.

6.459/10

6 years ago

PPD

Boat

CPRepair

Calgary, AB

7y 107K 1,467 4 92 1

There wasn't that much to shoot at and seemed very repetitive. Multiball modes were uninspiring Not the game or theme for me.

7.668/10

6 years ago

KID

blowback1976

Pinside member

10y 99,050 1,338 7 40 1

Nice layout, and one of the faster games by Gomez. The sound package on this game is amazing, and adding in a ColorDMD is a huge bonus, especially for the movie clips. Lighting could be better, as some of the playfield feels dark, and there isn't much in terms of GI. The "modern" Transformers may turn some people off, but I really enjoy the theme, and appreciate the use of some sound and music from the original 80's series. The toys, on the playfield are just that, off the shelf toys. They look cheap, but serve their purpose in locating shots.

blowback1976 has owned this game in the past.

4.946/10

6 years ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinball 518

7y 81,400 38 112

I won't repeat the complaints here about the Stern same-y-ness and lack of innovation and boring superhero/ancient white rock and roller themes, or the cheap feel.

Nope, those are all true here, and then some. I'll complain about the use of LE v "Pro" designations. From my experience with playing with "Pro" versions, they often feel like the LE version is the "full" version and there's just an excuse to gouge the customer for another grand. Why not make one half-decent version of the game? If there's that much of a difference in how they play...why not just make another game?

In any event, this machine is kind of a perfect storm of below average, combining an uninspiring over the top movie franchise with a big nothing in design.

Lawlor_and_Order edited previous rating on March 31, 2020.

6.224/10

6 years ago

NAT

Medieval_Gofers

Pinside member

Ipswich

13y 73,400 208 3 79

This game, much like Avengers, looks and feels horrendously cheap. The ramps aren't ramps, they're just sheets of plastic the ball can roll over, the toys do nothing and have come straight from a kids isle, and theres just nothing above the playfield. The rules aren't terrible, and the flow is there, but next to pretty much any game, this one looks stupidly cheap, almost like a kids toy. My girlfriend is relatively new to Pinball, but after playing Star Trek, Family Guy, POTC and a handful of others her first comment was 'where is everything?'. Not good. And I will never forgive Gomez for what he did to my favourite theme of all time (The Avengers) and the fact that this game is disappointing for similar reasons does not bode well. Would be a good game if it cost 2 grand less than the other Sterns, but If anything it was more. Fun for a couple of games but I'd buy pretty much every other game before this one.

7.640/10

6 years ago

MIK

Micky

Mad Mickys

7y 168K 3,046 42

This game has great flow, great shots, good theme and really good sound. It is a very fast machine once you get a few shots flowing together.
I enjoy everything about the way this game plays except the fact that you need so many shots to complete "modes". It sometimes feels like you are just chipping away at modes.

Transformers is a good fun game that i have enjoyed for years.

8.843/10

6 years ago

MEL

melappels

World of Pinball

Almere

15y 81,050 285 7 165

Nice game ! Good flow superfast and game-play , great sound !
Very challenging game with tons of features, it keeps you coming back for more . . . .
People who rate this machine low can't have played it enough.

melappels edited previous rating on July 14, 2017.

4.297/10

6 years ago

IAN

icallison

Inactive member

Seattle, WA

11y 22,750 1 101

My vote for worst Stern machine in recent memory.

3 Pinsiders flagged this.

10.000/10

7 years ago

VAD

vasco1973

Inactive member

Almere

12y 28,150 6 2 20

Damn i love this game so much, i bought a new Pro edition. The flow... is typical Gomez... fast and gives a good feeling. Art is great if you love the franchise, sounds are superb, and lighting also very good.
Ruleset is maybe not that deep or inventive, but its still hard to get done. Its rewarding to play, and keep you going for a while.

vasco1973 has owned this game in the past.

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