Bally
Twilight Zone Pinside Rating
This game received 1586 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.725 /10
Twilight Zone
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 8.918
Artwork: 8.7
Sounds/Music: 8.202
Other Aspects: 8.776
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 10 of us have rated this game.
Found 912 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 912 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 4 of 37.
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8.520/10
2 years ago
Chicago, IL
I hadn't played this till recently despite being an old school Lawlor fan (Aadam's Family, Funhouse, Road Show). This table just wasn't in the 90s arcades I frequented back in the day. Then Logan in Chicago put it out on the floor recently and, man... timeless classic, should be top ten for sure.
8.580/10
2 years ago
An absolute classic! Might be a bit difficult to the casual player, but if you like the theme, I think you will like it. Very innovative for its time, and it still holds up almost 30 years later. Just the fact that it is still sought after all these years should say something.
9.804/10
2 years ago
Calais
I have got this pinball since twenty years. I don't get enough!!! In a game, I like the strategy. In TZ, there are many. The mini playfield is unique, like the powerball who can double the jackpot. As many game's Lawlor, you can not take big points in one shoot. And, I find it good. The points are well balanced. The final is perfect, and not impossible to the average player. The toy's are top. The gameball machine is beautifully, and the clock is the must! The two magnets are very useful. To me, in my top 10 for a long time.
7.984/10
2 years ago
my first pin 20 years ago!
good theme integration and a lot of toys on the playfield
the rules are deep but this pinball isn’t so difficult
I always missed a bit the fun factor and the playfield is not really fast and furious. I never liked these bloody bumpers close to the left outlane too.
the music was good but sound not so much because of the old technic scheme.
good theme integration and a lot of toys on the playfield
the rules are deep but this pinball isn’t so difficult
I always missed a bit the fun factor and the playfield is not really fast and furious. I never liked these bloody bumpers close to the left outlane too.
the music was good but sound not so much because of the old technic scheme.
7.232/10
2 years ago
Twilight Zone is a fun game with lots of toys, but I find the rules to be grindy and the modes mostly unmemorable. The artwork and theme is great, and the right-ramp to upper-flipper across to the piano shot is one of my favorite things in pinball.
The "power" pf with magnets in place of flippers is very fun, and the extra-lightweight powerball is great when it enters play. But you can get stuck in constant powerball mode if your players aren't good at returning the powerball to the gumball machine. My personal game required a lot of maintenance to keep running at 100%, and it's not a simple machine to work on.
Ruleswise, I find TZ to be a grind if you want to get to the Wizard Mode, and it plays VERY long, even with a tight tilt. Almost every game I played lasted at least 20 mins, once I got dialed in to everything. I found myself losing interest in TZ much faster than expected. But I imagine it depends a lot on personal taste, as I know many other pinheads who still love TZ even after years of ownership.
Fun game, but not one I would want to own again, and not one I'd feel compelled to put quarters in often.
The "power" pf with magnets in place of flippers is very fun, and the extra-lightweight powerball is great when it enters play. But you can get stuck in constant powerball mode if your players aren't good at returning the powerball to the gumball machine. My personal game required a lot of maintenance to keep running at 100%, and it's not a simple machine to work on.
Ruleswise, I find TZ to be a grind if you want to get to the Wizard Mode, and it plays VERY long, even with a tight tilt. Almost every game I played lasted at least 20 mins, once I got dialed in to everything. I found myself losing interest in TZ much faster than expected. But I imagine it depends a lot on personal taste, as I know many other pinheads who still love TZ even after years of ownership.
Fun game, but not one I would want to own again, and not one I'd feel compelled to put quarters in often.
9.760/10
2 years ago
This game is a true classic in every sense of the word. Coming from an era when build quality and BOM budget was at an all-time high, this game is the epitome of style, fun and gameplay. It’s loaded with mechs, has an awesome layout, and amazing theme. The only place where I dinged the score is the sound, which while iconic is a bit harsh/compressed. This game works well in any size collection.
7.860/10
2 years ago
Surrey, BC
Magna-Flippers, probably one of my favourite gimmicks. So workable as well.. just a great feeling to work toward this.
The iconic powerball
Amazing toys.
Unfortunately, I find the shots and playfield after that, somewhat average.
The iconic powerball
Amazing toys.
Unfortunately, I find the shots and playfield after that, somewhat average.
8.728/10
2 years ago
Simply put: Twilight Zone is a love letter to enthusiasts. It’s the Disney World of pinball: “Let’s do everything with this game because we can.” So much has already been said about the game, so I’d like to focus on some of the standout things that really catch my eye as a player.
The programming is unbelievable, and the nuance and attention to detail is so much fun to discover.
—When the camera award is given and a picture is taken, the game flashes the only white flashlamps in the game to emulate a camera flash.
—sensing the Powerball during multiball using the spiral optos is also a neat trick.
—The way the spirals “help” the player to make jackpots and relight them is so fun.
—Light shows timed with lightening bolts are perfectly synced.
—During Powerball, the power taunting the player while dimming the right hand side of the GI to guide him or her with the shot is also super cool.
—the game doesn’t feel like a widebody
—Even after a million plays, the game still feels “mysterious” with new things to discover. I catch myself muttering “woah. That was so cool.” All the time as I play.
—a unique and unconventional playfield layout that doesn’t feel like anything else.
—I know it’s essentially useless and exceptionally problematic, but I love that damn clock.
Things I don’t really like:
—Upper right flipper is criminally underused. The camera shot is fun, but that’s really it. You can shoot for hitchhikers, but every shot to the pops is super dangerous.
—The battlefield is fun but to quote a friend “it’s neat, but whenever I get it, I just wish I was playing the battlefield on the shadow.” It seems sorta underutilized. I just wish there was more on it to interact with the ball.
—The Gumball Machine. I love it, and I think it’s so great that it’s a genuinely working pinball Gumball machine, but I don’t really get its full purpose—other than to act as a ball depository for the crazy 6 (or 7 with 9.4H ROMs) balls you can put in it. Which leads to:
—With all the balls in the game, I kinda wish there was more variation to the multiball modes. They’re all 3-ball except for LITZ, which almost no one will ever get to anyway. They could’ve done at least a 2-ball or 4-ball variation for some of them?
Anyway, as an owner, that’s my critical view of the game. Everything else on it is pretty damn perfect.
This is like the “Chrysler Jet Turbine Car” of pinball. It’s an engineering masterpiece built in an era where money was no object. A game that doesn’t look or play like anything else out there. A game like this will never be built again, and for that, it’s deserving of a spot in anyones collection.
The programming is unbelievable, and the nuance and attention to detail is so much fun to discover.
—When the camera award is given and a picture is taken, the game flashes the only white flashlamps in the game to emulate a camera flash.
—sensing the Powerball during multiball using the spiral optos is also a neat trick.
—The way the spirals “help” the player to make jackpots and relight them is so fun.
—Light shows timed with lightening bolts are perfectly synced.
—During Powerball, the power taunting the player while dimming the right hand side of the GI to guide him or her with the shot is also super cool.
—the game doesn’t feel like a widebody
—Even after a million plays, the game still feels “mysterious” with new things to discover. I catch myself muttering “woah. That was so cool.” All the time as I play.
—a unique and unconventional playfield layout that doesn’t feel like anything else.
—I know it’s essentially useless and exceptionally problematic, but I love that damn clock.
Things I don’t really like:
—Upper right flipper is criminally underused. The camera shot is fun, but that’s really it. You can shoot for hitchhikers, but every shot to the pops is super dangerous.
—The battlefield is fun but to quote a friend “it’s neat, but whenever I get it, I just wish I was playing the battlefield on the shadow.” It seems sorta underutilized. I just wish there was more on it to interact with the ball.
—The Gumball Machine. I love it, and I think it’s so great that it’s a genuinely working pinball Gumball machine, but I don’t really get its full purpose—other than to act as a ball depository for the crazy 6 (or 7 with 9.4H ROMs) balls you can put in it. Which leads to:
—With all the balls in the game, I kinda wish there was more variation to the multiball modes. They’re all 3-ball except for LITZ, which almost no one will ever get to anyway. They could’ve done at least a 2-ball or 4-ball variation for some of them?
Anyway, as an owner, that’s my critical view of the game. Everything else on it is pretty damn perfect.
This is like the “Chrysler Jet Turbine Car” of pinball. It’s an engineering masterpiece built in an era where money was no object. A game that doesn’t look or play like anything else out there. A game like this will never be built again, and for that, it’s deserving of a spot in anyones collection.
7.504/10
2 years ago
I don’t care for this pin as much as others do even though I love The Twilight Zone tv show. The rules are just too complex for me. I never know what I’m supposed to be shooting at.
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