cmack750's ratings

This was in a game room at my work for a while, so I've played this a lot. Fun game with a very distinct theme and feel. Love the Noir setting and overall objective to catch the killer and figure out who-dunnit. Sound and callouts are really good and animations fit well with the theme.

That said, there are definitely some things I don't like about this machine. Clues are repetitive and don't always make sense for figuring out the killer. Tony's palace is WAY too easy to hit and roulette completely destroys any semblance of balanced scoring. Ever wanted to completely dominate a game or an opponent and walk away with basically nothing and a loss due to pure luck? Or play a so-so game and end up on the leader board without earning it? Then this game is for you. Kind of cheapens the experience.

Really fun for a few games if playing alone and care more for the experience than your score, but wouldn't hold up long term for me or be something I'd want in my home.

More than the sum of its parts. Along with blackout, this is my favorite backglass of all time. The playfield plastics are awesome as well, but the actual playfield and cabinet art are nothing special.

The "waves crashing" in-game sound fits well with the theme although there isn't much more to it than that.

Nothing to write home about in terms of shots or things to do and an almost worthless upper left flipper since you are shooting at targets like
3 inches away with it. But something about the flow just feels "good". Very smooth shots and a good game to just get into a groove playing. Always makes me want to play one more game.

Wish I could put my finger on why I like this machine. It's odd to really like a machine that has nothing truly memorable about its play..... but definitely try it (if you can find one). Unique.

Probably the most accessible theme out there. Everyone loves the terminator and people gravitate to this machine. Inserts and GI look fantastic in this machine if you LED it out. Also looks great with mirror blades, since the chrome/metal colors create a really futuristic look with them installed. Tons of (mostly non-interactive) mods are widely available for it as well, so it's a really fun game to dress up.

Has my favorite video mode in pinball, the cannon is an awesome gimmick for starting multiball, and the feel of hitting the chase loop multiple times in a row is very good, although the scoring for it doesn't really reward doing it.

Not a deep machine but that's part and parcel to its accessibility for beginners. There are a couple good ways to score, but payback time is really the only way to go to really push the scoring through the roof. Left ramp, right ramp, repeat over and over. As such, can get a little repetitive for experienced players. But Ah-nold holds his own regardless. Overall, always fun for a few games, when sprinkled in to a mix.

Barry Oursler's masterpiece. While the backglass is pretty weak and there could be better lighting on the playfield in areas, this is probably the best example I've ever played in terms of integrating everything into a theme that sets a mood. Dark and unique. Nothing else pulls you into the game like this one does.

Mist is the best gimmick of all time. Stacking multi balls requires smart shots and strategy. Playfield artwork by itself looks like garbage but works perfectly with the dark and edgy feel. Sound and callouts are awesome and every one of them matches the overall feel. The freaky-erotic moan when increasing the bonus multiplier is beyond awesome. The general sound during play is maddening repetitive but still fits well.

Very hard, very fast, very unforgiving. Game times can be really short, but when you put it all together for a long game and high score, nothing feels better. I've actually played this with mild-mannered friends that end up screaming and swearing at the machine out of frustration after a quick drain (for the hundredth time)... And then can't wait to push start again.

Best change of pace game out there. Get any machine with long ball times and put this one by its side and you'll never let it go.

My favorite System 6 game. One of the best backglasses of all time. The primary colors really pop against the black. Cabinet art is nothing to write home about, but is still decent for the time.

The machine has an extremely easy to understand objective (blackout) that is still difficult to achieve and always brings you back for one more game to get there. Explaining the high-level objective to a new player takes all of about 30 seconds and they are off and playing.

Great game for learning shot accuracy. Watching the blackout and then the progressive relighting if the playfield is always awesome.

Sound is great for the theme. Gorgar-style language was about as good as it was at the time. Resume Blackout Mission!

A very underrated game by an underrated game designer (Oursler).

When waxed, cleaned and set steep, this is a mean machine that rewards accurate flipper play and brutally punishes bad shots. The center drop target bank especially requires care (and requires you to use one flipper or the other consistently when hitting particular drops or the ball will be rocketing down the right outlane before you even have time to blink). Upper playfield is excellent, with 6 drop targets, 3 standups and a spinner that are ALL instrumental to good scoring. With 3 ways in/out of the mini playfield, ball control is important and just mashing the flippers quickly won't cut it. The wide body design is well served in this machine considering the 3 unique areas of play and the out-wide locks for multi ball.

Backglass and playfield art is pure 70s-80s awesomeness. Many complain that "its a dragon/hydra-thing, not a scorpion". Don't be so literal. It's the name of the weaponized hovercraft-boat-thing fighting the monster. Make sense? Absolutely not. But that's part of the fun of it! My only complaint here is the cabinet art is pretty bad.... But so was almost every cabinet in the Era....and who plays the game for the cab art anyway? As a plus, the red/yellow/green cabinet does at least stand out.

Sound is pretty blah, no voice, no music and little variation. That said, the sound goes crazy during a countdown timer multiball (along with a nice lights-out start to it) that really amps things up and increases the challenge. And the multiball is hard-as-hell since ball control is so important and just keeping it alive without accurate shots is a quick way to an outlane drain.

All in all, a really fun game. Game times can be long with accuracy or insanely short without. A good change of pace in a collection that can improve your skills, but would be hard to justify as a stand alone.