drsfmd's ratings

At the time I'm writing this, BM66 sits 118 spots lower than Star Wars, which to me is insanity.

No, BM66 isn't an all time great machine, and it doesn't come close to being as good as the classic B/W machines... but at least it shows a little bit of effort on Stern's part to do *something* a little different. Unlike Star Wars, it's not a total turd. I don't know if the game will improve with better code or whether Stern considers this code to be complete or not at this point, even where it is today, it's an entertaining game.

If I had a complaint, it's the need to look at the screen to find out what target you need or what's going to happen next-- callouts would be nice.

I have had three opportunities to play this machine. I don't need a fourth. It's just not that good... it's dull, repetitive, and uninspired.

A great opportunity to build a modern machine on an iconic theme, and Stern totally blew it.

A real snooze fest of a game... totally uninspired.

Hated it when it was new, had a chance to play again recently, and I still hate it. Boring game, awful design that exploited the Pac-Man craze of the early 80s.

This was a fun game. Not fair to rate it by the typical standards as it doesn't have a backglass, sounds etc... so it actually scores better with me than would appear by the rating.

My review of this machine is based on the opportunity I had to play it at the 2016 Pintastic New England show. As always, these reviews are offered with the understanding that there is variation from machine to machine in terms of the way the machine plays, condition, restored vs. original, etc… all of which can influence the impression that the machine leaves on a user.
This machine is quite uncommon, and was one of the first SS machines ever produced. I was pleased to have the opportunity to play it. I like the artwork… it is stylized such that it could be current “retro 70’s”. Gameplay? Not great. Not awful, but totally “meh”. I have felt the same about every Allied Leisure pin I’ve played—they were just totally uninspired and trying to catch the pinball wave.

My review of this machine is based on the opportunity I had to play it at the 2016 Pintastic New England show. Dutch brought two TBL machines to the show, and I got a couple of plays in on each… WHAT A GAME! The first offering from Dutch pinball raises the bar, just as Jersey Jack did, far beyond anything that Stern has ever produced. I found the game to be absolutely captivating, and I plan to build up the slush fund and buy one for myself—it’s sure to be one of the all time greats.

Very underrated pin that I've always enjoyed, despite the bad 80's artwork. Liked it so much that I tracked one down and bought it for my own collection.

I didn't know it when I acquired mine, but this is apparently a super rare title, with only a handful known to exist.

I find the game to be deceptively difficult. At face value one can simply pitch and hit, and enjoy the game, but there's the strategy of how to deal with accruing bonus runs and then collecting them, and mastery of that can be maddening (especially when you put in all the work, and don't make that last shot you needed).

A game theme based on another game is a terrible starting point, and Stern's cheap feel and awful artwork make it even worse! Seriously-- a troll doll as a playfield toy? What, did some carnie booth at the fair go under and Stern was able to purchase their remaining inventory cheaply? I thought for sure when I saw that troll doll that some owner had added it as a "mod" that they mistakenly felt contributed to the theme, but no... that's a factory installed item!

Gameplay itself wasn't awful. It's nothing two write home about either though... and a pin about a rollercoaster should have some new and groundbreaking toy (a loop de loop ramp for example) that makes it stand out... yet this one has no such gimmick.

Lame, just lame.

Mercifully, it was over fairly quickly. I can't think of very many other pins that have left me feeling so unfulfilled.

This pin has the typical cheap feel and bad artwork that we have come to tolerate from Stern. The racetrack ball-release gimmick is pretty darn cool. Otherwise, this pin is totally forgettable.

There's nothing complicated about this game. It's got simple rules, but it's fun to play. Great title to bring into your own gameroom for the kids-- something they can just play and enjoy at face value. It's never going to be a classic, but it doesn't deserve the bashing it gets around here.

I've played better... I've played worse. This one is pretty forgettable overall, Worth dropping a quarter into, but it's not going to even be on my radar as a machine I'd want to own.

I somehow managed to go 20 years without ever encountering this title in the wild until I recently found one.

It's not a great game-- there's nothing about it that really stands out in terms of play. It does however have one of the coolest ball save gimmicks that I've ever seen-- that really stood out, and I'm surprised it hasn't been used for more titles than this one. Beyond that, it's pretty forgettable.

Talk about a game where the look and the gameplay are miles apart from one another! This is one of the better looking playfields from that era, and really pushed the boundaries (remember, rope lighting would have been virtually unheard of in that era!). The playfield, backglass, and cabinet have an incredible look about them-- you just HAVE to drop a quarter in and take them for a spin.

Unfortunately, the gameplay itself doesn't keep up with expectations. It's perhaps the slowest playing game of the DMD era-- just painful. Gameplay is completely uninspired

I'm not sure where the disconnect with this title comes from, but it's very evident as one plays...

I recently had the chance to play this game for the first time, and I have mixed reactions...

The game has the cheap feel typical of Stern machines, and the art is just terrible. However, I like the flow of gameplay in this game-- it was really a pleasurable experience, and I played several games. I don't know that it has enough going for it for me to want to add one to my own collection, but it's one of the better Stern titles that I've played.

What is it about scantily clad women and men with horns that made them so pervasive in the late 70s and early 80s?

By the time this machine was released, I was a regular pinball player, and was starting to discriminate between what I felt were "good" and "bad" machines, and the teenaged me would have loved the aesthetics of this game... but the teenaged me would not have been happy that my hard earned quarter would have been gone so quickly-- this game is a total drain monster.

Broadly, I didn't care for the experience of playing this game. In looking at it before I dropped my quarter in, I didn't really expect to enjoy the experience, but I did it anyway, since I hadn't ever seen this title in person. I'm glad I dropped in a quarter to satisfy my need of saying that I played the game, but there's absolutely nothing about the game that would make me want to drop in another quarter and try it again.

End to end, my game was over in under a minute-- out of the chute, and SDTM on 2 of the 3 balls.

Just not a fun playing experience.

Feels very cheap. Artwork looks like bad photoshop. The lighting was really bright and well done, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this machine.

This theme *might* have been relevant in 1985. Completely not relevant any longer by 2015. I really doubt there was a pent up demand for this.

Gameplay is mediocre. In just a few years, this will be one of those titles you can pick up cheap...

I didn't hate it, but I didn't care for it all that much.

Why do we need to recycle worn out themes over and over again? Is it impossible for Stern to come up with a decent original theme?

Boring, uninspired game play that's coupled with the machine being a drain monster makes this a game that simply isn't fun to play. Cool backglass.

Earned a replay the first (and only) time I played it, and I walked away from it... yes, I found it that bad.

I don't understand why this game is rated as highly as it is. It's an OK game, but not one of the all time greats. The artwork is atrocious-- it looks like they assigned the art design to an intern who used low resolution clipart that they found online.

Is it really that difficult for Stern to come up with an original theme? They had to recycle Star Trek yet again...

Ok pin made as a tie in to a simply terrible movie. Artwork is bland and dated-- I really don't need Sylvester Stallonbe festooned all over the backglass. Gamplay is ok, the "handles" for flipper buttons are unique and I found them interesting to play.

Good game. Not a huge fan of the theme, but they make it work. If I could change one thing, it would be to have some more stuff lower on the playfield-- everything seems to be at the top.

Like most Stern titles, it looks and feels cheap. It's a simply awful theme for a pinball, but the game play itself is ok. I'd play it again, but it's not one I have a need to own.

Pushed the boundaries of early 80s pinball tech, and for that reason it's an iconic title. That said, game play isn't good. Not I game I find myself wanting to play with any regularity.

Fun game. Needs to be played in a fairly well lit room, as the playfield lighting is dim.

I don't understand why this is a top 100 game. Mercifully, my game finally ended... I have no need to play this game ever again.

I was seriously considering buying this title, as my kids are big wrestling fans. I'm so glad I didn't buy it without trying it first. Awful sounds, horrifically done artwork, uninspired game play. The only redeeming quality is the ring-- it's a novel idea. Execution isn't great, but the idea itself was pretty cool.

It has the look, feel, and basic playfield layout of old school EM titles. It's far from the greatest game I've ever played, but I enjoyed it and would play again.

So torn on this game. It's a lot of fun to play, and I'm always let wanting to play more.

That said, it's got the "cheap" feel of typical Stern titles, and the artwork is simply atrocious-- it looks like bad photoshop.

So in a sense, it's underrated as a game in terms of play, but probably shouldn't command the prices that it does.

Would have been better as an original title... but it's a good sophomore effort for JJP.

Very overrated game. It brings some unique things to the table, and was a great first effort for a new manufacturer, but it's not a superb game.

Soccer is a terrible theme on its own. Dogs playing soccer is even worse... otherwise though, it's a good game, and if I could find one at the right price I'd buy it.,

Good title. Not sure it's worthy of the very high ratings it gets, but it's got decent staying power and is aesthetically pleasing.

I keep coming back for more. Addicting gameplay. Not one of the all-time greats, but it has staying power in a way that most of the Stern titles do not.

Great game. It's on a VERY short list of Stern titles that I actually want to own.

Hugely overrated. It's not awful, but it's currently FAR higher on the list than it deserves to be.

Not as good as its contemporaries from Bally (Elvira, Dr. Dude, Game Show) but not totally awful either.

This one was a real game changer. It was the first "modern" pinball I'd ever played, after a 7-8 year run of crappy early SS units that weren't as good as the EM's that preceded them.

I don't know that I have the burning desire to own one, but Comet will always hold a special place in my heart.

Edit: 4 years later, and I'm back to edit this comment. I ended up with a Comet... and it gets played as much as anything else in my collection. It's got the perfect balance of challenge and reward.

I hate the theme. I really hate the theme. Just not a fan of Star Trek. It makes it hard for me to look past that and enjoy the game.

There's a fairly deep ruleset with this one, but I'm just not that interested in trying to make my way through it... gameplay seems tedious.

Artwork is bad... just bad. It's Stern-crappy-photoshop level bad.

This is, IMO, by far the worst pin to come out of B/W during what was otherwise a great era of pinball.

A good game, no, a great game. I'm not sure it's worthy of the excessive adulation that it gets, but it's a solid, solid performer and a lot of fun.

One of my favorite DE games, and one that I hope to add to my own collection someday. It's not a top 10 game, but it's a solidly fun game.

Awful theme, awful gameplay, awful and cheap feel of a Stern machine... it's the triumvirate of bad pinball!

Maybe this one is popular in the rec room at the retirement home, but I can't see anyone actually enjoying it.


Edit: I got the chance to play a really pristine one at Pintastic 2016. I stand by my "awful theme and cheap feel" comments from a couple of years ago, but the gameplay isn't that awful. The earlier machine I had played was on route in a tourist town arcade, and really wasn't kept up well.

As Pitch-and-bats go, I'm much more fascinated by the clicking relays and whirring steppers than I am with the actual gameplay.

The resort town about an hour away from me has one. I drop a quarter in it every year just to say I did it, but I don't really enjoy the experience.

Of all the games with Mel Gibson's face plastered across the backglass, this one is the best. That said, that's a lousy criteria to use for ranking a game. Gameplay isn't great. I really wanted to like this game, but I just couldn't get into it.

Edit: So sometimes you need to invest time into a game to come to understand it. I ended up with a Maverick as part of a larger trade, and once I played it a bit, and came to understand it, it's actually a fun and challenging game. It doesn't do great at face value, but with some time invested, I've come to realize that this game is really under rated.

Not feeling the love for this one. It's not the worst game I've ever played, but it's not very memorable either.

Not horrible gameplay (though not good gameplay either). This one started out as a bad theme, and it ended up as a bad theme with no longevity.

One of the all time greats. I spent an awful lot of time in my 20's hanging out in a dive bar... not because I was drinking but because they had 10 cent wings and an AFM... for $5 I could pig out and keep myself entertained for hours.

It has a decent layout, but feels cheap when playing. Artwork is nothing more than bad photoshop. Stern *should* be able to do better than this, but apparently can't.

Absolutely love this game, and have been looking for one to add to my own gameroom.

Holy drain monster Batman! Maybe it's just the way the particular example I played was set up, but I couldn't keep a ball in play for more than seconds at a time. Impossible to find a groove, accomplish goals, etc... it was all SDTM.

Much like Dr. Dude, I *REALLY WANT* to like this title, but I just can't get into it. It's not terrible, it's very playable, but I want it to be one of those games where I am sitting at my desk at work, itching to get out so I can rush home to play, and it just isn't one of those games for me.

Great pin. I'm not a big fan of the artwork, but otherwise a big fan of the game.

Proof positive that even 20 year old B/W games are better than anything Stern is capable of producing today.

Great game.

Greatest theme of the 90's, and the potential to be one of the greatest pins of all time, and it falls totally flat.

It's a shame that this one couldn't live up to its potential.

I don't know why this machine gets as much hate as it does. It's no TAF or TOTAN, but the gameplay isn't bad at all.

I enjoyed playing this one, but I don't understand why it's rated as highly as it is.

I don't like this game as much as I'm "supposed" to, given the high ratings it receives. It's not bad at all, but I just don't think it's one of the greats.

I don't know that I'd want to own one, but this game really changes... well... the game! It's the first release from Jersey Jack, and the first innovative pinball that pushes the technology to a new level since Bally/Williams closed in 1999 and is probably a big part of the reason for the pinball resurgence we're currently experiencing.

My only complaint about the game is that scoring seems really lopsided. You can keep a ball in play for 10 minutes and earn basically no points for it, whereas on the next ball by making a single shot you accrue more points than the previous 10 minute ball.

Stern should learn from this... you can't make the same old thing with bad artwork for decades on end and expect people to remain interested in your product.

Get your kicks on Route 66! Lots of fun. I really enjoy this game. I've only played in an arcade, so I've never gotten too deep into the game, but I really like the gameplay in general.

Surprise tenderfoot! I've only had the opportunity to play this game once, but I'd really like to spend more time with one-- I enjoyed it immensely.

If you don't pay attention to the squirrely scoring, you'll have a lot more fun with this game. It's not very deep, there's not a lot going on, it's just plain fun though... the kind of game I would find myself in the local pizza parlor again and again to play.

It was over almost as quickly as it started. This is a terrible "on location" game, as you can't figure out what you need to do in just a few gameplays. Might be great at home, but it was tough on location...

IMO this one is overrated by most. I found gameplay to be mediocre.

Too scary to put in a home gameroom with small kids, but I've had fun playing it on location. IMO, it's one of the better Data East titles (behind G&R and R&B)

Some of the callouts in the game are a little dated, and probably lost on younger players, but what a fun game this is! It really shows what P2K could have been.

I can't stand all of the sci fi themed stuff. Sometimes I can overlook it if the gameplay is great, but in this case, it's not. If I had a SWE1, I'd convert it to a Revenge from Mars.

Good game, but IMO it's not the great game that some make it out to be. Better than most, but it's not a top 10 or anywhere near the top ten for me.

I so badly want to like this pin better than I do. I love the theme, the artwork, the playfield layout... but somehow it just doesn't coalesce the way I want it to. I nearly purchased this title, but passed after getting to spend some time playing it. I just didn't see it being the kind of thing that I'd play all that often once it was in my gameroom. The sounds, like many games of that generation, are simply horrible...

I can't think of a worse theme than GnR... well, that's not true... Rush would be even worse, but I digress.

The artwork is simply horrible. I don't care to see the faces of a band I can't stand plastered all over the game. BUT, gameplay itself is better than good-- it's a lot of fun.

This is R&B are the two best Data East titles...

I absolutely HATE the artwork on this pin, but it's also a lot of fun to play... so I'm very torn.

Lots of people fuss about this one, but I just don't get it. Gameplay is ok, not great. It's a horrible theme, with mediocre artwork.

Great game! I've only played a routed machine on location that had some issues... it might well be one of my favorites if I were to play one that were properly tuned up.

What a great game! Can't get enough!

Tedious. I've only played in an arcade, but I was underwhelmed with this game. In typical Stern fashion, it feels cheap. Gameplay was ok, but nothing special.

I liked it so much that I bought one!

One of the most colorful and attractive pins ever made. From a players perspective, it's one of the best, if not the best, that Data East made.

The kind of game that's a lot of fun at a party, but not the type of thing you'll likely play alone for hours at a time. Good choice for a large collection that just wants something different...

I kept wanting to come back for more. I especially liked the "jumprope". I can't think of anything similar on any other pin.

Terrible theme coupled with a boring, uninspired playfield. This one is a real stinker.

LOVE this game. It's unbeliveably innovative, and it's now almost 20 years old and the technology is still light years ahead of current Stern production.

Enjoyed this game far more than I expected to, though the rules are not really clear.

People fuss about this game quite a bit, and I just don't get it. It's a pin with a theme that's 30 years too late. It's boring, it's uninspired. Admittedly, I only got to play a half-dozen games on it, but I think I got my fill...

I have to disagree with the other comment... this game is FUN. It's an EM... it's not going to have the speed, the sounds, the flashing lights, but as 4 player EM's go, it's an attention getter and keeper. Fun layout, easy to understand ruleset that is hard to master.

Definately a good pin that should be people's "must try" list.