Eskaybee's ratings

v1.00 review
All in all, the team crushed it. This game is quickly climbing up to one of my all time favorites. So fast, so fun. Very underrated dark horse of a gem.

Sound Package: each host has their own sound track, sound tracks are very good quality - Wolverine is my favorite followed by Gwenom. Call outs are top notch and well done with some really nicely done choreography.
Art Package: It’s Zombie Yeti, everything he does is outstanding. But, Venom has to be in his top 3.
Rules: Dwight nailed it. Tons of breadth; lots of different scoring strategies, and lots of different ways to play. This could very well be his best ruleset to date.
Code: Code team was on it. They squashed bugs as quick as they appeared.
Layout/Design: This game needs to be in the conversation of Bryan Eddy’s top 3 designs. I don’t mind fan layouts, and I’m not a big fan of bash toys. So take away a bash toy and replace it with loops, ramps, and flow? win win! Absolutely love switching up the flow of the game based on the host. I love fast speed and combos with peter; chaos with Gwen, controlled flow with Brock, and controlled cradle play with Agent Flash.
Animations and display: while I think the display dashboard can give the player a little more info on progress; the overall animations and choreography are very well done.
X-Factor: Fun factor and one more game feeling. This game has me coming back over and over. Whether it’s just to play the speed and combos of the layout, or to try different ways of battling bosses or progressing through gameplay.

Final thoughts:
There are a bunch of ways to play Venom, to name a few - The most common is saved progression and battling bosses. But playing it like a traditional pin is more fun and challenging. There is also impossible mode with and without saved progression.

This is a rules game, a ‘thinkers man’ style of a game withTons of strategies and lots of breadth. The rules are not intuitive so it takes time to digest and learn, but they work very well with the layout. I’d even say this is probably one of the best rulesets in all of pinball.

Fast game. Quick progression. Lots of different ways to tackle it. Lots of options to change up gameplay. It’s awesome.

This game is pretty awesome. It’s my 2nd favorite Elwin game, with IMDN being first. The biggest negative on this game is the music and display; they are really really bad, possibly the worst in the modern era. The call outs are average, but it’s the sound effects that really carry this game; they are some of the best in pinball. Rules, shots, combos are great. Rules wise, I’d have to say the gem mania and victory laps are my least favorite parts of the game, everything else is top notch.

the layout is simply fun! It can suffer from klunk at times due to the randomness of shots and design. But man, is it fun to shoot. Not many toys, but the gimmicks are great!

Best super hero pin to date!

This pin delivers. Well done Eric, Keith, Joe, JP, DThiel, Jack, and everybody else involved.

Colored inserts are cool on the premium; Bell swings better on premium; drops are more fun to hit with the cannon on the premium; tnt is cooler on the premium. Yet, that all aside, I have much more fun on the pro with the speed and ball movement from the standup targets. And now that angus’ ugly mug is taken off the vault, it’s worth owning.

The only real negative on AC/DC aside from the brutal risk/reward nature of the game is its repetitive gameplay structure. Great game to visit once in awhile but not for a small collection in my opinion.

Pros:
It’s a fun and cute game. Toys and elevator multiballs are fun; though the locking balls rule for elevator isn’t very fun or creative. The newer code made the two wizard modes greater and more energetic. That’s about the only positivitives I have for this game.

Cons:
Fonts on the display are horrible. While the music is good, The sound effects and call outs are probably the game’s weakest point - Jacky is completely ear wrenching, and the spinner effects are probably the worst in modern pinball. The super mode effects (except spinner) are cool and energetic so I’ll give it that. The rules really aren’t that great; they really lack synergy and they don’t give you that one more game feeling.

Theme is par at best. I like Aerosmith but the music doesn’t really fit well with pinball.

Overall it’s got its moments of fun, but too far and few in between is it not so fun, at least in a small home collection. Good game to pop a few bucks in and enjoy on location for sure, but certainly not a game I like at home.

welly welly, what an underrated little gem we have here.
I did not like this game very much on location. But, the same team that developed GOT worked on this and I am a big fan of GOT (PRO), so I finally had to give this a shot in a home setting. Don't buy into the hate this game gets on pinside; it's bad ass! but I get it, it's not for everyone. It's a players wet dream pin for sure - if you like dolls and simple one-two rulesets, you will not like this game.

This game shines in the gameplay and rules department. The rules are next level fantastic. So much to do, so much to explore. There are so many paths you can go with the rules. The synergy with the rules, layout, and gameplay is fantastic. The ramps aren't all that great but the rest of the shots on the game are very fun and satisfying to shoot. And when you can string in some fast and rare combos, the game can really put a 'holy shit, that was awesome' smile on your face.

Sound package is top notch. I really wasn't a fan of the custom voices at first, but they have really grown on me and fit well with the mixture of a movie call outs.

This game keeps pulling me in time and time again. I can tackle the game different ways each time; not just with different characters but with different play factors. I cant speak highly enough about the rules and strategies that the game offers. Probably the best rules package in pinball.

Toys and Gimmicks: Well, if you like dolls that are a major mechanic of a game, then you won't like this. The game feels like it was built for players that want to play pinball all the time; not just once in awhile with something pretty to look at. The action button is used great with the add-a-ball stacking features, Tie fighters, and multipliers. Very risk/rewardy are the toys and gimmicks in this game.

Artwork is fantastic on the cabinet and translite, not so much on the play field but it does get the job done. Lighting is superb; so much going on. It is a little distracting, but very much like TWD in that it brings out the theme and modes much better and really makes for an outstanding experience.

Fun & Lastability: What I can I say; I cant stop playing or thinking about this game. It delivers on all levels of wanting to play over and over again with a great mixture of brutality and fun.


Cons:
- Scoring Display. Don't get me wrong; scoring is fantastic and very well balanced with how they utilized a multiplier that can build up to 40X. But aside from Hyperspace Multiball; displaying big value shots is lacking bad on this game which is a bummer because that's something I really enjoy in pinball. When you defeat one of the main planet multi balls, there is no score displayed ANYWHERE for the shot you just made. Show me the money!! There's a lot of inconsistencies on when the display shows big value shots vs not showing them. Another example is Light Saber Duel, while it shows your shot values, it does not show your total LSD score for the mode. Only way you know if you did good on it is if you just happened to break the high score table for it.
- very much like TWD and IM this game can give out a cheap drain from time to time. Not as bad as IM and TWD cheap drains, but it still can happen. I think the rules more than make up for this though because of how quick the progression can be.
- There's a couple minor bugs like the sound cutting out if you happen to change the multiplier during a mode start sequence; but you have to do this at just the right precise time so it's really minor.

Instant Classic. Too early to tell on its lasting power, but this is a fantastic pin in every way. The total package and very fun.

Disclaimer: I’ve been playing my SMVE with lightning flippers and the center drain post removed since day 1. Factory outlanes. Tougher, and more brutal gameplay really compliments this game’s layout and rules.

That said. It feels like the vault was built for me. I owned the original SM twice. Both times, I had a hard time liking the movie theme appeal and had to get it out. It just felt, looked, and sounded like actors being actors. The vault edition feels like Spider-Man. Campy, goofy, and comic based. It’s what a Spider-Man pin should be, the total package.

Everything about this pin is top notch. Shots feel satisfying, easy to play - difficult to master. Multipliers are fun and the overall appeal is a winner. Fun fun pin with a lot of character.

Cool layout, great rules. But, lacks excitment which hurts fun factor and in turn makes the game a bit of a grind.

I promise I'll edit/update my rating if the honeymoon wears out in a bad way, but I'm a week in ownership with 200 plays. This pin hit me by surprise on how good it is. I wrote it off a couple years ago due to theme and early code. RR75 on location + streams on v6.06 code perked my interest again; enough so to buy a standard. I have the pitch steep around 6.9-7deg and on factory settings across the board.

Theme: a lot of people trash the theme but it is so well implemented. At times its happy, then it gets dark and eerie. Then the music transitions to this feel good music if you do really good. The music and transitions from modes to modes is so well done; it's truly amazing and brings you on such a journey of highs and lows.

Overall gameplay and code: It is so brutal, yet so fun and addicting. It's like IM meets TWD meets FGY meets LOTR. I've never had a pin that made me scream with happiness and chaos at the same time. I'm literally on the edge of my seat so often in this game. So good so good so good.

Update 11.9.16: Updating my rating now after 1000 plays. here's what i got:
Pros: I want to hit start over and over again still. Fun factor is still great, but i dropped it down one point as my post-game memorable fun factor (if that makes sense) isnt 100% satisfaction. Rules are amazing, and has some amazing stacking.

Cons: While theme integration itself is wonderful, the theme itself is still a thorn and loses a little desire in a home market. Gameplay isnt a flow fest style game, but there is a lot of flipper action which keeps you on your toes and edge of your seat.

Playfield Layout: Simple but effective. This is a great fan'esk type layout. Its not a typical left ramp / right ramp combo fan layout and the orbits are wicked fast.
Rules: Fantastic rules that fit the layout extremely well.
Toys: Not many toys, but the dragon kickback is wicked fast and better than iron monger. The dragon hold shot is very very satisfying too. Sword lock shot is great fun.
Gameplay: Gamplay is smooth and top notch. No cheap gameplay, very skill based, smooth ball returns even on missed shots.

Playfield Art: Is decent. has some bad, has some good. I like the detail to the lanes and the dragon shadow. But the rest is average at best.
Backglass: absolutely horrid backglass. Good thing there's alt backglasses! the hand drawn animated backglass that is around looks great.
Cabinet: Really really poor cabinet art. Photoshopped characters, just doesnt look that great.

Animations: Not the greatest animations for mode progression. But all the other animations are great. and the display info for combos and scoring is fantastic. Color DMD is a MUST > Game changer! Makes the animations in this game completely bad ass!
Sounds & Speech: Rory McCann (The Hound) call outs are over the top some of the best in pinball. On the current version (1.26), there's a lot of speech and sound effects missing from modes, winter has come, HOTK SJP hurry up.
Music: Music is decent but nothing to get excited about. House Targaryan music and IT is great!
Quality: quality isnt the greatest, luckily spike system allows changing sounds, music, treble, bass to make it more accented.
Variation: Good variety in call outs but really needs more.
Lighting: For a pro, or even modern dmd. Lighting is great. Some dont like the WIC lighting effects, i love it.
Lastability: Hard to say after 3 mos of ownership, but its a fun as F*ck game that has all sorts of strategy and keeps me coming back.
Theme: I love the show and the rules and progression really compliment the theme but thats about it.
Fun: LOADS OF FUN!!!!

Update 11.9.16:
Underrated game for sure. Simple layout and design that completely smashes a homerun with its rules integration and flow. Hits on so many levels. It's too bad this game got a bad wrap on its art package because whether your a fan of the show or not, this game delivers to players in strategy, shooting, and overall fun. Currently, the only thing this game lacks besides better art is code - not rules, but overall code. There are no special dramatic sound effects or call outs for hitting hurryup super jackpots nor key advancements in winter has come multiball. A few bugs exist and the center ramp sword lock could be better coded for faster flow during multiballs.

Update 3.10.18:
Still own this game. Thought about selling a couple times but it's just too dam cool. Updated my rating mainly because I believe its one of sterns best pins...top 3 for sure to me. Still suffers in the art department. But another reason I boosted the rating is because of COLOR DMD! Holy hell, I had display and animation weak before; only thing that saved the display before colordmd was the good use of scoring and combos. But COLORDMD! has completely transformed the display, 10 out of 10! So if you're thinking of GOT PRO, go for it! just get an alt translite and colordmd; This pin is fast, has some of the best flow in any pin, has tons of strategy, and is just an overall great pin. It could still use some polish in the code department, thats my only knock on the game - rules are fantastic but code needs polish and bugs addressed.

7.4.18:
Final thoughts on this game now that it has left my collection after 2+ years. It's an underrated game for sure. Such a blast; one of my favorites in the fun factor and strategy department. The flow is the best in any game ive had or played. It's a players game for sure that enjoys rules and strategy. The biggest knock I give this game is amount of bugs in the code and lack of polish in rules/code. This lack of polish finally started irritating me in a small collection, but man the game is so close to next level bad ass. There's a serious bug in the game where if you stack wall multiball and winter has come multiball, you can get a ball saver for up to 5-8 minutes if you can trigger an add-a-ball at the pops and continuously let all but one balls drain. Use that one ball to hit jackpots - try it as Baratheon and you'll be getting 50M regular jackpots before multipliers. Easy 10 Bil in less than 10 mins and the setup is easier than getting to HOTK. That said; the bug can be mitigated by setting Winter Has come ball saver down to 10 or 15 seconds.

Layout: Layout is cool with lots of satisfying shots!
Rules: Lymans best rulesheet yet
Toys: Prison is fun. WW not that great, but better than wolverine. Bicycle girl ramp is clunky and not satisfying when its up. Crossbow is decent, much better now that there's xbow frenzy. Love the spinners and the woodbury skill shot.
Gameplay: Gameplay is rough with lots of cheap drains and shots to the pops.

PF ART: Good. Not the best, but not bad.
Backglass: Premium really isnt that cool if im honest. I like the pro and LE backglass more.
Cabinet: Cabinet is really cool if you're a fan of the show
Animations: Perhaps the best dmd animations of any stern.

Sounds & Speech: This is decent. With pinball browser it makes 10X better mixing factory call outs with show call outs. Without pinball browser, the speech is horrid. Sound effects are great all around though.
Music: Great Music
Quality & Variation are excellent

Lighting: Hit & Miss. Overall i enjoy it a lot, but it took a long time to get used to the blinding blood effects.
Lastability: this is decent. I like to play, but the game pisses me off too where i dont want to play it for a few days.
Theme: Fantastic! but missed opportunity not incorporating the show and using some hillbilly for narration instead.
Fun Factor: Hit or miss. Usually a miss with how cheap the drains can be. But when you get the board lit and game rolling, holy hell look out! fantastic fun when its all going on with multi kills and such.

Not Lyman's best and despite a bit of a grind fest, it's a great fun game.

Disclaimer: this review is based on playing the game with lightning flippers (highly recommend for this title).

Pros:
- in your face gameplay and rules for high intensity play
- awesome multiball stacking! Game is a complete gem with the rules and stacking
- the joker and scarecrow rules are great.
- fast on your toes style action.

Cons:
-call outs are hit and miss. I don't mind the fake actors, but some of the quotes don't fit well in the game
- music really isn't that great except for scarecrow mb and bat signal
- single ball play isn't that fun. This game thrives on multiball
- not a typical flow masterpiece game which isn't bad. It just doesn't have fast return ramp shots.
- code has some minor bugs

Overall:
Game hits on all levels in the fun dept. not so much during single ball play, but multiball play and stacking is over the top fun. Besides the lack of flow and certain poorly chosen call outs; the game is overall fun. The score in my review suffers the most with sound, music and especially quality.

Pro's:
Flow kicks ass.
Sound package is one of the best
Medals are great
warp ramp is amazing!
the LE is one of the best LE's around as far as aesthetics, looks, and feel.
Away Team modes are great to play for.

Cons:
Rules are weak and lacks lots of 'breadth'.
Warp ramp is so good but the rules for it blow.
Vengeance & Fire button is poorly integrated into the code.

EDIT: 5/21/14
Gameplay is better than the LE. harder also.
Shots are tight but satisfying. Difficult game with a deep ruleset. Very fun but can be frustrating when not making those tight shots.

Cons:
-Game is pretty pitch sensitive; recommend 6.5-6.7 deg
-Call outs are hit and miss. The voices are fine, but the call outs are repetitve and can get annoying; especially magneto.
-Multiball action and rules suck in this title - worse ive expereienced in any game ive owned.

Pros:
- Cyclops > Storm combo is fun
- Beast > Storm combo is fun
- Xavier & Iceman Shots feels good to hit
- Danger Room is an awesome mode

Update:
The game is great. Fun factor, music, sounds, call outs, shots, rules, theme...all top notch. What the game lacks is build quality and pf sturdiness. Meaning, it takes forever to dial it in; then, once you're dialed in, you'll be lucky it stays that way for more than a few days. Hardest game to get playing right. But boy, when its dialed in; one of sterns best.

Everything about this game is awesome!
If i had to say one thing negative about it, i would say its the fun and replay ability factor. Its a fun game, dont get me wrong. But working up those jackpots and super modes jackpots become a task since its so easy to drain on this game. So in the end, it feels a little more like work than fun. I sometimes talk myself out of playing this game cause i know how easily heart wreched it can become by losing a big built up jackpot and not collecting.

Fantastic risk/reward game. Not to mention a game I hate one week, and am absolutely in love with the next.

7.4.18: Ranking update. I'm knocking this game down a bit in the fun/last ability department because it feels like work more times than fun. I have more fun on the Pro that ive gotten to play on location than I ever had on the premium I owned or premium I play on location.

I've owned this game for over a year. Very fun and has some good speed and flow. I must admit I hated the ironhide pf and was about ready to sell this game. Then I removed the control gate from IH and tweaked the adjustments accordingly and the mini of is awesome now. No more ball jams, faster ramp shots, and now IH pf is relevant and challenging. Dots aren't the greatest but the sounds and music are top notch. Rules needs some tweaking, the mb roadblocks can sometimes be a pain.

Update: in the end, ironhide pf and starscream toy ruin it for me on the LE. Starscream is cool but not integrated with the rules very well. And ironhide is just flat out bad.

Very fun game. The buck is my favorite bash toy in all of pinball - very well integrated. The elk flipper is cool but works even better if you take the weight of the elk toy off. Slight design flaw with balls going back to the shooter lane which can cause an issue if all balls go into it - but this is minor.

Lawlors best game IMO. Very fun, very entertaining game. A lot of people complain about Stewie pinball and ill admit if your on his pf too much in one game, it can get tedious. but as a previous owner, there are adjustments that can be had in the settings to make Stewie harder to achieve and spend less time on his pf! Go figure. I owned this game for 4 years before selling. Only game I regret selling.

Game is a blast and at its best with Lightning Flippers otherwise its a little long and boring

A Classic!

Just a classic fun pin growing up in my teens.