Flippinski's ratings

So all cocktail pins are limited. They don't have to be terrible but the limitations require a special design and most cocktail pins just plain suck. This one is really pretty good. Most early SS games are worse than Caribbean Cruise and if there was ever a need for a tie breaker, you can sit your drink on this one! The flow and cross shots are great. The 1980's color, sound, art, and theme are really fun. Think "Love Boat" meets Magnum PI. The multiball is fun and actually pretty hard to keep going. The asymmetrical four flipper setup will take a little time to get ahold of. The same multiball is a little easy to get and slows down the game but still fun. The left orbit is occasionally relatable and the spinner action makes it very gratifying. I would like this and Night Moves sitting next to each other in my arcade.

So this game gets flack for what I think are silly reasons. It's too dark. It's too hard. It's slow and clunky.
It's too dark: it's supposed to be. It's a game that follows an incredible movie franchise that built a legacy of screaming into the vacuum and cold of space. It's lonely, foreign, and your chances of survival are low. If dark is a real issue, turn off the room lighting or add lights to the game. That's what others have done. I personally feel it really adds to the immersion of the theme. I play an Alien RPG game and my group gets into the frame of mind by each playing a round on this table before our tabletop game. It really does the trick.
It's too hard: I disagree. Too many people are used to the same basic Stern shots and ANY manufacturer that's not Stern gets complaints that the shots are hard. (Thanks Nick from the Pinball Palace for pointing this out one day on a Spooky game, it really opened up my eyes and opportunities) I say, open up your mind to learning a different type of shot or ramp and enjoy getting back to the school of pinball. And it's still a tough game which keeps it interesting for long time ownership. And again... The theme. Almost nobody makes it to the end of any movie. Even Ripley who is the ultimate bad@$$, still wipes out in the end. So let it be brutal. Aliens are the ultimate animal. That's why the Company wants to get ahold of it.
Slow and Clunky: I tune my machines and this one was no different. Alien, in my house, never runs slow. I did also replace all the rubbers with titans, lift the game, and polish all the coil sleeves, but I do that on everything including Stranger Things which is also fast and brutal.

Enough of the negative. This game has a rule set that is deep but understandable. It's videos, sounds, modes, and art are absolutely one of my top three in all of pinball. You have got to watch someone else play it a moment to catch everything I think. At least I do. I love watching it played as much as I love playing. It's just so immersive and cool! And as an Alien super fan, I was so scared it would disappoint but it does not. The Xenomorph laughing at your failures is the ultimate taunt to bring me back in for another game. And I play it more now after eight months, than when I first got it. I love this game.

One word of caution. Every piece in this game is unique in some way and very specific to this manufacturer. Stern is heading in this direction too I think, but if they ever stop producing any part of this game, it's going to get very difficult to maintain. That worries me as they are not using standard pinball components.

Johnny is a wild and fast game based on am insane 90's movie with everyone's favorite Keanu. You all knew that though. What your really looking for is a description of the feel and play.
Feel-This game starts fast with nineties sounds and movie call outs. The voices sound real to the actors and the sound bites are what will be replicated when the 90's come back into vogue. The lighting and art are pretty good and complicated enough that I can just stare at it for enjoyment even after a year of ownership. The game brings you into that insane world the movie built. And I truly love Ice's final call outs and his Attract mode "Don't be a zombie, play pinball!"
Play-Like others in it's design class, it plays fast and can really keep you moving and engaged. The chapters aren't that hard alone, but the speed of the game leads to sometimes short plays. The glove feature is a clever toy that integrates into the game well and looks spectacular.
I could go on and on. I love this game. It's unique. But the last thing to say is, Midnight Madness! Set your game clocks and experience Midnight Madness. It's a real hoot. And took me entirely by surprise the first time.

This is quite uncommon to find. I found one sitting in a new friends game room and had to buy it. I love the game. It really shines in competition with friends but for an EM, it's very fun and games are usually short. I think it would be higher on the EM list if more people just had a chance to play it. Love this game.

So Stargate is an unusual pinball. First, the theme is a Love or Hate theme. I like Stargate and this pinball actually got me to watch SG1. The game itself is very very fun. It's challenging to make all the chapters and high points are reserved for better players. The playfield toys are some of the best of the era and are superb when running. The game lasts pretty well in a large collection too. Build quality was very high in my experience and this was the swan song of Gottlieb. If the parts were better accessable I would keep it forever. Parts are hard to source though. It rarely breaks, but like German cars, it's expensive to fix. Overall, I really like this game and could play it over and over. I highly recommend it. The Death Glider is my favorite aspect, and the left orbit is hard to get consistent.

So, the UV kit is a very fun addition. The game play is amazing, sounds are amazing (except maybe the Hopper voice stand in isn't very realistic) and the rule set/shots are top notch. THIS game exceeded STTNG as my favorite game after about the twentieth time I played it. One caution for other owners, the playfield right in front of the Demogorgon ramp will get badly pock marked like a golf ball if you do not mylar that section. I did but only after a few hundred games left it all marked up. It didn't damage the clear coat but still left it textured. No other way to avoid it. I LOVE THIS GAME! It's also challenging which makes it a very long lasting game for long time ownership.

People rating this low are paying a game outside their own tastes. This is an early Solid State game. No speech, no ramps, no complex game rules. It was years ahead of it's time with a maniac theme and adult artwork. Does this compare to STTNG? No. Does it crush almost every other game made before 1984? Pretty much. Enjoy it for what it is, step back and let that 1980 sound score wash over you like it did when you were ten years old and playing a game your mother would frown about. Grab some buddies and try and better them, then roll over the score to 999,999. This is a fun game, great art, nostalgic sounds and still a fun game for competition. The ball save and art alone makes this a unique member of the community worth owning. I'll add that it's also my garage game for new players and drunk friends and with a few LED updates, I always have people wanting to play this before most of my modern themed games. It sucks you in.

I rated this higher than I think I would have by scoring individual portions of the game. Art is great for the era, the layout makes real use of that wide body and certainly has enough to keep it interesting, and the sounds were top notch for the era and I almost look forward to the Alfred Hitchcock (Funeral March) ball drain. Each piece of this game really is superb. Certainly the best Gottlieb made in that decade. But the game is so very difficult with little satisfaction most of your rounds. Then when you finally get all your shots and you keep the ball draining long enough to get the multiball and all the gates activated, then it's this huge release of joy. I still don't fully understand the bonus bet feature but it's unique. In fact, that's the quality of this entire game it's so Unique. Most games are about score for me, but this one is about making the Devil dance on the playfield. I like it, I do. But I probably won't own it very long because it's so frustrating. And I imagine any deal with the devil is about the same. Huge rewards that leave you grinding your teeth in the end...

This is an instant classic. Old pinball had lots of varied themes from cocktail parties, sci-fi, fantasy, wild west, and such. Newer tables seem to pretty much follow pop culture. This game is a pop culture western which is rare and it's even really fun. The play has a river boat gambler feel with the player making choices to risk his rewards. It's very fun and the shots are fun and a little easy. This is a stay and play all day game for anyone but upper echelon players. Top players may find it a little easy however the lighting, sounds, theme, and play are always popular with my pinball friends and non pinball types alike. And I personally like it a lot too. Plus I personally believe this generation of Data East games are pretty reliable for ownership maintenence considerations.

It's a super fun game from the early 90's. Although it's long in the tooth, it plays as well as most modern tables from Stern. It's got a lot going on and the face that rotates around is a super cool gimmick as it is part of the playfield. The sounds are SO late 80's and it's part of the fun. When it's tuned up, it plays super fast. I love this game and it's my #2 favorite of all time, rift behind STTNG. I guess that shows in truly a 90's pinball fan. Keep em playing.

This is a fun old EM. It's an excellent representation of games from the Era and more fun than most. The pool hall theme and rules make it relatable and engaging. The illustrations on the back glass are very Disney-esque. And the sassy little eight balls are both fun and original. I love the art work. It has staying power and leads the pack in the EM portion of my collection. Truly shines in two player competition.

This game rocks! It's got the best game music of anything I have ever played and the other incidental sounds are fun too. It MAY be able to be loaded with the Star Wars ROMs too so thats a bonus. Most importantly the game play is really great and the art is spectacular. 10/10

Edit:
Now that I've owned it almost a full year, this game has lasting power. My family and myself still play it almost every day. My skill at the game keeps inching up and I regularly place a new high score. But this game is difficult. It's so fast and with the light show and music blasting it's difficult to keep up. I rarely hit Heavy Metal Meltdown but when I do it's a thrill. And the evil taunting even I finally drain makes me smile every time. I truly love this game and can't see getting rid of it. Looks, sounds, feels, better than most of the other pins I spend time on. I'm just sad that so few were made. If I get rid of it, I'll likely never play it again. It's that rare.

Such a fun game. I happened to be totally enthralled by the licensing on this and the game holds to the series wonderfully. The upside down feature is next level. It plays very fast and if you know the game play it progresses in a fun way. This is one of my favorites and I hope to own it some day.