harig's ratings

The playfield layout seems to be copied from the T2
I own both games-both have their cons-I don´t see LW3 behind the higher rated T2
LW3 is just a fun action shooter-clear recommendation
-great stereo sound
-can chose between 3 theme songs
-beacon on top
-interaction with the shooter handle during gameplay is fun and challenging
-nice video modes

updated to Chads code-but being a casual player changed the setting to have the 1,2,3 scoops in random order as with the original code

positive:
- fast layout with nice flow and ramp shots
- cannon toy (aiming and hitting super jackpot is very rewarding)
- nice video mode
- easy to understand rules
- always good for a fast game in between

neutral/negative:
-might get old quick in a small collection
-DMD animations are very basic (one of or the first game released using the DMD)
-sound not too good neither

positive:

- 3 Flipper - very nice upper ramp shot
- open playfield with 3 level mini playfield
- video mode (getting easy after a few tries)

neutral/negative:
- repetitive sound effects (Daleks, Davros) getting annoying over time,
- don´t like how the ball is transported from the shooter lane to the playfield (takes quite some time as it gets shot in the Tardis and from there via VUK and ramp on the playfield)
- going for multiball is quite repetitive

prerequisites:
-get the latest code and add a shaker
-adding a video amplifier adds so much contrast and details to the games CRT-way better than stock

positive:
- very nice artwork
- good sound, awesome callouts (...´don´t let them get the intern...` from Bill Clintons white house)
- fast game with good flow
- great bang for your buck - I can imagine prices rise on that title thanks to improved code and shaker/knocker update

neutral/negative:
- playfield is shorter than on standard B/W games. Feels a bit different
- easy game with long ball times
- shots feel a bit repetitive (center targets, ramps left right are just mirrored,

pros:
nice music and sounds create a good unique atmosphere. For certain actions the volume goes up automatically. "thiiiiiirty millions" callout is just amazing. When it comes to multiballs the sound/music is getting quite intense
good video mode which is not too simple
red DMD is unique in that era and fits very well
long ramps
good DMD animations
fast game
skill shot is nice

neutral:
not many shots-simple layout- but I do like it
no modes- but stacking multiballs is still challenging and different to other games
translite is not so good
My machine came with standard flipper bats which makes things a bit easier-altough the ball drains quite often on the outlanes
hitting the central part of the playfield (targets) is tricky as it leads a lot to SDTM

This machine can be frustrating but after many bad games there is the one where you hear "thiiiiiirty millions" ....this one brings you back to the game time after time
My game came with blue LEDs in the GI: Usually I´m not a bit fan of coloured GI but here it fits well.

I remember that game from seeing/playing it in the arcades 20 years ago.
The theme never worked for me and I hated that "metallic" noise coming from the topper...it just did not fit

20 years later-just recently-it happened that a friend sold a good example with great playfield condition (nicely polished parts, new rubbers, new ramp..) for a good price...as I had some space left I decided to give it a try and sell it soon in case...so there it was:

neutral/negative:
- maybe the theme. As I´m not into fishing I don´t care much about the whole theme

from initally negative to neutral/positive:
- I hated the metallic noise of the topper-did silence it down as recommended in the forum by just adding a rubber ring on the plunger-works great now and the flapping fish works as a kind of shaker shaking the whole machine -nice effect afterall!
- I hated the music of the game at the beginning-but it fits the theme and in the meantime I kind of like it.

positive:
- I love how it plays: It´s a fast game with (not too) many shots. Like to hit the boat ramps or orbit in a row..get the roaring monster fish, rock the boat, feed francy, incline the captive ball and hit it...
- It´s one of the games which triggers the ..."ok, one more game..." feeling for me (it sits next to top rated games like TZ, TAF which not always generate that feeling as this game does...)
- I do like the artwork. Nice backglass and playfield artwork.

So in overall i really had to grow on that game and it will be a keeper for a long time - one should give it a try and not care about the theme!

positive:
very good artwork
love the great DMD animations-awesome with the large DMD-IMHO one of the best of that time
monster is a nice toy
6 ball Multiball
3 flippers
has modes
2 different theme songs available
good bang for your buck

neutral/not so good:
layout somehow similar to TAF - altough a bit more crowded-especially the left and top area with the monster takes much space with not many shots there.
shooting 12 stand up targets to start a mode can be a bit annoying/dangerous
North pole is a hard to hit shot (Yes I´m not the best player)