Isochronic_Frost's ratings

A great layout in a cocktail. Night Moves and Caribbean Cruise are truly the 2 greatest cocktail machines EVER made.

The first ever System 3 made by Gottlieb, NOT sys80A or Sys80b. Night Moves was the very last of the Sys80b boardsets and Gottlieb used Caribbean Cruise as the testbed for Sys3.

Contrary to popular belief, Caribbean Cruise is truly inferior to its sister game: Night Moves.
I would highly recommend the pair, but Night Moves has flow and more shots to make. Plus the Night Moves multiball isn’t horribly broken and unbalanced.

The 4 flippers still make this a formidable game, and the “modern” Sys3 hardware make Caribbean Cruise the most advanced cocktail pinball ever produced.
This game is FUN.

Another EXCELLENT game from Game Plan!

This game kicks your ass and takes your lunch money. Brutal and unforgiving. Kinda has a Flight2000 and Stars love child vibe.

The droning background sound is creepy and unsettling. Not a huge fan of that, but the gameplay makes up for it. The artwork on this game is beautiful.

Full Disclosure, I basically got a totally restored example for free. It was concluded in a sale and I couldn’t say no.

The sounds are excellent. The cabinet art is great. The Rambo- sorry “Raven” translite is garbage. I have the alternate, thankfully.

The real tough part:

The playfield looks fun and exciting, and has a drawbridge ramp AND 4 pop-up sniper targets! Wow!
However, it just doesn’t come together. It’s a decent game, I find it enjoyable and some people LOVE it.

Legally Distinct Rambo-knockoff is a decent player, but the ramp was a totally wasted opportunity. It’s not a total POS. It’s fun and it’s pinball. If you don’t like it sell it to someone who does!

My major complaint is the rules. They are so standup-heavy. Get the multiplier by shooting the rollover lanes and get a bunch of standups.

It feels lacking despite being packed with features. The toys are cool and the ethnic sniper targets are hilarious. However, it’s just okay and it fills in nicely in my large collection. Some guests seem to gravitate towards it so it does its job! Hollywood Heat is loads better

Stardust seems like a dull game, but provides a surprisingly fun experience.

It is by no means a “stand-out” EM. It is plain and run-of-the-mill. The up post is always a welcome feature in EMs, and the pop bumper nest is 5 individually controlled solenoids!
Wow!
Since each pop is individual instead of tied-together in pairs like other EMs, the ball gets some great action up there and gives some good points and bounces!

It appears the bonus is only awarded if you land in the saucer, which is not evident basically anywhere on this machine. There is no explanation other than a few awards in the spinner feature under the playfield say “collect bonus” not very intuitive.

Overall, a solid middle-of-the-road title and decent in a mid to large lineup.

Old Coney Island is a very basic game and is based on a mirror-image of sharpshooter. Some of the shots were adjusted to fit the traditional playfield layout and the lower pops were omitted. The similarities are very obvious and Old Coney Island does a good job at being a fast, simple machine. I’m glad to have it in my collection.

The layout makes excellent use of the playfield. There are tons of shots to be made all over this game. It is exciting and fast paced, and challenging!! These Gottlieb Sys3 games get a bad rap because the rules require some thought to understand. They are actually very well done and have impressively deep rulesets! Reading the playfield and experimenting with your shots and goals is required to get good and understand scoring in this game.

You must complete ALL CARS during multiball or you get nothing. The rules can be unforgiving! Who doesn’t enjoy a challenge?

This game MUST be setup steep, or else it may be “too easy” the flow is excellent, and I find the cheesy radio callouts and siren charming.

This game is a blast to play, definitely a top 10 on fun-factor.

A decent game, ruined by Stern’s addiction to cost-cutting

A true classic

Another great game packed with fun by Python and Barry!!!

This game is a blast!!!

Pinball in slow motion!
Rated too harshly for a fun, unique piece of pinball history. It’s a very unique experience, and is worth a play any chance you get!

A deceptively “easy” game. The layout seems very simple, yet the rules offer quite the challenge to master.

Alien Star is all about ripping the spinner, but to the uninitiated, it can lead to frustration and exasperation! Misplayed flips are severely punished, and you usually lose your ball in sort order

Great work by the RIOT pinball team and by American.

Rules are kinda frustrating and feels like you’re chopping wood all the time, but I still enjoy this game

Granny and the Gators is an incredibly fun and rare game. The big issue with this and Baby Pac-Man is they are both designed as Video Games with a pinball portion, which you aren’t required to play, although they will benefit you greatly in-game.

You must alternate smacking two oversized paddle buttons I order to get Granny to paddle her canoe up the river. If you’re a bad arcade player, you won’t enjoy this game. The pin layout is inferior to Baby Pac-Man in regards to flow, however it features more variety in the shots. There is a saucer the returns you to the Pin and collects bonus, a kickback lane, drop targets with standups behind, and a ton of rollover buttons.

In the pin, you can earn gold and ammo as well as a temporary invincibility called “Power”. The “just one more game” factor is insanely high. Trying to get past the first stage of the arcade game is incredibly difficult. The current Galloping Ghost World Record only gets to stage two. The game is just so stupidly hard, just like Baby Pac-Man, Bally accidentally turned a lot of people off the hybrid machine.

For what it is, this game is best in a medium to large collection. It offers very fast paced pinball action and incredibly unique and difficult arcade gaming!

I want to love this game... there’s just something... wrong. What a real shame. It could have been great, but somehow the package just does not come together. It’s innovative, packed with features, great animations, and the end result is a mess

I want to love this game... there’s just something... wrong. What a real shame. It could have been great, but somehow the package just does not come together. It’s innovative, packed with features, great animations, and the end result is a mess

This game is a blast. Great effort by Stern and a lot of fun to shoot. The premium is amazing.

One of Stern’s better modern machines

Medusa is such an addicting game. The rules are difficult to understand, and not intuitive at all. However, I still love this game and it’s easy to blow it up despite not really understanding the scoring.

It’s just a fantastic classic solid state

Stars is an excellent game if you like brutal, fast and unforgiving play. The rules are straightforward, hit the standups to light stars or drop the targets. Rip the spinner!

KICK THE FUCKING BALL.

This game is great with friends and non-pinball people.
Adult Mode is a must. It’s only weakness is it needs a code rewrite. I don’t believe it was ever finished as intended, many targets do literally nothing.

Still a great game with a permanent home in my collection, not because it’s great by itself, but because it is a legendary party game.

One of my favorite art packages in pinball. Love the cabinet, it pops!
Very good layout, a classic System 11.
Game is fun, but a tad repetitive. Normally this is fine, as pinball naturally has a finite set of shots, but there is not much flow on Dr. Dude. The game is Aim, Shoot, Repeat.

Extremely stop and go.
Far left shot a magnet grabs the ball and the game says things.

Left shot is the Ray VUK.

Middle left is the ramp to the mixmaster, only shot with flow in the game.

Up The Middle into a slanted bank of standups and the pop nest. Dangerous shot.

Right middle is the gift of gab VUK

Right is the orbit into the pops.

And far right is just the drop target bank.

None of these aside from the Mix Master ramp gives you a satisfying return to the flippers.

Dr Dude is great, but it’s not the game for me.

The LE looks beautiful. Really love this game. Very few get this good.

Very little difference between the Pro/Prem/LE. Just more eye candy and cool armor. Walking Dead is a fantastic machine, layout and code are near perfect

Shaq a big man.

Finally had a chance to really place one. This game is incredibly enjoyable, and just beautiful to look at. Capcom’s best. It’s a shame it never got produced by them.

Big Bang Bar has a lot of satisfying shots, and great rules, albeit sometimes difficult to discern until you really study the game.
Big Bang Bar is incredibly beautiful, it is a showpiece on its own, the colors pop in any collection.

Just a beauty, and a game I look forward to owning someday.

The type of game where you really need to nail your shots. Fun and challenging.

Had a rare chance to play one of these. One you get past the very cringe-inducing sounds, the game is decent.
As mentioned, the layout is fast and brutal, with the strange roto-carousel right in the middle often leading to an immediate drain.

The orbit and horse-shoe lane are incredible fun to shoot, and overall the game is surprisingly smooth. If anything, despite the language barrier, the game seems a bit shallow and simplistic.

Play it if you get a chance!

This game is truly a delight to play.

As a big Solid State fan, I figured it would bore me. Yet, I found myself pleasantly surprised, this game is charming and immensely fun trying to get all the pool balls!

Sorcerer is one of the best sounding games from the early Solid State era. Gameplay is screaming fast and unforgiving, but the sound package just elevates this to a different level.

Love this game. My sound was out for a while, without it, it’s maybe a 4.5/10.
The sound pulls the weight on this machine for sure! And if you want a classic 80s feel, this is your ticket.

Brought it to a convention and it was extremely popular with the Star Trek/Star Wars crowd. The sounds on this game are exceptional!

This game is fun once you get into the rules and understand what you’re doing. It’s certainly underrated, but at the same time there’s not much to it.

The design is very much enjoyable, a job well done by Gomez! However, the playfield is a bit lacking.

Unfortunately for Transformers, the game is barren and there’s really not more than meets the eye.

Love the theme!
Lot of fun, but sounds can be extremely repetitive after a while.

A couple of friends now jokingly say “GET LOST, JERK!” Followed by a yelp due to the repetitive ramp lock shot.

Despite some of its shortcomings, getting to Surprise Party is incredibly satisfying and really gives this game a huge “one more time!” replayability

What an outrageously fun little game!
6803’s get no respect, but this is a little gem. Simple gameplay and very enjoyable with absolutely top-notch music and sounds. It’s charming and loads of fun.
Scoring is basic and isn’t always straightforwards. (Jackpot is merely just spelling city which is what you have to do to start multiball in the first place)

This game oozes charm and the music quickly became one of my favorites.

One of Lawlor’s best!

Excellent fun suffering from terribly DE sound. The sound upgrades are a requirement for this machine.

Better than the JJP

This game is a novelty, and yet I’ve always wanted one, and I enjoy having it.
Every time I think of selling it, I throw another game on and remember why I liked it so much!
It’s literally just bowling, what more could you ask for?

A big part of this game is the gimmick and I enjoy it nonetheless

An enjoyable game that I’d like to own.
Not the type of game you can casually play and appreciate, really need a lot of time with it to go deep and experience everything it has to offer.

Will update when I own one

Probably the most accessible game in the history of pinball.
No game does a better job of bringing in new players and making pinball FUN for casuals! One of my favorites especially for newly minted Pinheads to play.

One of the classics of the WPC era and of the 90s for a good reason!

A decent game given the time and situation. Enjoyable, and has a lot going on.

Searched many many years for this machine and was not disappointed. The best of Game Plan 2nd only to Cyclopes. The artwork and theme execution alone is superb and we truly don’t get packages of this depth anymore. It could sit merely as a work of art. It draws in guests, the giant pirate treasure chest artwork is eye catching.

The sound design is classic 80s solid state beeps and boops, however Game Plan was really ahead of the curve and their machines made sound extremely cool noises. The reverb and fade effects transform this machine. Never thought repetitive beeps could be exciting until you win an extra ball on this game... WOW! The sound is awesome.

Don’t spoil it, earn one and hear it for yourself!!

Captain Hook also feature a very cool concept. When the drop targets are down, the left and right bank must be reset independently, manually via the corresponding standup in the middle left and right of the playfield in front of the pop bumpers. This is probably one of my favorite features of this machine, as you’re forced to make extremely dangerous shots that could lead to harsh drains in order to continue scoring on the drop targets.

All in All one of the greatest early solid state machines EVER made. It is one of the true and few keepers!

A terrible missed opportunity and one of DEs worst games next to BTTF

Surprisingly fun game!! Wow. I nearly bought on at Pinfest because I enjoyed it so immensely. Scoring makes no god damn sense, but it's a ton of fun!

This game is far more fun than it looks. I had avoided it for a while, as it seemed to be a trivial game. Upon spending some time on it, Grand Slam is a charming, simple and very fun game!

Enjoyable all the way around. Loved the carousel roto target. The spinning ballerina is more entertainment for the gally than the player, I find! Lots to focus on, not much time to look up and appreciate her delicate dance.

The challenge of this game kept me coming back for more! The gobble holes are dangerous and so close to some high-scoring shots. Put at least 20 games on it at Pintastic! One of the better woodrails out there

A fun classic game and the first flipper pin ever made. This game has a surprisingly strong "one more game" draw!

The ball kicking up from the outhole is such a badass feature, a very neat EM. I'd buy one if the given the chance!

The greatest EM ever made. The game is blazing fast, and even the most die-hard EM haters find it enjoyable!

A classic enjoyable machine from Gottlieb. El Dorado is still better

Such a cheesy game, so bad they actually offered a kit to change up the backglass!

Still, this is the most criminally underrated game out there, right next to Caveman. The Flex save is incredibly fun, way better than magna save!

Caveman does not deserve the outrageous hate it receives. If you can suspend your pinball expectations while you play it, you'll find a very enjoyable game, with a brutally challenging layout! The video portion is heavily weighted for scoring, so much so that it's ideal to skip right into it as soon as you can. The video portion is a Pac-Man ripoff, but it's enjoyable regardless. The trick is that quickly the little dinos will clump 2-3 towards the lower left, and then the final 2 group up on the lower right. Stragglers may occur, but if you kill them fast enough they remain bunched up and you can breeze through 5 or 6 levels in short order and throw up massive scores!

The pinball portion is plain, and reminiscent of Gottlieb's EMs. The pop and drop nest can be compared to Hot Shot, both EM and SS versions. It is brutally unforgiving and can lead to many nasty outlane drains. The kicking targets are fun and add a unique Gottlieb element to the game.

WHAT LEO WANTS
LEO GETZ

Just got this game recently and I’ve put over 100 plays on it in 3 days. What an incredibly fun game. Multiball is infuriating, very difficult to get control and last longer than 15 seconds.

The shots are tight and close to the chest. You can’t take a breather even for a second or you’ll lose it. I had no interest in this game until I bought one in a package, and it quickly became my favorite. What an amazing game!!! People who say “One trick pony” should jack the game up. Stop playing it flat as a pancake!

A ridiculously underrated game by people who don’t know nor understand how to play it.
It requires a completely different set of skills to play and it’s almost as if relearning how to play pinball

Honestly I didn’t expect much. I just thought it was a fun little Gottlieb with not much to it.
Boy was I wrong! Hollywood Heat has some very cool features that are seldom appreciated.
The captive “Heat bumper” is a great bonus mechanism. During multiball the “in-sync” inserts flash and the 3-bank drop targets become memory targets and will drop the corresponding target when hit!
Clever feature and smart programming by Gottlieb.

Can’t forget that the soundtrack is dynamite, it plays about 5 different tunes! Some of them are so seldom played they surprised me when I heard them!!

If it’s not Continued it’s not worth it.

Not as metal as BK2K so it doesn’t score as high.

Ridiculously enjoyable and fun while maintaining the challenge that keeps you coming back for more.

This game is actually much much harder than it first looks.

SHOOT HERE AND HERE.

Playfield artwork is the worst Stern has ever done. Looks like Cut & Paste from an intern. The game itself is enjoyable and fun but overall just a lukewarm game.

Wish I had more time to really get to know this game. On the surface just spending a few dozen games on it, it’s easy to understand why it’s so popular.

Both Rock & Rock Encore are terrible and suck all the fun out of pinball

This game really is one of the worst ever. What a dog. Somehow they managed to suck all the fun out of pinball.
Incredible.

GC’d this game the first time I walked up and it still wasn’t enjoyable.

A really dumb gimmicky game that was just a bad concept.

It’s not the goofy “boob” humor. It’s rethemeing a 1950s pinball to ANYTHING modern and thinking it will work

Rip the spinner and win.
Kinda tough, has a few death shots on it.
Enjoyable game I’d buy if I had a chance to get one for a good price.

The Pat Lawlor OG

LIONMAN!
What more can you say?

Finally own a Seawitch. I’ve been wanting this game since my first few weeks in the hobby.
Seawitch is a punishing monster with a deceptive design. It looks so easy and simple and it just is a brutal game.
The only downside is definitely the difficult geometry of the loop, which can be adjusted with some slight mods. I think it’s the proper thing to do, I doubt they truly meant for the game to be so impossible to shoot.

Meteor is THE classic Stern. Fantastic ever since it was made, only the terribly obnoxious sounds bring it down a bit in my opinion. They make me laugh now, but hearing them in a room all day it stops being funny.
Layout and gameplay is amazing, especially when outlanes spot a target so people don't just drop 5 targets and rip the spinner all day. Changing it up and making it more difficult makes this game a blast!

The ball walker is a blast. Game is a bit "easy" but it's just a terribly fun game. Enjoyable and I believe it has a very low barrier-of-entry to newbies in pinball.
As always killer artwork.

Walking up to Nine Ball I had one idea in my head of what to expect.
I played about a dozen games before I walked away.
This game is incredibly punishing and unforgiving. The playfield is so empty and sparse I thought this game would suck, but I was certainly wrong!! It is a killer game, the pop bumper is possibly THE MOST useful pop in all of pinball. Half the shots wouldn't be possible with out it. The opening skill shot is extremely challenging, and the roll under floating spinner is just a blast. Man I really enjoyed the hell out of this game.
The artwork is ridiculously killer 80s! Probably my favorite part of the game to be honest.
It plays some of the best EMs of the 70s on steroids. Terribly fast and unforgiving but so deceptively simple, it has a strong "one more game" appeal.

Bounty Hunter is a decently fun, simple single-level Gottlieb. I found it deceptively fun, and I enjoy playing it the odd times I see one. The bounty targets are probably my favorite part of this game and that really brings it up on my list.

Unique and fun game that started the modern concept of “modes” we have today.
Off the left flipper I can see how it can get repetitive. You mainly end up shooting the spinner (stairs) many many times.
Off the upper left and the right flipper is most of the game. The ball poppers are a cool gimmick and the shootout scene is fun (the first few times) the jackpot sequence and the million loop are fun shots and challenging but within reach for casual players.
I enjoy the 9 drop targets on this game, they’re fun to hit and those good ol’ Gottlieb narrow targets brick like crazy for the jackpot shot.

An extremely fun, goofy game that is difficult enough to maintain interest in a collection.

No Fear bores me to tears: hit ramps endless and be precise. Many better games from Steve Ritchie

This game is honestly very addicting. It’s terribly fun, albeit basic.
I greatly enjoy it and don’t regret it at all. Guaranteed to frustrate your guests if it’s on Game 2.

Fun little novelty game, gets boring fast.

I really greatly enjoyed this game. Makes me want one for my collection!

I played Loop the Loop at York.
It is quite underrated and when dialed in can be a very exciting game. The main attraction is the spinning motor in the center, it’s a neat gimmick which I found it enjoyable.

Neat game, kudos for thinking outside the box.

Monday Night Football is a very simple game. You have a handful of main shots. Left through the spinner to the VUK or Right through another spinner to a saucer to hold for multiball. Middle playfield has 2 standups that drain SDTM often, or you can shoot slightly to the left back up into the pops. You also have an extremely precise shot to the right ramp for the jackpot shot that feed your right flipper.

As an owner of this game, I actually was worried I'd bore quickly, but it is a fantastic casual game and the novelty play is what makes it a keeper for most. THE BIGGEST draw is the large field goal that pops up in the middle of the playfield along with the kickoff ramp. Making the "kick" and scoring a field goal is immensely satisfying and surprisingly brings the "One more game" feel.
Depth is definitely lacking, but for the theme and the fun factor, it can afford to be a bit of a shallow game. Football itself is rather basic, just run the ball 100 yards, then go for the field goal. Same concept, drive the ball for field goals.
The wizard mode is the most surprising feature of this game. You must make 8 LOOPS in succession to "Light Everything" which is pretty damn hard. My best so far is 7 loops and that felt impossible.

This game is for the casual owner looking for an easy, fun-for-everyone game. Nearly everyone will have some level of basic understanding, and when the ramp and field goal comes up, EVERYONE will love it. Great party game/drinking game/quick-play game.

Checkpoint is a lot of fun, especially with a group of friends. This is the kind of game to get non-pinball people into pinball!

Just got one of these now. Boy was I wrong. This game is sweet! Blazing fast and fun. Scoring is a bit odd and took a read through to understand what you’re supposed to do doing, but I love it. The game is pretty damn brutal. Python is awesome, and his games are always legendary. Mark Ritchie has the center-ramp obsession that always seems to work out.

Solid game, loads of fun. I’m very glad I got one despite not being a fan at first.

August 1st 2019:
I think I'd need to play this game for an hour or two to really start enjoying it. Playing a few quick games I found it fun but lacking. Seemed sorta overhyped, and a bit repetitive.

A very fun game, artwork is fantastic! By far the best part of this game. Just a fun pinball.

Dialed In is an amazing game. One of the few games that I enjoyed playing for hours learning the rules.

The far superior version, the Premium is a fun and fast game. AC/DC is a drain monster in general but I enjoyed the Premium so much more than the Pro, I almost can't quantify it. Lower Playfield adds some interesting, fun play to the game and allows quick multiball if you're skilled, and the ramps with the crossover trough aren't such craptraps. The side escape from Hell's Bells is a nice way to avoid the constant crappy STDM drains from the pro version.

Good game, still sorta boring but nearly triple the game of the trash Pro.

An absolute steaming pile of a game. JUNK. I would gladly throw it off a roof. Plays like hot garbage... clunky and almost designed to be the opposite of fun. It feels like half a game.

You AC/DC lovers will never change my mind, you love that ugly snarling face in the middle of the playfield because they were too lazy to put something interesting there? The pro is awful. It is just terrible. It deserves this rating.

If you are considering AC/DC do yourself a favor and buy the Premium. Game plays 100% different. Premium is smooth, buttery pinball play.
Pro is like taking the wheels off your car and pushing it down a hill.

*Edit June 14th, 2020*
I finally bought a Breakshot, setup to be a real kick in the ass!
Hard as possible, no ball save, no extra ball, all punishment. This game is so damn good, it’s just unfathomable why it’s not in the top 100. One of the best single level games out there. A PERFECT game for anyone who finds “flat games” boring. They will love it and change their tune.
It has all the challenge and appeal of a simplistic, street-level layout, but the perks of Solid State programming and a SWEET DMD!
I have this setup right next to Seawitch and they make a perfect pair.

I played a handful of games on Breakshot and I kept coming back. It looks deceivingly simple but is challenging and plays well. There are some airballs which made me cringe, but with some protectors this game would be perfect. It plays FAST and mean, the punishment brings you back again and again for that "one more game!" factor.
Playing the game a handful of times makes me want one!

I loved the game, it was a blast and I prefer the Beatlemania theme

I searched for years for a Night Moves. It’s a decent game and by far the best cocktail ever made!

It is definitely one of the best Cocktail pins ever made and the music never gets old in my opinion.

I've been playing this game in my local league. It's tough to get the hang of, and the rear shots are difficult to make but I find the game to be fun and as I learn it I am liking it more

Updated: After playing this game for 2 seasons it has worn out its welcome. Simpsons has to be dialed it to be fun, or else it's just grueling.

I’ve been playing this game on location in the league and I’ve really enjoyed it! It’s just a fun, great scoring game! My only complaint is the left orbit is an insanely precise shot to hit, otherwise I love it and I enjoy playing it!

Fun game, fun shots, extremely satisfying, love the callouts.

I adore Indiana Jones and am a huge fan of the original trilogy (leaving out that horrid mistake #4) however this game really falls flat. Talk about boring and EXTREMELY repetitive... hit the same 4 shots a hundred times over and, yay, you get multiballs for days! No amount of gimmicky 8 ball multiball can redeem this snore-fest. It’s too bad. I wanted to like it too.

The best machine ever created. Why even bother owning another pinball when this is all you will ever need? It's basically the Holy Grail you never even knew existed. It's got chromed out trim, 46 ball multi-ball, quadruple cupholders, no legs, it just hovers!

Buy it now, build it now!

10/10 but lowered my rating to keep my rating list intact :)

Edit: 3/18/22 played WOZ many different times. Game just doesn’t make me wanna come back. Scoring is very convoluted.

Wizard of Oz plays a bit slower anytime I’ve played it, but I always enjoy it and play it every chance I get. I throughly enjoy the old-school scoring. When games give 1 point instead of just taking on meaningless extra zeros, it makes you feel good when you really hit jackpots!

This game benefits greatly from a ColorDMD but a MUST HAVE MOD is the sound upgrade. Playing this game with the Slayer soundtrack was gnarly. I actually enjoy TWD more and more as a pin. Definitely want one for home play...

Just not the game I was hoping it would be. I've waited a few months since release to see how it would change and unfortunately it hasn't improved how I would have hoped.
Will add more detail later.

I definitely DO NOT see the appeal of High Speed II over the original...
I played it and it was an alright game, but the shots didn't seem any fun and it was a little boring in my opinion.
Maybe I just didn't understand the game but it just didn't do it for me.
The shifter shooter was a neat gimmick and it was sorta cool how shifting played into the game. Still just didn't seem to have shots I really liked at all. I almost got a replay 3 times in a row, only a million off. So I was playing it pretty well it seems.

Johnny Mnemonic really grew on me. This game is fast and brutal, a fantastic example of Gomez’ abilities as a designer.

The atrocious theme adds to the charm of this game. The movie is absolute hot garbage, and I love it for that. It makes me laugh with all the references.

This game is a blast

This game surprises me for how difficult and unintuitive the shots are for a Gottlieb. I love the artwork, and the eye-catching pink cabinet. It’s not hard to enjoy the campy theme trying to profit off of a ghostbusters “sound-alike”.

The layout isn’t my favorite, but the charm makes up for it

It could be the location I played at, they seemed to have very little slope to the playfield. I had very long ball times and surprisingly loved the game. I don't think I scored incredibly high but I felt like I was doing incredible and it was exciting and well-paced! Several plays at different times all left me with the same great feeling of a game well played.
Call outs were excellent and music was great! Who doesn't like Ghostbusters??

EDIT: I scored my own Baby Pac-Man and owning this machine is WAAAAY better than the rare times you see it in the wild!
Baby Pac-Man has extreme replay value. It’s not a game I play every week, or even every month. It’s the type of game you sit down and end up playing it several times a week for hours on end. It’s a uniquely addicting game: you could suck and get demolished by the brutally hard ghosts for 10 games in a row and want to give up, then you get to the pinball portion and suddenly light EVERYTHING score an extra baby and the game just takes OFF! When you lay down the law on Pinside (ba-dum-ts) the video portion becomes an entirely different game!

After having Baby for 9 months, I can honestly say that it has just grown on me more and I cannot imagine parting with it anymore.
The funniest piece is how the artwork has grown on me over this time! I really wasn’t too fond of the weird pac-baby and the odd playfield art, but after seeing it everyday I started loving it. The best part is the bezel, the ghosts and fruits with pax-Dots. I wish the original Pac-Man featured art like this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I finally got a chance to play Baby Pac-Man a few weeks ago and I played it probably 8 times in a row.

Baby Pac-Man is addicting and cruel, and I love it.

It's a game you either love or hate.
I love the unique quirk to it. It's such a weird, awkward, strange game the someone comes together and plays wonderfully!

The video portion is so insanely hard it draws me in. Good luck clearing the first maze. If you're good you might make it to the 3rd one.

The pinball portion is very very smooth and somehow the half-sized playfield really is a dream. It has an incredible flow and really helps the game immensely. The strategy and technique is all in the pin.
Done with LEDs the playfield looks beautiful.
My only complaint is the left flipper shot to the right upper post sends the thing SDTM and it pisses me off. On my last game I hit that twice in a row and immediately drained the ball... that really ruins the mood pcassionally.

I really loved this game so much I'm currently on the look out for one!

Full disclosure, this is my first game, rating and first attempt at a restoration.

I chose Drop-A-Card based on many of the reviews from the IPDB, which has many, many more for this game and rates it at an 8/10.

Now I'm a young guy who grew up with video games and flashy awesome technology, so diving into an EM isn't exactly the most amazing, exciting thing out there. However, Drop-A-Card, like many of Gottlieb's famous card-themed wedgeheads, is a wonderfully deceiving game. The point I'm at in the restoration, this game plays very well, but still needs to have the flippers rebuilt and the playfield/table needs to get leveled out properly instead of the jury-rigged stand I have it on.

Even with those faults, this game has draw me into it, bringing me back for many plays! At first it comes off as a simply, easy and almost boring game, just by looking at it! The cab art is the most simplistic design ever conceived. The backglass is just wacky to me and I can't help but stare at it often trying to figure out just what that King is thinking! Playfield art is the nicest piece of the whole art package. I think it's just a very enjoyable looking field.

As for actual gameplay, the main and only object, is to knock down all 13 drop-targets. It sounds simple and looks simple but it's not even close. After a few dozen plays I've gotten pretty good at getting either side banks down and most of the top bank, but the side drains are brutal. They're like magnets, the ball always makes an insane beeline right perfectly down them from the top half of the field.
Those same drains are what make the game fun and exciting, because the drop-targets are easy. Right out in the open, a completely empty playfield except for 2 pops at the top guarding the top bank. The absurdly simplistic layout sucks you in as you quickly lose 2-3 of your balls to those drains with very minimal progress on your 13 target goal!
Speaking of ball count, anyone who sets this machine on 3 ball is insane and clearly doesn't want any enjoyment out of it. 5 ball is an absolute requirement to maintain sanity and get the full enjoyment of the game!

What I enjoy the most about this game is definitely it's simplicity. When games now have scores reaching millions and billions, it's nice to have a very down-to-earth little EM reminding you that breaking 10 thousand is a momentous achievement. That was actually one of my deciding factors for getting this game, as I like having 4 score reels and a max of 9,999. That's a very reasonable scoring amount in my opinion, I think these games with billion point jackpots are just silly. Why have hundreds of millions of points blown through in 10 seconds? Where is the fun? There is hardly anything that doesn't score over 50 thousand! Why all the extra zeros??

THAT is the driving mentality that brings me the enjoyment of Drop-A-Card. No dummy reels or extra nonsense scoring. You work your way up to the specials (replays) and at most you can get 500 points from the outlanes when you've finally sunk all 13 targets. There is nothing else other than you, the pops and your 13 drops; It will go fast and furious and you'll be pained to get past 5,000 even on an amazing game. Rolling it over is only achieved when you've become insanely good at it and learned how to nudge like hell!

Drop-A-Card is definitely a worthy EM and again, as a young guy who's played some of the amazing machines of modern times, THIS little wedgehead has shown me the appeal of EMs and caused me to respect their place in any true collection.