J85M's ratings

Brilliant layout, stunning artwork, rules that can engage a beginner or an expert player and above all else the game is immensely fun! The shots and flow of the layout are extremely fun and when you manage to string a number of combos together and consecutive loops one after another you feel like a pinball god smiling ear to ear, simply a brilliant game.

Huge TMNT fan, my 5 year old son is also a massive TMNT nut but this game is so disappointing. Firstly the layout doesn’t match the theme, it’s beyond brutal at times especially that left outlane and poorly designed lair shot.

The layouts difficulty should have been dialled back a notch so the theme matched the difficulty of the layout, TMNT is a nostalgic pull for us older players but it’s also a massive pull for young kids so having a layout that is so unforgiving turns off the first timers and younger players almost instantly.

Unfortunately the code doesn’t help rescue the game from the problems above, low scoring that feels totally out of line/sync with every other Stern from the Spike2 era and generally lacklustre code adds no excitement to an already frustrating and uneventful game.

Artwork is amazing though and possibly one of Yeti’s best! It’s just a shame the game doesn’t play as fun as the art package looks. If Borg is going to continue recycling layouts and shots from his back catalog they need to be improved and more fun than the previous time he used them and his layouts need to start fitting the theme.

As a huge Star Wars fan Mandalorian has been the best thing to come from the franchise since the original trilogy. So I was really excited for this title, however when I saw the reveal images I was a little disappointed, then when I watched the reveal stream I was really disappointed it just didn’t look fun, shots looked lame being a fan layout again and the upper playfield + stationary grogu left me feeling underwhelmed, I left the stream thinking is this another missed opportunity again for Star Wars + Pinball?

Well after playing one extensively I have never been happier to be so wrong! Yes the layout is pretty much a fan but the shots are fun to hit, loop and combo, this game flows far better than it looks, the center shot to left orbit is fast fun and easy to start or chain combos and loops, the right and left ramps are both extremely satisfying to hit and both have a vastly different feel and return but the standout shot is the Ambush up/down scoop on the Prem/LE.

The shot is repeatable when the scoop is down and looping it 3 or 4 times is not easy but when you manage too it is as satisfying if not better than looping the Warp Ramp on Star Trek, which was my favourite shot in pinball until Mando took the top spot.

Code is superb and possibly Dwights best code package ever, the theme integration with the weapons/flamethrower and action button is brilliant and the RPG elements he has added with Beskar and the ability to cash it in at the foundary for pinball staples like add-a-balls, extra balls and outlane saves completely freshens up what is historically hit this switch so many times to activate to purchasable RPG element is completely new and fresh and fits the theme perfectly.

Artwork is fantastic and a nice change from Zombie Yeti, as much as I love ZY my collection was starting to look a little similar so having some kickass artwork from Randy Martinez is a nice shake up to my collection and looks brilliant in the too. The music and sound package is also phenomenal and adds to the wonderful theme integration present on this pin, it’s one of the most complete packages Stern have produced in a long time!

All in all this might be my new favourite game as a complete package there hasn’t been anything like Mando in a long time, excited to see what Dwight has in store for v.99 and v1.0.

I’ve owned a lot of games over the years but AIQ is hands down the best game I’ve owned and by far my #1 pin to date. The layout is phenomenal, Keith Elwin has made his best layout to-date with AIQ, there are shots everywhere and one of the best upper flippers in modern pinball.

The structure of the game is there but currently code is only at 0.95 but you can see where the code is going and what is already there is the foundation for one of the best rulesets in pinball, the theme also adds to the rules as my family are huge marvel fans and now thanks to the MCU everyone knows the general storyline for the Infinity story.

Artwork is yet another Zombie Yeti masterpiece, possibly my favourite art to date of his and I love the artwork on Deadpool and Turtles. The only real negatives to AIQ currently is the lack of animations,
I like the animation style, I just want more of them and the sound package is currently very lacking, there needs to be some big musical scores like the Avengers theme from the MCU, something big and grand that adds to the scale of the game/storyline/characters.

Will update my review as new code drops and we reach completed code but I can only see this game getting better and becoming an all time great!

Just updated to .93 code and continue to be blown away by this game. The shots and ramps on this game take it to another level, it’s easily one of the most fun and enjoyable pins to combo, the layout is a joy to shoot, unlike most games where there’s maybe one great shot or one really bad shot, every shot in AIQ is fun and memorable and super smooth.

More SFX, more music and additional, callouts, animations and lighting effects will push this pin closer to a 10, however the lack of big flasher light shows is disappointing.

As an NIB LE owner BM66 was a complete turd for the first 12 months of release but with Lyman on code it is now a completely different game, the rules are hugely varied with some innovative and unique rules to learn and master, while managing to keep them accessible for beginners with enough depth more experienced players can venture deeper into the modes as well as the corresponding episode.

Artwork is phenomenal Chris Franchi knocked it out of the park on this one and the sound and video package utilised throughout the game are fantastic, along with the custom callouts by the late great Adam West himself as well as Burt Ward and you find yourself pulled into the BM66 world, theme integration at its best but mainly due to lymans code and very little to do with the layout.

BM66 biggest real issue is it’s great but it should have been amazing, there’s always that feeling that something is missing and it’s because it was a reworked layout and rushed out to meet a deadline. Recently I received an AIQLE and after 4 months of owning Avengers I started to realise that AIQ is full of fun and interesting shots and BM66 simply has none! The shots and layout on BM66 are fine but that’s the problem there isn’t a single memorable or feel good shot they just feel ok.

Overall BM66 is a phenomenal game but that’s due to Lymans code and the complete library of audio and video assets have been placed into the game along with the rules and shots making you play all areas of the playfield in order to progress small sections of the episode, it is simply one of the best coded games in pinball but the layout and shots let it down.

One of Sterns worst modern era games and possibly their biggest letdown. The licence couldn't have been any bigger at the time and Gomez seemed to drop the ball with the playfield design and mechs and create something even more boring and anti climatic upon reveal than Transformers, another amazing licence wasted on a poorly designed game (but that's another review)

Avengers is fun on location play a couple of games and walk away, but like TF, the licence alone deserved so much!

When I heard Family Guy was coming from STERN I had Simpsons Pinball Party levels of greatness in mind, unfortunately FG misses the areas of excellence TSPP managed to hit in nearly all areas. Stewie pinball is more frustrating than fun and the other shots & playfield toys are lacklustre at best. However FG makes up for it by entertaining you with the shows humour and wit and makes the experience far more enjoyable than the playfield itself.

One of Sterns greatest and deepest games and also one of the best art and sound packages with talent from the show involved in all aspects of the game and it shows, superb use of a classic licence and a great shooting playfield. Simpsons is the complete package!

Super deep game literally setting the modern standard that all code is compared to, some great shots but also some clunkers found game to be a little overated not as fun as simpler games but classic stop code clunk from of a Gomez design still one of the all time greats!

One of the greats, every pinhead should have at some point owned this game, it has it all and is one of the most fun games ever. The artwork inside and out is perfect for the era it was made and the theme and simply gorgeous to look at, DMD animations are superb and some of the best to ever come out of willaims and then there is the shots, each shot is joy to hit oh and an upper playfield that doesn't completely suck!

Just like the original films in the franchise this pin is the definitive Indiana Jones pinball experience.

T2 was simple yet awesome, T3 takes the basic building blocks of T2 and puts them on steroids!

The rules are better, the shots are better, the RPG is a great little mini game IMO, Steve managed to take a simple classic and make it even better with T3 helped by improved code and rules.

Possibly one of my personal favourites pins, great theme one of my favourite action movies brought to the world of pinball what more could I ask for other than Terminator (thanks Willaims) DM is full of awesome shots and boy are there a lot of them, literally every inch of the playfield is covered in a variety of unique shots, the cyro claw is a neat trick albeit the rules a little shallow around it and I love the centre jump ramp a really fun shot to hit plus the vertical triggers add a uniqueness to the way you can play the game and fit the theme perfectly.

I will add one of these to my collection again some day and add more Sly & Wesley audio via pin browser making the game even better!

IMO Bally's most underrated game, Shadow was either my 3rd or 4th pin and it was an instant hit at home, the diverters on the ramps are great fun and add a nice layer of depth and strategy to what would otherwise be standard ramps shots. The upper playfield via VUK is a great shot from the upper flipper and then there is the WALL, it just never gets old and always amazes and impresses visitors, a truly great game hampered by its licence which personally I like and enjoy, probably helped being very young when the movie was released and being easily pleased, but don't let the theme fool you this is a gem!

The second pin I brought! Loved the movie and the pin captures the character of the theme perfectly, the sounds and speech are top notch and the modes are pure Addams immersion. Great variety of shots and playfield gimmicks/toys from IT to the POWER, crossramp shots, scoops, magnets, ramps galore Addams has it all wrapped up in a wonderful theme!

If CGC & PPS ever do another remake after MMr & AFMr I hope to see Addams remake, I would love to experience a NIB Addams as I wasn't born to experience it the first time.

DE Star Wars, is a good game but it always feels like all the budget went into the licence and everything else was done on a "we have this much of the budget left for the game what can we get for this amount". Some great fun shots but the code is super shallow and with a licence like Star Wars should have been so much more, but it was my first pin and for that reason alone I love it as it got me into the hobby as I am sure it did a lot of others, a fun game and a must play just not a keeper.

One of my favourite DE games, awesome theme with superb artwork and I just love the way this game plays!

Great theme and in a bigger collection a great game to have providing you love the theme you can over look the games short comings of which there are not many (sound is pretty poor & the rules aren't amazing) but due to the SEGA badge again it gets a much worse rep than it deserves. A dialled in X-files is a good shooting game, the inner orbit shot is super quick and the bookcase is a great toy not to mention the custom molds of the flukeman and alien are great, dial an xfiles in and spend a few $$ modding and adding to it and its a great game!

Awesome game, very challenging for a player of my skill level to work through the modes, but there are great shots for players of all skill levels and some of the best shots in the Williams era period. If we ever see a STTNGremake I will be first in line :)

Yet again like a lot of SEGA games overlooked and underrated, easily one of the best games to come out of SEGA. Tonnes of shots to make on the playfield with a couple of unique feeling shots in there, if the theme had maybe been Batman Returns this game would get a lot more love.

CSI is a little underrated, it is pretty shallow what with only 3 main multiball modes, but the layout and shot geometry is pretty unique and its a fun game providing you like the CSI theme. Definitely benefits from being part of a larger collection but shouldn't be over looked.

A very simple game mechanically but the cold looking artwork and metal helps perfectly capture the theme of the franchise. Great flowing game with a simple layout you can shoot shot to shot (combos if you will) all day long. One of my favourite games ever made but I might be a little biased due to the theme, either way a great game that's simple to shoot and tonnes of fun.

A classic and easily one of the most jammed pack playfields in the history of pinball, their is something for players of all skill levels to shot for and see. However I have owned 2 and each time I have struggled to keep it around as compared to other classics I find TZ a little shallow and dull once you have seen everything it has to offer.

Such a missed opportunity, amazing theme equally as good as Spiderman yet Gomez dropped the ball big time with the playfield design, teeter totter ramp and upper playfield are terrible and do nothing but highlight their repetitive nature and slow the game down.

However! There is the crane, possibly one of Sterns best playfield toys and the 3 different levels of code Lyman created for it makes each mode feel fresh and unique from the last. The joker can although the mech itself suchs the shot through the drop target and into the lock is a great shot.

All in all this game is like 2 face half of it is good and half of it is downright bad!

What can really be said about SM? Possibly Sterns greatest game ever! Ritchie & Lyman absolutely nailed everything about this game, the playfield toys/mechs are simple yet so effective, due to each villain shot feeling completely different and unique, custom speech from JJ is the icing on the cake.

Great game, some of Sterns best playfield toys and the JACK ramp is such a sweet shot/ramp to hit especially backhanding it from the right flipper.

The one game I miss the most from my collection, Stern took everything they learnt from Ironman with the less is more with a killer visual and audio package approach put it on steroids and made Tron LE.

One of Sterns most underrated games, the link lock is one of my favourite shots on a modern Stern, the AMP suit is another great shot/feature similar in pay off to the Monger on Ironman. On my 2nd NIB LE & this one wont be going anywhere.

One of the best games Stern has put out, I am now on my 2nd NIB original release and this one wont be going anywhere!

It's Bond James Bond, one of the greatest themes and one of my all time favourite games of all time.

STLE is one of the best LE packages Stern have ever put together, those lighted side rails are 100% pure awesomeness! As for the game itself, with the upgraded audio via pinball browser a great game is made into a phenomenal one, the sounds, lighting and speed of the shots themselves combine into one of Steve Ritchies smoothest and fastest adrenaline filled layouts ever.

Then there is the Warp ramp, possibly the best shot in pinball, that only gets better with each consecutive repeated loop increasing your warp levels. It maybe a similar layout to a lot of Steve’s previous and future games since but this is the one were he perfected it, the speed and smoothness of the shots is perfection!