jbovenzi's ratings

Gonna get crap for this one, game is good, but I found it too simple.

Toys are outstanding, Drac on a stick, Frank in a box, all fun. Cabinet artwork is great and so is the translite.

Animations are good for DMD and quite funny.

A good package, but I feel overhyped. I feel that since it was remade, that just added to the ratings. Is it better than WIJ or STTNG, no way. Never owned one, but have played it enough to not add it to my collection.

My first machine! Simple, straightforward and fun. Wouldn't mind getting another one.

Sounds are early 80s arcade, but the speech was a thriller at the time. Enjoyed the Marvel Comic artwork and really made the game. Backglass I could take or leave.

Electronics were in vogue then and this game fits the bill. I always play it when I find it at a show or on location as it brings me back.
Multiball is fun to accomplish.

A great game to pick up and learn pinball on. A great game to have for other non-pinball friends to play.

Nice swirly hippy game. Colors fit well with the game, so the best thing is the artwork.

Lots of them out there, but just not the game for me. I enjoy EMs, but this one didn't thrill me.

So many of them out there change hands. A starter game, but not a keeper.
I cannot say too many positive things about the game, so I will keep it to:

Like the pointy people, like the simplicity, and congratulations on your first pinball machine!

I like the game! Owned one and getting another back in the house.

Mad Dog outdid himself on this game! Yes I very much like the artwork as that is the best part of the game. Hidden nasty gems on the backglass make that a story in itself. Playfield art is much simpler, but still done well. Gotta get a "no stars" backglass for the complete story! :)

Cabinet is iconic and easily recognizable in a lineup.

Three flippers? Eh. Scissor shots and slipping through, but has been done on other games. Subtract a point for that.

Gameplay? I happen to like it, but slow for others.

Theme is from my youth, so I give it better marks than others.

One of the best "B" games out there. I owned one and enjoyed it before I passed it on. Game has lots of variation on how to play (Battlefield, Phurba ramps, etc.)

Toys are cool. Battlefield and Sanctum are the fun part.

Art package is the best. The Art Deco is outstanding for the layout.

Extra buttons to switch ramps always annoyed me. I'm old school, only two buttons per pinball machine please. But with this game it is an extra challenge.

I rate it high as this is a sleeper game that everyone should own once. And no, I don't care that Alec Baldwin is on the translite.

The Simpsons was my second machine. I got addicted to it and really thought I wanted the game. As I am a big Simpsons fan, I thought that this was a natural for me to own.

Game artwork is from early seasons so if you watched from the beginning, you would get the pictures. Backglass is outstanding, cabinet artwork is good. Playfield is also good.

Sounds and music are the best. Bart taunting and music did it for me. Fan of the show, fan of the sounds here.

The ramp, as has been pointed out in other posts, is the key. I could never get mine adjusted right or the flippers to make it consistently. But since I have learned lots, so that could just be me or my ability.

Playfield wears horribly, so if you have a good one, clearcoat the heck out of it!

Baseball is a fun game! Short flippers, but a good simple game to play. Vari-targets are the best part of this game and satisfying to hit.

Backglass is normal, playfield is normal, cabinet art is Triangles? (Better art on Big Hit later...)

I ended up with the Add-A-Ball - Batter Up, so this got replaced then. Both fun games, but still prefer the AAB version.

I've owned most of the Gottlieb Wedgehead Baseball games and found this one to be the best. I am partial to Add-A-Ball, so this one was at the top of the stack due to that and the baseball theme. (Owned the Baseball replay variant as well)

Vari-targets are the best on Gottlieb games and working the ball up the playfield is very fun. It really increases your pinball skills.

Big Hit is close, but the Pop Bumpers get in the way of some Vari-target shots. Fun game if you can find one.

Mata Hari is a fast, fun game. Owned several and enjoyed it every time I had it up and going.

Backglass is the pinnacle of design. I now own the EM version of the glass to see more of the Mad Dog artwork.

Symmetrical layout adds to the game flow. The crossover chimes in an electronic game make it a bit more fun.

Was a cheap entry game, but now tougher to find. I would say that one of these belongs in a larger collection.

A fun game! Took me awhile to get one and I was happy when I did.

Artwork is the best for this game! Great design and theme (Did they really rip off "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" movie?)

Ladder on the right side is fun. Watching the ball decend down the side is something to work for.

Worth owning and restoring!

Hi-Lo Ace. Owned two of them because I was going to retheme. But once I started playing, I actually enjoyed the game.

Symmetrical layout was nice, but really could not get into the artwork. Too cute for me, I guess.

Should be an inexpensive game to get and make it a first pin. Otherwise, play it and enjoy the ride while you can.

Had the game for awhile, could never get into it. Layout was ok, but those long tunnels with ball newton seemed to be a waste of real estate.

Nice comic art package. Backglass is the most interesting part of the game.

Perhaps fun as a first game, but as you get more experience, it would be easily replaced.

Started out with an Addams Family as my grail game. I was so happy to get the game and enjoy it. Moved that one to someone else to get a TAFG (reviewed elsewhere).

I enjoyed the game, the fun of the Thing capture, the sounds, light show, etc. A fun game. I did discover that others came over to play it more often than I did, so two in, two out.

Again, one of the best Multiball starts in Pinball. One of the best toys in pinball: Thing!

Worth owning once for everyone and does have some lasting power in a large collection.

Terrific game. Not a drop target game, but all the shots force you to "Play better!" Great backglass, nice playfield art and not patronizing to Native Americans with comic images.

Nice big spinners at the top of the field, not the narrow ones. Very satisfying to rip those spinners to put the ball back at the top of the playfield.

Had a nice one, just got another one back and looking forward to playing it again.

Cliffy stated that Steve Charland rated it as one his favorite games. Good enough for me!

Had Addams Family, upgraded it to Addams Family Gold. I found a nice example and thought it was a keeper.

The game is considered the best of all time and it was my grail game. Once I started playing it, I understood the limitations of keeping the game long term. Very solid play, but there are better out there.

Sound is great, theme is great, artwork is great! I am a big Addams Family fan (TV), but did enjoy the two movies. The game captures the movie very well.

One of the best starts to Multiball in all of pinball: "SHOWTIME!" One of the best toys in pinball: Thing!

Great game to own as everyone gets how to play it so in a big collection, friends will gravitate towards it to play.

Not a keeper for me. I thought that I wanted the game due to the art on the great backglass (also the lecherous drummer checking out the singer). Layout is ok, game play is ok, nothing thrilling here. Double flippers do nothing to add to the machine.

Good entry pin in the EM space. Grab one, play it, then move on.

High Hand is a game that I have owned twice. I enjoy the simple play of the game, but it just didn't last for me. Wide open playfield makes it more fun.

I lean towards Captain Card (the AAB version) but have never gotten one at a decent price. High Hand is a good all around game for those getting into EMs.

Original Fireball 1972 is a fast fun game. I have owned two of them and enjoyed every minute. Well, except the game is brutal!
Fun to have the multiball and fun to make that skill shot to light the Pop bumpers. However, not fun as the ball goes screaming down the sides due to the spinning disk!

I can understand the tournament non-use for ball stealing and unpredictability of the game play. But a fun game nonetheless.
Art package is iconic and a standard in Pinball presentations. 'nuff said.

Playboy! Used to be iconic and the "dirty" secret of arcades! (Hey guys, I played a Playboy!) Now seems so tame...

Good Solid State game and lots of them around. Some like the Pink/Magenta cabinet, not sure myself but it does fit the theme. Iconic again.

I enjoy the Backglass more than the playfield (girls are beautiful on pf, don't get me wrong). More references to the magazine contents in the backglass like Easter Eggs.

Go find one and turn it over for big bucks! :)

Got a Nip-it! and have been playing it. Having fun with it with working Zipper Flippers (always fun) and Ballygator (one of the best toys in the EM world!)

Artwork is cute and ties together. I am one of the rare ones with the working Ballygator and the original Swamp Plastic that covers it. (No alligator unfortunately...)

Keeper? Not sure, but a great family game that recalls Hungry, Hungry Hippos for the newer folks.

Have one (twice) and very much enjoyed it. Symmetrical playfield is good for me, middle drop targets are fun, and those darn Outlanes that can drain if you don't play the shot right!

Had a chance at Lucky Hand, but passed it on to a good friend. "Lucky" him!

Good flow for a good EM.

Top EM from Gottlieb. Per my review of Team One (which I prefer), this is a very close second!

Much better artwork than TO! Fun is there for "just play me one more time to drop all the targets, please"

Grab one and hold onto it!

One of the top EMs and it should be. Heat Wave's thermometer (repeated again in another great EM) is the immediate draw for everyone. Then people start to play and understand the fun.

Swinging targets add to the game as well as its wide open areas. Simple "reverse" wedgehead from Williams.

Clever artwork and good theme.

(I forgot: it makes an "ironic" appearance in John Carpenter's The Thing! Should add extra points for that! :) )

Surfer (GTB) is just a good fun game. Tough to get the upper targets with the spinner and the Pops in the way, but doable. Partial to the theme as my Son is a surfer (so it's really his game later...)

Strange that both Pop Bumpers trigger at the same time, but I guess that was Gottlieb saving money at the time.

Great art, theme, cabinet, and can play this over and over again. Prefer this over Surf Champ, but then again, I lean towards Wedgeheads!

It's one of the top EM's! (In my mind) Great layout, plenty of targets to hit, asymmetrical design (adds to the fun), and just calls to me to play game after game.

Everyone else has commented how good the game is, so I cannot really add to that. But I have owned Solar City and Target Alpha, so El D is the keeper.

(yes, I would trade for a Gold Strike, but one pin at a time! :) )

I had Abra Ca Dabra and really enjoyed it! I didn't think I would with the lower Pop bumpers, but it's what makes the game.

I sought a Team One after playing it at Pacific Pinball Museum for the Abra fun and the addition of Add-A-Ball.

Great game to play, lots of fun. Theme takes away from it, but hey, Go Brazil!

My favorite part is Jay Leno in the backglass!

A top Gottlieb Wedgehead! Not the best (Abra Ca Dabra/Team One, El Dorado, Surfer, Jacks Open all better), but works for me.

Bagatelle on the right detracts some of the fun, but the playfield art, backglass and thermometer are all outstanding.

Collectible game for sure. Get it for the crazy artwork!

Solid 1980 SS machine. Fits right in with the rest of them.

I prefer games of this era to not have ramps or split playfields, so this one is ok. Backglass appropriate with Mick being front and center. "Miss you" and "Satisfaction" hints for songs fit right in.

Decent game, Globetrotters is better.

Had one before and didn't appreciate it. Lost it and got another one.

Mist ball one of the best toys in pinball. Call outs great, animations just work for the theme!

A basic High Level B game, but still can walk up and enjoy. Not the top game but a solid machine in anyone's lineup.

Yes it's fun. Yes it is Monty Python. Yes it is one of the top games for a reason: Exploding Castle!

I do find it fun and had been wanting one for years. Now I know why it is in top demand as it is enjoyable time after time.

Layout similar to AFM, but different. I can play both and shoot up the middle or go for that Damsel ramp, so it's enough variation for me.

I might be in the minority here, but I do enjoy this game. I bought NIB late and did not suffer too much during the "Where's the code" battles. Theme is great, cabinet artwork is outstanding, music is good, and is really pulled together.

Complaints are the flipper gap (I did the removable overhead post), flashers too bright (I know, can be adjusted) and airballs. I don't think that this takes away from the enjoyment of the game for me.

Topper really adds to this one! Another smile on my face when playing (I did not know that the siren is a Leopard snarl edited!)

Deep deep deep game. Play this if you have more than a half hour to kill! :)

I had it once and traded up. Got another one back, so that shows how much I missed this game.

The ring is fun and a pain to shoot, but that keeps me coming back. The multiballs add to visiting each movie and remembering what happened. Never gotten to Valinor, but I have done There and Back a couple of times. It should stay in the collection for awhile this time!

Attack From Mars is my favorite game. I would say that this is the last game to leave my collection. (nothing is ever bolted to the floor) I always have a smile whenever I play the Bally version.

Many say it's just a shot up the middle, but that is only one way to play it. I change it up with the ramps just to see if I can get the Jackpots sometimes.

Simple, great callouts, good cabinet design, lots going for it.