kbenson13's ratings

I *almost* feel bad rating this game so highly, but I just don't know where I would lower my scores. This is an incredibly fun game to play and really deserves its current top ranking on Pinside. The rules are such that big scores require quite a bit of skill (more than I have, for sure) but also allow for very satisfying games for intermediate players. Everyone can have fun playing this game.

Toy-wise, this game is packed. The magna grab, the bridge and the mechanical building are all awesome. And there are lots of other nice touches throughout the game. The art package is perfect. The game is a visual feast.

It took me a minute to get used to the announcer, but he's perfectly campy and really helps sell the theme. The music is fun and well timed. I never would have guessed it, but the Blue Oyster Cult's Godzilla song is so fun. It really helps put Godzialla multi-ball at the top of my list of all-time favorite multi-ball modes. When the song starts playing, it just pumps you up. The Xilien callouts are also full of campy fun. I love it when they threaten to destroy all pinball machines. Too funny!

Theme-wise, Godzilla is a campy theme to say the least. And the game really leans into it. The animations chosen are just goofy fun. It's almost amazing some of the footage they use even exists. I mean, Godzilla does some goofy things in those movies. And those things are all on display in this game. I love all the Minilla ball save animations. That poor kid needs to get his act together!

I probably watched some of the Godzilla movies as a kid, but I don't remember them at all and Godzilla as a theme didn't do anything for me. But the game easily overcame my thematic trepidations. It's incredibly fun to play and shoot, and I really enjoy it. It's getting probably my highest rating and deserves its place as once of the best pinball machines ever.

Fun game for sure. The gun mech is fun. The game is shallow but T2 is an excellent theme and this game did it justice. The Arnold callouts were great. It blew my mind that he did them (or if it isn't him, that they got someone who sounded just like him).

This game is tough but fun. The sound and music are absolutely perfect for this game, and really draw you in. If you can't play this game with the volume cranked up, you are missing out. The ruleset is shallow but fun and challenging. Obviously, the topper is the best topper ever made for any pinball machine. I would love to own this game, and I'm kinda hoping CGC gets around to remaking this one.

This is a fun game. The supercharger is exhilarating. I feel like this game is a bit on the shallow end but it's a lot of fun. I don't love that the shooter is replaced with a "gear changer" but it works for the game. It's not my favorite DMD era game, but it's a good one.

This is my all-time favorite pin and I'm no doubt biased. I think the theme integration is absolutely perfect. The THING hand is one of the best mechs in pinball period, end of story. The call outs are amazing and the sound and music is perfect. I could play this game forever and never get tired of it. It doesn't have a deep rule set by modern standards, but it has a bunch of modes and remains, for me, challenging and fun to this day. I would love to own this machine some day.

Layout: The layout of this game is tough and fast. It’s a high flow game for those who can reliably make the shots and a brickfest for the rest of us. For what it is, I think its very well designed. When I’m hitting my shots, this game is incredibly fun. The downsides are most shots are tight and/or require the ball to be far out on the flippers to make. That right ramp looks wide but it’s a very hard shot to center on your flipper. The game also gets the ball to the right flipper way more than the left one, and it’s hard to pass it over. And it’s pretty hard (not impossible) to make 6 of the 10 main shots in the game from the right flipper. (It’s nigh impossible to shoot the right ramp or the right orbit from the right flipper. And it’s very tough to shoot the right spinner lane from that flipper (though you can back hand it if you’re good/lucky). Without being able to hit the right spinner, it’s hard to make the left ramp, the inner loop or the upper scoop shots, which are made from the upper right flipper and those shots are fed to that flipper from the right spinner loop. Those shots are also fed from the left orbit shot (through the pop bumpers) but the ball usually comes around so fast that it’s hard to time those upper flipper shots (well…other than the upper scoop which is actually relatively easy to hit from the left orbit).

Rules: We’re not even to version 1.0 yet, but the rule set is impressive and fun (though quite difficult). Most song modes are very hard, requiring a ton of shots (Working Man) or very precise and limited shots (La Villa & Tom Sawyer). Still, the modes provide a good variety of challenge and risk/reward. I really like that the multiballs start with 2 balls and you have to hit the scoop for the third ball (add a ball), or you have to progress in the game (not easy) to the point where you start with 3 balls. I’m not good enough to reach the wizard modes so I can’t speak to them.

Toys and Gimmicks: The gimmicks in this game are pretty basic. The main toy/gimmick is the time machine magnet center shot. That toy ties into a steampunk inspired tour by the Band and therefore is great theme integration and ties into the general aesthetic of the game. The other toy on the Premium/LE versions is a clock over the left loop. It’s part of that same steampunk tour’s imagery and thus ties in theme-wise. You can’t shoot it and all does is add another visual display of mode progress for certain modes.

Game Play. If you can make the shots, this is a fun and fast game with great flow. Otherwise it’s a brick fest which will eat you alive. Novices need not apply.

Artwork: The artwork on the Premium (which I’m reviewing) ties into the Time Machine Tour theming/imagery very well. If you like the steampunk aesthetic, you’re going to have an easier time appreciating the artwork. Regardless it’s bright and vibrant—very fitting for a pinball machine. At first I didn’t love the drawing of the band members in the center of the playfield, but I’ve come to really like it. Knowing that the band liked it too made it easier for me to be happy with it.

Sounds: If you like Rush music, then you’re going to love the sound on this pin. The bigger a Rush fan you are, the more you will appreciate the callouts and the Band members’ senses of humor. I love it all but I’m sure, much like Rush music itself, that it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

The lighting is great even without the Expression Lighting, but I can’t wait until it’s released, and I can install it in my Premium!

Game Design:

Layout: I think the playfield is very well laid out. There are lots of fun shots to make, and there are appropriate consequences for missing your shots. The right ramp is extremely difficult to hit, and the left scoop is possibly more difficult to shoot than it should be (at it triggers the most "basic" modes/scenes in the game). Also, the space between the two flippers is known to be wider than many other modern games. I don't think this makes the game either impossible or even unfun. It's perhaps extra challenging? The ball-save is generous perhaps to account for this. I understand people mod a post between the flippers. I think that is totally unnecessary and would never do that to my game. But for these reasons, I could not give the otherwise outstanding layout a perfect score.

Rules: The rules are clear and fun. This is a very mode-based game. You hit shots to start modes (scenes) based on the movie. The modes are in groups and you must tackle them one at a time (per group). How to complete the scenes is clear, and there is a "wild card" shot you can make to help avoid some of the most difficult shots needed to clear the scenes (particularly the right ramp). Clearing the groupings of scenes starts mini-wizard modes which are fun and satisfying. Completing all the scenes starts the final wizard mode, which is appropriately difficult to accomplish.

Toys and Gimicks: There is a Slimer bash target that you can cause to "fly" over the left side of the upper playfield. It's cool but nothing amazing. The left ramp has a small "subway" feature where the ball goes below the table before coming back up and feeding the right flipper. That same shot locks the balls when lit. The lock is obviously the ghost storage facility. There's a Stay-Puft in the back right that lights up but otherwise doesn't do anything. Hitting the right captive ball triggers the Scoleri brothers pop up targets. The Scoleris are the only thing I don't love about the game, as they block shots and won't go away unless you clear the both quickly in succession. And hitting them puts you at risk of draining the ball through the wide opening between the flippers.

Game Play. The game and shots flow well and logically. I've owned this game for over a year and still love playing it all the time.

Artwork: The artwork is vibrant and fun. It's a bit cartoony but fits the theme, and the characters all look like their real-life actors. I think the backglass for the LE version (which is the one I own) is pretty great.

Sounds: Sound makes or breaks a game for me. The sound here is awesome. The Ghostbusters theme song is iconic and fun. I never get tired of it. The rest of the music in the game also generally comes from the movies and sounds great. There are great voice clips from all four of the lead actors. The Bill Murray quips are hilarious. I especially the love the tilt warnings. Ernie Hudson recorded a lot of speech specifically for the game and it's all extremely well done with the right level of enthusiasm and energy. I love/hate the screaming ghost that takes over the machine on occasion. Very clever!

The lighting is fun and the light show is spectacular. It's a bit hard to play the game in a dark room as some areas are not well lit under those conditions. I've owned this game for over a year and never get tired of playing it. They really nailed the theming. It really feels like a legitimate extension of the movies. Overall I think this game is incredibly fun! Now that I've written my review, I think I'm going to go fire it up and play a few games!