Laser-Beam's ratings

The Addams Family is a really popular early 90's machine. The Gold version has awesome gold additions to the cabinet and a few extras. Deep ruleset and all the Addams Family goodness from the standard version machine. Seems to rates highly, consistently. Toys are good but for some reason i wanted more of them or something. The sounds are great and the fun factor is high, especially for fans of that creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky family. Not my favourite machine but it gives you sense of build quality and captures the theme well. Very loved by lots of people - i need to play it more often. A well thought out machine with a big fan base. Plus a very good effort for 1994.

Haunted House was a Gottlieb that i put coins into, everytime i saw it. I wasn't any good at it but just loved the dual-playfield concept. The cabinet and the backglass were creepy, as were the sounds. The playfield artwork was different to a lot of machines at the time and there's a fair bit to observe. Good theming and reasonabley fun to play. Gottliebs have a different feel to theme, as far as gameplay goes. This is because of the wider flippers i guess. Probably won't grab you like a new machine does, but it's well worth a game, just so you can say you have. It's a bit iconic this machine really. Not super fun but a good effort all around.

Star Wars was awesome in 1992. The cabinet art was simple but it was good enough for the day. Backglass is the business - really nice and attracts Star Wars fans to this day. Playfield looks great. Toys were good for 1992 and so was the artwork on the field. A few shots seem a bit awkward and upset the flow but the ramp is a winner. Sounds are pretty good, of course the quality wasnt pefect back then but it was very cool for fans of the movie. Gameplay was ok but not fantastic in my opinion. Still a great effort by Data East i was impressed in 1992. Play it for sure.

GunsnRoses was wicked when it came out in 1994. The Rose for shooting the ball is still cool. The ramps can be fun and the playfield has lots of room. Great cabinet, good backglass and a colourful playfield. Data East did a great job with this machine. Plays well, looks great ... playfield characters not perfect but meh. Gameplay is pretty good and its fun machine to play and to look at. From 1990 to 2000 the pinball machines were brilliant and the competition was fierce. Data East did well with this and its the AC/DC equivalent but from 19 years ago. So it's got some style.

Gottlieb games play a bit differently, compared to the newer machines but can still be a bit of fine. They have a coolness about them but its a personal thing and not for everyone. Countdown has a cool theme and the playfield has a few interesting shots. Having 4-flippers is brilliant and sets this game apart from many. Pretty good effort from Gottlieb. Not for me but id still have a game or two.

Nine Ball had a good looking playfield for 1980. Wide and roomy and theres lots too shoot. Stern should be putting these drop-down targets on their new pinballs, (like AC/DC should have had and Metallica does). They work pretty well, look good and are good to hit, depending on target placement. The spinner is awesome and is in a good spot. I miss spinners on the new machines too. Shame no ramps but it was the 80's. Gets a bit boring and playability isnt there for me. Deep enough rules but not my thing. Not one for the wishlist but it was a good effort back then.

Revenge From Mars was spectacular when released. This machine merged a pinball machine with a video game, and added a totally new dimension to the pinball experience. Cabinet looked a bit odd but they didnt have flatscreen monitors in 1999. The playfield is colourful and the artwork suits the theme. The toys are cool enough yet i always want more. Shots are ok and the sounds are pretty good. Should be the most collectable machine ever, but isnt exactly. Monitors and the computer components, to run the video, are old and they could get hot and could be a bit unreliable if not looked after, (just like today computer gear - can fail straight out of the box from China). And if it did fail there werent a lot of computer nerds back then to sort it cheaply and quickly. That's my only issue plus the lighting has to be just right for the video eperience but thats minor. Id be proud to own this machine, it is cool. It's also a symbol of the end of the 'Golden Era of Pinball'. It shows the pressure that the video games were placing on the pinball business. For me its like the Star Wars machine but not quite as good all around.

Bally does it again! The year is 1998 and pinball machines are now totally awesome. CactusCanyon is a classic and more popular than the amount of machines available, sadly. For the price, id buy a new Stern instead. But if you love Bally/Williams and want a cool-themed, solid-playing machine piece of pinball memorabilia from the Golden Era of pinball, then something like this machine is what you are looking for :) The two six-shooters close to the player really did it for me. The playfield artwork, cabinet and backglass are well-suited to the theme, which is comical and fun. The ramps are pretty sweet and the game flows pretty well. Playfield has some artwork and bits that i dont like but it's a fine machine.

Cirqus Voltaire has a bizarre and unique theme that allows it to have one of the coolest cabinets in the business. I have never even played but a mate says it looked excellent and played pretty well. He said it looked more exciting than it actually was, but i suggest he didn't play it for long enough. Playfield is so full of toys and ramps and far-out lighting. Impressive to behold. I guess that's why it seems to hold its value so well. The kids must've put coins in this machine faster than they can pick their noses, because this machine is still desireable. This machine is a good example of why Bally/Williams machines were so awesome. I would buy this machine without playing it ... today :)

Whirlwind grabs your attention and has a few interesting shots. Backglass and cabinet are cool enough. Spinning discs are a big part of the playfield and can be interesting (pretty cool back then ... still cool). The ramps are a bit short on the upside but the downramps are cool. Style of play isnt bad but didnt make me want to load the machine up with coins. May not have the replayability id like for a collection. 1990 was the start of bigger and better things. Not a bad fun theme for Williams. The wind in the face is cool. Personally it isn't the most fun pinball and im not such a big fan of it. The theme is creative and less serious than some Williams machines, but id much rather a Bally Dr.Dude. Over-rated at pinside i reckon by a long way, but Williams do have a lot of fans. Any bad review gets marked as 'Bogus' at pinside, so we know what that means.

Tron Legacy made me a happy man. Got an insane amount of multi-balls on my first ever game. Had a lot of fun. The disc at the top of the playfield is a nice touch (a bit different and inline with the Tron theme). The cabinet and backglass do it for me. Ive been a fan of the Tron movie and games from the beginning, so im definately biased. Several interesting shots, the sounds are good, the playfield is not overloaded but works pretty well. Id love to have seen more toys, so many possibly choices. More bikes at least. Some blue LED light strips on top of the playfield, to emulate the Tron World, would've been great and could illuminate the field. If they got me to design this pinnie it would have cost them a fortune to make it :) Stern have done well. Id say it's on par with StarTrek and Batman, Spiderman, etc. One of my favourite Sterns. Less mind-blowing than Metallica but way cool all over.

Theatre of Magic is another good machine from Bally. Manufactured in the middle of the 'Golden Era of Pinball'. Very nice cabinet art. Even the aprov card go with the theme. The backglass art is also good but i recall it sort of freaking me out as a kid. It didn't make me want to put too many coins in it. This pinball is a bit too serious i think, or something. Not as much fun as it should be. Collectable and popular, but not my thing. Game plays pretty well and i like the ramps. I like the cleavage on the backglass a hell of a lot. Havent played it for a long, long time but never felt the urge to put lots of coins in this one. Understand why people like it. It's an interesting theme and the machine mathes it well. A good Bally/Williams pinball but not heir most fun.

Creatures is a classic pinball machine. Impressive in 1994. Looked like a lot of money went into it. The hologram in the playfield is very cool but fades with time. Can be sorted out but it may cost a bit. Toys are numerous and good for an old pinnie. Gameplay is not totally suited to me but the ruleset is quite deep and the machine fits the theme nicely. Was very cool when it came out and it's still cool today. Played it 2 years ago and enjoyed it. Nicley kept machine and holding it's value. Collectable for sure.

Plenty of goodness on the Simpsons. Lots of toys, and creativley used, particularly Bart with skateboard. That's cool. Artwork on playfield is great, glass is good, cabinet probably could've been better. Game plays really well. Only issue i had was the Nuclear Reactor Cooling Towers feel too close to the flippers, (like several recent Stern's). Can affect the gameplay a bit but it's no big deal. The rest of the game flows well and it's a good laugh. A fun machine for a variety of skill levles.

Roadshow ... good laugh and lots of entertainment when it was released in 1994. The two heads on the playfield (Red and Ted) take up a lot of room but are integral to the game theme and good for a laugh. The cabinet, backglass and playfield all fit the theme really well, but it feels a bit like this machine is tailored to young player. Played recently and still had a laugh. Sadly the machine was in a state of disrepair. If the heads aen't working right, the game experience suffers a lot. Classic game though. Will always play it, but its not my the wishlist.

Batman Dark Knight is an excellent Stern. The cabinet art and backglass are sweet. The playfield looks aweosme. Im not a big fan of the crane, but it's something different. Crane can drop the ball in the wrong spot but its no big deal. The game is a lot of fun. Vocals from the movie are pretty good. The toys on this are excellent - the Joker in particular looks the business. Playfield is well lit and great to look at. Not the most perfect gameplay in the world but a good all-round pinnie.

Funhouse was a bit of fun. Added another dimension to the playfield with and evil dude on it, starting back at you. Wire-ramps were a cool touch, running across the playfield. Good looking machine. Used to put coins in it and then move on. Perhaps more time on the machine. Looked like a quality machine in 1990.

Iron Man is another good machine from Stern. Cabinet and backglass match the theme well. Playfield is nice apart from those thin plastic targets that cheapify it for me. Good lighting some cool toys. Sounds from the movie are cool. The magnet traps the ball well, and dropped it in a decent place most of the time. Cool effect for pinball machines still. Had a lot of fun on Iron Man. If you like the movie or the character, it goes a long way.

Scared Stiff is an excellent Bally/Williams machine from the Golden Era or pinball. Awesome artwork across the entire machine. Some really interesting and creative items, like the skeleton across the length of the ramp, and toys n the backglass. Eye-opening and goood fun for pros and novices alike. A really unusual and entertaining pinball machine. Just what you'd expect from Bally. Definately a top-100 machine. I would love one.

Spider Man is a great pinball machine. Cabinet, backglass and playfield work the Spidey theme very well. Great effort! For me Spider Man is good 'benchmark' for the quality to expect from todays machines. To top off the great looks, this machine also plays really well. It's good fun and yet still offers a challenge to the experienced player. Can't find too many faults. My biggest issue is the use of the thin, plastic standup targets. Man, i hate those things and am embarrassed to see them on great machines like Spider Man and AC/DC for example. 3D standups would have been way cooler. Regardless, its a top machine i reckon. Nice one Stern.

Attack form Mars was mint when it came out. Playfield had lots of inserts with lots of colour and a whole fleet of flying saucers. Pretty cool but probably Over-Rated here. No way this is this better than Monster Bash :) The game is a bit of fun and the ramps arent bad, but the stand-up targets facing the flippers can kill the flow of the game. Was pretty popular i think, and im suprised they made less than 3500. Worth having a game of for sure. Not really my thing.

Star Trek Next Gen pinnie was pretty awesome in 1993. Played it recently and it's not a bad game. Much cooler if you're a Star Trek fan. The sounds fit the theme, as do the the cabinet and the backglass. If the game is setup well, it plays well. If it's not setup, it can be less than enjoyable. If it stops shooting the ball out properly, its a downer. Nothing a new coil wouldn't fix. Gameplay has never fully grabbed me. A couple of shots feel a bit awkward. A good machine that has a wide playfield and a popular theme.

AC/DC was cool. Especially when Bon Scott was around. Great to see this machine. It has help to renew the pinball fanbase. Good news all around. The AC/DC machine is good fun, the music is pretty awesome and the cabinet and playfield fit the theme. Ramp shots are pretty good. Only issues i had was the use and over-use of the old-school stand-up targets. Look cheap to me. Perhaps a mix of targets - 3D ones look solid and can be lit. Pop-ups have always been fun. Slight lack of toys and the Bell breaks and after fixing breaks again. If it was up to me, a couple of songs would be changed. Id include 'Problem Child' for sure :)

I thought it was decent when it was released but i don't enjoy it much these days. Theme is cool and the artwork does the job. The plastic on the playfield should have been used for more toys or something. Good for some games.

Nicely designed machine. Theme works well and is exotic. Toys are pretty good and the playfield has plenty to keep you busy. A classic.

Good game with a deep ruleset. Pretty decent gameplay although not my favourite. Very popular. Know a guy with a mint machine. Lucky bloke has several classic machines like MedievilMadness. Great for the gamesroom for sure. Backglass is awesome! Good fun and a good investment.

Pretty cool for the bold colours used on the playdield. Got my attention and the theme works. Some strange angles but not a bad game.

Good looking Stern with an interesting layout and a few different features. Good Hulk toy on the field and Avenger fans will be into this. I personally don't get along with this particular playfield layout.

The Pinball Circus certainly was different. Didn't really feel like a pinball machine. Interesting expansion of the concept though. Not my thing but worth a shot for the experience.

Start Trek, from the Into Darkness movie, was cool and its good to see the Trek on the screen again. The game looks pretty good, plays ok and the sounds are good. From the movie i believe. The Enterprise is the main toy and an appropriate one, at that. Something is missing but im not sure what it is yet.

Some didn't like comment when i said, "Backglass is good and the toys stand out. Feels very cramped. Like there's too much too close to the flippers. Wanted more from the gameplay for sure." I thought it was fair. My rating was a bit low so i have upped it. It was more fun than Avengers and does look good.

Cool ramps and plenty of colour on the playfield to attract paying customers. The backglass never did it for me but its a good effort.

This Metallica pinnie is bordering on brilliant. The guitar-slide as you launch the ball is the 1st cool thing you notice. Then a beastie Metallica song comes on ... one from the days before they got short haircuts and white singlets. Then there's the steel ramps and the choice of shots. Can get some decent ball speed up in a couple of places. The Snake and the Mystery hole seem a bit close to the flippers but work ok.

Lots of lights, lots of colour and some good variation in the gameplay and ball speed form the various shots. This is one of my favourite Stern's. Multi-ball is outrageous! I think it was 5 balls and they kept coming even after loss.

I prefer the cartoon-stlye backglass on the Monsters version. But i like the cabinet art on the Road case version. The photo is good but there is too much glare coming of Lars's head :) Nah it's very cool too. Both great looking cabinets. Monsters version could have been more Metallica-like ... maybe some albumn cover art. Some of the lights under the right ramp are hard to see but its no biggie. Great machine.

Impressive Stern. Enjoyed by everyone i've seen play it. Artwork around cabinet are inline with the movie and the playfield toys are fairly good. There's a lot of good Stern's around now. This is still one of them.

Monster Bash, what a machine! One of my favourite Williams creations. Cabinet, backglass and playfield set standard for todays cool Stern machines i reckon. Colourful and eye-catching, this machine will draw you in and won't let go. Great artwork, great toys and fun gameplay. Different theme to Williams normal style. Very Bally, and that's a good thing. Machine appeals to both sexes and is pretty special really.

The best bit about this machine is the gun grip. The targets are still cool. Played a few games recently but didn't enjoy it much. Was a Dirty Harry fan and enjoy some sounds and the theme. Sadly the game really didnt give me that pinball buzz. Even when it came out it was cool to play but the flavour wore out quickly. Probably a must have for Harry fans but its not for me.

Fish Tails goes right off! It's not difficult for novice players to have some fun and pros can play all day long without losing a ball.

The ramps and the small boat ramps are the main feature on the playfield and are easy to hit ... continuosly.
I love this game for its colorful, coordinated theme, its humorous audio and the fun-factor.

Fish Tails is a great machine for the collection and will definately get some use. Not the greatest pinnie ever but it wasn't trying to be. It offered a refreshing change in gameplay, at the time, and is heaps of fun to play. Top pinnie!

and the audio is a bit of a laugh

Everyone has played and enjoyed 'The Addams Family', it's a Bally masterpiece! Excellent theme and spooky artwork plus a great style of play means you have to consider adding this one to the collection. Not really my favourite as i prefer a little more color and humor but it is a machine for the masses - appeals to so many.

Data East did a great job with this pinnie. Creepy artwork all over and a nice, open playfield for good ball speed. A highly sort after machine - very collectable.

A great looking machine with some fantastic toys.
The playfield is sweet although the colors would not be my 1st choice. Good fun to play and decent rules means 'Indiana Jones' gets the thumbs. Very popular but not my favourite Williams production.

One of the best pinball machines to date. Loved and respected by millions. Entertaining and challenging with some cool little features. You MUST play this pinnie!

Reasonably good looking machine that Shrek fans will enjoy, but lacks the excitement and replayability of many games. Enjoyed Shrek and liked the wire-ramps but it's a bit green for me. Rather look at the Metallica backglass than the Shrek one, if you know what i mean. In saying that, i've seen few tough-guys play this and say it was a good. Their honesty suprised me :) Plays well but the theme is not my style.

A Williams classic that has given enjoyment to the masses. Great artwork and a very cool theme that works perfectly with the ramps and the toys. Lost balls are a possibility and there are a few little bugs but this machine is very desirable.

Good fun with a reasonable theme. Not too hard to score and the gameplay is enjoyable enough. Wasn't over-the-moon about this machine but had a fair amount of fun using it. Not really interested in adding it to the wishlist but it will suit certain players.

The Party Zone is a Bally/Williams beauty.
Manufactured by Midway (1991) for Bally.
The Party Zone offers a good, fun pinball experience for players and non-players alike.
Great artwork and good toys for the day.
Excellent clear plastic ramps that have more curves than the front-wing of an F-1.
Cool and unique theme that actually has a meaning, (listed in the Details, Stories and this 'Ratings' page, for ThePartyZone).
Captain B. Zarr's jaw moves, as he talks, and he turns to follow the ball.
He's the main character and most get a laugh and a fun game out of The Party Zone.
The Dot-Matrix displays has some pretty cool stuff going on and the sounds are pretty crazy for the time. JIMI HENDRIX-PURPLE HAZE and THE WHO-PINBALL WIZARD! No Way! ... Yes, yes, yes.

Perhaps misunderstood, but the 'I don't get it!' comment, on the cabinet was a clue.
Many plafield, backglass and cabinet characters are notable in some way or other.
The Party Zone is celebration of a collection of Bally machines.
Captain B.Zarr hosts the party. He's the DJ and you can 'Make a Request'.
His Rockit ship takes the partiers way out there. This is what is written ON the BACKGLASS:

"You are about to enter another dimension, with your Host, Pilot and DJ - Captain B.Zarr. Fasten your seatbelts and escape to a Parrallel Universe, that's way beyond Wisconsin! Meet & greet pinballs greatest partiers at the most electro-flying club ... 'The Cosmic Cottage' where they really pump-it-up! During 'Happy Hour' fill up with 'Rock-It' Fuel, Blast Off, and 'Rock-It' through the 'O-Zone' for some major scoring. You may even experience the 'Big Bang'! (It's not just a theory anymore!) So become a frequent flyer on a fantasy excursion that will take you way, way, way out there to ... The Party Zone!"

Party Zone rewards the experienced player but high scores can be gained by all.
Oddly my first few games are very low scoring, but the 4th game is high scoring.
It's actually very easy to perform well but, like many machines, when the ball is coming off the slinghshots, or targets near the flippers, a drain is a possibilty.
Hey, welcome to the game of pinball :) A few long shots, that keep the ball away from the danger zone, will give you a longer game and allow the score, the story, and the pinball experience to unfold. Play it before there aren't any left, friends.

The backglass drew me to this one and the layour looked pretty sweet. Great big open playfield allows for high ball speed and its a entertaining for a while. Replayability is not great, in my opinion, but its a fine pinnie.

A good all round machine with reasonably fun gameplay.
Good color and artwork but lacking the replay factor.

Playfield layout is fairly open making for reasonable ball speeds.
Sounds could have been more numerous but they can be amusing.

Stern built a nice machine with 'Pirates of the Caribbean' although this machine does not feel as solid as the Bally/Williams pinnies.