LilRocky's ratings

I had both this ICE version and the TAITO version. Found TAITO to be easy to loop, where this one is ridiculously tough to hit that 12th hole, so ended up selling TAITO and keeping this one! While TAITO has the win on art and sound package, this one has more lasting value due to difficulty.

Hang Glider has a good number of shots and some nice scoring mechanics (the double bonus is key). However, this pin doesn't bring anything new to the table. The artwork is pleasing to the eye and it has an assortment of features such as a spinner, kick-out hole, drops, and rollovers, but there's nothing here that will win you over in a line-up of other EMs. I do enjoy the kick-out hole in front of the pop bumper due to its risk/reward, although the shot is a pain to actually land.

I'm not really big into EMs, but I really enjoyed this pin while owning it. It has a lot of unique features not commonly found on EMs such as a skill shot, multiball, zipper flippers, and a kick-return. The multiball feature is really unique as, in a multiplayer game, you can steal a locked ball from another player.

The skill shot is a fun feature early on, but for the rest of a ball it has no use and just takes up 4/5ths of the playfield.

The playfield artwork is really well done. Unfortunately, all the plastics used on the game has this thatch-work art, not sure what the reason was for that.

All in all, a really well made game for its time. I sold this pin pre-maturely in the hobby, but if I had another chance to pick one up, I definitely would.

Like SlugFest, this game really shouldn't be considered a pinball machine, so rating it in relation to other pins is just unfitting. However, again like SlugFest, the game succeeds very well at being fun in its own way. The game has three bowling modes that you can choose from at the beginning of the game. Your goal is to then use the left or right flipper to flip these massive pinballs into the pins, just like bowling. You can set your ball up from the left or right side by hitting the corresponding flipper button. You then press the flipper button again to flip the ball towards to the pin. Like how shuffle bowlers roll over switchs to active hitting pins, Strikes N' Spares does the same. So depending on the angle the ball is shot, the machine's logic will raise various pins to simulate the reaction from an actual bowling ball being thrown down the lane.

When I owned this machine, I enjoyed it most when playing it and competing with friends.

Just not a game for me. Aside from the alpha-numeric display, this game looks and plays just like an EM. I can see a Cubs fan enjoying it as a collectors item, but the game was just really boring for me.

The multi-layer, 3d molding style of the pin is pretty neat. And this is one of the only games that I can think of that have a cat-walk over the main pf. The game has a neat mechanic where you must knock down a row of drops on the lower pf, which then activates a gate on the upper pf to a hole where you "collect treasure." The gate only stays open for a set amount of time, so you must make the ball back to the upper pf, flip it across the catwalk, and then knock it into the gate from the upper right flipper. It's actually a really fun shot pattern. So basically, the entire game you are building up a jackpot from other shots, which then gives a massive pay-off if you successfully make the treasure shot. There are a few other neat designs like the ball save on the left side that you can nudge into a kick-out and the plastic moldings actually having paths for the ball to travel.

This game is definitely not deep by any means, but if you're looking for a game that's very affordable and will provide a bit of skillful fun for you and your family, this is a good one to take home.

Not much to say that hasn't been already. All around great complete package of a game. Although, I do wish the lower pf had a little more going for it. After putting tons of games on the pin and really learning the rules well, the lower pf rarely sees action and seems more of a novelty than anything else.

What makes this pin king to me are the rules. Similar to TSPP, knowing the rules in this game will grant you a massively greater score above someone who doesn't know the rules but is good at keeping a ball in play.

I really like this game. The Stewie pinball machine is my favorite toy from any pin. The part that makes it a keeper in my collection is that it is instantly accessible to new players while also being deep enough to keep experienced players coming back for a challenge.

Non pin players are drawn to Family Guy first out of all of my pins. Most people enjoy the theme while others are caught by the mini pinball machine. Playing the pin brings a smirk to anyone that plays due to the many humorous and numerous call-outs with the newest code. A new player can just flip the ball aimlessly and still have a good time with the pin and usually make it to Stewie pinball at least once.

Now, the advanced player who understands the rules will get an entirely different experience from this machine, all while still smirking from time to time by the call-outs. The TV mode is obtained by a certain number of spinner rotations that progressively advance for each new mode. I believe this is a step up from TSPP's hit the spinner once to re-light TV. Now while TV modes can't be stacked with each other, they can individually be stacked with the various multiball modes and other scoring events (Evil Monkey, Happy Hour, etc.). Stacking the right events with each can lead to HUGE scoring.

Some do not like the death post save. However, this is another part that seperates new plays from advanced. A new player will just see the death post as a way of keeping the ball in play a bit longer. However, the advanced player knows that letting the ball drop and settle to the left or right of the post will allow for a guaranteed Louis or Chris shot.

As for the Stewie playfield, I really enjoy it. You can post pass and backhand shots, while certain shots are more dangerous than others. Not everything is perfect, though. The Louis ramp can rarely be made from the left flipper due to power issues, you can't bounce pass, and sometimes a made Louis ramp shot will bounce the ball off the pf and into the drain.

I do have several dislikes on the game, mainly being the beer can modes. It'd be nice to somehow choose which mode you were about to be awarded. Too often do I get Happy Hour and Beer Scoring at times when it won't amount to much. My next complaint is Stewie Pinball turns up too often, which will kill the TV mode start when lit. Award me both! Although, I do like that you can remove one ball and the rubber post between the two Newton balls, allowing for the loose ball to roll back and forth from the two shot paths. Unfortunately, doing this will keep beginner players from frequently obtaining much Stewie Pinball time.

Anyways, the game is funny, has plenty to do once you know what to do, has pretty tough wizard modes, a very hard to obtain final wizard mode, is funny, and, most importantly, fun.

When I played this game on location, things never seemed to work right (OP hits didn't register most the time, violent ball rejects from the drop target, All-Spark shot impossible to sit). However, owning one has allowed me to tweek and dial in this game so that it plays the way it should. I've also changed a number of settings, such as lowering the number of shots to start a Transformer mode and increasing the shots to Ironhide so his mini-game didn't always run.

So, with these tweeks and adjustments, I have found TF to be a surprisingly fun game. I have the combo and think the art package is pretty good. As with the XM pro cab, I enjoy the two different art packages on both sides of the pin (good vs. bad). The pf art is pretty basic, however the insert layout accompanied by the stock LEDs is done very well, so you pretty much always know what you have to shoot at any given time. The metal ramps with the faction cut-outs are top notch and the lighting from underneath shines through really well.

Stern went with the movie clip DMD animations again which are hit and miss. As with SM, some of the DMD animations are just one giant blur where you can barely tell what is going on. The sound that accompanies these animations, however, are top notch. This game rips many quotes straight from the movies and uses them at key times during play. In multi-ball modes, you feel like you're in a battle and when playing various Transformer modes, successful shots activate sounds and videos that really feel like you're progressing a story.

Unfortunately, it is these Transformer modes that bring me to what I believe is one of this game's biggest flaws. Each Transformer mode feels very similar. It's usually hit this random shot, then that random shot, and so on until you finally make that robot's specific number of shots. Starscream, Ironhide, BumbleeBee, Devestator, and Skids & Mudflap each have their own areas on the pf. Why not incorporate this some how, for example hit the BumbleBee shot a certain number of times in his mode, or complete Devestator by keeping the ball in the pops for a set number of bumps. The game is still challenging with the random shots you are forced to hit for each robot, but it's just that, random and not very character specific.
*edit: After spending alot more time on the game's ruleset, I see that some of the modes are a little more varied than I thought. They're still somewhat too similar for my taste, but there are a few fun ones. For example, later in Starscream's mode, the shot you must make becomes a moving target, or in Devestator's you must get the ball to the pops, which will randomly generate your next shot.

Going back to the various Transformer areas on the pf, I really like these features. People complain about the Ironhide pf but, when set to "hard" in the settings, the game does not come up to frequently and is a bit challenging to get the hang of. Although the EM pinball sounds from this mode are pretty odd (yet I like it). Starscream is a cool hurry-up mode, too, with that moving target challenge.

So all in all, I'm a bit shocked at how much I enjoy this game considering the very bad reputation it carries. However, I would definitely say that this game must be tweeked perfectly for full enjoyment.

BDK is a great game for both new and experienced players. I say this because, at face value, a player immediately notices the joker drop and the crane. So a new player will probably keep shooting at the Joker, starting a MB that way, or will eventually hit the crane scoop, starting the crane which they will shoot for and eventually start MB that way. Other than that, a new player could probably care less about the other features of the pf. A more experienced player who has bothered to learn BDK's rules will be in for a much different experience. The game has alot more going on than it initially shows. Without going in depth on too much, the biggest key to high scores on this game in the mine multiplier. Without skillfully using the mine multiplier, a good game may net 100-150mil. Using the mine multiplier to your advantage would make the same game doubled to tripled. Activating and choosing which shots get multiplied is a really neat idea, however, this brings me to my complaint.

To start the mine multiplier, you must shoot the two white targets about 5 times. Sounds easy enough, but the positioning of these targets are very dangerous and will either lead SDTM or into the slings and possibly down the outlanes. So while I love the idea, the only safe time to start hitting these is during MBs, but the problem there is that you might activate a lane you don't wish to multiply due to all the balls in play.

Moving from gameplay to pin features, the crane is amazing. Most people hate the Joker can, but I kind of like it since it signals to me when my super Jackpots are going to start up. I just think it's silly that first you see the Joker charector and then it spins to a picture of his face. It would have made more since to be a picture of Batman standing over the Joker or something victorious looking. As for the Batmobile see-saw, yeah, not much sense to that one.

The only big negative I give this game is for the speach. It simply makes no sense why they clip some speach from the movie, yet also have voice-overs. The voice-overs make it very confusing to know who is even talking as most sound the same and are awful. Since there are a number of speach clips from the film in the pin, why not ONLY use speach clips from film??? I'm sure there's some reason for it, just have no idea what.

BR has that simple but addictive play style like the older system 11Bs. The cannon is an awesome toy and the "sink the ship" shot is not an easy one. The layout is pretty simple and I'm always for a game with an upper flipper looping shot. The right side of the pf seems tacked on as the whirlpool loop doesnt really serve any purpose aside from building up to an extra ball and/or quickly lighting LOCK. While the right shot to the bumpers just doesn't score very well. Scoring seems to mainly come from sinking ships at 20M for your first and tacking on an aditional 10M to that for each additional ship. Unfortunately, for me at least, I can have a rocking game without sinking any ships, yet have the same score (or usually better) when only gunning for ships the entire game. But, dang, trying to gun down those ships is really fun, rewarding, and is what keeps me coming back to this game! Plus, aside from the usual high scores on the game, there's also a destroyed ships high score.

I'm a fan of video modes, but the ones in BR are fun and silly at first but get old pretty quickly. The call outs are good and piratey, although grainy, and the music is catchy (love the music after sinking a ship). The art is really good and the side art on the headboard is one of the best cab arts I've sen.

So all in all the game layout is good, but it seems like most my play is lined up off the right flipper. However, it's that cannon toy and sinking ships that keeps me coming back for more.

Between ball hang ups on the Hulk, making a ball stick in the Hulk saucer, and the terrible positioning of plastics over the two inserts on the inlanes, I found this game to be more frustrating than fun. I do like the layout, as it is something new, and feel the shots, when successful, are very satisifying. It just seems that where Stern usually get's things wrong on initial release (in the software) they got right this time, but at the expense of very bad functional designs. A few test plays would have shown that the plastics over the inlanes were a bad setup and that the LE's segmented Black Widow ramp has a very high potential of ball rejects. As for the Hulk saucer, it is only a matter of time and numerous plays before it gets worn down to make sticking a ball there next to impossible.

The rules are not deep by any means, yet the game has a very addicting, "just one more," quality to it. The spinner disk is a great toy and really puts some english and unpredictability on the ball when shooting it back to you. The lighting is ho hum on the pro, but after throwing LEDs and other lit mods to the pin, it starts to look amazing.

DE threw pretty much every idea they had into this pin. Magents, kickback shot, shaker motor, captive balls, and so forth. The crane is a cool toy as well, although a ball should immediately eject into play when the crane captures a ball as having to watch it cross the pf gets tiresome. There's also a good number of modes and multiball features that have some good variety. Yet with as many features and shots as this game has, it just turned out "ok" for me. The clunky feel and boring theme just didn't give me that need for "one more game" as so many other pins do.

A surprisingly good game. Plenty of tight shots and four flippers keep you busy. Tons of modes, too. During my first few games I hated the pin, but once I learned how to activate modes and how to get balls to the upper left flipper, it really got me hooked. People bash the theme and artwork but I like it. I mean the entire art package, including DMD animations, has busty women in skimpy bikinis. My two gripes are, first, feeding a ball to the upper left flipper is really clunky and slow and, second, the speech quality on the pin is grainy (seems to be the usual case with Sega and DE pins).

The pin2000 machines are a really neat idea that I wish would have brought about further releases. Revenge from Mars is a really unique game that appeals to a wide audience, including people who don't really care for pinball. The animations that appear on the glass make it very easy to tell what to shoot for and, along with the sounds, are pretty amusing. The pf is very dark, making balls seem to come from nowhere, but, as with most pins, after a few plays you'll know where to look when balls exit that back area. Owning the pin comes at a cost if something goes bad, as you may need experience in not only fixing a pin, but also knowledge on monitor and computer repair.

REALLY fast game with plenty of tight shots. The Magneto and Wolverine figures seemed ridiculously huge on first glance, but with more plays I got used to them and Wolverine doesn't block my shots or view like I originally thought he would. The under pf magnets are amazingly responsive and Magneto's mag really flings the ball around well. The artwork is great, especially the cab and translite and the DMD animations are good too. The game also has plenty of modes, so getting to a wizard mode is no easy task. In it's current form, the code still needs a bit of work. Aside from Beast, the voices don't bug me too much as I understand the over-dramatics due to the comic book theme. A major gripe I have is with the factory ramp posts causing way too many air balls. It's an easy fix with changing the posts and rubbers, but it's something that should have been originally addressed.

This machine surprised me as I generally do not care for Sega or DE pins. The Frankenstein multiball mode is amazingly deep and very difficult to score a super jackpot on. I'm not a fan of the massive Geneva hole on the close left (these close shots seem pretty common for Sega/DE machines) but, other than that, I think the layout is smooth. Some of the modes are very tough (save Justine and Creature Feature), while others are ridiculously easy (North Pole), however, they are varied enough to keep things interesting. Also, getting to wizard mode is a pain, which is a good thing in my opinion.

I generally can't stand the very early 2k Sterns, but this one turned out to be not too bad. The constantly moving goalie and four drop target "defenders" are fun to get by and score a goal. I also REALLY like the hurry up where you need to hit a ramp shot and then quickly score a goal.

For as simple as WPT looks, it has a ridiculously lot going on. The game does'nt do a very good job of teaching you it's rules, but once you learn them, this pin comes to life (especially with a little software tweaking on infrequenting the posts).

Even though my rating doesn't show it, I actually like this game. Getting the very easy multiball started and keeping it alive on both flippered parts of the pf is pretty fun....but that's about all it has going for it.

The T-Rex coming to get the goat is one of my favorite modes on any pin. The shaker motor integrated with that T-Rex toy is just awesome. Jp is definitely one of the few pins that I miss after selling.

Amazing art package, awesome sound and speach (for it's time), and addicting gameplay. For an old school SS, this game has alot going for it. Four ways to start up multiball, two of which can start up to a 5 ball MB, in-line drops, under pf magnet, and kick-back posts from both outlanes, this game has alot to keep you busy. If you have any enjoyment with older SS pins, you will love this machine.

The theme and artwork are great and it's really fun to jump back on forth from the three different playfields. BUT WHY NO MULTIBALL?! The fact that it's a wide body with three playing levels just gives the ball too much much space and the game grows boring too quickly.

This is one of my favorite, older games. I love how making it to the lower playfield has a punishment if you drain and don't light the re-entry to the upper playfield. The multiball is hard to obtain and even harder to keep in play when you finally do achieve it.

All the buildings and plastics make playing this game feel like your playing in a little Flinstones world. The bowling is a neat idea and is somewhat a game inside a game. I really enjoy the looping ramp shots, too. The game seemed to get boring fast though as there's only a few modes and the wizard mode seemed lacking. It's great in short bursts and I always throw a game on one when I see them on location or at a friend's house. However, when I owned this machine, it quickly lost it's luster and was rarely played.

I really miss this one and hope to have it back some day. It's one of those simple yet addicting games.

The artwork is, by far, some of the best work on any machine. And the game is just as great to look at as it is to play. With in-line drops, a pop bumper in the left drain, and four flippers, this game has some very unique features. Some satisfying shots also come with a shot to the left drops followed by a flip to the right drops and a shot to the left spinner flowing across the pf and into the right pf "waterfall." And, for a widebody, this game plays very fast.

My biggest complaint is sound. There's no music and I don't believe music is necessary for this pin, but the "bleeps" and "boops" just don't fit for me. Although, I'm not sure what sounds would, maybe some digitized lion roar or something?

All in all it's a classic SS pin that should be checked out.

Another game with a really cool atmosphere due to all the molded parts like the castle, town, and graveyard. Adding to this games spooky setting are the call outs and music which are top notch. The mist multiball is great, the looping ramp is smooth, the multiball modes are challenging, and the game plays fast making for a great experience!

You owe it to yourself to play this pin. One of the most unique pinball machines that I have played to date. Very fast ball times make you want to keep coming back for more.

Great theme, nice layout, neat toys, and TONS of modes. You really can't go wrong with this pin, unless you hate wide bodies. The pin also appeals to non-pinheads so it gets alot of play at gatherings.

A "must have" pin for any collector.