Natemsmith04's ratings

So I want to love this game. I love the theme, I’m partial to wide bodies, I enjoy the ramps and the phasers and the combo Picard maneuver. Fun Easter eggs, achievable modes and a wizard mode that isn’t unobtainable, but I absolutely despise the layout of the outlane and the slings where they are obscured by the phasers. The game is nearly unplayable as anything that comes anywhere near the top of the sling will instantly end up on the outlane. If I could see what’s going on, or if it wasn’t a parallel shaft with rubbers design to keep your ball in the outlane, maybe the game would be playable. But that plus being able to time out modes and without having to shoot any shots is pretty broken. I love the theme and this game has elements I absolutely love, but I despise this game with a passion and hate when I have to waste my time on money on it in competitions.

First time through, game feels a bit floaty and shots feel a little tight. Americans flippers don’t quite have the snap that Sterns do and that takes a bit of an adjustment, but once you get going on the game, it’s a ton of fun. Game is accessible for the novice and family friendly but scoring is deep enough for the hardcore player to keep you coming back. Love loop crash multiball and the track builder multiball and redline mania combined with upping the RPMs to increase the shot value is pretty great. I don’t really care for the claymation animation and battling monsters doesn’t really do it for me, but it fits the theme of campy and nostalgic hot wheels glory. Excellent light show. Deceptively hard game to really blow it up. This ones a keeper for me, really happy I took a flier on it.

This is my first new pin and while I enjoy the game, probably one I’ll part with eventually. So I love how punishing the shot accuracy is in this game where you have to react instantly if you miss your shot. Really great for shot placement training and honing flipper skills. And I fully understand that’s by design. I also enjoy the gimmicks with the shield, flail and the bashable Knight though when you hit the knight, there’s no telling what direction it’s going to bounce to. The magna save being in the center instead of by the flippers was a bit of an adjustment but it’s not too challenging once you’re used to it. It makes you choose to abandon the shake save earlier than you normally would and commit to the magna save which is nice. Love the call outs though definitely not family friendly. Scoring is wonky, there are plenty of games where you get almost nothing unless you’re in a mode but this game feels like a standout of that model. I’d you don’t start a mode, doesn’t matter how long your ball is, you will get nothing. And when you’re in a mode, I mean, you’re getting 1-5 million a shot which just feels unproportional to the rest of the game. That shield shot is so tight that if you don’t hit it at full speed, the ball doesn’t round the corner and hit the target and it really disrupts the flow. I’ve also played the premium version of this and while it’s got the upper play field, it’s almost barren. I prefer the pro to the premium on this model. I like this game, but don’t love this game. It’s fun and it’s challenging.

This game was such a challenge on location that I kept plunking quarters into it and I decided I’d buy it if I ever found the right one and am so happy I did. Shot layout is challenging but doable as it awards combo bonuses and end of line jackpot that progressively gets more valuable through the game. Love the music and the call outs from the movie though I do wish they’d taken more of the music because there were so many great songs to choose from. Love the ramps that light up in synch with your shots and love the add a ball feature that you can earn during the various multi balls. Game is deep enough for me but easy enough that getting to sea of simulation and the portal isn’t an impossible task as there are many pins that I’ve put significant time on but have never even sniffed wizard mode. This pin has the just one more game feel that I love in a machine. Keeps me coming back and is always a popular destination in the game room. Never leaving the collection. My only gripe with the game is the U target placement, feels just slightly out of place and makes the gem shot not only more difficult and somewhat random to achieve but increases the chance of returning STDM when going for quora or the left ramp. Just wish it was up an inch or so and the game would be perfect in my opinion anyway.

Let me preface this rating by stating that I own a GOTG LE with the Cleland Code and am so happy that I made the decision to doubt the haters and purchase. I played this on location before buying and couldn’t stand it. While I love the theme, the rules were clunky, the sound was terrible and orb multiball was broken, now that is definitely not the case. I love the different modes and getting the sounds, speech and music from the actual movie makes a huge difference in the gameplay and fun factor. The flow of the game is great now and the modes give variation to what you shoot for and when. And being able to hit the ball around to all the music from the movie, again, really makes a difference. I love being able to stack multipliers and in contrast to most games, a bonus multiplier can really make a huge difference in your score. The only minor mechanical issue for me is the drop target on the orb multiball seems pretty poorly designed as the weight of the ball sometimes prevents the target from functioning properly and so you get some unnecessary ball searches during the game more often than you should. The rules are now very deep and I still have a lot left to explore. I love when a game is hard enough to master that you can get really solid scores and have yet to uncover deeper modes, gives it lastability and replay-ability. Orb multiball is HARD with magnets actually chucking the ball is random directions instead of just slightly diverting it like other games. But with the ball save you get while it’s on, you don’t feel cheated. Also, as it’s relatively easy to get, though with a dangerous shot above the middle, you can get it multiple times in a game. I don’t see this ever leaving the collection. In my game room, this bad boy is always being played by one of the kids or a guest. Absolutely love it, happy it sucked so bad when it came out because I got it at an absolute bargain!!!

I played the remake for the first time and enjoyed it so much, I went and bought an original. Big fan of this game. It’s pretty straightforward and easy to understand what shots to try for at any given time. Love the toys and the ramps. I enjoy the “it’s alive” multi ball feature even though admittedly it is almost too easy to get. I enjoy getting the band back together for the monster bash though shots aren’t so difficult they are super satisfying when you get them. I wish the game was a little harder so maybe I need to up the difficulty settings a bit, but the toys are gimmicks are fun and for my money the replay value is high. Again, just wish it was a little harder because it’s not one of those mysteries that I play over and over and can’t understand. Cabinet art is awesome and lighting is well done. Not so brightly lit that I go blind when I get an extra ball, but distinct enough to know what I need to shoot for. This bad boy is going to stay in my collection for a long time.

Original Rating: I don’t think there’s a machine out there that I despise more than this one right now. I really don’t like the scoring system, hate the layout of the Playfield and the lack of ramps. I mean, clearly I haven’t figured this one out yet but it feels to me that there’s not anything to shoot at, couple orbits and some scoops and the ball lock. The upper Playfield just takes up so much space. I like the ball lock mechanism, that’s fun, and if you can ever get into the upper Playfield it’s at least something else to do than shoot the few shots open, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a halfway decent game on this machine and yet I just keep plugging quarters into it to give it one more try and every game I regret it. Theme and lighting are a cool concept and if you like bizarro world scoring, then bonus for you, but this machine isn’t for me. If I ever own an establishment, I’d love to see how this one does on location because I feel like there’s gotta be other people who, like me, can’t quite figure it out, but keep trying anyway. It’s a fast game with nice bells and whistles, but just not a machine that I’ve ever enjoyed playing, especially not competitively.

Updated Rating: So I’ve played this a few more times competitively in league okay and in tournaments and feel that I finally have a grasp on the game. While I’m not in love with the game, I get it’s appeal now after having put a lot more time in it. I think the tide turned when i played competitively and learned that you can steal other’s locked balls and have your locked balls stolen. It made the game much more fun and immersive than in a single player mode. While I’m still just grasping at the rules and feel I have a lot left to learn, I no longer hate this game and can one day see myself adding it to the collection. Solid music, very fun competitive game and great light show. Still wish there was more to shoot at, but it’s growing on me and I look forward to playing it instead of dreading it.

Where to start? So I love the theme. Indiana Jones will forever be a part of my social conscience so getting to feel like I'm a part of the adventures is fun. Love the music, and the voice clips from various movies. I like having the revolver as the plunger, though this Indy skill shot is a little blah. Satisfying drop targets and the ball lock feature is just cool.

So the way the balls are launched in multi-ball is fun and fast paced. I like the teetering ramp to get the extra ball, it kind of feels like labrynth, a childhood staple from the 90s, which definitely requires more than just pinball skills to be good at. Love the sound effects. The ramp shots are satisfying, if just a little steep for some places that have weaker flippers.

Stuff I don't like, the right out-lane having the ability to magically get saved, is great except when it's not. I guess it's unique, but I'd prefer more of a traditional outlane where I have a better chance of shake saving it. The scoring doesn't seem very balanced, like getting 30M points for the minecart video mode which is super easy, when jackpots for doing pinball skill requiring shots don't net you near that many points. I like being rewarded for modes, but feels a little too gimmicky.

All told, love the theme, really enjoy the game, but hate seeing this come up in competition as it's luck of the draw for which mode you start. I still would like to own one, but there are a lot of games higher on my must own list currently.

Absolutely love this game, the variety in the modes as well as the different ways to score points are a huge plus. Also, the scoring, seems pretty balanced so it's not a one trick pony, or at least not as far as I can tell. Definitely on my wish list for sure. I love the 4 flippers and the different orbits, and the fact that ball locks are easy and multi-balls are fairly plentiful is a good thing to a relative novice. I love combo shots in this and getting rewarded for them and the callouts in most games are annoying, I think the very clear call outs help, though I admit I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of lights that go on, but it's not nearly as distracting as a game like GOT where everything is a jackpot all the time. The left ramp through the bumpers is a very hard shot so it makes it quite satisfying when you hit it, especially for big points. I really like the Premium upgrades with the lifting ramp to the underworld and the sarcophogis (sp) lock. Mummy multiball is fun and again, relatively easy to get. My only real gripe is that you can be just getting to the good part of your favorite song, and you start a mode that plays a different song and it kind of kills my jam at that moment. When that mode is over the song picks back up again mid stream, but it does kill the vibe when you're a fan of the pinball machine and the music at the same time. Big fan of this game, it is always occupied in the local pinball parlor so it's rare that I get a chance to play. I'm confident I'll own one soon.

First couple of plays, I could not stand this game. After watching the local pinball whiz rack up a score in the 800 millions, figured I needed to give it some more love because it was clearly user error. Now I’m a fan and have it on my wish list. So Likes —- insanity fall shot is super unique and adds to the satisfaction when you hit it, feels roller coaster-ish, and I like the upper playing field having two separate shots. I also like having more than one shot to go to the upper Playfield and neither are difficult so it’s easy to complete modes. The voice acting is funny to me but I could see it getting old after awhile and who doesn’t love Bigfoot. Ok, so the bads, hate the bumpers on the right blocking any kind of shot that way, though technically I know there’s a shot there. Also I think that hidden shot on the left is tricky. I die when I intend to get it and only ever hit it on a ricochet or lucky bounce. Plenty of orbit shots go straight down the middle and it’s like your reward for hitting the shot is to send it right where it hurts. Also the ball lock needs some kind of diverter, can’t tell you how many times I hit it up there with less than full velocity, and it just falls STDM and kills me. Also, some weird sounds go on with this game, not sure if it’s a Bigfoot rumble or what, but there’s a loud whirring bass that is just distracting, admittedly maybe machine specific, but it’s pretty offputting for me. Still, I like the game, simple and straight forward with opportunities to get rewarded for combos, 5x Playfield and the whirlpool multiball thing is fun. Local pro had multiple balls going and it was pretty mesmering to watch when that baby got humming. I want one!!!

Really fun game. A bit repetitive when goals and ramps are about all there is to the game. I’m a big fan of the voice acting, same guy from NFL Blitz and NBA Jam so a blast from the past there. I will say the multiball scoring is totally out of whack with the rest of the game, but it does make it fun, and scoring a goal never gets old, especially with the assist and hearing the announcer go bananas when you score. the role over buttons have a tendency to carom the ball STDM, but the game plays fast and I catch myself playing multiple games in a row. The magna goalie is kind of fun, but not a lot you can do about it. Just doesn’t help when an STDM is coming from the top of the play field, hat magnet isn’t half as strong as t should be to actually help. Sound is repetitive but overall, happy to have in the collection.

Always love playing this game any time I see it. While some people find it campy and cliche, the constant puns and monty-python ish references keep me laughing. The back and forth between the trolls and the funny things the rioting villagers say are my personal favorites. Can’t think of any other call outs from pins that get me laughing like this one does, maybe when the T-rex eats the ball in Jurassic Park, but that’s about it. Music is a bit repetitive and the castle scoring is overblown, but I have just as much fun rescuing damsels and blasting the trolls as I do destroying the castle, though not recommended to get a high score. Tons of shots. This game will never get old for me. Will always have a place in my top ten.

So I remember playing this as a kid, and loving it. Fast forward 20 years and I play this again as an adult and just don’t see what I loved about it. The shots feel wonky and the left bumpers are even closer than Jurassic Park’s. The vault and the stairway are fun, but there’s nothing I love about this game except the theme. I really did love the Addams family movie as a kid, so wouldn’t mind owning one some day. But again, just don’t see why it’s so highly rated. At the time, probably one of the better know licenses on a machine, but other than that, I just don’t get it. Maybe I need to play it a few more times to remember... I’d prefer to purchase two reasonably priced pins instead of one of these.

So I’m not sure if I’ll ever buy the game, as there’s not enough variation in modes and objectives but this game is fun to play. The top playfield is challenging at first, but quickly gets easy. Still always satisfying to make a cliff jump. Fun to beat racers and move up in the standings. I’d have to play this game a lot to get better at it. It’s good, but not great.

Was not expecting to like this game as much as I did. End of the night, waiting on friends to leave and figured I’d try it, very happy I did. The game plays fast and with the engine sounds it is themed really well. There are limited ramps but they are easy to hit so it’s often that you’re doing laps and increasing your speed which is fun. Love the mechanism in the middle that zings the ball around the track, pretty satisfying. The lighting is themed and fits, but the green yellow red is a bit jarring to stare at if you’re having a good game.I like the music, but definitely repetitive. Good game, plan to play it again.

So after re-reading my original gushing review of this game, I needed to come back and edit. So to give this context, I raved about the game and it’s unique features last time, which are mostly still true. I like the which, watching the monkeys carry away Dorothy and all of the theming.The fact that you have to “earn” a ball save with Toto or there’s no place like home, and love the two upper playfields, the breaking the door and the spinning house are cool. But why oh why did they have to make these outlines so ginormous. Every game I play the ball barely even gets to the flippers, no amount of nudging prevents those craters from swallowing ball after ball. I dread when this game shows up in competitive play because it has always resulted in an X for me. Clearly I need to keep working at it, but the fun and playability are diminished as the game proves to be more and more discouraging the more quarters I plunk into the thing. And when my local joint charges a buck for 3 balls, I find much more satisfaction from almost every other game there, especially considering the price.

The game is extremely fun and objectives are clear and easily understandable, though I’ll admit that when I bought it used the switch under the A light wasn’t working so more than half of the functionality was disabled and I was pretty bummed with how it got boring rapidly. Fixed that A switch, not me but a savvy friend, and I couldn’t be happier with the game now. I love the different game modes (now that I can access them) and the ability to accomplish mulitple objectives nearly simultaneously just gives it a fast paced feel though not as fast as the Getaway. Art work is pretty blah, and I wished there were more pictures from the movie on the play field. The toys look gimmicky but the T Rex animation/ mechanics more than make up for the other underwhelming plastic looking dinosaurs. The T-Rex is always satisfying, huge crowd favorite, and the Raptor Spring is engaging and less random than a magnet. The left bumpers are a bit too close and it takes multiple play throughs a to overcome that, but once you learn the game, shot placement isn’t too bad though I wish there were a few more shots to make. Absolutely love the variety of multiballs available, as well as the chaos multi ball, which is pretty awesome. Don’t know why this game isn’t scored higher. At the local pinball place, this machine is always occupied, which is more than I can say for a lot of the higher rated game on this list. The smart missile is pretty fun and gaurantees either a high score or a multi ball from the grave I’d our fast enough on the trigger. Love it.