nutshell79's ratings

I've owned IJ for about 6 weeks and have been playing it non stop. I love the theme, the artwork all around is great, and the music is fantastic - lots of different tunes for the modes, and multiballs. I like playing all the modes but understand the criticism of others that they are mostly ramp loop based. Regardless, they are a blast to play based on the movie tie ins with quotes, animations, and music. The multiball rules are well thought out and will remind you of Fish Tales - hit three regular jackpots then pound away the super at the captive ball. The path of adventure is a nice mini pf (but I still prefer the shadow's better) and the idol lock is a very cool toy - especially how it is positioned launching the balls back onto the playfield. Narrow escape is a nice touch too.

This game can be approached from various playing objectives. When I want a quick game I just go for the ball lock and play for multiball. But if I want an adventure I'll try and play for all the modes and only lock balls if the drops are down. When my shots are on the game has nice flow but when they are off - well those are tight and frustrating shots!

IJ does have a few faults - the mode scoop needs to be adjusted to prevent bounce outs and the path of adventure needs to be dialed in to work correctly. The left side of the PF has some wasted space. Also, I wish the friends call outs were more varied then the standard one line, as you will hear those the most. The cab decals get really faded on this one but I'm looking forward to doing a complete tear down and rebuild.

Overall it's a great game and one I don't see getting bored of any time soon!

The music cought me off guard I was not expecting the mellow mid-eastern sounding tune for the main gameplay. Based on the theme I thought it would be more agressive but somehow it fits and I really like the music.

JY has a unique layout, good flow to the ramps and hitting the hanging captive ball is lots of fun. The upper right pf is wasted space under the bus, seems like they could have fit a few pop bumpers in there which could have been fed by the divertor on the ramp. The rules seem a little multiball heavy but I never got to far in the adventures.

This game could get old in a small collection but in a larger game room it's a nice change of pace.

I like the pf, shots, and toys on this game but something is missing. I'm not sure if the theme kills it for me but the game is not very exciting. For an early Stern Lawlor game I would go with Ripley's

T3 has great flow with the alternating ramp shots - very fun to keep that going. It borrows some of the good elements from T2 (speed, flow, ramps, payback time, collect awards from the orbits) and adds an update to the rules and some new shots. The game is not deep but the rules are clearly defined. Art is not the best, some of the voice call outs from Arnold are cheezy but I guess that follows the movie. For a newer Stern these can be had for a nice price and on location it's a nice game to drop some coins in for a quick game or 10!

Great flowing game! Only flaw on the pf is the car crash shot. Worthless to shoot at, should have been an outer left loop instead to keep the flow going. Also game flows better with the claw disabled but it is such a cool toy I had to reconnect it. Rules are not that deep, but this game is about combos and multiball (tip play with the triggers it doubles the combo bonus). Playfield artwork is good, but not so good on the cab and back glass. Audio is excellent with movie style scores.
If you like flow, combos, multiball, and movie music this game is for you.

I put about two hours on Tron the first time I played. The art package looks great and fits the theme perfect. The music on the game is outstanding. I really like the track after the three bank drops. The two ramps flow really smooth along with the left loops. Although some shots from the left flippers were a littler harder (both right loops were hard to hit for me) but the right outer loop was satisfying to make all the way around especially if you hit the right ramp as a combo. They should have feed the upper right loop back to the upper flipper instead of down into the pops to be set up for consecutive looping shots and provide even better flow. I don't know if the game I played wasn't leveled correctly but weak shots that feed through the pop bumpers had a tendency to fall down the middle. The game has a nice skill shot into the arcade that requires some nudging. The spinning disc works nice, looks great, and only once did it throw the ball directly down the left outlane. The rule set was a good mix of multiball and standard modes -fairly deep. I could see this game having legs in a home environment.

Overall a nicely designed pf layout, good rules, great sound and artwork make Tron a very enjoyable game.

I play POTC on location once in a while. It's a stop and go game with not much flow. The only shot that directly brings the ball back to the flippers is the jack the monkey ramp. The rule set is fairly deep and the modes are difficult to complete, combined with the narrow shots gives the game good re-play value. The art package is great - especially the playfield. The sounds & music complements the pirates theme. The plastic protector around the ship looks cheap as does some of the other plastic on the playfield. Overall this is a really good player and with some mods it looks really nice in the home environment.

Bought a big top for my three year old son and we worked on it together.

The game play doesn't stack up to more complicated machines but for what it is it's not bad. I do like the look of the game especially the back glass, and the playfield plastics.

This is a good game to get little kids into pinball and to learn some flipper skills.

I bought this game based on its reputation of a really good player. I'm a fan of art deco design so the artwork appealed to me too. The Shadow took a few plays before I started to like the game - it's really hard! But now I Love the Shadow. The flow, speed, ramp diverter combo shots, the mini playfield (game within a game) and the ball lock are all outstanding. It also has a great balanced scoring rule set with a lot to do - 6 main modes that are difficult to complete, a few mini modes (vengeance, Mongol hurry up, supper loops, mini pf), two regular multi balls, and the final battle. After taking in the game play don't forget to listen. The music is outstanding - complements the theme and adds to the excitement. Some nice custom sound clips from a few of the actors, rounds out this total package.

The Shadow is so addictive - try and play just one game!

It's a difficult shooters game if you want to accomplish all the modes, but also can cater to novices who just have fun scoring goals & multiball. Your shots have to be on to advance through the cities and start modes/multiball with the center scoop. The theme is nicely executed shooting goals , the dot animations for the extra ball and multiball are great, and those voice calls - they can't seem to get control of the ball! The original music is good and gets the heart pounding at the right times. The only playfield design I don't care for is the goal save. I find a slap save works better for shots SDTM and generally ignore the magna save.
The cabinet art is lacking, the translite is nice and colorful, as is the playfield art - a little too heavy on the pastel colors but hey it was 1994! I also like the female ref on the playfield- great shorts! - and a little nod back to some earlier Bally games.
The entire package makes for a very nice pin and a great bang for your buck.