RipleYYY's ratings

i'm sorry to Hobbit lovers, but... from a "player" perspective, i knew from before, when i played this pin long ago, it was not for me... than yesterday spend the journey on a new friend house, full of pinballs, including Hobbit... than give it another chance : same feeling as before, no matter i dont know what i was shooting for (except LOCK > SMAUG), was just keeping balls in play, aiming for blinking shoots (!), and getting multiballs after multiballs after multiballs after heu, yes, multiballs !!! it was so boring after 1 hour of play that i "forget" to play my 3 last extra balls, scoring 11M points, having beat Smaug & surelly some of others things (i didnt even know)... conclusion is simple : this pin is not for me... the good point is : coils are quality ones, they dont feel flappy during this long/hot game... a last word, i'm not an "anti" JJP (if you check my ratings, my n° 1 is DIALED IN !!!), but GNR, Godfather, and this one are too much "multiballs" frenzy

well, after 1 month home & 150 games on it, i can say that i'm still happy to have bought this pin without playing it before (only other pin i bought blind was TRON LE)... of course, had watch a lot of streams before (hi Karl DE), and i know it was something for me... ok than, 3rd pin made by AP, and to compare with Houdini & Oktoberfest (which i really enjoyed too), HW is more simple, in the design, in the rules/code, how it shoots, and honestly its not a bad thing at all... the pin is not only very fast (good point for a car theme), the timers in the code makes you to shoot well & quick, else no big score... i know we all have comparaison in mind when getting a new pin, i would say that to me HW feels as a mix from Iron Man (adrenaline) & Star Wars (flow, code/the PF multiplicator), not bad heh ;) ... animations on the screen are well in the theme (Hot Wheels City series), sounds/samples are good, and lightning efx are really top ! game is approchable for evbd, and in the same time, can become really challenging for hardcore players (who wanna go for big scores)... main line coding includes : 5 main modes, than another 5 secondary ones, a super cool RED LINE MANIA (timed multiball) which is to me the real gimmick of this pin, than 3 others classics multiball (tracks+loop+race), another 1 in the mystery (car chaos, which lets admit is not a mystery lol), and of course a final wizard mode (to all this add more then few small things here & there)... the code is actually full/complete, really mature, i see nothing bad here... some are talking about the screen not being in the center of the backbox, honestly i see no prob here & understand why they do like this (for the nice backglass)... to be complete, and depending of your game, it may needs 2 easy tweaks, to correct some rejects at the track scoop, and to avoid some stucked balls over the top rails... in conclusion : another pinball way underated, which deserve much more attention than some guys playing it 3 games on the wild to than give bad feedback (so sad they just see/understand quite nothing of it)... as said already : well done AP, Hot Wheels is very good & fun ;) *** [edited to tweak my... english ! lol]

my 1 month location is close to the end (i'm already on "extras days", tanx to the OP, you Stef P. are a very nice guy), than its time to put a rating on this pin : well than, let's admit i like these "Borg" designs, than i feel relax with Turtle, even if its (much) more faster than other similar pins (cause the inner loop)... i like the code & rules from Dwight, and i feel all is working well together with the theme... my only complain with the layout is that left outlane zone, too much balls going out there (even when its suppose to get the innerlanes), in the stats i'm over 2X the right outlane... with that design, a ball falling from bumpers and/or inner loop is often going to the left targets, than down on the upper slingshot rubber, than or left outlane, or a perfect drift to the right outlane ! of course i know i can change the slope (which will change some angles) or better nudge, but but but... the right slingshot also put lots of balls in that left outlane (i've tried various power, same result)... also notice than this pin is equiped with a PP, i dont like that... and than : do i enjoy Turtle ? yes of course... is this pin family friendly ? no, absolutly not, its a "player" pin, a hard one, which could quickly become frustrating if you're not good at pinball ! than before buying one, testing/playing it would be a good advice ;) ... PS : the PRO is already well equiped

next one, Stranger things : just ended 1 (big) one month loan, and of course i knew this pin before, but my son wanna to really push-it to the end (and he did, beating the WM, while i didnt)... from the overall design, its AFM, from code aspect, its another "Lonnie classic", with no surprise, but than its OK and work well here, with no real big problem (may be some points would be better with a small tweak, but he's the one to decide ! lol)... the theme is well implemanted, and if you like the show, you will like the pin... its another good pinball from Stern from all their last release, but to me not what i would like to own home

(after a 1 month loan) a positive experience, Mando is a good pin, and the code/rules are nice, even if some bugs remain (including full pin reset, in 1.30), need some attention here... finally not hard to understand in the main gameplay line, quite easy to play & advance until the mini wizards, and than the hard part is coming, you will need some skill to go further (and beat the pin THIS IS THE WAY)... if i have to compare this with STAR WARS, i think i prefer SW, which is more brutal, more speed, and with a better/clever control on the playfield multiplicator

ok, my 1 month loan with Munsters (PRO) is ending... as a tournament/hardcore player, my main problem are the code/rules, as for me this game is to easy/simple and absolutly not deep (the recent updates are nice, but main coding/story/tactic line is right the same)... now, does this mean this game is bad ? not at all ! despite what i've said before, i have a lot of fun playing this pin, the theme, artwork, sounds, lights, all those are working nicely together without a doubt... most satisfying shoots are the ramps, and the one who can make you unhappy is the DRAGULA cove, you can aim for it but it doesnt feel natural, and a direct shoot may often result with the ball going thrue and out in the left outlane... another bad point (for STERN cut costs) is the right single bank target for LILY, 4 targets there would have been 10X better (i can understand why with the left one for DRAGULA, there its ok)... than all in all, its a much better game than where it stand actually, mostly made for lambda players & family... enjoy Munsters !

this pin will kick your ass 9 games out of 10 (well 4 out of 5 for good players ;) ), a real adrenaline/fast machine, while sometimes your 3 balls are gone is less than 2 minutes (who said 1 !? lol), even if you've made no real error/mistake... mine is set sensitive, which add even more difficulty... code is simple & not deep, but not a prob to deal with this as it works well with that layout (even if few things may deserve an update)... with all that said, lastability is than high, because you always want to push that START button again & again, the other very good point is the overall ambiance with sound/music/lightning... :)

well, its now 1 month that SW is home, and honestly didnt really looked at it before that... a big mistake (from me) ! not sure why, surelly i simply quite never saw/meet this one, and than played it for a few games only, on older code, while just shooting for shooting without knowing what i have to do & how to build my game... as a "player", i than chose to get this one home, versus my Houdini, and its a complete change when talking about the gameplay style, from a cool game with lots of "stop & go" (which i enjoyed a lot, dont misundertand me), SW is the perfect opposite : its a (very) fast game, with flow, and not only you have to play it quickly, but you have to also think quickly, because of lots of hurry-up going on, but than also that playfield multiplicator which become more soon than later THE main point of this pin (i mean, if you wanna focuse on big points... or simply forget it if you wanna just reach the wizard mode)... all in all, i found SW to be a very good pin, which is way underated :/ i could imagine some people found it to be harsh (because its eating balls for sure), but than shoots/trajectories are finally not that hard, and code is not as deep (or complicated) that you will think at very first... home, it quickly become "easy" for my son & i ;) ... i not always talk about theme when posting a pinball com, but in this case, SW is perfectly integrated (i have the PRO, i suppose its even better with the PREM/LE ramps)... in conclusion : not the best pin in the world, but than a very good/fun/enjoyable pinball, and without a doubt much better than where it stand actually in the ranking

My 2nd API game (in fact i was more thinking to get HW, but that one will surelly came later), as i was more than pleased with OF ! Same here with Houdini, about the overall quality of the build, its a step higher than... Well you know... Houdini theme is perfectly linked to the gameplay, slower than most other recent games, meanly "stop & go" style, but than fit with the theme (keep cool & enjoy the magic show)... Artwork is really good, the cab, the BG, the PF, but OK less when talking about the vids/screen animations... Code is not forgotten, Josh still working on it (and listening the community), and more than very good already, with a lot of things to do, its mainly a "mode" based game... All & all, a very good pinball, for me underated by the community, because of few (really) hard shoots to master, but in the same time, the pin is not punitive if you missed them (and finally in a home situation you quickly "get them"), that means Houdini is friendly, and makes you a better player... Easy than to understand that i'm more than pleased with my choice to go for this pinball :) --- Edit : i've forget to speak about the 3 magnets in TAF style, the catapults with the trunk one being a real nice gimmick, the hands crossed mode, the video-mode, the "special save modes" in the outlanes, the real lock(s)/release rules, the easter eggs... ;)

got this game 15 days in a home location, and as a "player" i've played/seen lot of it... tested in 0.93 & 0.94 version, i quickly understand what to do & how to play it, even if the GEM tactic remain something to go further in, with multiple possibilities... game is fast, quite hard at outlanes (tanx to the slings), lots of flow when you master the needeed shoots... at first rules were complicated, than all became quickly "easy", its not as deep as you would think, the 6 avengers to advance into the game, the GEM if you want to play as intended (and than aim for hi scores), the super modes add more fun & side bonus (but in fact you dont want to play all of them)... i like the drops targets matrice (in fact this is very important & a real key in the game), as the combos, also very important... in conclusion i found the game to be a good one, but didnt get the WOW feeling i directly get with JP... and my son, also a player, is very critical with AIQ, to first being positive with the game, but than playing it each day makes his feeling to finally not liking it (i think he's hard but OK its personal to him)... also dont forget its not fully coded, than need to be judged again in 1 or 2 years time, when code is 100% mature)

OF is home from few weeks, with something as +/- 100 games on it, and as a good player (...) already reached/saw all the wizard modes (but didnt fully beat MEISTER)... after DI i was looking for a nice contender (mainly about code point of view), and let's admit that JP was (and still is) on the radar... and than, i knew a little about OF, having played it in some meetings/tournaments (with a positive feeling), than reading & watching over it on internet convince me to go for it (and be back to JP later)... and than, except the theme i'm not really in love (was the same with DI), i have to admit that OF is as i was thinking, but not only with more than very good (rules) surprises : the layout is good, its more based on a "stop & go" gameplay than a master of flow, the code is already very good & very well done, with clever things in it (STEIN multiplicators, use of the knocker in game, use of the 2 right buttons in a mode, tapper video mode, the shaker is nicely linked to some situations, 4 magnets including 2 controled, ...), and back to the theme, lot's of funny things to hear, meanwhile for adults (there's a family friendly setting)... and than, all in all, a very nice pin, which i think deserve much more attention (especially if you're a "player", as with the 14 STEIN multiplicator in 3 [even 4] levels each, you have LOTS of possibilities to tacticaly build your game)... really waiting to see more from next AP Hot Wheels pin... :)

i recently got a RFM home for few monthes, of course know this pin from time, and forget to rate it... what can i say that hasn't been said already !? this pin is fun, fun, and fun ! P2000 is a very nice plateform, pity about how all this finaly ended... than RFM is a very good sequel to AFM, may be with even more funny nonsense (screen/sounds/voices samples)... of course this RFM is quite simple about the design, not very deep, and than most of the shots are quite always the same meanwhile various modes (until the big wizard), but anyway, it remain something you wanna play, again, and again, and again, just because its... fun ! (did i said it already !? lol)... enjoy :)

TTR is now home since few monthes, than for sure its time to rate it honestly... well than, i was in search of an "old" pin, i'm still in a nostalgia mood actually, and than a friend did get this beauty in a pack-buy... after having played few games, i know i wanted this pin home... a rare system 11, with a sci-fi theming, what do i need more as an '80 fan boy ? the fun factor is here, the lastability too... even my son (24 years old) like it for that same simple reason (as we're hardcore gamers and loving deep pins)... small bad point for me with coding (ROM L2) is the playfield multiplier not staying at X3 when you keep the 3 balls (and X2 when you're keeping 2)... else all is well thinked, the layout & the shoots you have to make if you wanna score big points... again, another really underated pin which deserve much more love than what he gets ! one of the best SYS11 for sure :)

TWD gone, i needed another pin with a (complete) good code, and than i'll go for DI... of course i know already lots about this pin, i'm a (tournament) player, and i'm studying a pinball before buying & have it home... its my 1st JJP, and i have absolutly no regret ! after 1 month home, the feeling & pleasure is perfectly as i was waiting, the pin plays very smoothly (Pat L. touch at his best !?), its the "combo fiesta" if you just want to play as it, few "stop & go" as needeed, well all in all a perfect combinaison about the gameplay... the code is than complete & well balanced, deep/tacticaly enough for good players, and directly fun for beginers, in a "classical" style (main line is : enable the scoop, shoot it to began a mode, try to finish it, and next one), with more than enough others funny little things all around (for ex. pinball attack you in MB, hard to cradle than, and the magnets are sometimes really bitch*ng you even more than in TAF (lol)... the overall pinball build feel solid... and finally the theme : i know some didnt like it, i know it may feels strange at first (i was also asking myself), but... once you're in, the story line is easy to understand/follow, and its doing perfectly the job ! ... the only small bad point of DI is the timing of some samples voices : sometimes few are stacked & playing in the same time (and also we heard to often Mandy saying : "shoot this" or "shoot that", as when you have the pin home, and playing it for some time, you know already what to shoot for ;) ... in conclusion, i like all era pins, for just what they have to propose considering the time-line technology (deep ones, and simple ones), but right now, i think DI is the best pinball i have had in my hands ;)

hard & frustrating pin for sure, deserve a lot of practice to (try to) master it, theme is top, and code is surelly Lyman best job... not a flow master, but i like the layout (let's admit i'm a John B fan), and not all pins have to be in the Steve R style... without a doubt, this pin makes you being a better player, than if you're looking for some challenges, TWD is the way to go !

blew this game when playing it on a friend house 1 year ago (slope was mid range & tilt was friendly)... just bought this same T3, which is in nice condition and playing very well/smooth... as my son & i are quite good players, tilt is now set to sensitive, and slope is at max... even that, it remains a quite "easy" pin, as since 2 weeks we have gone to WM 10 or 15 times already... does this means T3 isnt good ? not at all, i knew before it was not so deep, but i wanted to swap home pins to get something more brutal/direct, with shorter playing time (than TSPP or LORD if we're talking about the year 2003 lol), and i've just get what i was looking for ;) all has been said about good/bad points, and to me the only weak point remain the overall artwork... to resume : T3 is a nice machine, for sure not a keeper (as i simply have to swap my pins !), but an enjoying pinball without a doubt, especially if you like rush/adreline pins

edit march 2018 : my T3 has been set available for a swap, but i must admit i still have it, not only because i dont found something else i really want to replace it, but more because as i know it could leave home, i'm enjoying playing more & more with it, and the fun factor is still here, and growning ! despite its becoming way too easy, as we're going to wizard mode quite each day we play it !!! than i set up higher the lastability ;)

few monthes now that LAH is at home... what can i say more than we all know already !? ok, the BG is the weak point, but it you like playing pinball, who cares ? the game is really fun, match the theme, has the rule set more than similar as all others DE from the era, easy/simple but doesnt mean not fun (even more with the custom rom 1.13)... what i dont like in the design of the PF is the right upper side, feeling "close" there... for having more flow the right captive ball could have been replaced with a side lane going to the upper BONUS X lanes... but anyway, LAH remain a very good pinball without a doubt, lots of toys and features on it... if you can buy one, go for it !

hard pin for sure, need some tweaks for having fun home (center post or carrot flippers, and anti-airballs plastics)... the theme is great, as the artwork and sound/music... the layout is not usual... still waiting for a final/finished code, as a player i want more, even if its good already, with 2 video modes, midnight madness MB, and mass hysteria MB with reverse flippers... seems its a "love it or hate it" pinball... :)

edit 2019... Dwight, what are you waiting for ?

well, just get a perfect PRO HUO... before that, didnt play too much that game (but as a player know about Lonnie's coding, and last update), i've read a lot here & there, and were than informed of some probs & needed tweaks... as my son was in love with the theme and the pin, as the price was OK, i than bought the pin... and i dont regret it... i've just done a quite great summary of the pin for french forums, dont think its needed here, may be just my conclusion, as this pin didnt deserve to be so far in the ranking : to enjoy it, you must play on a perfectly working (tweaked) one, not only with HULK not blocking balls, but also the LOKI look, and last but not least, the BW ramp being nicely adjusted (on mine, after tweaking, with high slope and flippers at minimum strenght, no prob at all to climb the ramp)... in that case (and that case only), the pin is for sure a good one... enjoy ;)

forget to mention, we're +/- 200 games played on 3 weeks, with few HELLICARIER done, and just 1 BTE (my son, in 5 balls, and not completly finished)

well, as said in my comment (hi-score), i have played this game for the 1st time yesterday on a tournament... as C. George was playing another match on it just before me, i simply watched him to learn his strategy, which was more than simple & easy : launch the ball to the upper left PF, play there, when ball came down to the left flipper, hold it, ball jump to the right, simple control and aim for the upper left PF again... and sometimes when this goes bad and you have ball on left flipper, aim for the right upper loop... all this again & again & again & again... until you quickly get bored ! than, for my 1st game on it, i just did that, playing 1 hour or so, rounded the clock, and letting the 3rd ball draining as evbd was waiting... oups ! sorry for those who are loving it, but for sure its not for me ;)

Always enjoyed this pin when i meet him on tournament/expo, but without the idea to go deeper in the rules & strategy of play... Now it landed home (in a swap with my MET), its a good surprise, as its better than what i was waiting for. Of course still didnt see the "end", but already have a really good feeling not only with the flow and the gameplay, but with mature (and complete ?) rules, and also the sound/efx theme with the lights (its a pro version, moded with quality LEDS). Again, a underated pinball for sure, cant really understand why, but lets deal with it, we all have different taste and its better as it ;)

all has been said already, one of the best sys11 ever created :)

Well, i took me long time to finally sell my TRON LE, and find something else i would like to play (quite ?) the same... Only few pins remained in my head, and x-men magneto was one of them. Quickly find one in perfect state, with some mods. For sure, it made me happy, with no doubt a real similitude to the TRON playfield (inverted), but with finally a different game play & rules. After a short time playing it, i noticed that ball flow is less good, with some "blocks" (tanx to nightcrawlers), same for sound ambiance & efx, better on TRON LE which clearly bring/immerse you in the pin/movie... X-MEN takes advantage with the art design, the playfield, BG, box & DMD animations, with this return to a cartoon style, is really good, even more with the MAGNETO model, the more beautifull (for me). I quite havent played the pin with old code (and no DEADPOOL), but with the last one, i found the pin quite "easy", with already lots of wizard modes reached & completed. With no doubt, i enjoyed it, its a very good pin for sure :)

My first contact with this pin was when STERN annouced it,
and we can than grab some infos all over the net... Must admit i was not really
in touch 'cause i was not (and i'm still not) a METALLICA music fan... Than, i
first met the pin in real in a tournament, which i can only play 1 game, in final
to win the contest... I feel quite happy with the pin, not sure if it was the
result or the pin itself (or the 2) !? Few monthes back, i found one in location
near our house, we (my son & i) go than to play it more deeper, and directly we
found it good & addictive : it was with the old code, but even that, we have
great fun playing it & "knocking" it, making lots of free games on the day... And
than, the idea grows in my mind to buy one (MET or ST !?), even more reading over
the net about the new code coming, to finally order one & received it last
wednesday... Its surelly a bit early to put online my though, but really the
impact is more than positive, as i'm a regular pinball player, and most of the
time, i know what i like and what i dont ;)... Just a last note to say that i
choosed the pro to avoid the probability of having bugs with the hammer, which is
of course a nice toy when it works OK... May be more later ++

EDIT : code is now 1.6, pin is still very good and entertaining, better than before, than i have to raise my previous rate ;)

EDIT2 : still enjoying this pin, even more than before, that's a clear sign that STERN has made here a real winner ! good job on MET

build quality is top, as all CAPCOM, but i cant found the fun i got with PINBALL MAGIC... :/

edit rating : was a bit hard with this pin, who surelly deserve better than i gave it before
edit of the edit : full of strategy, deserve better points again ;)

2019, edit of the edits, as the elevator deserve more points as the main toy... ;)

from october 2011, when i played the game few times to...
october 2012, when i own it, what a mess...
because i before underated it !!! lol

i upgrade my points than
great game for sure

always enjoy to play this one... and never gets old to listen about the THIRTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY MILLIONS !

edit 2019, UP ;)

i'm lucky to own a LE ;)

Never played (and never see) that pin when i was young... Just bought it last year "by chance" and only after tried it few games : and i DONT regret it ! The '80 spirit is there, the theme is great, the backglass is top class, the eyes catch you, and the Sorcerer speaking makes young friend of my son going scary (lol)... All that said, hard to judge this old pin in 2010, but i still have the same pleasure to play it again & again... Even if its becomed to easy for me (always aiming for the 2 balls multiball, my son & i already succed to do 2 times the RTC on a game) thats no matter and its always a pleasure to push the start button... The bad thing could be the repetitive background sound, and when setting that sound to OFF that makes the ambiance "empty". Also the quality of the wood playfield !? (not protected at that time.
++ RipleYYY -------------------------------------------------------------

Well, i wanted a NIB pin, or something quite similar... I than bought the pin from Eric, which was less than 1 year old and HUO. For not disguting my wife playing sometimes (she's not pro ! lol), i needed something "clean and simple" (not a LOTR for example), easy to play and understand, and of course entertaining in the same time : think NBA got all of that...
Must say im a lover of the '80 era, and the design had something similar with that period, thats also another reason i like it. BTW, even if im NOT a real fan of basketball, the theme is nice (remember HGTT), the basket shoot is a nice "toy" (as in the SPACE JAM), and the sound works well (i like the ambiance sounds played with the organ (?) ). Now, few bad things : as the game is quite simple, its also too easy for good players : i got the pin from less than 1 week, and i already got the NBA FINALS... May be in the longer, this could make the pin annoying !? Another thing is the quality of the material : plastics are weak, and with that kind of gameplay, be sure you will destruct lots of them (with ball jumping here and there). Finally, the spin disc motor is making lots of noise, but may be its just on my pin !!!???
++
ps : sry for my approximative english
ps2 : video in play, with all missions done :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhAur8wOgeU
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