roffels's ratings

I played this game often when visiting my parents, my dad bought this because he was a huge fan of the theme. I think if you're a big fan of Dennis Nordman's layouts, you'll enjoy this one. The playfield design is very reminiscent of Elvira and the Party Monsters.

I never really connected with this game. It's definitely worth playing on location, but not something I'd want to return to often. The orbits are screaming fast, the ramps are satisfying, but that whole middle-section of the playfield with the stand-ups feels kind of weird and bricky. But it's 1990s Bally game, so it's not without it's charm. The "Wrong Turn" mode has that classic pinball humor. The game is challenging. And it's satisfying to hit the "Turbo Bobby." I couldn't care less about the theme, but I imagine it's a treat for anyone that grew up watching indy car racing, and can be enjoyed on the games' own merits.

Look, this rating is just my opinion and reaction to the game. I can appreciate a non-conventional layout. Maybe this one really sings once you get it in your home? But playing it on location? Woof. It might be my least favorite game game released in the past 15 years. I don't really want my pinball games to be a labyrinth/guessing game of where the ball is going and where it's going to come out. I do like that it harkens back to some of the non-conventional designs you'd find in the 80s like Bally's Hardbody.

The game is beautiful though - fantastic artwork, and the Shape appearing from behind the hedges is absolutely brilliant. I just wish I enjoyed playing the game.

It took me a minute to warm up to this game. Be sure to set it up to be hard - open up those outlanes, limit the extra ball awards, and put the rules on hard. Otherwise decent players will get to Ultimate Challenge in just a couple games.

Pros:
The artwork - they pick a style, and stick with it. And it looks fantastic.
Speed - this game has tons of flow. It's nice to have a game without pop bumpers. And the backbox art integrates with gameplay, including flashers that correspond to modes, such as Dredd's motorcycle lights flashing when in pursuit mode.
Shots - there are tons of things to shoot for, loops, ramps, drops, and it's satisfying when you start chaining together combos
"video modes" - I like that they're integrated into the shots you make, such as the ramps you need to hit in pursuit corresponding to what's happening on the DMD, and the same goes for "Bad Impersonator" - a lot of video modes Bally/Williams put out in the 90s were a small step above the sort of videogame people were playing in the 70s and early 80s, and feel out of place. I wish more of their games used video modes like Dredd
Humor - gotta love the little easter eggs hidden in the game when you hit buttons at a specific time.

Cons:
Give me a normal launch button, please.
Deadworld - ok, the mech with the deadworld mod is pretty cool. But as it shipped? The mech takes up a lot of real estate, and it and the crane really don't add anything to the game.
Supergame - Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I'd rather have a deeper main game mode integrating parts of "Supergame" than having a separate ruleset altogether. As it stands, I never load up "Supergame" because starting with a multiball is like having candy for dinner. It could have been more fun having those as different earned multiball modes in the main game required to reach "Ultimate Challenge."
Lighting - by default, it sucks. And it's a bummer, because the playfield has such beautiful art. Some warm-white spotlights and trough lighting really brightens the game up.

Depending on taste
Music - I can see it grating on folks. The first time I played it, I hated it. It's since grown on me.
Funky shots - I consider myself a decent player. Not a pro by any means, but some of the shots on here are kind of tough to hit. Air raid for example, and the reward for hitting it and getting the correct drop target is a measly 5 million. What's the point of this shot?
Some folks complain about the captive balls being a waste because they're not used in other modes, but I find them to a be a great risk/reward shot. Getting 2x multiplier on your modes is huge, but you don't want to earn it on a bad ball and it can be a dangerous shot to make.

A solid shooter, and what I first cut my teeth into when first playing pinball on location. The rules are easy to understand. This game isn't deep, the difficulty comes in the speed and brutality of the layout - my favorite kind of pinball. It keeps me coming back again, and again.

Pros:
Speed
Easy to understand rules
Buttery smooth ramps
Leaves you wanting to play one more game

Cons:
Artwork is workman-like, but works well enough

A fun shooter with a fun layout. Not a fan of the backbox art, but the playfield's art fits the theme well.

Flex save is fun, and this game plays plenty fast.

An okay shooter. 9-ball requires you to shoot drop targets in a specific order which I appreciate. It's a perfectly fine game to drop a couple bucks in, but there's not much there to keep you coming back.

If I had the money, my collection would be filled with all the System 11 games I could get my hands on. I love this era - the art, sound, and music are so charming. Earthshaker is no exception, presenting an exaggerated cartoon of 1980s California.

If you're playing for multiball, there's a good variety of shots to aim for, and the game makes it clear where you need to be shooting. One feature I find annoying is that you can shoot the side ramp to spot a different zone, removing the need to make some of the more risky shots like the captive ball to progress toward multiball. This feature makes sense for location play, since if one switch was not working, the player would be unable to get multiball. In the home environment, it makes the game considerably easier because it's pretty simple to stage a ball for the upper left flipper to make the side ramp shot.

Still, it's a fun game to shoot. Not my favorite from Pat Lawlor by any stretch, but it's fun in its own right.

I like a game that challenges me - Dracula can be a mean game, especially if set-up steep and played with lightning flippers. Games can go quick, leaving me to want to have just one more go to try and defeat Dracula and hope to hear "30 Million!"

The gimmick has to be my all-time favorite in pinball, with a ghostly ball traveling across the playfield.

My only complaint is the artwork - the playfield has some odd-looking illustrations of Gary Oldman, but not one of old-man Dracula with his goofy hair and iconic red robe, nor does it feature him in his warrior outfit. Both would have been welcome substitutions. And who can ignore the goofy-looking dracula figurine?

All that said, it's fun. The rules are straightforward - try to set-up 3 multiball modes. The video mode is one of the best in pinball - set it up fast and mean and it's over with in no time.

Sure, the backglass is rough, but the rest of the game is pretty decent. The rules are simple - spell out different words to build your android. Gameplay is pure arcade action - you'll want to keep trying until you build the android.

The playfield artwork is good, the music sits with some of the best chiptunes out the 80s, and all around a good, underrated title.

It's fine. The backbox artwork is fun, but the playfield artwork, palm trees, and opaque ramps do nothing for me. Well worth dropping a couple dollars in at the arcade, but there's very little to come back to with this game. A little on the easy side with long ball times. I had this in my collection for a couple months and traded it out for a lesser-regarded System 11 game.

Taxi sold me on pinball.

Sure, I had played other games before it, and even owned a few. But it's one I found on location, and I couldn't help but fall in love with it.

The rules are simple - put someone who doesn't really "get" pinball in front of a Taxi, and they'll be able to figure out what to do. Pick up the passengers, then go for the jackpot. It's straightforward, but still requires skill to consistently execute.

The theme is amusing - why would Gorbie or Dracula need a Taxi? Or Santa for that matter? The absurdity adds to the fun, the little bit of dada humor sells the theme. Take away the eclectic cast of characters, and the game would lose much of its charm.

The layout is pretty much all you'd want out of a pinball game - nice criss-cross ramps that allows you to keep the ball moving. There's some stop and go with the "Joyride" kickout, but it's not annoying.

All in all, a fun game to both learn on and to master your shots. It's one of my all time favorites, because of and in spite of its simplicity.

It's garish, but if you embrace the ridiculousness of the art and sound, you'll find a immensely fun game. Fast and fun.

This was my first and only pin. I was bored with it after only two months.

The theme is done well, and I love the artwork. It's nice enough to look at, but it's not fun. The rules are simple, and a good scoring game depends on you hitting both ramps and then the jackpot shot. Aside from some 2 player action, this game didn't engage me.