SuS's ratings
Pinsider SuS has rated 102 machines.
This page shows all all these ratings, and forms SuS's personal top 102.
Rating comments
9.740/10
10 years ago
I'd previously played the Pro (early code) and wasn't terribly impressed, so I was quite surprised at how much I liked the Premium, when I played it at the Pinball Hall of Fame earlier this month. I probably played this pin as much as all others combined. I guess, when you find something that you like, you know it. It is the total package and it's only gonna get better, with additional code updates. Now I need to add it to my collection.
9.128/10
10 years ago
Monster Bash Williams, 1998
The only thing I don't like about MB is that CD in the middle of the playfield. It should have been vinyl.
6.639/10
10 years ago
Star Wars Episode I Williams, 1999
Probably the best thing I can say about SWEP is that it had a lot of potential. If only they could have come up with some better modes, because some are awful. If only the game had truly been finished. If only Jar-Jar Binks weren't in the game or, better yet, if only Darth Maul sliced off Jar-Jar's head with a lightsaber. That's a lot of "ifs" though. However, one of the biggest flaws is that the best part of the game, by far, is the light show and music that you get when your game ends. Wait, the best part is AFTER you drain your last ball? Not sure what they were thinking on that one. I own it, but not for long.
7.151/10
10 years ago
Punchy the Clown Alvin G. & Co, 1993
I bought Punchy the Clown due to the rarity, to have something unique in the collection. It's doubtful that a large percentage of the original 103 survived the past 20 years. My first impression was that PTC wasn't a good game, it played like an absolute turd, and that I'd just wasted my money. I was certain that it wasn't a keeper. Fortunately, that impression changed.
The main issues were with the kicker arms, as they were woefully inaccurate. The ball launcher would only hit the left lane about 5% of the time, and the cannon hit it's mark about the same amount. I suspect these arms were supposed to have plastic caps, to better guide the ball, but these were missing. Of course, the rarity of the machine means that replacement parts are pretty much non-existent. I was able to do some "creative engineering" with hot glue and plastic to fix these issues, and then properly gapped all the switches. This made a night-and-day difference in the game play. However, I can certainly understand how somebody who plays this game, in a non-dialed-in state, would consider it horrible.
To look at Punchy the Clown, it obviously looks like a kid's game, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Sure it has the small cabinet, clown theme, ticket redemption, and is lacking outlanes, so it can't be that hard, right? Wrong! I would almost have to consider it child abuse, to make children play this game. It's a hard enough pin, that I can't imagine any child wanting to play it more than once. The rules are simple, but that doesn't make it easy.
Once I had the game dialed in, I began to appreciate it as being very challenging, rather than just bad. Still not a child's game though. Even though the outhole is the only way to lose your ball, it seems exceptionally greedy, and can make the game frustrating, much the same way as Pinbot's outlanes. Of course, this makes you adapt your play to suit the game. I keep it set on 5-ball, as that's the only way you have a shot at getting on the leader board. Surprisingly, the more I played it, the more I liked it, and found it to have that "one more game" quality. Now, it easily gets as much play as any other game in my collection.
Sure the theme isn't for everyone, the rule set is limited, and it can be hard as hell to get the ball out of the lower playfield, but it has a certain simple charm to it. When I hosted our league night, I was pleasantly surprised that others found the game as appealing as I do. For the time being, at least, Punchy the Clown is a keeper.
The main issues were with the kicker arms, as they were woefully inaccurate. The ball launcher would only hit the left lane about 5% of the time, and the cannon hit it's mark about the same amount. I suspect these arms were supposed to have plastic caps, to better guide the ball, but these were missing. Of course, the rarity of the machine means that replacement parts are pretty much non-existent. I was able to do some "creative engineering" with hot glue and plastic to fix these issues, and then properly gapped all the switches. This made a night-and-day difference in the game play. However, I can certainly understand how somebody who plays this game, in a non-dialed-in state, would consider it horrible.
To look at Punchy the Clown, it obviously looks like a kid's game, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Sure it has the small cabinet, clown theme, ticket redemption, and is lacking outlanes, so it can't be that hard, right? Wrong! I would almost have to consider it child abuse, to make children play this game. It's a hard enough pin, that I can't imagine any child wanting to play it more than once. The rules are simple, but that doesn't make it easy.
Once I had the game dialed in, I began to appreciate it as being very challenging, rather than just bad. Still not a child's game though. Even though the outhole is the only way to lose your ball, it seems exceptionally greedy, and can make the game frustrating, much the same way as Pinbot's outlanes. Of course, this makes you adapt your play to suit the game. I keep it set on 5-ball, as that's the only way you have a shot at getting on the leader board. Surprisingly, the more I played it, the more I liked it, and found it to have that "one more game" quality. Now, it easily gets as much play as any other game in my collection.
Sure the theme isn't for everyone, the rule set is limited, and it can be hard as hell to get the ball out of the lower playfield, but it has a certain simple charm to it. When I hosted our league night, I was pleasantly surprised that others found the game as appealing as I do. For the time being, at least, Punchy the Clown is a keeper.
