zsciaeount's ratings

Keith Elwin continues his streak with his fifth cornerstone game! Having had a lot of time on my Jaws LE, I can say that it's Elwin at his finest. Like his other games, it's totally unlike his other games. Though there are some touches that are signature Elwin, with the verticality and ramps that flip the ball back around, but this layout is novel and has some interesting ball paths.

I've already provided a review of the premium edition, and much of those comments stand. But, that was a prototype game with very early code, and we've had an update since then that has added some cool new features and some quality of life adjustments.

What I like the most so far is that Jaws can be played in different ways. Whether you want to play on-the-fly and get into flow, or you want to slow it down and make controlled shots, this game gives you ample opportunity to play it either way.

The shots range from easy to devilishly tight, and this mix keeps things interesting. The mini-flipper shot at the fish finder is awesome, but hitting the pathway above the target bank is tough as nails and lucrative AF. The modes are a little bare-bones, but the multiballs are interesting, fast, and frenetic. The bounty modes offer a good deal of freedom to add a perk you need, and I really like the wheel awards on the upper playfield, which make for some nice little bonuses.

New to the latest code is a feature to immediately release the ball from the shark if it happens to eat the ball. The night modes feature dim lighting that really captures the look of the beginning of the film. But the coolest feature is the enhanced mini-flipper ball lock. It was already awesome that you could activate a flipper hold for a while to concentrate on one-ball play during multiball, but it now has some incredibly cool logic that will release the ball you're holding if you manage to load the mini flipper lane with the other ball. It's as other-worldly as the phantom flips on Addams and Monster Bash.

The main multiball qualification escalates in difficulty quickly, with the second two Jaws multiballs feeling like a real accomplishment.

The artwork on the LE cab is gorgeous and the backglass is beautiful. The sound package is strong, with intense music and a lot of great clips that really highlight the humor of the film. There are also some interesting fish finder modes, with the cast and catch being a standout, forcing you to trap up and time your shots to maximize scoring.

There are a few small nitpicks. OK, maybe a major one, which is that an aftermarket airball protector is pretty much a requirement for this game. Good thing it's easy to install. The life ring sometimes fails after being relit and used again. The wave ramp is also very difficult to hit at times, and sometimes results in a stuck ball if a bricked shot doesn't fall onto the wireform below. It is great they added logic to award you the shot even if it doesn't make it to the upper playfield.

I also have to say that the upper playfield is actually really fun. I generally don't like upper playfields, but this one is fast and doesn't waste your time, which is much appreciated.

All in all, this is an incredibly fun game to flip, and stands right up there with Elwin's best. I never thought I could love a Stern as much as I love Godzilla, and while that may always be his magnum opus, Jaws is a superb game in its own right, even on early code.

Jaws is a winner. Elwin and company have made magic once again.

The Collectors' Edition of Elton John takes the already bonkers experience of the Platinum Edition, and turns it up past 11 to a 12.

This is really just a review of the differences between the CE and the PE. For more detailed thoughts on the game, please check out my full review of the PE, as the gameplay between the two versions is identical.

The CE is essentially a cosmetic upgrade over the PE, but the additions take this pin to a whole new level, and is one of the few instances where paying extra for bells and whistles feels like a truly worthy upgrade.

The artwork on the CE takes on a more bronzed and golden tone, with lots of purple and deep gold on the trim, and more of a reliance on photos than hand-drawn artwork for the cabinet. While the PE looks really great with its rainbow palate and the sharp silver trim, the CE's trim really pops in person. I do frankly prefer the cabinet artwork on the PE, but the CE's art package is quite stellar in its own right.

The playfield features a different portrait of Elton with his jersey from his 1975 Dodger Stadium concert, and the entire playfield is inlaid with sparkling outlines that really dazzle when the lights are going. Elton's sunglasses are also silvered, which is hard to notice during the frenetic gameplay, but is a real nice touch. The LED wraparound on the piano is impressive as ever and is still my favorite new pinball feature. The CE also features dynamic lighting under and behind the cabinet, which also makes the game pop even louder than the PE.

But, aside from the laser-cut siderails and cab lighting, why is this version $3k more than the base model? Look no further than the topper. In the era of $2000 toppers that feature plastic cutouts and minimal animation, the topper on the Elton CE is truly a cut above. You get a lit neon effect from the plastics, which frame the dual monitors playing clips from Elton's performances and providing some gameplay updates. But the real showstopper is the laser light show and disco lighting, which projects an array of images and patterns on the ceiling.

Do you notice these upgrades during gameplay? Not really, since the pace of the game is absolutely frenetic and your eyes are pretty much glued to the playfield. But, it makes the game one that is incredibly fun to watch while waiting for your turn, and it really transforms this from a mere pinball into an audiovisual experience.

The sound remains incredible, with high sample rates and excellent mixing, which can be further tweaked in-menu with a comprehensive mixer feature. The sound on this machine absolutely crushes it, and even if you're not a huge Elton fan, it's nearly impossible to deny that he has some absolute bangers. Nearly everyone who has played my CE eventually ends up singing along with the music, and it's really rewarding to see how much fun people have while playing it.

And finally, the gameplay is just as excellent as the PE. The layout is great. The shots are fast and flowing. The callouts are extremely helpful. But, most importantly, Elton John pinball is an absolute fire hose of joy. Not an easy game by any means, but one where your objectives are always clear.

Elton John is the first game I can truly give a perfect score. It is Jersey Jack's best pin to date. It is Steve Ritchie's best pin to date. It is arguably the best pin ever made. An absolute must-play, and a game that will never leave my collection.

Here it is... my first perfect score for a pin. I'm not particularly a fan of Elton John's music, though I do admit he has some certified bangers. I'm also not particularly a fan of Jersey Jack games, despite keeping 2 of them in my collection. So, to say I was not expecting much from Elton John would be an understatement.

But then I had a chance to play EJ, and watch better players play it, and I ended up ordering one for myself. It changed my mind after only a few games.

ADDENDUM: After a few games on this machine at home, I noticed some INCREDIBLE integration details that just left me stunned. Many may have noticed the callouts are in a hushed tone when the action is quiet, but when you play Pinball Wizard, there is astounding integration with the lyrics. On "blind," the machine goes completely dark for a fraction of a second. On "always gets a replay," the knocker taps lightly. And on "crazy flipper fingers," the flippers chatter.

If I could give the integration a 6 out of 5, I would.

Being a Jersey Jack game, I knew it would look pretty, but I don't think I was prepared for how this would look in person. I know it's a tired phrase at this point, but simply put, no photo or video equipment I'm aware of could accurately capture the lighting in person. In a word, it is stunning. It's bright, it's colorful, it's sparkly, it's dynamic... it's beautiful. And the LED panel wrapped around the piano is really cool, and when it does this sparkling effect, it's like a disco ball in your face. Crazy.

And the sound? In a word: incredible. It sounds like you're at a concert or listening to a live album on a great sound system. The music is bassy, clear, and seems to be at a quality sample rate. It's head and shoulders above prior music pins, and it's something Stern should take notice of, because it elevates the game.

But how does it play? Like the best of Steve Ritchie banged the very best of Steve Ritchie and had twins. As it has been noted, JJP finally addressed their weak flipper issues, and the flippers on Elton John are strong and snappy. They feel really excellent. The shots are flowy and satisfying, with a layout that is part Star Trek and part Spider-Man. That's not to say there isn't new stuff in this design. There's an interesting dead end shot that can capture the ball, an upper ramp that can divert to loop around, pop the ball into a physical lock in the piano, or drop the ball into the pops. There's a deadly bank of drop targets that unlock valuable rewards and complete hurry-ups. The upper flipper shots return the ball to the upper flipper to allow for repeat shots. There are several multiballs, combos to pick off, and rewards to collect. Even on early code, it's pretty feature-rich.

And perhaps most helpful at all are the callouts. Most of the callouts aren't Elton John, and are instead a rather non-descript British woman's voice. There's no apparent attempt at humor, and the delivery is more or less flat. Negative, right? Wrong. While I do wish there were more callouts from Elton John himself, the callouts are so clear and concise that they effectively help guide you to your next shot, while not detracting from the audiovisual madness playing out in front of you. Put another way, on a machine that overwhelms your senses, it's nice to have a voice of calm to latch onto.

If I had any gripes, it would be that I really dislike the spinner sound. It's an overpowering and cartoony fill-up sound, and I really hope JJP offers an update that allows you to replace it. Also, while most of the sculpts are nice, the dancer is a bit goofy looking.

I've only seen the Platiunum Edition in person, and have seen pics of the Collector's Edition. The topper for the CE looks incredible, with the laser lightshow and dual screens. I do, however, prefer the art and trim on the Platinum Edition. Were there a way to get the CE topper on the PE... best of both worlds. That's not to say the CE doesn't look nice, but it is a more understated cab design.

Jersey Jack has got a winner with Elton John. It is such a feast for the senses, and so fun and satisfying to flip, that it transcends its theme, offering something for everybody. This isn't just Jersey Jack's best game to date, but also Steve Ritchie's best game to date. Elton John is the first real threat to Godzilla for GOAT.

These are only initial impressions, as I played one of the first on location with very early code. However, even in an early state, Jaws impresses. There is a lot of Elwin DNA in this, with a wide variety of shots and manageable returns that allow you the opportunity to pick shots off deliberately. The shots are a lot tighter than what they may appear, but they are satisfying to hit.

There are already a number of modes which can stack with a couple of different multiballs. The phases of the main multiball add a lot of interesting twists that make it unlike most multiball modes. The skill shots are also interesting, requiring actual skill to plunge (though you may have decent luck just hitting the shooter rod to short plunge).

Theme integration is great. The video clips are numerous and are cut well to highlight the playful humor most people forgot was part of the original film. The playfield looks great. The early publicity from Stern showed a slightly less-busy playfield, but the production version has a fair amount going on, and the blue looks really nice. I wish the chum effect were a bit darker red, but overall, it's a nice looking game.

On the premium, you get an upper playfield, which is a lot like White Water in that you won't spend much time up there, and have a variety of ways to return the ball. It does not interrupt the flow at all and is my kind of upper playfield.

And then there's the shark. Everybody calm down... the shark looks really awesome and is in the game just the right amount. I think people forget that we don't even see the shark in the film until an hour into the runtime! I think it was a good choice to keep it a bash toy, as it does not slow the game down at all. And again, it really does look badass.

I'm interested to see where this game goes with its code, but the bones of a great game are already there, and even on initial code, I think there's a lot to like for players of all skill levels. Another winner from Team Elwin!

This review is for the Foo Fighters LE on 0.93 code. I will update this review as features change.

Foo Fighters is the first cornerstone game from Jack Danger, and it's an incredible debut effort. The layout is very unique, and the game is fast with excellent flow. There are a lot of great shots from the upper flipper, including a screaming-fast loop and a very satisfying upper ramp shot. Almost all shots from the main flippers can be safely backhanded, and the game gives you a lot of options to get the ball back to either flipper. The upper playfield could slow the game down, but in this instance, it does not. The ball whips around there pretty hard and will be back in the return wireform in the blink of an eye if you're not prepared. There isn't a ton of stuff to do up there, but it does provide a fun series of steps to activate the Area 51 multiball, so it is a welcome addition.

The alien is an improvement over the pro. The model is extremely nice and animated just right, and the magnet behind the prongs makes for a fun little effect.

Foo Fighters is a game that needs to be properly leveled, and the tolerances for not being leveled seem to be a lot tighter than for other games, but once this game is leveled, it all just feels so satisfying to shoot.

Code is pretty early, but there are already a bunch of fun and challenging skill shots, and modes that each have different rulesets to keep them varied, some pairing better with multiballs than others, and there are two fairly lucrative mini-wizard modes available once you've completed three cities.

The artwork is superb. That's obvious, but it really pops in person. The LE trim is extremely nice, with powder-coated armor and the gorgeous expression lighting system. The Saturday morning cartoon vibe is captured extremely well.

But, there are a few things I do not like about the game, and hopefully, these can be addressed:

1) The speech and sound effects are crisp and bright. The music sounds crushed and muffled. The LE is supposed to have a premium sound package, but this frankly sounds like I'm listening to low-bitrate songs on a budget speaker. Some of the songs, like the one that accompanies the Roswell mode, is so quiet it sounds like the music dropped out. There are some tweaks for this, but I still can't get this sounding balanced, and certainly not as crisp and punchy as I'd like it to be. Stern, if you have suggested settings to make this better, please publish. Otherwise, it's time to include higher-quality music files with the next update

2) The game needs more callouts. During multiballs, there are few callouts for jackpots other than a super, and it really doesn't give you the feedback you want and need when your eyes are glued to the playfield.

3) I'd love for there to be an under-cabinet lighting addition that also syncs like the expression lights

4) Shaker use is too subtle at the moment

5) Some animations, like the match sequence, are too long and seemingly unskippable unless you start a new game

Got a chance to play Galactic Tank Force, and this is a fun one to flip. The standard game looks gorgeous, with sharp artwork, an LCD that really pops, and some incredible lighting effects.

The layout is interesting, with a lot of verticality in the wireforms, and a diverter you can manually control. The shots are smooth, but orbits can be a bit tricky to dial in. Not a huge fan of having a target bank right in the middle of the center of the playfield, but at least the bank is curved slightly to make them relatively safe to shoot from each flipper. The integration of the sound and the shaker when you hit something important is very satisfying.

The design is interesting. It's bright and cartoony, and the FMV clips are pure camp. My experience with the game is early, but this one has good bones, and should prove fun and accessible for a range of skill levels. I am interested to play more.

James Bond 60th is an unusual offering in 2023, with a design that is unapologetically old-school. Single-level playfield. Saucer scoops. Inline drops. There are a lot of features on this game we have seen before, but not in a long time. It is admittedly kind of cool to see such an old-school design re-created with modern technology, but it's also the one thing about this game that holds it back.

I will be reviewing this without consideration for the price tag. This is a boutique game whose value is in its rarity, and not necessarily due to the BOM, because this pin isn't filled with a lot of expensive toys.

The art package is... decent. You can tell that the team has been a bit hamstrung by the licensor here, as the backglass is just a collage of photos, and the playfield is sparsely populated with graphics. The whole thing is very brightly lit and very baby blue, just a little sparse.

The shots are the best part of the game, which isn't a surprise on an Elwin jam. There are some satisfying spinner shots, and a couple of ways to reach the saucer lock. However, most of the center playfield is occupied by a spinning post wheel (my least favorite pinball mech), and some dangerous drop targets. There are several multiballs to be played, including a classic old-school lock hidden behind a series of inline drops.

Instead of a backglass LCD, Bond 60 uses a plastic insert over a single 4-digit scoring reel, along with the shine-through lighting of old to indicate when the score has rolled, and to indicate player and ball. The whole thing has a cheap-looking brushed metal appearance which is unfortunately the same that borders the video playback on the cornerstone Bond games (an aesthetic I do not like).

The LCD has instead been transferred to the mid playfield, though the way it is mounted makes it sort of difficult to see from a normal playing position (and it seems to be very hard for short players to see, from the complaints I could hear shouted across the room by another player). The LCD screen needs some serious work, however, as it's mostly plain white text on a black background outside of the Insider achievement unlocks.

Is it fun to flip? Yeah, but I don't think it will quite have the staying power of other retro-styled offerings like TNA. Ultimately, however, a lot of the trappings of the retro vibe drag this game down. It can be difficult to parse who is up on a multi-person game, especially since the bonus countdowns happen before the reel is updated, making it seem like the game is frozen or that the player that just drained is still up. I'm sure that can be fixed in software.

If you see one on location, it's definitely worth a flip. Would I buy one to put next to my cornerstone Bond, or instead of the cornerstone Bond? No.

Finally got a chance to flip Foo Fighters pro, and... Jack Danger must have been sipping from Elwin's chalice, because his first cornerstone game is AWESOME.

I have to admit: I don't know the Foo Fighters' music, and probably couldn't pick a song of theirs off of the radio, so you can be assured that I am not just giving this game a pass because of the theme.

But, as far as theme goes... wowza! The art package is incredible, and captures the Saturday morning cartoon vibe quite well. There was a lot of noise where I was so I couldn't hear every callout, but the sound design appears to be spot-on as well.

But where FF shines is in the design and gameplay, and if you have yet to flip this one, you're in for a treat. The layout recalls some elements of the past, like the path for a full plunge like any game from the 1970s, to the sweepable drop target bank a la Whirlwind, to an jumbled twist of upper ramp and orbit shots that just have some satisfying returns. Ramp shots are satisfying and both return to the right flipper, opening up a couple of shots on the tip of the flipper that can send the ball into either a quick return or a grand arc across the mid playfield.

I think what grabbed me most about the way FF shoots is how the game clusters shots that have very different return paths, which means that any flipper is capable of providing a safe return to either flipper, which makes the game feel very kinetic and frenetic when you're flailing away, and super satisfying when you're dialed in.

Stern has the makings of another modern classic. If the game is this good on 0.92, I am almost scared to see what's in store.

UPDATE, AUGUST 2023:

I'm going to leave the original review below for posterity, but I simply have to provide an update. Let me tell you that after a few weeks with Bond, I was worried. It's a fun layout, a pretty game, and a good one to shoot, but it just felt... unfinished and after a while, a bit uninspired.

That has all changed. Big time.

Huge credit to George Gomez and his team for investing a lot of really great work into this game post-launch. Code updates have been coming in fast, and each time, those updates bring a whole lot more action and excitement. What was once a very constrained scoring system has turned into a rapid-fire series of opportunities and rewards which make every shot do something interesting.

Much of the mode and multiball structure remains, which is fine. You still do not have an opportunity to select which villain or henchman to take on (which would be nice), but there's been so much added that it'll make your head spin if you haven't flipped a 007 in a while. Basically, now every shot is associated with rewards for multiple hits, like AFM or MM, with more ways to unlock Q modes. There are a ton of new mini-wizard modes, and the easiest one to reach is really quite exciting, with Moby's Bond theme playing while you nail shots to clips of all of the famous Bond introductions. Making it even more exciting is that the shaker is linked to the spinner in this mode, which provides a really cool tactile feedback. Bond on a Wand also has more integration with the game, with some interesting super jackpots, and we finally have playfield multipliers activated by the lockdown button, which will begin wafting the theme from Diamonds are Forever into the mix. It's just sublime.

If this is what the game is going to be like before version 1, I can't even begin to imagine how packed this game is going to be in the future. This game is already firmly in my all-time top 10, and at the pace it's going, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bond enter my hallowed top 3, along with Godzilla and Medieval Madness.

Please note that this review is for the Thunderball LE running on v0.8.0 This is preliminary code and the game has only basic function at this time. This rating will almost certainly change as the code is completed, and so will my rating, so don't flame me for giving fair ratings for the game as it plays in late 2022.

007 has made a triumphant return to pinball, thanks to George Gomez and company at Stern. This time around, the three trim levels don't just feature an increasing amount of bells and whistles, but they also feature three completely separate art packages. I have seen and flipped two of the three versions: a pro model based on Dr. No and the LE based upon Thunderball.

Right off the bat, what I can say is that--at least right now--there is a lot of parity between the pro and the premium/LE in terms of gameplay. Both the pro and premium/LE have the left scoop eject and the Aston Martin pop-up. The main differences in the playfield are the presence of a physical lock for Bird One, and the Bond on a Wand in the upper right, which physically holds and carries the ball (though this has very limited functionality on v0.8.0). This is the closest that trim levels have felt in terms of gameplay since perhaps Tron: Legacy, and that is not necessarily a bad thing for the home collector, as pro models now cost what premiums did just a few years ago.

It seems, then, that the main thing separating the versions is the art package. Bond is definitely one game that needs to be seen in person to truly appreciate, as photos just don't fully capture how much these cabinets pop. The Pro model, with its bright yellow cabinet, is very striking in person, but the Thunderball LE model is absolutely exquisite. The Thunderball LE features blue metallic powder coating with orange T-molding in the backbox that matches the orange post covers on the playfield. The mirrored backglass looks great, and the side art is exceptional. The image from the Thunderball poster on the left side is gorgeous, and the classic Bond film posters on the other side are bold and clean. There had been some criticism about the poster collage looking like a cut and paste job, but in person, it looks really nice, and fits the theme well. The best part of the package for me, however, is the inner side art, which features production sketches from the legendary Ken Adam. For a Bond diehard such as myself, this is a real treat. My only disappointment was that the LE does not include any side armor like some previous LEs. I guess these will be available as an upsell, along with the inevitable 007 topper.

The playfield is busy, but features a tasteful arrangement of film logos, villains, henchmen, and Bond women, covering Connery's first and second turns as 007. The artwork looks nice, with deep and rich colors. The missile looks better in person than it does in pictures, and the remainder of the toys are completely serviceable, with the star of the show being the Aston Martin with an ejector seat. The art package does a great job of integrating the theme, and the game so far features a lot of potential to exploit the different modes to integrate with the theme. While the software is bare bones right now, the framework is set for the game to tour all of the villains and love interests that are at the core of every Bond film, so it is very much on pace to blossom like Batman '66 did a few years ago.

Right now, the rules are very sparse. Three shots to the right ramp, one shot to the upper ramp, or a bunch of pops and then right scoop will start one of the modes, which CANNOT be brought into one of the two multiballs that can be qualified (UPDATE: you can now bring modes into multiball). One is the Bird One multiball, qualified by hitting the standups to light the lock, and then locking 3 balls, or the jetpack multiball, which requires you to hit the left scoop and then the left loop 3 times. Both multiballs have fairly simple rules for right now, with jetpack playing out similar to Vengeance multiball in Star Trek. These modes will most certainly be more fleshed out in the future. As for right now, the strategy seems to be start mode or start multiball, stay alive for as long as possible. The lockdown button doesn't seem to do anything right now other than logging you in to Insider Connected.

What I can say right now, just weeks after release, is that Bond is beautiful to behold and it has potential. The shots are fun and there's decent flow, though a lot of the shots are really close to the end of the flipper. Hitting the upper flipper shots is satisfying, and the side scoop doesn't slow down the game too much. The pops do slow the game down a bit, and some have found them obnoxious, but they are no different from the pops on Attack from Mars or Medieval Madness, and they do advance qualification for Q modes and Bond Women modes. The only real complaint I have about the layout is that the right sling can often send the ball to the left outlane for a powerdrain that happens so fast there's almost no defense, especially since the ball doesn't look dangerous before it hits the sling.

If you're a Bond fan, this is a beautiful machine to behold. It's very early days, and the software is very very immature, but the foundation for a great game is here. This is one that will grow with the code.

UPDATE: After a few more days with the game, here are some things I think can be addressed with code updates

Modes and mode starts - right now, the henchmen modes activate the ball stopper in right inlane, whereas the villain modes start on a rolling shot. There doesn't appear to be a way to influence which mode you will get. Right now, almost every mode is a "shoot X number of lit shots" mode. This obviously should be mixed up a bit more. Since all models have the post in the inlane, why not use that to stop the ball and allow the player to select which mode to take on, like Batman '66 or Deadpool. This is an opportunity to make these modes more strategic than just bringing into multiball

Jetpack Multiball - right now, the ball saver is short and runs concurrently with the shot to start the multiball. Even if you hit it right off the plunge, the time is still very short. When Jetpack Multiball is awarded thru mystery, it has the normal ball save time

Bird One - relocking balls in the tower on premium/LE needs to make it into the game

Iron Maiden is Stern's best game in years. The layout is unlike anything we've seen before, with a tight ramp through pops, and some interesting upper playfield shots, including the one straight up the middle which hits a variable target, and can send the ball down two possible paths on the return, both setting you up for some important shots that can help build score, or progress, or both.

I'm not a huge fan of the band, but the music is great, with a strong sound system and high-quality samples, and the playfield artwork is overall very good. The LCD animations, however, are spectacular. On some of the other prior releases, Stern just didn't seem to know how to use the LCD's increased resolution for anything interesting, opting for a more spartan approach to counter JJP's frankly overdone display designs. But, Iron Maiden finds that perfect balance between providing information, and visual appeal. It's a game that is as fun to spectate as it is to play.

Overall, the quirky design makes this pin like nothing we've ever seen before, but the shots work, and it's an incredibly fun game to flip. Even in early software, we have a game that is balanced and robust, though still guilty of the common Stern issue of allowing explosive score increases.

I have a feeling that Keith Elwin is poised to claim the mantle of legendary pinball designer, based on the strength of this machine. If this is what he can do on his first try, sky's the limit...

Attack from Mars is a pinhead favorite, and for good reason. It's got a great theme with a wonderful sense of humor, and gameplay that is simple to pick up, but full of hidden strategies for the seasoned player. With so few of the originals ever made, it's difficult to find one in good condition at a good price. Fortunately, as their second offering, Chicago Gaming decided to remake AFM, and have packaged it into a fine new machine that isn't just a remake, but a big step up from the original.

On the surface, AFM LE looks like a minty-fresh original with super-bright LEDs added... at least on the playfield and on the translite. But, it's not hard to notice that the LE has an upgraded display and speaker panel, with smaller speakers and a massively enlarged display that is not only in color, but coded in a higher resolution with redrawn artwork. It looks fantastic. The LE also includes a moving topper that looks great.

The LE also has tri-color LEDs for all saucers on the game, though from what I can see, the small saucers only use red and green, and the main saucer only uses blue when it's being destroyed. Kind of a jerky move to advertise tri-color LEDs as an upgrade, and then not make full use of them!

The LE also comes with some trim options, and I went for the black, which looks fantastic. The green that is often shown was too garish in my opinion, and didn't really match most of the green used in the game.

The sound package is great, with a clean and very robust speaker system, and a shaker motor that almost seems to accentuate the bass from the subwoofer.

Build quality is on-point, and the game flips just like you remember... that is after you turn down the flipper coil power, which is waaaay too strong on the default setting.

That's what you need to know about the LE. Chicago Gaming has made a very faithful reproduction that looks quite a bit nicer than the original, while still playing in a manner that is 100% faithful.

Pabst Can Crusher is a re-skin of Whoa Nellie, and though games are virtually identical, the whole PBR packaging really elevates the game making it more fun to play than Whoa Nellie.

The artwork is fantastic. Really fantastic. The music is also really good, though the tracks are limited. The callouts are decent, though there's not a tremendous amount of variation. That said, the sound system is superb.

I wish there were an easier way to get the ball back to the top, and with 200 point targets, the scoring can be a bit lopsided, but overall, this is a fun one to play, with audio that really ties the game together. If you see it on location, give it a flip!

The Hobbit is a game I wanted to love. It's a game that does keep getting better bit by bit as they update the code, but ultimately, it's a game that is hobbled by the design.

I own both a WOZECLE and a Hobbit Smaug Gold SE. Side by side, it's clear that JJP cut a few corners with their second offering. The backglass isn't mirrored, and the translite substituted for it is washed out. The game is relatively barren in the middle of the playfield, and there are comparatively fewer toys than WOZ.

But, even so, it is a pretty machine. The lights aren't as fetching as WOZ, but the lighting is competent. What isn't so pretty is the build quality. Like switches that stop registering after 20 plays? Like fixing one problem, only to have another one crop up next game? Like a major playfield toy that completely stops working, despite it being one of the least-abused toys on the playfield? Like pop bumpers that just randomly fire no matter how you adjust them? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, the Hobbit may be for you!

Shots are OK, but again are limited by the design. The criss-cross ramps would be fun to nail repeatedly if the inlanes they feed didn't cause a troll to pop up every time and block your next natural shot. The right upper flipper has yet to demonstrate its utility. The lock rollovers are better at causing the ball to skip and drain than they are at lighting the locks, and the drop targets, while prominent, as also loud AF. In fact, the entire game is so loud that you have to turn up the volume just to drown out the mechanics.

All in all, the Hobbit is a disappointing second offering from JJP. From lesser build quality and reliability, to a playfield layout that will take some masterful coding to exploit, the Hobbit just feels like a misfire.

APPEARANCE:
This is one beautiful machine. The cabinet artwork is very nice, and the playfield artwork is clean and crisp. The toys are all custom and nice to look at. Good combination of metal and plastic ramps and wireforms. The white Russian toy is shockingly lifelike, and the pop bumper caps and bowling toys are beautiful. The lighting is bright and crisp, with warm GI that keeps the entire playfield illuminated, and a combination of insert lighting that is straight single-color LED, and RGB LEDs. I could see no ghosting. Just one look at the playfield, with the machine on or off, and you can tell this is a fun one to flip.
The LCD substituted for the DMD is great. It's bright, crisp, and colorful, and I like the fact that it's a bit oversized. There are several display options, but curiously, all of them have some sort of DMD filter, so there's no way to see everything without the simulated screen door. The movie clips look clean enough, but some of the smaller badge icons suffer from the faux-low-res filter.
Even in the early code, the animations are pretty robust, with a combination of movie clips and stills, and some original artwork.
SOUND:
The sound is great. The speaker system is high-quality, and the sound is crisp and relatively free from compression artifacts. The subwoofer is powerful, and almost makes it feel like there's a shaker motor inside at times. The crew overall did a great job isolating dialogue, and there's only a few instances where some background noise or another line clips into the sound bite.
I was disappointed when I heard that the music rights didn't include rights to the actual cuts used in the movie, but the instrumental re-creations are overall very good. I'm hoping that some enterprising pinhead is able to find a way to sideload the actual music and share it with the Pinside community.
Callouts often have little to do with the objectives, since they're mostly movie clips, so you don't get a lot of audible cues to what is ready to go, outside of the stranger announcing that the locks being lit or a rug mode ready to go. Guy does a pretty good Sam Elliott impression.
BUILD QUALITY AND FEEL:
Overall, this thing is solidly built, and a lot of attention has been paid to detail. The backbox is an absolute monster, with the translite and lighting being housed together in a very heavy plank, and a very heavy speaker panel and LCD housing.
I was concerned after playing the machine at Pinburgh this year that the rug would be problematic, and that seems to be the case. It can go for a stretch of time where it is completely unresponsive, and then all of a sudden it registers several shots in a row. It can even occasionally be activated by a nearby pop bumper. Once it works, it works.
The auto-plunger is a bit wonky, and the ball only makes it up the shooter lane about half the time, regardless of the coil settings. It almost always makes it on the auto replunge, so maybe this is just software.
The car toy doesn't hide and unhide smoothly, and the motor has a difficult time knowing it's all the way closed. This results in the wall wobbling for a few seconds. It's also intermittently responsive when a car mode is active. From what I can gather, the car basically hits the standups next to it, but I find the only way to get it to register is to hit it squarely on the front corner, and even then, it doesn't register reliably.
The kickback relight standup is finicky as well.
The bowling alley has some issues. I have one pin that will not move in test or in game, which causes errors. Sometimes hits do not register as well.
One of the biggest issues is that the left ramp is not well-stabilized. The main arch of it is just hanging in the breeze, with no support. Often, when the ball is shot up the ramp, the ramp shakes, causing the ball to bobble back and forth and lose momentum, causing it to roll back even when solidly hit.
Finally, the flippers are a bit squishy, or at least there is a big dead zone. Unlike pretty much any modern game, the flippers don't seem to be dual-fire, so staging of the upper flipper does not appear possible. Even worse, the flipper does not disengage until you let the button out almost all the way, so post passes and tap passes are very problematic. I think this is a design issue with the flipper buttons themselves.
GAMEPLAY
This is what you really checked out this message for. Gameplay is fast and flowy, and borrows heavily from Medieval Madness, with a little sprinking of White Water and Simpsons Pinball Party. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, it makes for a game that is a heck of a lot of fun to play.
SHOTS AND FLOW
Overall, the layout is very nice. It's mostly a fan layout, with all shots makeable from a cradle or a rolling ball. Several shots are associated with a character and not only advance towards qualifying each character mode, but also serve as that character's jackpot during character multiball (just like Medieval Madness).
There are two skill shots: hold the right flipper as you plunge, and it will feed the upper playfield (provided the plunge makes it), and you need to hit the bowling loop to instantly qualify a bowling mode. You can also go for a standard plunge and try to hit the lit rollover. This is not selectable, so you have to nudge. Going for the super skill shot appears to be the better strategy.
Starting from the left and moving right:
The kickback relight is at the far left, and is a tough shot to a finicky target. I find that I mostly hit this when the ball is exiting the slings.
There is a scoop at the far left that is used to complete "mark it zero" qualifications, activate bowling when lit, or start character multiball. The kickout by default is a bit weak.
The left orbit is the Donny shot, and it sends the ball careening around to the right middle, which does have a tendency to send the ball SDTM. Perhaps this is a leveling issue. This will hit both spinners.
The left ramp qualifies The Dude, and also locks balls for the main multiball. To light the lock, you have to hit the standups on either side, like White Water. Unlike White Water, these lock lightings cannot be stacked. When lit for lock, the ball travels behind the back of the playfield, like the Damsel in Medieval Madness, and when the lock is not lit, it diverts to a wireform that feeds the left inlane.
Next to this is the Maude minefield, with 2 pop bumpers and five rollovers stacked in an inverted pyramid. The ball can leave this area one of two ways, either to the left orbit, or right in the middle, which caroms to the right flipper.
Next to the right Maude exit is the scoop. This gives mystery awards and starts Nihilist Battle once qualified (this was a nice surprise I didn't know about). Balls that are fed into the lock on the left ramp or into the rug hole, and balls which exit the upper playfield end up here as well, and feed the right flipper with a nice feed that is easily handled with a drop catch or flipper bounce.
Front and center is the rug. It's very much like the castle from MM or the saucer from AFM. You bash this until it rolls all the way back, then sink it in the hole to start the mode. I don't know what selects the mode... maybe the pops. This is a dangerous shot, as the ball can have an unpredictable return. The rug doesn't always register that well, and it almost seems that it has a better chance of registering if the ball hits one of the metal guides as it caroms. This is flanked by 2 nihilist targets (the other being to the far right of the playfield).
To the right of the rug is the Jesus scoop, which will feed the upper playfield.
To the right of Jesus is an orbit that feeds the pop bumpers and also serves as the shot for Maude jackpot. The entry has a spinner that is simply satisfying to rip. We're talking Grand Prix or RoboCop satisfying.
The right ramp qualifies Walter and is the other way to get up to the upper playfield.
To the far right is the white russian target bank. Default settings allow you to collect an adjacent target if you hit one already collected.
The inlane and outlane rollovers spell ZERO, which qualifies a "mark it zero" award at the left scoop.
The upper playfield feels a lot like TSPP, but with one flipper. There are 3 shots to make with the small upper flipper: a shot off the tip will send the ball looping back around and award a BOWLING letter. The two standups will light a car mode, and both bowling and car can be started by hitting the rightmost hole which is an exit to the scoop to the left of the rug. You can also drain out of the bottom, which returns the ball to the right inlane. Assisting with keeping the ball up there is a long rubber than you can use to nudge the ball back to the flipper. Once a car mode is started, the car swings out from the wall and parks in front of the standups, blocking the upper exit. You then bash the car to advance through the mode. This is finicky as well.
The sub playfield is the bowling alley. You select a character and try to complete the task, which is either knocking down all the pins or hitting a roving pin. There is a bit of a delay before the release button becomes active. I find that the top facade of the alley obscures your view of the back pins. Completing the frame awards a ball.
QUALIFYING MODES AND MULTIBALL
Modes are qualified very much like MM and AFM. Hit each shot X number of times to light the character. Like MM, once one character is qualified, you can start a character multiball, that can be anywhere from 2-5 ball, depending upon how many characters you've lit before hitting the left scoop to start the multiball. This is exactly like Medieval Madness, except you have the option to postpone the multiball by hitting the launch button, but ONLY if you have something else lit at the scoop. This allows you to cash in rewards as they come instead of avoiding them to avoid prematurely starting multiball. That's good, because "mark it zero" is only lit for a short period of time after completing the inlanes, and then it resets.
If you don't have the full complement of characters lit, you can start another multiball as you qualify the others, and then the characters reset and you can rinse and repeat.
The other main multiball works a bit like WH2O or Cirqus Voltaire, in that you have to hit the standups next to the left ramp and then hit the ramp to lock the ball. Unlike WH2O, you can't stack the lights on the first multiball, which I think would be nice, since it's a dangerous shot. Once you start this multiball, all the shots are lit for jackpot (including both upper playfield shots). I assume you complete all to light the super but I've always fallen one short.
The rug modes are varied, and getting them started is the biggest challenge due to the responsiveness of the rug. They will have you ripping the spinners, or hitting ramps or bashing the rug, etc.
Bowling is pretty straighforward, and lighting bowling is relatively manageable, due to the nice return to the upper flipper for repeat loops. It's a lot of shots, though. The car modes require a lot of hits, and I've never managed to finish one, due to the bash toy failing to register reliably.
Nihilist battle is qualified by hitting the nihilist standups several times, then hitting the middle scoop. It's a multistage battle where you have to peg the standups again. This is a lot like Martian Attack.
Not sure what completing a white russian does except for adding to your bonus.
The wizard mode apparently requires you to complete everything. Start all characters, complete all frames of bowling, all rug modes, all car modes, and get a super jackpot. Very reminiscent of AFM.
MY STRATEGY SO FAR:
1) Take the super skill shot. It's easy enough to hit the loop to instantly light bowling, which awards a fair number of points and allows you to make progress towards wizard mode.
2) Qualify all characters. Try to keep the scoop lit for something in addition to character multiball so you can cancel the multiball start if you hit it too early. Once all characters lit, start multiball so all jackpots are lit.
3) Don't aim for the standups to light the locks, or if you do, backhand it to keep it safer. Generally, you will light locks with random caroms. Lock a ball as soon as it's lit so you can reset the targets to light the next lock.
4) On the upper playfield, keep hitting the bowling loop. It appears that you can stack "let's go bowling" qualifications, so you can get a lot from keeping the ball up there and in play. Wait until you've qualified bowling before shooting for the standups to light car, so you don't inadvertently exit the upper playfield. I find it's generally best to stay up there as long as you can, because you can get a lot done if you play it smart. Use that rubber to get the ball away from the upper playfield drain.
5) Shooting for the trampoline kickback relight is dangerous. This game isn't all that drainy, so I just hope to get it on a carom from the pops. Same for white russian targets.
6) Take the rug modes as you can get them. Until they issue a fix for the sensitivity and let it register reliably, it's just not worth risking unless you've accidentally registered the first shot and the rug has rolled back a bit, which makes the return a bit more controlled.
GRIPES AND FINAL THOUGHTS (FOR NOW)
All in all, TBL is a fantastic game, and the code is already quite robust for a new release. The flow is good and the shots are satisfying. The game really is a lot like Medieval Madness in that it's simple to make a few shots, and the ruleset is easy to grasp, so novices will find a lot to like, but if you are an advanced player, getting everything stacked is quite a challenge, and makes the game deeper than it seems at first.
As I mentioned above, the lack of stability of the left ramp is disappointing, but I imagine there could be a fix for that. I'm hoping some of the switch issues can be fixed with software, and won't require replacing mechs. I also hope they can issue a replacement for the flipper switches so post passing and taps will be more feasible.
Some things I'd like to see with future updates:
1) Allow the lock lights to be stacked for at least the first multiball
2) Give us a video mode to enjoy that beautiful screen. I still think it'd be hilarious to have a Knox Harrington, The Video Artist Video Mode
3) More sound bites
4) More callouts that help guide the player
5) A Royal Madness type mode after you've qualified the characters
6) More variation in the bowling objectives
7) Fewer hits to complete the car modes
An option to keep the player signed in when playing consecutive single-player games
9) more match screens besides Marty's cycle
10) incorporate the bowling alley into multiball
11) Allow the upper playfield to serve as a playfield multiplier during multiball like WOZ

A lot of people were excited about the prospects of a Walking Dead pin. The theme is great, and the potential for a great game is there. But, Stern has fallen short on that potential in a way that is truly disappointing.

The machine is a whole lot of beige. The playfield is a sloppy mess of earth tones and Photoshop, that looks like someone took a dump on a piece of plywood and then stuck some flippers at the bottom. It's very garish, and very difficult to look at.

That said, the shots are reasonably interesting. The ramps are long loops, and there are several tight shots on the game, especially the right shot that feeds back to the shooter lane and awards and extra ball. But, despite this promise, there is not a lot of flow to this game. A disappointing number of shots land you back in the doldrums of the upper field of pop bumpers, which award very few points, and have a nasty tendency to drain SDTM.

Multiballs, even on the most recent code, rely too much on bashing either the prison or the well walker. The prison wouldn't be so bad if the well walker didn't take up so much space, or if the magnet from the prison weren't so underprogrammed that it tosses the ball SDTM, or if the prison zombie was actually designed well enough to register a hit once the cheap-ass doors of the cheap-ass prison are opened.

Get a few multiballs stacked, and this game can be fun. Don't, and you've just flipped for 5 minutes and accomplished nothing. I'm all for all-or-nothing games, but not when they rely upon shots that are simply dangerous.

Can improved code help this game? Maybe. But, the new code just got rid of the most fun part of the game, which is the variable skill shot. Unless any major changes are offered, this will go down with Avengers as one of the most disappointing Stern offerings of all time.

At least the dots are great, but I never thought I'd have to compliment dot matrix animation in 2015...

I was really impressed by this game. The rules are easy to understand, and there is a nice multiball feature, along with a spinner to get back to the top. This isn't very complex, but there's something very essentially fun about this game. It's got an EM feel to the layout with a sheen of solid-state technology on top of it. It's awfully rare, but if you get a chance to play one in the wild, I would highly recommend it.

Tron Legacy is a highly-regarded game, and for good reason. It is a fast, flowing game that just works on several levels. Like Medieval Madness or Attack from Mars, the rules are relatively simple, and getting modes running is a breeze. But, also like those games, truly getting everything into place to run up high scores is incredibly challenging. That makes the game extremely accessible to novices, and provides a great challenge to intermediate and expert players.

The shot layout is a lot like Congo, but with fewer places for the ball to hang up. There's a lot of satisfaction to be had by hitting a combo and then nailing the arcade scoop for a big End of Line jackpot, especially since most of the shots are very tight. The center disc shot is a very cool toy, and it whips the ball around so significantly, that sometimes the kickouts have so much spin that the ball just seems to float. It's a very cool effect that messes with your shot timing.

The Gem shot is incredibly difficult to hit, and nearly impossible off of a Quorra or right loop feed moving at full speed. Instead, a flipper shot is more likely when you get a dribbling rollback from the left loop, or off of the Tron targets on a pro, and the U in ZUSE on both the pro and LE. This is the only bummer about the game, since Gem is essential for reaching the wizard mode. To have completion largely rely upon lucky bounces and random awards from the arcade reduces the reliability of completing this shot.

There are several multiballs in the game, and both Quorra and Light Cycle multiballs can be stacked. Generally, this seems like a good idea, since only Quorra has an add-a-ball. Disc multiball has to be played by itself, but can be stacked with a Tron or Zuse mode. I think it's odd that this mode has a restart whereas Light Cycle does not.

The only other drawback to play is that 2x scoring also applies to bonuses, and can encourage players to drain if they recognize the opportunity, making it potentially unbalanced in multiplayer games.

The artwork is decent, but with the lighted ramps and some LEDs, this baby shines. The soundtrack is great, with nice sound effects, though I wish there were just a little more variability to the music and callouts.

All in all, Tron is a great game, and a definite keeper.

Earthshaker is often the forgotten Lawlor Williams game. Not a lot were made, and outside the PAPA facility, I've never seen one on location. And such a shame, because Earthshaker not only represents the best of Pat Lawlor, but of the entire System 11 era.

As a prelude to Whirlwind, Earthshaker is another disaster theme pin based upon chasing earthquakes. The shots are fast and flowing, and the setup is a bit unusual, with the weighting of the playfield reversed from typical Lawlor designs. That is to say, the upper ramp and jackpot shot is a left-to-right shot from an upper flipper.

The premise is pretty easy to grasp: the skill shot is a fun plunge into a winding ramp. There are bonuses to be had from hitting the scoop in the right of the playfield, and you can rack up miles by hitting the easy shot up the center ramp. There's a nice loop that is tough to hit from either side, and a weird little saucer that feeds the upper left flipper. The bank of drops in the center gives you a way to backhand a ball to bank a shot to the upper flipper. All in all, it's a great design that just shows you the command over geometry that Pat Lawlor has.

To get to multiball, you light a certain number of zones with clearly-marked shots to light the lock, then bang the ball up the side ramp or into a very tight scoop to lock the ball.

As will all Lawlor multiballs, Earthshaker's jackpot is not a free ride. You have to hit the center ramp to light the jackpot and then hit the side ramp to collect. It's deceptively difficult since the ramps favor the left flipper, but feeding the upper flipper is easier from the right, requiring you to either juggle the balls like a pro, or become very facile at feeding the upper flipper with a backhanded bank shot while cradling the other balls on the right.

If there were any complaints to be made, it's that there isn't an additional jackpot, and that the center ramp is a very easy scorefest that you can chop wood on all day. As such, it's a great machine to play for fun, but not great for competition.

The artwork and toys are great. The ramps and habitrails are winding, the art is classic 80's and the music, while not incredibly varied, is really great. The shaker motor and the moving fault line are super cool, though it's a shame that the sinking building was removed from the production run.

All in all, Earthshaker is a winner and a keeper in my collection. It's not the deepest game out there, but it is incredibly fun, and a very engaging game!

Wizard of Oz is a game I wish I liked more. After all, the theme is very tightly integrated into the design, and the game itself breaks a lot of new technological ground. Just looking at WOZ is a treat in and of itself, with the fully animated backglass, the gorgeous gloss of the cabinet and trim, and those color-changing LEDs that are in a completely different league from anything else ever put in a pinball game. When these things are fast cycling through their colors, it looks like the whole playfield is shimmering. If there's one thing to be said about Jersey Jack's first effort, it's that nobody can doubt their ability to design a beautiful game.

Unfortunately, some beauty is only skin-deep, and after you get past the honeymoon with WOZ, it's hard not to notice the flaws in the design that hold this back from being a truly timeless classic in terms of gameplay.

It's not that WOZ is terrible, but there just really isn't a lot of flow, and a lot of the shots seem like dead ends, with no real opportunity for making combos, or an easy way to hit the next logical shot. Examples of this are the RAINBOW targets, which send the ball careening over to the left where they can hit any number of objects that will send the ball on an unpredictable path back down the playfield. The witch hurry-up shot, which is critical to advancing is another one of these problem shots in that the rebound can literally go anywhere. The one real combo option in the game (right ramp to right orbit) is hindered by the fact that a hurry-up is often lit, which catches the ball on the magnet above the rollover lanes instead of letting it loop around to the pop bumpers (and hopefully the haunted scoring collect), meaning that getting a haunted mode started either relies on a biffed left loop shot or an incredibly tight upper flipper shot. The crystal ball modes are also lucrative, but hitting the BALL targets (especially the B) is just asking for trouble since the left outlane is incredibly greedy, and there's really no great way to hit the B from the right flipper, meaning you pretty much have to rely upon a carom from another shot.

That said, the multiballs are clever, though again, the character collects for the Lion and Tin Man are not exactly shots you want to make, because they don't feed the flippers or another shot, so you usually collect them randomly. The music and light shows during multiball are great, though, and are a nice change of pace from the main theme.

The scoring is also fairly unbalanced, even in 4.1. Pretty much every inlane feed will light a hurry-up, but none of them are worth a lot of points. In fact, most shots aren't worth much unless you've got a crystal ball mode running, which again relies on a fair amount of randomness. I can keep a ball alive for 5 minutes and score 50x less than I do with one good shot when I've got Lights On stacked with Multiball.

The ability to rescue your ball from an outlane drain is very novel, and welcome, since the outlanes are very greedy. There's No Place Like Home is fairly difficult, compared to TOTO, and that's a shame, since the left outlane is situated right below the BALL targets and the ball doesn't always hit the pop bumper on its way down. It makes it difficult to want to go for the crystal ball. Another gripe is that the feeds from the autoplunge aren't predictable, and the timer keeps running even when your ball is stuck in the pops.

Aside from the two center shots, nothing is easily backhanded in the game, and the posts are just a little too far out to make a post pass a reasonable option. That leaves you to making shots that you hope will carom to the other flipper, which, combined with the way the ball hangs on a hurry up, really robs the game of flow.

Am I glad I own a WOZ? Yes. For a collector, this is an important part of pinball history, and my guests love playing it. It takes a long time for the casual player to realize the flaws in the design, and despite all of the gripes above, it's still fun to play. Will it be a daily player like AC/DC or Medieval Madness? No. But it's a nice showpiece that will be good for the occasional game.

X-Men is a hint of a decent game. The layout appears interesting at first, but after playing it, it's hard not to notice some critical design flaws, especially the center lock, which has a tendency to drain STDM.

The modes are made less fun by requiring far too many shots to complete. All in all, it's a nice looking machine that just doesn't do it for me.

I know there are a lot of die-hard Iron Man pinball fans out there. There is a lot to like about Iron Man: it's fast, it's punishing, and it has decent flow. But, if I'm being honest here, it just doesn't grab me. Yes, the ramps are fun to hit, and the bash toy is cool, but the gameplay is relatively simplistic, with only a few modes to keep you occupied.

Many of the "modes" are comprised of hitting some dangerous stand-ups or an even more dangerous magnet shot. Yes, you can (and should) bash the Iron Monger on the sides to avoid the magnet, but when it comes to Whiplash, you don't really have a choice, and that can lead to some disastrous drains that are no fault of your own. That sort of single-ball randomness tends to negate skill and rely instead upon dumb luck.

The design also feels cheap, with some wimpy action figures and completely plastic ramps. An upper flipper shot would have made this a bit more fun.

I enjoy playing Iron Man when it's on location, but I don't think I will be adding one to my collection anytime soon.

I hated AC/DC for a long time. And then I learned how to play it.

Whether or not you count the band as one of your favorites, it's hard not to get wrapped up in the auditory and visual spectacle that is AC/DC pinball. The playfield artwork seems too busy at first glance, but coupled with the LEDs of the premium editions, it provides an incredibly helpful guide to your next shot, along with some awesome feedback when you do something right.

The music is loud and meshes perfectly with the gameplay. I defy anyone to play AC/DC with feet firmly planted. The sound package lifts you up at just the right time, and the insults hurled by Steve Ritchie are great (if you own one, do yourself a favor and find the setting to increase the insults to maximum, which is buried in the feature menu).

But, what makes AC/DC so great is the gameplay. The shot layout is fast and flowing, which should come as no surprise, and the ability to backhand every shot is a testament to the careful design from Ritchie and his crew. The rules are insane. They seem too convoluted at first, but they're actually very easy to grasp once you understand how to light multiballs and generate song requests. But, mastering the risk/reward strategy that permeates the game is where this game gets its lasting appeal.

Do you cash in with an easy ramp shot, or do you take your chances with that dastardly set of drop targets and risk losing it all? Use your VIPs to help light shots, or save them to salvage your multiball? Do you start your multiball right away or try to stack? Do you risk the randomness of the kickout to change your song before you start multiball? These are the decisions the game constantly forces you to make, and it's one of the reasons it has cemented itself as an all-time classic.

The new Luci artwork is just icing on the cake. AC/DC purists are quick to point out that the theme is only loosely related to the band, but the artwork looks truly fantastic, and pictures just can't do the deep reds justice. And who knows... with AC/DC heading back to the studio, maybe we will soon see the connection.

If you already love AC/DC, then you don't need any convincing from me. But if you don't care for it, as I did at first, I implore you to watch Bowen Kerins' tutorial, look up the rule sheet, and then play it for about 30 minutes. I guarantee you will be hooked.

In short, AC/DC is a modern classic, and one that is never leaving my collection.

This is an absolutely dreadful game, full of terrible design choices and a distinct lack of flow or fun. Why anyone would think to create a toy that covers nearly all of the upper playfield is beyond me, but it's a real pain to lose the ball for a few seconds every time you shoot the ball up the middle. The side shots are too narrow and too far down the flippers, leading to caroms that send the ball into the covered part of the playfield. The lower playfield is just empty. The rules are needlessly obscure, the fun factor is non-existent. In short, I'd only buy this game if I needed parts.

It's odd: I rate each component of Tee'd Off fairly, and I end up with a score that is lower than I would give it if I had to consider it as a whole. I guess there's just something about Tee'd Off that makes it more than the sum of its parts.

Tee'd Off is a fun game with some interesting shots. The skill shot is fun, and I like the way this is incorporated into multiball starts. The shot variety is also good, but some of the layout doesn't mesh well with the rules. For instance, the pitch and putt mode is started at the volcano, but returns the ball to the right flipper. By the time you make a shot to get the ball over to the left flipper to deliver it to the upper flipper, the mode is almost over.

Scoring is unbalanced, with far too much emphasis on the captive ball, which can lead to astronomical bonuses, though it is fun to gamble on the skins mode. Also, if you can get multiball going and trap all but one ball on the right flipper, you can just keep hitting up the middle all day long. For these reasons, it's not a great machine for competition.

That said, Tee'd Off is a lot of fun. I actually like it better than No Good Gophers (which I own). If you see it on location, play it!

The Addams Family is one of Pat Lawlor's finest designs, taking many of the familiar features of his previous games and distilling them to their essence, while wrapping everything in a fun and engaging theme.

The layout is classic Lawlor: orbit shot through a tight field of bumpers, cross-playfield jackpot from an upper flipper, and play that heavily favors the left flipper. The result is a game that lacks a little flow, but is not so focused on trapping and control that it's not fun for novices.

The game introduces some interesting features, such as the power magnets, which provide some unpredictable moments, as well as a CPU-controlled mini-flipper shot that is remarkably accurate.

The gameplay is fast, fun and busy, with one of the main objectives being to clear the various rooms in the mansion. Most rooms start a very short (30 sec or so) mode during which certain shots must be made. Some of the rooms merely offer points, with Gold Edition ROMs offering some random bonus points that are sometimes so substantial as to render that version completely inappropriate for competitive play.

There are a few fun multiball modes, and unlocking them requires a very reasonable set of shots, the final one made more difficult by the power magnets. The lightshow that accompanies multiball and the jackpots is truly fantastic, though the magnets lead to a lot of unfortunate drains SDTM that can limit your time in multiball. With no relight or ball save, the multiballs can be unpleasantly short.

The playfield is really nice, with a lot of great artwork, and some very cool toys, like Thing, who emerges from a box in the upper right of the playfield to snatch balls off the table. The sound is varied with a lot of fun quotes that never get old, and the music is catchy without being repetitive, and follows the action really well.

All in all, it's hard to take issue with The Addams Family. It is a very solid game with enough bells and whistles to entertain the novices, and a deep enough ruleset to engage the expert player. It's no mistake that this is the number one selling pinball of all time.

Whirlwind is one of my favorite Lawlor designs and a true classic in every sense of the word. Unlike some
of his more intricate designs of the mid 1990's, Whirlwind has a pretty simple ruleset and pretty decent
flow.

There are surprisingly few high-risk shots in the game, and the post between the flippers eliminates a
good deal of those painful SDTM drains that can happen as a ball caroms off the tornado target. In
addition, the game is not as fast as some of the games that followed during the 1990s. As a result, it's
pretty easy to keep the ball in play for extended periods of time, making this a great game for novices.

That's not to say that expert pinheads won't have fun, however. The game rewards precise shooting, and
being a Lawlor game, the jackpot requires you to make a cross-table shot from an upper flipper to a ramp.
If I had one complaint, it would be that the upper flipper is a bit underpowered, making the ramp shot a
very difficult one to make on a consistent basis.

Whirlwind is a pretty fun theme, featuring a fan topper that creates a breeze on your face, and some
spinning discs that can subtly alter the course of the ball. The audio is decent, with nice music and effects,
though the voices can be a bit grating.

Whirlwind is a game that takes a beating, but if you can find one in decent condition, it's sure to be a great
addition to any collection!

Twilight Zone is a game that is better in theory than it is in reality. To be sure, it's the most feature-packed
and toy-laden game to date, and it's full of a lot of interesting and challenging shots. But, the game can be
needlessly cruel, even for experienced players.

The theme is solid, and the episodic nature of the TV show allows for severaal different elements to be
incorporated into the overall theme. You have a clock, gumball machine, slot macine, piano, hitchhikers,
town squares, rocketships, and cameras... all of these disparate elements are rolled into the same machine.
It makes for a busy and somewhat disjointed design that really doesn't make a lot of sense.

The audio is decent, though the sound system that shipped with the game really isn't up to the task of
some of the more explosive callouts. There are a lot of easter eggs hidden within the design, including
callouts and audio tracks from previous Lawlor games. The standout music has to be the brief snippets of
the Twilight Zone theme at the start of multiball, and the frantic powerball music.

In terms of gameplay, Twilight Zone is a bit hobbled by its ambition. The game has almost zero flow,
outside of a left ramp/right ramp/piano combo. Otherwise, this is a stop-and-start affair that encourages
trapping and post transfers. There are a number of difficult shots, including some high-risk through-the-
bumper shots, as well as some insanely fast loops when the magnets are not active. There are some neat
shots, like the camera, which requires you to shoot underneath a mini-flipper from an upper flipper, as
well as a deceptively challenging right loop to load the gumball.

Some of the most interesting diversions can be found in elements such as the upper playfield, which forces
you to use magnets as flippers to make a deceptively difficult shot at the top of the field, and the frantic
action of the powerball, a light ceramic ball that zips around the playfield at breakneck speed, and is very
difficult to settle down.

Unfortunately, Twilight Zone suffers from a number of technical issues, such as a finicky lock shot that is
already difficult enough to hit without the odd bounce-out, as well as an upper ramp diverter which often
doesn't drop the ball like it should. And, at this point, if the clock hasn't already melted down, new owners
can expect to spend some time modding or replacing the entire unit.

Twilight Zone is a game that can be very challenging at times, especially during the multiball. Multiball
starts off with a wickedly fast launch around a loop that can be difficult to track as it makes its way
underneath the two ramps that are dead center at the top of the playfield. To make matters more painful,
the jackpot requires a very precise cross-table shot from a tiny flipper, and the relight also requires a
cross-table shot under the mini-flipper!

Even more frustrating is that the outlanes are very greedy, and there are times that outlane drains will
happen without the player being able to save themselves. On the left, the pop bumpers can deliver a ball
straight to the outlane, while the rebound from a dead end shot sometimes heads straight for the right
outlane. Since the right outlane has no rubber post, nudging is rarely an option to save yourself. Finally,
drains SDTM are frequent, with rollbacks from missed ramp shots, lock bounce-outs, and fast loop shots
usually heading right in between the freakishly large gap between the flippers. With an incredibly stingy
ball save, short games are all too common.

Still, despite the frustrations that are inherent to the game, it's hard not to like Twilight Zone for all its
ambition and for the absolutely insane amount of modes, shots and toys. It's a shame that the game
doesn't cut you a little more slack.

There's a lot of hype surrounding Medieval Madness, but this is one of those rare occasions that the hype is
100% justified. Simply put, Medieval Madness is the best pinball ever made.

Some may accuse Brian Eddy and company of simply reskinning Attack from Mars, and it is true that the
shot layouts are eerily similar. But, I see this as a more refined game, with improved flow, better artwork
and a better theme.

The playfield is loud and busy, with tons of inserts and really fantastic artwork that is filled with little
surprises, from basketballs being launched from the catapult, to knights jousting with pencils. The
translite features a lot of little jokes as well.

The audio is superb, with a fantastic soundtrack that follows the action, and some truly hilarious voice
acting from a group of then-unknown Chicago comedians, some of whom have gone on to fame, like Tina
Fey and Scott Adsit. The callouts very seldom wear thin, as each objective has at several different lines of
dialogue associated with it, and the order in which you tackle the king's henchmen is randomized.

The ruleset is deep, allowing expert players to set themselves up for massive jackpots and stacked modes.
However, for the novice player, there are a number of bells and whistles that are easily accessible, making
this a great game for players of all skill levels.

What makes Medieval Madness great is that it can be played in several different ways. For those players
who like their games fast and flowing, alternating ramp and loop shots can bring rewards. For those who
like to trap and shoot with precision, there are a number of challenging shots that you can choose from,
including a very fun multiball mode awarded for hitting a narrow lock.

Completing objectives is very simple: instead of forcing the player to execute complex combos, every
objective can be accomplished by repeating a shot 3-4 times. While that may sound a little bland, the
game offsets this repetition by allowing a player to stack objectives before beginning mutliball, where each
completed objective awards more balls, and activates more super jackpot targets. It is, again, a brilliant
design move that keeps the game challenging but accessible.

But, accessible doesn't necessarily mean easy. Completing all of the master objectives to start the Battle
for the Kingdom (the game's wizard mode) is a formidable taak that few players will ever reach without
cheating, as it requires the player to keep the ball in play for extended periods of time. The video modes
are also quite difficult to attain.

Medieval Madness also includes some of the best toys in pinball, with the troll heads that pop up in the
middle of the playfield, and the absolutely fantastic exploding castle.

All in all, Medieval Madness is--in the humble opinion of this reviewer--pinball's finest hour. Every bit of
praise and hype and hyperbole that is heaped upon this pin is well-deserved. Yes, it commands a
premium, but even at today's prices, it's worth every single penny.