Melting the witch is a mini-wizard mode in WOZ. The concept is similar to Destroy The Ring in LOTR. In WOZ you need to start ECMB, Rescue MB, a Munchkin mode, and start Fireball Frenzy (the 4th witch hurry up). That will light the witch insert red, and when you hit it, start the witch battle.

(Spoiler alert)

The playfield turns green with some shots lit white, and a two ball Multiball starts. Hit all the white ones for better points. After hitting one, it turns red. Still counts for progress, but I think less points. With enough shots the castle shot lights white and the winkie target drops. You then shoot a ball in there. Then the ramp lights up white. Hit the ramp, everything turns red except the witch that is now white. Hit the witch shot from the upper right flipper and...

No more spoilers.

_{Post edited by DaveH: Forgot to add, lose one of the balls during the battle, and no witch melting for you... Try again.}

It's a beautiful pin and appears to be built like a tank. It's very innovative and amazingly deep.....and it does absolutely nothing for me. I just don't care for the style of play. I don't really care for TZ either. I'm just not a fan of "stop-n-go" pins. TSPP would probably be my favorite from that class of pins and I enjoy playing it from time to time....but probably won't own one.

I don't really see why TZ keeps getting dragged into this.

TZ is a great game and WOZ isn't...trying to bind them together is a pretty weak way to make your case that WOZ is fun (other posters have made that argument).

Many....myself included, find the "Style of Play" to be rather similar.....and it's that style that I generally don't jive with.

Totally.

But there are others who say "You hate WOZ? Well, I guess you hate TZ too, doncha!?!?!?!"

I think that's pretty weak. It's possible to like one and not the other.

Generally, if you like the style of TZ you will like WOZ. Not definitely, but likely. It's the closest pin along with TSPP to compare it to. It's fun on its own merits. It's not for everyone (like every game ever made) and it's obviously not for you. No biggie. I think ACDC is lame and most love it. No biggie.

There was another poster earlier that probably echos my thoughts. Groundbreaking, innovative, etc...totally. Fun? Kind of. I think part of the problem for me is that one of my favorite games is TSPP, and for me personally it's the superior game on almost all gameplay levels. Better mini playfield, play is faster, better theme, same deep ruleset, no left outlane game that takes minutes for essentially a kickback, etc. The theme doesn't kill it, but theme + slow play doesn't help when comparing it to TSPP, which is overall a more fun game to shoot and play.

I would say only pricing is holding me back from owning it. Saying that, its still hard to not want to have one in the house.

To answer the OP's question, "Fun" is not the first adjective I would use for WoZ.
Challenging, beautiful, deep... would come first.

But I do not find this game extremely fun. Not to be taken as an insult - far from it. I don't find LOTR fun, I find it immersive and that's one of my favorite games.

Yea me to id love to own it

Don't know why a bunch of people are trying to convince each other that it's fun or it isn't. Fun is one of the most subjective things there is. Anyway, for me, yes it is fun. It's a whole miniature world in there and I just love that kind of stuff. Whenever I play it I am completely lost in there and busy as hell. I work the crap out of the third flipper and plunge to it 80% of the time. There is immense variation in feedback as the level of play increases, and you can be damn sure that if you just went through a sound and light overload that if you look up there will be a shit load of points to match. It is very difficult to get stuck in any sort of rut and you can step up or down the pace at will. Too stop and go? Then start ramp/orbit comboing that biatch.
I don't care what anyone else thinks of it, and I don't care whatever anyone else thinks about what I think of it. It is fun. It is different fun to a bunch of other machines (that are also fun). It is busy fun. It is get the fuck involved and lose yourself fun. It is when there is a hurry up, then hurry the hell up fun. It is the more you put into it then multiples of that you will get out of it fun.
Yes, honestly, it is fun.

This is not meant as an inflammatory statement, but could somebody point me to any video evidence of anybody shooting combo shots on a Woz?? The ramp leads to a ball gate, and the right orbit leads to the pops. Making the left orbit shot without getting stuck in the pops is a small miracle!

I own the machine, and I really enjoy it, but one of my personal criticisms of the game is that there ISN'T a combo shot to be made anywhere.

WOZ is closer to a system11 on steroids than TSPP or TZ.

The shots are all dangerous and the slanted target banks are all indicative of games of that era.

TSPP and TZ offer risk vs. Reward when it comes to just plain shot strategy (Ie. Getting to the upper playfields, collecting hitchikers: dangerous vs lighting power: safe shots or garage: dangerous vs side ramp: controlled.)

In WOZ every single shot is dangerous. The ramp is the only safe shot in the game. The castle requiring you to bash the drop is dangerous, rainbow targets are dangerous, ball targets are dangerous, orbits are dangerous, witch is dangerous, etc.

That's why I think WOZ is like a super coded super technological system 11/EM. You have to nudge a ton when you play to be successful.

Personally I just think it's OK. It's just a pinball machine! It's gorgeous as all get out, but it's not a game I really enjoy playing.

I often combo between the ramp and right orbit to move on the yellow brick road while also making the easiest/safest shots in the game. I believe, based on my observations, that the ramp shot is letting the ball pass through the lock more than 50% of the time (i.e. no lock or rainbow lit).

I respect anyone who says they don't feel it's fun. That's cool. I just hope before they decide they actually play the heck out of it in a home environment where the machine is dialed in nicely and you can hear and see EVERYTHING. Like it was said above, the feedback from WOZ once you open it up is top notch. Every time I thought I saw what he had to offered I went back in and saw something else and I've only melted the witch ONCE and that is not even fraction of it! If you play it on location once or at a show twice your missing the boat. You need waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than a game or two to see it. Way more. It is pretty epic. And if you can't stand the theme...... You know you watched it as a kid more than once!

You just made a completely contradictory statement.

If you call a turd a turd, that means you are not a fanboy. It amazes me how many people on Pinside don't understand what a "fanboy" is.

I am not saying that you don't call it as you see it. I think you pretty much always call it like you see it around here as far as I can tell. But that is the complete opposite of what a fanboy does.

And just because you call it like you see it doesn't mean people won't disagree. I certainly disagree that it's "the best pin ever made".

As for WOZ, it could have the best pinball code ever created by mankind, but that isn't going to change the theme, playfield layout, shots, sounds, call outs, mini pfs, etc.

Well, I've been accused of being a JJP fanboy. I think WOZ is one of the best games ever made, and it's the game that got me into this hobby. But I've actually always been honest about design flaws in the game (I'm still wrestling with wintertime LED issues), and I have to say that I'm a little reticent about my preorder on TH at this point (I'm hoping Keith's code will bring it all together).

Rob, you should understand that you're a JJP anti-fanboy, whether you can see that or not. You hate WOZ, and that's okay. But respect for people's opinions goes both ways. You can respectfully disagree with people (I hate TZ, and people think I'm nuts), but there's no reason to act like people who love WOZ are somehow brainwashed, delusional, or just plain stupid.

We all have our opinions and all think different games are awesome, and that's just one thing that makes this hobby great.

Don't buy that at all.

As others have said TSPP and TZ both have combo shots, safe shots, and strategies that go beyond "shoot your shot and PRAY the ball doesn't randomly head to the outlanes and you can get control again." Those games are mode-based while WOZ isn't.

They aren't the same "style" at all. I think that's just an idea some folks latched on to for some reason, doesn't make any sense to me.

Regardless, "style" points or no I don't see any reason why you can't like any one of those and dislike any of the others.

Yes, it is a fun pin. Glad it was my second following TWD. Wife likes it and that has given me a green light to get more.

WOZ is not even a pimple on the ass of the all mighty TZ. WOZ is a terribly themed plodding bore fest with a useless upper right flipper.

How boorish you are.

Some would say boorish, some would say accurate. And they'd both be right.

i enjoyed it when i played it. probably know rules would have made it better. I think its a work of art. the colors just amazing.

I love the game. I have owned and played almost every game in the top 50 and if I could keep only one, it would be WOZ.

The number of used machines being sold and the price of the ones for sale is an indicator of how good of a game is. Not many for sale and the price is holding. If it were as bad as some of the I played it once and did not know what to shoot for or what to do with the upper flipper, the price would be crashing and you would see games for sale.

I think the haters are comprised of people with testosterone issues and ones who prefer simple games that the brain is barely used. One in particular thinks Monster Bash is the greatest game ever. Lets see...ramp, ramp, ramp and outlane, outlane, outlane over and over again. Don't get me wrong, Monster Bash is great if you never played pinball much or don't like to think about what to do.

Variety is great and Woz is not like many other pins.

You don't really believe this, do you?

Every game has people who like it and people who don't. And people who pay $8000 for a game aren't gonna dump it for half that just because they don't like it.

By your logic, Popeye is a good game because we don't see people selling them left and right for half of what they paid for it. I don't see many for sale and the price is holding, therefore everybody loves Popeye, right?

Logic...is not your friend.

You avatar name is perfect.

I think it's "crazy" that opinions and discussing a game on perceived merit and gamplay isn't enough for some people.

When you start saying things like "not many are for sale, that proves it's a good game" you've gone full retard.

You don't see many Waterworlds for sale, and the price is holding. That proves it's a good game.

I love it when people put words in my mouth. Clueless.

Further evidence of your state of mind.

Not clueless. Just blonde. I could find enough evidence from your quotes in past threads that support my claim, but I have a life. So we'll leave it with you being completely right about everything.

Did someone say WOZ is polarizing?

JJP has sold at least 2,500 WOZ, and yet the same 10 or so always complain, go figure!

True. I guess fanboy isn't the right word? I don't blindly praise and love everything JJP does. Cheerleader better? In any case I've been called a fanboy of WOZ plenty of times so some people think I am one. As far as your last sentence there, all of those things ARE awesome on WOZ! IMO that is. Different strokes make the world interesting.

As far as safe shots go...I find most shots safe, unless I miss. Crystal ball, safe. Left loop, safe. Witch, safe. Winkie, safe. Ramp, safe. R-A-I-N targets, safe (B-O-W less safe but not too bad). Right loop, safe if top magnet activates but dangerous if goes to pops. You can make pops safe if a haunted mode is lit by killing them with both flippers. Wizard, safe. Miss those shots and you're in trouble though. Biggest bitch of a shot is the crystal ball on my game. If you hit the post (only one exposed in the whole game) it's almost a sure death down the left Outlane.

Or it could be that the game had a very high price tag & people are trying to get max value out of it on resale???

Or maybe the "haters" just dont care for the 1 flowing shot layout & one of the most retarded mini playfields ever??

That may be but every game doesn't have to flow like a Steve Ritchie game and have two or more ramps to be good or fun for most people. Which mini PF is "retarded"? Munchkin, I presume? I find it fun...and challenging as hell in multiballs. One of the multiballs uses the munchkin loop as the jackpot shot. That is very tough and rewarding. I like it, but it's ok that you don't. Calling something retarded is pretty retarded though.

I think his point was that there aren't many for sale. But you knew that.

One thing I've found about Pinside is that while we're all passionate about pinball and therefore highly opinionated, there aren't many of us that are idiots.

As noted earlier, the upper right flipper has several unique shots. You can only make the 3 skill shots (witch, pops skill, crystal ball) from the UR flipper. (Skill times out before the ball can get to the lower flippers.) You need the UR flipper to melt the witch. And, you only need one witch hit to start or end the witch hurryup from the UR flipper; it takes 2 hits from a lower flipper to do either. Also, it is handy to direct a lost twister ball to the bottom left flipper for a shot back up the ramp.

As for TZ vs WOZ, some people have it exactly backwards IMO. I never enjoyed TZ in 20 years of playing it. I find WOZ to be a lot of fun. TZ doesn't hold a candle to it in terms of strategy/coherence, although they do share a largely-obstructed widebody playfield. And anybody who complains about WOZ outlanes and finds the TZ left side bearable, well, they think differently than I do!

Haven't played a really good WOZ on location in NYC, ever. And I've played all 4 of them. As some have noted, there's a world of difference in a dialed-in home game. Mine plays nothing like any local location WOZ, and by that I mean much, much better.

Bullshit.

Yep!

to say WOZ is the best ever. You can't at this point. It's still to new. It's in the honeymoon stage. My AC/DC is older than WOZ and I still can't say it's best ever. I like it, but it takes about 5 years before the honeymoon stage is over and it starts to settle in where it really belongs. Time is the true test of a good game.

Here is my full review of WOZ. Can't you just feel the "hatred" oozing from me?!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/another-woz-review

You know...I can agree with this. Let's re-evaluate in another 3-4 years.

But is it fun?

I agree. Look at CV. Took 10 years before that game got any love at all. Some games get lots of love early on and die out (avengers/xmen). Some don't get any love in the beginning and becomes diamonds in the rough years down the road (CFTBL, AFM, WH20)

I agree. At first I thought "5 years...that's too long". But not when you stop to really think about it. It takes at least that long just for a game to make its rounds around the community and get a broad enough consensus. Hell I'm just getting IM for the first time and I've only played a few games on one total....and it's going on 5 years right now. There are still plenty of games that are much older that I've never played.....plenty!

Pretty coherent and nice review. Well thought out. You don't like the layout so I suppose playing it extensively on the latest code won't change your mind? The sounds and rules are much different than when you played it. And try to play it on a game with no issues like broken slingshots and monkey mechs.

Any owners who think this game is not fun Please feel free to PM me I'm looking to buy a second hand one

After reading the last couple of pages, I'll definitely devote more time to learning it properly. All in the pursuit of happiness.

I think the game is a ton of fun, but I am just saying this to help protect my investment and prevent the market from dropping below my purchase price.

Which part of that didn't you get, Rob?

And the reason I said you hate it is because of how vehemently you seem to go after people who love it.

Not like Craz4Pin, but still...

Yes. Further evidence of the unbridled rage I feel when I read arguments as stupid as "it's holding it's value (like about 98 percent of all pinball machines ever made) therefore that proves it's a good game."

So much rage!!