Maybe the title should be favorite game ever made. Many people are like me in that we have never seen or played one so no way it can be #1 for that crowd. Saying that it has to be "dialed in" to be good sounds like it's an average game. Any sub par game can be made a lot more fun when cleaned, maintained, and setup properly. AMH does seem like a fun game to own. I do like how it doesn't take itself too seriously and embraces it's indie/boutique heritage. Best ever? If given the choice, how many people would take it over a TZ, MM, AFM, MB, or MET?

It is a terrific game and the fact it is a first for them makes it even more special. I have played it many times along with all the other great game and I feel like it is a top 10 for sure.

I would say most games need to be dialed in to be fun. It is really no different then most NIB Sterns I have recently purchased. For example, TWD was craptastic when it first came out of the box and needed tweaks to the skillshot feed, the pop bumper feed, and the feed from rejected riot shots in order to make the ball move like it should and be more predictable without cheap drains.

Similarly our AMh needed adjustments to make the jump ramp smoother, the scoop feed more predictable, and elimiante a few stuck ball spots.

Most games need some dialing in to actually play well.

AMH is an amazing pin.

Mine needed a few easy tweaks out if the box (just like every new pin does), and I'm still chasing a few lost ball issues... But this game is FUN!!

It's fast, deep, silly, campy. It feels solid as a rock. I'm really proud to own an AMH.

Great job Spooky, and great job Op for posting a purely positive, enthusiastic thread.

I had to rebuild the whole right side of LOTR out of the box and most of TFLE out of the box, so the whole "oh no I have to tweak something" is not really that much of a strange thing. I kinda like it.

-c

Ben's Bible Adventures pinball is going to be the best pinball ever made. You heard it here first.

Nobody is buying it, OP. Sorry.

However you have prompted me to stir shit up with my forthcoming post:

Williams Darling Could be the Best Game Ever Made

This thread sure has afforded me a welcomed break from the "MMR is the best MM game ever made" thread as well as the "This thread is the best thread ever started" thread. It's good to have variety.

HAHAHA!!!!

Everybody knows that!!!!

There's something about its purity. You have one target - the captive balls. And you want to knock them all to one side. So it's very goal oriented - in fact, since there's only one goal and nothing else to shoot for, it could be the most focused game ever made. But there are many ways to do it! You can shoot for the side with more balls, to try to get the balls to the other side. OR you can let the slot kickers do it for you. So there are, uh...two ways to do it.

This really opens up interesting strategy for skilled players. This could be the most challenging game ever made.

Beyond that, you have the artwork, which could be the best art ever made. It's timeless pointy people abstract art (which could be the best art style ever made), combined with what could be the best theme ever made, ancient Egypt.

So there you have it - I've presented a logical, well-thought out argument as to why Darling - and to a lesser degree it's four player cousin Jubilee (you get less of what could be the best art ever made) could well be the best game ever made.

d1.jpg
d3.jpg

You have to make sure the shots on Darling are dialed in though. You might need to add or remove captive balls. Once you get the right number of balls in in the U-turn, it shoots like a dream. You've all probably played crappy ones.

True. Too often people leave the old pitted balls in U-turn. The action is really unsatisfactory that way.

Another problem is that people don't dial in those slot kickers correctly. They should aim right at the captive balls - if they are just going off into the vast expanse of empty playfield, or bouncing harmlessly off of posts, you've in effect taken one-half of your possible game strategy out of the equation.

My god the amount of "dialed in" horseshit on this thread is staggering.

The slot kickers will not complete the entire side of the captive balls

I'm sorry to be a downer - AMH is cool and I applaud Spooky for actually producing a game. You can't overstate how monumental a task that is.

But a pinball machine is a complete package, and that includes art and sound, both of which are lacking a professional touch on this game. Rob Zombie will probably be much better given the experience they now have.

OP is trolling and succeeding. Game is fine, it has its place. The poor artwork and call outs relegate put it out of the running.

Kaneda dialed-in is AMAZING!

Hmmm... I find that strange. I don't THINK the Op was trolling. I think the Op was being excited. Perhaps a BIT hyperbolic... However, I'll take somebody being excited, and positive, and enjoying pinball over 1000s of negative posts debating price, Manufacturer Bashing, etc etc.

Not saying you were doing any of that, Dung.

I just REALLY like my AMH, and I always enjoy a positive thread period. It's a shame that people feel the need to not just engage in the discussion, but inject a WHOLE lot of negativity as well. Again, I don't mean you, Dung! Just generalizing, and responding to your "trolling" opinion.

The callouts in AMH are actually really fun, and there are a TON of them. Lots of variety, and I'm always hearing something new that makes me laugh. My guests love it too. Visually, it's similar to many machines in that it looks WAY BETTER in person, and when being played. Photos of the playfield do it no justice. The player experience on this machine is top notch.

Best game ever made... I'm not there, but I'm totally cool with the Op thinking that. He's listed the reasons he feels that way.

How about, "Hey Op. Glad you're loving your machine. If you like AMH, you should check out *insert machine here*. It sounds like you'd love that one too"

Or, "Wow, AMH didn't really blow my mind when I played it... your enthusiasm is making me want to give it another chance though!"

Or, "I'm not sure I agree with Best ever made... for me that's Bounty Hunter, so I've got strange taste I suppose!"

C'mon Y'all. Let's lighten up, and act like a community.

If the discussion is about whether AMH is the best game ever made, there are two sides. One, you agree, AMH is literally the best game ever made. Two, you don't agree, and list the reasons why. If I made a thread about Dipsy Doodle having the deepest ruleset ever developed, the people who didn't agree would likely provide counterexamples to support their opinion.

Whoa...whoa....whoa.

You need to stop and remember where you're at before you go posting crazy stuff like this .

I have AMH. Best game ever.....having a hard time with that one. I guess mine isn't dialed in. I enjoy it but I find myself playing ST LE or Mustang Premium, AC DC well in fact I would put AMH quite down on the list of games in my collection. I just don't find the flow that other games have. Maybe need to give it another chance or two. It has its place but I wish we could get a headphone jack from Pinnovators for it. Nothing quite like being sucked into the game with headphones.

I keep waiting for proof, like his AMH FS ad to show up.

FWIW I have an AMH on order. Should be delivered in January. I didn't like AMH at first, but it has really grown on me.

And "The Doors" are probably the best rock band ever!

Actually the OP is a very cool dude, who sold me the best game ever made--TZ!

All my games are "The Best Game Ever Made" for the first couple of months I own them. And then I buy another "Best Game Ever Made".

I would agree with some of the other owners who have posted, after owning AMH for 6 months I wouldn't really put it at the top of any of my game lists. Fun, yes. Incredible accomplishment, yes. As much fun as modern Sterns? That's where I would tend to say no. I wrote this in my review of the game, but the biggest issue I have with the game is that the starting of modes is very uneven, so that hotel and doctor modes are played 10x more than all the other modes...it lends itself to the early 90's DE games where the first mode was always the same, it kind of gets that way now.

The modes themselves are great. Also not helping is the fact that the easiest to start mode is by far the easiest to complete, so you end up getting the hotel multiball almost every game.

This isn't a negative review, I'm just pointing out why I don't favor it compared to some other modern games.

yes there is. TZ is as close as it comes to perfection.

I think it's an amazing time in pinball when we are discussing the possibiltiy that a game made in 2015 "could be the best game ever." If this is what the the OP thinks of his game, that is pretty awesome.

I feel very similar about WOZ. It has its issues and my game has been problematic but I absolutely love the game and would put it up for discussion. Do I want to fight over my opinion? No, but I feel fortunate that I can walk 20 ft and test my theory.

Well then it's a great time as it happens to most buyers these days.

Well maybe not WWE

then yes it is.

I get it. 'The Doors' are dope. I mean well, I can go on and on but 'The End' in Apocalypse Now (pretty good). I really really liked The Doors, read the biography about Jim for crying out loud.

However, even myself a self proclaimed Doors fan, would not go put them ahead of Floyd, Zeppelin, Beatles and The Stones.

I'd say something like "The Doors" are one of the best rock bands, they're in the conversation (etc.) but I just can't seem to make the leap of saying with a straight face that The Doors are better than Floyd, Zeppelin (etc.) more like in the top 20 how's that with Black Sabbath, Queen, The Who, Hendrix (etc.). I don't think that's a bold statement or a hard case to make, but to crown them even in the best ever is really a bit much.

I'm not really arguing against the OP's enthusiasm, or that he might actually think AMH is the best pin (it's not) but maybe he thinks it is.

I could easily do a thread:

Tspp is the best game ever
Tron is the best game ever
AcDc is the best game ever

Even PotC is the best game ever (and list all the cool things on PotC that I like).

The point is there is not 'best game ever' just like there is not a best flavor of ice cream, or the cutest girl in the world. (etc..).

There's only one instance where we can all agree about 'the best ever'

This guy:

IFWT_Tom-Brady-3.jpg

In that case, I agree. Didn't mean to disrupt your thread. It's a very nice thread. Better than the countless Ghostbuster or Hobbit threads.

Nah, this guy must be the best ever...

image-2-for-the-ticket-25-11-10-gallery-443205670.jpg

See what I mean, now?

The best part is when "different stro..." No, I can't say it. But the best part is when that chestnut is once again foisted upon us, like it has been many hundreds of times on Pinside, with or without its attendant "folks" (or in at least one case, "fokes"!). Seriously, that's the best part!

On the other hand, where can I find a Darling?

Close...maybe already...needs to bag 1 more to erase all doubt though.

no matter what, a new game cannot be the best ever. Hasn't stood the test of time yet enough to be classified as the best ever. Still has to much new pussie syndrome in it. After the honeymoon wears off (takes about 5 years), then you can see if it still stands up to the greats.

So fucking what? I know your MO is to piss on everyone's cornflakes but your need to down talk someone else's enthusiasm is just boring at this point.

I don't want to derail the thread, I just posted Tom as semi-joke.

but his winning percentage is ridiculous and with not much in the way of greatest players around him (maybe Gronk and Moss for a while) his home record is 112-19 (.86 win percentage). His winning percentage is .773 overall.

He's got as many play-off wins as Peyton and Big Ben combined. That's 30 combined years between them against 16 years for Brady.

I'm familiar with his stats..he's obviously above those 2...gotta get over Montana mountain.

I will say that AMH is the finest pinball machine in which you battle the ghost of a prostitute ever made.

That is like saying that your baby is the most beautyfull in the world, haha!

But we all do it. Nothing wrong with it. Have fun playing your game!

That is what it is all about.

Big call...

I have no idea how you were able to qualify bar ghost with one plunge...it's not even an 'active' pop thing, it's that the ball shoots out way before that happens on my game. Shots up the middle often just hit one pop and come right back down. I had to turn the number of pop qualifiers to the minimum in order to shorten it to around 8 shots on average...those are also dangerous drain shots. Occasionally it would qualify early but not very often.

But if you just look at the shots, the doctor, up the middle, and the right ramp are the easiest shots.

Doctor--3 shots + door (seems like you make this shot by accident a lot from random bounces and slings)
Hotel--3 shots
Bar ghost--5 to 10 shots + right scoop shot
Army ghost--5 to 10 shots + right scoop shot
Theater ghost--3 shots + left saucer, very hard to hit 3 of them
Prison ghost--3 shots, not difficult but not a shot that really occurs naturally unless you're aiming for it

Just the natural difficulty of the shots means that doctor and hotel end up being started way more than the others. There's no mode stacking, so a lot of the time you may get a 'start Hotel' then drain and then the next ball 'start doctor' and then drain and may only play those two modes in a lot of games. The natural easy 'shots' off the flipper are the ramp and saucer, so those just end up getting hit more, just like the ramps on AC/DC. Only way to really avoid it is to make a conscious effort not to shoot the ramp or saucer, which feels little awkward. That's all I meant by mode repetition issues after a while.

I'll agree with that.

It's an impressive first effort and fun to play. Might crack my top 100.

It is a fun game for sure, but I would put it around number 50. That would move Roadshow which is currently number 50 to number 51. Number 49 is POTC, so it is in very good company. So don't get mad at me. With as many great pinball machines as there are, number 50 is damn good for a new company.

Wow. Very well said MapleSyrup. I couldn't agree more with every word here. I feel the exact same way about my AMH and wishes for this community. If you ever make it down to Nashville I'll buy you a beer and some chicken and waffles.

Agree, if I'm picking one QB to lead my all-time team, it would be JM.