Quoted from Oneangrymo:Immersion, lighting effects
Music/ sound , video ...
Alien
This. Alien is the best pin of the decade. Unfortunately not enough made for everyone to experience it.
Quoted from Oneangrymo:Immersion, lighting effects
Music/ sound , video ...
Alien
This. Alien is the best pin of the decade. Unfortunately not enough made for everyone to experience it.
Quoted from TigerLaw:2) the rise of Pinside. Pinside was around before 2010, sure, but it was nothing like it is today. The message board had just launched and it would take months to drop off the front page. Pinside, as it has grown and been constantly refined by Robin, has provided a great environment to discuss pinball and a great market to not get ripped off in if you are a newbie buyer.
These two things combined grew the player and collector market, which allowed all the advancement in machines we are enjoying now.
Totally agree about this. If it wasn’t for pinside, I don’t think I could have stayed in this hobby. I knew nothing about pin repair before I started, other than that pins always need to be repaired. It was with the support of the pinside community that I gained confidence to diagnose and fix issues which in turn gave me confidence to buy more pins. Thank you, pinside!
#1 is WOZ!
JJP WOZ changed pinball period. There would be no POTC without it. It also forced Stern to up their game.
Dialed In is second for me. Better than POTC and Hobbit in my opinion. Best original game in years and one of the best pins in the last 10 years if not longer. I cant wait to see GnR.
Finally, the addition of Keith Elwin to Stern and Iron Maiden. IMDN was a departure from typical Stern designs and Keith has paved the way for new innovation from them. I just hope the quality improves as well as the budgets the designers are given for the games.
Quoted from TigerLaw:2) the rise of Pinside. Pinside was around before 2010, sure, but it was nothing like it is today. The message board had just launched and it would take months to drop off the front page. Pinside, as it has grown and been constantly refined by Robin, has provided a great environment to discuss pinball and a great market to not get ripped off in if you are a newbie buyer.
These two things combined grew the player and collector market, which allowed all the advancement in machines we are enjoying now.
Great point about Pinside. I was a member 15 years ago but can’t recall much about it, maybe I looked at the top100 list bet don’t think there was much of a forum. I really got back involved with Pinside around 2012 when X-Men and Woz was being discussed, must admit that I wasn’t around when Iron Man, Tron, AcDc, Transformers were announced and discussed.
Without Pinside, I think it’s possible that pinball landscape would look quite different today. It seems like most of the owners of the boutique pins are represented here, Skit-b, Zidware to the Spooky pins.
Well it’s really tough to say which pin is the best of the decade because none did everything right.
Iron Maiden great shooter, awesome animation but empty play field could be any theme.
Batman 66 best theme integration with video, deep code but not a great shooter.
WOZ truly a world under glass, game changer but not a good shooter.
Ghostbusters fun shooter, awesome artwork, loaded play field but that flipper gap so close.
Dialed In yes theme is everything garbage.
Walking Dead code saved the game.
Deadpool oh so close but based on movie it’s a miss.
Jurassic Park suffers from the same problem as Deadpool Jurassic Park DE better theme integration.
Kiss most under rated of the decade excellent final code update best retro artwork.
Metallica best of the music pins of the decade. Metallica, KISS, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Rob Zombie, AC/DC in that order.
So many games close to greatness but this is way the remakes are able to sell because the Bally/Williams era was greatness many times.
Regarding some of the observations:
Metallica yes the full package ticks all the boxes, theme, art, code, gameplay. I think AcDc deserves mention as well but is lacking in the art package otherwise it’s outstanding as well, leading to Iron Maiden. Maiden is not really a pin that I was interested in due to the band which was relatively unknown to me but the layout, art, code it’s another complete package and you know what it actually got me to love the music.
Alien is another great pin which I have played several times, I’m not sure it’s completely all there and it’s a shame the game didn’t get a full run with support like other games have, I said it’s a shame JJP didn’t do Alien instead.
JJP PotC is a great pin but again it’s too bad that it was not fully sold to an extent like Woz has been. It’s not my favorite pin but the toys and layout are interesting and innovative. It’s great the people who do own it, I’m curious if anyone knows how many PotC and how many Alien pins were made.
WoZ most influential no doubt. Game changer. Love or hate the game, it reset the bar and forced Stern and the industry to step up.
Pinside: it's the engine of pinball and should be recognized as well. One of the best designed websites as well.
Game wise, jjp potc can't be recognized as best. Sorry. I'm a former owner and the lack of any variation in modes combined with MB all day just brings it down. The theme brings it down further.
Alien to me is the sweetest taste of pinball fruit I've had in my over saturated onslaught of ownership. Amazing theme and integration, unique layout with multiple flippers, great music, effects, use of screens, xeno toy, sick sculps and lit side art inside and out and something potc couldn't do well - unbelievable modes that feel different and varied. Code is all there too with 3 mbs, two movies to select from all with their own modes (alien and aliens), wizard mode and more.
Not many people got the opp to play it or were limited to quick experiences at shows with low volume or on early models that didn't work right, but it's an amazing time on a fully working one in a home environment.
Honorable mention
Stern JP - theme, layout, deep code, killer toy... Just a homerun and basically the same feeling I got from imdn but without the shitty theme and corrected the lack of toy in a big way.
So many good pins this decade, a great time to be the hobby. My top 3 in no particular order are ...
Dialed In
Maiden(I don't like the theme at all, it's just that good)
Stern JP
I'd give an honorable mention to Deadpool. I didn't include any pins I played just once or twice and I'm calling out that I've never played JJP POTC.
Quoted from rai:I wanted to post a thread of retrospective of the last 10 years which have been incredible *to say the least.*
Beyond the games, the growth of the shows has been tremendous too and this also highlights how important the 2010's were for pinball. Look at what TPF has become over the last decade - literally a worldwide destination. Allentown of ten years ago compared to today? Wow! Northwest Show is outstanding and seems to have plenty of runway for more. Pintastic was born and seems to be thriving. Even Expo has re-emerged. Houston, SFGE, PAGG, Golden State, CLEPIN, Rocky Mountain, York, Free Play Florida... so many opportunities to be part of the burgeoning community.
Yea, it's been a very good pinball decade.
-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or my replacement LED Display boards for model H & model S Skee Ball
Quoted from TigerLaw:So, though not machines, two of the biggest developments in Pinball the past decade easily were:
1) the pinball arcade mobile application. This app and some other pinball apps reminded many how great Pinball was and led many back to physical pinball.
2) the rise of Pinside. Pinside was around before 2010, sure, but it was nothing like it is today. The message board had just launched and it would take months to drop off the front page. Pinside, as it has grown and been constantly refined by Robin, has provided a great environment to discuss pinball and a great market to not get ripped off in if you are a newbie buyer.
These two things combined grew the player and collector market, which allowed all the advancement in machines we are enjoying now.
Agreed. I don't think you can underestimate the impact of Pinside on the pinball industry. When I first got into Pinball I felt like the only one who liked it...none of my friends or anybody I knew was into pinball.
With Pinside, we all had a place to talk pinball, get help, trade games, sell games, show off our games and mods, etc...
Robin should be given every new game by each manufacturer as thank you for helping to grow the hobby.
Quoted from manadams:Surprised Dialed In is getting this much love, there's a ton of them for sale so a bit confusing.
That’s because of the self proclaimed pinball “snobs”. Similar to those gourmet food people who claim some bizarre food is so good. If a regular person eats the same food it really tastes like crap.
I think some of the new pins coming out are great. I have been playing pinball for a long time and was almost out of pinball until TRON came along. That game got me back to collecting. I am really enjoying JP2 and DP PREM now. I will also say that MMr was also a game changer. I remember when everyone was saying there would never be Williams/Bally games remade. That game brought MM back to the mainstream and affordable for many people.
Quoted from guitarded:Surprised at all the Walking Dead Votes.
That game is one I would never drop another quarter in.
The premium/LE is a masterpiece now. It is in my top 5.
Quoted from manadams:Surprised Dialed In is getting this much love, there's a ton of them for sale so a bit confusing.
There are only 6 used ones for sale, the others are NIB from vendors. That is really not a ton
Quoted from PinballRockDude:That’s because of the self proclaimed pinball “snobs”. Similar to those gourmet food people who claim some bizarre food is so good. If a regular person eats the same food it really tastes like crap.
All the regular folks I know (non-pinheads) really like DI for its fun, toys, and overall approachability. I’m not saying it’s the best pin ever, but it is a really well done pin.
Quoted from manadams:Surprised Dialed In is getting this much love, there's a ton of them for sale so a bit confusing.
No more surprising than the 'THIS GAME IS AMAZING I BOUGHT IT NIB SIGHT UNSEEN" and then they turn around and sell it in a month or two.
Dialed In - one day you will be mine
Oktoberfest - I get it, other people don't like the theme (I personally do like fair grounds and beer), but the machine plays really fantastic - that's a sleeper
LotR - just so much to do and great theme integration
MMr - who doesn't love that? Got me into the hobby!
JP2 - mean sometimes but really it's a fun and original layout.
Honorable mentions:
WOZ: I'm glad that it exists and that so many people like it because it truly shook up the industry, but it is probably the prettiest machine that I won't put another quarter in. That's what's so great about this hobby, there are so many different games and everybody can find their personal favorite.
TNA: love the package and hope they keep doing great. Looks like they got a winner with their next game and hope that it lives up to the expectations.
PotC: looks fun but have never had the chance to play one.
GB: greatest theme integration of the decade, wish just the game would flip better.
Edit:
LotR is not from this decade. So Star Trek premium gets my quarters then. Love the theme.
I am still relatively new to this hobby and haven't been able to get out a lot to go play on location, so what I was able to use in deciding what pin to get was Twitch and Youtube. So my vote is the increase in people streaming and the quality of those streams. I know you can't get the full experience of playing the game yourself but it sure does feel like the next best thing to me. I've made purchases based on viewing multiple steams on those games, crazy I know but for some reason it worked out for me.
I’ve not played Oktoberfest yet hopefully can find one locally, lots of arcades have Stern, JJP and CGC but AP is not well represented.
Just a correction from a few posts above neither Tspp or LotR are from this past decade.
Quoted from Nokoro:All the regular folks I know (non-pinheads) really like DI for its fun, toys, and overall approachability. I’m not saying it’s the best pin ever, but it is a really well done pin.
So if you have a line up in a barcade Star Wars, Deadpool, Wonka, WOZ, Batman 66 and Dialed In. People will play Dialed In I think not. Proven by a local barcade if I go there I can step up and play Dialed in nearly anytime. Garbage theme means garbage game. It would be if Williams in the 80’s made a pin called Walkman.
Too bad we don’t know the actual production numbers, but that would influence my vote the most. I feel like Metallica has to be one of Stern’s best selling games. It’s become a mainstay at any halfway decent location, and seems like it’s used in a lot of tournaments. It appeals to all skill levels and has not faded away, like some games seem to. Plus it set the bar for original artwork.
Quoted from PinballRockDude:So if you have a line up in a barcade Star Wars, Deadpool, Wonka, WOZ, Batman 66 and Dialed In. People will play Dialed In I think not. Proven by a local barcade if I go there I can step up and play Dialed in nearly anytime. Garbage theme means garbage game. It would be if Williams in the 80’s made a pin called Walkman.
Quoted from PinballRockDude:So if you have a line up in a barcade Star Wars, Deadpool, Wonka, WOZ, Batman 66 and Dialed In. People will play Dialed In I think not. Proven by a local barcade if I go there I can step up and play Dialed in nearly anytime. Garbage theme means garbage game. It would be if Williams in the 80’s made a pin called Walkman.
I think DI has a great theme, guess people have different opinions but I will agree that in general game like SW or DP or JP have more mojo behind the casual audience. I would say that other pins like WhiteWater, TAF, The Shadow, BSD have somewhat of mediocre themes but they are well loved.
Quoted from Daditude:JJP games are just so deep. I don't think most people can fully appreciate them unless they are in their home. On location pins don't allow players enough time to explore.
LOL that right there tells me they are not the best
Quoted from PinballRockDude:So if you have a line up in a barcade Star Wars, Deadpool, Wonka, WOZ, Batman 66 and Dialed In. People will play Dialed In I think not. Proven by a local barcade if I go there I can step up and play Dialed in nearly anytime. Garbage theme means garbage game. It would be if Williams in the 80’s made a pin called Walkman.
Maybe. I don’t know. I know that when my college freshman son had a bunch of his friends over, he said that no one could get into WOZ. Everyone liked Flash Gordon and DI the best. I then spent the bulk of the two hour drive home from college explaining to him why WOZ was a masterpiece.
Quoted from PinballRockDude:So if you have a line up in a barcade Star Wars, Deadpool, Wonka, WOZ, Batman 66 and Dialed In. People will play Dialed In I think not. Proven by a local barcade if I go there I can step up and play Dialed in nearly anytime. Garbage theme means garbage game. It would be if Williams in the 80’s made a pin called Walkman.
LOL. 10-4 there good buddy.
I feel like the decade will be remembered for the rise of "choice". Following the crash of 1999, we pretty much only had Stern, which kept the hobby alive through the 2000s. In this decade we added Jersey Jack (2013), Spooky Pinball (2014), Chicago Gaming (2015), and American Pinball (2017). There were also a few smaller startups, but those seems to be the main ones that will make it out of the decade. Now we pretty much expect to have a choice between multiple versions of each game: Pro, Premium, Limited Edition, etc. For those reasons, I'm going to nominate The Wizard of Oz: ____________ Limited Edition as the game that best defines the 2010s.
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PS: My personal picks for best game would be Metallica and Total Nuclear Annihilation.
Quoted from lpeters82:I feel like the decade will be remembered for the rise of "choice". Following the crash of 1999, we pretty much only had Stern, which kept the hobby alive through the 2000s. In this decade we added Jersey Jack (2013), Spooky Pinball (2014), Chicago Gaming (2015), and American Pinball (2017). There were also a few smaller startups, but those seems to be the main ones that will make it out of the decade. Buyers also now have a choice between a Pro, Premium, Limited Edition, etc. Now we pretty much expect to have a choice between multiple versions of each game. For those reasons, I'm going to nominate The Wizard of Oz: Yellow Brick Road Limited Edition as the game that best defines the 2010s.
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think you picked the right game but the wrong version!!!!
Quoted from ccbiggsoo7:think you picked the right game but the wrong version!!!!
I think you might be right. There are a bunch of Limited Edition's and I forgot about Emerald City.
Quoted from lpeters82:I feel like the decade will be remembered for the rise of "choice". Following the crash of 1999, we pretty much only had Stern, which kept the hobby alive through the 2000s. In this decade we added Jersey Jack (2013), Spooky Pinball (2014), Chicago Gaming (2015), and American Pinball (2017). There were also a few smaller startups, but those seems to be the main ones that will make it out of the decade. Buyers also now have a choice between a Pro, Premium, Limited Edition, etc. Now we pretty much expect to have a choice between multiple versions of each game. For those reasons, I'm going to nominate The Wizard of Oz: Yellow Brick Road Limited Edition as the game that best defines the 2010s.
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Great point it’s the decade of the special edition. Oh you like MMR but it’s not get a topper and a large screen. Let me see how much money can we charge? Woz not yellow enough let’s see what can be done for that?
I’d also like to call it the era of the cash grab as shown by Beatles Diamonds or SW toppers or Supreme home pin.
Quoted from ccbiggsoo7:think you picked the right game but the wrong version!!!!
Yellow Brick Road does exemplify the unnecessary limited editions trend we started seeing though
Quoted from lpeters82:I feel like the decade will be remembered for the rise of "choice". Following the crash of 1999, we pretty much only had Stern, which kept the hobby alive through the 2000s. In this decade we added Jersey Jack (2013), Spooky Pinball (2014), Chicago Gaming (2015), and American Pinball (2017). There were also a few smaller startups, but those seems to be the main ones that will make it out of the decade. Now we pretty much expect to have a choice between multiple versions of each game: Pro, Premium, Limited Edition, etc. For those reasons, I'm going to nominate The Wizard of Oz: Emerald City Limited Edition as the game that best defines the 2010s.
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PS: My personal picks for best game would be Metallica and Total Nuclear Annihilation.
Wrong it’s the Ruby Red with RadCals!
Quoted from atrainn:Yellow Brick Road does exemplify the unnecessary limited editions trend we started seeing though
I get your point.
Think of it as premium paint color of your car, fancy rims and so on. Necessary to operate your vehicle? Absolutely not, but if you have the money and think of it being pretty and worth it for you, why not?
If people wouldn't like it and spend cash on it they wouldn't make it.
Now because of that, removing the non fancy version I would object to as well - we'll see if that happens and if pins become even more a luxury article - I hope not.
Forgot to nominate the mod of the decade witch vs monkey? Tron Arcade or Eli ramp light?
However I’m going with the bank drain we know as Color DMDs soon to be lessened by the rise of LCD games.
Quoted from rai:However I’m going with the bank drain we know as Color DMDs.
Yea, ColorDMD likely wins, anti-reflection glass (an equal bank drain) is an honorable mention.
Quoted from rai:Great point it’s the decade of the special edition. Oh you like MMR but it’s not get a topper and a large screen. Let me see how much money can we charge? Woz not yellow enough let’s see what can be done for that?
I’d also like to call it the era of the cash grab as shown by Beatles Diamonds or SW toppers or Supreme home pin.
I thought about nominating Batman 66 Limited Edition. That was the game that really escalated the cash grab.
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