Oktoberfest?? Best of the decade?? Really guys??

Some of you are endless fanboys for the smaller developers or just the games in your collection.

The answer is simple, which one sold the best??

WOZ was the most influential, but not nearly the most fun or best. We hadn’t seen a widebody design for 15 years. It had two upper playfields. New RGB lighting. Super deep code. New 2 LCD’s. 5 frickin flippers. It was a little “world under glass” and JJP introduced invisiglass to help you see it. Butter cabinets for free!! (until upgraded with radcals). New technology and boardsets. All in one game and delivered to your door for $6.5k. Stern was woke and JJP learned to raise their pricing to necessary levels.

Do I wish it was a better theme? Yes but omg - what if JJP had released it as a Wonka themed pin on that fateful day?

Is the measure of sold best the number of units or the number of $$$? It's not such a simple metric.

I take it you've never played it. Best game ever and never leaving.

Oktoberfest!?!?

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I agree with mostly everything... especially with your comment on AC/DC - at least in Germany this game opened the door and took away the NIB virginity of a lot of owners. Pre AC/DC you it was super special to buy a new in box machine. But AC/DC was at this point of time so seducing. Okay there was also reorganisation with the distributor and upcoming dealers, but this game was a gamechanger. Still love it, even though I play it not so often and it looks a bit outdated standing next to more modern Stern, JJP or...

So I would take WOZ out of the list

AC/DC (most influential game of the decade - the game that turned many Bally / WMS purists on to Stern)

Interesting perspective...I'd have to agree that AC/DC really seemed to cause more overall excitement for a new theme than any other..

When AC/DC was first shown at the Texas Pinball Festival pinheads there were excited for it.Steve Ritchie gets on the elevator I was in I said hi he said hi back and than Steve says What did you think of my new baby?
But you guys are right WOZ woke up the pinball world!

It is the first Stern game I actually wanted to buy after playing it...and I'm not even a huge AC/DC fan. It's a great game.

Iron Maiden or Dialed In.

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I agree with this. AC/DC was essentially Stern's response to JJP and WOZ. It was the Stern game that really took things to the next level in terms of toys and features. It also seemed to really pioneer the modern day risk/reward rule-set. I don't think we had ever seen something comparable to the "Song Jackpot" rules before. I just remember being blown away by the game the first time I played it! It may have been surpassed since then by games like TWD but I think it is probably the most influential game of the past decade.

I am surprised that TWD gets so many votes for the most influential/best Pin of the decade. I played it once it did not blow me away. I know there are people that will swear its the greatest game or if I played it enough but seriously it is not a game changer JUST YOUR FAVORITE GAME. I lump ACDC into this also...making a great game that people love did not change Pinball to LCD screen/LED. Everything Jersey Jack has produced has modernized and changed the pinball landscape for the betterment of the planet. Can I get an AMEN!

It did feel like WOZ vs AC/DC back then, with a lot of pinheads gravitating to the latter. I'm not a music pin fan, so wasn't drawn in as much as some....I'd have to agree the 2 heavyweights, for sure...

AC/DC carved the way for better music pins and was also my first NIB machine. Plus, it basically got me into the hobby, so my vote is for AC/DC!!

Why wouldn’t someone vote for their favorite game?

best game on this list is Tron hands down.

According to 2% of the voters....

How the hell does Black Knight get any votes here? Or Wrestlemania? I am confused.

Dunno about the Black Knight situation, but for Wrestlemania to get votes, it has to be the comedy brigade or Trudeau hardcore fans.

Looks like Woz is solidly in the lead, should we call it and crown JJP?

I know I'm going to get get labeled a JJP fan and yes I am but... I own Jurassic Park its awesome! I own ACDC, Ghostbusters, Metallica, Deadpool, Batman 66, and the list goes on and on.

The hands down game of the decade is WIZARD OF OZ!

WHY?

Let me count the reasons:

1) First game with a full color screen, CGI FX, and Movie Clips
2) First game to ever feature LED lights and white inserts
3) First game with radcal
4) First game with a totally new approach to a backend matrix run off a computer Its still the standard today. Don't know why Stern hasn't changed to something like it.

5) Two upper playfields, spinning house, crystal ball, and so much more.
6) Created the term Limited Edition with powder coating, autographs, special features and more.

The biggest reason is it changed pinball forever... a few years later Stern would add color screens and seek out movie clips. Based on the success of WOZ other pinball start ups would sprout up and make games like Big Lebowski, Aliens and more. Companies like Spooky, American Pinball, Chicago Gaming, and others owe everything to WIZARD OF OZ success.

To this day the game still holds its value, and is considered the single most beautiful game ever created.

Wizard of Oz was a game changer and pushed Pinball back into the mainstream. Stern gets all the credit for keeping pinball alive, but JJP gets all the credit for taking Pinball to a level NO ONE ever thought possible.

Because this thread even though started on the premise of "best" game has evolved including with the poll to be the most influential or most important. In that sense the hands down favorite has to go to WOZ. I don't think TWD changed LCD pinball display manufactures to saying "Yeah that's a great game lets go back Dot Matrix displays, and non RBG LED's. BEST game I still don't think equates to favorite game either. WOZ in my opinion would not be the first JJP I would buy and is not my favorite game but I still think it is the BEST machine made. With all of the innovations and bells and whistles that went into to it. IT COMPLETELY changed pinball in technology modern capabilities and allowed Boutique manufactures to arise.

This is just the weirdest thing ever. Pinball is weird.

The poll says “best OR most important OR influential pin”

The “or” indicates you can choose based on any of these factors. You’re choosing to vote
on importance. Some are voting on what, to them, is the best.

Actually what caused boutique manufacturers to rise was the LE mania & the used market price insanity started by Stern with Tron LE & AC/DC LE. Those “10k by xmas” games causes a rush of speculation with buyers & makers. This directly led to Jpop, which led to everyone else trying to jump in and get those FOMO collector bucks.

JPOP was what led everyone to thinking they could build a Pinball machine and mass produce "IE Predator, Dutch Pinball, Heighway, Pinball, that weird Aussie company, but nearly killed it in the process. IT was actually JJ that led to BOUTIQUE manufacturers arising that proved it could succeed and there was a market which led the way for the Spooky's and American Pinball. NOT Stern with its "Innovative" debacle of an Iron Man home edition...

JJP isn’t and never was a boutique manufacturer. It’s a regular company/factory hoping to making as many thousands of machines as they can. Their goal was to equal or surpass Stern. The failures you listed were boutiques, and were inspired into existence by the crazy money being thrown around for “rare” shit. JJP had nothing to do with the boutique boom.

JJP has only “succeeded” due to a few investor bailouts.

Spooky is really the only boutique success so far.

AP only exists cuz they got suckered into all
of this by Jpop & have been trying to salvage it into something ever since.

Negative. WOZ yes...the rest is getting nauseating to read about. There have been some amazing games this past decade. WOZ shattered many prior "standards", has been revisited several times with different versions...all successful, even w mechs removed. It has proven the test of time, and IS JJP, imho.

Love it or hate it (love mine), this pin is the cornerstone of the company. "Pinball Manufacturer of the decade" is a completely different discussion. Not even close there, as Stern has cranked many cornerstone games over the past decade which in itself speaks volumes. BOTH the major manufacturers (not just Stern) experienced shit playfields, electronics, etc.

I chose WOZ for the pin of the decade not because it's my favorite to play, but definitely brought competition and awareness to the market w a great game that had new (to pinball, old to the rest of the world) technology.

I love pinball, period, so maybe they're all relevant here...

100% agreed. Theme is still a head scratcher but the movement forward in tech cannot be understated. Also, it showed that more than one company could succeed and is a big reason we have so many companies producing machines today. It should also be noted that, without Gene Cunningham reviving Big Bang Bar in the previous decade, JJP may never have gotten into the manufacturing business.

For me its JJP POTC followed by Metallica. I'll skip boring you guys with five paragraphs of details explaining why and leave it at that.

Don't forget to include that before radcals, JJP's cabinet utilized a wonderful direct print process. The direct print cabinets were on the ECLEWOZ and on early standard editions.

The direct print supplier and JJP had a parting of ways, resulting in radcals. I remember when JJP ran a contest to create a name for radcals.

I also remember worrying that they would run out of direct print cabinets before my ECLE arrived. My game was among the original $6,500 preorder group of 1,000 in 2011, but later in the run (which fortuitously turned out well, averting the early light board and playfield issues).

I sold my direct print ECLEWOZ a few years ago. Nevertheless, I too vote WOZ as the runaway most influential game of the decade.

JJP POTC. Those that didn't vote for it, probably haven't played it.
WOZ is a very close second simply from the fact that it's the Pin that built JJP and made
the company what it is today. WOZ was a paradigm shift for the industry.

Oh no! Another WoZ is coming - the game of the decade edition - save us vote for something else!!!

Just weighing on this one and for me it would be WOZ as it did bring in many new innovations that are present in all the newer games. Do not own it but have played it numerous times and was always a fun pin even with the stop and go that permeates in game play. I have so far just a small group of pins( AC/DC, MET, MBrLE and soon MMrRE)

That being said AC/DC was the game that got me into the hobby as my first NIB pin. When I saw the ads for this it became a must have and at the time the pricing wasn't bad. This game has a ton of flow and sadly is now my least played pin. From a fun factor and just want to bash the ball around MET is one heck of a game.

Looking forward to the next decade of pins!!

I played it. I hope it never influences another game ever. If I ever walk up to another game that requires me to pick one of 86 characters, I’m walking away.

...and if you’re going to have that many characters and specific scene based modes, get the assets. Game feels like a soulless half-baked slot machine.

WOZ reallly turned the pinball world upside down ! AC/DC incredible game

Too bad Stern has really got cheap with build quality, I still can’t get over the metal back box, cheesy lockdown bar hasp ? And boards are crap

I tend to watch the playfield when playing and not the display.
TWD has pure pinball gameplay
No bells and whistles.
No ruby shoes.
Kicks players in the nuts and makes them cry

Has my vote

The game I played the most from the list was Wizard Of Oz. It doesn't need my vote as it's already the clear winner.

“Pin of the Decade (this can be what you think is best or most important or influential pin."

Most influential and best game are two different things for me...

WOZ was clearly the most influential game based on what it did to the market and the innovations it brought forward, but the best game IMHO overall is JJP Pirates without a doubt for me.

Its a good thing O-din next music pin did not make it to market or we would have to add that to the most influential pinball of all time...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/shouldndt-jethro-tull-be-the-next-rock-pinball-machine/page/4#post-4390594

I had to think about this: should the best be represented by actual sales figures? If that is the case I would say Metallica or AC/DC?, WOZ would be down the list quite a bit in terms of sales volume.

What game sold the most units? AC/DC or Metallica? Probably AC/DC with numerous runs?

I much prefer the metal backbox. It aims the speakers and display at the player instead of the playfield glass cutting down on the glare and making the sound better. It uses a 5/8 wrench to secure instead of those dreadful coffin locks with the allen wrench that always gets lost/stolen. I also much prefer the lockbar hasp. Its much more secure and easier to use once they are gotten used to. I've also never had a single issue with a SPIKE board ever. Oh well.

Then you must absolutely HATE WOZ given the Stop-n-go design that breaks flow like no other! At least with POTC once you’ve selected your character prior to starting the game, there are hardly any WOZ-like interruptions in flow.

So, pretty much looks like the poll morphed into most-influental pin of the last decade, and WoZ is the runaway #1 choice. I agree with that. It changed pinball a LOT when it was first shown and then later released.