Yeah it's a fun little game for sure. The troll is dumb we get it but a lot of fun shots on that thing. That top loopy lock shot is awesome.

I agree. We just talked about that in fact...

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/roller-coaster-tycoon-would-be-a-7000-le-today

My Lawlor Stern Ranking:
1 FYG
2 RBION
3 CSI
4 RCT
5 Monoploly
6 Nascar

Tron??

BOOM can't believe I was first in on that...

rbion

All this thread does is make me realize even more that we NEED another Lawlor creation which is not a Stern sine the top from Stern are still duds when comparing to the Classics from the pre Stern era.

Don't forget about Banzai Run....

CSI
RBION
FGY
Nascar

rbion
nascar
monopoly
fgy
rct
i have not played csi.

The one you like

Interesting Poll, I believe his last game was Shrek? A Family guy re-make.

Any way you slice it, that is not exactly a stellar list.

Can't blame him for Stern's design specifications and limitations. He did what he could, with what was available.

C S I !!!

RBION!

Funny how that environment was limiting for Lawlor and yet designers like Ritchie, Nordman, and Gomez were able to find a way to make games like SM, POTC, and LOTR respectively under the same conditions...

Sorry, have to agree. Don't blame the tools. Here's hoping JJP helps recapture his mojo.

I'm hoping that Pat's next game is more on the level of his B/W games rather than his Stern machines.

Shockingly, the results of the poll are exactly how I feel about Pat's Stern games. FGY and Ripley's are head and shoulders above the rest. Top 5 modern Stern's. FGY has the best toy ever in pinball, one of the best mini wiz modes ever and more stacking potential than most any other Stern. Ripley's really is a skinny TZ, only with much deeper rules. Pat botched the hardware somewhat IMO (weak flippers), but the layout is perfect. Theme aside, it truly is unlike any other Stern.

Really? What games have you designed?

They had crap games too. Would you call WPT and WOF A list games? No designer bats 1000 every time, even with an unlimited budget.

Never said they didn't. I was merely pointing out that they were able to make great games at Stern, whereas Lawlor was seemingly unable to for whatever reason.

So you feel neither FGY or Ripley's are great games? They're used in tournaments far more than the games you listed.

Need an option for all those games suck

I went with RBION. I really like him as a designer because he always tries to stray from the norm.
Only so many layouts to be made in pinball the rest is rules and themes. Most of his stuff is refreshingly unique. IMHO.

Why limit the poll to Stern games?

Frankly, I think these represent the nadir of his work...

I suspect his creative freedom under JJP will much more akin to that of the b/W days, not stern....

I'm still going with Nascar. But what do I know? Most of my DMD games were made by Steve Ritchie and John Borg.

RBION if you want a solid solo session with a huge rule set to conquer for the WIZARD mode and some cool toys e.g.. Shrunken head, temple of doom, idol and vary target. The call outs are exceptional too! I am lucky to have a very very nice example and hopeful will never leave the collection.

Monopoly is bloody good fun and easy to play/hard to master( hate the cop whistle though) the railroad wire form is fun to try and play as it throws it back on the left flipper very quickly. again some nice flow and quite fast even with 6 pop bumpers, again I own a really nice example and maybe never leave collection.

All his other games are now too hard too acquire, but really enjoy his thinking of how a pinball should play.
They are all good.

RBION for sure

It's a toss-up between RBON and FG for me. I choose RBOR only because that's what I've been playing lately.

RBION.

His best work came before his days at Stern, that's for sure.

Actually I do feel RBION is a good game. I was responding to somebody else who seemed to be of the opinion that Stern shackled him in a way that prevented him from matching his work in the pre-Stern days. RBION is the one Lawlor game I wouldn't mind owning. TAF would be in there too except for the fact that practically everybody I know owns one already. So there's no point in me buying one too.

I agree. The poll just lists the bad stuff.

That's really a well-reasoned argument right there. I don't design games for a living, so I must just be talking compared to other games. Lawlor designed my all-time favorite game, Twilight Zone. His list of Stern games that he designed blows for the most part. That's all.

Sorry but only 1 really good game in your list (LOTR). SM is OK, but POTC is far from being anything worthwhile and LOTR/ SM should be insulted that you would even put them in the same sentence

More importantly for whatever reason Lawlor did not necessarily do his best work under Stern (but I would say he did some really creative things even under large creative constraints). I would guess that someone that developed their ability to make gold under B/W that was then under the constraints of Stern may have a tough time figuring out the new dynamic, so I cut some slack for his Stern titles not being as well regarded as his B/W titles.

Now ask yourself, is JJP more like B/W or Stern. I think most will say JJP is closer to B/W in their approach to treating designers with a creative hands off approach and providing the $ and tools to allow them to at least attempt to make magic (and super cool toys). If that is the case then we are all better off ignoring Stern/Lawlor games entirely and focusing on his body of work with B/W??? I think most would be hard pressed to say that Lawlor with a B/W type mindset and open pocketbook to design and develop is not a great thing!

Agreed, I essentially said the same about 10 posts up (but perhaps Im on your ignore list)

not yet

Rct best layout poor call outs and troll doll holds down value.

Pat Lawlor really dropped the ball with Family Guy. Great Theme and innovative mini playfield idea that unfortunately did not work. Family Guy is his worst pin by far. Totally blows.

To be fair most of these themes aren't the greatest (Family Guy perhaps the exception). How would Lawlor have done with LOTR or Avengers?

My guess is he would've made the game have super jackpot shot with an upper flipper and have two inlanes on the left side.

I like a lot of his games but NGG is the most fun for me.

I 100% agree with the poll.

I hate hate hate hate Monopoly (no offense intended against those who like it, obviously. Different strokes.). Boring. I'm SURE was supposed to be much much more, but seemed like a victim of cost cutting during transition to manufacture.

Not original in choice, but I love my TZ. Favorite Lawlor.

But I love Earthshaker (especially the protos with the Earthquake Institute that drops), and would be excited to see Pat do something along those lines but bigger and badder!

Safecracker has some of the most creative concepts in pin, too. Though not my favorite, it illustrates the RADICAL thinking that Pat shows in his designs. It makes me hopeful that given access to JJPs platform, he'll blow us away with stuff not seen before.