CP: Why do people hate it?

That seems to be the way it goes. Players who say "Novelty wears off quick.." seem to want to play it for the toys, experienced the cool toys, and walk away.

Players who want to reach the Ultimate Challenge are usually intrigued, because it is a multi-goal wizard mode not easy to achieve. Game should have outlanes all the way open, and flippers not dialed in too powerful. There are a lot of EB's awarded in the game to offset a lot of quick drains. Love the video mode, also, where you can catch an EB. You can win an EB playing poker, etc. etc.

Ca$h Fights are the beauty of head-to-head play, which never gets old. When you can bet all your points and have that riding on a single bad bounce to possibly end up right back at the beginning with no points, that's unparalleled points swings like no other pinball machine.

I owned one, got rid of it, and missed it dearly. I had to get another and this one's a keeper. There's no other machine like it, and doubtful any machine will be made like it in the future. That's why the price has slowly crept up on it over the past few years, as more and more people experience such a unique game.

Was this the last traditional pin Williams made before P2K? If not, what was?

How to make silly BIG points on CP.

1) Spitoon Video Mode. If it's lit, do this over and over and over... No! That's not it!

RE-START
1) Find another game to play. Dammit! That's not it...
2) Double your fight purse every time you launch a ball. Bumble your way through a multiball or three. That skill shot suuuure takes some "skill"!
3) Make sure you have extra punches saved up.
4) Don't start any fights for as long as you can for an "easy" win
5) 1mil 2x, 2mil 2x, 4mil, 2x, 8mil 2x, 16mil, 2x, 32mil 2x, 64 mil 2x, 132mil...
6) Collect JP during 1 fight. Now is the time to use as many punches as you can to hedge your bets.
7) Laugh at as many racist and homophobic (homoerotic) stereotypes as you can. Please note that it is NOT funny to laugh at black people... unless they are gay. Then it's all cool.
#8) Walk away after you collect your ultra-mega-soopa-dooopa-oompa-loompa-mega-schtoompa Yackpot, because there's nothing else to score for on this pin-bomination. I mean... unless you just play pinball for FUN?!?!? HA! I mean, really... who's silly enough to do this for mere entertainment when there is points, maybe a few bucks and manly pride on the line?

Q: CP, why do people hate it? (people like me?)
Because it's made of POOP! That's why ~ Phbbbt!

I think Cactus Canyon was the last traditional game then RFM was made next.

You can't do this over and over again, unless you choose Door Prize every time from the skill shot, and get extremely lucky. It's great fun and great drama in this video mode. How often have we been playing to see the last spit hit the ground right before the EB is in the spitoon? (Oooohs and Ahhhs follow!)

The skill shot is not difficult, but if this is your strategy "2x Purse every time" then you can't select Door Prize, Smart Punches, etc. You seem to infer that you can do all of these, but if you were to choose "2x Purse" every time, then you'll play Spittin' Gallery only once, not choose Smart Punches, not choose Light Jackpot, not be awarded Poker Night by Door Prize, etc. You insinuate that you can do all of these in a particular game, but the strategy "2x Purse" every time limits you to just that. Just to clarify.

Again, since you aren't getting them as Door Prizes from the skill shot, you are limited to winning one in Jump Rope and Speed Bag, or swatting a Bob Fly or a Cow Fly (for those who know that trick). But yes, Smart Punches are HUGE in the strategy of the game. Hoarding Smart Punches is not always easy, as there are a lot of fights and bad bounces to navigate, especially without the Door Prizes (Again, your strategy of "2x Purse" every time).

Don't understand this one. You want to get through all the fights. So waiting to start one for as long as possible? Baffled by this one. I love nothing more than jumping right into a fight, as quickly as possible.

Already stated in 2)

Confused by this one, also. There are 17 JP's to collect, in order to have the JP Jewel in your belt, one of the four Jewels required, once you have achieved the belt. You want to collect your JP's during Multis, and worry about the fights during the fights.

Confused by this one, too. Is Steve-O black? LOL If so, this is the first I've heard about it. He is definitely portrayed as stereotypically gay, in a funny way, and while this may offend some, I never saw it that way. Why? The humor of the game is in the stereotypes, and all the other fighters get made fun of as well. Aussies, English, Latinos, Asians, all take turns with stereotype-humor. I guess since I have developed a thick skin, since it's been open season on white heteros for the past 15 years, demeaning and making fun of them in every conceivable way in media/movies/popular culture. So nothing like that offends me, and I try to laugh at things which seem to be staged as humor, and everyone gets it in CP, non-discriminating humor.

There are 15 Jackpots. Jackpot Deluxe is the final one. It is actually only one of the many goals in the game, and not terribly lucrative points-wise. "Walk away after..." is confusing, because not only is this not the ultimate goal, it's not the most lucrative or anywhere near the end of the game. At best, it is your final jewel (assuming you are Pub Champion) and you will need to go for Ultimate Challenge after. Ca$h Fights are the most lucrative, and nothing in pinball compares to those point swings, certainly not the Jackpots.

LOL Well I'm thinking your entire review is meant to be taken as sarcasm, but I had to do a rebuttal just for those who don't know the game and understand that your capsule summary of the game, rules, and strategy are not only over-simplified but conflicting and confusing.

Picked up a CP over the weekend. It is torn down and I was planning to just turn it but after all of the rules talk here I think I might keep it for a bit and give it another chance.

I had one for a few months - I remembered playing it 15 years ago. It's a quirky game. Fun but kinda easy at times.

Glad I owned it. Done with it though.

-Al-

CP is a surprisingly fun game. At first I wasn't excited about the theme - Boxing? Meh.

But every pin deserves to be tried and tested. And hey, I really like it's 1920s comic boxing style. The humor is great and blends in with the theme - similar to Junk Yard, but not as forced and silly.

You should, the beauty of any pinball machine is in the eye of the pinhead. It's a combination of so many factors, there's no way to know if you will love a particular machine but to experience it.

Actually, winning shadow boxing also gives you a smart punch. Assuming the uppost lines up with the orbits properly, this was always my skill shot choice since the points can be pretty decent, too.

Yes, and in fact Monster Bash also came after CP (and before CC).

Yes, I forgot about that one. I never actually tried to complete the hurry-ups very much, but might have to give that a try if it's lucrative, but the SP's are definitely a nice bonus. You can start a hurry-up from a certain hand in Poker Night also, I believe.

+1. I'd rather play Slugfest if I didn't want to play pinball.

LOL an absurd comparison. CP might have a lot of toys and stops, but it's certainly pinball. 2 flippers, 3 ramps (2 drop down), saucers, targets, slings, etc. No jets.

If I listened to the reviews, I would have never bought mine. I love this game for the original theme, humor, artwork, wpc-95, toys etc. I encourage you to give this game a try if anybody is on the fence about it. They all get a little repetitious after a while hence people with rotating collections or very large fixed collections.

Way too gimmicky for me. I owned one for a while, grew to loathe the jump rope and punching bag, neither of which are really "pinball". Nor are video modes (none are, but CP is heavy with them). Points are way out of balance with the cash fights. I really like the art and sounds on it and the knock-out shot to the boxer's head is clever. For Bally/Williams 90's games, this is at the bottom for me.

Everybody said I would hate it in 6 months, But I still love it. With news that somebody might be making some new code for it, I like it even more.

Punching Bag is as much 'real pinball' as the Powerfield or Battlefield.

Jump Rope can be strategized to get through the fights easier, by using it in spurts only enough to max out your life. I never got bored of Jump Rope, simply because it was a means to help me towards my goal of Ca$h Fights and Ultimate Challenge. If you're playing just to jump rope, I can see it getting old. Also, the way the kicker is positioned to launch the ball makes a difference. I've played CP's where you couldn't not max out at 30 Jumps every time, because it was launched so high and made so easy. Others it's a challenge to make it to even 10 jumps, either because it's adjusted to a lower launch height, or the coil sleeve is dirty (or both).

It has 2.

One of which is simply a quick draw poker game, not a video mode of skill, where you win Bonus x, eb, jackpots, etc...basically a Mystery Award, but you get to draw cards to determine your award.

Well, yeah. That's why it's fairly difficult to get there. But I choose to see those huge point swings as high drama, especially playing head-to-head in multiplayer games, at parties, etc. 500 Million decided on a single bounce? That's a different style of pinball, no doubt, but it's pinball. Just not for the faint of heart, maybe.

It's definitely not for everyone, or every collection. But if you host a lot of pinball get-togethers are your place, and I sometimes do, then it can be a lot of fun. Admittedly, I don't play a lot of it by myself. CP is a social game, and a lot of fun to play with friends, beers, and even 5 dollar bills if you're feeling crazy.

Someone else mentioned the Ca$h Fights as a reason it'll never be in a tourney. I don't see any reason why that would stop it, as it's simply strategy, and everyone has an equal opportunity to choose their wager, and you can wager next-to-nothing if you'd like. I'm sure it's the Door Prize skill shot which is the issue. Maybe that could be made a tournament option in the code rev which someone referred to?

Mechslave...I'm glad you enjoy it and I'm not looking to debate. The OP asked why some people hate CP and I gave my reasons (although hate is too strong a word). I owned it for a while, enjoyed it for a few weeks maybe, and then was completely done with it. I kept it around for maybe a year as I really like the art and it is a semi-rare game that doesn't pop up much. A friend of mine bought it and I haven't even thought about playing it again. Maybe the only game I can say that about.

Hey, I like games that many others don't, like say Wheel of Fortune.

All I know is that ever since I started playing it on Pinball Arcade I've been addicted. And when I played it last weekend at Flippers in real life I loved it even more! I don't know where all this "everybody hates Champions Pub" came from because frankly, I love it.

mechslave I am with you 100% on your rebuttal.

Played this for the first time at Flippers a few weeks ago and it was FUN! Probably even more fun because it was my last play of the night and I was only a few thousand away from Grand Champ (I did get to enter pub champ initials). I think there is a lot to appreciate about the game especially in its appeal to non-pinheads who can just walk up and start playing without an intimidating ruleset and progression (and I know my young children would find it very enjoyable - I can't wait to take them there to play around). One pin will NEVER have it all and some people choose to bash it because their needs or expectations don't match up with what the machine has to offer.

Yes, and in fact Monster Bash also came after CP

Yep. Funny thing, when my MB decals were removed, guess what was underneath?

MB_CP.jpg

Here is a little vid of the gameplay I made when I sold mine

I have only played this title a couple of times. It was fun, but I agree that it would be best in a larger collection. Of course, I believe everyone should have a large collection.

If a game isn't good enough for a small collection, why use up a spot for it in a large collection? Never have understood this logic.

It seems pretty logical to me.

If by "large collection", unlimited space is implied, then I can see where it makes sense. But if there is a limit to space, why use a slot for a game that isn't "small-collection-worthy", i.e. fun to play more than once a month or so as a novelty?

It's a fun party game. But not the best single player immersive experience, so if you have room for just a couple of pins most prefer to fill it with machines that have more rounded overall play and depth.

But if you have a larger collection, meaning you have room for a few indulgent pinball packages for variety's sake because you already have a few deep and fast machines, and host get-togethers where good, bad and inexperienced players all hang out, it's an awesome machine for that environment.

It's easy to understand the basics of play for pinnoobs, and yet has a bit of depth and rule strategy as well. It's also a great game to bet dollars on, due to the equalizing nature of the outlanes and bad bounces, not to mention the randomness of the Door Prize. The toys and video modes are interesting and easy for spectators to observe. It's got quite a bit of humor. Ball times are relatively short. It's a perfect social game.

When the game came out, the "funky stuff' wouldn't keep working on it, so it was rare back then to get a good game on one. Too bad, as the funky stuff is definitely neat enough to get a bunch of plays from just about everyone.

As a home game, the problem that I see with it is that once you have figured out the jump rope and punching bag in particular, those aren't really challenges, so you're left with a pretty limited rest of the playfield to do stuff on. The stuff that you do is fun, but very repetitive, and the fact the video modes pay out so much in points is disappointing, especially to those of us that despise video modes. Those modes offer basically no variation, which is disappointing. I find even the Car Crunch on Street Fighter II to be more of a challenge.

To me, it's VERY similar to IJ4... when I see one at someone's house, I almost always go over and put a bunch of plays on it, but because of all of the repetitiveness of the stuff on it, I have zero desire to actually own one. If you like it though, more power to you! I love Viper Night Drivin, so my tastes aren't normal