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(Topic ID: 271972)

“Easy” Pinball Machines/ Approachable For Casuals

By SantaEatsCheese

3 years ago


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There are 58 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
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#1 3 years ago
OP
 
MSL

SantaEatsCheese

Pinside+ Pro!

US Crofton, MD

5y 209K 9,600 6 85 1

“Easy” Pinball Machines/ Approachable For Casuals.

What are some good “Easy” Pinball Machines? I have had family visiting this week and it is plain to me that Medieval Madness is much easier to explain with some easy goals for casuals (blowing up castles), while The Simpsons Pinball Party and Jurassic Park are difficult to fathom. Furthermore… after 4 months with the game I still haven’t reached the visitor center. Going to have to change it over to 5 ball.

Most system 11s would fit that bill (High Speed, Whirlwind, Taxi), but what about DMD games? The games that have rotated through my basement that I feel fit that bill include World Cup Soccer, Fish Tales, Medieval Madness, Attack From Mars… and that’s about it. Which games… say DMD or newer would fit that bill? The clearest winner I know of is Addams Family and that’s on the list eventually, but what else?

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#2 3 years ago
 
TOM

tjc02002

Pinside member

US East Haddam, CT

11y 51,650 501 13 10

Austin powers

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#3 3 years ago
 
BAB

anathematize

Pinside member

5y 58,050 494

South Park is always a solid game to show to somebody new. The core rules are simple to understand. Most of the shots are relatively easy to make and the theme/callouts are top notch.

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#4 3 years ago
 
MAM

drypaint

The Flipper Room

US Concord, CA

7y 91,125 721 68

Popeye

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#5 3 years ago
 
PER

per3per3

Pinside member

US Vienna, VA

8y 63,300 1,308 6

Scared Stiff

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#6 3 years ago
 
CRD

chad

Game Guy

11y 140K 15,098 9 4

The Getaway High Speed 2

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#7 3 years ago
 
???

Jeffswack

Pinside member

US Mars, PA

5y 62,050 283 6 15

While some of the shots can be challenging, GOTG is about as easy to follow as you can have in a modern game. Select character complete lit shots. Repeat til you finish 4. Hit mini wizard mode

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#8 3 years ago
 
DRL

QuietEarp

Pinside member

US Stroudsburg, PA

11y 87,300 708 9 26

I think that some older game’s are easier than the newer ones. The EM 4 Square comes to mind as pure pinball fun with easy goals. Newer games are really hard for a total new person to figure out because there are so many distractions on the playfield.

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#9 3 years ago
 
TK

Tuukka

Pinside member

FI Lempäälä

5y 78,350 1,742 16 18

Most EM games. Of the modern ones, Gilligans Island.

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#10 3 years ago
 
TGH

greenhornet

Pinside member

US Menifee, CA

6y 71,050 1,671

jetsons2 (resized).jpgjetsons2 (resized).jpg
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#11 3 years ago
 
JDA

skink91

Pinside member

9y 108K 3,285 31

Theater of Magic.

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#12 3 years ago
 
???

Budman

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 74,550 1,850

Beatles

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#13 3 years ago
 
JIM

Ricochet

Pinside+ Addict

9y 91,550 2,218 3 7

Big Hurt... its one hell of a clunker, but if you like baseball its a ton of fun! Very satisfying and easy to load up bases... and hit grand slams. The catchers mitt is a cool toy for the novice.

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#14 3 years ago
 
BOB

bobukcat

Pinside member

9y 99,550 5,462

Quoted from Jeffswack:

While some of the shots can be challenging, GOTG is about as easy to follow as you can have in a modern game. Select character complete lit shots. Repeat til you finish 4. Hit mini wizard mode

That scoop for mode select / start though.....don't think I'd put that in the easy category.

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#15 3 years ago
 
LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 219K 9,383 108 1 1

Checkpoint is a incredibly easy and satisfying for new players.

Iconically, Seawitch has so far been my guests favorite game.

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#16 3 years ago
 
ERW

chuckwurt

Pincinnati

10y 193K 31,335 16 13

World Cup Soccer 94

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#17 3 years ago
 
DUG

TopMoose

Pinside member

US Cincinnati, OH

9y 111K 2,267 10 126 1

Stern's POTC - you hit a thing and it does something. Hit it more and it does that thing more.

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#18 3 years ago
 
GMK

grantopia

Pinside member

US Fairview Park, OH

8y 99,600 3,560 8

I actually think TAF can be pretty punishing for casuals. No ball save, lots of brutal drains off a missed shot, and multiball is usually over quick unless you have great ball control to set up those jackpots. What about some of the other 90s DMDs like NBA Fastbreak or Monster Bash?

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#19 3 years ago
 
ANV

captainadam_21

Inactive member

US Sioux Falls, SD

12y 74,150 3,104 46

Quoted from chad:

The Getaway High Speed 2

I disagree. It is brick city if you just flail away. Anything with a straight shot up the middle. MM. SS. Transformers. Wcs94. Metallica.

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#20 3 years ago
 
MKK

drummermike

Pinside+ Frequent

US Bethlehem, PA

8y 113K 2,363 10 39 1

Cirqus Voltaire. I beat it all the time but I have had it a while. Still fun.

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#21 3 years ago
 
ZEN

zene10

Pinball Z

8y 68,550 886

WH2O is easy to grasp & approachable.
WW also gets played frequently by newbies/casual visitors.
Surprising me, the most approachable, and consistently played machine by the 3-11 year olds during family get togethers is the borrowed Dailed In.
Finally, Bally Surfers also gets played a lot- I think it is a combination of the slower play and the “wow” moment of zipper flippers.

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#23 3 years ago
 
LEV

CrazyLevi

Crazy Levi's Pinball

US New York, NY

10y 148K 33,503

Spider Man on factory settings is the correct answer.

Almost everybody new to pinball says it's their favorite game. Cause it's easy and a long player.

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#24 3 years ago
 
MAT

chalkup8

Pinside member

AU Sunshine

12y 72,800 1,134 4 17

Quoted from grantopia:

I actually think TAF can be pretty punishing for casuals. No ball save, lots of brutal drains off a missed shot, and multiball is usually over quick unless you have great ball control to set up those jackpots.

So true, along with the power magnets.Three ball games can be over very quick.

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#25 3 years ago
 
???

HighVoltage

DMCS Pinball

8y 92,550 3,484

Breakshot

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#26 3 years ago
 
JAW

jawjaw

Pinside member

US Humble, TX

9y 85,550 5,532 5

Quoted from grantopia:

I actually think TAF can be pretty punishing for casuals. No ball save, lots of brutal drains off a missed shot, and multiball is usually over quick unless you have great ball control to set up those jackpots. What about some of the other 90s DMDs like NBA Fastbreak or Monster Bash?

I picked up a FH short time ago and same thing. Easy to understand but difficult to play. WCS, AFM, MB, MM are good choices with AFM my fav. I would throw in Congo. It was designed to be on the easy side. You just start shooting things and something will happen. It was my go to game when I just wanted to flip without getting all serious. Wish I could of kept it but can't keep them all.

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#27 3 years ago
 
BEM

bean_

Inactive member

US Buda, TX

4y 12,150 20 7

Lexy Lightspeed is the best game I've ever seen at informing the player what to do. It's really easy to learn how to play it, and guests seem to be drawn to it.

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#28 3 years ago
 
PAT

GorillaBiscuits

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 162K 4,208 22

I’ve had the best luck with Iron Man and Theatre of Magic. Noobs get super stoked when Monger pops up or the ball sticks to the trunk in TOM, which also has a pretty epic multiball buildup.

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#29 3 years ago
 
???

pinpoor

In Memoriam

US Sacramento, CA

8y 35,400 109

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#30 3 years ago
 
F W

AUKraut

WilliPinball

7y 113K 2,786

Munsters Pro is the first one that popped into my head....

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#31 3 years ago
 
BUG

monkeybug

Pinside member

CA Cedar Valley, ON

12y 45,550 245 19

Funhouse

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#32 3 years ago
 
LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 219K 9,383 108 1 1

Quoted from HighVoltage:

Breakshot

I WOULD have said Breakshot but I have a friend and her husband come over to play and the husband said it was “too easy” although he never even got multiball and couldn’t break over a million. My friend said the game seemed complicated and a bit difficult. The rules are somewhat simple, but explaining them to a casual player and having them understand the goals is different.

It comes off as wordy and complicated.
She enjoyed MNF the most. Games that are simple, rewarding and have a cool gimmick. Older guys seem to like the “old school” games.

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#33 3 years ago
 
ERW

chuckwurt

Pincinnati

10y 193K 31,335 16 13

Quoted from AUKraut:

Munsters Pro is the first one that popped into my head....

Easy to understand but it’s brutal.

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#34 3 years ago
 
NJK

PinballBeerGuy

Inactive member

US Madison, WI

9y 46,800 226 6

TNA was the first game that I was able to get my family to understand.

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#35 3 years ago
 
MJN

BeaglePuss

Pinside member

US Watertown, MA

10y 80,800 851

SMB and South Park are the two that immediately come to mind. Fantastic themes, extremely easy, and both.... Not so awesome games.

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#36 3 years ago
 
KEV

NC_Pin

Pinside+ Addict

7y 90,550 1,480 16 32 1

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

Spider Man on factory settings is the correct answer.
Almost everybody new to pinball says it's their favorite game. Cause it's easy and a long player.

That was my answer too

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#37 3 years ago
 
KEV

NC_Pin

Pinside+ Addict

7y 90,550 1,480 16 32 1

Another one is Champions Pub.... the general idea is super basic. It can be a frustrating game though... no shot is really safe from draining.

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#38 3 years ago
 
DAD

MK6PIN

Pinside+ Pro!

11y 164K 13,478 1

Quoted from chuckwurt:

World Cup Soccer 94

Have to pick this as well, followed by TAF. WCS has so much, but it's so easy to get massive points, and takes very little instruction.

I rotate between those 2, as well as Munsters LE for wind down quite often ( though Munsters can get aggressive quick)

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#39 3 years ago
 
RPG

tilted81

Pinside+ Addict

11y 104K 2,389 45

Monster bash has seemed to work in my house. It’s drawn more people in than any other title. I also agree w/ spiderman.

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#40 3 years ago
 
JBO

joelbob

Pinside member

US Noblesville, IN

7y 67,800 721 4

Quoted from PinballBeerGuy:

TNA was the first game that I was able to get my family to understand.

I 100% agree. Co-op mode in TNA is the best game to play WITH your non pinball friends and family. Great music and lights with very clear objectives and goals that you complete together.

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#41 3 years ago
 
RUS

Russell

Pinside member

US Colorado Springs, CO

10y 111K 1,475 58

Beatles

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#42 3 years ago
 
PHX

TheCanadianGuy

Inactive member

4y 29,050 16 42 5

T2.Nice fun playing game.Rules are fairly simple.Great game for the whole family to play!

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#43 3 years ago
 
KIM

Mr68

Pinside+ Frequent

US Boulder, CO

12y 150K 8,645

Lost in Space. Newbies fall in love with the light show, great sound effects and easy to achieve multiball. A lot of multiball and they are pumped after a single game. It's also my favorite Happy Hour game when I want to just slap a ball around and ooh and aah at the presentation.

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#44 3 years ago
 
EDH

TigerLaw

Pinside Moderator

US Jennings, LA

14y 224K 20,098 24 240

Revenge From Mars is easy and casuals love it very approachable.

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#45 3 years ago
 
???

freeplay3

Pinside+ Addict

US Waterford Township, MI

7y 115K 1,631 6

Anything with a central bash toy. A couple examples would be MM castle, AFM saucer, MET sparky, I even found that the goal on world cup is enjoyed by the casual player. Anything that does crazy flashing and/or loud noises will draw people to it.

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#46 3 years ago
 
AJV

gumnut01

Pinside member

AU Sydney

10y 84,800 2,876 12 10

Attack from Mars
World Cup Soccer 94
No Good Gofers
The Walking Dead

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#47 3 years ago
 
LEV

CrazyLevi

Crazy Levi's Pinball

US New York, NY

10y 148K 33,503

Quoted from TheCanadianGuy:

T2.Nice fun playing game.Rules are fairly simple.Great game for the whole family to play!

Any game that requires you to take your hands off the flipper buttons and move them somewhere else isn’t too good for noobs.

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#48 3 years ago
 
VNO

Vino

Pinside+ Addict

8y 168K 6,122 59 3

Sure anyone can approach a TNA and marvel at sound/lights or bash monger a bit on IM.

But after a game I wouldn’t equate these titles to “easy” with short ball times and low overall scores. Casuals tend to shrug and walk.

DMD - SS, WCS, MB/MM more crowd pleasing.

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#49 3 years ago
 
???

Classics_Master

Pinside member

4y 40,550 446 3

Stern Playboy is a great easy game. No deep rule sets, but a lot of fun and great playfield layout with lots of multiball.

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#50 3 years ago
 
???

HighVoltage

DMCS Pinball

8y 92,550 3,484

Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:

I WOULD have said Breakshot but I have a friend and her husband come over to play and the husband said it was “too easy” although he never even got multiball and couldn’t break over a million. My friend said the game seemed complicated and a bit difficult. The rules are somewhat simple, but explaining them to a casual player and having them understand the goals is different.
It comes off as wordy and complicated.
She enjoyed MNF the most. Games that are simple, rewarding and have a cool gimmick. Older guys seem to like the “old school” games.

Interesting, but if he couldn't get multiball, it's not too easy for him. Strange that one of 'em said too easy, the other complicated and difficult. Makes me wonder what you told 'em, ha...

I think the multiball is one of the great things for a beginner. No explanation is even necessary. The locks are immediately inviting to shoot for, and it's not too challenging to frustrate a beginner. It's also fun to see the balls banked / combo'd in there. I brought mine to our show one year, and could tell beginners enjoyed it: they just seemed to like to go for the multiball, no rules or explanations necessary.

I could definitely see MNF: kind of similar in regard to seeing it makes it immediately obvious what you want to do, no explanations necessary.

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