At the Arcade Expo this weekend, Congo was very close to NGG. I played both in a row... hole in one shot definitely gets my vote. Volcano shot is hard but I kinda got the aim down by the end... even got the extra ball from it and a high score.

Lost Mine is a contender.

CIU scoop on the right in MET, especially when either an EB or CIU mode is lit.

Gollum shot on LOTR. Even when you hit it perfectly it will go through to the pops and come out the right loop. Probably the most frustrating shot in pinball.

A shot that isn't necessarily difficult but seems like it is in the wrong spot is the right ramp on TOM. After the first two MBs I struggle to find scoring opportunities because I dread shooting at the right ramp.

Super Jackpot shot on Ripley's Believe it or Not. It's pretty much in the same position as the Gem shot on Tron (albeit reversed), but you don't have a clean feed to the upper flipper like you do with the Quorra loop on Tron. You can use the VUK to get the ball to the upper flipper, but it doesn't always drop it in the same place. Likewise, you can shoot the ball up the right orbit (in which then a post diverts it back down to the upper flipper), but the spinner screws with the ball's position as well. So not only do you have a shot that's generally tough to make due to the odd angle and how tight it is, but you also have other varying physical quirks that makes hitting the shot even harder.

Gem shot on Tron. End of discussion..

Have to agree...so frustrating.

Yeah, tricky, but you're rewarded with an awesome sound, light, and dots show. One of the better shows in pinball!

Oh, I agree! It really feels great when you nail it. It's just so inconsistent, haha.

Any shot when " extra ball " is lit.

Just restoring a D&D now and I find the Million shot very hard.

First hit down the 3 drop targets up the right ramp then send the ball back up there to feed the upper right flipper, then with about 3 seconds you have to nail the upper left ramp.

Had the million shot lit about 5 times last night and missed every one. Have yet to make it. May not help that the upper right flipper is not original and fatter.

P.s you have to to this in one ball or the drops reset

By far...the Super Jackpot spinner shot in BBH

Other notables:

Air Raid in JD
Gambit Hurry Up
Top target on Surf Champ
The A in the top lanes of Gottlieb Mustang
Skill shots on Big Guns, WOF and CSI
Lock shots in Catacomb
Blue Lock in Laser War

Tron - Shooting the orbit through the pop bumpers.

No question-Hole in one on No Good Gophers

NGG hole in one.jpg

Would also like to add the captive ball in TFTC and the Snake Run in Radical

I just did a lamp test to make sure the super jackpot lamp worked on my FT. I haven't seen it lit up yet in the 1.5 years of ownership.

gofers, hole in one, don't even understand how it is possible. Its like the hole in one at a miniature golf game that is rigged. I've watched it on youtube a ton of times, every time I've attempted has been a horrible fail.

Agree with fish tales extra ball shot.

Thirded wholeheartedly.

NGG hole in one shot. Getting one in a game is awesome. Getting two is very gratifying. I think the most I ever got was three in one long game. I'd like to see the kid who got seven in one game try to do that again but I bet it was fun when he did.

Bill

Try backhanding.

Another vote for mode start on TS. If you're on, you're on, but there are days when you can't hit it to save your life. A hard enough shot that the saucers are rarely worn.

Not so sure as I saw PDXMonkey do it about a week ago just demoing the game for me,lol
I would have to put a vote for Demo Man left lane/extra ball shot. Wicked Pisser that one is!

hitting the drawbridge on MMR

...because i still don't have it.

Not as tough as the Retna scan shot to the left,which seems to throw a credit dot more often on mine from not getting hit enough. The left Orbit is more frustrating as it's tough to get the extra ball you need to keep going.

The Hobbit Smaug kill shot

Try backhanding when it's lit

Tron GEM shot is brutal for me

I'm in no way surprised this wasn't mentioned, but the 50 Million point shot on Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball is insane. It will happen accidently on occasion if you don't expect it, but you will sooner pull your hair out than make it happen on purpose. If you ever wonder why I own that machine (laugh all you want), it was mostly to take the glass off and run experiments on the conditions of obtaining that shot.

Shoot for the metal ball guide on the right side of the crystal ball, not for the hole itself, when trying to make the shot intentionally.

I know it's a backhand but I can't hit it unless I make contact before ball meets the flipper, I can't seem to do it with a catch and shoot.

Really? I wonder if one of us has the wrong plunger links or coil stops (or leveling). When I had mine at home, I could reliably backhand the lock shot, which is even tighter.

Do you have lightning flippers?

Last year at the TPF I finally got to play NGG, prior to that I'd only played the pinball arcade version. The guy in front of me in line asked if I wanted to play a friendly match so we started one, I think I got six or seven hole in ones on the first ball and ended up with 14? or so by ball three. The other guy got maybe four or five? Seven months later I got to play a different NGG in great shape at FUN! and nailed at least 10 on my first and only game, including the 9th hole super jackpot. Had to walk away with ~65 million because the place was closing shop.

I'm willing to believe that how easy it is to make depends on the machine, but once you get it dialed in it seems like it is very much a repeatable shot.

YYMV, but compare the success rate on that shot with something like the Metallica pro snake shot and it's no contest. That snake is something like 1 in 10 on every machine I've played, and that's in a position where you can actually try to hit it more than once at a time. The return on the snake (successful or not) is much, much worse than that from a missed hole-in-one.

I'm sure that this has been mentioned...but for me it's the timed shots. Just psyches me out, I guess.

Yeah lightning flippers and newly rebuilt

Although I have only really played one pin, I would say the super jackpot in NGG. First you have to hit the jackpot ramp which isn't easy then you have hit the hole in one...without draining the other balls. I get excited everytime I hit a super.

3 x top loop on Flash off the top flipper...lol

I just bought TFTC last weekend and the captive ball is the shot I have the most difficulty with on all my machines. The Crypt shot and right ramp I can hit somewhat regularly. I have yet to get the captive ball when I need it. I've only ever hit it by mistake.

Currently.. for me, the left ramp on Stargate.

The 'D' stand up on Spirit is impossible to hit clean, best bet is a ricochet of the left sling!

You'll probably laugh, but... the ramp shot on TOTAN. I can hit EVERYTHING on that game. No problems doing the tales (apart from the Magic Carpet), but when I have to collect the jewel... Argh!!!

Guile shot on SF2. Needs to be aimed perfectly with enough power to make it do the loop.

Agree with this. I can't hit Gem for the life of me.

I think I'm changing my vote to Pinball Magic's captive ball...

Not in any particular order and my apologize to all the games that I haven't tried...

DM left loop
NGG hole in one
DnD upper right flipper to left ramp shot
Shadow mode start lane/super jackpot scoop
Congo volcano (the games one redeeming shot and it's nigh impossible to hit consistently...and then ball goes to the pops then SDTM.)
TZ dead end shot (almost as bad as Congo results)

Anything with a ramp that's only really accessible by a third flipper.

Ha...that's what i said!

Just brutal

The Pinball Magic ramp when you have to make it three times to proceed to the next level. It should be an easy series of shots, but I don't like that one.