I have never even gotten to play a physical Twilight Zone machine. Nowhere around me has one on location and I am yet to meet a collector (in person) that has one.

So I guess that makes you at least a step higher up than me.

Nah...you just got there a hell of a lot faster than some of us. I'd take RBION over it any day.

Pepper, you are now dead to me. Or shunned. Or whatever other torture Robin can think up.

Played a fair amount on TZ. Came super close to LITZ once.

TZ was my second game, and it's still in my collection. But, it's among the least played. The rules are pretty dense, and the shots needed to start/complete modes are either really tight (like the piano or town square) or really dangerous (like the clock stand-up). The multiball can be fun if you can keep it going and get up to the Power playfield.

But, all in all, I don't see why everyone makes such a fuss about the game. There's so much on it that seems just plain unfair (pop bumpers that drain out the left outlane, town square feeding to the right outlane). I just don't get a huge thrill out of playing it.

I think that's also why I can't get into WOZ. Like TZ, it's busy and feature-packed, but too many of the shots are random (off the witch, rainbow targets), or high-risk (e.g. you have to get a crystal ball mode going to get anything started, but that just feeds into the outlane).

Both games just become start and stop fests where you can hit a few satisfying shots in combo and then get completely derailed when the ball settles and the next move isn't productive.

I bought mine only playing it a few times and some on farsite arcade but I just loved it so much I had to have one and now that I understand it I love it that much more .

There are a lot of "dangerous" shots for sure. Clock target is a guaranteed SDTM shot if you hit it head on. The Rocket fires above and then exits into the pop bumpers, which is also a dangerous area.

As for the actual rules, I don't really think they're that difficult. Making some of the shots, is a different story.

I agree that the rules aren't too bad too master if you read a rule sheet. Like most deep games it's tough to notice specific rules as you're trying to keep the ball alive. On a high level there's two strategies - get every door panel by shooting slot machine and piano, or shoot locks and try to master multiballs. There are also deeper strategies such as maximizing bonus then cashing out at the camera(then recollecting at end of ball ). Modes are fun, and most are worth playing out. It's fun to carry a mode like clock chaos into multiball and rack up another 50 million that way in bonus. I think one of the things that makes it so fun is the many different ways you can play the game. Folks say it's a risky shot game and that's true but I think when you go in prepared for the brutality it makes it that much more fun when you succeed. Definitely take some time to learn the rules , it will be rewarding to learn this game. This game is not leaving my collection.

Dance with the devil at your own risk in the Twilight Zone!

Big Risk...Big Reward

It is definitely an acquired taste. When it was out new I didn't like it. Over the years I learned to hate just hearing it. This year at PAPA I was playing it in the practice area trying to understand why the buzz is. Finally "got" it. It takes some time to get acquainted like the nerdy girl in high school. Once you get to really see her without the nerdy stuff (Understanding the rules), you can't stop playing. And that nerdy girl may be a widebody, but she's all about the bass.

I will look at my TZ in a new way this evening... Haha

opinions vary.......but its an all time great.some people don't like The Beatles but you can't deny them their place in music history.

I always loved the theme, but could never really grasp this game and thought it was over rated. Recently I have put some extended time on this game and WOW what a great game! I can't believe I never gave it a chance. People who don't get this game just have not put enough time into it to really understand its brilliance. I am finally learning after many years in the hobby what type of games I like and don't like and its been an interesting road.

I have owned two TZ's, the first one early on in the hobby and then I repurchased the title a year ago. The game play doesn't do it for me. Not sure what it is but I just don't like it. Love the theme but the game as a whole is meh.

I will not own a third.

I bought TZ and for the first month of owning it wondered if I made a mistake. The more I played it, learned the rules, and understood what I was doing I fell in love with it. Definitely in my top 3 of all time and will most likely never leave my collection.

Love the theme...I'm a big TZ fan (the show). I hate hate hate this game. I even had a few people explain all the rules, and I've tried to enjoy it in home environments and on location. Just can't get into it, and I love complex rules (like WOZ and LOTR).

A perfect example of the adage that "there's a butt for every chair." So welcome to the club...you're not alone!

Dumb Thread of the Year Award.

Nothing dumb about it. I always wonder "is there something wrong with me?" when I don't like a game that's in the top 10. There are 3 I don't like and 2 I'm only so-so on. I'd be interested to see if there are a lot of people out there who absolutely love all 10 machines, either on the Pinside list or the IPDB list. I'd guess not many, and that's one of the things that keeps the hobby interesting. Good fodder for healthy debate!

Its not the rules for me. I really just dont like the game or game flow. Everyone is different. I appreciate what it is, but its not for me.

It's dumb because of the "am I still a pinsider" part. What is the op? Like 8 years old?

I like it, but not enough to buy it.
I would not consider it a top 10 title.

I think that was a little tongue-in-cheek.

My TZ is such a tease. She kicks my butt 5 or so games in a row, then lets me get within a few million points of setting a new score. So I press the start button again, thinking I can do it this time, only to have the process start over again.

If you can master hitting the Lock, which I haven't, you can start Multiball. Then you hit the Piano to collect the bonus, hit the Camera to relight the Piano Bonus again. If you're good, you can repeat this process and rack up a ton of points.

Of course if you bounce out of the Lock, like I do a great deal of the time, the ball heads SDTM.

There is a fix for this that involves putting spacers on the back legs of the lock shot piece that has the roof on it. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/a-newbie-restores-twilight-zone#post-2033672

I ended up putting two washers on each post of mine. I still get bounce outs, but maybe 10% of the time, instead of 50%. Will probably add spacers or more washers at some point.

Without a doubt. TZ isn't a very approachable game, and it's also not much fun if you don't understand what's going on. It's easy to walk up to a game like AFM and instantly understand the objectives. TZ, on the other hand, is very confusing. I remember the first time I came across one in the wild. I was completely baffled by the complex playfield layout. It's definitely a game you have to spend a lot of time on in order to fully appreciate its brilliance.

That being said, there are plenty of people who are very familiar with the game and still don't like it. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm not a fan of twilight zone either. Maybe if I was a fan of the show or understood the rules better I would like it, but every time I play it I am just confused about what I am trying to do or why things like the gumball machine fit in the theme.

I've never seen an episode of the old twilight zone. The only thing I vaguely remember, that may not even be twilight zone, is some episode with john lithgow on a plane and gremlins were tearing apart the engine/wing.

I have only played it a few times, but I have never enjoyed it when I played it. I don't like the Beatles either.

About the only thing I remember too - and I think about every damn time I fly.

I appreciate it's complexities and crazy amount of toys. It's just not that fun to play to me. To each there own, I have a few friends that love it.

That was from the TZ movie. The original version from the TV show has William Shatner in it. Great episode ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_at_20,000_Feet

I know the rules and still don't like the game. It's too stop and go for my tastes. Only Lawlor game I ever liked is NASCAR.

I used to dislike TZ. I used to, and I still do.

I've put in a hundred games or so on it on location. The one I played was kind of slow with choppy, stop & go play. I know it was (still is?) considered one of the top games ever made, but I've never really enjoyed it. I think it's been completely eclipsed by the new offerings over the past few years. I'm not even sure it belongs in the top 20 anymore.

1421 pinsider own it, 702 have it on their wish list.

TZ is the pin I remember most from my youth. I did not know the rules but it seemed like the only pin that I could get some decent ball time with and score points. I was never any good and most pins just insta-drained on me. Now that I know the rules a little better, it's a lot more fun to play. There are so many shots and different things going on. I would love to own one but not for the money they go for. For that kind of money, you can buy a brand new machine that is as or more fun to play.

I didn't like it when I played the slow ones on location. When I got one that was in better condition I grew to love it quickly - its night and day based on condition. I still try to play a couple on location and usually don't like them.

A lot of people like Justin Bieber, but he still sucks. That's meaningless IMHO.

Owned it twice and sold both fairly quickly. I think only one made it into the house form thew workshop even.

I would be more concerned if you weren't a fan of BBB or Kingpin!

The real fun of TZ comes when you learn to stack 3 or 4 modes at once. That's when you make the game your bitch. It's a great feeling when you can get the Super Slot, Clock Millions, Clock Chaos, Town Square Madness, and Powerball Mania going all at once and end up with an end of ball bonus of a couple hundred million points.

THAT'S when the game gets REALLY fun! It's almost like a mini LITZ...

What was the question?

So... you're buying a THLE and you don't like deep, complicated rules. hmmm. BTW, there really isn't a ton of depth or difficulty when it comes to TZ's ruleset. There is some nuance, however.

Playing it this morning, I was struck for the first time how much I enjoy the challenge of keeping track of where all the balls are during multiball.

If you're really on top of things, you can make shots that will intentionally "stash" balls (so they don't come back to you for a few seconds) - freeing up the playfield to clear the way for the shot you are trying to make.

Then to know: okay, one is coming out of the lock shot now...and one should be arriving via the slot machine any moment...and the one that just defeated the power is about to come back - I should shoot the lock shot ball with the upper right flipper and put it under the the upper left flipper and expect an erratic kickout because the slot machine is going to try and kick out two balls at once.

I think this is an excellent way of describing it.

No. You must turn in your badge and Pinside I.D. card and forget the password and secret handshake.

Golden Earring....nuf said.

SMILE!!

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