This is a super old thread (2 years)... but main problem is that when people buy a pin, they want to feel good about it, and will rarely say (I just spent $10k on a new pin, and it's only a 6), so even if it sucks, they convince themselves its awesome. In addition, as you learn the ruleset of a pin, it becomes much more enjoyable, so people who own pins, are going to enjoy those more than one they only play 5-6 games on.

I think that's why some of the older rare but awesome pins have lower ratings, because since there were only 1000 or so made, most people will have played them on location somewhere, and not gotten the full experience or even played one that wasn't dialed in right (weak flippers, balls getting stuck etc etc).

So I always read the reviews themselves to get context. See what people like and don't like on the pin, and maybe watch some videos of it playing if there are none near-by to play. I make my decision based on that. I've never really paid too much attention to the ranking, and have owned and enjoyed games that are in the 200's better than others that are in the top 50.

I've stated this before, but the best use for the top 100 is to learn what is out there, what is popular, and as a starting guide to pins you should play to see what you think about them. When I first got into pinball before I ever purchased a machine, I read through the top 100 very carefully and made detailed notes on the games that I thought were potential games for me. Fortunately, just a few weeks later I was able to attend my first TPF and my list of 15 pins were all there. I played them all multiple times along with dozens of other pins. The outcome? I think I scratched off 12 of 15 pins I had listed based on the Pinside top 100 and replaced them with other games I liked better.

This is very common in the retro game collecting scene as well. People pay hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars for rare "hidden gem" games and convince themselves they're better than all those super common household name games that most would agree are actually the best. The thing is, when I play a lot of these supposed gems they're hardly gems at all. In fact I'd rate 95% of them as mediocre at best, and pretty shitty at worst. It's hard to admit something you just spent a small fortune on is bad, and most people will delude themselves into thinking i'ts in fact way, way better than it actually is.

The same is true of pinball and the Top 100. I'm sure at least half the Godzilla reviews are NIB purchasers who posted 10/10 reviews before they'd even assembled the machine. i'm not saying Stern Godzilla sucks, but it's definitely a pretty standard above average pin. Same goes for most of the new, hot Stern and JJP machines. Even the not so popular stuff from AP and Spooky gets the artificial exciting new pin bump typically. I honestly feel like a Pin should be out for a few years before people are able to add it to the Top 100 or there needs to be a separate list for tables that are less than 5-years old.