Rules are certainly not intuitive but give me 5 minutes and I could easily explain 90% of the game and several fun strategies to play for progress or score. Agree though that it's not a game for beginners or casual players so will continue to spark plenty of debate.

Oh wow, TOTAN was top ten? Ugh.

I couldn't care less about someone's rating of top ten. If a game is fun for me to play, I like it and will possibly buy it if it continues to provide enjoyment. If its not fun for me, than I don't want it no matter how highly someone else rates it.
Perfect example-I HATE TZ!! I've had two or three over the years and always sell them with a week or two. Just find it boring beyond belief. NOTHING about it do I like! I loved the TV show, love the ride at WDW, but HATE the game.
Monster Bash on the other hand will never leave my game room, unless I get such a stupid price for it that I can't turn it down, and then I'll just run out and buy another one.

Still hanging in there @ IPDB!

It really is. I own one and when it came out never thought I would. I could care less about Elvira the theme, but it’s just so darn fun and a nice balance in terms of difficulty. Code is already deep and still developing. Lots to do and different ways to score throughout a game. I don’t see it leaving my collection anytime soon. When you get a chance, spend some more time on it. I think it will surprise you.

The ball rolls on wood. All pinball is "chopping wood" to varying degrees.

The real reason AFM, MM, MB are up there is because every shot does something for the most part, it feels fun, it sounds fun, it looks fun. Even with trolls or Frankenstein or whatever knocking clean shots straight into the outlane.

Metallica I can kinda take or leave as far as the high ranking ones here go. Probably doesn't need to be up there. Top 20-30 I can see.
I have never played PoTC and have limited exposure with a few others. Iron Maiden is surely fun. Top 10 fun? Maybe.
If we limited this to decade-plus old games with 1000+, ToTAN still needs not be where it is. It's one of the most beautiful playfields ever, but still.

Wow! Super subjective. All are GREAT games. Everyone will have their own favorites based on their playing styles/preferences.

My first thought is POTC. Not really because it is a bad game (it definitely isn't). It just has the most disproportionate value because few were made and prices are through the roof. You could buy any 2 games on the list for the cost of just 1 POTC.

My second choice is AFM. The reason being is that it is incredibly similar to MM and MB. They have the same designer, layout, and shots. MB and MM have better call outs, art, themes, and toys/gimmicks though.

Close enough

What the hell are you trying to do Jorant - start a riot?!

"No not the mooooooon!"

I can't even stand the sounds.

Could never seem to get into TZ.

I voted for JJP Pirates, but also agree on Monster Bash being bumped. I know it all
comes down to personal taste and what you want in a game, but I have zero JJP games ranked inside my top 30. I find none of them enjoyable. Maybe I’m just an ‘80s kid, so giant LCD screens, elaborate toys, overly-complicated rules do NOT equal fun, fast, challenging pinball gameplay to me. I am bored by ball 2 on any JJP, aside from maybe DI. Give me early ‘80s fast & barren playfields, ‘90s DMD theme integration perfection, and modern Stern or Spooky action and rulesets all day.

Not a critique of JJP at all. I know this is an individual taste issue, and what makes pinball special to each person. JJP & POTC is just not for me. I’ve played them all extensively, and it just doesn’t click.

There should be 2 lists, a home use one and a location play.

MM typically always get a bunch of coins in when I'm playing on location but I would never bring one home.
TSPP on the other side, needs time and attention, it has a lot of replay value, a good candidate for home use.

When it comes down to it, it's really just Addams Family with more gimmicks.

That's another game i couldn't really get into either.

Just looked at the results. I always underestimate the popularity of LOTR. Everybody seems to love that game....

Shame on those who voted for DP.

Me neither. But recently the opportunity came up to trade for one, and now I own it. I have finally started to get it. I'm still in the honeymoon phase, so saying I'm finding it amazing is useless. But it has the one thing I always love in a game, and that is layers. I love games that give me something understandable to do (in TZ, that is hit the ramps, lock balls, and start multiball), but then rewards me with great depth as I learn the game.

The only hate fest for LOTR I've ever read about is the path of the dead which is stupid because you can mash both flippers and it bypasses the waiting period.
With upgraded flippers the ball travels so fast the Orthanc tower is bypassed a great deal more as well.

Agreed! DP is awesome!

Sure is!!

Thanks for the write up.

I do often think I need to own one first before completely judging it.

Owned mm, still own mb, so i voted mm.

just add GILLIGANS ISLAND and all is well

To each their own. That makes me smile every time.

No perfect top 10. Collectors. Players. Location vs home use vs tourney use vs friendly multiplayer use.

Most of us are some mix of this and even our preferences change over time.

All of them.

It's like these lists are made by people that grew up video gamers and now would rather spend money and tell people they did, than actually play pinball.

Cant comment on JP2.

Other than that, all of them are overrated

I'm not a fan of this newer way of thinking (it really crept in with the higher prices) that games have to have all this 'depth', and be able to be played repeatedly in a home collection to be great games.

That's a style, and something to be valued when you're eyeing the price of a new game for sure, but it's not a great criteria for actually judging a game in so many other ways. Flash Gordon is a great game, and it will never make one of these lists.

Monster Bash doesn't have depth. No question. But it's an all time classic for a reason. It has the full package in so many other ways. If you can only own one game it's probably not the one to have, for sure. If you're building a collection of 10 games would it hold its own? I think so. It's just fun to play, it doesn't ask you to commit to too much, it's great for guests, and just an overall smile builder. My only knock on it is it's overpriced. Collector value is the least interesting thing about any pinball to me.

Lord of the Rings is kind of the opposite. I think it would make a poor "only can own one game" too, but for the opposite reason. To really get anywhere on it you need an epic 45 minute game. If it's all you had to play you'd probably burn out. But again, in a 10 game collection it's great to have that super deep game for when you're in the mood for a real journey. I wouldn't want too many "Keefer" games, just because I wouldn't play all of them often enough. His designs are brilliant, but have that commitment fatigue for me too.

I've sold off a lot of my collection, only kept three, and Metallica is one of them. So I must think highly of it. But I get the "wood chopping" comments too. It's probably not a great "only game" for that reason. But my other two games, Tron and Shadow? I think they stand the test of large and single game collections. Neither of them are in the top 10, but who cares about the top 10? I think I looked at it once when I first joined the site and I haven't paid attention to it since. Never rated a game, never cared.

To me, having a list to rate pinball machines in some order, is some newer way of thinking. If it actually is thinking.

Man I want me a Shadow and Aurich your not helping making it more awesome and more popular. I would appreciate if you and Zach would talk more shit about it.

As to the top ten I don't look at it at all, I kinda look at the top 100 and ignore everything new and shiney.

Man, now I really want a MB.

For sure Mnster Bash and Deadpool. Seems most agree.

Masquerade, hands down.

https://pinside.com/pinball/top-100/em

If my only real contribution to this hobby is to make people appreciate The Shadow more as a highly under-appreciated game then I'm good with that.

I know I appreciate The Shadow more now that I have the Aurich speaker panel. Woohoo!

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I voted MB.

Ok not inside the current top 10, but i think ST, current #13, is the most boring game i have ever played.
The code has completely ruined this game.

I think the list is pretty good. Most of those old b/w deserve to be there. They are ready super fun to play. I just set them up to be as difficult as possible if they play too easy.

I wish I could have chosen 2: MET & DP. Dislike both, but the Bobble head takes the cake.

What I've learned over the 6 years of doing my alt art package and talking to people is that Alec Baldwin really held people back from playing.

Well...i’m in the same boat with TSPP. I hate simpsons show and can’t play this game. I know it is stupid.

This is way exaggerated. But i admit that art package of JP2 is weak...some playfield plastics let me think of jurassic park at Miami! Fortunately, there are many mods to make this game right in the art department. Nothing can be done about the playfield unless a « Comic art » comes out one day.
However, this game is a gem

That's not stupid; There's nowhere to hide from the theme if you don't like the Simpsons. It isn't like IMDN or MET that is an idea made around the theme, it's all Simpsons all day all sounds all everything. I can't get anywhere near that game without wanting to rupture my own eardrums. And it's ugly as shit.

No that's very normal.
U can play it and might even have a little fun but if the theme isn't there I never understood how someone could buy it. Its different however when someone says the game is shit because of the theme. Thats douchebagery in full effect. I can't stand WOZ as a theme, same for Oktoberfest but I've always enjoyed playing it on site.

I vote medieval madness Because I don’t think it deserves to be in the top 10 because the castle is the only thing that you should be going For so it can get boring after a game or two so there is not much replay value in my opinion. I think tron legacy should be in the Top ten imo.

There's nothing wrong with the JP2 art, in fact I quite like it. Outside of Zombie Yeti or Franchi is there another pinball artist of the past 20 years that would have done a better job with the license? I can't think of anyone. I don't think it fits Dirty Donny's or Greg Freres's style. I prefer it to the art that JJP and American have been putting in their games as well.