South Elgin, IL
Quoted from tamoore:There are some ridiculous ones (in terms of them not being modes at all) on some SEGA and DE games. Like, for example, many games have an "Extra ball" mode. Essentially, hit one shot for an extra ball.
Maybe a history lesson is in order here. You can't compare the modern concept of a "mode-based game" with what games were like in the early 90s.
Consider the evolution of how we got to the modern mode-based ruleset:
- Earthshaker: Go in a hole and get a random award
- Whirlwind: Go in lit hole to get a "random" award, but you can see what they all are (none are modes, BTW, though you could possibly consider Quick Multiball a mode, and, today, maybe you would), and you get a big award for getting all of them
- FunHouse: Same as Whirlwind, but now there IS a mode (Superdog). The final award is also a mode (Super Frenzy).
- TAF: FunHouse on steroids, there are 6 modes and 6 awards (could count 7/5), and kind of a mode at the end.
- TZ: About the same as TAF really, just more.
- IJ: The first truly totally mode-based game?
There may be a pure mode game before IJ I'm forgetting, but I don't think so. So, given history, I would not consider extra ball awards "ridiculous" even if it seems ridiculous in a modern context.
Quoted from tamoore:There are some other ridiculous ones such as on rocky and bullwinkle, where you have so little time to complete one, that the chance you're going to is very small. The "Waybac" mode on R&B gives you only a few seconds to hit a ramp as many times as you can, with the ball returning to the wrong flipper. If you get one, you're doing well.
I can't disagree with your WABAC assessment at all.
Quoted from wontwa:As for ridiculous - while I looooooove some Tron, the Flynn mode is pretty ridiculous. Maybe that's more pointless than ridiculous, though?
You'd think it's pointless, but I've seen more than one world-class-level player start Portal without having Flynn first. 
Oldebroek
