If you’re gonna recommend gottliebs as least recommend the good ones! .

System 80a and 80b. Get after it!

Very funny closing
I like swimming with bow legged women

Ghostbusters!? You guys are crazy, but I still love ya. Great video. Here’s mine (today):

1. Stern SW
2. GNR
3. LOTR
4. Deadpool
5. Game of Thrones
6. IMDN
7. AFM
8. JJPOTC
9. TRON
10. TWD

Lol. My least favorite Stern of the last ten years (at least).

Some extremely questionable choices there, but I guess if your pinball experience starts in 1997 it makes some kind of sense.

IMHO:

Stern ST is a cost-reduced STTNG without the amazing cast participation, artwork, and sound. STTNG > Stern ST all day everyday.

JP2 isn't a top 10 game. Great game, cool dinosaur, it's just not that special though. IMDN is superior in many aspects such as theme integration, callouts, music (obviously), and artwork.

Ghostbusters has too many playability defects to be considered top 10 - flipper gap, Scoleri Bros, original linear mode progression, ball jumping the inlane guides, etc.

TWD is an intense theme with great rules. Clunky layout, ugly art, terrible callouts (orig sw). Not top 10.

Instead maybe consider Flash Gordon, Eight Ball Deluxe, or Quicksilver. I hear good things about Ritchie's Spiderman as well.

That's why they call it click bait.

ZMeny
You really need to touch a gottlieb. system 80a-b, TX sector has a nice sound package and experience but it got nipped for that list.

Humpty Dumpty didn't even cross your radar, what were your notes on the subject?

Were EMs involved, sales figures even counted in?

1. BIG GAME
2. GOT Prem
3. TWD prem
4. Tron
5. AFM
6. Shadow
7. AC/DC
8. Funhouse
9. STTNG
10. Godzilla

Fytr here's my top 10.....go

1. Thunderbirds (I-N-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L R-E-S-C-U-E) Greatest mode ever!
2. Magic Girl
3. Barb Wire
4. Punny Factory
5. Galactic Task Force
6. 24
7. X Files
8. Spinal Tap
9. Rescue 911
10. Stargate

This is a lot like the LeBron or Jordan debate (and don't even bring Wilt into the conversation). You really can't rank the different generations against each other, different eras, different technology. This may be the top 10 of the modern era, or dmd/lcd era, but the criteria you use automatically excludes anything older.

You should really do a SS/alphanumeric top 10 (and even that is hard to compare early SS to late alphanumeric), and an EM top 10. ZMeny

Where's Raven?

I started watching this until I saw IMDN missed the cut . I’ll find something else to do

Serious question: How do you edit a 6 year old post like they do here for the initial post to include new vid links? After a certain amount of time I always get the too late to edit message from Pinside.

1)GZ 2)IMDN 3)FFs 4)DP 5)JP2 6)MET 7)LotR 8)ALIEN 9)LZ 10)RUSH

I had to ask the mods for help.

Indeed.

I love anger at opinion pieces

1.LOTR
2.AFM
3.MET
4.IMDN
5.JJPOTC
6.Stern SW
7.Tron
8.AC/DC premium
9.Foo
10.LZ premium

Impossible list to get unanimous agreement. Not a bad list for sure. Only head scratcher for me is Ghostbusters, but it is gorgeous pin with good music so that helps it too.

I only had three choices on the list.....

Jp, afm and mm.

Godzilla is a good game, but theme is so terrible, it might aswell be a whiteboard.

Jp with better quality, theme assets and less clunk on the watchtower shoot would be almost impossible to beat.
Well maybe hobbit with ball integration smaug/upper flipper.

I would love a 90s Games that aren't MM/AFM list!

Just watched the top10 video. I agree with most (all) of your choices.

My list (in no particular order)

AFM
MM
JP
Godzilla
Deadpool
Tron
ST
SW
TZ
IJ

Honorable mention
TSPP
TNA
Maiden
LotR
Woz
Ghostbusters
BM66

Top 10s will always be subjective but this was a pretty good list. Personally I would have put both Maiden and JP in there, and probably put Maiden a couple of places above JP. Star Trek is an absolutely fantastic game and I did own an LE which was stunningly beautiful - however not sure it would be in my all time top 10. LotR as well - I owned an LE for 6 months and while it is a fab game, it did get a bit dull a bit too quickly for me. Totally agree with Ghostbusters and DP.

Yes the list was a bit Stern heavy, but what can you say - Stern have continued to churn out incredible games. Also I was very surprised Indiana Jones wasn't in there.

Did you guys think about your SDTM reviews when composing this list? For example, you both gave JJ POTC a much better review than Walking Dead and you ranked Indiana Jones higher than anything on your top 10 list except for GB. And Metallica makes this Top 10 list, yet only receives a B+ from Greg and a B from Zach in you SDTM review.

Things that make you go Hmmmm.

I love and own a dozen Stern pins. However there’s no way to have a list of best pins without 4-5 B/W pins.

I understand that modern pins have deeper code and arguably the best modern pinball art as well as new technology like LCDs might make the newer pins more eye catchy.

However unless you specifically say this had to do with deep modern code I’m not sure how you can not put at least 4-5 BW pins.

This list would have been better had it been top10 Stern pins. Add Maiden and Tspp and call it a day.

I don't see how Cactus Jacks isn't in at least 4 of the top 10 spots.

I kind of look like pinball machines like cars. The 1960-70 muscle car era for their time were unmatched (speed, design, mechs ect), but they couldn't touch the sports cars today in speed, handling, mechs, ect. The muscle car era are still desirable and very expensive and I think that correlates with a lot of the older Williams and Bally games. I'm more likely going stop and turn my head at an Indiana Jones or TZ in a collection same as if I see a 69 Chevelle drive down the street over a hellcat.

Even though they are both a metaphorical apple in a sense. Some people prefer Macintosh or Green apples. All vary by taste and personal preference.
I'll break my list into top 10 moderns and everything else.

10. DE royal rumble
9. DE jurassic park
8. STTNG
7. M.M
6. Attack from Mars
5. Theater of Magic
4. Indiana Jones
3. Monster Bash
2. Addams family
1. Twilight zone

10. JJP Pirates
9. Rush
8. EHOH
7. Deadpool
6. LOTR
5. Tron
4. Ghostbusters
3. Stranger Things
2.TWD
1. Jurassic Park

As an FYI don't have much time on godzilla or FF that's why those didn't make my cut. Don't want you offend anyone.

Meadows22 10. DE royal rumble??? I simply must know why. And I like WWFRR! Talk me into one!

I like hearing ZMeny opinions on everything pinball, but I certainly don't take much stock in or offense to it. We see plenty of love and justification why the latest is the greatest. Stern is doing everything "the best" right now, but the formula can feel a little same-y after a while. Some just like the forgotten or unusual, which can mean weird themes and wonky layout and that's def not popular these days.

If Zach ever gets that restored Congo or Party Zone and starts gushing, now I'm listening!

Haha I kinda figured I'd get some flag for that one. IMO I think RR is a super underrated pin that mainly gets flagged for theme. For a wide body the game is quite flowy, the ramps and orbits feel great. I think I'm terms of upper playfields it has one of the better ones with the 3 drop targets and that quick orbit. It has great Lyman sheats code that is surprisingly deep and well integrated if you understood wrestling at the time the game came out. Call outs are great, but I can see how they would get repetitive after awhile. Again, I'm biased. This game brings back great nostalgia haha.

20230530_211156 (resized).jpg

Party zone another bad sound track.

I don't agree with your list being objective but it's hard to argue that older games fall short of modern Sterns. I also don't think anyone would agree with my subjective top 10 either though so it's a fun thought experiment.

IJ TPA has to be on that top 10 list.

Top 10 video was due to come out. I liked that it started with runner-ups. Interpreted that to be your top #’s 11-16. Also good about this format was it combined both hosts choices into one Top 10. Listening to the choices next and don’t believe that will make me angry. The criteria used is very subjective though and non-formulaic and I get the feeling the choices were pulled from your guts (not asses). Thanks for all the content Zach and Greg.

another turd to add to that list. We all like what we like, but damn that list is bad.

I'd like to see a Top 10 broken into era's perhaps...for example, 70's -80's alphanumeric, 90's-00's DMD, and then the LCD era stuff...something along those lines...hard to compare a Swords of Fury to a Godzilla because of the obvious depth and technology advancements...but one may find SOF just as 'good' as Godzilla...

10. Tron
9. Fathom
8. WH20
7. MM
6. ACDC
5. The Shadow
4. GZ
3. MET
2. Flash Gordon
1. DP

Interesting….you would think the criteria would be the same. Maybe time to rerank some of the games…

They say right in the video that they are trying to be objective (as objective as you can be on a list like this), so it makes sense it wouldn't fully follow their own reviews. In any case, it is a list made for fun and conversation, don't think a full audit is in order.

i assume they are being objective whenever they review a machine. Not trying to "audit" anything, just found it interesting and wondered what Greg and Zach had to say about the inconsistency. I would think that anyone who watches SDTM would be surprised that Indiana Jones didn't make their top 10. That's what prompted me to check back on their latest list of games.

IJ and or TZ and or TAF hard to believe one of them didn’t make it along with MM and AFM.

They say in the first two minutes of the video that the games are not necessarily their own personal favorites and are trying to look at it more objectively. Maybe they will chime in on the exact reason Indy was left out, but speaking as someone who watches SDTM, I wasn't surprised.

I assumed it wasn't in because IJPA isn't a top 10 layout, the code isn't top 10 either. I'd still like to own one because the theme and integration are off the charts. If it was a list of top 10 themes of all time and IJPA wasn't on it I would definitely be surprised.

I think if they review that list again in terms of objectivity, there's no way Ghostbusters would be in there because it's been such a polarising game. It would 100% be in my top 10, but I know some people detest it with a passion. For sure I think some personal opinions crept in a little for that one.

The rest of the games in the list though - you can certainly make a case for.

Fun video, these guys are always entertaining.