(Topic ID: 330279)

Pinball machines you just don’t get

By Trond

1 year ago


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    There are 137 posts in this topic. You are on page 3 of 3.
    #101 1 year ago
    Quoted from pinmister:

    I understand pinball is subjective but I don't get the fascination with all the Elvira machines. I tried to get into them but the theme absolutely kills it for me.

    I mean, you just explained it. The theme is why they're rad. I had both Scared Stiff and Party Monsters together and the vibe made me super happy. Eventually the gameplay didn't last, but honestly I miss having Party Monsters.

    Campy horror, a little innuendo, great art, if that's your kind of thing they're hard to beat. If it's not, well, it's not.

    #102 1 year ago

    I think skill level and time on a machine impacts how you feel about it, and with some cases, the world in which you first played it, sentimentality is a big part of pinball, both games and themes. Some games require a higher level of skill to 'get it'. A lot games are great on location where you playing just a half dozen games, the layout, the theme, the sound, the toys can all create a fun experience. The more you play a machine, the more you explore the rules it either clicks with you and pulls you in further or leaves you feeling "its okay". Some games, require a sufficient amount of time and an good understanding of the rules to 'get it', TSPP was a game like that for me, first few times I played it, I did not get it. Once I took some time to understand the rule concepts, the game clicked for me. The more varied games you play, the more you will grow to appreciate games that you may not 'get' the first few times you play them bit there will always be games that just don't register with you.

    as far as a couple mentioned in this thread . . .

    Rudy is a great toy, but don't get the love for funhouse. Not saying it is a bad game, and I have played many a game on it, but seems to get a lot more love that I would give. But I guess the humor of an evil puppet is something folks connect with. And anyone who has spent time on Houdini or Oktoberfest knows I like insulting the player.

    Williams Indy -- cool game, I'll play it a few times when I see it, but have had no interest in owning it, never gave me that "game over . . . must hit start button again" feel. I've always found the playfield feeling crowded with shots too many shots too close to the flippers.

    It is great that location play is continued to improve. Lots of games to enjoy on location and you don't have to fully 'get it', you can just shoot and enjoy. Seems like a lot of new games on the horizon and glad I have a location nearby that typically gets most of the new releases.

    #103 1 year ago

    I am one of those people that believe ALL pinball is fun, but certainly some are better than others.

    I will focus on ones that seem to be popular, but I don't care for that much:

    CFTBL, funhouse

    Ones that I think are HEAVILY overrated:

    AFM, WH20

    #104 1 year ago

    GNR and I currently own it. I get that the game looks amazing, has a great light show and probably the most in-depth use of original assets ever on a pin. However....the game play and what Eric M and his team were thinking in terms of the rules.....well..."I just don't get it!"

    As for TZ, I totally get it and think its one of the best ever.

    #105 1 year ago
    Quoted from WarriorPin:

    Centaur - rented it for 3 months, hated every day of it...

    See me I gave Centaur a try and love it, the taunting in particular when you screw up.

    #106 1 year ago

    I restored a Centaur and had it in my collection for several years' and I never ended up loving the game and sold it. I love the look and sound of the game and the layout is pretty fun to shoot, but the seemingly never ending multi-ball really killed my enjoyment of the game. And I even had the modified roms that made it more difficult to start. I really prefer single ball games from that era especially when multi-ball doesn't add any multipliers or do anything besides having more balls to shoot around on the playfield.

    #107 1 year ago

    future spa

    i play it almost every week at league or a tournament and it is never fun

    #108 1 year ago
    Quoted from MikeS:

    I restored a Centaur and had it in my collection for several years' and I never ended up loving the game and sold it...

    The plight of a spinner-less machine

    11
    #109 1 year ago

    Some really hot takes in this thread.

    Really glad to hear there are people out there that don't "get" Bally/Stern/Williams early Solid state classics. Probably dislike those old boring Gottlieb Wedgeheads EMs too. That's fantastic. Let those of us who know better buy them instead

    I'll tell you what I don't get.....P3 Multimorphic. I'll commend you for developing a truly unique platform, but the final product just doesn't do it for me. Played Heist, Lexy, and even the new Weird Al and some of those "homebrew" titles, etc. The swappable system concept has never really worked for decades & only appeals to a very small segment of pinheads. 6 buttons each controlling upper & lower flippers make my brain hurt. The upper flippers can be hidden under plastics, making shots hard to judge. By design all the unique shots are forced to be in the back of the playfield, so while the themes are diffrent, all the games essentially shoot the same. The cabinet & components can be difficult to work on & the whole thing weighs a ton.

    We have one on location in our area & it gets very little play or coindrop. It's never used for tournament play. I'll only play it if it set to freeplay. While innovation in pinball is exciting & interesting, sometimes it can go too far & lead to a poor gameplay experience IMO.

    #110 1 year ago
    Quoted from gandamack:

    Hopefully, i am wrong...but Scooby Doo. Seems like the top half of the playfield is covered up. Personally, I like to see where the ball is going.

    May I change my mind? After watching the latest gameplay video.....it actually looks fun.

    #111 1 year ago
    Quoted from rosh:

    I think skill level and time on a machine impacts how you feel about it ... anyone who has spent time on Houdini or Oktoberfest knows I like insulting the player. ...

    Well stated Josh!

    Although it hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet, apparently a number of Pinsiders don't get Oktoberfest. Probably due to theme alone with some.

    FWIW - I find it to be very fun. And not just because I want to kick Otto's ass in the chug contest mode due to the various insults he hurls at you!

    #112 1 year ago

    Rollercoaster Tycoon theme implementation has always been confusing to me.

    #113 1 year ago

    Demo Man- The only thing worse than looking at it is playing it.

    #114 1 year ago

    For me it's any games that the only purpose of playing is to get points. So I don't like EM/early SS games in general. HoakyPoaky will be happy lol.

    Give me a reason to make shots. Make it engaging. Give me visual and auditory feedback. Make it a full under glass experience with an awesome and relevant sound track. Make it a story line with a point and an ending. For me it's an escape. I suppose drugs would be cheaper lol but way more damaging.

    As rosh stated above, the skill level of the player really has an impact. I remember how much I loved my TZ 15-20 years ago. Got a chance to do a temp trade not too long ago and brought one back in. OMG was I glad it was just a temporary play trade. I got LITZ within 2-3 games and I knew right away this was no longer the game for me. It's not that I'm super good but I'm an ok player - just from playing lots. JP keeps me coming back for more all the time. I've owned it over 3 years and still haven't finished it. I do well. I get close. but getting to the end still eludes me. I like that.

    Admittedly I never got to "Somewhere over the Rainbow" either on my WOZ but I consider that one unobtainable.

    #115 1 year ago
    Quoted from MrMikeman:

    For me it's any games that the only purpose of playing is to get points. So I don't like EM/early SS games in general. HoakyPoaky will be happy lol.
    Give me a reason to make shots. Make it engaging. Give me visual and auditory feedback. Make it a full under glass experience with an awesome and relevant sound track. Make it a story line with a point and an ending. For me it's an escape. I suppose drugs would be cheaper lol but way more damaging.
    As rosh stated above, the skill level of the player really has an impact. I remember how much I loved my TZ 15-20 years ago. Got a chance to do a temp trade not too long ago and brought one back in. OMG was I glad it was just a temporary play trade. I got LITZ within 2-3 games and I knew right away this was no longer the game for me. It's not that I'm super good but I'm an ok player - just from playing lots. JP keeps me coming back for more all the time. I've owned it over 3 years and still haven't finished it. I do well. I get close. but getting to the end still eludes me. I like that.
    Admittedly I never got to "Somewhere over the Rainbow" either on my WOZ but I consider that one unobtainable.

    I'd argue that for the majority of EMs and classic SS, there are different strategies/progressions for points VS specials.

    As an example, I'm currently pondering modifying a Spin Out I have to score novelty points based on the numbered roto-target collected feature lamps. These seem to be primarily for collecting special, one of the coolest parts of the game, is collecting 2 or more specials at once for multiple knocks.. however, there is zero incentive for this so far as scoring goes... going for specials is quite fun.. going for points, is not. :/

    #116 1 year ago
    Quoted from koji:

    I'd argue that for the majority of EMs and classic SS, there are different strategies/progressions for points VS specials.
    As an example, I'm currently pondering modifying a Spin Out I have to score novelty points based on the numbered roto-target collected feature lamps. These seem to be primarily for collecting special, one of the coolest parts of the game, is collecting 2 or more specials at once for multiple knocks.. however, there is zero incentive for this so far as scoring goes... going for specials is quite fun.. going for points, is not. :/

    I do have an EM I put in the garage in the summer - right now it's in storage.

    Yes I get the incentive for the special and it can be surprisingly fun. But limited. I also like to roll it over. But then again.. so what. I've rolled it over twice in 1 game and thought it was exciting, until I realized it wasn't lol.

    #117 1 year ago
    Quoted from MrMikeman:

    I do have an EM I put in the garage in the summer - right now it's in storage.
    Yes I get the incentive for the special and it can be surprisingly fun. But limited. I also like to roll it over. But then again.. so what. I've rolled it over twice in 1 game and thought it was exciting, until I realized it wasn't lol.

    Fair enough.. just wanted to make the point about not just shooting for score etc. For my family and friends it's all about competition, so we want to apply the progression to higher scores .. and try to set things up to be quite difficult as needed. If I'm rolling the score, I'll mod in a digit, or I'll reduce pitch and open outlanes.

    #118 1 year ago
    Quoted from MrMikeman:

    ... Yes I get the incentive for the special and it can be surprisingly fun. But limited. I also like to roll it over. ...

    I don't get the thrill of winning a replay in home game rooms. When I was into EMs only, I preferred collecting add-a-ball versions (vs the much more common replay versions) of games whenever they were an option.

    I realize that for some pinheads, earning specials/replays is a nostalgic throwback to playing games on route in their youth, but just like still having your home games require quarters to play, it's not something I care about.

    That said, playing pinball is ultimately still all about getting high scores for me. Enjoying as many of the various features a game has to offer is also cool of course, but in the end, I want to be able to enter my initials!

    #119 1 year ago
    Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

    I don't get the thrill of winning a replay in home game rooms...

    But how aboot spending monies to add a real knocker to modern Sterns? Even weirder

    #120 1 year ago

    TAF for me. I don’t understand the hype at all. On route it’s a drain monster and in home it’s rinse and repeat. Owned for 9 months and thought about selling/trading every time I played it.

    Fun reading some criticism on TZ and IJTPA. Both machines I own and have always felt that they were way over hyped or at least their current market value does not reflect the gameplay. Feel sorry for folks spending that kind of money with high expectations of long term playability.

    #121 1 year ago
    Quoted from MrMikeman:

    I got LITZ within 2-3 games and I knew right away this was no longer the game for me. It's not that I'm super good but I'm an ok player - just from playing lots...

    LITZ is not really a big point earner on TZ

    #122 1 year ago

    I love hearing the knocker go off on my EMs as I earn credits for specials and high scores! I don’t get tired of it. It means I beat the machine to earn free games. I have a couple EMs set up for quarters.

    #123 1 year ago

    Any atari pinball machine

    #124 1 year ago

    Anything made after oh, say, 2000. And generally any modern pin with a video display. Interrupts flow and distracts from the game. I find no appeal

    #125 1 year ago
    Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

    I don't get the thrill of winning a replay in home game rooms.

    I find it fun for the sake of pushing the replay value higher. I'm sure older games don't have the setting, but on my whirlwind we have it set to auto adjust. When we first got it, the replay value was 3.6 million, and it dropped steadily because my kids and I are terribad, all the way to 2.4 million. Eventually, we began to suck a little less, and it started climbing. We've got it up to 4.8 million now, and I don't know if we're close to bumping it up to 5 million, or in danger of falling back to 4.6, but a cheer always goes up when one of us sets off the knocker

    #126 1 year ago

    Champion Pub.

    More toys than actual pinball. No flow.

    Unbalanced code and more points from the video mode (no risk) than just about anything else in the game.

    I'd rather go jump rope in real life.

    But hey... That's just me.

    https://gfycat.com/silverinsignificantgoral

    #127 1 year ago
    Quoted from Caucasian2Step:

    Champion Pub.
    More toys than actual pinball. No flow. ...

    Love the theme. Love the unique features.

    HATE the right outlane area.

    #128 1 year ago

    I always want a Ghostbusters till i play it. Got into pinball in 2019 and saw the high prices for TAF. Played it at Tilt Studios and have not played it since. So clunky and boring. Never understood the hype or high price tag.

    #129 1 year ago
    Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

    Love the theme. Love the unique features.
    HATE the right outlane area.

    Right outlane was unfinished. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/champion-pub-danger-zone-mod

    Champion Pub is a great example of how very unique mechs can wear out their welcome quickly.

    #130 1 year ago

    Led Zeppelin...unexciting play, blah colors/graphics, bare playfield.

    #131 1 year ago

    Also any band themed pin. Even if I like the band, it's not meant to be a jukebox.

    #132 1 year ago
    Quoted from MtnFrost:

    any modern pin with a video display. Interrupts flow and distracts from the game. I find no appeal

    Quoted from MtnFrost:

    Also any band themed pin. Even if I like the band, it's not meant to be a jukebox.

    Agree, display - take it or leave it - but some band pins are among the best players Stern has made.

    #133 1 year ago
    Quoted from Daditude:

    Ones that I think are HEAVILY overrated:
    AFM


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    #134 1 year ago

    I like many of Stern's band games, but - other than 1 exception and 1 caveat - their Marvel movie themed games have never really appealed much to me.

    Exception: Iron Man - loved playing it on route and then even more at home (with enhanced audio)

    Caveat: I've never played Avengers IQ

    #135 1 year ago

    Ac/Dc, Twilight Zone and TOTAN are big on the "everyone goes crazy about them, I don't get the appeal" thing. And Ac/Dc is my favorite band to boot.

    Addams Family has this strange place for me that I would've said it was my favorite game growing up, and it was, playing it now I am shockingly bored by it.

    The game mentioned a few times in this thread that I am a little appalled by it's mention is Funhouse, to me it's a incredibly inventive game that still holds up to this day.

    1 week later
    #136 1 year ago
    Quoted from gearheaddropping:

    GNR and I currently own it. I get that the game looks amazing, has a great light show and probably the most in-depth use of original assets ever on a pin. However....the game play and what Eric M and his team were thinking in terms of the rules.....well..."I just don't get it!"
    As for TZ, I totally get it and think its one of the best ever.

    Have you dialed in the settings to make game more balanced?

    #137 1 year ago

    Big Bang Bar
    Twilight Zone
    BM66

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