I finally got there. I have been improving and gettin close for the past month. Just concentrating on smoother more relaxed play. And that all went out the window when I lit the Portal insert for the first time. Took about 4 tries to hit the scoop. And there I was jumping up and down as it started.

Fantastic dots, everything was wild. It was a very short run and everything was going crazy. I spit the bit fairly quickly, but it didn't matter. I finally made it there. A year and five months after it arrived I got there. Hopefully I go back soon.

I will also say I think it was easier in the new software. Being able to restart disc multiball is a huge advantage toward completing it. As is the extra ball I earned on the ramps. But I'll take that extra bit of help.

It took me about 900 games. I started getting close about 6 months ago, but then I just kept getting worse and worse.

Final score was 170.6 million. I had put up 178 without getting there, but that was before the update, so the 170 is the GC on the machine now.

I know a game can't make you happy, but I'm just thrilled to finally get it.

Keep trying. It is a fun goal to have. I think one of the biggest changes I made more recently was really trying to complete the modes. For a long time I was just tring to get to SOS, but getting there with almost everything flickering makes SOS a monumental task. One that I actually had no hope of completing. My mind was saying just get there and get lucky enough to make all the shots. But I'd just start squeezing the machine when I entered SOS. For the past few weeks I was trying to finish everything, including requalifying and redoing modes I whiffed on. Having disc, Quorra, LC all lit solid makes SOS so much easier to complete. All I had left was CLU, and playing that in SOS means no timer, so it was much easier there.

And of course, now I need to beat Portal

As I recall (with hundreds of games on the old software I should know this), if you went into SOS and finished a mode in SOS on the old software, didn't the mode unlight after you drained? I didn't recall it staying lit, where now it does. I could be wrong.