(Topic ID: 266258)

Round 4 - Greatest Pinball Game of All-Time - Tournament Edition 2020

By AFM95

3 years ago


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  • 179 posts
  • 48 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by chuckwurt
  • Topic is favorited by 11 Pinsiders

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    Topic poll

    “Round 4 - Elite Eight Voting”

    • (1) Pirates of the Caribbean (JJP) VS 204 votes
      11%
    • (8) Lord of the Rings 247 votes
      14%
    • (2) Medieval Madness VS 238 votes
      13%
    • (7) Twilight Zone 234 votes
      13%
    • (3) Attack From Mars VS 251 votes
      14%
    • (11) Indiana Jones (Williams) 202 votes
      11%
    • (4) Monster Bash VS 187 votes
      10%
    • (5) Jurassic Park (Stern) 259 votes
      14%

    (Multiple choice - 1822 votes by 520 Pinsiders)

    This poll has been closed.

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    There are 179 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.
    #51 3 years ago
    Quoted from AFM95:

    Good Evening Everyone,
    We're down to the elite eight, where you'll have four matchups to vote on. Voting will end at 10pm EST/7pm PST on Tuesday night. Stats, results, and brackets are below.
    For those of you who missed how this started, or are not familiar with the rules, please see this post:
    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/greatest-pinball-game-of-all-time-tournament-edition#post-5573218
    ____________________________________________________________________________
    Statistics:
    1. 415 Pinsiders voted a total of 3016 times. That's a total of 7.27 votes per person (8 matchups). Thank you to everyone who voted.
    2. Biggest upset, was #11 Indiana Jones (Williams) over #6 Iron Maiden.
    3. Medieval Madness won by the biggest margin over Star Trek (Stern) - 75% to 25%.
    4. Records by Pinball Company (Winning Percentage): (See screenshot below)
    5. Records by Era (Winning Percentage): (See screenshot below)
    ____________________________________________________________________________
    Enjoy tonight's early voting!
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    I wonder if AFM95 voted for AFM or IJ
    Lol

    #52 3 years ago
    Quoted from freeplay3:

    Funny thing is, most people only played a few games on POTC and a ton on JP pro or premium. A lot of those people swear JP is the best game ever.
    I have a JP prem. I only played 20 games on it before it went on route. I didnt care for it mainly because I didnt like the DE version. I won't say it's the worst game because I didnt like it on a handful of games. I also wouldn't say it's the best game if I really liked it. 20 games is not enough to form an opinion on any game. Hopefully in the future we will see some JJP pirates produced again. I would definitely get 1 for the route and get enough plays to form a legit opinion.

    I couldn't imagine trying to keep Pirates working on route. It's my favorite pin right now, in a solid lineup (4 of my six games are still in this competition), but could be a nightmare to keep working just right. Having it on route almost feels like you would be racing a Lamborghini on a dirt track too... too nice and too rare of a game to beat up like that.

    #53 3 years ago

    It hurts that TAF didn’t even make it to this point. If it’s not the greatest machine in history, it’s certainly the most important. It ushered in the era of pinball that we’re still living in almost 30 years later, all said and done.

    #54 3 years ago
    Quoted from MrBubbles:

    I couldn't imagine trying to keep Pirates working on route. ... feels like you would be racing a Lamborghini on a dirt track too... too nice and too rare of a game to beat up like that.

    Well put - totally agree!

    Way too broad in gameplay options and strategies for the average Joe or Jane to walk up to and come close to appreciating within a few games too.

    #55 3 years ago
    Quoted from MrBubbles:

    I couldn't imagine trying to keep Pirates working on route. It's my favorite pin right now, in a solid lineup (4 of my six games are still in this competition), but could be a nightmare to keep working just right. Having it on route almost feels like you would be racing a Lamborghini on a dirt track too... too nice and too rare of a game to beat up like that.

    I bet your right although I've heard its done really well on location....

    #56 3 years ago
    Quoted from MrBubbles:

    I couldn't imagine trying to keep Pirates working on route. It's my favorite pin right now, in a solid lineup (4 of my six games are still in this competition), but could be a nightmare to keep working just right. Having it on route almost feels like you would be racing a Lamborghini on a dirt track too... too nice and too rare of a game to beat up like that.

    I have my POTC LE, and JPLE both on location.
    Only had a couple of issues with Pirates.
    The ball would get stuck under the sling, once in a while.
    I had changed out the posts and it raised the rubbers a bit.
    one wire off of a coil, Loose flipper bat, thats it.
    Solid game on location.

    JPLE had to adjust the flipper switches more than a couple of times already.

    Pirates is one game I love to play.
    You can't beat the cannon shot from a moving ship, through the hull of the other ship.
    Really a lot of fun to do, harder even during multi ball.

    #57 3 years ago
    Quoted from TigerLaw:

    I have an AFMr and a TZ right now; I had an original MM for about a year or so. All three of the games are superb machines.
    MM suffers in the eyes of many due to the scoring being somewhat unbalanced. Many tournament players do not particularly like MM. The scoring is really the games only weakness though.
    TZ suffers in the eyes of many because it is a high maintenance game. Some people dislike the stop and go gameplay style of it as well...it has so many interactive toys that the ball stops constantly. This doesn’t bother me one bit, I love all the jam packed features TZ has and the theme integration is really the best of the B/W era other than maybe TAF.
    AFM has the most balanced code of the three, really superior software to MM in particular as AFM has three distinct viable strategies to pursue in tourney play. Some people are not a fan of the artwork on AFM, but it doesn’t bother me.
    My personal rating of the three head to head is TZ #1, AFM #2, and MM #3. All that said, modern games just have so much deeper code that it is hard to compare them. Games like BM66 and Dialed IN are just so loaded with things to do and ways to approach the game play. Of course, complexity doesn’t mean better, sometime a simple game is what someone wants to play (hence, MM is so highly regarded).

    I'd say TZ's code holds up well against modern code. There's a shit-ton to do in that game with some decent stacking. Lots of modes, battle the power, loops, dead ends, two main multiballs, hitch hikers, Gumball, camera, slot, clock... So much code!

    #58 3 years ago
    Quoted from freeplay3:

    It's still jurrassic park. Not my favorite theme. I admit I didnt give it a fair chance. I do enjoy the POTC movies and if the chance comes along for me to really beat on a JJP it will help me get into quicker. That's always been my attitude towards pins. I really wanted to like Wonka a lot. I enjoy the game but if I sold it tomorrow I wouldn't feel the need to get another...but that's another thread, several actually.

    JP must be a theme you truly dislike. I'm a big 'theme' guy. Themes I hate I would never get regardless of how it plays. That being said there are very few themes I hate...most I'm indifferent to, which is fine. If I love a theme that really helps it.

    JP I'm indifferent to. DP I love. After reading everything about both games I bought a JP and I'm so glad I did! The game is just fantastic. The code is amazing. A real "get your blood pumping" game. Super tight shots that are so rewarding. A game you can attack so many different ways...and one that fights back. It can be brutal and it can be amazing...exactly what I love in a game. The shot layout is genius.

    #59 3 years ago
    Quoted from Astropin:

    JP must be a theme you truly dislike. I'm a big 'theme' guy. Themes I hate I would never get regardless of how it plays. That being said there are very few themes I hate...most I'm indifferent to, which is fine. If I love a theme that really helps it.
    JP I'm indifferent to. DP I love. After reading everything about both games I bought a JP and I'm so glad I did! The game is just fantastic. The code is amazing. A real "get your blood pumping" game. Super tight shots that are so rewarding. A game you can attack so many different ways...and one that fights back. It can be brutal and it can be amazing...exactly what I love in a game. The shot layout is genius.

    I love the theme, and the lay out...my only complaint is that Stern cheaped out on obtaining movie assets.....its really more of a dinosaur game with the JP theme song....they did a nice job with what they had

    #60 3 years ago

    I still think MM is the most overrated game out there. TZ all day of the week. IJ vs AFM is tough. I went IJ simply b/c it's theme, sound, music, call outs and immersion crush AFM BUT AFM shoots better.

    LOTR is a snore fest - Pirates wins that easily for me however Pirates is not the GOAT like many say it is. I own it and the code currently (specifically the chapters themselves all blending together) hold it back. I don't need assets from the movie just need to make those chapters feel more different than they currently are. That being said, it still is one of the best considering how fast it plays for a widebody, how unique it plays and how much is going on it it. Truly a site to be seen.

    JP stern beats them all for me....

    #61 3 years ago

    The JP art package is just terrible.

    Playfield looks like a Color Your Own Placemat you would find at a Pizza Buffet.

    #62 3 years ago

    I think MM is pure pinball bliss...its just a really fun game....same with AFM....JJP POTC is very different with just a shit ton of things to do, and a million ways to play the game...LOTR and JP are fun games, but not in the same league as POTC....I had a TZ for a long time, and eventually sold it and replaced it with IJ....I have zero regrets

    #63 3 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    The JP art package is just terrible.
    Playfield looks like a Color Your Own Placemat you would find at a Pizza Buffet.

    I think a lot of that had to do with Stern really not obtaining any of the movie assets....its was big miss in my eyes...still a really fun game, but it could have been so much more

    #64 3 years ago
    Quoted from PtownPin:

    I think MM is pure pinball bliss...its just a really fun game....same with AFM....JJP POTC is very different with just a shit ton of things to do, and a million ways to play the game...LOTR and JP are fun games, but not in the same league as POTC....I had a TZ for a long time, and eventually sold it and replaced it with IJ....I have zero regrets

    I must first pass my engineering diploma before playing a JJP game. So deep that I got bored after a while. I think it may do it for me but only with a theme I really love.

    #65 3 years ago
    Quoted from colonel_caverne:

    I must first pass my engineering diploma before playing a JJP game. So deep that I got bored after a while. I think it may do it for me but only with a theme I really love.

    yep...its a really deep rule set...some love that, and some don't...For me I'd prefer simpler rules, but theres no debating all the cool things u can do in that game...I couldn't imagine trying to understand all the rules if you were playing on location...One of the reasons MM and AFM are such great titles....easy rules that make them very playable at home or on location....

    #66 3 years ago
    Quoted from delt31:

    I still think MM is the most overrated game out there. TZ all day of the week. IJ vs AFM is tough. I went IJ simply b/c it's theme, sound, music, call outs and immersion crush AFM BUT AFM shoots better.
    LOTR is a snore fest - Pirates wins that easily for me however Pirates is not the GOAT like many say it is. I own it and the code currently (specifically the chapters themselves all blending together) hold it back. I don't need assets from the movie just need to make those chapters feel more different than they currently are. That being said, it still is one of the best considering how fast it plays for a widebody, how unique it plays and how much is going on it it. Truly a site to be seen.
    JP stern beats them all for me....

    MM is the best pinball ever made for casual players.
    It is number 1 during more 2 decades, did the most cash on location.... at some point the evidence has to be accepted!

    #67 3 years ago

    With the other 3 races pulling away, the biggest question - can TZ make up 13 votes in around 33.5 hours? Much closer than I would have thought.....

    -3
    #68 3 years ago

    Stern ripping this off with a Stern only version.

    I like Stern, but having a Stern only version seems cheesey.

    Screenshot_20200413-125018_Gmail (resized).jpgScreenshot_20200413-125018_Gmail (resized).jpg
    #69 3 years ago
    Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

    Stern ripping this off with a Stern only version.
    I like Stern, but having a Stern only version seems cheesey.[quoted image]

    Pretty sure they announced it awhile ago. Please, no one can claim the quarantine bracket phase we are going through.

    #70 3 years ago

    LOL,

    Well obviously I do not have a clue. I voted for all the losing games in this round .

    #71 3 years ago
    Quoted from sulli10:

    LOL,
    Well obviously I do not have a clue. I voted for all the losing games in this round .

    All my picks except MM lost....oh well it was fun while it lasted

    #72 3 years ago
    Quoted from delt31:

    LOTR is a snore fest

    This is where you lost all credibility

    #73 3 years ago
    Quoted from pinlink:

    This is where you lost all credibility

    Because his opinion is different than yours?

    #74 3 years ago
    Quoted from usandthem:

    It hurts that TAF didn’t even make it to this point. If it’s not the greatest machine in history, it’s certainly the most important. It ushered in the era of pinball that we’re still living in almost 30 years later, all said and done.

    It really struck a popular chord which led to the most games sold, but many would contend Space Shuttle is the most important machine as it saved Williams (and pinball in general--well...at least until Gary Stern saved it again...).

    #75 3 years ago
    Quoted from Billy16:

    It really struck a popular chord which led to the most games sold, but many would contend Space Shuttle is the most important machine as it saved Williams (and pinball in general--well...at least until Gary Stern saved it again...).

    Walking into an arcade as a kid and hearing the audio from a turned-up Space Shuttle for the first time, holy damn....the intensity was NUTS

    #76 3 years ago
    Quoted from PtownPin:

    All my picks except MM lost....oh well it was fun while it lasted

    End of the day, we're all playing the games we love...( most of them, anyway)

    #77 3 years ago

    24 hours until voting ends.

    #78 3 years ago

    Stern vs. Stern....Bally vs. Bally

    Park vs. Kingdom

    -1
    #79 3 years ago
    Quoted from PtownPin:

    All my picks except MM lost....oh well it was fun while it lasted

    Choose better!

    #80 3 years ago

    Mine was educated as I actually own have owned all these games (except JP)....so I chose wisely ! At least in my world

    #81 3 years ago

    And according to this week ...#1 and #2 are battling in the semi's...yet #5 probably wins....crazy Pinside!!

    #82 3 years ago
    Quoted from MK6PIN:

    End of the day, we're all playing the games we love...( most of them, anyway)

    exactly! all good fun!

    -1
    #83 3 years ago
    Quoted from colonel_caverne:

    MM is the best pinball ever made for casual players.
    It is number 1 during more 2 decades, did the most cash on location.... at some point the evidence has to be accepted!

    LoL, where are you getting this absurd data from?

    #84 3 years ago

    TZ is slowly closing the gap.

    #85 3 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    TZ is slowly closing the gap.

    12 votes to gain in 15 hours....TZ is not going down without a fight!!

    -13
    #86 3 years ago

    The greatest pinball ever created is POTC and deep down everyone knows it... some people can't just let go of the past. When you start adding them up side by side, point by point, nothing compares 2 U. LOL

    POTC gains #1 status in pinside top 100, quickly the old guard takes it down. The truth is I doubt we'll EVER see another game like POTC, because no one would be crazy enough to ever put that much effort into one game. That game needs to be re-titled to Everything Including the Kitchen Sink. What is that game missing. Pirates has everything any pinball fan could ever want and still some people can't bring themselves to let it soar! Why? Because you don't own one? Because people jacked up the price to 12 to 20k? Because you just don't like JJP? I mean what gives? Oh well!

    11
    #87 3 years ago
    Quoted from drfrightner:

    The greatest pinball ever created is POTC and deep down everyone knows it... some people can't just let go of the past. When you start adding them up side by side, point by point, nothing compares 2 U. LOL
    POTC gains #1 status in pinside top 100, quickly the old guard takes it down. The truth is I doubt we'll EVER see another game like POTC, because no one would be crazy enough to ever put that much effort into one game. That game needs to be re-titled to Everything Including the Kitchen Sink. What is that game missing. Pirates has everything any pinball fan could ever want and still some people can't bring themselves to let it soar! Why? Because you don't own one? Because people jacked up the price to 12 to 20k? Because you just don't like JJP? I mean what gives? Oh well!

    My problem with POTC was that it just wasn't fun. Sure it had lots of "stuff", but I didn't enjoy playing it. And I am actually a fan of those movies.
    I don't think it sucked or anything, but I had a lot more fun playing lots of other machines.

    #88 3 years ago
    Quoted from drfrightner:

    The greatest pinball ever created is POTC and deep down everyone knows it... some people can't just let go of the past. When you start adding them up side by side, point by point, nothing compares 2 U. LOL
    POTC gains #1 status in pinside top 100, quickly the old guard takes it down. The truth is I doubt we'll EVER see another game like POTC, because no one would be crazy enough to ever put that much effort into one game. That game needs to be re-titled to Everything Including the Kitchen Sink. What is that game missing. Pirates has everything any pinball fan could ever want and still some people can't bring themselves to let it soar! Why? Because you don't own one? Because people jacked up the price to 12 to 20k? Because you just don't like JJP? I mean what gives? Oh well!

    Foolish statement, and thanks for attempting to derail a positive, fun thread by belittling everyone who doesn't share your opinion. Will not engage beyond that...plenty of other threads for that stuff.......

    #89 3 years ago

    TZ within 8 votes!!!!

    #90 3 years ago
    Quoted from mbeardsley:

    My problem with POTC was that it just wasn't fun. Sure it had lots of "stuff", but I didn't enjoy playing it. And I am actually a fan of those movies.
    I don't think it sucked or anything, but I had a lot more fun playing lots of other machines.

    That's exactly what I think. On paper it's got so much going for it, but at our local arcade there is a Deadpool next to it and I play 3-4 games on Deadpool for every game on Pirates. It's not bad at all, it's still a really good game, it's just not a machine that makes me want to keep hitting the start button, over and over.

    #91 3 years ago

    This is a really fun exercise, but Its really hard to pick the best ever.....all of these games are great in their own way, and most are very different from each other....some people like fast, some prefer great flow, and others prefer the long journey where u need a PHD to understand the code (i.e. POTC). For myself I'm kind of all over the map....I have 4-5 games that at any time I could say its the best ever I will say whats really great about POTC is u can play the game a million different ways so it doesn't get old .... just my two cents

    #92 3 years ago

    I am enjoying this round. All great games IMO. Great competition ... I almost forgot what that is.

    I miss sports ... hockey, baseball, basketball, football, .... rock skipping ....

    Oh well I just installed my LOTR POTD mod that has been sitting in a box for 7 years. That’s something!

    Stay healthy folks.

    #93 3 years ago

    Problem with POTC is that it is equivalent to a 400 level pinball course and imo a great game should be more approachable.

    If you never watched a tutorial, you walked up to it and were immediately hit with a choice of what? 20 + characters w/ individual rule sets?

    I am ready to walk away before I even press start on machines like that.

    (Sorta like picking from the Beer steins on Oktoberfest...I just don't want that kinda stuff in my pinball games).

    #94 3 years ago

    It is like the "tour de france" will #TZ take over #MM in the last moutain pass?

    #95 3 years ago
    Quoted from etien:

    It is like the "tour de france" will #TZ take over #MM in the last moutain pass?

    Will we need to test for doping?

    Sir Psycho is medicated.

    #96 3 years ago
    Quoted from freeplay3:

    Will we need to test for doping?

    THAT guy wasn't high - His vote shouldn't count!

    #97 3 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    Problem with POTC is that it is equivalent to a 400 level pinball course and imo a great game should be more approachable.
    If you never watched a tutorial, you walked up to it and were immediately hit with a choice of what? 20 + characters w/ individual rule sets?
    I am ready to walk away before I even press start on machines like that.
    (Sorta like picking from the Beer steins on Oktoberfest...I just don't want that kinda stuff in my pinball games).

    I certainly agree with you, but in the end, isn't learning and knowing a super deep pin awesome? I guess what you're saying is it is best for the "best machine ever" to be something anyone can walk up and I understand right away? I'd say it is best how lyman has done Metallica. If you know nothing, you can walk up to it and beat on sparky and have fun. If you want deep, you've got lots to do in it as well. I can't think of a pinball machine that does that better than Metallica. But oops... it didn't make the cut. I guess what we learn from this is everyone likes something different.

    #98 3 years ago
    Quoted from Doctor6:

    I certainly agree with you, but in the end, isn't learning and knowing a super deep pin awesome?

    It can be for sure.

    ...but I am not gonna feed dollars to it just to learn it. On location I would just defer to other games with more sensible/intuitive rule sets.

    And really, I think it (POTC) is easily one of the best ever made. Top 5 all day. But when I put them all in a lineup at an arcade, likely the last one I would feed.

    #99 3 years ago
    Quoted from drfrightner:

    The greatest pinball ever created is POTC and deep down everyone knows it... some people can't just let go of the past. When you start adding them up side by side, point by point, nothing compares 2 U. LOL
    POTC gains #1 status in pinside top 100, quickly the old guard takes it down. The truth is I doubt we'll EVER see another game like POTC, because no one would be crazy enough to ever put that much effort into one game. That game needs to be re-titled to Everything Including the Kitchen Sink. What is that game missing. Pirates has everything any pinball fan could ever want and still some people can't bring themselves to let it soar! Why? Because you don't own one? Because people jacked up the price to 12 to 20k? Because you just don't like JJP? I mean what gives? Oh well!

    You sort of have the right idea but the wrong pin. TZ was the greatest pinball achievement (notice I did not say it was the greatest pin). Like Pirates, it also has the kitchen sink but adds a dishwasher. Unreal all the innovation and toys Lawlor packed into this, only way he got away with it (and slipped past the BoM police) was he was so hot after TAF he had a blank check--and boy did he use it. TZ and Pirates are a lot alike in playability, they both get bogged down in their own complexity.

    #100 3 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    Problem with POTC is that it is equivalent to a 400 level pinball course and imo a great game should be more approachable.
    If you never watched a tutorial, you walked up to it and were immediately hit with a choice of what? 20 + characters w/ individual rule sets?
    I am ready to walk away before I even press start on machines like that.
    (Sorta like picking from the Beer steins on Oktoberfest...I just don't want that kinda stuff in my pinball games).

    It's actually quite simple to understand after a couple games. They did such an incredible job with the call outs and easy to understand data on the screen, it's easy peasy after just a few plays.

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