If there’s one thing I’ve noticed here, it’s how easily folks get hung up on details. They lose sight of what makes pinball great, and what makes a great pinball.
Of course, pinball machines are unlike any other interactive object, owing to multiple facets of appeal. And given the fairly large investment of space, money, and time the demand in different measures, it’s arguably appropriate to consider the merits within categories such as Theme - Layout - Playfield Art - Cabinet art - Translite art - Mech features - Sound effects - Game play / flow - Toys - Rules - Code - Modes - Scoring - Animations - Difficulty - Music - “intangibles” - lunar phases ARRRGH!
Now as with any other hobby, subjective comparisons can also be part of the fun of pinball. Distilling the recipe and execution that makes a game “click” (or not) is always a standby topic for discussion. But it's too easy to skew perspectives. A game that's great in most categories is often unshakably dogged for the inevitable shortcoming in another. Everyone applies different importance to the various aspects, and opinions and tastes change. And pinball is again unlike other hobbies in that it can develop multiple skillsets, so a participant's individual requirements (independent of taste) may evolve over time.
But no matter how complex or simple, plain or elaborate a pinball machine might be, it really only has one objective: to put a smile on your face.
So does it always really matter if the art sucks? If the wizard code isn’t finished when you’re a mediocre player who couldn’t dream of it even with the glass off? If the layout is a “rehash” or “too open” or “too cluttered” or “too loopy” or “too stop and go”? Where’s the balance? Yes, a game may have some objective shortcomings... or overwhelmingly collective subjective faults... but if you can play it and walk away with a smile every time, that pinball machine is a winner even if only just for you.
I’m amazed at how this combination strikes in unexpected ways. Whirlwind is my grail pin for too many reasons, but there are days that machine just pisses me off. I respect that Firepower will kick my ass and keep taunting me. Medieval Madness of course needs no description these days, but sometimes I play and think “man, take away the Monty Python allusions and this is just an older fan game.” Modern Sterns can make you feel like a rock star until you look up and realize your reward for 20 minutes of owning the machine is still a score that can be beaten in a 45-second 3-and-out.
The point is, even celebrated games can have their less impressive aspects and moments. I like all of those games above, and own a couple, but some days I can’t even stand to look at them. OTOH, Torpedo Alley is not a celebrated game, and it might even be objectively bad in some ways… but every time I play it I can’t help but smile and laugh, even when I have a crappy round that would ordinarily tick me off, just because the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s something about it that’s simply just fun. I never would have experienced that pure joy if I believed all the naysayers and kept walking past it.
I’m sure everyone has that one special game: that irrationally magical game that just makes you happy even when by all rights the hive-mind says it shouldn’t.
Don’t apologize for that. Share it!
My previous and still lifelong hobby of model railroading was once promoted by its leading magazine with the tagline “Model Railroading is Fun”. In recent years, the “unapologetic fun” aspect has been eclipsed by the nitpicking details, in pursuit of fidelity and accuracy in all respects. Knowledge brings expectations then demands, and for what? They’re still toy trains. Excellence should be honored, but sometimes good enough is exactly that, if the goal is achieved. So what is the point: sacrifice at the altar of perfection, or a fun diversion?
Remember that for most of us, what got us here, is that pinball should be fun! But everyone has different tastes. Even the worst movies have their moments, and sometimes the bad ones transcend into greatness. So forget about the hivemind judgement. Pinball has something for everyone, and discovering the unexpected is a huge part of the experience. Share your joy, and remind folks that it can’t always be derived from a photo, spec sheet, or internet “wisdom”.
Adrian, MI
Very well written. 
)
