Heh… it definitely depends upon which era you started pinball!! Those of us that were weaned on EMs and grew up on early SS will see most of our favorite games listed in the 100's and 200's! There are eras to pinball the same as with cars; some want the slow, clanky, simple EMs. Some really like the early SS machines (I got through the first year of college with a Power Play and have just purchased one for myself.) No video modes are necessary! Later machines started adding interesting new ideas and, depending upon when you started, they hold your interest (High Speed got me through graduate school.) Pinball is a lot like cars! You gravitate toward the era you grew up in. Compare a 9-Ball to an 8-Ball and you're in the same ballpark. Compare them to a Pinbot or Paragon and you are in different leagues! Nowadays, BKSoR, JP, TZ, ST, etc... anywhere you look, you're going to see LEDs, Video, modes, toys, tricks, super cool sounds (not just bells and buzzers!) all wrapped up in fantastic storylines! The comparison really isn't fair! So, if you feel slighted by other's opinions of pinball, just remember to put it all in context and just enjoy the game.

The rating matters very little to me. What I value are the actual comments that are left with the ratings! Obviously, those that are "nostalgic" tend to skew towards the positive and comments like, "...this is a totally boring pinball!!…" while informative in it's own way, tends to skew the opposite direction. What I look for (and have found) are the objective reviews, complete with the Pros and Cons, information about the machine, caveats, etc... I find these the most useful in my search for a machine to play! Ultimately, ratings are tools in our search for other pinball machines with the proviso that these opinions are subjective. Use it as a reference source and a guide for pinball machines but always remember that, ultimately, it's your opinion that counts for you!

That's a great point! I'm one of those "middle aged" guys that grew up with EM's and early SS units. For many of us, it's all about nostalgia and the "good" feelings we remember from our youth! That doesn't mean that the Eight Ball Deluxe machine is anywhere equal to a ST:TNG (a more modern favorite of mine) in terms of what it contains! The SE version is even more so! My critique of this Top 100 poll would be to divide the categories into four rather than two! Late SS (with Pro, LE, and CE versions included but rated separately), early SS up to 1993 (roughly 15 years with some MAJOR advances), late EM (metal rails - end) and wooden rails and before. There could be a fifth category for "oddball" arcade machines such as baseball, bowling etc... or these could be combined with the wooden rails and before category (the goal being to inform the Pinside community about these machines.) Otherwise, it is what it is, it's useful to me and I will continue to value it's information!