Bad Girls
Gottlieb, 1988
Baywatch
Sega, 1995
Big Buck Hunter Pro
Stern, 2010
Congo
Williams, 1995
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Stern, 2008
Hardbody
Bally, 1987
Hollywood Heat
Gottlieb, 1986
Last Action Hero
Data East, 1993I was always taught not to judge a book by it's cover. The same can be said for pinball. One of my favourite games is The Shadow. I have no interest in the movie or the comic, but the game is brilliant. Therefore, there must me so many more pinball machines out there that have crappy or unpopular themes, that are really fun to play.
Can anyone share some good games that fit in that category? Games that are hidden gems?
People say baywatch is a terrible theme but the layout and rules are great. I can attest to the layout and rules being great and the hoff does not bother me at all. I actually prefer the music too. It's Catchy.
Quoted from kklank:Ripleys
....and CSI.
Quoted from Langless28:People say baywatch is a terrible theme but the layout and rules are great. I can attest to the layout and rules being great and the hoff does not bother me at all. I actually prefer the music too. It's Catchy.
Quoted from kklank:Ripleys
Quoted from kklank:....and CSI.
Thanks. I'll make sure to play them when I get the chance.
Quoted from PwninShiznat:JM, that movie sucked.
Thanks. It has been many years since I watched that one. The pinball machine looks fun. Hope to play it soon.
Quoted from shacklersrevenge:I don't think Ripley's is a terrible theme at all.
Baywatch IS a terrible theme, but the game has a lot of great shots and modes, I wouldn't mind picking one up.
Maverick is another game I got to play at Allentown last week and thought it was pretty damn good too.
There was a Maverick for sale here recently. I didn't even consider it. Thanks for the tip.
Di isnt really a crappy them considering its a original theme and is basically a sim city disaster scenario . Once you play it and hear and see everything i believe more people will come around .... especially bc its a great player tons of stuff going on.
Congo , wcs baywatch, jm, ts. come to mind as good pins with a just ok theme.
Ironman and Stern Star Trek.
Quoted from Comox-Rocks:Royal rumble
I just watched some gameplay of #Royal Rumble. It looks to have some good shots. Cheers.
Quoted from oldskool1969:Ironman and Stern Star Trek.
I have played both and enjoyed them. I know you're not a scifi fan, but I quite like the theme of those two.
Team One is the add-a-ball version of Abra Ca Dabra and is said to play even better but the common complaint is that its artwork can't live up to the wizardry artwork! I love both though. Gordon Morison had a way of making sports exciting and pretty even to somebody like me who isn't a sports fan. Beautiful to me, but not to all!
Baywatch: the implementation is pretty good, ignore the theme and just play it. Wish you could stack modes, alas.
Ripleys: great layout and rules, questionable franchise
North Star, Minstrel Man, every "Indian" themed EM: uggggh the art/theme is wtf
90s movies: I have a soft spot for all of the shitty 90s films I know more through their games than from remembering the movies. (Shadow, Johhny Mnemonic, Shadow, Jurassic World, Twister, Maverick, etc). If Fight Club came out 3 years earlier, it would be an amazing pin with a shitty theme on this list.
Skateball: the art gets so much slag, but I love it unconditionally, and it is a fabulous game, receiving much tournament love in the past year.
Dialed In: I cringed at the reveal, but the reviews all sound AMAZING. More than any other, I want this to win.
Quoted from Otaku:Team One is the add-a-ball version of Abra Ca Dabra and is said to play even better but the common complaint is that its artwork can't live up to the wizardry artwork! I love both though. Gordon Morison had a way of making sports exciting and pretty even to somebody like me who isn't a sports fan. Beautiful to me, but not to all!
Thanks.
Quoted from cait001:Baywatch: the implementation is pretty good, ignore the theme and just play it. Wish you could stack modes, alas.
Ripleys: great layout and rules, questionable franchise
North Star, Minstrel Man, every "Indian" themed EM: uggggh the art/theme is wtf
90s movies: I have a soft spot for all of the shitty 90s films I know more through their games than from remembering the movies. (Shadow, Johhny Mnemonic, Shadow, Jurassic World, Twister, Maverick, etc). If Fight Club came out 3 years earlier, it would be an amazing pin with a shitty theme on this list.
Skateball: the art gets so much slag, but I love it unconditionally, and it is a fabulous game, receiving much tournament love in the past year.
Dialed In: I cringed at the reveal, but the reviews all sound AMAZING. More than any other, I want this to win.
I appreciate the info. Skateball looks like a fun EM. I have not yet tried either Jurassic World or Twister. I keep a look out for both.
Quoted from kklank:Ripleys
Amen to that. Smug bastard with his museums filled with crap. Game is a blast tho!
Quoted from oldskool1969:Ironman and Stern Star Trek.
how are Iron Man and Star Trek horrible themes? did you misread the thread title?
WOZ is definitely a great game but i actually like the theme (and so does my daughter). so nah.
however i will add these to the list of those already mentioned:
- Hollywood Heat (extremely unusual layout, fun game!)
- Congo
- Mousin' Around
i'm leaving out games that have a terrible theme and aren't particularly great games to boot. those games would include stuff like Hardbody, KISS, The Party Zone, WWE, Phantom of the Opera, Class of 1812, Punk!, Goin Nuts, El Dorado (trying too hard to be an indiana jones / jewel of the nile ripoff), Raven, Spring Break, Frank Thomas Big Hurt, Waterworld, Barb Wire ...
jesus christ did latter-era Gottlieb corner the market in fucking awful pinball themes. if MST3K were into cheesy pinball the way they are into cheesy movies, their entire arcade would be Gottlieb/Premier titles.
^^^ I thought Goin' Nuts was fun (the idea - only played it virtually), but not that it matters much for ownership 
Quoted from pezpunk:how are Iron Man and Star Trek horrible themes? did you misread the thread title?
WOZ is definitely a great game but i actually like the theme (and so does my daughter). so nah.
however i will add these to the list of those already mentioned:
- Hollywood Heat (extremely unusual layout, fun game!)
- Congo
- Mousin' Around
i'm leaving out games that have a terrible theme and aren't particularly great games to boot. those games would include stuff like Hardbody, KISS, The Party Zone, WWE, Phantom of the Opera, Class of 1812, Punk!, Goin Nuts, El Dorado (trying too hard to be an indiana jones / jewel of the nile ripoff), Raven, Spring Break, Frank Thomas Big Hurt, Waterworld, Barb Wire ...
jesus christ did latter-era Gottlieb corner the market in fucking awful pinball themes. if MST3K were into cheesy pinball the way they are into cheesy movies, their entire arcade would be Gottlieb/Premier titles.
Thanks for the tip on the 'crappy themes, crappy games category'.
Quoted from mgpasman:Amen to that. Smug bastard with his museums filled with crap. Game is a blast tho!
I look forward to trying out Ripley's. The Ripley's Museum on the Gold Coast was fun. Sounds like the pinball machine is good fun too. Thanks.
I'll take a look at World Poker Tour. Thanks.
Quoted from pinballrockstar:POPEYE!
Great layout,awesome game!
But man what a shitty,shitty theme!
There was one of these for sale locally. I thought the playfield looked interesting. Now I will make sure to try it out when I get the chance. Cheers
Can someone pleeease define "crappy theme" ?
Ok, I kind of get it if it was based on a movie or tv show which flopped, but tv shows like Baywatch were anything but a flop I think.
Or is crappy theme 100% opinion only ?
Giving a few reasons why somebody considers a theme crappy would be helpful.
https://pinside.com/pinball/community/pinsiders/pezpunk/ratings
El Dorado (trying too hard to be an indiana jones / jewel of the nile ripoff)
El Dorado: manufactured in 1975
Indiana Jones/Jewel of the Nile: produced in 1984
Demo Man. Terrible movie, but one of my favorite games. Just bought a color DMD for it and upgrading all of the LEDs.
Also, I agree with ectobar about Maverick. I think that was a pretty good movie, but the game isn't rated very high. I played it at Allentown though and like the game (and the movie)!
Quoted from oldskool1969:Better add Dr Who to the list also.
Great theme , meh game.
All in all Last Action Hero is a great game , one of data easts bests yet the theme is pretty lackluster despite being a cult classic nowerdays
Quoted from pezpunk:how are Iron Man and Star Trek horrible themes? did you misread the thread title?
Nope, I read it very well. Thanks for asking.
I kind of agree about Star Trek reboot and Iron Man being crappy. I could not make it all the way through either Iron Man 1 or Star Trek reboot 1. I actually saw the most recent Star Trek in the cinema because I got dragged there, but the film was painful. Even Simon Pegg couldn't save it. But these games seem pretty popular based on the comments in Pinside.
Quoted from branlon8:I kind of agree about Star Trek reboot and Iron Man being crappy. I could not make it all the way through either Iron Man 1 or Star Trek reboot 1. I actually saw the most recent Star Trek in the cinema because I got dragged there, but the film was painful. Even Simon Pegg couldn't save it. But these games seem pretty popular based on the comments in Pinside.
The Fuck!!! Those new Star Trek movies are awesome!
Quoted from EricHadley:The Fuck!!! Those new Star Trek movies are awesome!
The new ST movies are awesome!
I just bought them all on 3D Blu-ray.
Can't wait to see them in 3D.
I also own IM and STLE and they are two of my favorite games.
WCS.....people claim the soccer theme makes it terrible, yet the game itself is actually a blast to play ( and I'll bet still a great earner on route , even now, with the " flavor of the month" band themes out there.)
A great, and highly underrated game. Every time I justify moving mine, I play it, and say..hell no!!!
Quoted from rai:TH were horrible movies too.
I remember when TH came out every non-pinhead I knew was like "they made a pinball out of THOSE? And it came out WHEN?"
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