(Topic ID: 269849)

What game epitomized late ‘80s/ early ‘90s Pinball?

By MasterBlaster

3 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 38 posts
  • 28 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by Pyromedic
  • No one calls this topic a favorite

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    Screenshot_2019-08-20-01-50-11~2 (resized).png

    #1 3 years ago

    If you had to pick just one game from the late 80s or early 90s to put in your collection, what would it be and why??

    #2 3 years ago

    WhirlWind, Just had that fun flow, fast loops, spinning discs etc. And of course Pat Lawler was on a hot run.

    #4 3 years ago

    Funhouse
    T2
    TAF

    #7 3 years ago

    T2

    First with a DMD, plus great flick that they integrated pretty well. My first DMD game 20 years ago - still have it.

    #8 3 years ago
    Quoted from pinzrfun:

    T2
    First with a DMD, plus great flick that they integrated pretty well. My first DMD game 20 years ago - still have it.

    DE Checkpoint was first pin with DMD

    #9 3 years ago
    Quoted from MasterBlaster:

    If you had to pick just one game from the late 80s or early 90s to put in your collection, what would it be and why??

    If you are asking this because you are contemplating it for your own collection, I would highly recommend getting something from BOTH eras.

    It would really also depend on what you consider "early" 90's. My ultimate answer would be TZ or TAF. If you are strictly considering, say, 90 and 91...i would have to agree with funhouse or whirlwind.

    The late 80s are a lot easier. Williams OWNED the late 80s. You want a system 11 game. The top one's that define that era are pinbot, high speed, and taxi.

    #10 3 years ago

    I probably should have worded the topic differently...more the idea of, if you were stranded on a desert island and only had one late 80s-early 90s pin to play, what would it be?

    This is just for fun.

    I have a Pinbot, High Speed and Batman, so I think I have that era pretty well covered in my own collection.

    10
    #11 3 years ago

    Taxi. One of the best symmetrical layouts ever with incredibly satisfying figure eight ramps, two drop banks, and the very cool "two way in" Santa/Gorbie eject. Excellent art and perfect integration of an offbeat theme with the running meter, rules based on picking up passengers, and the freeway network mapping out the playfield for the ball to drive around.

    #12 3 years ago
    Quoted from VanishingVision:

    Taxi. One of the best symmetrical layouts ever with incredibly satisfying figure eight ramps, two drop banks, and the very cool "two way in" Santa/Gorbie eject. Excellent art and perfect integration of an offbeat theme with the running meter, rules based on picking up passengers, and the freeway network mapping out the playfield for the ball to drive around.

    Complete with bright yellow cabinet paint, and trippy Python Anghelo artwork! We need more original themed pins in the modern world. Back then the designers weren’t so restrained by a predetermined theme.

    #13 3 years ago

    Another vote for Funhouse

    #14 3 years ago
    Quoted from Only_Pinball:

    Another vote for Funhouse

    I’m going to have to give this one a play sometime. As a kid, the game gave me the creeps...I always felt like the eyes were following me every time I walked past it in the game room. Ha!

    #15 3 years ago

    Funhouse.

    #16 3 years ago
    Quoted from VanishingVision:

    Taxi. One of the best symmetrical layouts ever with incredibly satisfying figure eight ramps, two drop banks, and the very cool "two way in" Santa/Gorbie eject. Excellent art and perfect integration of an offbeat theme with the running meter, rules based on picking up passengers, and the freeway network mapping out the playfield for the ball to drive around.

    Growing up, this was the first game where I figured out the rules. Such a simple concept. Every pinball before was just me keeping the ball in play and random things were happening.

    #17 3 years ago

    Bad Cats really got me into pinball and Fishtails kept me sticking with it .

    #18 3 years ago

    We are insiders in the pin world. For the more general population, there is no doubt that Pinbot is most iconic for late 80s and TAF for early 90s. In fact for most normal people these are the only pins they know about or remember from then.

    #19 3 years ago
    Quoted from jackd104:

    We are insiders in the pin world. For the more general population, there is no doubt that Pinbot is most iconic for late 80s and TAF for early 90s. In fact for most normal people these are the only pins they know about or remember from then.

    Screenshot_2019-08-20-01-50-11~2 (resized).pngScreenshot_2019-08-20-01-50-11~2 (resized).png
    #20 3 years ago

    As far as rules are concerned, I feel like Roadshow is a pretty good culmination of 90's era games. I mean, it basically plays like Funhouse and Twilight Zone mashed together.

    #21 3 years ago
    Quoted from mystman12:

    As far as rules are concerned, I feel like Roadshow is a pretty good culmination of 90's era games. I mean, it basically plays like Funhouse and Twilight Zone mashed together.

    After that post, I had to double check your ad to make sure you weren't selling one, lol

    #22 3 years ago
    Quoted from frolic:

    Growing up, this was the first game where I figured out the rules. Such a simple concept. Every pinball before was just me keeping the ball in play and random things were happening.

    High Speed was that game for me. I was a pre-teen, and the bowling alley that my parents went to for their weekly league had 3-4 machines in rotation. They had a Pinbot and High Speed side by side for a while. I never understood Pinbot back then (which seems silly to me now) but High Speed...get the green, yellow and reds, then shoot the ramp and try to get them all again for the big bonus.

    #23 3 years ago

    What about Cyclone / Comet / Hurricane? Seems like I would see one of these three in any game room or arcade that I visited, back in the day.

    #24 3 years ago

    Cyclone is a pretty good game, Hurricane on the other hand

    #25 3 years ago

    TAF. I played that pin in a mall arcade in Ohio for hours. Sitting here typing, I remember thinking at the time that it had an incredible light show. I still love TAF. I also miss the old mall arcades!

    #26 3 years ago
    Quoted from Krupps4:

    TAF. I played that pin in a mall arcade in Ohio for hours. Sitting here typing, I remember thinking at the time that it had an incredible light show. I still love TAF. I also miss the old mall arcades!

    Same here...I pine for the old days of the arcade scene. We had an Aladdin’s Castle at the local mall, and it was like Mecca for me...loved that place. There were also a couple of sizeable locally-owned arcades, so there were always plenty of options to find your favorite game at one or another.

    #27 3 years ago

    Funhouse. It has that sys11 vibe and 90's classic vibe in one. Rudy was such an impressive toy and really showed what could be done with a few coils and switches. I recently added one to my collection and could not be happier.

    #28 3 years ago

    High speed
    Space shuttle

    #29 3 years ago

    What about Creature From The Black Lagoon?
    That one might be considered mid-90s time period...

    #30 3 years ago

    I'm going with TAF. Even people who don't care about pinball remember it.

    #31 3 years ago

    Without a doubt, High Speed with it's awesome beacon light flashing during attract mode and light show drew me in every time. Also donated a countless number of quarters into TAF and Twilight Zone as a teenager! The good old days!

    #32 3 years ago

    Elvira and the party monsters!
    can't get any campier

    #33 3 years ago

    For me!!

    First!

    Earthshaker and Pinot!!!

    Then in no particular order

    High speed
    Cyclone
    Comet
    Cactus jack
    Black Knight 2000
    Jokerz!!!
    And of course F14

    Honorable mention to..

    Fire!! just because I am a volunteer fireman and love the theme, but didn’t find it supper exciting

    Always enjoyed big guns but wasn’t a favorite of mine. Was fun to play a game or two on then I was done.

    Whirlwind was awesome but I Don’t remember playing one in really good shape good shape.

    Banzai Run was cool just because of the upper play field. Glad I remember playing it would love to have one, but not for the prices they are going for!!!

    #34 3 years ago

    And a super quick update, I never got the space shuttle following???

    I thought it was slight boring

    #35 3 years ago

    Two different questions.

    Quoted from MasterBlaster:

    What game epitomized late ‘80s/ early ‘90s Pinball?

    I'd give it to Funhouse, which I feel is the most iconic game of that era. Even though TAF is only a couple years later, to me that's more the beginning of mid/late '90s pinball.

    Quoted from MasterBlaster:

    If you had to pick just one game from the late 80s or early 90s to put in your collection, what would it be and why??

    Radical. Unique layout that still shoots well, good rules, perfectly xtreme turn of the decade art, crazy sounds, bright colors, bottom line: fun.

    #36 3 years ago

    I guess depending when you start the late 80's, Sorcerer or bk2k

    Really like the sound effects and music on those 2

    #37 3 years ago

    Funwind or Whirlhouse for sure!

    #38 3 years ago

    Funhouse. Nothing stands out more. TAF is close, but feels more 90s

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/what-game-epitomized-late-80s-early-90s-pinball?hl=wdennie and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.