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What is your favorite underrated pinball feature?

By skristof

2 years ago

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201 posts
125 Pinsiders participating
Latest reply 9 months ago by frenchmarky
Topic is favorited by 7 Pinsiders

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There are 201 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 5.

#1 2 years ago

SMK

skristof

Pinside member

Round Lake Beach, IL

10y 37,150 256 10

The title says it all. This is a place to talk about some of the things that you just simply love about a game. Could be anything really, a toy, a shot, a special wire harness. What is something you love, that doesn't seem to get the love it deserves.

For me, top of my head I think it is the Talking Groot on Guardians. I just think it is such a fun interactive feature on a game that really doesn't seem to get the love it deserves. The speech is smooth (motor based instead of Solenoid based like Red and Ted, Rudy, Freddy) He is front and center, and him vomiting up your multiball is just as fun today as it was the first time I played.

Maybe I am alone on Groot...so what is YOUR favorite?

#2 2 years ago

GSO

GSones

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 68,400 840

I like hearing and watching the reset of the score reels at the start of an EM game. Not really a "feature" of a particular game but fun and underated nonetheless.

#3 2 years ago

MAF

Kiwipinhead

Pinside member

11y 78,800 2,212

Working Flippers

#4 2 years ago

JAT

PinNickleby

Pinside apprentice

Moreno Valley, CA

5y 29,900 97 15

Nailing a lit spinner on a classic Bally pin for 35-40 turns.

#5 2 years ago

SPB

onemoresean

Pinside+ Frequent

7y 96,550 787

The nice solid hit of a perfectly adjusted knocker.

#6 2 years ago

JSZ

JeffZee

Pinside+ Addict

Warrenton, VA

10y 68,650 591 13

Drop Targets

I always hate those designer stories where they talk about adding drop targets just so they have something to cost cut. To me each drop target is the epitome of a toy - hit it and it does something physical. And there can be lots of them. I think a generic drop target bank is more fun (and perhaps more cost effective) then some complicated one-off toy that will never be used on another game.

#7 2 years ago

ROB

EasternBloc

Pinside+ Frequent

4y 82,050 502

I absolutely love seeing the spark of a switch contact behind a sling on an em.

#8 2 years ago

444

sunnRAT

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 118K 1,893

If were talking 'underrated' or 'underappreciated'...

Upper rollover lanes that do not lane change.

I like them on my Future Spa, for example. It allows for a good skill shot, plus when I'm trying to spell "FUTURE", it can encourage a little nudging (but certainly not enough to cause a tilt) to get the unclaimed letter.

#9 2 years ago

DUG

TopMoose

Pinside member

Cincinnati, OH

8y 109K 2,150 9 126

I love diverters and those ramps that raise and lower (like in Whirlwind and Diner). They increase the number of shots in the finite space of the play field.

I wish more designers would explore mechanisms like on Gilligan’s Island or Lights Camera Action that transform the play field with each move.

#10 2 years ago

???

westofrome

Pinside member

Alexandria, VA

10y 76,800 2,117 2

Stand-ups behind drops
Inverted inlanes/outlanes
Real knockers
Real kickbacks

#11 2 years ago

???

phil-lee

Pinside member

7y 85,300 3,801

Left lane kickers that return the ball lighting fast. Out of sight and Fireball come to mind.

#12 2 years ago

SMK

skristof

Pinside member

Round Lake Beach, IL

10y 37,150 256 10

I couldn't agree more when it comes to knockers. I recently got a wonka, and after so many tables with a virtual, ear shattering, knocker. I forgot how much I missed them.

On a related, but non pinball note, the knocker in the bottom of a Qbert cabinet so you hear when he "hits" the floor is probably one of my favorite features in an arcade game ever.

#13 2 years ago

JRD

Jimmyd044

Pinside member

Allentown, PA

11y 67,550 1,168 3 15

Sequential drops

#14 2 years ago

NAC

happyclan

Pinside member

2y 55,050 254

Keys hanging on the coin door and jingling.

#15 2 years ago

JES

Hop-Pac

Pinside member

7y 70,800 508 1 1

Pop bumpers!
I miss when they were a dominant part of the playfield. Now they're just a small cluster at the top by the lanes with limited access and exits

#16 2 years ago

MJS

schudel5

Pinside member

Kalamazoo, MI

19y 145K 5,876 65 27

The smell of the inside of an EM after it's been on and played for several hours.

#17 2 years ago

TBM

Zablon

Pinside member

Kellogg, IA

8y 95,050 9,621 10

In modern machines...actual plungers and actual skillshots - not just the upper lanes, but things to aim for. While maybe not completely under appreciated, they have long since fallen to the wayside.

My favorites are probably Funhouse step ramps and TOTAN. Also T2 even though it isn't a plunger.

#18 2 years ago

VNO

Vino

Pinside+ Addict

7y 150K 4,640 3

Individual stand ups spread across a playfield map vs mono, three, four, or five bank.

#19 2 years ago

ROK

pinmister

Pinside member

10y 127K 6,487 1

Without a doubt the Star Wars Hyperloop. It is an engineering marvel and the design of the actual mech is very interesting.

Never gets old for me

#20 2 years ago

BMH

BMHouze

Pinside member

Delhi, ON

9y 63,300 1,272 2 7

I was always a fan of some of the Euro imports with the extra buttons for the drain rods.

Special mention: Nascar outer track. Fit the game nicely.

#21 2 years ago

DUF

pduffy

Pinside member

Mantua, NJ

5y 63,300 356 7 7

For me, it is the Aerosmith toy box.

#22 2 years ago

MSL

sataneatscheese

Pinside+ Pro!

Crofton, MD

4y 179K 7,058 7 65 1

Underrated: loops that go behind the playfield. Blew my mind when I first saw it on my Star Trek Pro.

Not under-rated: The original T-Rex ball eating DINO on DE Jurassic Park.

#23 2 years ago

MAG

hockeymag8

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 91,550 452

Already stated but drop targets and the left lane kick back. You can still see these a bit but not as much as on the older games.

The other thing is seeing special lit up. Back when I was a kid I was so excited to see it lit, get the shot and hear that knock of the free game. Now with games at home a free game is not a big deal, but I still love seeing a lit special.

#24 2 years ago

MWM

Hayfarmer

Pinside+ Frequent

4y 138K 8,181

Quoted from schudel5:
The smell of the inside of an EM after it's been on and played for several hours.

Man I dont know bout that. I bought a capt fantastic from an old hippy and when it warmed up it smelled like rotten old weed!

#25 2 years ago

MJM

mystman12

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 76,050 1,129 6 7

Adaptive sound packages! One of my favorite things about Mousin' Around is how much is synchronized to the music. The CHEESE lights blink in time to the music, many sound effects are transposed to match the current key of the music, there are seamless transitions between certain music tracks, stuff like that. Those sorts of effects aren't nearly as practical with today's audio technology and I really miss them.

#26 2 years ago

SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

Ann Arbor, MI

11y 152K 43,388 18 30

Outlane gate ball saves

#27 2 years ago

JAY

Phat_Jay

Pinside member

6y 111K 2,275

God i love knockers

#28 2 years ago

SMK

skristof

Pinside member

Round Lake Beach, IL

10y 37,150 256 10

Quoted from mystman12:
Adaptive sound packages! One of my favorite things about Mousin' Around is how much is synchronized to the music. The CHEESE lights blink in time to the music, many sound effects are transposed to match the current key of the music, there are seamless transitions between certain music tracks, stuff like that. Those sorts of effects aren't nearly as practical with today's audio technology and I really miss them.

Now with what appears to be a focus on lightshows, I think this will get more common again.

We started to see it with interactive mods that tied to play field effects, but now with LED pixels, interactive elements I think are starting to make a comeback. Just look at GnR and LedZep, both have interactive lighting packages!

Also, mousin around is just so good... So there's that...

#29 2 years ago

JIM

Jvspin

Pinside+ Addict

Redwood City, CA

10y 93,550 3,318 15

Bonus countdown on some of the EMs and older solid state games like Wizard and Playboy.

#30 2 years ago

???

usandthem

Pinside member

Canton, MI

10y 71,050 2,751 6

The start of Hulk multiball on Avengers. The lights, the shaker, the bridge being thrown in the air. I love it.

#31 2 years ago

BOB

bobukcat

Pinside member

8y 90,550 4,936

OP
Quoted from skristof:
I couldn't agree more when it comes to knockers. I recently got a wonka, and after so many tables with a virtual, ear shattering, knocker. I forgot how much I missed them.
On a related, but non pinball note, the knocker in the bottom of a Qbert cabinet so you hear when he "hits" the floor is probably one of my favorite features in an arcade game ever.

A good-old fashioned physical knocker is only really special now because of that God-awful screech that Stern has been putting in games for way too long. I'm still in favor of physical punishment for whoever created that abomination and whoever approved it. If the knocker is well integrated into the game it just makes it even better, I didn't know about the Q-Bert example but my favorite recent one is during Bullet Catch in Houdini. Choose the right shot to light, start multiball and it's knocker-city!

#32 2 years ago

RJA

Hi-Fi

Pinside member

Milwaukee, WI

9y 61,050 718 10 6

I think drop targets on modern games are under utilized. Some older games had really interesting drop target rules.

#33 2 years ago

TOM

marioparty34

Pinside+ Frequent

4y 157K 1,197 101 1

TOTAN outlane ball saver spikes has always been one of my favs.

#34 2 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Pincinnati

9y 190K 28,862 15 13

Player controlled kickback in the outlane via another button on the cabinet. Bring those back.

And vari targets

#35 2 years ago

???

freeplay3

Pinside+ Addict

Waterford Township, MI

6y 101K 1,416 7 1

Quoted from marioparty34:
TOTAN outlane ball saver spikes has always been one of my favs.

Those things blew me away the first time I saw it. Unfortunately I wouldn't say they are underappreciated at all.

#36 2 years ago

???

nicoy3k

Pinside member

Acton, MA

2y 61,550 2,978 1 14

The sounds that play when you hit a ramp. Good audio can make ramp shots feel much smoother/satisfying. MM and AFM are good examples of this

#37 2 years ago

DLD

Dent00

Pinside member

Ridgeland, MS

4y 53,550 917 1 1

I really miss the bell that used to ring on some games when you exceeded the high score.
I think Black Knight used to have that feature.
Having the mechanical knocker go off meant that you won a game and that was cool.
But when you rang the bell, it was impossible for people in the room to ignore and it was really loud.
It was like the bell they used to ring in school when it was time to go to the next class.
Reminds me of the action you get on a slot machine when you hit the jackpot.

#38 2 years ago

S S

phoenixpin

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 66,050 302

Hard to achieve multiballs with big moments announcing your accomplishments, like on Addams.

Modern pinball has a multiball on every game, and almost no fanfare behind it. Because of the influence of tournament play, I’d guess.

#39 2 years ago

ROB

Rdoyle1978

Pinside member

6y 117K 16,727 14 6

Currently, I think the Crane on P3's Heist is right up there with the Hyperloop and the new T-Rex. Trying to find a video during Crane multiball where the Crane grabs one of the balls in play and flings it around ..

#40 2 years ago

ZZZ

CaptainNavidad

Pinside member

Philadelphia, PA

9y 50,550 611 6

Quoted from westofrome:
Real knockers

Real knockers are the best but fake ones aren't half bad!

Wait - am I in the right thread?

#41 2 years ago

DJS

Swoods5688

Pinside member

Bay Village, OH

5y 82,800 433 14 36 2

I would have to say the pirate ship from Stern POTC. That toy never gets old to me.

#42 2 years ago

6S3NC3

Pinside member

14y 69,400 1,273 26

The most underrated pinball feature is the KNOCK that goes off when you hit the FREE GAME HIGH SCORE. Its always in the middle of a game that your rocking it and IMO this is the pinnacle of pinball. Its like the cheerleader in the pin when you on your way to racking up a super high score and then that knocker just goes SMACK out of no where. When one of the little one are playing and it happens they always go nuts. That is perfection for me.

#43 2 years ago

REW

woody76

Pinball Marketing

Nashville, TN

7y 138K 6,592 7 97 2

inline drops
spinner rip on a classic stern
I really like the metal ramps and diverters on shadow

#44 2 years ago

DLD

Dent00

Pinside member

Ridgeland, MS

4y 53,550 917 1 1

Quoted from 6S3NC3:
The most underrated pinball feature is the KNOCK that goes off when you hit the FREE GAME HIGH SCORE. Its always in the middle of a game that your rocking it and IMO this is the pinnacle of pinball. Its like the cheerleader in the pin when you on your way to racking up a super high score and then that knocker just goes SMACK out of no where. When one of the little one are playing and it happens they always go nuts. That is perfection for me.

And if it knocks three times, you have the high score.
Just like in the song.

#45 2 years ago

ARF

AlexF

Pinside member

Edgerton, WI

10y 111K 5,581 7 8

Rollover buttons on EM games. It's interesting as it's more about the trajectory then a direct shot like a target or kickout. Also can add something extra to a skill shot up top.

#46 2 years ago

BHL

snowy_owl

Pinside member

4y 107K 1,194

Metal ramps

#47 2 years ago

GDS

7oxford

Pinside member

Auckland

5y 38,550 188 6 10

The switch to turn it on...

#48 2 years ago

DLD

Dent00

Pinside member

Ridgeland, MS

4y 53,550 917 1 1

Quoted from Dent00:
And if it knocks three times, you have the high score.
Just like in the song.

Just in case someone might have forget that one...

#49 2 years ago

SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

Ann Arbor, MI

11y 152K 43,388 18 30

I'm on the other side that thinks knockers are the most overrated thing out there.

#50 2 years ago

NIC

Ghostly

Pinside member

4y 31,900 27 3 57

Flex-Save in Hardbody, BMX & Dungeons & Dragons

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