(Topic ID: 224700)

What's your favorite pinball company?

By snowy_owl

5 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 70 posts
  • 49 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by chad
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    Topic poll

    “What's your favorite pinball company?”

    • Jersey Jack pinball 43 votes
      11%
    • Spooky pinball 22 votes
      6%
    • Stern pinball 91 votes
      24%
    • Dutch pinball 7 votes
      2%
    • Chicago gaming co. 17 votes
      4%
    • Heighway pinball 6 votes
      2%
    • American pinball 4 votes
      1%
    • Homepin 4 votes
      1%
    • williams 96 votes
      25%
    • Bally 49 votes
      13%
    • Gotlieb 21 votes
      5%
    • Sega 7 votes
      2%
    • Data east 19 votes
      5%

    (Multiple choice - 386 votes by 286 Pinsiders)

    There are 70 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 5 years ago

    Hey guys! Earlier this morning I wondered to myself: what's the best pinball company? I can't decide between JJP and stern, though. So I'm just hoping for a little input from you guys. Thanks!

    #2 5 years ago

    Heighway obviously, close the poll now.

    #3 5 years ago

    Williams, or maybe Bally--possibly Atari...

    #4 5 years ago

    Bally all day. ALL DAY.

    Of the alive ones tho, they're all okay I guess, but it's hard not to like the plucky little guys at Spooky. Stern has made some a great games, JJP will make a truly great one someday (they go back and forth, Dialed In was close but didn't have the theme...), and you can feel Spooky moving in that direction with every release as well. Is it Alice Cooper??

    #5 5 years ago

    JJP/PPS/CGC

    I'm biased.

    LTG : )

    #6 5 years ago

    Is there a real distinction between Williams and Bally? I tend to think of the two as essentially interchangeable.

    14
    #7 5 years ago

    How does heighway and dutch make the list and not Sega and data east.

    #8 5 years ago

    Stern. . . but more specifically "Classic" Stern.

    #9 5 years ago
    Quoted from Coolpinballdino:

    How does heighway and dutch make the list and not Sega and data east.

    Sorry! I forgot

    #10 5 years ago

    But I just added them

    #11 5 years ago

    Based on my past purchases, I have to go with Gottlieb (w/ two t's) for EM's, Bally for solid states, and Stern for modern games.

    #12 5 years ago

    thread title is "what's your(e) favorite pinball company" and poll is "what's the best pinball company"

    my fav could be different than what I think is the best

    #13 5 years ago

    Whoops!

    #14 5 years ago

    Like them or hate them .... I think Stern is just fine. Deadpool has been a blast to play as is most of their newer games releasing (except GotG was a hot mess early on that got way better with some updates)

    #15 5 years ago

    stern 2003- 2008 back when they made complete games populated playfields and sturdy cabinets. tspp,potc, spiderman, lotr, rbion, tron, family guy etc. man those were some great games!

    #16 5 years ago
    Quoted from ccbiggsoo7:

    stern 2003- 2008 back when they made complete games populated playfields and sturdy cabinets.

    Might wanna go 2003-2007.5 on that one

    #18 5 years ago
    Quoted from CaptainNavidad:

    Is there a real distinction between Williams and Bally? I tend to think of the two as essentially interchangeable.

    In the 70s and 80s, they were certainly differently companies with different games. I believe it was in 1990 (or at least around that time) that the merger happened.

    #19 5 years ago

    It’s between jersey jack and CGC. I went with jack...DILE is in my opinion the greatest game of all time. AFMRLE is a close second, and TNA remains my 3rd (IMDN ties)

    #20 5 years ago

    A technicality, but I think you can lump DE/Sega/Stern, all as one, and free up some other options. Different eras, different names, but essentially the same company. The Baywatch (1995) I just sold was built almost identical to the X-Men LE (2012) I just brought in, clicking flasher relays and all.

    #21 5 years ago

    Inder? Mr game?

    #22 5 years ago

    Depends on the generation of games. My list as follows:

    —Woodrails: Gottlieb (Harry Williams, no doubt, had some of the coolest looking playfield designs, but from a playability standpoint, Gottlieb really had better playing games).
    —‘60s and ‘70s EMs: Gottlieb (with a very hearty nod to Williams as well)
    —Early Solid State: Bally (Williams and stern cranked out some good titles, but it’s really hard to compete with games like Centaur, EBD, and Fathom)
    —Alphanumeric Era: Williams (williams ushered in a new era with High Speed and with System 11abc)
    —DMD Era/90s: Williams (and by association, Bally, since they were essentially identical companies)
    —Post year 2000: Stern. (As much as I love what JJP is doing, Stern cranks out games that are honestly some of the best playing games, and they do so with extreme consistency. TSPP, LOTR, AC/DC, and so forth are all modern classics).

    #23 5 years ago
    Quoted from ccbiggsoo7:

    stern 2003- 2008 back when they made complete games populated playfields and sturdy cabinets. tspp,potc, spiderman, lotr, rbion, tron, family guy etc. man those were some great games!

    Yep - especially WPT and Sopranos! TRON was after 2008 though.

    #24 5 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    Heighway obviously, close the poll now.

    They actually got 2 votes so far!

    DP too!

    #25 5 years ago

    Where is Multimorphic???

    #26 5 years ago
    Quoted from CaptainNavidad:

    Is there a real distinction between Williams and Bally? I tend to think of the two as essentially interchangeable.

    Well...before Williams acquired Bally there was quite a competition going on.

    #27 5 years ago

    Homepin is beating Data East. Someone quickly write a hot take blog post about it.

    #28 5 years ago

    I love HOMEPIN in a special sort of way !
    BUT
    I voted BALLY

    #29 5 years ago

    The company that kept things alive, fuck Williams/Bally thanks for the games but thats about it. If Gary Stern didn't keep it going it would have died in my opinion and they have made the best pinball machines out there to date. I like the 90's pins and the boutique companies which includes JJP also have created some great stuff but Stern is king. They get my vote.

    #30 5 years ago
    Quoted from snowy_owl:

    Hey guys! Earlier this morning I wondered to myself: what's the best pinball company? I can't decide between JJP and stern, though. So I'm just hoping for a little input from you guys. Thanks!

    Have you fallen down and hit your head?

    #31 5 years ago

    People would be happier if they had favorite games with no regard to who makes that game.

    16
    #32 5 years ago

    I need to have a chat with our marketing department.

    - Gerry
    https://www.multimorphic.com

    #33 5 years ago

    Stern
    JJP
    CGC

    #34 5 years ago

    Stern
    JJP
    CGC
    Spooky

    All 4, in no particular order, make games I love to play. What a time to be alive!
    Just in the past few days been loving to play some AC/DC, TnA, DI and MBr (I was a beta tester).

    Edit: Bally/Williams also made some great games! My 4 above choices are based on modern existing companies making new games.

    #35 5 years ago

    CGC so far., Spooky is my current experience as a customer so hoping for the best! Doug was great! Likes to talk like shop like Mike, and Joe from pinballs and pinball star. Great communication.

    #36 5 years ago

    Ummm...No Deeproot either.
    Not that I would vote Deeproot, just not on the poll. But maybe not considered a full blown company yet?

    #37 5 years ago
    Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

    Ummm...No Deeproot either.
    Not that I would vote Deeproot, just not on the poll. But maybe not considered a full blown company yet?

    and yet Homepin is on the list.

    #38 5 years ago

    Alvin G & Co. of course! A nod to Spinball as well. They didn’t make much, but they were creative!

    #39 5 years ago

    Zaccaria should definitely be on the list for making a bunch of great SS machines. Sonic Segasa made some great EMs, although their cabinets sucked.

    #40 5 years ago

    This survey has lost all credibility as 10 people have voted for Highway and Dutch.....

    1. JJP
    2. Williams
    3. CGC
    4. Stern

    As everyone knows what Stern does very well is pump out product....they release a game and it starts shipping almost immediately, which boosts sales as people buy on emotion without ever seeing or playing the game....CGC and JJP are frankly just the opposite...doesn't help their sales (IMHO)....

    #41 5 years ago

    Zen Pinball!

    #42 5 years ago
    Quoted from PinballManiac40:

    and yet Homepin is on the list.

    I think this is to appease the the minority who get flustered easily

    #43 5 years ago

    Stern gets my vote!

    Stern
    Williams
    Bally
    CGC

    #44 5 years ago

    Isn’t it weird that Williams bought Bally but people refer the merged Bally Williams as just “Bally”? There were great games before the DMD era y’all.

    #45 5 years ago
    Quoted from ezelljon:

    Isn’t it weird.. .

    On pinside.... No question is.

    #46 5 years ago
    Quoted from CaptainNavidad:

    Is there a real distinction between Williams and Bally? I tend to think of the two as essentially interchangeable.

    Is Midway in there somewhere too?

    #47 5 years ago

    Maybe it was timing in my llife but nothing compares to Williams in the early to mid 90s. So many great games that i couldnt shove my quarters into fast enough.

    My favorite now has only 1 game released to date with number 2 on the way. THE PINBALL AMIGOS

    #48 5 years ago

    Gottlieb early to mid 80's pins are the sh#*!

    #49 5 years ago
    Quoted from oldskool1969:

    I love HOMEPIN in a special sort of way !

    It was the marketing strategy that won it over for me.

    The goalposts that continue to keep getting smaller as time marches on.

    #50 5 years ago
    Quoted from chalkup8:

    Is Midway in there somewhere too?

    If you can find someone that would say midway games are the best maybe

    There are 70 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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