(Topic ID: 236646)

Why are MM, AFM and MB consistently ranked the top 3

By cantbfrank

5 years ago


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  • Latest reply 4 years ago by Budman
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    #12 5 years ago
    Quoted from NPO:

    Nope. Absolutely not.

    Because there is a sense of character with B/W. They don't appear to be a cheap "cash in" with their games.
    Look at how unique and different most of the PFs are. NO other PF resembles the layout of Corvette. No other game has a ramp like CFTBL with the whirlpool at the end of it and the massive loop it does with the lights on the side. Today's companies haven't released anything close to "Red and Ted" or "Rudy" from Roadshow or Funhouse.
    One innovation after another from a working gumball machine AND clock in TZ, the Thing flipper in TAF, strobe MB in AFM, mist ball in BSD, the Shadow "disappearing ball", Champion Pub's jump-roping ball - just unprecedented in comparison.
    B/W games are fricking bricks in terms of strength and build construction. Just compare their leg brackets to "today's leader" and that says it all.
    B/W has an excellent mix of licensed themes as well as unique themes. For every Terminator 2 there was a Cactus Canyon, for every Johnny Mnemonic there was a Medieval Madness, for every Doctor Who there was a Whirlwind.
    Then you have the themes that were unlicensed but "close enough" to actual licenses: AFM to Mars Attacks, MM to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, No Good Gophers to Caddyshack. They weren't carbon copies of well known media; they were unique enough that they could stand alone and become beloved.
    Then you have the really unique and different "well, let's try this!" attempts at something different. Safecracker is an excellent example of trying to appeal to a newer crowd with the board game on top, the tokens you can win, and a smaller machine packed with just as many goodies as a full-sized game. Pinball 2000 was another try at something different. I really wish SWEP1 had come out FIRST and then Revenge from Mars. That might have saved that format, but hey, at least they TRIED....!
    Finally, they are JUST FUN. I don't need a book of Chinese stereo instructions to understand how to play AFM. I plunge the ball, listen to the call-outs and figure out what to do. I don't need to choose from 27 different characters at start-up; I either play as the humans or the martians in my own mind while I complete the game. And when I play these games, they don't literally fall apart around my hands as I play, and if the boards fail, well hey, at least I have the schematics to fix them and any mods added won't "nuke the boards". They are steadfast and proven to work.
    I'll play AFM over nearly any game that comes out today. There are two games that nearly got it right: Alien and TBL. Too bad both are extremely limited to the general public.

    This is a very accurate assessment. I would however still challenge the specific 3 that are top ranked. All three are great but extremely similar in design approach and fundamentals. Cirqus Voltaire is better than all three of those if you ask me. So is Indiana Jones Pinball Adventure or Twilighy Zone. I think the mantra of the holy trinity of games (the three that have been remade) is growing a bit tired.

    #91 5 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    They’re the best games. Period. They’re the perfect blend of great physical design & gameplay/rules - all coded by Lyman Sheats...the master of pinball rules design. He always knows how to make a game fun for newbs, with nuance for pros. He knows how to choreograph a game. You don’t know it while you’re playing, but it’s like there’s a maestro guiding the experience.
    All the newbs talking about “depth” is getting tiresome. The term has been taken out of context and turned into a a term that = better quality. That is wrong. “Depth = fun” is a MYTH. Some deep games are very fun, like LOTR & TSPP. The depth was part of the rules being so organic to the themes and layouts. It gave these games so much to do, like an adventure, but things that made organic sense to the theme (Shoot shots to collect the fellowship characters in LOTR, for example.). Today’s so-called deep games have Rainman level math memorization & slot machine nonsense that has nothing to do with the layout or theme...modes are “shoot colored shots” rather than having any “fun” reason. Modern “depth” & rules have become sterile and mechanical. Not intuitive & satisfying like the best 90’s pins.
    I didn’t even mention the mechanical features and clever engineering. Great toys, divertors, and other clever features. Stern games just don’t have this anymore.
    Great games are timeless and forever. There’s a reason people still play Pac-Man when modern 4K gaming exists. There will never be an epiphany where the top 90’s games become “bad”.

    While I agree with you for the most part, those three simply are NOT the "best". They may best exemplify simple, approachable, layouts and relatable themes but the best games have far more innovation than any of those three....look at CV, TOTAN, TZ, WW, etc are all far more innovative and original than the holy trinity.

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