Yeah, this game sucks, but I can’t say it’s entirely awful, and I like some elements.
Pro’s:
Music is great, not as good as Robo Wars, but still excellent.
I think the shots themselves are okay: the game has quite a bit of flow for a Gottlieb.
I like the backglass: sure it’s cheesy, but it’s one of the better ones. I like it’s integration of drawings is also well done.
Game is a lot of fun, mainly for the overall goofiness of the whole thing (except for the badass soundtrack).
Con’s:
Million point skill shot kills this game.
Cabinet is bland, playfield art is bad.
Overall, pretty bad game, but I can’t say I hate it. I might even say it’s kind of a guilty pleasure, as it can be a lot of fun.
Pinside rating
This game has received 36 approved Pinsider ratings. 14 more approved ratings are needed to get a rating and for it to be eligible for the Pinside Pinball Top 100 ranking.
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.
Found 21 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 21 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.564/10
2 years ago
Almelo
It's Gottlieb's knock off Red Sonja, though i suppose due to the lighting and color decisions on the backglass there's only a minor hint of that on the playfield art in the form of a dash of red in the glamazon's hair.
Gameplay is all about the big bagatelle toy both getting to it often and trying to light up additional scores for the other holes aside from the top center one which is done via the targets behind the bulky stand up targets.
Does have multiball but like all of these it's just there for the sake of being there, tricky to achieve cus the rollovers you'd expect to advance the multiplier activate the lock instead.
Cabinet is meh as is tradition with this line up, drab kind of signal blue though there's a little bit of color on the backbox plastic and i personally don't mind the photo backglass, playfield is alright for what it is.
While not the best of soundtracks among these it's still very good sounding and just like all of them the star attraction of the game.
Gameplay is all about the big bagatelle toy both getting to it often and trying to light up additional scores for the other holes aside from the top center one which is done via the targets behind the bulky stand up targets.
Does have multiball but like all of these it's just there for the sake of being there, tricky to achieve cus the rollovers you'd expect to advance the multiplier activate the lock instead.
Cabinet is meh as is tradition with this line up, drab kind of signal blue though there's a little bit of color on the backbox plastic and i personally don't mind the photo backglass, playfield is alright for what it is.
While not the best of soundtracks among these it's still very good sounding and just like all of them the star attraction of the game.
6.803/10
3 years ago
Des Moines, IA
I bought Arena on a whim, and like it more than I thought I would! It has a very different feel than my newer Sterns and such, but once you get dialed in and start making the shots, it can be a lot of fun! I heard Todd Tuckey say this game is growing in popularity with players wanting something less expensive, which makes sense. Definitely has that '80s sound to it, but I like it.
This machine was nicely refurnished before I got it, but I found a couple spot targets that weren't registering hits correctly. I tried and tried to adjust the leaf switches, and finally replaced them with new parts. Soldering the connections was a challenge, trying to work vertically with the playfield up--but I got the job done. Funny how successful fixes like that can add to pride of ownership, y'know?
I can't decide if I like the skeeball-like "pit" assembly or not, but at least it's something different.
I have no idea what the theme is all about. Some kind of gladiator couple battling a reptilian devil? It's weird AF. If anybody knows what the "CYS" on the stand-up targets is supposed to mean, send me a message. CYS???? Guess I'm stumped.
This machine was nicely refurnished before I got it, but I found a couple spot targets that weren't registering hits correctly. I tried and tried to adjust the leaf switches, and finally replaced them with new parts. Soldering the connections was a challenge, trying to work vertically with the playfield up--but I got the job done. Funny how successful fixes like that can add to pride of ownership, y'know?
I can't decide if I like the skeeball-like "pit" assembly or not, but at least it's something different.
I have no idea what the theme is all about. Some kind of gladiator couple battling a reptilian devil? It's weird AF. If anybody knows what the "CYS" on the stand-up targets is supposed to mean, send me a message. CYS???? Guess I'm stumped.
7.305/10
4 years ago
I find myself conflicted on Arena. I like the game, I keep pushing the start button, but I don't know why I like it.
I agree with other reviews the skill shot makes scoring more left to chance. I like the idea of the skee-ball layout, but it takes up sooo much space. Most of the time playing it seems like Im shooting for the top left corner.
Fun shots, multi-ball, good sounds. . . all positives. Arena can usually be had for a decent price as well. Simply put, there are other games in my collection that I have a greater fondness for. Arena is like the Natural Light of Beer. I'd much prefer a Corona, but if Natty Light is all that is in the cooler I'll still have one! :)
I agree with other reviews the skill shot makes scoring more left to chance. I like the idea of the skee-ball layout, but it takes up sooo much space. Most of the time playing it seems like Im shooting for the top left corner.
Fun shots, multi-ball, good sounds. . . all positives. Arena can usually be had for a decent price as well. Simply put, there are other games in my collection that I have a greater fondness for. Arena is like the Natural Light of Beer. I'd much prefer a Corona, but if Natty Light is all that is in the cooler I'll still have one! :)
6.037/10
7 years ago
I liked the game, but do not like to play for a high score. The 1 milion point pit shot makes almost all other shots on the game fall to the back. The multi ball is veyr hard to get same as a bonus ball. It would have been more fun if rules of the game were different. On the plus side, the wall with guards behind was fun. Overall game play was fun, just the scoring was bad.
9.016/10
9 years ago
I picked up Arena and have played it many times...The only drawback is the million shot makes the scoring unbalanced...it is a big deal. However, the rest of the game is fun! If you could make the million shot a 100k...the game would be great.
9.453/10
9 years ago
Arena is odd game, it is not like any other pinball machine. A little slower but not in a bad way. Some cool shots and some clever gimmicks that keep me coming back to play another game.
7.456/10
10 years ago
Picked one up cheap recently, and have become addicted. Very underrated pin, available at a cheap price. Loving it. Backglass is horrible, however. Wish the cabinet and backglass reflected the same art/theme as the playfield, which is pretty cool. Kind of a quirky game, but unique and fun enough that it will be staying.
8.021/10
10 years ago
I found this to be a very enjoyable game, and was surprised by that. Normally I'm not a fan of a game without pop bumpers, but I didn't really notice their absence here all that much. The pit skill shot is cool, the shots are challenging, and the multiball is tough and satisfying to get. I really dig the theme as well. I'll definitely own one some day.
7.095/10
11 years ago
Villejuif
Absolutely awful front cabinet / backglass, really nice playfield.
The Pit is a really cool toy but has two major flaws:
- unbalanced scoring.
- it takes too much space on the playfield...main game area is reduced accordingly.
The Pit is a really cool toy but has two major flaws:
- unbalanced scoring.
- it takes too much space on the playfield...main game area is reduced accordingly.
7.929/10
12 years ago
Mikkeli
A solid game from Gottlieb.
People complaining about unbalanced scoring doesn't probably understand where the big points are. What you want to achieve is 15x playfied (CYS targets) and shoot the lit spinner during multiball. With 15x multiplier and lit spinner switch on the right inlane you can loop the spinner shot while getting 1-2 mil with each shot. If your aim is good you can achieve skyhigh scores with this method.
One million lucky shot might be annoying in competitions but you can disable it by desoldering its cable. This makes it a much better game for competitions.
People complaining about unbalanced scoring doesn't probably understand where the big points are. What you want to achieve is 15x playfied (CYS targets) and shoot the lit spinner during multiball. With 15x multiplier and lit spinner switch on the right inlane you can loop the spinner shot while getting 1-2 mil with each shot. If your aim is good you can achieve skyhigh scores with this method.
One million lucky shot might be annoying in competitions but you can disable it by desoldering its cable. This makes it a much better game for competitions.
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