Pinside rating

This game received 182 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.766 _/10

7.766

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #88 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 7.978

Artwork: 7.7

Sounds/Music: 6.799

Other Aspects: 7.91

Rating comments

There are 74 rating comments for this game.

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 8 of us have rated this game.

7.657

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Ranking history

An overview of this machine's ranking over the last years. Lower is better.

Rating history

An overview of this machine's rating over the last years. Higher is better.

Found 74 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 74 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 3.

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9.196/10

6 days ago

???

plinde1

Pinside member

Jackson Twp., OH

7y 29,650 77 10 27

Banzai Run is a the most unique designed game other than Pinball Circus. The game plays super fast if dialed in, especially if you are lucky enough to have one with upper and lower xR7 playfields. The challenge of defeating racers, getting laps and heading up the Banzai Hill makes each game memorable. Everytime I hit start, I know I am playing something special. It stands out in any collection and shows how Mr. Lawlor, even on his first attempt, pushed the limits of pinball forward. Innovation, beyond measure, a true motocross race under glass, start to finish. In my opinion, when locked in, this game holds it's own against the legendary wpc titles.

plinde1 currently owns this game.

7.966/10

55 days ago

CUZ

mcuzz

Pinside member

3y 83,050 156 104

Unique gameplay, fun to play . The extra play in the backglass is memorable, and fun.
Dirtbike race theme is cool.

10.000/10

7 months ago

SEE

FLASHBALL

Pinside member

Wichita, KS

5y 28,800 96 3 6

Favorite pinball machine out there. No comparison!

FLASHBALL has this game on the wishlist.

6.762/10

1 year ago

SAS

stavio

Pinside member

1y 42,150 38 7

The back glass is tough and unique. I like the dirt bike theme but like a video game I also like (enduro racer) it doesn't seem like many were made or around. I would still buy this pin if priced right.

7.213/10

1 year ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinside member

2y 68,400 21 88

Ah, yes, the most unique pinball machine between Black Hole and Safecracker. From a collector's standpoint, if you were making a museum of pinball, this would be on the must-have list. The vertical pinball takes the mechanical back box animation to its ultimate logical finale, a call out to both pachinko and bagatelle, and is tons of fun. The major flaw of the whole design is the rules and scoring and playfield challenges aren't balanced. Jackpots are incredibly hard, relative to payoff, and the lower playfield (ahem, main playfield) is simple. While I always dig the originality of Lawlor's theming, and the dirt bike maze is well thought-out, I still think that somehow if there had been a different thematic hook to this machine other than another racing game it would have had more staying power. It's a player's machine in that it's not particularly easy to master, but not in the sense that it rewards a balance of skills, and it takes a lot of plays consecutively to get into the game successfully.

I think the analog to this machine isn't, say, No Fear or even Safecracker or Haunted House, but Hercules -- a novelty machine so wonderously weird you really have to put it on your checklist of machines to play, but not one you're likely to pine for when you haven't played it a while. A bucket list machine, not an obsession.

That said, when I start my Pat Lawlor Museum, this will be on the list, for sure.

8.348/10

1 year ago

NMS

Natemsmith04

Pinside member

North Ogden, UT

1y 28,900 1 7 12

So I’m not sure if I’ll ever buy the game, as there’s not enough variation in modes and objectives but this game is fun to play. The top playfield is challenging at first, but quickly gets easy. Still always satisfying to make a cliff jump. Fun to beat racers and move up in the standings. I’d have to play this game a lot to get better at it. It’s good, but not great.

Natemsmith04 has this game on the wishlist.

6.576/10

1 year ago

ROB

Robertstone0407

Pinside member

Marysville, OH

2y 82,800 1,636 16 54

Cant get into the gimmick

5.726/10

1 year ago

MNO

MNO2pin

Inactive member

Rotterdam

1y 16,500 4 9

Great, unique pinball. Rules are kind of shallow and if you got it finally up it's pretty hard....
Nice try from Lawlor. Don't need this in collection I think it's a to heavy. classic game

7.648/10

1 year ago

IAN

icallison

Inactive member

Seattle, WA

6y 22,750 1 101

Unique, but I get bored pretty fast.

9.368/10

2 years ago

KPH

Sorcerer

Pinside member

Loup City, NE

7y 23,450 12

One of the best system 11 games out there.
It's a challenge to beat the game.

7.760/10

2 years ago

AJR

guymontag451

WedgeHead

Vancouver, WA

8y 65,550 902 5 113

Crazy first effort from the legend Pat Lawlor. Although this isn't his finest design (but to be fair, he has 10 pins that made the top 100), this is great fun built around a very unique gimmick. The vertical playfield, whilst a nightmare to keep running, brings an entirely new dimension to pinball. Super fun. Great Pin.

3.572/10

2 years ago

TRG

TomGWI

Pinside member

7y 120K 10,246 131 1

One trick pony game.

8.287/10

2 years ago

DEF

DefaultGen

Pinside member

Morrisville, NC

6y 119K 2,806 10 165

Banzai Run is 100% kick ass and probably the best gimmick-centered game of all time. It blows away games like Champion Pub, Orbitor 1, Hercules, and all those other one trick ponies because it's actually a fun pinball machine. I love the different colored standups to light the racers. I love that the ramp dumps the ball back at your flipper rather than safely returns it. I love how ABC doubles your cliff jump value on the upper playfield. I even like the stupid little cannon on top of the left slingshot

If I had one criticism it's that I would make it a little harder. The rider standup targets are all clumped together so lighting a rider by flailing in their direction a couple times isn't too hard. Also once you get the hang of the cliff jump it's a little too easy. I wish there was more motivation to actually play the upper playfield each time rather than dumping the ball directly into the cliff jump with 2 shots. Even with these complaints I think it's a very satisfying game to play.

9.504/10

3 years ago

DAD

Wariodolby

Pinside member

Linden, MI

5y 64,900 898 28 11

Banzai is not simple and is not hard it's just right.
Plenty of talk about the upper playfield which is awesome.
But I'm hooked on doing 25 laps to get finish line mode.
It just has that pure feeling of fun that a great pinball machine should have.
Highly recommend !!

Wariodolby has owned this game in the past.

8.763/10

3 years ago

???

Gotman

Pinside member

Pittsburgh, PA

3y 20,050 1 5 14

Great Game.

7.271/10

3 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

6y 98,650 1,928 147

Banzai Run has quickly become one of those pins that people will spend more than they should on. Yes the design is absolutely unique; there's absolutely nothing else like it! Unfortunately, I just don't think it's a great game (i.e.: there's a reason there aren't any other vertical pins like this).

The bottom playfield is really not laid out all that well. Without the top part, it would be a terrible game. The game really relies on the top portion, which just feels weird. It's a cool gimmick but not something I would want to stand around and play for hours on end.

Because I have a limited pinball budget, whenever I think of buying/trading for something, I always think of "is this game worth what it costs?" If BR was a $2000 game, maybe it would be worth it. It's no $4500 game though. Pass.

7.271/10

3 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

6y 98,650 1,928 147

Banzai Run has quickly become one of those pins that people will spend more than they should on. Yes the design is absolutely unique; there's absolutely nothing else like it! Unfortunately, I just don't think it's a great game (i.e.: there's a reason there aren't any other vertical pins like this).

The bottom playfield is really not laid out all that well. Without the top part, it would be a terrible game. The game really relies on the top portion, which just feels weird. It's a cool gimmick but not something I would want to stand around and play for hours on end.

Because I have a limited pinball budget, whenever I think of buying/trading for something, I always think of "is this game worth what it costs?" If BR was a $2000 game, maybe it would be worth it. It's no $4500 game though. Pass.

7.271/10

3 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

6y 98,650 1,928 147

Banzai Run has quickly become one of those pins that people will spend more than they should on. Yes the design is absolutely unique; there's absolutely nothing else like it! Unfortunately, I just don't think it's a great game (i.e.: there's a reason there aren't any other vertical pins like this).

The bottom playfield is really not laid out all that well. Without the top part, it would be a terrible game. The game really relies on the top portion, which just feels weird. It's a cool gimmick but not something I would want to stand around and play for hours on end.

Because I have a limited pinball budget, whenever I think of buying/trading for something, I always think of "is this game worth what it costs?" If BR was a $2000 game, maybe it would be worth it. It's no $4500 game though. Pass.

8.669/10

3 years ago

DRD

Pinside member

Newark

4y 24,650 17 13 11

Awesome game for its era. One of a kind with vertical playfield that is beautifully integrated into the game. And the vertical playfield is more than a gimmick, it has been very well designed to offer multiple shots from each of its three flippers.

Superb System 11 music. One of the best jackpot shots in pinball, earned by completing a number of other great shots in sequence.

The hill shot is too easy which is the only real criticism that I have of this wonderful game.

Lifter to upper playfield interrupts the flow of the game but the great music and excellent integration with the theme make up for it.

Unique cabinet design makes it truly horrible to move. Even worse to work on as amongst other things it has a unique display panel and interconnect board. You can see why production volumes were low as operators must have hated it. But what a joy to play after you have rebuilt the 6 flippers.

A true collector's piece.

DRD currently owns this game.

8.560/10

3 years ago

BOB

Bwilson

Pinside member

4y 47,550 188 17

Banzi Run has one of the greatest system 11 sound tracks ever created. Swords of Fury comes in at a close second. It's one of the main reasons I'm attracted to this generation of machines, the sound designers were so talented with the limited sounds they had to work with. This game absolutely jams!

Obviously a very unique layout and one of a kind. Its great for a change of pace. I've only touched this game a handful of times but I will say it probably has the hardest jackpot in all of pinball. A two ball multi-ball in which you have to land the saucer behind the pop bumpers then make it all the way to the top of the hill and hit the captive ball. A true testament to no free rides in Lawlor multi-ball.

I will own you some day.

Bwilson edited previous rating on April 02, 2016.

7.043/10

3 years ago

RHO

spiroagnew

Pinside member

6y 117K 967 161

Banzai Run has a really interesting concept that was way ahead of its time. These days, I see it as too gimmicky for its own good. The bottom playfield is really a snoozer—very bare bones. The backbox playfield provides an interesting challenge, but it’s a hook that wears out its welcome on me very fast. I love the art package of the game, and the overall design is interesting, but I’m not compelled to play this game more than a couple of times when I find one…gameplay just doesn’t grab me.

9.432/10

3 years ago

EMD

Stashkid13

Pinside member

Cherry Hill, NJ

4y 35,700 65 26 15

Awesome game!

BANZAIIIIIII!!!!!!

Stashkid13 has this game on the wishlist.

8.021/10

3 years ago

DEW

Damonator

Pinside member

5y 92,150 1,380 12 1

I own this game - and it has lasted in my collection while I have sold many other titles. Why? Because it's awesome! This is Pat Lawlor's fastest playing pin by far. The goal of the game is to win a virtual motorcycle race. You start in last place and have to work your way to the front. You do this by hitting all the targets for one of the competitors - then you have to make the shot that will take you to the vertical playfield. Up there, you have to make a specific shot in order to "pass" that racer and move up in the race. if you don't drain while up top, you can attempt the cliff jump and get a satisfying "Baaaanzaaaaiiiiiii" call out if you make it. In order to take the lead, you'll have to lock one of the balls during multiball, then make a very difficult shot on the upper playfield. It's a challenge and very rewarding when you finally achieve it. Williams actually lost money on this title, so it's super rare...but highly recommended if you can find one!!!!

8.463/10

4 years ago

CNY

TheCnyPinGuy

Pinside member

Sherrill, NY

6y 66,650 1,800 7 53

I love the playable backglass playfield

Pat Lawlor is my favorite designer for always pushing the boundaries of the silverball

7.646/10

4 years ago

YOS

Yoski

Pinside member

Miami Shores, FL

4y 84,650 439 21 133

A tale of 2 machines. The main play field is a pretty nice pinball in itself. Decent layout and flow combined with a relatively target rich environment. Fun game to play.
The upper field is pretty silly. It adds absolutely NOTHING to the game play. Actually it is mildly annoying.
Still, overall a fairly attractive and fun to play game.

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There are 74 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 3.

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