Pinside rating

This game received 47 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.388 _/10

7.388

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #179 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 7.568

Artwork: 7.534

Sounds/Music: 5.287

Other Aspects: 7.447

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.

7.331

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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 25 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 25 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 1.

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7.769/10

38 days ago

DOC

TractorDoc

DPS

Ashland, OH

2y 184K 1,966 13 68 1

If you like a fast game and drop target action this is your machine.
I really like the Classic Stern collection of games, and Big Game fits right in.
Sounds are typical of the era and nothing special but that is ok, the addictive part is how the game plays. It is easy to get caught up in lining numbers up on the playfield cards to elevate your score. The pop bumpers add a lot of action in the middle of the playfield and a couple of mini orbits on the lateral aspects keep things interesting.
Spinners were a bit tougher to hit (for me) at the upper left -- one of the things I like is a good spinner rip and this is the one area I was left wanting more while playing.
I'd definitely add one to the collection one day!

TractorDoc has this game on the wishlist.

6.261/10

7 months ago

HSB

Pinballer67

Pinside member

2y 54,050 229 16

Great layout, interesting ruleset. Something just didn't click for me on this one, I wanted to like it. Sold it.

Pinballer67 edited previous rating on September 01, 2019.

7.688/10

1 year ago

???

condel

Pinside apprentice

Unknown

1y 2,250 6

A masterpiece. Con Delcos, Perth. A machine that you could clock!

9.773/10

1 year ago

CAD

cottonm4

Pinside member

Wichita, KS

6y 89,550 4,837 9 15

I'm biased. I absolutely love this pin called Big Game. It is fast !! If you don't like wide bodies because you think they are too slow, give Big Game a try when ever you get a chance.

The outlanes are tough but not to the point that you would want to walk away from the pin. Good nudging skills can help with the outlanes. If you like a pinball machine where the ball comes to you and offers good flipper action, give Big Game a try. Other than the saucer at the top that traps the ball for 2-3 seconds, the ball is always in motion.

The only time the ball is stopped is if you have trapped it with one of the four flippers. With the four flippers you need to modify your flipper techniques. Post passes are possible but difficult. Flipper passes can be made by bouncing the ball from the lower flipper to the lower side of the upper flipper which ricochets over to the lower flipper on the opposite side.

My girl friend asked me several months ago that if I could only keep one pinball machine which one would it be. Big Game is my keeper. It is like the engineers asked my my likes and dislikes and built a pin to my specs and desires.

The rules are simple but not easy to achieve.

cottonm4 currently owns this game.

8.155/10

1 year ago

SDJ

SergioJ

Pinside member

6y 46,650 342 43 24

Harry Williams was a playfield layout genius. When this game is dialed in, the shots are, tough, fair and oh so sweet when you hit them. The action is fast and furious with a complex scoring system related to completing three bingo cards and getting bonus based on completed numbers, lines and entire cards. It really makes you think when you get close to completing a card as to what you will need to go for. If you like to catch the ball a lot you may get frustrated with the flipper set up which makes it difficult to set up shots that way, drop catching or shooting it on the fly frequently works better. An above average art package on the backglass and superior gameplay makes this one a keeper for me.

SergioJ edited previous rating on March 10, 2018.
SergioJ currently owns this game.

7.777/10

1 year ago

RHO

spiroagnew

Pinside member

7y 117K 977 161

The best early solid state pinball game made...perhaps the most fun and addictive widebody game ever? It's arguable. Harry Williams really did a good job designing the bingo cards into the gameplay, and made it more than a throwaway gimmick. Chasing the drop target numbers as the playfield mechanics cycle through the cards is a fun challenge. The far left spinner into the Big Game "pocket" is a super satisfying shot, and can be worth a decent amount of points. There are some neat angles to be shot here, and many lead through the pop bumpers. Just like all of these Stern games, the rules can be tightened up via DIP switch settings to be extremely stingy or liberal. Make sure your game has the rules tightened up for maximum replay value. I can take or leave the theme or artwork. It seems a bit irrelevant to the centrality of the bingo layout. It could have very well been outer space, sports or the old west and it would have been a bit cooler. The jungle theme stands out in stark contrast to Stern's other games of the period, so marks can be given for originality, even if the theme does seem a bit random. Arguably, one of Stern Electronics' best games.

6.714/10

2 years ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinside member

3y 69,900 24 89 2

I don't remember ever playing this when it came out, so my recent turn on it at in somebody's basement was my introduction to the game. It feels very transitional, moving into the solid state era, and has a jungle cat hunter theme that doesn't really tell much of a story or get integrated with the shots. That said, the playfield pleases me. There are asymmetric shots, and managing the double flippers feels like you have an elephant gun - a little high caliber and slightly out of control until you get the hang of it. In any event, it felt like a fair game that rewarded skill more than some other SS games of the era, and the widebody layout is a bit unusual as well. I expect it would be a good collector's game for somebody interested in getting interesting examples of variations in design.

7.425/10

2 years ago

RD

rotordave

Pinside member

Pukekohe

10y 174K 11,264 131 104 6

Grrrrr! Tiger man?

rotordave currently owns this game.

5.042/10

3 years ago

AGB

Ramtuathal

Pinside member

Tempe, AZ

4y 59,650 122 145

Big Game has some neat jungle themed art on the pf, and the bg is decent, but it is towards the bottom of my favorite widebodies (with Space Invaders coming in last!). Oddly, it seemed like the game wanted to be Paragon, but just couldn't make the cut. The shots were too long from either of the stacked flippers on either side, and there weren't enough targets for the space available. I can't really say that it was awful, but I walked away after a few games and never looked back.

I'd pass on this one unless I found it dirt cheap, and I wouldn't bother playing it there are other games around.

6.739/10

4 years ago

D L

charliebrown2417

Pinside member

Kent, OH

4y 52,900 134 6 351

A little confusing, but a lot of variation.

7.882/10

4 years ago

MOF

mof

Pinside member

San Francisco, CA

7y 120K 9,328 27 92

Big Game is a fantastic playfield design by the great Harry Williams himself.

* Asymmetry: very good
* Backhands: YES, you can back hand all the important shots
* Ball Control/Hazards: The 3 pops and the post between the spinners are the main hazards
* Ball Time: seems like an easy player, but if I owned one, it would be steeper and faster
* Drops (Sweepable): (maybe the right bank?)
* Flow/Stop n Go: very good flow -- only ball stop is the saucer, and it's momentary
* Fun/Lastability: very good
* Inlane Flow: very good
* Lateral movement/Nudging: always a little tough to nudge a wide-body, but this is smaller as wide bodies go
* Originality: yes
* Pop bumpers: excellent, three mid-field pops
* Scoring Balance: very good
* Skill shot: barely, it's a 1-2-3 without lane change
* Sound: good Stern sounds
* Spinners: yes 2 of them
* ThemeArt/Lights: good, but you'd better like a jungle theme
* Toys/Gimmicks: 4 flippers

CONS:
* no voice
* no multiball
* no orbit shots

mof edited previous rating on September 21, 2015.
mof has this game on the wishlist.

8.837/10

4 years ago

MHB

BlobfishXL

Pinside member

Oakland, CA

5y 29,400 188 3 6 1

One of the best looking games of its type.

8.548/10

5 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Pincinnati

Independence, KY

5y 142K 14,216 15 10

I have owned this machine for about a month and I love it! The theme is amazing, and the gameplay is challenging. Very hard to get all bingo cards lit up, especially having only one lit at a time, and only 3 ball games. very fast after a good polish and wax, and hitting those double spinners is awesome. Multiple ways to hit the drop targets (off bumpers, fed from top side loops, or direct from the flippers) Keeps me coming back for more. The thumping of the drum beat that gets faster the longer the ball is in play is awesome too. Best part of the sound package is when you have a big bonus 3X at the end of the ball. Blasting the spinners good is a great sound too. I would be surprised if I ever get rid of this.

chuckwurt currently owns this game.

9.296/10

5 years ago

TWP

rollitover

Pinside member

South St Paul, MN

5y 58,800 1,559 5 17

This game has it all. Great variety of shots, nine drops and two different ways to collect an extra ball. Uses all of its allotted space. Set-up with a bit of an angle and this one is fast! Great machine for its era.

rollitover edited previous rating on October 09, 2014.
rollitover currently owns this game.

6.065/10

5 years ago

RJC

boiler2331

Inactive member

Valparaiso, IN

5y 23,400 66 4 9

Must first clarify that I am not a big fan of the wide body pins. With that being said, this machine is entertaining and does present a challenge with some of the shots(at least for me anyway). Overall, a decent pin, but not one that I would want in my collection.

boiler2331 edited previous rating on May 24, 2014.

3.361/10

6 years ago

DAN

BeaverBrewing

Pinside member

Beaver Falls, PA

6y 73,650 287 7 279

Not a fan, thought the theme wasn't used at all on the pin. Played pretty boring to me.

2 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

3.285/10

6 years ago

JRM

Mato

Pinside member

Perth

6y 57,150 2,686 6 82

Sorry I just don't rate this machine in any area, not my type of game.

5 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

7.196/10

6 years ago

NAM

kwiKimart

Inactive member

San Diego, CA

8y 90,650 10,693 3 71

Played this for the first time today, and what a fun widebody Stern this is. Lots of shots, love the double flippers, and the art package is just killer. Definitely worth playing.

8.602/10

6 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

Westminster, CO

8y 133K 1,280 55 854

Big Game was a table that I was expecting more from. It's an alright table... so far.

The Pros:
Doug Watson put a Big Ol' Tiger on the BG of this deck. This game is telling you that it's going to eat you alive! The rest of the game is green and lush in line with the game's theme. Harry Williams put 9 drops, 3 orbits, 2 spinners and 4 flippers on this table. Lots to do and lots of shots. The bonus tic-tac-toe is multiplied 3x for each bank of targets on this table. This game is surprisingly fast. My favorite color is green.

The Cons:
I am seriously surprised by the layout of the flippers. I thought there would be more to do on this part of the PF. Not the easiest game to step up to and play immediately. The saucer on the upper left of the PF was a strange choice... why not keep it an orbit? Oh well...

The Takeaway:
I have to admit, I am still learning how to play this table. I just need some time and play the game (or play it with someone who knows it well) and really learn the x-y-z bonus scheme and the other intricacies of this table. Scores will be updated at that time.

Update:
This game is righteous! The more I play it, the more I like it. The art pax is solid and the rules are eternally challenging once you know what to do with your 3 tic-tac-toe plates. At first I thought that the 4 flipper layout was a gimme until i found that I was consistently throwing the ball in between the center flippers when the upper flipper dropped down and pushed the ball into the trough from a trapped ball on the lower flippers. This means that your traps will have to take place on the upper flippers or your on the fly skills must be activated when you think that a simple trap will do the trick. Backhand and flipper placement shots from each of the flippers to the drop target banks/ spinner lanes mean that each of the 4 flippers has its own strategy/ strength of play. Spell BIG GAME for big points at the upper lefthand saucer. Get all 9 targets down on each of the 3 banks if you can for the 27k + 3x X each completed line at 5k (24 in total) means your score shoots through the roof. It also has that "Gotta hit that last drop target" quality to it compounded with the "is the shot I need to make on the x-y-z bank that needs to be lit. A perfect blend of pinball luck and pinball skills! Harry Williams makes you think and work with this deck. Don't believe me? Check out the Keith Elwin narrarated PAPA 14 Classics battle featuring the Birnbaum/Augenstein battle. You can find it here: http://pinball.org/videos/tournament/papa/papa-14-classics-big-game/ I can't wait to get mine into my stable. For a game this wide and this open... it is deadly fast! There are a few of the Stern (v1) games that I really like. This is one of them.

Stars (getting one!)
Meteor
Ali
Seawitch
Stargazer
Nineball
Magic
Dracula
and a few others that I can't recall at the moment.

Scores raised accordingly. Tic-Tac-Tiger... ACTIVATE!

Update:
Traded this game towards another game I really wanted. I hated letting go of this deck, but the other one was calling me bigtime. Would love to find another again and put it back in the stable.

Caucasian2Step edited previous rating on April 01, 2014.
Caucasian2Step has this game on the wishlist.

7.076/10

6 years ago

JJ

Hoopjohn

Pinside member

Eagle River, WI

7y 49,900 494 4 32

My 2nd pinball. Like the widebody, the "stampede" music, and the backglass. Fairly basic game, but good for its time.

Hoopjohn edited previous rating on December 30, 2013.
Hoopjohn has this game on the wishlist.

7.582/10

7 years ago

DPM

dmesserly

Pinside member

Potomac Falls, VA

7y 66,400 640 7 17

Really fun drop target pin with complex scoring rules that bring strategy to shot selection. With the bingo-style cards, you have to pay attention to what's lit and when to complete targets. The Big Game feature is fun and spinners are good.

dmesserly edited previous rating on March 15, 2015.
dmesserly has owned this game in the past.

5.517/10

7 years ago

???

jbow

Inactive member

Unknown

7y 3,750 6 7

I played this game a few times and at first it was ok but then became bored of it quickly.

8.775/10

7 years ago

PHH

phh0999

Inactive member

Newport, MA

8y 25,900 2 11 31

Big Game is another great Stern title that may not be appreciated as much as it should? For a "widebody" (it's wider than a standard pin, but not as wide as a Bally or Williams widebody) it is very fast when set up properly. At first it is confusion with the cards that you have to fill in like bingo, but once you figure out that its the drop targets it can be a real challenge to get the number you need when the x y or z card is lit...not sure how this relates to big game animals, but who cares its pinball right? Of course the ever popular spelling out big game and hitting the saucer kick out in a timely fashion is always fun. Stern did a great job with the quality of the sounds in this era compared to the comp. imho, and Big Game's increasing back beat the longer the ball is in play is intense ala Meteor. the quad flippers requires new or different flipper skills, you can't trap with the bottom set , and have to be reactive, it does speed up the game though. Programming has to be reviewed on this game to combine fun factor with challenge for more experienced players. First Big Game I played was a clunker and I almost passed on purchasing a nice one for my collection, but boy am I glad I didn't! An added bonus for some maybe "family friendly" artwork as opposed to the women, wizards, etc. so much a part of pinball culture esp. late 70's early 80's.

phh0999 has owned this game in the past.

8.114/10

8 years ago

AJR

guymontag451

WedgeHead

Portland, OR

8y 80,800 1,006 26 117

There's something about these early 80s pins for me. A truer ruleset than the EMs of before, better sounds, and the artwork is the best from any pin era IMO. Big Game is a well designed widebody from the first Stern company incarnation. The backglass is a showstopper, and the game has double stacked flippers on each side giving the illusion of claws while you play. Designed by Harry Williams (the founder of Williams), this game is a great piece of pinball history, as well as a lot of fun.

guymontag451 edited previous rating on December 08, 2011.

8.190/10

8 years ago

BUK

pinballslave

Pinside member

Litvinov

8y 111K 3,209 127 149

Interesting strategy game... what should I hit next... eh emo :)

pinballslave currently owns this game.

1

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