Big Guns was one of the first pins I ever got to play in real life. It sat next to Lord of the Rings in a local arcade at the mall. Being a teen in the 2010s typically means you never get the arcade experience of the 80s and 90s, but I got pretty lucky to live so close to a place with a couple pins and other arcade classics. It recently closed down, but when the opportunity came to buy that same Big Guns, I couldn't pass it up, and I'm really glad I didn't, because this game is fantastic!
The playfield design is really unique. It's almost entirely symmetric, with only a couple minor variations at the top center. No ramps, no pops, but lots of spot targets, drop targets, a few saucers and a couple tiny loops at the top. The result is a game where you can never let your guard down, and I really like enjoy that. The ball never stops moving, and when it does, it means it's probably about to be fired out of one of the two cannons! The cannons are really great toys, launching the ball through the air towards the back of the game into a wireform that whips the ball back around towards the flippers. The effect doesn't maintain its initial wow factor, but it never really gets old either, and it fits the theme perfectly. The bagatelle in the translite is also a fun toy, and thanks to it having lane change it's fairly interactive.
The rules are super simple, but with how brutal the game is that's okay. You pretty much just try to start multiball as many times as you can by loading the canons, but there's a few other things worth going for as well, such as the multipliers, or relighting the kickback and right outlane gate. What really makes this game shine though is how multiball is played. When multiball starts you'll need to shoot one of the three lit saucers. This starts a timed invincibility mode, during which the kickback, center post, and right outlane gate are all active. To score the jackpot, you must hit all the lit center spot targets before the invincibility mode ends. This works so well because it gives you an opportunity to just go crazy and bash the otherwise dangerous center targets as much as possible, without having to worry too much about draining. I have my game set up so that you need to hit all 10 of the targets in 15 seconds which makes invincibility super intense, and scoring the jackpot pretty uncommon, which I really enjoy.
Finally, the presentation on the game is incredible. Sounds and music all add to the excitement perfectly. The music, the "YOU ARE INVINCIBLE!" callout, and the lightshow that accompany invincibility all work together to make it one of the best moments in pinball IMHO. *All* the light shows in this game are fantastic though. The designers really took advantage of the symmetric playfield when choreographing them. Finally, the artwork, in typical Python fashion, is quirky, detailed, and super well integrated into the playfield design. The playfield is a warzone with soldiers running around it. The cannons are pointed at the castle you're attacking, which extends from the back of the playfield all the way up to the translite. The translite is also masked so that light only passes through certain portions of the artwork, which makes it look a lot more dynamic than most other translites. Whenever the translite GI is blinking on and off it it really grabs your attention. It's a super nice looking game, even if the stenciled cabinet artwork is a little underwhelming.
This game is bolted to the floor. When I first brought it home I knew it would be out of sentimental value, but now that I've gotten to know it better I know I'd keep it for a long time regardless. It's a bit too shallow and intense to work well in a one or two game collection I think, but as I have five games now I always enjoy putting in a few games, working up a sweat, and then cooling down with something else. Super underrated IMHO and there's quite a few System 11's that are generally more popular that I'd rank this higher than, such as F-14, Diner or Mousin' Around, which I own. It's high intensity might not be for everyone, but I'm a pretty big fan!