Pinside rating
This game received 102 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.670 /10
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.804
Artwork: 7.751
Sounds/Music: 6.68
Other Aspects: 7.772
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 4 of us have rated this game.
Found 43 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 43 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.656/10
7 months ago
South Hadley, MA
You have to consider this game to it's era and my rating is with that in mind. Other comments here get into the games objectives so I won't restate them but it is a straight forward shooters game to hit the drop down and stand up targets and ultimately get BLACKOUT! It is not a real difficult machine but it is fun, the sounds take you back to the early 80s and I like the playfield and back glass a lot. If you like the early solid state era of machines, it would be one to add to a collection. If you need all the bells and whistles of today's machines to keep you happy, then you would probably be bored by it.
8.146/10
7 months ago
Blackout is a somewhat overlooked gem that finally seems to be getting the recognition it deserves. It has a great theme and art package with one of the coolest mirrored back glasses out there. While the rules are simplistic by modern standards, they’re still fun and give players a variety of strategies to choose from. Do you go for the three “conditions” to light the saucer for Blackout? Repeat the super satisfying and increasingly more lucrative orbit shot to rack up points and light an extra ball? Shoot the top right drop bank twice to juice the left spinners for 1,000 points? Or try your luck and go for a combination of everything? The speech and sound effects are classic Williams and the oscillating background drone sounds like the interior of a spaceship and really suits the game. Achieving Blackout, the game’s signature feature, in a dark room still feels cool, even if it’s not as mind-blowing as it must have been 40 years ago. When set up correctly, the game plays fast and somewhat merciless. This means it’s even more satisfying to send the ball careening around the orbit or rip one of the three spinners with a well timed shot. My only critique is that the spinners change the pitch of the background sound which can temporarily affect one’s enjoyment of the game. Sometimes you’ll wind up with an ear-piercing shrill until you hit one of the spinners again and it drops back to the bottom of the range. This happens less frequently than some have stated, but it still can be distracting when it does. Overall, Blackout is an underrated early solid state game that is finally beginning to creep out from under the shadow of its more popular brother, Firepower. In my opinion, it’s the better of the two games with a more interesting playfield layout, better shots and a better executed space theme. A must play on location if you’re a fan of the era and a great addition to a home collection.
7.723/10
8 months ago
London
Played a few times at Pinball Republic.
I knew nothing about Blackout when I started playing, and didn’t know either the history, the rules or about the ‘blackout’ lightshow.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed shooting the drop-down targets (especially the top right-hand set) and ripping the left-hand spinner. The shots were generally extremely satisfying and the playfield felt stacked with features for the period (multiple sets of drop targets, pop-out holes, etc.).
The sci-fi theme is cool and I liked the 80s artwork.
I knew nothing about Blackout when I started playing, and didn’t know either the history, the rules or about the ‘blackout’ lightshow.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed shooting the drop-down targets (especially the top right-hand set) and ripping the left-hand spinner. The shots were generally extremely satisfying and the playfield felt stacked with features for the period (multiple sets of drop targets, pop-out holes, etc.).
The sci-fi theme is cool and I liked the 80s artwork.
7.556/10
10 months ago
Owned this one after having it on my wish list for quite a while. Great flow for an early solid state machine. “Orbit Completed” is always satisfying! It is always fun to rip a lit spinner, though I dock this game for not giving you a reason to shoot the right spinner. Such a cool shot that is totally wasted! Sad. Also points deducted for the ever grating rise in background sound pitch that begs you to hit the spinner just to cycle it back to a less grating sound. Achieving “Blackout” was a decent gimmick for its time. Love the outer space theme though the backglass art is a mixed bag. Still, the mirroring and overall presentation is nice. Ultimately the rules were just not satisfying enough for this to be a keeper. Hoping that someone does a rewrite someday!
9.305/10
1 year ago
This game is SOLID for the era. I have newer games and find myself playing Blackout a lot more than some of the newer games. IT is great old school pinball without being boring. Sounds and light show for the era are GREAT. Game is tough, but makes me always want to play one more game.
8.061/10
1 year ago
Blackout is the earliest SS game in my collection. I bought my copy in rather poor condition, and have done a fairly extensive "restoration" of the machine. In my case, the previous owner had been given the machine by his brother-in-law as a non-working parts donor, and decided to see if he could make it work again. He installed all new boards (except the main MPU), re-pinned the connectors, and got it functioning again. The only electronic addition I have done is to add Frank's coin battery holder (for Williams System 6 machines). I gave it a pretty full cosmetic work-over, including installing the wonderful Pinball Hardtop polycarbonate playfield. Of course, this required removing and de-populating the entire upper part of the playfield and sanding it down to prep it for the Hardtop application. I also added Comet LEDs and a brand new mirrored backglass. Then, after that, I spend a fair bit of time tuning all the stuff that I had removed and replaced!
This game is really fun to play. The ruleset is simple and understandable--the goal is to complete the three sets of targets and qualify the Blackout shot. That gives you the incredible Blackout light-show! (I say this tongue in cheek, because it's incredible only by 1980 standards.) The shots that get you there are very interesting and satisfying to hit. Particularly with the ultra-smooth Hardtop playfield surface, it's really fun to pick off the shots needed to accomplish the mission. The drops are fun to hit, the stand-ups are way more fun than you might expect, and the three separate spinner shots are smooth and pretty awesome.
Sounds are pretty bad--but again, you need to remember that some of this stuff was pretty ground-breaking clear back in 1980. I added a hidden modification that involves a micro-MP3 player under the playfield that is triggered by hitting the Blackout saucer hole. When that happens, a song is played through a sound bar that is in the coin box area. I selected the song "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina, after being inspired by a Youtube video that incorporated the song as background music at the end.
This particular machine is special to me because of the work I did to it--work which really helped me learn a great deal about how early SS games function.
This game is really fun to play. The ruleset is simple and understandable--the goal is to complete the three sets of targets and qualify the Blackout shot. That gives you the incredible Blackout light-show! (I say this tongue in cheek, because it's incredible only by 1980 standards.) The shots that get you there are very interesting and satisfying to hit. Particularly with the ultra-smooth Hardtop playfield surface, it's really fun to pick off the shots needed to accomplish the mission. The drops are fun to hit, the stand-ups are way more fun than you might expect, and the three separate spinner shots are smooth and pretty awesome.
Sounds are pretty bad--but again, you need to remember that some of this stuff was pretty ground-breaking clear back in 1980. I added a hidden modification that involves a micro-MP3 player under the playfield that is triggered by hitting the Blackout saucer hole. When that happens, a song is played through a sound bar that is in the coin box area. I selected the song "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina, after being inspired by a Youtube video that incorporated the song as background music at the end.
This particular machine is special to me because of the work I did to it--work which really helped me learn a great deal about how early SS games function.
7.564/10
2 years ago
Kaiserslautern
My first pin ever.
Yes, it is old, yes no multiball.
But to reach the goal is a nice journey and the effect is mega. BLACKOUT BLACKOUT BLACKOUT.
Would i buy this pin again?
Yes, but only for sentimental reason.
Pins of today are more interesting than the old ones (only my opinion) with few exceptions (Fathom, Centaur,...).
Yes, it is old, yes no multiball.
But to reach the goal is a nice journey and the effect is mega. BLACKOUT BLACKOUT BLACKOUT.
Would i buy this pin again?
Yes, but only for sentimental reason.
Pins of today are more interesting than the old ones (only my opinion) with few exceptions (Fathom, Centaur,...).
7.899/10
2 years ago
One thing is for sure, I like sci-fi themed games, especially generic ones like this. I love the artwork style and the gameplay keeps me coming back. Games do not last long which is typical of this era and there isn't a multiball, however I'm focusing too much on my strategy to miss it. I feel this game is a little more forgiving than others of its era like firepower. Not only are you trying to complete the backhole but you're also racking up bonus and building up the spinners, there is surprisingly a lot going on. I've had this game for a few months now but I still keep coming back for more. It's definitely a great "just one more game" pin. I also really like the sound in this game. I've played others with a background drone, but I really like the way the spinners affect the drone, it's a very nice touch.
7.292/10
2 years ago
The artwork is amazing, and I really enjoy the computerized voice. The gameplay for me is good, but not great.
8.823/10
3 years ago
I can't get enough of this pin.
If drops and spinners are your thing, THIS IS THE PIN!
Takes you back to 1980 too. Those sounds. That voice!
Edited to include:
Honestly, when someone asks you what pin they should buy as their first pin Blackout should be one of the first few that come to mind.
It has the "one more game factor"
The game is simple enough to learn for beginners.
It remains challenging (those greens ain't all that easy to aim at) and the Blackout hole is frustratingly easy to hit when you haven't met the mission objectives and elusive when you have.
The worst is when you hit everything on the first ball and mercilessly drain in short order right from the spinners.
This is fast, pure pinball.
The only complaint is that it is a single ball game.
I love this pin so much I own two!
If drops and spinners are your thing, THIS IS THE PIN!
Takes you back to 1980 too. Those sounds. That voice!
Edited to include:
Honestly, when someone asks you what pin they should buy as their first pin Blackout should be one of the first few that come to mind.
It has the "one more game factor"
The game is simple enough to learn for beginners.
It remains challenging (those greens ain't all that easy to aim at) and the Blackout hole is frustratingly easy to hit when you haven't met the mission objectives and elusive when you have.
The worst is when you hit everything on the first ball and mercilessly drain in short order right from the spinners.
This is fast, pure pinball.
The only complaint is that it is a single ball game.
I love this pin so much I own two!
7.718/10
3 years ago
Saint-pierre
Blackout is a very straight forward game, the oldest in my small collection so I am wondering if old games are always like that.
Things to do are easy to get, you never feel cheated by anything.
The blackout hole is quite hard to get to but the other targets and features are easy to reach.
I need to play it more but for now I don't understand why it's so well rated compared to others pinballs I have that are well below in the pinside top and that feel a lot more appealing to me.
Things to do are easy to get, you never feel cheated by anything.
The blackout hole is quite hard to get to but the other targets and features are easy to reach.
I need to play it more but for now I don't understand why it's so well rated compared to others pinballs I have that are well below in the pinside top and that feel a lot more appealing to me.
8.294/10
5 years ago
My favorite System 6 game. One of the best backglasses of all time. The primary colors really pop against the black. Cabinet art is nothing to write home about, but is still decent for the time.
The machine has an extremely easy to understand objective (blackout) that is still difficult to achieve and always brings you back for one more game to get there. Explaining the high-level objective to a new player takes all of about 30 seconds and they are off and playing.
Great game for learning shot accuracy. Watching the blackout and then the progressive relighting if the playfield is always awesome.
Sound is great for the theme. Gorgar-style language was about as good as it was at the time. Resume Blackout Mission!
The machine has an extremely easy to understand objective (blackout) that is still difficult to achieve and always brings you back for one more game to get there. Explaining the high-level objective to a new player takes all of about 30 seconds and they are off and playing.
Great game for learning shot accuracy. Watching the blackout and then the progressive relighting if the playfield is always awesome.
Sound is great for the theme. Gorgar-style language was about as good as it was at the time. Resume Blackout Mission!
8.406/10
6 years ago
For an early SS, this is a fun game. While more basic than newer games, the Blackout is fun to try to achieve, first by hitting the various targets and then going for the Blackout hole to achieve the Blackout. Makes you want to keep playing until you achieve that goal. Speech is basic, but a part of history (early speech in pinball that they starting to eliminate for awhile when pinball was going downhill and they were looking to save costs). Artwork is good/classic space theme. Guests also like this game as it's easy to explain to them what to do. Overall, despite being the oldest game in my collection, I find myself playing it as much as the other newer games,
5.304/10
7 years ago
Black Out has exciting backglass art that over-hypes the game before the first plunge. I didn't find any of the features particularly interesting, and the game was a little sluggish at times. Not a keeper, but worth pressing start on a few times just to see why.
Magione
8.940/10
7 years ago
blast from the early solid state years. Good gimmick with the blackout effect. Well tuned game can be very fast. Often overlooked as the cousin of the more successful Firepower. No multi-ball, but does have basic speech and lane change.
7.995/10
7 years ago
SUMMMARY
I think this machine is in the top-5 single ball players for solid states. It’s in elite company with four Sterns: Seawitch, Stargazer, Quicksilver, and Big Game.
Blackout is a fascinating piece of pinball history being smack in between Williams Gorgar, and Williams Firepower. Here’s how it's similar to what came before it:
GORGAR:
* rules
* light show
* sounds
FIREPOWER
* art package
* cabinet
* backglass
LAYOUT:
Action/Per/Minute: high
Backhands: excellent. left flipper can make the left orbit
Dink Donk: very good. Not much of it.
Drops: two banks, neither is directly sweepable
Flippers: 2
Goal: Complete 3 banks of targets to earn Blackout in the saucer. Repeat a bank up top to light the spinner to rip it.
Inlane Lane Change: no
Inlane Swoosh: excellent, best in class like in Baracorra
Lane Change: yes
Nudging: I didn’t nudge too much
Orbits (Repeatable): Yes. Shooting left, you get rewarded for hitting multiple left orbits, but sadly there is no hurry up.
Outlane Fun: Great outlines
Pops: 3 - fun to relight 1-2-3 lanes
Rules: just ok, a bit simple.
Shots (total): 8
Skill Shot: none ?
Slap-Saves: early Williams, for sure best slap saves there are
Spinners: 3 — very fun. Raises the pitch of the background sound. You have to get used to it.
Stop'n'Go: excellent, you just earn blackout for a few seconds.
Taunting: poor. none, there’s voice but it never taunts you.
Toy/Gimmick: blackout is a cool gimmick
Voice / V. choreography: poor. not sure there’s much choreography in the game, it just lets you know what you’ve completed.
ART: very good spilled primary color crayons: red, yellow, blue, green all over the place.
SOUND: pretty good - same set as Gorgar
DISPLAYS: fun backglass
FEEL: feels great
OVERALL: it’s almost an excellent game: I give it “a very good” due to:
* single ball
* no taunting
* average rules for that era
* I’d prefer better sounds on the spinner rips
I think this machine is in the top-5 single ball players for solid states. It’s in elite company with four Sterns: Seawitch, Stargazer, Quicksilver, and Big Game.
Blackout is a fascinating piece of pinball history being smack in between Williams Gorgar, and Williams Firepower. Here’s how it's similar to what came before it:
GORGAR:
* rules
* light show
* sounds
FIREPOWER
* art package
* cabinet
* backglass
LAYOUT:
Action/Per/Minute: high
Backhands: excellent. left flipper can make the left orbit
Dink Donk: very good. Not much of it.
Drops: two banks, neither is directly sweepable
Flippers: 2
Goal: Complete 3 banks of targets to earn Blackout in the saucer. Repeat a bank up top to light the spinner to rip it.
Inlane Lane Change: no
Inlane Swoosh: excellent, best in class like in Baracorra
Lane Change: yes
Nudging: I didn’t nudge too much
Orbits (Repeatable): Yes. Shooting left, you get rewarded for hitting multiple left orbits, but sadly there is no hurry up.
Outlane Fun: Great outlines
Pops: 3 - fun to relight 1-2-3 lanes
Rules: just ok, a bit simple.
Shots (total): 8
Skill Shot: none ?
Slap-Saves: early Williams, for sure best slap saves there are
Spinners: 3 — very fun. Raises the pitch of the background sound. You have to get used to it.
Stop'n'Go: excellent, you just earn blackout for a few seconds.
Taunting: poor. none, there’s voice but it never taunts you.
Toy/Gimmick: blackout is a cool gimmick
Voice / V. choreography: poor. not sure there’s much choreography in the game, it just lets you know what you’ve completed.
ART: very good spilled primary color crayons: red, yellow, blue, green all over the place.
SOUND: pretty good - same set as Gorgar
DISPLAYS: fun backglass
FEEL: feels great
OVERALL: it’s almost an excellent game: I give it “a very good” due to:
* single ball
* no taunting
* average rules for that era
* I’d prefer better sounds on the spinner rips
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