Evansville, IN
I had only heard of this game in a mocking tone. I watched a few of videos on it (PAPA, TNT, one from Germany), and I thought it looked kind of cool. One appeared here on Pinside at a price far below other machines, so I gave it serious consideration, did a little more research, and decided to go ahead and try it.
I ended up with a solid players' class game that was esthetically acceptable but worked well. Having played it over 50 times now, I think I can say it's an underrated game. I really enjoy playing it as I am not all about deep rule sets and modes - I just want to play pinball. The rules are simple: get multiball and "throw" fruit at the band. And really, who could not love dancing cacti??!!
There is a sufficient degree of difficulty to keep me coming back. It reminds me of Class of 1812 in a way, which should be no surprise as some of the design team worked on both games... and the pins came out of Gottlieb in the same year.
Pinside rating
This game has received 40 approved Pinsider ratings. 10 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. 2 of us have rated this game.
Found 17 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 17 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 1.
List options
7.435/10
3 years ago
Victoria, BC
It’s no twilight zone, but that would be comparing apples to oranges.
What we have here is a campy game that doesn’t even try to take itself serious.
Worthy of a place in any collection, but the keyword is “collection”. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone only looking for 1 machine.
What we have here is a campy game that doesn’t even try to take itself serious.
Worthy of a place in any collection, but the keyword is “collection”. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone only looking for 1 machine.
7.401/10
3 years ago
I really don't understand the seemingly overwhelming disdain for Jack's. While it's certainly not the deepest game in the world AND it can be made into a one-shot wonder via the pretty easy-to-hit left ramp, if one actually plays the game as intended it's got enough variety to entertain and it's certainly amusing. I can agree that the music and callouts could get annoying and repetitive after a while and that's why I wouldn't recommend Cactus Jack's for a single-pin lineup, but as a part of a 4-5+ pin row I think it can hold its own.
Kids love the wackiness and the easier approachability of Jack's, but it can certainly offer a challenge just as well.
I enjoy this game and I'm happy I was able to add it to my lineup. I'll probably never understand those who absolutely hate this game, because I think it's a good amount of fun. Time will tell if it has staying power in the lineup.
Kids love the wackiness and the easier approachability of Jack's, but it can certainly offer a challenge just as well.
I enjoy this game and I'm happy I was able to add it to my lineup. I'll probably never understand those who absolutely hate this game, because I think it's a good amount of fun. Time will tell if it has staying power in the lineup.
8.832/10
7 years ago
I wish I could own this table, it is my girlfriend and I's favorite to play together. It is easy to get a mutiball, and has all of the elements a modern pre DMD table should have. It is very similar in feel of play to Class of 1812, only it is WAY more colorful. This reason I rate this so highly is its theme. I love this era Gottieb tables because they didn't need to license EVERY table to some band or movie, they excersized creativity and they had the guts to market WACKY themed tables like this. Its whimsical, light hearted, and JUST PLAIN FUN!
For one second, please, think about this with me: You are driving across country, say route 66, on your own quest of self understanding. The sun is setting, your throat is feeling dry so you pull off and into the loose gravel lot of some wooden saloon that's seen better days. Waking past the other parked motorcycles, trucks, horses you hear banjos and tuba's and as you kick open the swinging doors you don't know what to expect. What you walk into is a classic American Honky Tonk filled with cowboys, fruit people, and beautiful women in the middle of a GIANT FOOD FIGHT to the amazing POLKA tunes cranked out by a band of German Cacti.
Whoa, seriously, who comes up with this stuff? I'd like to shake their hand. This table is a freakin' goldmine of fun. hands down.
For one second, please, think about this with me: You are driving across country, say route 66, on your own quest of self understanding. The sun is setting, your throat is feeling dry so you pull off and into the loose gravel lot of some wooden saloon that's seen better days. Waking past the other parked motorcycles, trucks, horses you hear banjos and tuba's and as you kick open the swinging doors you don't know what to expect. What you walk into is a classic American Honky Tonk filled with cowboys, fruit people, and beautiful women in the middle of a GIANT FOOD FIGHT to the amazing POLKA tunes cranked out by a band of German Cacti.
Whoa, seriously, who comes up with this stuff? I'd like to shake their hand. This table is a freakin' goldmine of fun. hands down.
7.404/10
7 years ago
This pin is a good example of Gottlieb in this era. It is vibrant and colorful. The game play is pure fun. The real deficit is the game quality. One of the things we look for when we consider a game for renovation is playfield. It never works out if the playfield needs extensive restoration to deal with wear down to the wood. It is for that reason that we have not seen one that would make a good candidate for restoration in a few years. I would love to find one new in the box just to protect it properly. The game is that fun.
8.458/10
9 years ago
Never even heard of this before playing at PAPA this week....where has it been! This is awesome. There are dancing cacti in the back....yes, dancing cacti. It kinda reminds me if you gave a sixth grader the chance to make a pinball this is what they would have done.
Very simple ruleset, however it is odd. Tossing fruit? Yea, that's a mode. The art is also odd at best, not all that appealing backglass.
It is very fun. I tottally enjoyed it...will play again. Wouldn't mind owning either.
Very simple ruleset, however it is odd. Tossing fruit? Yea, that's a mode. The art is also odd at best, not all that appealing backglass.
It is very fun. I tottally enjoyed it...will play again. Wouldn't mind owning either.
8.226/10
11 years ago
Villejuif
That game is not as bad as its ranking suggests !
The theme is well..odd. Music changes a lot depending on game phase - which is nice -. Scoring is imbalanced by the left loop, which can score millions again and again. Bonus scoring is a bit too simple. But the game has flow and I kind of like its artwork - that's a minority report, I know!
Edit: played it again... found it even better. Now my ratings are way above average (but I do not own the machine!)
The theme is well..odd. Music changes a lot depending on game phase - which is nice -. Scoring is imbalanced by the left loop, which can score millions again and again. Bonus scoring is a bit too simple. But the game has flow and I kind of like its artwork - that's a minority report, I know!
Edit: played it again... found it even better. Now my ratings are way above average (but I do not own the machine!)
6.963/10
11 years ago
Goofy and therefore a blast. Have a good laugh.The dancing cacti alone make this thing fun. These Gottlieb games are tanks too. Quite durable and dependable machines in my limited experience. Kind of wore out on it a bit though. Didn't have the repeat play staying power I hoped for.
There are 17 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 1.
You too can add your own comment by rating this game! Click here to rate this game!
Over the years
Visualizing this game's rating and rank over the years
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
