Bally

Centaur II

Pinside Rating

This game received 60 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.630 _/10

7.63

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #161 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.744

Artwork: 7.724

Sounds/Music: 6.9

Other Aspects: 7.603

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.

6.211

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Found 27 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 27 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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9.937/10

6 months ago

???

splattii

Pinside member

1y 34,650 227 12

The most underrated game on pinside simply because it's identical to Centaur inside of a different cab. It's half the price and an entire point lower allowing the buyer to save a couple grand. Makes no sense. I own one of these and an Eight Ball Deluxe. When people want to debate the best flat / single level playfield game, especially from the 70's and 80's, I don't see how this one doesn't come out on top. While Eight Ball Deluxe might have a bigger following, Centaur was well ahead of its time and more so brings something to pinball many tables don't, being unique. In my humble opinion, and it took a bit of getting used to (it's a pain to work on as the heads are so small), this cab is better than the original as it just adds to the overall package. Black and White playfield looking like it was drawn by H. R. Giger, a built in reverb unit that can be adjusted and creates the best 80's vocals in pinball, 5 ball multiball, so many things to shoot for, so many ways to get to multiball, the way multiball begins.... so awesome and so essential. The only thing it's missing is a spinner and an outer loop shot. This thing drips in awesome factor, screams 80's and might be the closest thing to a heavy metal pinball machine. Simply awesome and amazingly enough worth the price of admission, even at the price of the original cab. Hall of Fame level game especially when considering its release date

8.495/10

3 years ago

WAB

FlySlyde

Inactive member

3y 19,750 57

Don’t mind the Rapid Fire cab and actually kinda like having the scores on the lower part. Might change my mind if I owned it, but on location I keep going back to it.

FlySlyde has this game on the wishlist.

6.800/10

3 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,120 23 271

Quite simply one of the most underrated pins out there...but people are finding out...so prices are rising.
It is basically a centaur in a different cabinet at half the price. What's not to like?

Daditude edited previous rating on November 30, 2020.
Daditude has this game on the wishlist.

6.174/10

3 years ago

DVA

Ambro

Pinside member

4y 25,400 30 7

I understand the whole right side flipper thing but it's a downer for me. The artwork is so good but the game itself lacks and the shots, although good, don't make me want to keep playing to better myself on it.

9.290/10

3 years ago

NWR

paulbaptiste

Pinside+ Frequent

Danville, IL

4y 128K 2,194 15 17 1

Being new to pinball the cabinet and smaller back glass of centaur 2 do not bother me at all. It was a benefit being able to purchase this version at a much better price than the full size original. That is the only difference between the two and it's incredible how much lower this version ranks below the original because if it.

I absolutely love Centaur. I've never felt the drive to aim so consistently on any other game I own. Shooting the orbs and trying to get the 1-4 drop targets in sequence keeps me focused and engaged the entire time. The ability to earn multiball through several different means creates a balance and game save opportunities that can completely change the outcome of a game.

The art and sound are incredible and set the tone better than any other game I own. It sets itself apart and will not be leaving my game room anytime soon.

paulbaptiste has owned this game in the past.

8.324/10

4 years ago

JVE

Jappie

Pinside member

11y 106K 1,069 56

Centaur II is a proud member of Bally's Class of '81 in a recycled Rapid Fire suit.

Very refreshing, original gameplay for a classic Bally. Artwork is original too, with the blacks, whites and reds. Same goes for the sounds with the reverb.

Centaur needs to be setup to play hard and fast. A Centaur that plays too slow or too easy can play forever, hurting the replay value tremendously. But when setup the right way, this is a great rush of pinball.

9.479/10

4 years ago

RFK

R8f1k

Pinside member

Grayslake, IL

10y 40,200 345 8 16

One of the best pins ever made. I should have bought Centaur instead of Centaur II, but I was young and dumb. I had this game for 14 years, making it the longest run I had with one game. I traded it on a Simpsons Pinball Party. I should have skipped that trade. Still wish I had that sinister music and the taunts by the beast. Probably one of the best multiball there was for the 80s.

R8f1k has owned this game in the past.

8.880/10

5 years ago

JAS

pinheadaustralia

Pinhead Australia

5y 40,150 3 81 23

Whats not to like. It's half man, half motorbike. This game is tough and fast - we have it down at our League. Yes the cabinet shape kind of sucks, but thats about it.

pinheadaustralia currently owns this game.

8.435/10

5 years ago

CCH

Frostbite

Pinside member

Scottsbluff, NE

5y 42,900 32 11 30

Probably my favorite pin that doesn't have any ramps or any fancy stuff. Everything just flows nice. Back box sucks the big one.

4.297/10

6 years ago

BC

fodorfolde

Pinside member

Waterloo, ON

6y 38,050 28 4 61

OK, Centaur is a favourite game. This reissue is ruined by the backbox ridiculousness. I don't even know/care why they did it... but I HATE it so much I wouldn't pick one up no matter the deal.

fodorfolde edited previous rating on January 17, 2018.

1.000/10

6 years ago

TRG

TomGWI

Pinside member

12y 143K 10,945 156

Rating this low until it is combines with Centaur like every other game on here that is combined together. Turrible Pinside!

9.200/10

6 years ago

ALA

aladinice

Pinside member

Menton

12y 47,650 2 71 71

a marvellous machine typicall of eighties years ....the great design of Paul Faris is fantastic and I love this sound of the 80's ! centaur and centaur 2 are 2 wonderfull pinball of Bally with a good game play ....not easy to find in mint condition actually ....

7.246/10

6 years ago

B16

Billy16

Pinside member

11y 94,300 3,701 58

Some of the best artwork ever placed on a backglass (at least on the original version) or playfield--just beautiful! Great sounds as well. I wish the game played as good as it looks (discounting the ugly cabinet design). I was really expecting to like this one, was disappointed initially and came back to it later. It still didn't impress me, nor has it any of the subsequent times I've played it. If I had a big collection I'd buy a Centaur (most likely the original--way better design) just so I could look and marvel at it.

5.731/10

7 years ago

DOC

drsfmd

Pinside member

10y 76,550 3,156 108

What is it about scantily clad women and men with horns that made them so pervasive in the late 70s and early 80s?

By the time this machine was released, I was a regular pinball player, and was starting to discriminate between what I felt were "good" and "bad" machines, and the teenaged me would have loved the aesthetics of this game... but the teenaged me would not have been happy that my hard earned quarter would have been gone so quickly-- this game is a total drain monster.

Broadly, I didn't care for the experience of playing this game. In looking at it before I dropped my quarter in, I didn't really expect to enjoy the experience, but I did it anyway, since I hadn't ever seen this title in person. I'm glad I dropped in a quarter to satisfy my need of saying that I played the game, but there's absolutely nothing about the game that would make me want to drop in another quarter and try it again.

6.968/10

7 years ago

AGB

Ramtuathal

Pinside member

Louisville, KY

8y 63,650 123 1 148

Same pf as the first Centaur, and not really improved upon anywhere else. For Centaurs (both I and II), it seems like some are fantastic and some need serious tuning (one of the games with the widest ranges of terrible to great that I've seen in the wild). The multiball start is fun, and I really like the "cheater" holes between the outlanes and inlanes. It's a game that seems to have everything and can be a super fun experience, but you gotta get one that has been set up juussssst right.

I'd love to have a Centaur in my collection (I or II, preferably the first one though). Play as many as you can wherever you can just to see how they vary in the wild.

Ramtuathal has this game on the wishlist.

1.000/10

8 years ago

DOK

ziddosi

Inactive member

Magione

12y 26,250 8 81

horrible design, pinball theater, one of the worst ever seen

8.154/10

9 years ago

JCZ

Meegis

Pinside member

9y 100K 2,741 242

God awful rehash of terrible cabinet design.

Otherwise, game is fantastic

7.869/10

9 years ago

ARS

thedefog

Pinside member

10y 93,350 5,673 72

Possibly the best artwork in all of pinball, awesome ahead of its time speech processing and delay, adding to the creepy aesthetic. Why is it that Centaur II, the same game as Centaur I in a different cabinet, ends up 20 or so spots behind? I don't really understand this. Regardless, for an early SS (no ramp) game, there isn't anything else out there that can compare.

thedefog edited previous rating on April 19, 2016.

10.000/10

9 years ago

SWB

Scubascotti

Inactive member

Hillston

10y 13,250 1 25

Exceptional game. One of the very best pins from the best era of pinball.
I finally added this game to my collection, wasn't cheap, but worth every penny.
Centaur 2 is hard to find, they don't get listed for sale often as nobody wants to let it go, & when they do list it the price goes up up & up!
I chose the LE Centaur 2 over the original Centaur, IMO a game as unique as Centaur deserves a unique cabinet, & I just think it looks better.
To sum it up this is a great game easy 10/10 & definite keeper.

7.330/10

10 years ago

ROB

RobKnapp

Pinside member

Colorado Springs, CO

13y 110K 3,116 13 183

Fun for its era

4.642/10

10 years ago

???

junus

Inactive member

ZÃ¼rich

10y 4,750 2 8

not my thing! didn't like it

6.726/10

10 years ago

ATE

AdamTheGamer

Pinside member

11y 56,150 270 2 133

Like the first game, I like the art style in some areas of the playfield, and find some of the shots to be pretty enjoyable. However, just about everything else is either "Not So Good" to "Decent."

7.762/10

11 years ago

NIK

Three60in

Pinside member

Rockford, IL

11y 62,050 465 24 7 1

This is exactly the same as Centaur in a goofy cabinet. That doesn't make it not a classic. Love this game. Quite challenging to get a high score. And the multi ball / orb rules are way ahead of its time.

8.828/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Centaur is an absolutely wonderful game. This is the best example of a game that bridges EM rulesets and the more modern and complex tables of the 90's and beyond.

The Pros:
Jim Patla and his entire team did a marvelous job considering the tech available, this game is a wonder of engineering. The amount of information packed into a 16kb (yes that's right Kilobyte) Rom is staggering. It's almost as impressive as Eugene Jarvis cramming 20k of code to create Defender. Game play requires skill, aim (don't mess up your orbs seq.) and nudging from the out to the inlanes. inline drop targets, magnets at the top of the pf when multiball starts when you hit the timed skill shot from the flippers.

The Cons:
No multiball multiplier, but this may be ridiculous with 5 balls on the pf. Enjoy the chaos while you can.

The Takeaway:
The game play is absolutely superb. The art is incredible. Paul Faris did a brilliant job with the entire package. Please remember that pinball is a getaway from reality. It is fantasy, just like reality TV. Some people still don't get it though. I think that this is their own (daft) opinion and their opinion matters to them. This same pinball crowd would probably like yellow smiley faces on their shirts and believe that Strawberry Shortcake is a GREAT theme for a pinball game. For these points of view, I have a joke to pose to them: What's black, white and red all over...?

Update: The more I play this game, the more I find that the strategies are directed towards building and collecting bonus (my favorite game ruleset from this vintage) and that it tops out with the bonus collect from the right lane to the top of the PF. Combined with an O-R-B-S multiball stack, this means that you are constantly juggling to control the deck while deciding where you want to place your shots as accurately as possible. Releasing all the captive O-R-B-S is always satisfying. It's not always easy to get to bonus max 5x, but this game definitely needs to be tuned and adjusted to keep players from running away with their scores on this table. Getting to that maxed out bonus SHOULD be very difficult to do. Read your manual, make your rules as hard as you can, steepen this table out and wax it to a shiny surface. Consider removing the upper outlane bumpers and see how well you can play pinball now...

Update v2:
I have had to nastify this deck even more to keep it interesting. With that in mind, I am playing it less and less. So, the dream is over for me. I'm selling my copy to make room for other games I'd rather play. Who wants to trade for a Frontier?

Caucasian2Step edited previous rating on February 10, 2016.
Caucasian2Step has owned this game in the past.

8.150/10

11 years ago

JLM

jlm33

Pinside member

Villejuif

11y 152K 5,892 7 169

I share Lorenz' view on the rules, music, lights and game play (all excellent). On the other hand, I do not enjoy Playfield, cabinet and BG art that much.

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