Pinside rating
This game received 205 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.530 /10
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game design: 7.406
Artwork: 8.101
Sounds/Music: 6.919
Other Aspects: 7.487
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 6 of us have rated this game.
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 106 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 106 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 5.
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7.323/10
3 days ago
Salina, KS
Gorgar is nostalgic for me. I grew up with these early SS machines and I remember thinking that this one was "crazy cool" that it had speech! I still look at it from that perspective and not comparing it to Medieval Madness or something new! With that in mind, it's a solid machine and fun to play but just not fun enough that I would want to own one! I would definitely play one IF it were well maintained and was at a home or arcade!
6.800/10
6 months ago
It has a lot of historical significance being the first talking pin, and it is okay for gameplay, but I don't care for the theme. So much so that I would never want to own one.
7.940/10
1 year ago
Williams did a great job on the sound here. Everyone knows it's the first pinball game with speech, but it seems like few people notice how well it's done. Yeah there are "only" 7 words, but at least you can tell what he's saying, and it even sounds like you'd think a demon would. Contrast this with Gorf, for example, or later pinball games where you can't tell what the heck they're saying. It's surprising to me anyway that the first game like this had more than just one or two words. Neat heartbeat sound too.
Art - the whole theme - all very well done, but this isn't exactly family-friendly if that's a consideration. You prooobably noticed that though.
Fun game; simple and addictive. A bit drainy at the sides. Super neat and fun magnet at the snake pit. Nice little light show when Gorgar is hurt. It's kind of easy to keep shooting the saucer. But the spinner is neat when lit and it's just a good game overall. Should be high on a bang vs. buck list.
*Wife approval* "Ew. That's creepy." Won't be taking one of these home >_>
Art - the whole theme - all very well done, but this isn't exactly family-friendly if that's a consideration. You prooobably noticed that though.
Fun game; simple and addictive. A bit drainy at the sides. Super neat and fun magnet at the snake pit. Nice little light show when Gorgar is hurt. It's kind of easy to keep shooting the saucer. But the spinner is neat when lit and it's just a good game overall. Should be high on a bang vs. buck list.
*Wife approval* "Ew. That's creepy." Won't be taking one of these home >_>
7.639/10
1 year ago
This was a tricky game for me to rate.
Cool art and an innovative game for its day. Drop targets, a spinner, a magnet. . . all good stuff.
I had fun flipping the ball around the playfield but somehow could not connect with this pin. It could be the theme. . . not a lot of horned demons and skulls as décor at my place.
Probably a good entry level pin -- a lot of value for the price.
Cool art and an innovative game for its day. Drop targets, a spinner, a magnet. . . all good stuff.
I had fun flipping the ball around the playfield but somehow could not connect with this pin. It could be the theme. . . not a lot of horned demons and skulls as décor at my place.
Probably a good entry level pin -- a lot of value for the price.
7.093/10
1 year ago
Gorgar is tough to rate and be fair to considering it was made in 1979 and for it's time was state of the art. While it was the first table to have speech by today's standards it does not hold up well. a company like Stern should revamp it. Still, though, a fun machine to dump quarters into. I still play it whenever I come across one (a pizzeria/bar in Long Beach has one).
8.087/10
1 year ago
Gorgar is a very deliriously macabre pin. I love most macabre things and I also really love heavy metal and there is a band called Helloween that made a song about this pin. So I really, really like this theme and I find the artwork to be really good as well. The backglass is just gorgeously dripping with malevolence and its use of colors is very effective. The same color scheme and art is extended to the playfield and you almost get a nice story on the playfield. Like the backglass the woman is sacrificed, but on the playfield you can fight and save her against gorgar. Like the backglass is the foreshadowing of an ominious future, one that can be avioded only if you can "Beat Gorgar". Easier said than done, because most of the time "Gorgar Beats YOU!". And that is the main gimmick of this pin the speech, only a handful of words, but that is all Gogar needs. Because, if you do play well enough he will say you not only hurt him, but you beat him. Or rather You Beat Me".
There is no real music in gorgar, but I like the use of the heartbeat while playing this pin. The better you do, the more you advance the game the quicker it speeds up. Simple rules, but effective and they require you to shoot and hit all the shots. I'm not really aware of any overpowered shot or strategy for this game that makes it unbalanced. Simple ruleset, but I like the old time rulesets. No MB. But, game is fun enough without it.
The main shot you will be going for though is probably the spinner, once you get that up.
The other shot is the Pit shot, but you need to build that up first. Has a magnet in it as well, which probably also was one of the first uses of a magnet in pinball. So this machine has a few firsts going with it. Obviously the callouts are limited, but I am judging it on what was available at the time, and this was the first talking pin. Also, Gorgar doesn't need to be chatty, he says just the right amount and that is all you need.
Fantastic art package and I really like the theme and how it all is connected from evil voice of Gorgar, to the heartbeat. Just really engrosses you in the game.
Also this is one of my favorite cab art for this era of pinball machine.
The game is fun to shoot, and while I wouldn't want to play one for hours on end, 15-25 minutes of shooting or playing is always fun for me. When I see it at expos I try to play a few games as well. If I ever get a bigger house, I hope to get a Gorgar machine. But, I really think you'd might want it to be a part of 8-10 pin collection. Think how well one would look right next to a Monster Bash, BSD, or any other horror themed pin. Fun to play game with a nice simple ruleset. Can't go wrong.
There is no real music in gorgar, but I like the use of the heartbeat while playing this pin. The better you do, the more you advance the game the quicker it speeds up. Simple rules, but effective and they require you to shoot and hit all the shots. I'm not really aware of any overpowered shot or strategy for this game that makes it unbalanced. Simple ruleset, but I like the old time rulesets. No MB. But, game is fun enough without it.
The main shot you will be going for though is probably the spinner, once you get that up.
The other shot is the Pit shot, but you need to build that up first. Has a magnet in it as well, which probably also was one of the first uses of a magnet in pinball. So this machine has a few firsts going with it. Obviously the callouts are limited, but I am judging it on what was available at the time, and this was the first talking pin. Also, Gorgar doesn't need to be chatty, he says just the right amount and that is all you need.
Fantastic art package and I really like the theme and how it all is connected from evil voice of Gorgar, to the heartbeat. Just really engrosses you in the game.
Also this is one of my favorite cab art for this era of pinball machine.
The game is fun to shoot, and while I wouldn't want to play one for hours on end, 15-25 minutes of shooting or playing is always fun for me. When I see it at expos I try to play a few games as well. If I ever get a bigger house, I hope to get a Gorgar machine. But, I really think you'd might want it to be a part of 8-10 pin collection. Think how well one would look right next to a Monster Bash, BSD, or any other horror themed pin. Fun to play game with a nice simple ruleset. Can't go wrong.
8.223/10
2 years ago
My dad wouldn't let me play Gorgar when I was a youngster. It's evil he would say. I guess it was the preacher in him. All that made me do was want to play Gorgar. I'll own one some day, but I'll have to put a cover over it when my dad comes over.
GORGAR!!!
GORGAR!!!
Sydney
8.674/10
3 years ago
for its time its pretty awesome. earlier open playfield best played slow and level, a little art repetition, but voice sound a magnetic dragon and giant red demon what more can you ask for?
6.451/10
3 years ago
London
me eat you, me Gorgar, you fucked now.
this was the first talking pin so we shouldn't be too harsh now looking back. it's beautiful to look at, especially the backglass, and it plays ok for a game of its era. didn't stay long in my collection though as I prefer a bit more going on.
me Gorgar! oh I already said that
this was the first talking pin so we shouldn't be too harsh now looking back. it's beautiful to look at, especially the backglass, and it plays ok for a game of its era. didn't stay long in my collection though as I prefer a bit more going on.
me Gorgar! oh I already said that
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