Gorgar

Williams

Gorgar

Pinside Rating

This game received 232 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.559 /10

7.559

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #183 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.473

Artwork: 8.062

Sounds/Music: 7.109

Other Aspects: 7.48


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

7.227

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Found 114 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 114 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 5.

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7.756/10
12 months ago
Not exactly sure why, but I've always liked this machine. Not sure I'd own it but I still think it's an above average game for its era.
9.159/10
1 year ago
Brought one back from the dead with no expectations. Found it to be a very fun game with a nice balanced rule set and a great layout. Love the old sounds!
7.919/10
1 year ago
This game keeps me coming back for more. Love the shots, plenty of drops and strategy. Backglass, playfield and cabinet are one of the best ever. Always fun to play.
8.294/10
1 year ago
I really enjoy the game for the time it is from. The play is not as fast or engaging as a modern pin, but it is hard to beat the bang for your buck with this one (currently about $2-3k).

The playfield is fun, even if certain shots are only available from one flipper or another. The lighting can make it feel a bit dark like a cave if you are playing in an un/poorly lit area, but I think that ads to the theme.

The sounds and voice are really clear, unlike other early talkers (I'm looking at you, Volcano), but they are very repetitive. I personally like the heart beat, but it can be disabled if it drives you nuts.

Art wise, make your own judgement. I think it is iconic for a reason, but I know my Aunt detests it as "demonic". She is also not a fan of any fantasy settings, so take that for what it's worth.
7.685/10
2 years ago
Fun game that can be had at a reasonable price.
7.192/10
2 years ago
Such a cool theme and sounds from this game. It doesn't offer a lot of uniqueness in the actual gameplay, but it deserves its place just for being it.

I hate to say I like this one for its looks and sounds more than anything else, but that's the case with this one
7.186/10
2 years ago
By modern standards this machine isn’t deep or awesome, but it was in it’s time.
9.853/10
2 years ago
One of my all time favorites! I recently added this to my collection and it's definitely my favorite game of them all. Love the cabinet art, backglass and playfield art. Demons, half naked chicks, human sacrifice all over this one. Love the heart beat and the awesome voice of Gorgar! Drop down targets, 3 pop bumpers, the snake pit magnet, spinner give you plenty to shoot for. As you progress the heartbeat increases making the game more intense. So much fun, I'll never sell it. The style isn't for everyone but all my friends who come over are automatically drawn to it. If you see one in an arcade play it. If you see one for sale buy it. If you see one that's dead bring it back to life, Gorgar will thank you with countless hellish games!
9.853/10
2 years ago
Great game that has passed the "Test of Time." Still very fun and playable after all of these years. 1st Pin with Speech. Love the Deep heartbeat sound!!!

I played this game in the arcades as a kid and I play this game in my home now :) I enjoy it as much as I did back then.
8.630/10
2 years ago
GORGAR is one tough but loveable guy!
8.648/10
2 years ago
Gorgar is a fun game to play. It has 2 sets of drop targets and a cool spinner. The snake pit magnet is a cool magnet to grab the ball. When you get the A-B-C lift on the lanes it has some great sound effect. Also, it is the first talking machine 7 words but in 1979 way ahead in the game. My wife picked it out so you can not go wrong with that.
8.903/10
2 years ago
Played this game when it first came out in 1979, and just recently added it to my game room. Fun game to play but not to happy with a system 6. l am use more to the faster more updated systems of today. Still I enjoy this game and its simple game goals of achievements.
7.206/10
3 years ago
I told myself I wouldn't start this review with "Gorgar Speaks!", but come on, the first talking pin gets a full six rating for sound and speech. The pin has a pretty good art package and is fun enough to play but it would not be my first choice in a small collection. A good spinner to rip, some drop banks, stand up targets, a saucer and a magnet in the pit. The art won't fit in everyone's game room but is tame enough if macabre is not your thing. If it is, you will want this classic next to EATPM or TWD.
6.751/10
3 years ago
Just another Williams machine with a huge drain down the middle.

Gorgar was neat back in the day because it talked and had the magnet at the top. But those weren’t enough to keep me playing.
7.323/10
3 years ago
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!
7.265/10
3 years ago
great entry level game or 1st pin.this game plays fun.1st talking pin
5.758/10
3 years ago
Disappointing - was expecting better game play
8.100/10
3 years ago
Gorgar is a gorgeous game. The playfield and backglass are really intense. Great colors, great theme, and really well done. So much so, that this is the pinball I remember most from my youth (as it terrified me and seemed so "bad"). The woman on the alter seemed particularly scandalous.

It has simple but effective and memorable rules (spell GOR and GAR) along with a cool magnetic shot with the snake. The speech was revolutionary and the beating heart adds to the effect.

The sound effects are a low point but that is typical of this era (everything sounds like it should be space ship game). There were a ton of these made so they are not hard to find either.
6.800/10
3 years 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.
6.964/10
3 years ago
Cool pinball but nothing special except being the first pinball with speech.
7.820/10
4 years 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 >_>
9.205/10
4 years ago
One of my older favorite owned games. The heartbeat is fantastico! Love the cave man speech too...so good for its time
7.639/10
4 years 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.
7.093/10
4 years 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
4 years 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 are 114 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 5.

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