Bally
Paragon Pinside Rating
This game received 232 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.839 /10
Paragon
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.83
Artwork: 8.821
Sounds/Music: 5.426
Other Aspects: 7.99
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.
Found 119 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 119 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 4 of 5.
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Kettering
4.736/10
10 years ago
Beaver Falls, PA
Wow this one is hard! Not my favorite wide body. Played this in a group and we all got it handed to us. Very tough!
9.450/10
10 years ago
This is the only machine I ever sold out of my collection that I wish I hadn't. The artwork is the best of the era, and I'd argue that it's the best artwork of any machine ever. A well set up Paragon is challenging without being needlessly frustrating - I think it's the best playing widebody Bally ever built. People kvetch about the sound, but for the era it's fine, and I kind of like the weird little burps it makes.
9.223/10
10 years ago
I just sold mine and am already missing it. A beautiful Bally widebody that is a great player. There is lots to shoot for and the inline drop targets are really cool. Better implementation than in Centaur, in my opinion. Great game. The only ding on this one is the sound. Bleeps and bloops and that's pretty much it. Would be a top 5/10 game with slightly better music/sound effects. But, for me, that's a minor point.
Perth
8.897/10
10 years ago
I think everybody should be required to own a Paragon at some point and REALLY play it for a while. A game that seems simple and poorly laid out after a few plays turns into a freaking genius design and amazing layout after a lot of plays. Sure, the game is brutally hard and unforgiving, but really a good player can control most of the bounces in this game. The artwork speaks for itself. It is amazing in a ridiculous way. The combination of art on the backglass and playfield is one of the best in all of pinball. The cabinet is ok, and hard to find one that isn't faded. The ONLY drawback of this title is the sound and connector design. The sound is sparse and uninspired like other Bally's from the day. If it had that awesome Williams sound from the early 80's it would be a perfect 10 in my book. The rules are simple but well thought out. It is all about maximizing your bonus. There are a couple of ways to get there and I always like trying different things. The game can be dang hard, but it is so rewarding when all goes to plan. I hope to own this one for many years to come.
7.617/10
10 years ago
Great wide body game. This game will make you a better pinball player. Everything you need to learn about pinball you can learn on this machine; nudging, passing, everything. Amazing artwork; my third favorite backglass in pinball (if only it was mirrored it may be No. 1 in my view).
7.780/10
11 years ago
Sherwood Park, AB
The backglass and artwork design are amazing, probably one of the best designs especially for its age. The game itself can be frustrating as it is no piece of cake. One of the only games where you have to nail down two drop targets before you get double bonus, the 5X bonus shot is difficult as well with the outter plastic piece stopping any real hard sots directly to the hole. Has a real risk/reward feature once you get to 20 points in that it holds your bonus scoring. Quite good depth in the rule structure for such an old game. This machine bring back a lot of memories for me which is why I have it in my collection but for a late 70's machine it is the best around in its era and should be considered a top 100 machine for its artwork alone IMO.
Villejuif
8.907/10
11 years ago
This game is simply amazing. Rules are easy to follow and fun to play for any skill level and all ages.
The artwork is a thing of beauty. The playfield and backglass are the best i've ever seen. If you can find a cab in decent shape it is the best art on a cab i've ever seen.
The sounds are really the only downfall to this machine. The lack of music and crappy sound effects is a real bummer.
I would easily reccomend this machine to anyone.
The artwork is a thing of beauty. The playfield and backglass are the best i've ever seen. If you can find a cab in decent shape it is the best art on a cab i've ever seen.
The sounds are really the only downfall to this machine. The lack of music and crappy sound effects is a real bummer.
I would easily reccomend this machine to anyone.
7.665/10
11 years ago
This is a sleeper! Got this from a friend who wound up with two machines. Had never touched it. And I just kept going back to it time and time again. It's nice and simple..just get a high score. No modes, nothing fancy. And you need to learn how to nudge to really enjoy the game. That's what got me. It looks like a simple game and time and time again it whooped me. But every once in a while I would put up a great score...
I miss this one already.
I miss this one already.
7.735/10
12 years ago
Another Bally classic for a reason. Beautiful game, great variety of shots, when set up properly a very fast game. Double right flipper requires some thought, try top "trap" on lower flipper will more often than not slip between flippers, same thing for a ball headed right between if you open too early, great game to practice bounce passes (like Harlem Gl) inline drops are key to good scores and a tough shot to groove as well. Top saucers a "standard" Bally thing from the day, have 2 is cool. Right drop targets also a key shot and tougher than it might look at first glance, small flipper is handy for attacking these. Not a huge fan of the left bumper in the "beast's lair" usually a lost cause, Future Spa makes a better use of the lower bumper and seems to send it up field more often than not. Spinner is placed on a hard right turn, fun shot to make and one Stern borrowed on Big Game, waterfall lane is unusual and really adds to the uniqueness of Paragon. Only "takeaway" for me is the sounds are not up to snuff yet this early, almost think chimes (ala Strikes and Spares) may have been preferable...Next to other earlier sound boards from Bally like SilverBall mania, Future Spa etc that I absolutely LOVE, have to ding Paragon for sounds and music that seem a tad annoying to me, but what do I know. Update...after owning this game for a while, decided that paragon saucer works better not on scrolling, makes game play more skill, less luck. Additionally, getting bonus points up to 20k so it carries over is a MUST if you want to be competitive on this table..spinner is a key shot to add in this effort. Additionally, sounds can be modified via dip switches and actually have found a mix I like much better, but it still doesn't have the back ground which is still a take away.
8.589/10
12 years ago
Fun for an older game. Very much meditative, thinking out the next move without knowing how its really going to end up. The lower playfield is pretty interesting with all these little elements placed to keep you on your toes. Like if you try to trap the ball in the bottom right flipper it drains, which makes shots to the inline drop target really exciting. Lower playfield is fast, but the game rewards you for staying in it, or you can shoot to the upper to plan your next move. I was sceptical when I hauled it downstairs because it is such a wide game. So far it has been really fun. Similar to a modern game in terms of ball time. All the features are there, they are just very simple.
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