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Pinside rating

This game received 108 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.569 _/10

7.569

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #149 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 7.04

Artwork: 8.46

Sounds/Music: 7.396

Other Aspects: 7.399

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 7 of us have rated this game.

7.111

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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 59 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 59 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 3.

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Ratings sort order Type of ratings to show in list Exclude ratings flagged as "bogus" Keyword or username search

7.655/10

47 days ago

ACE

Pants

Pinside member

Svalbard

<1y 6 1

Ok. It's no LW3. COOL ART and gimmicks

8.660/10

4 months ago

???

Pindaim01

Pinside apprentice

Heemskerk

<1y 9 8

This game is the rembrand for pinball ,absolutly beautiful.
Gameplay is not the biggest around but good with the theme, and great multiballs.
Lightshow is great including the stereo sound with the organ.
Also the colours black and dark red are beautiful in the dark.
The mask is also a very nice gimmick when flashing to the phantoms ugly face.
Sometimes the ball draines because i am looking to his face.
Very special pin from DE from that era.

Pindaim01 currently owns this game.

7.704/10

7 months ago

MJW

DakotaMike

Mike's Pinball Repair

Beresford, SD

1y 992 3 13

Fun game with excellent art and sound. Playfield is a thing of real beauty, and it's chock full of nice touches and small details that you can only see with the glass off and the pf partially disassembled. Music is excellent and the organ sounds have great spiky-punch. As was typical of DE at the time, the rules are pretty simple, moreso than System 11 games of the era. But even though the rules are shallow, the game is fast and fun to play, and the organ mech that opens to reveal a secret passage/subway to the ball lock is a great toy.

Bottom line: Great pin with shallow rules, but beautiful art and music. Has an addictive "one more game" quality. Would fit in especially well next to a deeper, slower-playing pin.

DakotaMike has owned this game in the past.

8.032/10

8 months ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

2y 6,648 13 260 1

Once again, another underrated DE pin. The artwork is absolutely breath-taking. There is just so much packed into every corner. I love the theme. The sounds and callouts are very good. It isn't a very deep pin, so that is a drawback for some...but every pin doesn't have to be super deep.

This would be great for a 5+ pin collection.

Daditude edited previous rating on January 25, 2021.
Daditude has owned this game in the past.

8.526/10

1 year ago

TOM

Ceckitti

Pinside member

Columbus, OH

1y 514 7 45 1

Being a fan of the musical I might be a little biased. But POTO was one of my grail games and I finally got one. And its pretty nice.

This game has some of the best artwork and music in pinball (yes, i know thats been said many times, but its true).
The layout is nothing spectacular, but it is enough to keep you playing more than just a few times.
The Double you score shot and the PHANTOM millions are a little unbalanced... but oh the feeling of joy when you actually hit it.

Its a beautiful game that is both fun and just damn awesome to sit back and look at.

Ceckitti edited previous rating on March 29, 2021.
Ceckitti currently owns this game.

8.598/10

1 year ago

MRX

Mr_x_1992

Pinside apprentice

Argentina

1y 2 11

Best artwork in a pinball machine ever!!! The phantom and the opera singer looks amazing! the music and the voice acting are beautiful, the theme is so amazing (gothic styled as the original novel from 1911). The only bad thing is that it may be unfair sometimes, and the ball drains too much from the out lanes, also the spot between the flippers is way too big. This table rewards the aim a lot, so you gotta be very good at the left ramp to achieve a big score. I made 24 million points thanks to the double score feature (you have 1 chance to make a double score during the whole game). Phantom millions are also a great aid to score many points. This table is not for begginers tho, but the artwork is so attractive that it's worth replaying... a lot.
Did I mentioned HOW GOOD THAT ORGAN SOUNDS???? WOW

Mr_x_1992 edited previous rating on June 13, 2019.

2 Pinsiders starred this rating !

9.217/10

1 year ago

NEX

nexfx

Pinside member

Salt Lake City, UT

1y 35 5 13

When I think Classic pinball, this is the game that comes to mind!!! Afters years of only ever seeing this game in pitchers, I finally got to play one and WOW! This is one of DE best games! Rules are simple but do let that stop you from playing it. The theming/music on this game is par to none and will suck you right into the games gothic theming.

nexfx has this game on the wishlist.

8.442/10

2 years ago

???

HawkmanBK

Pinside member

Orlando, FL

2y 4 16

Definitely one of the best looking machines of all time with great artwork by Paul Farris. Good stereo sound and fun to play with friends and family.

HawkmanBK currently owns this game.

9.580/10

2 years ago

ML

Malibro

Pinside member

Kalmthout

2y 4 4 12

Owned it, sold it, regret it..... I sold it due to lack of space....and now miss it. Theme, music, speech, artwork are fantastic and this takes you into the game. OK it is not super deep in rules but the shots are nice. Great ramp and “organ” shot. You keep playing it and it is a fantastic pin to play with a mix of beginners and pros. One of the most underrated pins in my opinion. Baby come back home!

Malibro has owned this game in the past.

8.307/10

2 years ago

DAV

bicyclenut

Pinside member

Fresno, CA

6y 1,631 18 18 1

This game kicks my butt everytime. Super challenging and fast. This game can be discouraging at times, but it makes you try harder d keeps you coming back. The magic mirror feature is so fun, but be ready for it when the ball pops out.

bicyclenut has owned this game in the past.

7.433/10

2 years ago

DIA

mrossman5

Pinside member

Warren, PA

3y 2,466 4 176 2

A good game for beginners. Playfield layout is pretty boring although the organ is cool. Just shoot the organ and ramp all day. Excellent art and music though.

8.695/10

2 years ago

???

NerdXCrewWill

Inactive member

Unknown

2y 2 1 9

The most beautiful pinball machine ever, hands down. Unfortunately, it's a very tough table with which I always struggle to put up a good score (or satisfyingly lengthy playtime). But boy, oh, boy are the sights and sounds amazing!

8.318/10

3 years ago

???

Poorpinhead

Pinside member

South Jordan, UT

3y 10 6 9

Fun game that is easy to just pick up. The music and organ multiball makes this game, but it’s very repetitive. Only good for one to two plays at a time.

Poorpinhead currently owns this game.

8.698/10

3 years ago

AK

Coolpinballdino

Pinside member

6y 3,427 95 418 1

I I really like phantom I think it has some of the best art, sounds and music.what hurts phantom is the rules are not the best.

Coolpinballdino edited previous rating on June 21, 2020.
Coolpinballdino currently owns this game.

8.868/10

3 years ago

ZAP

zahner

Pinside member

Fair Oaks, CA

7y 693 7 15

The best sounding game around and quite a looker. Game play is simple but does not get old.

zahner edited previous rating on April 15, 2019.
zahner has owned this game in the past.

5.956/10

4 years ago

AGB

Ramtuathal

Pinside member

Louisville, KY

5y 122 1 148

"2 ball play ready" --- "Ready for 3 ball play" (something like that). Phantom of the Opera is a challenging table that requires quite a few progressive shots to be made to start a 3-ball multiball, and even more difficult to get the jackpots. However, even with a punishing, brutal design, once the multiballs have been made, there are too few other shots to keep the player engaged. After overcoming the initial challenges of getting the organ shots timed right, the rest of the game fizzles and gets lame.

I don't think I'd ever want a PoO, but it is worth playing a few times through to see how challenging the 3-ball play is.

7.731/10

4 years ago

TBK

xTheBlackKnightx

Pinside member

5y 4,083 137

A Data East game with an incredible Paul Faris artwork package for the playfield and backglass, and an average gameplay design and ruleset.
Most owners have the game for exactly these reasons, and no other.
DE screwed up and really wasted the great potential of this game.
Sound quality for music and callouts is above average for most DE games.
The game is completely missing the original true musical orchestration, that would have greatly improved the game experience.
The organ takes up so much space on the right corner of the playfield it completely dominates the entire game.
The single ramp seems almost like an afterthought, similar to the repetitive ramp in Star Wars.
It just does not seem to provide the game with more comparable flow.
The "Magic Mirror" (trapdoor subway scoop) is the other main feature which controls the game speed.

Very difficult to find a game now that:
1) Does not have a delaminating backglass or scratches, particularly the Phantom's Mask
2) Does not have a worn playfield
3) Does not have a cracked wood planking cabinet
4) Does not have broken plastics / worn decals which need to replaced (repo sets are finally available)
5) Does not have a broken organ, motor assembly, or worn out trapdoor

It commands a higher price than it is truly worth, but if you a POTO opera fan this game is a must.
I have only seen ONE NOS playfield in nearly 30 years since 1990.
I have only seen FIVE NOS backglasses in the same period, although I am sure there still a few out there.
Many of these games did not survive past the late 90s into the early 00s.

If you do find a HUO game, buy it immediately, if not, skip it because it probably will not be worth your time to fix or own, as the theme is not conducive to most family collections and has little game depth.

xTheBlackKnightx edited previous rating on September 13, 2016.

2 Pinsiders starred this rating !

8.087/10

5 years ago

???

STEVE_W

Inactive member

Scottsdale, AZ

5y 1 8

This game could have been great, but it feels like some things are missing. Maybe if it were 1994 and it had a DMD it could have been deeper. Beautiful art, fun at first, but gets boring. The "oh no" after a drain gets old fast. Ok game, love the art.

7.815/10

5 years ago

QNT

Quint

Pinside member

Warwick, RI

6y 226 97

POTO has some of the best all-around artwork on any machine.
Playfield could use one or two more things to shoot at but what is there is fun (Magic Mirror!) and is nicely lit.
Callouts, sounds and the music are good but the screechy sound quality grates on me after a while. (especially the drain scream)
Overall it’s a great pin for 1990.

9.200/10

5 years ago

RLP

NightMutilator

Bloodshed Deathbath

Denver, CO

8y 285 8 67

A really fun game of it's time. Not a ton of shots, but the ones that are there are really fun and the flow is great. I'm a huge fan of scary pins so this of course is a win-win for me and I truly feel it would fit my haunted house pinball arcade quite nicely, and yours as well ;). I'd almost say get it just for the art and music alone, but trust me... the gameplay is just as solid. Don't expect any sort of Wizard mode action, but do expect a few hidden surprises.

NightMutilator edited previous rating on May 23, 2017.
NightMutilator has owned this game in the past.

7.677/10

6 years ago

KAJ

snowvictim

Inactive member

Warsaw

6y 485 4 29

Even though as a pinball game the Phantom of the Opera fails to meet my expectations (me being a HUGE fan of Lloyd Weber's musical), it is still a highly enjoyable game to play.

Pros:
- first is the most important pro; Christine is freaking hot!!!
- the game does succeed in bringing about the theme of the musical on which it is based
- artwork is marvellous (Christine is hot!!!)
- you really do get a sense of being in the Opera Garnier
- Christine is smoking hot!!!!

Cons:
- Christine is blonde (she wasn't in the musical, don't know about the original book)
- the sound is ANNOYING!
>- the main theme is missing. I'm not sure whether this is because Data East wanted to make something new or whether they didn't get the license from Lloyd Weber, but it's missing god damnit!
>- the annoying piano trills when you hit the pop bumpers...
>- the random scream accompanied by what sounds like a 5-year old smashing randomly on an organ keyboard
- it's a Data East (not a proper con, just more of a personal grudge against DE pins)
- rules could have been improved
- Christine is ho... oh wait, these are cons

8.012/10

6 years ago

KEV

KevinG

Pinside member

Los Angeles, CA

10y 59 17 26

Phantom Of The Opera is truly a masterful pinball art package! It is obvious that Paul Faris and the game designers had a passion and knowledge of this theme which is most apparent in the intricate details of the playfield and backglass artwork. A well maintained Phantom with extra hard game settings will prove to be a challenging setup. This along with great sound and music, make for a great all-around pinball package!

KevinG has owned this game in the past.

7.520/10

6 years ago

GIL

Imagineerie

Pinside member

7y 7 184

This game is okay... just okay. I tried to enjoy it more, but wasn't drawn into it. Props on the backglass art.

Imagineerie edited previous rating on August 09, 2016.

7.889/10

6 years ago

DAN

BeaverBrewing

Pinside member

Beaver Falls, PA

8y 288 7 281

Finally got a chance to play this several times in a row. Really liked it...I think it is themed well, the ramp shot is fun. Really like the playfield art.

As usual the data east flippers are more than strong enough. Not my favorite data east game but fun in its own right.

6.853/10

6 years ago

CAD

retrotilt

Pinside member

Prosper, TX

7y 65 11 55

This is a good machine that offers a decent amount of fun. The backglass and cabinet artwork are very well done. The playfield is laid out well and it offers a lot of good shots. The music is cool with the booming organ sounds. Overall this is a good machine that plays decently and has a good theme.

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