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Pioneer

Gottlieb

Pioneer

Pinside Rating

This game received 13 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.742 /10

7.742

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #145 in the Pinside EM Top 100.


Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.947

Artwork: 7.791

Sounds/Music: 3.723

Other Aspects: 7.694


Pinside staff rating

None of the Pinside.com staff have rated this game. Sorry, no rating from us.

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Found 7 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 7 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 1.

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7.741/10
1 year ago
 
TLG

Gordo14131

Pinside+ Frequent

US Chesterfield, VA

5y 36,400 2 3 30 1

Fun game to play, the drop targets are angled well where they are a tough shot to hit. The center saucer looks easier to find, but the ball does not go in more often than not. Getting the ‘C’ lane at the top of play field is another challenge. All in all a good game to play. Kept my interest.
6.888/10
2 years ago
 
PGR

VALIS666

Pinside+ Frequent

4y 116K 1,129 245 1

Really fits the definition of mediocre in every way. Which is to say, nothing about Pioneer/Spirit of '76/New York is bad, but there's nothing particularly noteworthy about them, either. It's a decent shooter with two banks of drops, something of a skill shot with the C target only being available up top, and no slings anywhere. The no slings part makes this a particularly slow game unless the pitch is made steeper than standard, as there's a lot of slow doinks and dribbles off posts every which way. But this also makes this game a little more predictable, along with more controllable given both flippers have in-lanes, which was far from a guarantee in the EM era.

Playfield and cabinet art is also just fine, nothing more, but I do like the backglass, which looks even nicer if you put some flashers under the rocket ship exhaust.
9.744/10
3 years ago
 
DFH

Bluebeard

Pinside member

US Little Falls, NJ

5y 42,300 41 9 8

All time favorite. I play this in my game room every night, after buying this in the October 2019, 44 years after first playing it.

Bluebeard has owned this game in the past.

6.407/10
4 years ago
 
JPV

johnvorwerk

The Pinball Place

14y 52,200 14 85 9

Pioneer and Spirit of 76...............uuhhh. Had both of them. Sometimes I enjoyed the challenge, other times I just hated the game. I think if if it didn't drain for me so often I might of kept them. Nice vivid artwork, very sturdy machine.

johnvorwerk has owned this game in the past.

9.880/10
5 years ago
 
???

Wookie77

Pinside member

6y 17,550 4 10

A game from my childhood. The only EM I own, simple and fun! The sounds of chimes and bells mellow me out- I added yellow flashers to the flames on the Saturn 5 on the back glass- Very Cool!
8.954/10
6 years ago
 
CSB

klr650

Pinside+ Frequent

7y 93,550 932 161

I don't usually like symmetrical playfields but this game is amazingly addictive. This is the 2 player version of Spirit of 76 so that means a little less fun in a larger group but still a tremendous amount of fun.

klr650 edited previous rating on November 15, 2018.

7.855/10
11 years ago
 
ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Pioneer is one of those games that looks so simple, and I guess it is, but the balance of the rules and the difficulty in achieving the goals of the game make this table a classic.

The Pros:
Simple but NEVER easy. That's pretty much how this game sums itself up. The angles on the drop target banks are perfect. I usually don't like symmetrical pf's but this is a great deck. A real skill shot for the "C" rollover at the top.I am always surprised at how often the ball bounces out the lanes on the sides considering there are no slings on this table. Nudging skills are still required considering how little rubber is down by the flippers.

The Cons:
NEVER easy, and can be mostly frustrating. The center saucer never seems to stick, even with a touch shot. More luck than skill... but you'd better land it for double bonus, extra ball and special.

The Takeaway:
A deceptively simple game that is a true player.
1
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