Williams
Police Force Pinside Rating
This game received 92 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.225 /10
Police Force
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.086
Artwork: 7.551
Sounds/Music: 6.82
Other Aspects: 7.152
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.
Found 48 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 48 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.105/10
5 months ago
Sandy, UT
For a 2 ball game this game is really fun. The police car which moves the ball down is really cute. My daughter loves the animal villains! While this games rules are very unfair for competitive pinball, it's fun for making great comebacks! The streak the highest players score gives an unfair advantage to the last player, but who doesn't want to go last, lol. A true hustlers machine!
7.511/10
1 year ago
The first pinball I ever played and the second I owned. It’s not the kind of game that a top player is going to enjoy for very long because the ability to shoot the center ramp over and over will ultimately determine the high score 100% of the time. If one is good enough and playing solely for score, it makes rational sense to shoot the center ramp and simply ignore everything else.
That being said, if you’re not a great player or have friends over who aren’t great, it’s a lot of fun and has staying power as a quick, quirky game with a pretty decent layout for less-than-great skill levels of all ages. Artwork is good and interesting for a 1989 game. The police car delivery of the (admittedly lame 2 ball) multi-ball is fun, and the concept of putting the bad guys in jail plays well.
I like playing it with my son because it’s a 5 minute or less game for most players. I think it’s a Top 10 or 20 game for 5-10 year olds because it will keep their interest and provides shots to develop skills for harder games. There’s enough going on to be interesting, and some shots are actually a little tough, but the center ramp is probably the easiest in pinball to shoot and most of the targets are pretty straight forward as well.
All in all it’s probably a little underrated for what it ultimately is, an entry level game for varying skill levels.
That being said, if you’re not a great player or have friends over who aren’t great, it’s a lot of fun and has staying power as a quick, quirky game with a pretty decent layout for less-than-great skill levels of all ages. Artwork is good and interesting for a 1989 game. The police car delivery of the (admittedly lame 2 ball) multi-ball is fun, and the concept of putting the bad guys in jail plays well.
I like playing it with my son because it’s a 5 minute or less game for most players. I think it’s a Top 10 or 20 game for 5-10 year olds because it will keep their interest and provides shots to develop skills for harder games. There’s enough going on to be interesting, and some shots are actually a little tough, but the center ramp is probably the easiest in pinball to shoot and most of the targets are pretty straight forward as well.
All in all it’s probably a little underrated for what it ultimately is, an entry level game for varying skill levels.
8.487/10
2 years ago
Police Force gets shunned for being a one-trick pony with the center ramp to rack up unlimited millions, but there is so much more to do to earn points. I'm not a good enough player to consistently make the same shot over and over all day, so I tend to try to lock up the criminals and go for the timed jackpot or try to spell POLICE to get a shot at the Top Cop bonus. These objectives are little more difficult to achieve then going for the center ramp, so I can see why people focus on repeating the center ramp shot, which tends to make the rules a bit imbalanced. Multiball doesn't add too much to the gameplay, but watching the cop car deliver the two balls is neat. The callouts and music are catchy and ties to the theme well. Perhaps one of the best System 11s in the audio department. The artwork is Disney cops and robbers, but I don't have any problems with it. I see the similarities with Taxi with the layout and objectives. This game is a lot more fun to shoot then the rating would indicate. I find it difficult to get big scores. For Mark Ritchie designed System 11 pins, I like it more than Diner so far as the playfield isn't so cluttered and this offers more shot variety. Taxi is still my favorite from his designs of this era.
8.538/10
2 years ago
Awesome game. This game has a lot in common with Taxi, which I personally think is one of the best system 11 games.
The good:
-This game has a good balance of flow and sharpshooting gameplay.
-The cop car gimmick is neat and adds to the game without using much of the playfield's real estate.
-The music and theme are great
-The artwork is good, it's a fairly striking and won't be everyone tastes, but it's a lot of fun. The back glass is awesome.
-The base ruleset is great, easy to understand, hard to master. When you finally capture all the guys, having a short window to hit the jackpot shot really gets the blood pumping.
The bad:
-The callouts are good and amusing, but they get repetitive quick
-The million point center ramp is unbalanced, even with the game set to 8 ramps before they start to come, all my high scores involve cranking that ramp.
-The 'Take High Score' feature is unfair as it gives later players an advantage. Luckily, when set to 8 ramps, I've never hit it.
-When in multiball, you don't really have anything cool to aim for. Taxi had a couple things, such as shooting both ramps at the same time, or shooting the express lanes. Police force could've really used something like this while in multiball.
The good:
-This game has a good balance of flow and sharpshooting gameplay.
-The cop car gimmick is neat and adds to the game without using much of the playfield's real estate.
-The music and theme are great
-The artwork is good, it's a fairly striking and won't be everyone tastes, but it's a lot of fun. The back glass is awesome.
-The base ruleset is great, easy to understand, hard to master. When you finally capture all the guys, having a short window to hit the jackpot shot really gets the blood pumping.
The bad:
-The callouts are good and amusing, but they get repetitive quick
-The million point center ramp is unbalanced, even with the game set to 8 ramps before they start to come, all my high scores involve cranking that ramp.
-The 'Take High Score' feature is unfair as it gives later players an advantage. Luckily, when set to 8 ramps, I've never hit it.
-When in multiball, you don't really have anything cool to aim for. Taxi had a couple things, such as shooting both ramps at the same time, or shooting the express lanes. Police force could've really used something like this while in multiball.
9.620/10
3 years ago
Ottawa, ON
I have had this game in my collection for a few years now, if it had the Batman theme as intended, it would be the greatest system 11 ever as far as I am concerned. Game play and multiplayer are the best from that era. I own Cyclone and Funhouse, and play this game ridiculously more than either of those two.
8.265/10
3 years ago
I love my Police Force. It is fast, easy enough for a beginner and hard enough for a pro.
The ramps are alot of fun, and multiball is a blast. The callouts are some of my favorite in pinball. Kids and adults always go to play this one.
A great game for any collection.
The ramps are alot of fun, and multiball is a blast. The callouts are some of my favorite in pinball. Kids and adults always go to play this one.
A great game for any collection.
7.022/10
4 years ago
Police Force is to me a very middle of the road pinball machine. It doesn't do anything very well and most everything is just competent. The theme is a bit strange and its like Tango and Cash meets Disney. The art isn't bad, but the theme is really strange and doesn't do anything for me.
I do like the concept behind the skill shot, its not the best, but its fun to plunge as the sound effects really amp up the shot. If anything I think sound is where this pin excels. Nice sound effects, and music cues for some of the shots. The callouts are just okay however.
Not much to shoot for in this pin. Shoot the center ramp over and over and unlock the million point shot and just keep trying to hit it until you miss. That is one of the best and easiest ways to get a decent score.
To get a massive score you'll need to hit the jackpot. Not too familiar with how to get it, as I played most of the time on a machine where the jackpot shot was either disabled or broken. But, I did play it on a few perfectly working machines and I activated it a few times. You got to arrest all the animals and then its activated. Then once activated you just have to hit the shot before it times out. Again... I think that is how the rules work.
Simple rules for this game. But, it is fun to shoot around. I enjoy playing a few games on it. I do like hitting the center ramp over and over.
And while the right ramp isn't hard to hit, it just isn't as fun to hit. I know that's your double score shot, and also MB shot. But, its just not fun its a boring ramp. The toy car is interesting. But, ultimately doesn't do much. But, hey at least it did have a toy that does something.
So would I own a Police Force. I don't think so. To me its not because its not a good pin. Its average to fun to shoot and play. But, coupled with the theme that does nothing for me. No. This is a pin I would never want to own, but I will always try to play one or two games on it if I find it on location. There are not many good games with a center ramp and I do enjoy games with a center ramp.
I do like the concept behind the skill shot, its not the best, but its fun to plunge as the sound effects really amp up the shot. If anything I think sound is where this pin excels. Nice sound effects, and music cues for some of the shots. The callouts are just okay however.
Not much to shoot for in this pin. Shoot the center ramp over and over and unlock the million point shot and just keep trying to hit it until you miss. That is one of the best and easiest ways to get a decent score.
To get a massive score you'll need to hit the jackpot. Not too familiar with how to get it, as I played most of the time on a machine where the jackpot shot was either disabled or broken. But, I did play it on a few perfectly working machines and I activated it a few times. You got to arrest all the animals and then its activated. Then once activated you just have to hit the shot before it times out. Again... I think that is how the rules work.
Simple rules for this game. But, it is fun to shoot around. I enjoy playing a few games on it. I do like hitting the center ramp over and over.
And while the right ramp isn't hard to hit, it just isn't as fun to hit. I know that's your double score shot, and also MB shot. But, its just not fun its a boring ramp. The toy car is interesting. But, ultimately doesn't do much. But, hey at least it did have a toy that does something.
So would I own a Police Force. I don't think so. To me its not because its not a good pin. Its average to fun to shoot and play. But, coupled with the theme that does nothing for me. No. This is a pin I would never want to own, but I will always try to play one or two games on it if I find it on location. There are not many good games with a center ramp and I do enjoy games with a center ramp.
8.656/10
5 years ago
Extremely fun and underrated system 11. Well loved by people who come over. When you change the centre ramp to make unlimited millions difficult and crank up the number of ramp shots to take highest score to 8, you have a great playing machine with balanced rules and fun objectives. The music is classic and the game is usually turned up quite loud. Overall, Police Force is a fun game that always leaves you smiling at the end of a game!
6.729/10
5 years ago
I enjoyed this pinball machine, but its lastability is not very high in my opinion. The main reason is the fact that this pin can be described as a one-trick pony, because you try to hit the center ramp most of the time. I would enjoy to replay a few games, but I think it's not worth having it at home.
8.619/10
5 years ago
Really nice game for its age. Take high score a little unfair, but that right ramp can be tough.
6.873/10
5 years ago
Police Force is a classic Williams System 11 game that is very fun to play. It is notorious for having a broken center ramp and unfortunately I don't think they are being reproduced. Python DeAngelo did a great job on the art. He was truly creative and somewhat provocative. He turned what was supposed to be Batman Pinball machine into a animal crime scene game on short notice. Like most system 11 games, it has a basic rule set compared to todays modern games but I personally love playing this game. Its a rush hitting the center ramp over and over. A lot of people don't like how the final jackpot score can be taken by the last person but I like it. The designers were just trying to bring a different aspect into the game. There is only so much real estate on a playfield and most designers struggle trying to differentiate there game from other games. The trial and error aspect that designers create is what makes pinball machines so fun. They are all different!
7.044/10
6 years ago
Good looking game with a very unique theme. Police car is very cool and I love the main music. Only problem is code. The “double your score” or “take the highest score” is SO unfair. Definitely not a game for a tournament.
8.303/10
6 years ago
This is a reasonably priced system 11 machine that offers great multiplayer play. It has cool gimmicks , I love the high score steal in the final ball in multiplayer makes for a great party game. It plays smooth, nice shots , I haven't found anything limiting with the scoring, you can adjust the unlimited millions shot if you are finding it unbalanced. I've LEDed mine it looks great.
9.789/10
6 years ago
Python Anghelo wanted to make a Batman pin but Data East got the license. The Batmobile became the police car and since his favorite subject matter was animals, the people became them. It's a fun game for parties because you can steal someone else's high score. I don't know of any other game that does that.
7.581/10
6 years ago
Rated low on lastsbility home home collection but it is a favorite for everyone that comes over to play. I like the layout and it's fast for a system 11. I like how easy it is to get multiball because you almost need it every game to get fun. Music is awesome. Callout and sound effects are great.
5.969/10
7 years ago
The first thing that stood out to me was that the main characters are lions and cheetahs, etc. rather than human police officers. I'm not sure why, but this made me chuckle in a good way. The shots on this middling table were actually decent and the rules were clear yet somewhat shallow. I had fun spamming the ramps, but I ended up being able to walk away from this machine without much remorse.
If you see this, at least examine the backglass carefully - it's worth a minute or two just because it is so odd. I don't think I'd even want to own this machine, but I don't dislike it for any particular reasons - just sort of a chuckle and shrug type of game.
If you see this, at least examine the backglass carefully - it's worth a minute or two just because it is so odd. I don't think I'd even want to own this machine, but I don't dislike it for any particular reasons - just sort of a chuckle and shrug type of game.
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