Bally
Silverball Mania Pinside Rating
This game received 89 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.239 /10
Silverball Mania
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 6.925
Artwork: 8.578
Sounds/Music: 5.143
Other Aspects: 7.189
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 2 of us have rated this game.
Found 52 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 52 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 3.
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6.237/10
3 months ago
Hamilton, ON
I had been out of the hobby for a number of years and this game was my first pick-up when I re-entered. I tracked down a new playfield and some parts with plans of doing a playfield swap but ultimately didn't follow through on it and sold it to fund the purchase of a MET. I did get to spend lots of time playing it and I'm sure you've heard this before, but the game is a bit of a one trick pony with the horseshoe shot in the middle. When it's waxed up and re-rubbered the game places fast and is fun for a while, it became repetitive after a while in a single game line-up. Make sure you've got the right sized posts in that horseshoe as the shot is way too easy with skinny posts in it. Ultimately the game is more a looker than a player and fits in great amongst a row of early 80's Bally's, but I'd gravitate more towards other games from time period before looking at another SBM.
9.200/10
7 months ago
Troy, NY
I've rated this kind of unfairly because I'm counting Dick Hamill's 2021 code & sound update as well. The stock ruleset is really the biggest shortcoming of this game. Everyone is right about it being way too horseshoe-centric. It's a challenging and satisfying shot, but you don't want to have to go for it over and over and over and........
The art package has got to be one of the best, ever.
The playfield is awesome too, and these Bally games have such tight flipper mechanics. This game really was so close to having it all for over 40 years.... and then as of 2021, it's officially got it all.
Hamill's sound update makes it very Total Nuclear Annihilation-y. Very cool, sinister vibe. The new ruleset makes the game SO MUCH BETTER! Gone are the days of horseshoe after horseshoe. If I sold this game in 2020 I'd be very disappointed in myself.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
The art package has got to be one of the best, ever.
The playfield is awesome too, and these Bally games have such tight flipper mechanics. This game really was so close to having it all for over 40 years.... and then as of 2021, it's officially got it all.
Hamill's sound update makes it very Total Nuclear Annihilation-y. Very cool, sinister vibe. The new ruleset makes the game SO MUCH BETTER! Gone are the days of horseshoe after horseshoe. If I sold this game in 2020 I'd be very disappointed in myself.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
4.796/10
8 months ago
Like a lot of early solid state machines the layout is pretty boring by modern standards. It's symmetrical, it isn't clear what targets you should shoot at and other than not draining you don't really know what you should be doing. The one unusual feature is the kickback in the center beneath the flippers, but I could never figure out what activated it so sometimes my ball would drain and sometimes it wouldn't. The whole game seems rather random.
9.408/10
1 year ago
One of my favorite games from this era. First let's start with the art. One of the best art packages in pinball in my opinion. Backglass is just badass! Never gets old as well as the playfield and cabinet art. Next the game itself. If set up right you can get this game playing fast with a lot of action. The horseshoe loop in the middle is cool, some players don't like it but I love when I can hit it 5 times in a row, gets exciting. The kickback between the flippers is awesome and adds something new that other games from the era don't have. While some games added a pop bumper between the flippers like Spanish eyes or freedom this new feature had the same idea but kept the spacing of the flippers the same and not far apart which I like. Never thought much of this game until I restored one and now it's one of my favorites and I'll never sell it. If you see one play it. If you find one for sale buy it, such a great pin.
9.500/10
2 years ago
People rating this low are paying a game outside their own tastes. This is an early Solid State game. No speech, no ramps, no complex game rules. It was years ahead of it's time with a maniac theme and adult artwork. Does this compare to STTNG? No. Does it crush almost every other game made before 1984? Pretty much. Enjoy it for what it is, step back and let that 1980 sound score wash over you like it did when you were ten years old and playing a game your mother would frown about. Grab some buddies and try and better them, then roll over the score to 999,999. This is a fun game, great art, nostalgic sounds and still a fun game for competition. The ball save and art alone makes this a unique member of the community worth owning. I'll add that it's also my garage game for new players and drunk friends and with a few LED updates, I always have people wanting to play this before most of my modern themed games. It sucks you in.
9.775/10
2 years ago
One of the most underrated pins! I own both Flash Gordon and Silverball Mania, and I consider these two pins to be on the same level in all aspects! The art on Silverball is pretty awesome throughout, the backglass is beautiful as well as the playfield. Its a fast exciting game to play! The gameplay is uniquely different than all other Bally's of that era, which makes SB stand out! The game rules are simple yet challenging, the up-kick feature below the center drain is cool feature and when you rip into the center horse shoe it activates said feature. The sound is also really cool, and as you progress it builds up the intensity and starts to drone in sound affect! I totally dig this pin! It fun, challenging and exciting to play!
8.501/10
3 years ago
Simple game layout and rules, but still fun. But let’s be honest...it’s the artwork that draws you to this one. Top 10 all time best art package at least! Maybe top 5!
The horseshoe loop and the “ball save kickback” are great little additions to keep your game going.
Over a great game to have.
The horseshoe loop and the “ball save kickback” are great little additions to keep your game going.
Over a great game to have.
7.330/10
3 years ago
This is the first machine I saw that really drew me in. The artwork was amazing, it really seemed to play fast and my God I wanted one. A few months later I found one locally and purchased it. It's the most beautiful pin I own and one of the most boring. I love the artwork, absolutely love the playfield and cabinet. The backglass is incredible. There just isn't anything to do. You hit that loop in the center over and over again and that's the whole game. I wish their was more as it seems like a waste of artwork and design on such a simplistic pin.
7.074/10
4 years ago
Got this one cheap and shopped it.....can get old fast but is still enjoyable.......would probably trade it some day.
7.836/10
5 years ago
Love the art. The cabinet, the playfield, and especially the backglass. The horseshoe is fun to shoot for and I like spinners -- I have two to choose from here! I also like the early attempt at a ball save -- kind of a necessity considering you have to utilize the outlanes to complete "Silverball Mania."
When playing it can feel like it is two different worlds -- the upper and lower playfield. The lower playfield is where you actually have some control over the game. . . when the ball moves to the upper playfield you just wait to see what happens until it comes back. Not sure I like the waiting around part of the game. Nothing special about the sounds, standard early solid state stuff.
Overall a fun game to get lost in for a bit and enjoy some good old fashioned pinball -- not the best game I've played, but definitely not the worst!
When playing it can feel like it is two different worlds -- the upper and lower playfield. The lower playfield is where you actually have some control over the game. . . when the ball moves to the upper playfield you just wait to see what happens until it comes back. Not sure I like the waiting around part of the game. Nothing special about the sounds, standard early solid state stuff.
Overall a fun game to get lost in for a bit and enjoy some good old fashioned pinball -- not the best game I've played, but definitely not the worst!
9.158/10
5 years ago
just picked this up a few weeks ago. after dialing it in and putting some games on it i have to
say its really growing on me. love the art and ripping the spinners is always satisfying. its a real
throwback to when i was playing pinball at 13 years old before the arcade craze hit and pulled me
away from pins like this. right now it seems like a keeper for me. my playfield is decent with mylar
applied over lower center of playfield. backglass is all kinds of cool. good companion to my stern f2k.
now i just need a black knight to get my williams representative.
say its really growing on me. love the art and ripping the spinners is always satisfying. its a real
throwback to when i was playing pinball at 13 years old before the arcade craze hit and pulled me
away from pins like this. right now it seems like a keeper for me. my playfield is decent with mylar
applied over lower center of playfield. backglass is all kinds of cool. good companion to my stern f2k.
now i just need a black knight to get my williams representative.
7.170/10
5 years ago
This was my favorite pin for a while.
Straightforward play.
Appeals to casual players and newbies.
It has maybe the best back glass in pinball.
Solid fun for a while, can't really keep up with newer pins.
Still has the best back glass in pinball though.
Straightforward play.
Appeals to casual players and newbies.
It has maybe the best back glass in pinball.
Solid fun for a while, can't really keep up with newer pins.
Still has the best back glass in pinball though.
6.378/10
5 years ago
Have owned a couple of these. Once you get the hang of the horseshoe it gets boring pretty quick. My personal record is 7 consecutive shots around the shoe and trapping the ball to do it again.
5.024/10
6 years ago
I haven't done full research on it, but this one has to be in the running for the worst early SS game produced by Bally.
Noteable features:
1 horseshoe, 2 spinners, gimmick ball save -- never to be seen again in pinball? (for a reason?)
Noteable features missing from an early SS Bally:
drop target banks, An interesting upper playfield, speech, good sounds
Goal: Make every target to spell silverball mania. Some of the targets are made randomly as they are placed up by the pops where you have no control over the ball... yeah...
I get it. It's a really pretty game.
The lack of drop targets, speech, good sounds, and an interesting upper playfield kill this one for me.
Jim Patla redeemed himself with Viking and Centaur.
Noteable features:
1 horseshoe, 2 spinners, gimmick ball save -- never to be seen again in pinball? (for a reason?)
Noteable features missing from an early SS Bally:
drop target banks, An interesting upper playfield, speech, good sounds
Goal: Make every target to spell silverball mania. Some of the targets are made randomly as they are placed up by the pops where you have no control over the ball... yeah...
I get it. It's a really pretty game.
The lack of drop targets, speech, good sounds, and an interesting upper playfield kill this one for me.
Jim Patla redeemed himself with Viking and Centaur.
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