Stern

The Beatles (Gold Edition)

Pinside Rating

This game received 239 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.933 _/10

7.933

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #97 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.515

Artwork: 8.087

Sounds/Music: 8.146

Other Aspects: 7.867

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 4 of us have rated this game.

7.698

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This title is part of group: "The Beatles"

The Beatles
(Gold Edition)

The Beatles
(Platinum Edition)

The Beatles
(Diamond Edition)

Found 117 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 117 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 3 of 5.

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9.292/10

3 years ago

GER

Hitlow

Pinside member

Long Beach, CA

5y 31,900 12 44 23

Game is so fun and fast, almost maddening. You want to play it over and over. Music can get a little old as the game modes are based on each song. Beatles are cool, but you can only handle hearing 40 seconds of taxman so many times. If this was another theme and 2K cheaper, they would sell so many as it really is a fun pin!!

Hitlow has owned this game in the past.

6.840/10

3 years ago

LSR

Ninja_Ryno

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

3y 21,250 1 9 15

Great game but repetitive Beatles songs

4 Pinsiders flagged this.

6.659/10

3 years ago

RAP

RyanStl

Pinside member

Fenton, MO

9y 134K 12,076 1 108

I really dont' think I'm the target market for this. I like ramps and toys, and this doesn't have that. I would rather buy an EM for ten times less and have the same experience. I have to say this is much better than TNA though. I played each right next to each other and this one had more going for it than TNA. Neither are my cup of tea.

4 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.464/10

3 years ago

WEB

Chuckwebster

Pinside member

Wakefield, MA

10y 75,300 498 35 75

extremely fun and addictive game. Simple rules and yet challenging.

Chuckwebster currently owns this game.

6.865/10

3 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,123 23 271

The pin is fun and the music is good (of course!) I guess my only issue with it, really, is 'bang for the buck.' For the price of a NIB game, you are basically getting an updated EM. Having said that, I feel TNA has already filled that slot. You could also go the other way and just get an EM for a fraction of the price.
There are a TON of Beatles fans, and I'm sure that is the majority of people buying these. For me, however, I would rather put the dollars this pin commands towards something else.

Daditude edited previous rating on November 30, 2020.

3 Pinsiders flagged this.

6.872/10

3 years ago

AKB

KingAndy

Inactive member

6y 36,400 8 12 30

Wow what a dumb game!! Very few redeeming qualities perhaps a software update and an entirely new play field lay out would help this pin. If it were not for the Beatles theme and music no one would give it a second glance. Obviously stern paid too much for the licensing. We can only hope that they don’t overpay for Led Zeppelin.

8 Pinsiders flagged this.

8.548/10

3 years ago

JCZ

Meegis

Pinside member

9y 100K 2,741 242

The game itself is fairly open with not a lot of gimmick, but after some good play you can really get into it.

Looping is a lot of fun and the game gives you a sense of fulfilment on a pretty easy layout. Good for players with little experience right up to pro level competition.

Artwork is best in the platinum edition, but the cost is not worth the jump.

7.772/10

4 years ago

B16

Billy16

Pinside member

11y 94,300 3,701 58

This game is a lot more fun to play than I was expecting. In fact it is way more fun than I was expecting. Not my fav era of the Beatles, but the song list is OK--would have preferred Revolver or the White Album. If this was more reasonably priced, I would think very hard about buying one.

Billy16 edited previous rating on February 08, 2021.

7.819/10

4 years ago

KAR

northerndude

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 112K 4,762 21

I had excitement but reservations of finally playing this. I thoroughly enjoyed playing it, it had a huge "hit the start button one more time" feeling. It was on route and wasn't totally tuned up, but great flow, good tunes and I had fun playing it.. Isn't that what its all about?!?!

8.200/10

4 years ago

JNS

TecumsehPlissken

Pinside member

Longwood, FL

9y 115K 2,558 10 103

for a single level game with no ramps this thing sure is fun to shoot , Love ripping the spinners , and most of the modes are pretty satisfying , the High price point $$$ set by Stern on this game is its only real drawback

7.130/10

4 years ago

SCS

Angel

Pinside member

Mississauga, ON

16y 56,550 124 5 39

In todays era of pins, Beatles is a miss for me. Its a very basic playfield layout and not very much fun or exciting. If you are a die hard Beatles fan then it may be your dream pin. Otherwise, I find it lacking. Like others have said the price point is off.

2 Pinsiders flagged this. 3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.400/10

4 years ago

???

Cz-czar

Inactive member

Ypsilanti, MI

4y 18,900 24 2 7

I find the quality, theme, music and rule set to be a lot of fun. I can see how some pinball experts may find it a little too simple, but as a lifetime Beatles fan this game was a must have and does not disappoint. The quality of the theme itself is the big draw - music, artwork and Beatles likeness, Ed Sullivan and Cousin Brucie are all true to the theme and top notch. I own the platinum and everyone I have over to play it (casual occasional pinball players) absolutely love it and call it “the best pinball machine ever”. It seems your opinion of this game may vary based on where you fall in the Beatles fandom and pinball expertise spectrum. I’m on the love it side of the spectrum. I’m also a huge Beatles fan and more of a casual pinball person and not a deep expert. Hope that meta data is useful in evaluating your potential reaction to this pin.

Cz-czar edited previous rating on December 26, 2019.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.924/10

4 years ago

REW

woody76

Pinball Marketing

Nashville, TN

9y 142K 6,848 6 98

Just put this one on the wishlist after putting some time on it. Fantastic pinball here.

woody76 has this game on the wishlist.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

5.128/10

4 years ago

TOM

marioparty34

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 176K 1,460 123 2

I did not enjoy shooting this pin. I understand they tried to make it a classic design, but just not my thing.

marioparty34 edited previous rating on February 01, 2023.

7.492/10

4 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

11y 112K 2,530 169 3

Like everyone knows, the Beatles layout is basically an updated Seawitch layout. The good news is that they completely corrected all the HORRIBLE geometry that Seawitch suffers from (I say this as a long-time former Seawitch owner). The problem is that an updated Seawitch with mediocre Beatles art maketh not a $7500 pinball machine. I really wanted to like this game. I love the Beatles, and I wanted to love Seawitch: this game gives me both! I just can't justify the expense that this game commands. The cut scenes are fantastic, the music is superb, and the the layout really is good. Unfortunately, the art is poorly done IMO, the call-outs are annoying, and the games just feels....weird.

Seawitch, despite it's geometric flaws, feels like a vintage early 80s pin (because it is). This game FEELS like a modern Stern that's copying an early 80s/EM table. It's just weird. I wish I could put my finger on it, but I just don't like the way it plays. I'd like more time on this deck to get a better opinion, but so far, I'm not impressed.

6.466/10

4 years ago

???

FourSquareJr

Pinside apprentice

Unknown

4y 9,250 2 6

I played this machine for first time. I love Beatles.
This machine sucks to play. You shoot the ball & it comes back to flippers like a rocket in a second because there is nothing on play field to hit. Then on left flipper almost impossible to catch ball because of excessive magnets pulling ball off of flipper. Big Disappointment
It looks like half a game. This is a Loser machine.
Beatles video & music is very good, but play field is sparse.

8.323/10

4 years ago

???

Claysly78

Inactive member

Eustis, FL

6y 24,000 3 6

Fun game, very addicting! I wish they could have done more with the music but I know licensing can be a pain, especially anything involving the Beatles. All around great pin just a little pricey imo.

6.965/10

4 years ago

JAY

JCorduroy

Inactive member

Portage, MI

4y 7,000 6

I just didn't have fun with this table. I love the Beatles, and was hoping for something a bit more exciting, but this felt and played very tamely.

An opportunity for something wild with Yellow Submarine was right there, but instead we got a safe, basic board.

7.490/10

4 years ago

PLL

PeteLawtPin

Pinside+ Addict

Littleton, CO

5y 38,650 10 7 18

I get the classic layout but maybe with diamond versions they could have put in some more tricks?
It’s the music that I play for.

PeteLawtPin currently owns this game.

8.680/10

4 years ago

PGR

VALIS666

Pinside+ Frequent

4y 116K 1,129 245 1

Top notch early solid state gameplay on speed, with some of the nicest overall design I've seen. The powder blue playfield, reproductions of mid-'60s Beatles posters and pennants and other memorabilia, twinkling white and more powder blue lights, the spinning record, Cousin Brucie with the old time radio-styled call outs, girls screaming; it's a cohesive and gorgeous design from inside and out. They nailed the look and feeling of British Invasion-era rock 'n roll fandom to a tee.

Now, the band/theme and the play style, either they're your cup of tea or not. Yes, it's Seawitch, but a slightly modified Seawitch to make the top loop a bit easier to hit, plus jacked up flippers (this game is fast), a big rotating disc dead center to throw you off, bonus targets behind the drop targets, and a clear and relatively simple rule set, anything more than that would've bogged this table down. A long, complex game like LOTR or The Hobbit is like smoking a bong and listening to Led Zeppelin for the next 4 hours, but The Beatles is supposed to be like putting a nickel in the jukebox, dancing up a sweat for three minutes, then going back to your cherry coke at the counter.

VALIS666 edited previous rating on September 22, 2023.

6 Pinsiders starred this!

7.576/10

4 years ago

SS

Shapeshifter

Pinside member

13y 150K 10,470 8 144

Shoots better than Seawitch, as right spinner easier to hit.

Fun to play but can't see ever owning one as pricing was insane for this game.

One for dedicated Beatles fans I think.

8.295/10

4 years ago

MLP

tabascoman77

Pinside member

6y 46,150 4 110

Blah, blah, blah, tHe tAbLe lAyOuT iS sEaWiTcH, blah, blah, blah. I get it. They have the same layout.

If you aren't complaining about AC/DC, Metallica, and Iron Maiden having near the same layout, then you're being a little hypocritical. Stern lives for this and thrives on this. Complaining about this table's layout feels less like a criticism and more like Herd Mentality to me.

That said, this table is gorgeous and one of the best things Stern has put out in recent years. Sometimes, less is more. It's a throwback to the old EM tables, featuring bumpers, drop targets, and an orbit loop. No ramps are present here. The object of the game is fairly simple: collect songs, get multiball. The songs are, of course, sizeable samples of the band's songs, including "Hold Your Hand", "Ticket to Ride" and "Drive My Car".

The color on the table absolutely pops with gold and sky blue lights in various spots. The one gimmick is the arbitrary spinning vinyl record which can alter the path of your ball on the way down, but it's hardly an issue and doesn't add much to the challenge. It's not asking a lot. Unlike Stern's other EM throwback, "Whoa Nellie Big Juicy Melons", however, the game keeps you coming back for more because of the theming and because the gameplay is both smooth AND quick, which is something I never thought I'd say for a table as basic as this one.

I'm not going to get into pricing much, except to say that I never understood Stern's business model with regard to the multiple versions of each machine. To me, there should be ONE version of each machine, period, with all the bells and whistles. If you thought that was insane, you'll *love* the price structure for this game. (Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Other than that, this is one of the most fun tables Stern has put out in some time.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

7.280/10

4 years ago

LFS

pinballaddicted

Pinside member

9y 123K 4,412 81

Unfortunately price has a lot to do with the ratings on this game. Game is expensive so many people will not get to play it.

7.014/10

4 years ago

TDK

thedarkknight77

Pinside member

12y 92,050 5,189 7 37

I am a huge Beatles fan and was very excited when I heard the game was being produced. Like many of you, I was absolutely pissed when I heard about the pricing structure. Sadly the game doesn’t live up to the price and despite an amazing theme, art package and music.........It’s just a Seawitch, which was great for the time, but cannot hold a candle to the modern games. Over all it’s not a bad game and I certainly enjoyed playing it, but it is nothing special to justify the silly pricing.

thedarkknight77 edited previous rating on May 08, 2020.

7.332/10

4 years ago

BW

KingBW

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 116K 3,143 102 1

Pretty much a copy of the Seawitch layout, no ramps or playfield toys. The main "gimmick" is probably the spinning disc (record) that doesn't effect game play too much. Lighting and theming is good, display animations are pretty good for the theme. I like that the different songs concentrate on specific things in the game and that it is pretty clear what you should be shooting for. The loops are fun to shoot. It's fun to play, would play it at locations, but after a couple of plays, it's time to move on to the next pin. It's not $8K fun, but more like $3-4K fun so I will likely not own one and just get my fill by playing it on locations while they have it in their pin rotation. I don't hate it or have a major dislike for it as it is fun, but is limited entertainment with it's design.

KingBW edited previous rating on May 14, 2023.

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