Gottlieb

Top Score

Pinside Rating

This game received 33 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.811 _/10

7.811

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #133 in the Pinside EM Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.944

Artwork: 7.67

Sounds/Music: 3.335

Other Aspects: 7.793

Pinside staff rating

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

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Found 25 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 25 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.653/10

3 months ago

JJB

Tubtub

Pinside member

3y 27,800 7 2 6

I am biassed because I own this machine. It is a keeper in my eyes. I am a sucker for a good spinner game. It is my first gottlieb with a ball gate. The ruleset is very simple but yet hard to master. It has a one more game playability for me. The bagatelle feature in backglass really captivates kids attention when it counts up and down. Only bad thing i can say is it is an ax-bx game.

Tubtub currently owns this game.

7.536/10

4 months ago

CMW

RoxasUrSoxas

Pinside member

Middleburg Heights, OH

7y 62,050 125 20 59

This game is okay. I really like the bowling theme but there are definitely better bowling games out there. I purchased a Super Soccer which has the same bonus ball system and I find that to be the better game which is why I sold my Top Score. This game doesn't have a whole lot to shoot for. The right side is kind of a waste of space IMO. Hitting lit targets builds your bonus. Try to hit the scoops for mystery bonus and bonus collect, rinse and repeat. The Spinner shot on this game is weird - The ball generally hits the pop and deflects back through the Spinner so you can't really rip it, which is the cool thing about spinners. This is an OK game but there's a lot better titles out there.

RoxasUrSoxas has owned this game in the past.

6.320/10

11 months ago

PON

ponny

Pinside member

Kilmore

3y 22,250 1 1 76

Nhill pinball museum

7.686/10

1 year ago

MLF

stashyboy

Pinside member

High Falls, NY

11y 91,050 2,643 14 44

Bashing the spinner is satisfying, but can be a drainer. Special is an after thought. Still, a fun game for casual play, but like most 2 player EMs, every ball is a separate game, without the progression of rules that single player EMs usually have.

stashyboy has owned this game in the past.

7.789/10

2 years ago

LDS

BlackBelt

Pinside member

Brier, WA

2y 58,800 545 4 9

Solid EM and lasting replay. Love the bonus shots and the spinner is pure bliss. Cool bowling theme.

BlackBelt has owned this game in the past.

8.353/10

4 years ago

RFK

R8f1k

Pinside member

Grayslake, IL

10y 40,200 345 8 16

Great EM!!!! Classic Gottlieb machine, nice animated backglass makes it seem like a cool old hold over from the 60's. Nice artwork, fits in great with any mid-70's pinball collection. Can be a little loud, but kids and first timers love it. I would buy another one given the chance.

R8f1k has owned this game in the past.

7.119/10

5 years ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinball 518

7y 81,400 38 112

Here's the thing about Top Score...the playfield design is remarkably similar to Ted Zale's Mad World, from 1964. The double-bonus lane down the right in Top Score was only a single lane in Mad World, and Mad World had mushroom bumpers lower down, but otherwise it's a very close match.

Ed Krynski designed over 200 machines, which is phenomenal, and there's only so many ideas to be had when you're cranking out up to ten a year, but this one seems to go over the line from hommage to copying. Who knows? Zale was out of the business by this time so as far as I know nobody ever raised a stink about it, or possibly even noticed it.

It is a *great* layout, particularly with the addition of the backglass animation / bagatelle and the two saucer layout to the left side. It makes building bonus vs. collecting it a pretty decent quest, and for the tired-but-true (yes, I did that on purpose) bowling theme, while it doesn't have much of a connection thematically, it's refreshing. (Although why would you score bowling *balls* for bonus? Answer: it's very hard to make bowling pins roll properly across your bagatelle box).

I'm not a huge fan of the artwork here, which is the usual girl-watches-boy do something, but it's fine.

In any event, it plays pretty well repeatedly and offers good challenges; it's a good tournament game, too.

9.527/10

7 years ago

???

Amesra

Inactive member

Norfolk, NE

10y 11,400 12 2 8

I have 300, although Top Score is essentially the same game. Love the bagatelle, the spinner, pop-up holes, backglass animation, and the open gate feature. Bowling is my favorite theme for a pinball. If it had a few drop targets and came in a one-player wedge head, for me this would be the ultimate pinball. I'll never part with it.

Amesra edited previous rating on December 30, 2016.

7.630/10

7 years ago

HWY

hwyhed

Pinside member

Surrey, BC

8y 95,300 2,452 4 19

This was my 3rd em I purchased..she's in real clean shape and plays very well. I like to adjust the legs to make it play quicker once in a while to mix it up..she's still a fun game that I play almost everyday..and the 1 chick on the back glass is kinda hot..

hwyhed has owned this game in the past.

7.561/10

8 years ago

RSF

blackheart

Inactive member

Palmetto, FL

11y 22,500 32 2 8

I have hours and hours on the is game growing up. Used to play it constantly. Still would run to one if I could find one to play. A real oldie but goodie.

blackheart has this game on the wishlist.

8.868/10

8 years ago

???

Rodger313

Inactive member

Livonia, MI

9y 8,400 19 3 7

Fantastic EM game!!! Just got to play this title at the VFW showcase. The bonus count in the backglass is a really cool touch. Game play is excellent, fun, fun, fun, this a a must have EM for me in the future.

6.987/10

9 years ago

LEP

jjpm

Inactive member

Milford, CT

9y 24,900 212 10 10

This is a nice looking machine without a whole lot going on game play wise. Compared to other games I've played, I found that this game is pretty easy to flip the score on. Just build up the bonus counter then land in the collect bonus hole. I currently own this game, but will probably end up selling it for something more engaging and challenging.

jjpm currently owns this game.

9.521/10

9 years ago

DZR

dzrossi

Pinside+ Frequent

Long Hill, NJ

9y 41,900 55 11 22

Great for a em game. Was surprised how much fun spinner and lanes were. Very happy with art work which is kid friendly. And or the record the woman at the table is holding a pencil not cigaret.

dzrossi has owned this game in the past.

5.601/10

9 years ago

YOS

Yoski

Pinside member

Sebring, FL

9y 88,150 456 17 133

Decent artwork but just not much going on. 2 bumpers, a spinner a kickout hole and a bunch of lanes on the right were enough to keep me entertained for a bout 2 or 3 games.

9.444/10

9 years ago

MMH

mannymasy

Pinside member

Málaga

10y 57,800 971 1 27

es uno de mis preferidos EM la acomulacion de bonus es muy divertida de ver y el tablero y sistema de juego me parece muy bonito y bueno.los carriles derechos dan muy buen juego a esta em....

6.961/10

9 years ago

CWE

Zorgar

Inactive member

Göttingen

9y 16,250 43

I only know the 300 version and played some games. Yet I wasn't too impressed and just playing my way. It has the Special skill shot which is really skillful but beyond that there isn't anything memorable for me. I have to confess that Triple Strike was my bowling pin.

9.447/10

9 years ago

CDF

Collin

Pinside member

Columbus, OH

11y 116K 5,271 29 82

I'm far from an EM expert, but this is one of my favorites. It has a great layout, and just feels really intense. Scoring seems to be suitably competitive and well-balanced. It's definitely a challenging game, but not too punishing. The playfield art is unremarkable, but the backglass art is cool and pretty typical of a Gottlieb of that era. I find myself coming back to this more than most EMs.

Collin edited previous rating on October 23, 2023.
Collin has owned this game in the past.

7.618/10

9 years ago

CPI

cait001

Pinside member

10y 114K 4,847 37

When I try and put it in to words, this game sounds a bit one-dimensional: RIP THE SPINNER! DO IT!
But really this is one of the most fun EM games for me.
The whole playfield flows really well, even if you're not going to be aiming for the standup targets too often. The bounce course on the right adds a great chance for nudge control and the gate to the shooter lane is a nice touch. The gate is also not too rare to active.
But what pulls the rules together for me is the bonus collect hole to drain the balls from the backbox and collect your bonus in waiting.
The "random bonus" hole, giving 1-3 bonuses, is a nice touch as well.
Oh yeah, and that delicious CLICK-CLACK of the bonus balls being shot up!

cait001 edited previous rating on September 26, 2016.

7.872/10

10 years ago

MTA

AtlanticPinball

Inactive member

Weymouth, MA

11y 25,900 73 19 19

I owned a Top Score for a while. It is a nice game with those nice Gottlieb chimes!

The skill shot is neat - hit the Red rollover target and then shoot the lit stand-up target before hitting a target that runs the score motor. It's a fun shot when you can get it!

There are two items which bug me about the game: the bonus ball unit and the pop bumpers.

The bonus ball unit can be a real P.I.T.A. to maintain. While the single bonus switch in 300/Top Score is an improvement over the make/break switch in Super Soccer/Soccer, you need to make sure there is the right amount of gap and spring tension on the switch. My shop was not very well temperature controlled, and in the varying temperatures in New England, adjustments were common.

Also, I did not like the placement of the pop bumpers in relation to their wiring. Top Score has both pop bumpers next to each other, but running via the same pop bumper relay. After I rebuilt the pop bumper assemblies and got a nice solid hit out of each of them, there were times when the ball would get kicked off of one pop bumper, and hit the second one before it had recovered (both pops fire in unison). I considered rewiring the units, but ended up selling the game before I got into it.

Otherwise, Top Score is a fun bonus Hunter. Simple rules make it an easy game for anyone to play. You'll need either a ricochet shot or luck to get the ball in the Collect Bonus hole. It's fun to play, but I prefer it's slightly older (and somewhat more temperamental) cousin Soccer...

AtlanticPinball has owned this game in the past.

8.920/10

10 years ago

B13

Bribo13

Pinside member

Ortonville, MI

12y 70,550 412 24 69

I like this title, Bowling, it is fun to play. plays fast when dialed in. plenty to shot at . I would love to add one of these to my collection.

9.027/10

10 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Top Score (and 300) is one of those Gottlieb EM games from the 70's that makes you realize that Gottlieb truly was the king of pinball until the impending SS doom came its way to make it humble.

The Pros:
A great layout with lots to shoot for and a true skill shot that requires nudging and quite a bit of luck. Lit lanes on the right make for great action off the flippers as well as keeping you on your toes by the bottom so that the ball doesn't find its way out the outlane that always seems to surprise people who have played this game for years. The standup special is the hardest shot on the deck (as it should be) that is if you can roll over the rollover at the top of the deck and not hit another target until you get to aim at that lit standup. SKILLS!!! Mystery bonus is good. Collect bonus is almost always better.

The Cons:
The collect bonus saucer from the top is more luck than skill. I am not so sure that this spinner is in the best spot it could be in.

The Takeaway:
A great design with lots of nudging skills required and a backglass animation that shows you what your bonus score is and even counts it off as you collect. A true classic from the 1970's that features the incredible team of Master K and Gordon Morrison!

8.379/10

10 years ago

???

Masspinballfan

Pinside member

Boston, MA

12y 43,550 202 6 12 3

Totally addictive and fun EM. The back box red ball animation puts this game over the top IMO. Without that it would be a good but not great game

Much like bowling the best shot is the spinner up the middle. Hit that dead center and the bonus balls crash down in the BG. Collecting bonus while ball is still in play at the upper red hole is a real nice feature. Artwork bright and colorful and of course the great GTB chimes.

I've had mine for over 3 years and I have limited space but I just can't seem to convince myself it's time to rotate Top Score out. Very Addicting game!

7.899/10

10 years ago

MAP

MurphyPeoples

Pinside member

Clinton, SC

13y 72,900 828 4 7

I have the "300" 4 player version of this game. i don't know why it's not here on Pinside. My wife LOVES this game. She loves the games sounds from the '70's and the fact that this game is easy to learn and put up high scores.

7.804/10

10 years ago

???

rubendub

Pinside member

Sint-niklaas

10y 31,000 4 53

in the beginning it whas hard to play,but after some time "addictif"
nice one a real gottlieb.
i have the 300 version.

rubendub edited previous rating on June 06, 2016.
rubendub has owned this game in the past.

9.459/10

10 years ago

JD

Danzig

Pinball Investments

Maricopa, AZ

13y 83,050 304 43 8

This I'd say is my favorite EM or at least very close to the top of the list. I personally have the 4 player version called "300" and can't get enough of it. It's one of those games that's very simple, yet so fun and addictive to play. It has the mechanical chimes that I love, and it also has mechanical back box animation. The bowling theme is timeless and all of the artwork is great, I only gave a lower score to the cabinet artwork because though it is decent, it's just a little too plain. Even the right side lane switching area keeps me entertained.

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