The Walking Dead (Premium)

Pinside rating

This game received 389 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.389 /10

8.389

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 1st in the game group "The Walking Dead". The group itself ranks #45 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.528

Artwork: 8.098

Sounds/Music: 7.902

Other Aspects: 8.618


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

8.291

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This title is part of group: "The Walking Dead"


Found 189 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 189 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 8.

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9.283/10
53 days ago
Have has a premium for over 6 months and it does have staying power. In no rush to move anytime soon. Premium has crossbow action so that is pretty fun. Learning the rule set and I can see how competitive players do enjoy this game. Lighting is a good attempt but all cool white inserts with Red/white effects are for sure just meh. Just have to understand the timeframe when this came out and what Stern was trying for. Premium back glass is Yuck so that is the 1st thing that went.

I like to improve my pins so Color DMD was added although with all the Red going on the factory stern actually is pretty good. I changed all the GI to warm white or sunlight and left all the inserts alone. Toys and stuff are fun but I do the minimum if at all.
Overall staying power for sure and I think you will agree. I do enjoy that tilt warning sound! Gets your attention.
9.660/10
84 days ago
I tried to so hard to not like The Walking Dead.

I ended up buying this game twice. Very few games have affected me so strongly.

This game will make you a better player. It's hard, tough, frustrating. It's also fun, rewarding, has flow, leaves you exhilarated and gets your blood pumping.

The code is quite simply a masterpiece; as close to perfection as one could imagine. (R.I.P. Lyman)

Sure, the playfield art isn't going to win best in show. Honestly though if it were pretty it wouldn't be The Walking Dead. The theme is rife with despair, blood, guts, gore, loss and hopelessness.

The music and tunes are fitting and spot-on, custom code will tweak this to your liking. The narrator is a bit goofy and there's no actors from the show but once again, easily fixable with custom code.

You want a great game? Get the Pro. You want a great game with more features and want it to hurt a little more? Get the Premium/LE.

Do yourself a favor; consider owning this game.
5.854/10
3 months ago
Walking dead is a really bleak pin. The sound effects, animations, and features are pretty off-putting and though the theme lends itself well to the pin, it is not very attractive. The gimmicks in the barn and the bloated walker are really neat and I especially like the magnet grab right in front of the barn, though I have been the victim of some poorly setup tables where it leads to a quick drain unfortunately. The ruleset is pretty neat and the process of collecting weapons and wiping out walkers is fun, but the depressing and dark nature of this pin is super off-putting.
8.380/10
5 months ago
When this came out I didn't think it was any good. But having played many other games, I think it's actually quite good.

The layout is good and especially the ramps are nice to shoot. There is some flow to be found here, which is always nice. Nevertheless, for me the Tower shot feels rickety to shoot but it's not too bad overall. The biggest flaw which is actually only found on the Premium / LE version is the diverting Bicycle Girl ramp. The hurry-up is very annoying in that flow stopping way and a good reason not to shoot the left ramp when it's lit. So I actually think the Pro is the superior version in terms of gameplay.

The rules are excellent and I especially enjoy the different Dead features you can collect. The Prison and Well Walker multiballs are quite enjoyable to play too. In general, the scoring seems pretty well balanced out and collecting all Dead features isn't that easy. It makes this game pretty replayable.

The artwork is quite good, it isn't on the level of a Metallica for example but it's still very nice to look at. The animations look very good too.

All in all, it is a very good, maybe even underrated (also by past me) game which has a nice layout, very good rules and is quite replayable. I think every casual player and above will enjoy this machine.
8.436/10
5 months ago
The walking dead pro pinball machine is one of my favorite pins. The Art Work and original callouts are bad but with the cleland update for sound and new translite make the game a lot better. It’s a pretty brutal game but it can be tamed and made easier with nudging, flipper passing and dead bounces.

I think overall the Pro is a better machine because of the ramp on the premium being so hit or miss, walker bombs feeling like a cheat code and the flow of the game being slowed down by the crossbow. It’s a neat mech but a little repetitive. The premium does have RGB arrows, spinners, drop target and different art as well but I’m not sure I’d choose it over the pro even if price were the same.

Overall maybe I’d like it more in time but man I hate waiting and the left ramp is just bad the game is already brutal and has some cheap drains I don’t need s ramp causing more problems. Overall though for a competitive player this is a must have machine. Great shots, still good ramps and amazing code! Love it and I’ll always have TWD in my collection.
8.190/10
7 months ago
Fun shooter theme is not my favorite but the game play is cool.
4.154/10
11 months ago
It's a drain monster, the game just feels unfair to me.
8.992/10
1 year ago
The LE looks beautiful. Really love this game. Very few get this good.

Very little difference between the Pro/Prem/LE. Just more eye candy and cool armor. Walking Dead is a fantastic machine, layout and code are near perfect
8.056/10
1 year ago
Sounds odd but I do not care for themed games, I would prefer generic artwork. This themed game though is kinda cross over to generic. Disliked the first couple I played, but recently played one that was setup an really fun.
8.940/10
1 year ago
I am a big fan of this theme, and it fits perfectly. It can be brutal and a tough play, but when you hit Horde and Bloodbath there aren’t many more rewarding modes in pinball. Much more fun with the custom sweary call-outs!
9.240/10
1 year ago
Hard game but when you learn to nudge it right, it's very fun to play.
8.648/10
1 year ago
Now have in my collection and absolutely love the game play. Fast and flows well..Artwork is nothing to write home about but multiple bash toys, crossbow and adding comic translite and cleland code have really upped the fun factor.
9.044/10
1 year ago
First off, I am a fan of the comic and tv show. I do feel this could have been themed better, artwork and sound. Nevertheless, I do feel like I'm playing in the TWD "world" when I play it, to a degree.

Also, I have the custom Cleveland audio/sound rom, which in my mind is a requirement.

This game is players game! Man I love the Borg and Lyman combo! I like playing purely on strategy and blowing it up! Or draining right away lol, cause this game is brutal and if itdidn't have top notch code, it would suffer greatly, in the enjoyment catergory.


I enjoy the gimmicks "toys" on the premium, lifting ramp, coloring changing light, well walker magnet, and the crossbow. Even if it makes it a more dangerous game to play, it's fun!

Overall, I enjoy the shots in this game, I enjoy the bash toys and I enjoy the rules. It's fast and intense and rewarding!

Definitely has that one more game feel.
8.362/10
1 year ago
Played at Pinball Republic, Croydon, London.

Good pin to play, but I can’t get past the theme and artwork. It is extraordinarily ugly and, due to being about zombies, very unpleasant to look at. I’m viscerally repulsed by it.
9.300/10
2 years ago
I like the theme, the lightshow on the playfield is paranoia
8.575/10
2 years ago
This is a great pin! I think one of the most difficult stern pinball. There are almost no safe shots and when the ball rolls in the main playfield area you can't miss your shot otherwise you just pray
7.448/10
2 years ago
I really like the theme, being a TWD fan. Game is a little dark out of the box, which makes sense being a zombie based theme. Not a super fan of the translite art. Game plays well, shoot well. Not a fan of the cross bow I feel it slows the game down. Some really fun unique shots here. Will update rating as I dig more into the rules.
10.000/10
2 years ago
Absolutely one of the greatest pins of all time. Borg / Lyman is a match made in heaven. Great rules, code and shot layout. Some complain about it being “ugly” but like...this ain’t a Care Bears pin. It’s a pin about flesh eaters so of coarse it’s GRIM. The game just isn’t for the weak of heart looks or skill wise. Gameplay can be brutal but...so can zombies. This game will make you a better player. If one is available, buy it. We’re not getting anymore Lyman pins since he left Stern.
9.720/10
2 years ago
Great pin !!!! Lots of fun but not easy,that's how i like it... And the pin looks very very good... There aren't a lot of pins looking like this one. I can't find something bad about it. It only was difficult (for me) to onderstand the rules. I own the premium version.
9.660/10
2 years ago
Wow what a pin!!!!

I'll be honest at first I hated this pin and questioned my purchase.

Then it happened I was bit!!! Probably one of my favorite pins. The layout and shots are phenomenal!!! This game will punish you but you will quickly hit the start button.

Many will say the theme is to dark and the artwork blows but I think it goes well with the theme.

The Cleland sound mod is definitely a must! Lots of great most available. The rules and depth of this game is just mind blowing good.
9.284/10
3 years ago
The Walking Dead pinball while bashed on release, over time has become one of the best Stern pins, as well as one of the best pins ever made. Fans of the AMC TV show will certainly like the cabinet art on the Premium/Standard edition (Season 3), and will appreciate the cabinet art (Season 1) on the LE. Translites for all of them are serviceable at best, but reminiscent of the translite art from the mid 2000's Stern machines. Playfield art layout of the map is unique, but a bunch of photoshopped no-name zombies won't get anything but a 'meh'. What will blow people's minds is the fast and furious gameplay! Beautiful arcing orbits, along with awesome ramps, makes this pin a blast to shoot. You will be blasting away zombies in what is essentially you playing the role of a no-name survivor in the world of the AMC TV show, trying to survive and be the "Last Man Standing". To do this you will be required to take down Walkers constantly, hitting lit shots to kill zombies and do combo takedowns, to quickly amass the kills needed to start the wizard mode(s). Horde mode is easily one of the best wizard modes in pinball, further showing off the excellent lighting in the game with lots of blood red colors as the walkers slowly approach you. DMD animation is incredibly brutal, as you shoot/stab/smash zombie heads in very cartoonish but explicit animations not for the squeamish. TWD may be the best coded game in pinball. Over the course of several years, Lyman Sheats coded this masterpiece (v 1.60). There is so much to do, so many scoring potential with the multipliers, and every single area of the playfield is used (like the supply box to activate Bloodbath). Speaking of shots, this game has a ton of things to shoot for including a disgusting Well Walker bash toy that exposes his guts on hit, if you have the Premium or LE. In addition to the Well Walker, you can also shoot the doors to a prison and reveal an additional zombie bash toy head. The Premium/LE models also include a zombie head revealed under the bicycle girl ramp, as well as the use of a crossbow ball launcher mech near the apron; which also functions as an in-game Walker Bomb, to help with mode completion. Along with the mediocre artwork, the voice overs are what really drops scores for this game. The AMC theme song is present, and the mode music is really good, but the in-game narrator is really bad and over the top (in a bad way). Overall, TWD is a game that doesn't look good or have good voice over calls, but is a brutally hard and fast game with legendary game code, to place this as one of the best games of all time and a game that will have you coming back for more with its fun factor & challenge.
10.000/10
3 years ago
This game should be rated higher ...very surprised its not!
7.567/10
3 years ago
I love the show and wanted to like this machine but it just didn't grab me. The artwork and overall color scheme of the game leave a lot to be desired. The middle play field is also a little too cluttered for my taste and the flow of the game seemed to suffer because of it.
9.180/10
3 years ago
This is a great pin! So much going on in the playfield, but doesn’t feel overcrowded to me. I’ve never seen the show, but that didn’t take away from the game for me, plus it “seemed” like it was a great theme integration. One of my favorite pins, and I love the use of magnets in the game, but a lot of the bash shots lead to a deadened ball followed shortly by a SDTM. Still love it though!!
9.900/10
3 years ago
My favorite pin of all I've ever played. Underrated and amazing.
There are 189 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 8.

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