Who Dunnit

Pinside rating

This game received 286 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.739 /10

7.739

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #136 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.653

Artwork: 7.647

Sounds/Music: 7.738

Other Aspects: 7.706


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 6 of us have rated this game.

8.139

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Found 149 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 149 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 5 of 6.

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8.624/10
10 years ago
I ended up trading a Black Knight 2000 for my WHO Dunnit a little on a whim. My kids and wife didn't like the brutal speed of Black Knight 2000 so I thought, why not try WHO Dunnit for a change. It was fairly cheap for a DMD / DCS Williams especially compared to my TZ, CFTBL, STTNG, and WH20. I was actually pleasantly surprised. This machine is actually a lot of fun.

There are multiple multiball modes (Basement, Elevator Madness, Penthouse Party, and the Roof) which can get frantic. Sure, the scoring is a little unbalanced as you rank up $80M, $90M, etc a shot on Penthouse Party, but it's still a lot of fun. Go ahead, gamble 2 billion points at the roulette wheel, lose and then have to earn all those points back or win and feel like the king of the world. Pray as the ball travels down the outlane that the slot machine gods are going to be kind and give you something good like a second chance.

The detective theme is well executed. There are a number of folks that point out that the game is missing a Wizard Mode, but I honestly think it doesn't detract from the fun factor. The Roof mode that occurs at the end of each "case" is still a blast as you try to hit the loops and then the phone shot in a hurry to catch the murder all the while the animations on the DMD are showing a great foot chase. Is it stop and go at times, sure, but at other times the ball is travelling at warp speed around the loops and in and out of the elevator.

Walking up to this machine in the arcade, I was never all that impressed, but once I got it home, read the back story on the characters, and understood the elevator and what the different floors do, this game just became fun. On top of that, with upgraded speakers the music track including the Peter Gunn theme, takes you back to that "film noir" feeling almost perfectly. I regularly hang around at the end of a game just to listen to the music.

I replaced most of my GI lighting with pink retros from Cointaker, the inserts with superbrites and added a strip of leds at the top of the playfield that illuminates it blue. The combination of the blue leds running fairly dim and the pink GI provides this purplish glow resembling dusk at the top of the machine and lights up the somewhat dark area very nicely. At the bottom and middle of the machine the pink leds give the plastics that rich color that really reminds one of the old hotels and clubs of the 1930s and 1940s.

Is it as good as say TZ, STTNG, or WW? Probably not, Who Dunnit would leave my collection before those, but with that said I'm in no hurry to have it go anywhere. It's a machine that I can walk up to after a bad day at work, play a game, and walk away with a smile. I'll never win a PAPA tournament, so at the end of the day the ability of a machine to leave me with a smile on my face makes it a good machine indeed and this one won't leave your wallet bare even though it has the same built quality that other Willliams are known for. The one unfortunate thing is not being able to buy the center ramp. Mine is in good shape, but I'm always worried that someday it will crack on me. Who Dunnit was a gamble, in this case it was a gamble that I think I won. "I never answer the phone."
9.524/10
11 years ago
Fun game that has a lot going for it. Lots of stop and go play, but keeps you engaged and the animations are pretty excellent.
7.570/10
11 years ago
We had WHO Dunnit in our breakroom at work for over a year and a half. The machine got tons of plays and lasted quite a while.

I do like that you can loose points if you don't hit the roulette wheel, few games do this. The elevator is a clever toy to base everything around and there is a wall that pops up and own in front of the elevator to force you to do other things then just pound the elevator.

I wish they didn't do the gambling theme and really stuck to the Clue-Mansion setting, but all in all this is a good/fun game worth playing a few times.
7.250/10
11 years ago
Totally different than anything else I have played. A lot of stop and go. Very interactive. Its fun. peter gunn theme music is cool. Just different. a little more cerebral than most pins in the rule set
9.760/10
11 years ago
For me this game has it all. The theme is awesome. The artwork is gorgeous. Sound is top notch. Has some of the best shots. The slot reels are one of the best toys ever. Everyone who has ever played mine loved it and wanted to buy it. Not sure why it doesn't rank higher.
8.520/10
11 years ago
A very neat pinball, I love the slot machine gimmick under the play field! A must play for any pinball enthusiast.
6.172/10
11 years ago
I owned this game for a month and never could get excited about it.
7.316/10
11 years ago
WHO Dunnit is a game that had so many things going for it, but once again the execution of the rules just kills the play for a more serious player.

The Pros:
A brilliantly executed theme of gumshoe murder in a casino. The characters are well flushed out and it feels like playing a game of Clue (Hasbro). Animations and sound calls are perfect for this game. Linda Deal did a fantastic art package to set the ambiance of this table. I love hearing the pop of the champagne bottle. Oursler tm outlanes require attention as always. The shots in this game are well laid out.

The Cons:
The quotes become recognizable and the game becomes monotonous after getting to know the paths the software takes (Randomizer anyone?!?). The center ramp becomes a gimme shot after a few plays. Gambling is a good way to add to the risk of the game, but it takes away from skill when playing the game. Not as well put together as Jack-Bot with the gambling theme/implementation, but still a good bit of fun. Scores are completely unbalancing with multiball.

The Takeaway:
A fun game for an escape into the world of WHO Dunnit. I understand that the "mysteries" have to be programmed into the game, but is there a way to piecemeal up the "clues" (audio annd visual) and have them placed into bits that add a more random factor to the story of the game? The mystery is the same but the names switch about a bit? I don't know this is a tough one... Calling mystery programmer!!! Maybe a little too serious for the kiddies, definitely a little to light on the playtesting for players.

The update:
Even in tournament settings, this game has serious balancing issues. You are either getting a few million or a few billion right quick. It'd be different if the challenge was CFTBL like for billions, but it's not. Know the rules if you see this in a tournament and go for the Penthouse and multiball. Chance your way through roulette, but why bother unless you are in tournament mode and then you can count on winning every second hand.

Update v.2:
This game is a great game for a home collection where it isn't the only game. Solid shots and while the rules aren't the best for tourney play, they are fun for home and location play. Enjoy it for what it is and have a great time!

Update v.3:
This was not a game I was expecting in my collection. However, my lady loves it. We would go over to a friends house who had a copy and she would specifically tell him “If you ever think about selling this game, I’d like to buy it.“ wouldn’t you know, he decided to sell the game and I actually bought a pinball game for someone else besides myself. What a concept! The game needed work and after going through it a bit most of my thoughts about the game are the same. It’s fine, it’s not a true player and certainly not something that would be viable for competition outside of the pin golf tournament. What has changed is my impression about the theater of the game. The music on this game is awesome! And the voices, while sometimes languishing a little bit longer in the description of the crimes being perpetrated, are well done and in character. The light show starting the multi ball is one of the best out there. And while the game is never going to be a great game, it’s a fun game. It’s a good game to have at the party when friends who are addicted to pinball like you and I are, come on over and play. The ramp in the middle means that the game is “easy” to get. Accessibility and intuitive instruction is something that pinball struggles with. Especially with more complex rule sheets and playfield designs.

This game is easy to understand and shooting center ramp is always fun. The mousing around raising target bank is an excellent addition to the variance of this game. Well the score balance isn’t great, the game is still fun to play around with. Believe it or not, the shots to either side of the Tonys palace ramp, requires skill and well placed shots.

Well the game stick around? Well, as long as she likes to play it. It will. Well, Who Dunnit? is a fun game and sometimes that’s what you really need out of pinball.
8.620/10
11 years ago
Great game, overall. I really enjoy the theme a lot. The music and the callouts are especially great. The end-of-game music is so cool, really takes the sting out of draining that last ball, haha. Game play is top notch, too. Many others criticize the gambling aspect of the scoring, i.e., betting points on the spin of the roulette wheel. The criticism being that that somehow cheapens (I suppose) the skill required to achieve a high score in the 'conventional' fashion. Personally, I love that feature of the game, and it's completely unique to Who?Dunnit (I think!). I'm not a gambler in 'real life'. So, maybe I like gambling pinball points because there's no real risk involved. At any rate, to me Who?Dunnit is a wonderful pin. Very atypical. Can't understand why (a) it's not more highly regarded and (b) so low-priced. If you're looking for a great bang-for-the-buck DMD pin, this is it. PS I NEVER answer the phone!
8.376/10
11 years ago
Finally put together the Who Dunnit I'd bought 8 months ago, driver board is hacked to hell but it does work. Wow, what a game - every shot feels just right aside from autoplunges just shooting the ball randomly into a metal wall. Music is absolutely brilliant too, scoring is a little suspect being able to get 75m for hitting nearly anything in one of the multiball modes, but then maybe that doesn't matter when you can roulette 750m. Looking out for a mint example now.
7.808/10
11 years ago
Fun game at first with a great theme but finding the culprit is just too easy. Not sure why the casino games are there. Left drains off the ramp returns are extremely annoying. Could have been better. Not a bad game in a large collection and can be had for cheap.
8.838/10
11 years ago
Played this game time or two recently and was intrigued. Got the chance to pick one up and love it. Played quite a few games on it and the variance of the clues makes me come back for more. The center ramp is easy to hit, but thats the point because you move up and down the elevator and at times need to hit it a lot to move down a lot of floors. Great theme, art and sound effects. The animations are easily top notch
8.620/10
11 years ago
Wasn't sure about this game and I played a few times in the past but I recently bought one and it really is fun to play.
Keeps me coming back. Rules are not as straight forward or predictable and there are many nuances and unique game play that sets it apart from the run of the mill 90's game.

It's no Medieval Madness but very entertaining and a great game that you can get at a reasonable price.
Just be sure to find one with intact ramps because game play is dependent on a well kept and working playfield
8.820/10
12 years ago
A really unique and narrative twist to a well themed pinball machine. The slot machine is a fun toy and combining a classic murder mystery puzzle with a pin-theme is well executed. My only slight is that after several plays it seems as though you can just haphazardly choose the culprit and get it after a couple tries.
9.420/10
12 years ago
classy game, people complain about predictable murder suspects, but isn't every game really about high score???
I love the theme and the gameplay, I guess it needs a rom upgrade to randomize the suspects to catapult it into the next level
6.738/10
12 years ago
This game came and went from my small collection.I don't buy/sell often at all.Same line up for the past 4 years.

Who Dunnit has some nice sounds,dots,lighting and a fast orbit shot,but the elevator ramp is too easy to hit over and over and is prone to cracking at the fixing points.A bit clunky with the feel of it.The puzzles are too easy to solve and the roulette wheel and unbalanced scoring was a turn off.

A low production run mid 90's WMS that can be had for less.The theme is well done,but over all it is lacking.
6.825/10
12 years ago
Why-Play-It? I think this really could have been a great game. I love the idea of finding the different clues, interrogating the suspects and then chasing the culprit. Unfortunately, there just seems to be too much going on within the game and it ends up feeling rather confused.
8.940/10
12 years ago
It's too bad...this could have been one of the greats. Poor design causes the ball to drain in the left outlane out of the ball lock. Sure, they did put a ball save in there to give you the ball back but it ends "roof" mode (among others) and is extremely annoying.

The playfield is great, the music is outstanding...but they really didn't do a good job with the finishing touches that could have made this SO much better (*cough* wizard mode! *cough*). Can't say I really understand the playfield slot machine either, that feels like more of a gimmick than something that adds to gameplay.

Probably sounding a bit harsh so to clarify - this is a very good pin, easily better than it's current #84 rank. But it's easy to recognize where it could have been better so it feels more disappointing than it probably should.
8.122/10
12 years ago
I love W?D and am on my 9th. The one I own now has been clear coated and new ramps etc installed so I can never sell it as I will lose a fortune. I know it's not a popular game with most players but I just love the theme and losing (or winning) your points on the roulette wheel.
4.521/10
12 years ago
Could never really get into this game... the big ramp in the middle made the playfield very cramped and not to my taste, and it looks awful, so can't pull myself to play it for long enough to even know how good or deep the rule-set is.
8.664/10
12 years ago
When I first played this pin, I was confused, but quickly figured it out. I didn't understand the whole 'interviewing witnesses' and how that was supposed to help, but it matter all that much. The roulette is cool! Loose it all (or not)! I like the slot too. Shooting the phone is easy until I need to do it, but that's not the pin's fault. Overall, it's a fun pinball!
5.890/10
12 years ago
OK game, I think you need time to bond with this machine, maybe I did not give it long enough before it was gone to make room for something better, probably a good game to have in your collection as it's quite different but there are loads of better titles out there if you are short of space.

I played it about an hour before it went to someone who would appreciate it more, don't miss it.
6.478/10
12 years ago
Gets very repetitive
7.817/10
12 years ago
Who Dunnit would make a great starter game or 2nd game in a collection. The artwork is attractive, the "film noir" theme is catchy and the overall game is fun.

Not a "gotta have it" Just a nice game.
8.936/10
12 years ago
I love this game. From the first game I played, the unique rules and setup of this game grabbed me. I like the whole crime solving idea and the elevator is a really cool toy. The penthouse party mode is one of the most satisfying way to rack up points IMHO. This machine will hopefully be in my possession someday.
There are 149 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 5 of 6.

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