Bally
World Cup Soccer Pinside Rating
This game received 617 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.091 /10
World Cup Soccer
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 8.423
Artwork: 7.418
Sounds/Music: 7.591
Other Aspects: 8.363
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.
Found 299 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 299 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 2 of 12.
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Longmont, CO
8.724/10
1 year ago
What a delightful game. While TotAN, ToM, and CV are typically his most heralded games, this may be Popadiuk's most feature-rich and varied game. The dog mascot and specific year make the theme feel niche, family-oriented, and dated, but there is so much going on, and the ramps and shots are much tighter and steeper than ToM.
Pros: For a two-flipper game, the variation and shots gives this great replay value. It's not an easy game, either, as the playfield is loaded to the point that one more thing would likely be too much, but the placement of (most) objects is both thoughtful and unique. Having previously been turned off by the theme and artwork, this is now a game I play any time I see it, and when you're hitting shots, it's one of the most fun tables I can think of.
Cons: The right-center of the playfiled has both the soccer ball and speed bumps, which create inconsistent returns. In one sense, that's sort of theme-appropriate, but it can ruin flow, and the sheer number of things on the playfield can lead to crazy bounces. The TV scoop is also really finicky on most of the machines I've played, where it seems more likely to land in there when it's deflecting than if it's shot from a flipper.
Pros: For a two-flipper game, the variation and shots gives this great replay value. It's not an easy game, either, as the playfield is loaded to the point that one more thing would likely be too much, but the placement of (most) objects is both thoughtful and unique. Having previously been turned off by the theme and artwork, this is now a game I play any time I see it, and when you're hitting shots, it's one of the most fun tables I can think of.
Cons: The right-center of the playfiled has both the soccer ball and speed bumps, which create inconsistent returns. In one sense, that's sort of theme-appropriate, but it can ruin flow, and the sheer number of things on the playfield can lead to crazy bounces. The TV scoop is also really finicky on most of the machines I've played, where it seems more likely to land in there when it's deflecting than if it's shot from a flipper.
Halton Hills, ON
9.556/10
1 year ago
I'm not that into soccer, but this machine makes me want to become a fan! The way the sport is integrated into pinball is simply brilliant. It's so satisfying to score goals in this game. The artwork is decent, but don't judge this book by its cover. The gameplay is a blast. Super fun machine! I hope to own this machine in the future.
London
8.500/10
1 year ago
Melbourne
Playing this game is so good especially when for me a football/soccer theme is part of what i love and im glad it wasnt ruined. Great shots and great theme integration, blows all other sport pinballs away as this is really one of the best if not the best sport pinball. The colours and theme of the world cup are great and you really feel like your playing the world cup going through all the rounds and the difficult shot to qualify and the idea that you need tickets truly well thought out and the theme integration is beautiful. I wish the cab art was a little cleaner but i love the backglass and all the fun options that can be put on it. Shoots really well and is a definite 90s keeper in my eyes.
6.878/10
1 year ago
Ghent
I feel like this pin's downfall is the theme and rules. The layout, shots and ramps are top notch, but tying it into soccer just isn't that great as for example Theatre of Magic. Getting to the end game is also very attainable, which leaves me wanting more from this pin. In general, the pin flows very nicely but is not going to stay for me.
8.820/10
1 year ago
I like the game a lot. It's a fun game to play. The music gets a little repetitive sometimes but overall the game is excellent.
8.950/10
1 year ago
There’s a lot to overcome at the outset just to get someone to play this game. The back glass is simply terrible. It doesn’t fit with the cabinet art, and why do you need a cheesy puppy dog? What does that have to do with soccer?
An example of how bad the backglass and cabinet are: I had a regular customer come into the game room and I asked him which pin he wanted to play. His first response was, “well, certainly not THAT one.” I coaxed him to play it, and after a few rounds he said, surprised, “you know this game is actually really fun!”
And so it is. The gameplay, shot flow, incredible variety of shots/targets/goals/modes/sounds/gimmicks… this machine has EVERYTHING you want in a pin. Unless, you know, you want an attractive backglass.
Definitely play this machine if you get a chance. It’s one of the most fun machines there is to play, period. You just have to suspend your disgust over the backglass and get into the game!
An example of how bad the backglass and cabinet are: I had a regular customer come into the game room and I asked him which pin he wanted to play. His first response was, “well, certainly not THAT one.” I coaxed him to play it, and after a few rounds he said, surprised, “you know this game is actually really fun!”
And so it is. The gameplay, shot flow, incredible variety of shots/targets/goals/modes/sounds/gimmicks… this machine has EVERYTHING you want in a pin. Unless, you know, you want an attractive backglass.
Definitely play this machine if you get a chance. It’s one of the most fun machines there is to play, period. You just have to suspend your disgust over the backglass and get into the game!
8.300/10
1 year ago
I owned this game, and a friend of mine owned one later. I enjoyed playing it a lot. Satisfying shots, good drama build up, not too easy. Definitely awesome when you go against Germany. It always got my adrenaline pumping! This game always seemed like a good value and a lot of fun. The drawbacks of the toys/gimmicks are the spinning soccer ball doesn't do as much as you'd think, and the magnasave is pretty useless. I've played a sad one on a route with half the lights and functions not working, and it killed the game. Play a good working one and see what you think. Either you'll like it, or you wont!
8.793/10
2 years ago
This game is a ton of fun to play. It has clear objectives without any real exploits to diminish exploring the game. Although the theme isn't going to be for everyone, I'm not a big fan of soccer myself, the theme integration is on point.
The good:
- I love the callouts. Tim Kitzrow does a perfect announcer voice and I love the jabs he makes at you when you're fumbling around.
- The toys in this game are top notch. The goal with the moving goalie is a ton of fun and adds a fun element of accuracy and timing. The soccer ball (assuming it's somewhat newer) can add some incredible spin and really launch the ball. The assist kickout and magna save are also some neat little additions.
- The ramps are fantastic. I love the fact that the ball can end up in four different locations when you hit the left ramp and three different locations with the right ramp. The ramp variance, paired with the nice and flowy long nature of the ramps really just makes them to continue to be satisfying to hit.
- Theme integration is on point, I may not really care for soccer, but I love how well it was incorporated into the game.
- The code is fun, it's easy for a new person to pick up, and have fun playing, and it's enjoyable for a more versed player to try and explore things that take longer to get to, like the TV modes or World Cup Finals. The fact that it doesn't suffer from any scoring exploits is a big plus too. This game definitely should be setup at its most difficult though to prevent those things from being too easy to reach.
- The value proposition is great. This game is equally as fun as many of the other WPC games that cost three times as much as it.
The mediocre:
- The music is good but does git a bit repetitive.
- I have mixed feelings about the playfield artwork. I enjoy the very 90's color scheme on the playfield and the artwork, though the referees face is a little off-putting.
The bad:
- The two 'free kick' saucers don't add anything interesting to the game and slow down the gameplay a bit too much for my liking.
- There is something with the backglass that just doesn't look good to me and it's not just Striker (the dog). It's whole composition is just off. It could be that the artwork of Striker doesn't match the artwork of the other players or it could be that the random world map postcard thing just doesn't really belong. Either way, it's a bad backglass.
The good:
- I love the callouts. Tim Kitzrow does a perfect announcer voice and I love the jabs he makes at you when you're fumbling around.
- The toys in this game are top notch. The goal with the moving goalie is a ton of fun and adds a fun element of accuracy and timing. The soccer ball (assuming it's somewhat newer) can add some incredible spin and really launch the ball. The assist kickout and magna save are also some neat little additions.
- The ramps are fantastic. I love the fact that the ball can end up in four different locations when you hit the left ramp and three different locations with the right ramp. The ramp variance, paired with the nice and flowy long nature of the ramps really just makes them to continue to be satisfying to hit.
- Theme integration is on point, I may not really care for soccer, but I love how well it was incorporated into the game.
- The code is fun, it's easy for a new person to pick up, and have fun playing, and it's enjoyable for a more versed player to try and explore things that take longer to get to, like the TV modes or World Cup Finals. The fact that it doesn't suffer from any scoring exploits is a big plus too. This game definitely should be setup at its most difficult though to prevent those things from being too easy to reach.
- The value proposition is great. This game is equally as fun as many of the other WPC games that cost three times as much as it.
The mediocre:
- The music is good but does git a bit repetitive.
- I have mixed feelings about the playfield artwork. I enjoy the very 90's color scheme on the playfield and the artwork, though the referees face is a little off-putting.
The bad:
- The two 'free kick' saucers don't add anything interesting to the game and slow down the gameplay a bit too much for my liking.
- There is something with the backglass that just doesn't look good to me and it's not just Striker (the dog). It's whole composition is just off. It could be that the artwork of Striker doesn't match the artwork of the other players or it could be that the random world map postcard thing just doesn't really belong. Either way, it's a bad backglass.
8.800/10
2 years ago
Insanely fun. The theme is a winner. The loops are great. Jackpots are so satisfying - you have to score a goal like soccer. Brilliant. The manual magnetic ball saver is brilliant. First I’ve ever seen that. I want this game!!!
7.652/10
2 years ago
World Cup Soccer is just pure enjoyable. There's nothing super deep about the rules or crazy in terms of strategizing. It's simply a fun layout with understandable objectives. The art, sounds, and speech are all great. Novice and experienced players will enjoy the table alike. The goal in the center is fun to shoot and a clear objective to shoot for. Getting through the cities isnt super involved but is a good spot for a wizard mode. Multiball is good too here. Overall just a good time for anyone.
Klagenfurt
Metz
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