Ratings

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Found 54903 ratings (with comment)

There are 54,903 ratings (that include a comment).
Currently showing results page 1,091 of 2,197.

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8.788/10
6 years ago
What I really love about this machine is the perfect balanced scoring, the left ramp shot, the speed of the right ramp and when having a real good game it offers an unbelievable flow. Also the gun toy is pretty cool.
7.495/10
6 years ago
Very sharp and slick looking, but there are people that dig the art theme and some that don't- I am far into the "don't" camp. The jester guy(Jacksy?), I couldn't take it. And he keeps popping up. The basic feel is you're playing pinball while watching Aerosmith videos. Even if I was a huge Aerosmith fan, I can't believe this wouldn't get old. The toy chest, air launch lock is a nice touch- when it functions. I'll permit the powers that be to make one more rock themed pinball- Led Zeppelin and it better look Tolkien. Ok, maybe Van Halen- no Sammy!
9.440/10
6 years ago
Very underrated and fun machine. Plays well and is extremely fast. Can buy these Gladiators for a very reasonable price. A keeper in my book and very fun to play. The side rails are made out of a metal that rusted quite a bit on this machine ... not chromed so they will have to be replaced or painted.

Machine is fun!!! and has some really nice shots (long and short)
9.280/10
6 years ago
If this game had been made a few years later, Data East would have licensed the movie "Down Periscope" and it would be absolutely perfect. With that in mind, after playing multiple dozens (maybe even beyond 100+) of titles in the past 3 years, I can honestly say Torpedo Alley is my biggest surprise hit, stupid-grin fun discovery... I liked it so much I had to have one. Why?

Let's address the battleship in the room first: that backglass - you either love it or hate it. Personally I adore the ridiculous campiness of it - like a porn shoot for pinball, in the best lighthearted way. If you get past the costumes there are some clever bits in the art, like a space shuttle on an aircraft carrier (what?!) in addition to sea life and hapless dudes on a raft in the battlefield. (Again, think "Down Periscope" long before the movie was filmed, and it the overall execution of the theme starts to make sense). Add a unique layered translite 3-D effect, and displays integrated to the con, and you objectively have a well-done image.

While I'm on the art subject, the rest of the cab is beautiful: nautical blue with sharp red white and red trim, featuring the clever TA bobcat logotype and a smart sailor in uniform in front of an anchor - really well done. The playfield is fun to take in with different boats (easter egg names), sharks, refugees, 80s-futuristic aircraft, and a near-field perspective of the captain taking it in through binoculars: a clever and colorful hand-drawn original.

Maybe someday an alt translite will be available for those who can't stand the cheese, but I think it's perfect as is because it's goofy fun - and the gameplay is also just too much goofy fun!

It's not super deep: you essentially have 3 target banks representing ships to attack. Complete each bank to sink each ship, increase your bonus, wash rinse repeat. However the interest is upped by attempting to increase lucrative multipliers via the rollovers, cash in bonuses via the drop bank in the back, and of course locking for multiball, which is a blast and easy to start. And there are modes in this game too, albeit linear: if you sink enough ships you're prompted to "destroy the fleet" by making timed shots, which are quite lucrative. There is even a progressive jackpot that's cued for award: shoot the right habitrail when the game starts to rap.

Rap? That's right: it was made in '88 baby, so in addition to the numerous callouts which are both serious and funny, you can hear a "whoop! Whoop!" during a particular break-beat music track. DE was heavily promoting their new "digital stereo" sound system at this time and you might be shocked at how good it still is. It easily blows away B/W/GTB games of the era, even some that came out years later. As for Torpedo Alley, the booms of sinking ships are clear and deep and rewarding, while pop bumper action is like attending a 4th of July celebration. A generous soundtrack of at least 8 different original "songs" awaits, most of them loosely tied to a military theme. Mode tracks increase drama and tension when needed, and achievement tracks (and lightshows) are fantastic. You might find yourself cradling a ball just to let the music play uninterrupted. (But make sure to fix the DE "speaker hum bug" for the best possible experience - it's worth it!)

But why is the game so much fun? It just IS. I dare anyone to not grin the first time they get multiball and the klaxon blares out ("DIVE DIVE DIVE!") - or any time they do it after. Keep a ball out of the outlanes and the JAWS theme will keep you on your toes. A "LASER kickback" made no military sense then, but hey it was the 80's so you just had to have lasers! You can play it mindlessly for the great light shows and explosions, fantastic sound effects, funny callouts, JAWS homage, and wonderful music: the game is forgiving enough to offer newbie-friendly ball times. And it even has a continue option - which was almost unheard of for the time.

But, you can dive deep and aim your shots at specific goals, and discover that this game is FAST when set up properly and will brutally bite back when you least expect it, with some sucker shots and lightning orbits for good measure. The geometry doesn't require a lot of flipper trickery and there aren't too many backhand shots. The upper right flipper seems useless at first but, set up right, you can slow, cradle, nudge, and aim shots and so it becomes the key to great scores. And you can never be 100% certain where the ball will go even if you think you are... did I say this game is fast? It's among the first things my kids tell their friends about it, and I have a Firepower a few feet away so they know what fast is. Makes sense to be named for torpedoes...

As for gimmicks: the launch shot is interesting as it crosses the pf and disappears behind it before reappearing into the rollovers. Sound effects are great, and the spinner shot is especially responsive with effects keyed to how hard it's hit. The "sinking ship" in the binoculars is too fast to see, but clever... LED flashers really make the explosions pop! A word of caution: LED GI is great in this game, but disconnect the GI relay flasher if you don't want to have a seizure.

DE put a lot into this game for its era, but sadly only sold 1,000 of them. Likely far less than that survive so if you ever see one, you owe it to yourself to take the con and launch a shot - you might be pleasantly surprised at how much fun pure silly pinball can be. "Ahooga ooga!"
8.756/10
6 years ago
What a fantastic game in both layout (super creative) and code (super clever).

The game is in your face from the beginning, just like fighting off zombies. Great shots and modes and NOTHING feels repetitive. Choose your bombs, start a mode, bring in a multiball. Add the crossbow and bicycle girl and it's just an amazing game.

No regrets!
7.518/10
6 years ago
Good game with shot placement being everything! Get the 1 lane first to light the 1000 popper and start hammering away! The artwork is great aside from the backglass which could be better IMHO.

Edit: The game is ok but not a keeper, ultimately it is shoot the spinner, shoot the spinner, shoot the spinner.
7.033/10
6 years ago
Fun little game with excellent chimes. My only knock would be the center spinner is not in the greatest location and seems to serve no real purpose. Upper drop downs are largely luck to get as you have to get the ball up into the poppers so they will drive into the targets. Wife loves the pin and one of her go to games and is very reliable in operation. The backglass art reminds me of one of the famous comic book artists who did several Marvel runs in the 80's and 90's.

I would not mind having one back for a bit but ultimately the game is rather shallow.
8.323/10
6 years ago
Can't praise this game high enough!

Pin was picked up as an extra as part of a package so had no real thoughts on the game going in aside from the fact I really have no love of sports themed anything in general. This game is a blast!! From the rippling speed (for an EM I guess, I tend to give them a pretty good rake though) to the general awesome game flow, to the backglass puck animation (reflected in the play field lighted switches) to the multiple ways of advancing the puck across the ice (PF switches, center lanes, center popper, upper bumper, A/B lanes, out lanes) to even the goofy buzzer that sounds when you get a goal! This game was a home run for Williams and one we gravitate towards when heading out to the game room. While fun playing single player it really shines when playing against an opponent. The left outlane is brutal at sucking up wayward shots and the center ball saver post delightfully evil with its "now you see me now you don't" behavior the game pulls you back in time after time. If the game had an "player shoots again" option it would be perfect. A keeper in our collection!

Don't compare my EM ratings to SS ratings, 2 different classes.
6.540/10
6 years ago
Frankly this is one of those games that looks way cooler than it plays: I mean how sweet is a time machine themed pinball game with a flashing time tunnel in the middle, a bonus lane with two gates, a pop up ball saver post, 2 kick out holes, 4 poppers, a kick out lane and back box animation timed to the time tunnel?

For all that the game just never jelled for us and has no real flow, like someone just took a box of "cool stuff" and dumped it onto a playfield and called it a day. The ball meanders around the upper playfield aimlessly and if you get a ball in the upper gate its just pure luck. The lower gate you have better odds making the shot either directly off the flipper or bounced off the post opposite the gate. Freezing the bonus at 5000 is fairly easy to do but gets boring.

Lets take about chimes: I hear Bally has some of the best chimes in the business and based on this game I can assure you that is not the case. Even after rebuilding the chime box with fresh coils, strikers and grommets and careful adjustment they still sound like a Williams box that has had its spirit broken. They clank and jangle like a junkyard Yugo on its last legs.

Game reminds me of a 10 I dated once: Looks great on your arm but empty of any substance and shallow as a cookie sheet. I have played worse games so perhaps I'm being harsh, this one will do ok in a group but not sustain an owner with room for a single pin.
7.821/10
6 years ago
My second Chicago Coin game and surprisingly entertaining and with some charm. The scoring bells have a distinct "ting-ting-ting" very different than my Williams of the same period. The lower ball save gates are a cool gimmick to shoot for and making the bonus collect shot after running the rocket bonuses up to 500 very satisfying and really makes the score reels spin. You work those 2" flippers for dear life when the ball gets down into the pocket between gates and you are trying to keep it from draining.

Art work is very good with my only complaint being the PF color section could of been better. Interesting note, the 2 player version called Astronaut has the same playfield and art but in different colors! The backglass on Astronaut is different (score windows are just not added or subtracted), but has the same theme and characters.
7.043/10
6 years ago
One of the best looking games ever made. Looks more modern than most games out there. Sound is superb.

But, unfortunately it's not fun to play. Never recovered from a bad playfield design. 4 flippers, then 3 and the third is fairly pointless.

This game needed to be a narrow body as now game times are way too long and it doesn't have hooks to keep playing it.
8.381/10
6 years ago
Waaaay more fun than i expected. Fast. Good flow.
9.400/10
6 years ago
Bloody fun game that will suck all of your free time away. Timeless classic Dracula pin. Mist multiball is always a spectator hit. Stacking all three multiballs is quite a goal. Really is a game you can sink your teeth into!
6.732/10
6 years ago
A neat little game with a touch of psychedelica in the art. Its almost a marriage between the artwork of 2001 and the rules of Strange World--both great games in their own right. However, I do prefer the awkward layout Strange World versus the symmetrical one of 4 Square. This game has a few built-in scoring bonuses for completing the 1-2-3-4 or similar number sequences, so it goes beyond the bash-and-dash strategy of 2001's drop target bonanza. This is another great two-inch flipper game with a wide open gap between the flippers.
7.034/10
6 years ago
An absolutely beautiful 2-inch flipper game. It is enjoyable to play, however, the game's main goal of collecting all the "floors" is a tad to easy to achieve. A game like World Fair, released at this same time by Gottlieb, provides more of a challenge--its spin function is not always lit like the "multi-bumper" is in Skyline. Why bother trying to make the numbered rollovers, as the multi-bumper is easier to collect numbers off of. It is a cool little toy, but needs a "When Lit" function attached to it to bring another dimension of gameplay to Sky-Line. That said, there is a lot going on in this game, mechanically, to stimulate the senses--from the sliding elevator door to the moving floor number in the backbox. Roy Parker's art was never better, as he really brings the lavish party scene to life with ritzy costumes and hues that pop against the big city skyline.
8.100/10
6 years ago
So picked one of these up and put a little work into it. Poker game with a lot of targets, some fun modes and a pretty good light show. It is a relatively fast game(besides waiting on Lauren Belle). I like the Dots and sound. The rules tho simple are some early work by Lyman and have some interesting variations. A little code work here could significantly improve this game. I think for a DMD game in this price range you can not go wrong . It is a lot of fun for the money.
9.540/10
6 years ago
This is my first pinball purchase and I bought it NIB after playing it at Louisville Pinball Expo. I've played pinball all my life and have inherited two machines from my father. I finally got to the point to be able to have machines at my home because my kids are old enough to be safe around them. I researched and went to expo with a short list : Spider-Man (I was looking at playing the original and then buying the VE), Ghostbusters, and WOZ. I knew they all would be there and I wanted to play each with my kids and then decide which to buy (kids didn't know what I was up too). As soon as we got in, a JJP distributor (with Jack there himself) had a bank of machines (WOZ, DI, and Hobbit). I had no intention to look at the Hobbit...thought the movies were ok, but not on the level of Ghostbusters, WOZ, or Spider-Man nostalgia. But, figured I'd give it a play. Wow! This game is just on another level compared to other pins. The light show, giant LCD, movie clips, shaker, music, movie call outs, etc. The mechs popping up and down, multiballs galore, and tons of shots. Sensory overload...but in a good way. Ended up playing all on my list and lots more...but still kept going back to the Hobbit. Sorry, ghostbusters...but no comparison going from Hobbit's giant LCD to your DMD. Aerosmith was there, but just not that into the band and Jacky was just flat out annoying to me. So, after owning for 3 months, my family still loves it. Even my wife has now turned into a pinball freak. Every person who has walked into my basement goes straight to it and is mesmerized by the light show, sounds, and overall package. Some say that the LCD is wasted because you never see it while you are playing. True, at a 7 degree slope, if you look up, you lose your ball. However, I think JJP games are made to be played with others. This game is as fun to watch as it is to play. I can't think of any other game like that. I love being able to watch all the LCD stuff, lights, etc while others play...it gets me just as hyped. And, there really isn't anything more fun than having my daughter read off the cues on the playfield LCD (above the pop bumpers) while I hit the shots. A total team effort. Code is great. There is at least one more revision coming at this point and should flesh out the Five Armies, I hope. Great game, totally epic, and fun for me and my family. Draws people in like nothing else. Once you learn the rules, you'll be hooked and looking at strategies to get through all the Arkenstone modes. And that is where the multiballs come in. Choosing when to activate a multiball plays in to your journey to the next movie mode (Arkenstone). Okay, I've said enough...great game. Play it first...and see if it for yourself. FYI, I've had no quality control issues. Only had to do a simple mech adjustment (head on goblin was tilted just a hair to make it hit the side). Otherwise, it's been perfect!
7.880/10
6 years ago
Good fun game that has a few different toys and things going on as you play through the game.
It does get a bit repetitive just attacking the bag/fighter to progress though.
6.776/10
6 years ago
IM is a very quick and brutal game. The amount of cheap drains straight down the outlanes can be very frustrating.
IM is a very simple machine with not a whole going on for me. It can be a fun game and very easy to get the Iron Monger multiball though.
8.500/10
6 years ago
A great fun game with quite a few nice flowing shots. The ramps are great fun and exciting to make over and over. The sounds and music are classic 90s style.
8.660/10
6 years ago
One of the most challenging games out there. It can kick your ass over and over but you still want to hit that atart button one more time.
It can be brutally fast more often than not but when you get a few shots combining and flowing, resulting in mode progression, you really start to enjoy this game and understand why so many others do.

The sound is top notch and really creates the atmosphere of this game. I think it's sound package is one of the best for a theme i have ever played and always enjoy it.

I highly recommend playing a few games if you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.

THIRTY MILLION!!
7.244/10
6 years ago
Family Guy is a good fun pin but having played it quite a few times i think the theme would start to get annoying over time. It has some different features like the mini playfield but it breaks up the flow of the machine and isn't as much fun after playing it a few times every game.
Still a fun game but i wouldn't own one in a small collection as i don't think the theme is enough to make you want to play it often.
6.072/10
6 years ago
It's an ok game. Not as much fun for me as i think the theme sucks. I'm not a fan of soccer at all really.
Plays pretty well and has some nice shots but it doesn't really grab me at all.
9.020/10
6 years ago
An absolutely great classic machine. The layout is simple and easy to understand. You always know what to go for next and what you have/haven't completed. The theme and music are just great. It is such a fun game to play with the just one more play aspect really kicking in for me.
I would definitely recommend anyone going out and playing it when you can find the chance.
7.580/10
6 years ago
TSPP is a great themed pin and very differently laid out. It is a very challenging and deep game that could put off casual players when they don't know what to do next.
There are 54,903 ratings (that include a comment). Currently showing results page 1,091 of 2,197.

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