Ratings

An overview of the latest machine ratings and reviews placed on the Pinside.

27 new ratings were added to the Pinside, in the past 24 hours!

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Found 55229 ratings (with comment)

There are 55,229 ratings (that include a comment).
Currently showing results page 1 of 2,210.

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9.787/10
3 hours ago
This one hits it out of the park for me and the latest code updates and accessories release makes it one of my all time favorite. Fan of the band and wondered about it before release, but when I saw the theme and the vibe they were going for it blew me away. Speech is the only downside and possibly a missed opportunity to have the band in there, but I'm only rating it on the existing speech and not what could've been. The more that is added and varied "DJ" voices are good. Only other area is on a music pin and songs attached to modes, you will get some repetition, but being a fan I don't mind that and I think the songs they selected are dead on. Can always name one or two they could've used, but if a FF fan you won't be disappointed.
9.638/10
3 hours ago
Wasn't a fan at first and was disappointed that one of my favorite groups turned into a mediocre pin. As it developed I started looking at it and am glad I did. After diving into the rules more and getting more time on it this will be in my collection for a while. The topper and EL add so much to the game and is just a great package. Not a huge fan of the artwork, but am glad it is a bit different.
9.720/10
15 hours ago
Wow: this game is just simply incredible.

Pro’s:
Amazing flowing layout by Steve Ritchie: not a bad shot on the table, and when your accuracy is strong, the game starts turning into one of the best flowing games I’ve ever seen, if not the best.

THE LIGHTSHOW!!! This game seriously has the best lighting package I’ve ever seen on a pinball machine, hands down. Unlike GNR, however, the lighting does a fantastic job at communicating game rules, and it never feels like you are too lost or blinded, while simultaneously rewarding the player with gorgeous light shows that show the genius of the software and hardware designers at JJP.

The rules blend classic, old school, simplistic pinball rules with a level of modern polish, love, and added depth only present on modern games, leading to a fun, balanced, and easy to understand rule set.

The art work on this game is absolutely stunning. In combination with the lighting, the game literally shines while you play it, and just looks stunning even when turned off! The inserts also do a good job in terms of communication, further benefiting the art. The animations are fantastic as well, and work great with the theme.

Sound is so incredibly well done: even if you aren’t an Elton John fan, the sound design, mixing, and speaker quality is unmatched.

Con’s:
There are, like most people have said, no real toys. However, I don’t find that to be particularly important, and the gorgeous looks and amazing gameplay more then make up for it.

The semi-simplistic rule set might get a little tiring on some when in a private collection, though it still has a lot going for it.

The plunge could admittedly be better designed IMO. Mainly, I wish plunges to the pop bumpers were not possible.

Overall, a gorgeous, fantastic game. Seek it out or buy it! It’s easily JJP’s best game, and it’s a certain modern classic.
9.900/10
18 hours ago
When I first heard of Elton John being the next JJP offering I thought that it was a missed opportunities as far as theme goes. I knew that he was extremely talented but honestly, didn't cared much about him. Then I watched some gameplay, listened to the 16 songs that are in the game, watched the hit movie "Rocket Man" ... became a fan ... and had no choice but to buy the game.

When you think about it, this musical genius is eccentric, extravagant and extremely colorful, his music is iconic and timeless. One of his numerous hits is "Pinball Wizard", now tell me this is not a fantastic theme !

I bought a EJ PE 3 months ago .... played almost 800 games on it then sold it. My only regret was not to go "all in" and bought a CE instead so I sold the PE locally and bought a CE . Even if I knew that the CE will look gorgeous I was absolutely not prepared for the beauty of it. The sparkles on the playfield are everywhere ... on every plastics and inserts. it's extremely well done and add so much to the presentation, just incredible.

There is no video or pictures that can do justice to the beauty of this machine, you have to experience it in person to really appreciate it. The cabinet is spectacular when viewed in person. The only thing that is better looking on the PE IMHO is the sidearts. The light show of the topper with the 2 screens is a sight to behold and add so much to the immersion.

There is a light show on the floor, a light show behind the machine, a light show on the ceiling and a hell of a light show on the playfield.

Steve Ritchie did an extraordinary job on this, his best design as far as I'm concerned. This game makes you feel that it makes one with you as for everything you do, there is a reaction, almost like a living/breathing creature.

Light show is simply out of this world and will be the new standard by which every new game will be compared too. The 1294 playfield's LEDS are perfectly synchronized with the action and never fail to amaze and make your jaw drop. The music, call-outs and excellent sound effects will give you goosebumps. Fun factor is thru the roof and the speed and fluidity of the action always keeps you on your toes. You can backhand almost every major shot which makes for a never ending action fest.

There is so many goosebumpy pinball moments that it would be too long to describe them all. The "3-2-1" sequence at the beginning of RocketMan multiball is one of the best pinball moment ever. Playfield is boiling orange and the rocket launcher is ready to shoot the ball into orbit, just wow.

Multiballs are extremely well integrated and you really have to earn them. It feels special (as it should) when you are getting one.

The only thing I'm not too fond of is that the pop bumpers don't see much action as they're kind of "trapped". I prefer when pops brings some speed/unpredictability to a game (Godzilla, Godfather, Wonka, Rick and Morty), this is a minor gripe I have but worth mentioning.

All sculptures are hand painted and having Elton playing the piano with his arms and head moving is like watching a mini human being trapped into this world under glass. It's a little creepy (in a good way) but fascinating and never gets old.

I'm a pretty good player and I don't see the day where I'll finish the code. While everything is quite easy to understand, it's very hard to accomplish because the game is fast as hell and there is tons of things to do.

I've been buying pinballs since 1995, played/owned all of the top 20 on Pinside. I've put almost 1000 games on EJ (PE AND CE combined) by now and I can affirm that this is, by far, the best pinball experience I've ever had in my life. Nothing comes close.

If "best pinball experience ever" = "best pinball ever" then EJ CE is the best pinball ever. Worth every penny.
9.900/10
22 hours ago
Amazing game!!!
9.580/10
24 hours ago
The art, the lighting and the music are top notch…blow you away. Shots are great and satisfying. Playfield isn’t as busy as a lot of new releases or JJP’s GNR, but it works. Highly recommend Elton.
7.964/10
40 hours ago
The machine is perfect in regards to working out its theme. Very immersive. Shots are difficult to dial in, and it’s a brick fest for the first 20 games or so. Does not have an element of “flow,” it’s a shot shooting game. Light show/artwork/video clips are all excellent. Fairly shallow for a modern Stern though, especially in my arcade next to TMNT, Stranger Things and Jurassic Park.
8.832/10
45 hours ago
This is a rare combination - a game that is great for casual players and discerning shooters. Oddly enough, I see why folks in between the ends of that spectrum may not like it. There's no crazy cool toys or pseudo deep modes to catch your eye; instead there's good old 80s style clear but challenging goals and satisfying, repeatable shots.

If you think this game is a short player and too hard, you're attacking it wrong, plain and simple. This layout is INFINITELY easier than Seawitch, even though it's virtually the same game. But it's not easy, and it's not always fair - which pinball shouldn't be. Fair pinball is just math. I could do without the spinning record, but I suspect it was added to up the challenge a bit with the easier layout. The more I play it, the more I enjoy it.

It's still no Seawitch though ;)
9.240/10
2 days ago
One of my favorite early 90’s pinballs made by Bally, made with some of the wackiest ramps known to be on any pinball machine made at the time. Great artwork, great lighting, and amazing fun all the way around.. if you have never played this game, run to the nearest place that you can try it! You won’t be disappointed.
9.500/10
2 days ago
Easiest my favorite game of the last 10 years. I’ve had Wonka, GnR, Toy Story and WOZ and Elton is my favorite. It has surprising depth.

(I’d say half the music pins made have enough depth to bring you back again and again. The other half are just a kids music/art project and it’s great to admire but the novelty wears off — especially if you buy pins and real estate is limited.).

Personally, I love GnR but because of the music and the experience — and not so much the rule set and progression. I think Zeppelin gets play and may stay in a collection because of the music and fandom alone.

Rush is one of my music pin holy grails — deep music for a rabid fandom, really great use of band members, and one of the coolest playfields Stern has put together (one that I think would be perfect reskinned as Back to the Future). Queen is more of the art/music school project but a must have for serious Queen fans.

Foo Fighters is in a league of its own as well. Quickly becoming a “keep” option for me. However I don’t think it’s a holy grail. I know, it’s a hoot to play with sophisticated shots and a great rule set. I just don’t like it as much as Elton John. On Foo, for me, it’s the sound mix. There’s something off at times with storyline and incorporation of music. Other times it is so straight forward you wonder if it’s still a mode as opposed
to just a music video in the background of a 9/10 game.

And then there’s this game, Elton John. Elton is a holy grail music pin. It’s absurdly fun and there is so much to do, non-Elton fans still dig it and want to come back to it. I’ve had friends play GnR once, really enjoy it, and then never play it again (at least at my place). Elton is like a siren’s call — it kills it on replayability by keeping all three + balls relevant to the song and your game so cohesively that it feels like you just “did a thing” in the game — even if your game was short-lived. The plunger isn’t a “pause in the action” or an aggravating rule reset. It’s just part of the game and experience that you’re having. There are times when the game gets so fast you may think you’re out of control but trust your pinball feelings as the defensive shots are intuitive and fun.

Amen to the designers who understand that having to restart a song or not qualify for one at all is a coingiver nightmare - not enough immediate gratification. In GnR, despite JJPs forethought, (having it qualify for a song on your last ball regardless of how much you’re sucking), I’ve seen plenty of arcaders walk away because they didn’t feel they could get to the good stuff quickly enough — or at times, at all. For newbies and arcades, the player still needs to hit that center shot — and there’s a good number who can’t on demand. That’s when you lose them. If you play two games and there’s no real game play in a full song mode - you can kiss the newbie and arcader goodbye.

The opposite is true with Elton. Songs continue through ball progression and so do most of the quests. There is surprising cohesiveness throughout the entire game from ball to ball. It’s addictive in that way.

And as for rockets — this game’s toys are slick. There were some complaints about Toy Story having cake topper toys. Not on Elton. The game is just visually stunning and the light show and toy gimmicks are so well done… it’s hard to imagine “needing” a mod. I am saving up for the CE. I absolutely LOVE my PE. Plan is to keep both.

Obligatory Elton fan disclosure: like 75% of the pin tunes; love 50% of the pin tunes; and find the last 25% meh. There are maybe 5 songs that I would never turn the dial on. I’d put me at a 7.5 out of 10 - which correlates with my other (also helpful scale) - “Would I buy a ticket to see Elton John? Answer:
2000s until now, No.
1990s, No.
late 80s, no.
75 to 85, YES.
It is also a “yes” to the concerts Billy Joel did with him during the “face to face” tour. So again, I think a 7.5/10.
9.776/10
2 days ago
I truly think B.O.F hit a walk off grand slam. If you like Labyrinth the movie, they nailed it!
Lots of fun shots, tons of variation, theme integration is spot on.
Its the movie. The quintessential pinball movie mashup.
Its also the best bang for my buck in current pinball.
Quality build, very cool sculpts, included art blades, backglass, lower playfield screen. Powder coated rails, legs, lockdown bar.
The topper is essential and the best topper in pinball. Price point should make other manufacturers re-evaluate their business model. Selling cheap junk for double the cost of this masterpiece.
To me its reminiscent of an early solid state with modern bells and whistles. Its a flowy yet tough shooter. Cool rewarding shots.
The diverters and up posts, and subways, oh my! Can take a beating as well. We brought ours to a show and it had about 800 plays over 4 days and withstood the tests people put it through.

I reiterate thatbits a great game and bang for your buck. True collectors item machine for less than current LE, PE, CE pricing.
9.400/10
2 days ago
Got a bunch of flips in at pintastic. Great theme integration. Its Elton John. Thr music, the lights,the glitz, the flair. It there. Of the newer games there i was playing this one more.
It shoots great, best JJP so far. The topper adds to the experience. 2nd best topper out there. One actually worth the money.
8.128/10
2 days ago
Lost World is a fun pin! What has been a game changer for many of the early SS is the upgraded sound boards that have speech and music. The games rules are simple yet perfect, and the shots are all well placed and balanced. I rate the Early Bally SS relative to their time and I do not compare them to the modern days pins. One of the notable shots is the captive ball, when you hit the other targets in sequential order, the captive ball shot is the "Same player shoots again". I really found this a fun pin to play.
7.689/10
2 days ago
Before I played Princess Bride at TPF this year I felt this was the best P3 module so far. The playfield screen is completely static which makes it feel more like a Stern machine . . . huh, what did you say? . . . this is a STERN machine?! I see . . .
8.024/10
2 days ago
Yet another great playing classic from this era of Stern Electronics. Pure pinball goodness.

My only complaint might be that due to the playfield layout, it can feel a bit more repetitive than others from this era.
9.080/10
2 days ago
It's just a fun game with a lot of cool features.
7.887/10
2 days ago
I love classic ballys and sys11. This game is like the two took all the best parts and had a baby.

Plain and simple. Fun to shoot. Challenge yet reward.

Unfortunately the overall quality is a large step back
The playfield is chipping after a couple hundred plays.

The art over inserts is very grainy and looks pretty amateur.

The sound quality is really quite poor. Not sure if it is the hardware or the mic but super disappointing from the great David Theil work to not be good quality of sound. Very tinny and poor mix.


The game play is again great but for some reason CGC missed on overall quality, fit, and finish.

I still love the game and will be getting a LE but really wish they would return to the previous playfield, print, sound, and assembly quality we saw on CCr.
7.580/10
3 days ago
This review will probably get ratioed into oblivion...oh well, yolo.

I'm of the opinion that this is an exceptionally average pin, worth a play or two but nothing to write home about. The playfield is wide open, allowing for multiple unimpeded shots but also allowing the ball to flutter aimlessly. Maybe that's a good thing for most people? Idk, I seem to like busy clutter (just look at my collection). Hitting the house, crypt and ramp shots were fine at first but just felt kind of empty and trite after a while. Anyway, this isn't a bad pin by any means, it's just middle of the road.
9.660/10
3 days ago
A nearly a perfect game for me. I love the theme and integration - Raptor cage multiball, Jeep that decides the path you follow, a T-Rex that eats the ball and spits it back out at you... I mean, this IS Jurassic Park. One of the few knocks I have is the lack of IP characters present in the art (particularly the playfield which I cannot change), cut scenes, and callouts. However, there is an excellent movie code available that solves all but the playfield nitpick for me. I truly adore this game, and now that I own one I fully understand what "this one is bolted to the floor" means.

I think the art style could be divisive but personally I think it's good. I wouldn't care for more realistic art and would strongly dislike movie screencaps (ala Stern's Spider-Man).

The shots and flow are perfect for me, I land the 2-ramp Super Skill Shot off the plunge 80% of the time after a couple weeks of ownership. A typical game features several multi-balls and the gameplay is accessible enough that non-pinhead guests enjoy it as much as anyone. I just cant say enough good things about this one.
9.620/10
3 days ago
It might be the beer talking but this game is effing fun!!
9.700/10
3 days ago
Incredible, stunning and worth every penny. Should be a top 5 pin on pinside!! Flag away..
7.556/10
3 days ago
Played it at Pintastic. It's not bad but seems more basic compared to the other new games out (Jaws, Elton, Looney, etc). I look at the game as a nod to late 80's alphanumeric type games with the same depth of rules and the same type of layout. It was fun to play and might be ok in a large collection. The pictures of bbq meat though I found amusing for a pinball game but the hot rod part kind of forced a second theme which was not as great.
6.457/10
3 days ago
I like the Elvira theme in general, but again this machine has so annoying sounds amd music it is not fun for me. Otherwise good playable machine, really like the backglass spider and the crate.
9.268/10
3 days ago
I wasn't ever going to play the game due to theme but it is now my favorite pin. Love it.
4.048/10
4 days ago
I've played 3 different copies of this game now in 2 separate locations. It looks bad, but its even worse than you imagine it is.

Weak flippers. Barely can make it up the ramps. Ramp spinners, at best, are lame and barely work and at worst, reject your shots. Theres a set of drops you are meant to sweep near the top of the playfield. I kind of like that, but you really don't even notice them since they are basically parallel to your line of sight and semi buried with whatever else is up there.

Art is bad, music is generic, animations are hilariously bad. The whole BBQ and hotrods theme is done poorly on top of being bizarre. I like both of those things, and this game seems like it was made by people who know very little about either one.
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