(Based on the PROS of each game in my current collection)
Popular Demand!
#1 Twilight Zone - Complex ruleset, cool toys, long term appeal, great music and sound! THE "PERFECT" PINBALL!
#2 Medieval Madness - One of the RARE pinball machines that gets it ALL RIGHT, EXTREMELY overpriced however.....
#3 White Water - RAMPS, RAMPS, and More RAMPS! Strategic "thinking" pinball at its best! Welcome to "WET WILLEY'S"!
#4 Star Trek: TNG - Deep ruleset, long shots/ramps, great voices (All eleven members of the cast), Fast Multi-Ball.
#5 Indiana Jones: TBA - What can I say, Indy all the way! Perfect translation in sound, meritorous translation from all three films
#6 Black Knight 2000 - True collector pinball player's game, Phenomenal techno-orchestrated music (IMHO)
#7 Red and Ted's Roadshow - Everything but the kitchen sink game (shaker motor, multiple ramps, two talking heads) UNDERRATED
#8 The Shadow - Stunning game, DEEP Ruleset, selectable ramps, Amazing Ball "Lock", Challenging "Battlefield" Subgame
#9 Fish Tales - Excellent game shot flow, toe-tapping music theme, animated fish marquee, perfect companion to WhiteWater!
"The Rest"
??? SlugFest! - Last "pitch and bat" baseball game ever made, Impressive DMD animation, FOUR types of available pitch styles
"Honorable Mention"
Other "TOP 10" games which I would be proud to own and add to my collection:
#1 Fireball - Zipper flippers, unique skill shot, FIRST spinning "disk", A "Wonder from the Electro-Mechanical Age"
#2 The Champion Pub - Good boxing theme with appropriate "toys" (heavy bag, jump rope, and speed bag), entertaining speech
#3 Attack from Mars - Solid pinball action, funny dot matrix and sound quotes, satisfying achievement completing "Wizard Mode"
#4 Monster Bash - If you like Universal Classic Monsters, this is the game for you. Phantom Flippers, and superb music score
#5 Demolition Man - The "Cyro Claw" feature, gun handle flippers, and unique captive ball targets make this an entertaining game
#6 Johnny Mnemonic - Excellent "bang for the buck" pinball machine, controllable magnetic data glove with the "tic-tac-toe" matrix
#7 Riverboat Gambler - Enjoyable "gambling" pinball machine, "Ride that Lucky Riverboat" Theme, Roulette wheel action
#8 Guns N' Roses - Astounding soundtrack, strong gameshot layout with unique "G" and "R" ramps, excellent cabinet artwork
"Games traded or sold, but not forgotten......." (Within the last 4 years)
#1 Whirlwind- "Feel the Power of the Wind!" (Backbox Fan), spinning disks, "HERE IT COMES!!!!!"
#2 Eathshaker - First pinball to utilize a "shaker motor", "Ooohh, Bitchin!"
#3 Tales from the Crypt - Good ramp action (and they don't break!), greats puns by the Cryptkeeper, comic book artwork
#4 Funhouse - Pin-mation (Rudy) saved this game a place in my collection for many years............
#5 Black Rose - "Unique" ball shooter, pirate ditty songs and theme, great "quick romp" game
#6 Black Hole - Extremely difficult multiball, sunken and reversed lower playfield (Can you play pinball backwards?)
#7 Haunted House - "Triple playfields = Triple Fun!", Great (yet simple) music, Definately, a one of a kind pinball machine!
#8 Paragon - Classic Paul Faris Artwork, Good use of early solid state sounds, "The Waterfall" and "The Cliff" PF features
#9 High Speed II "The Getaway" - Can you say FAST ACTION?, "Supercharger" Ramp, ZZ Top Music, "RUN the Red Light!"
#10 Eight Ball Champ - Eight Ball Deluxe is back! This time for pinball wizards! Harder shots, same pool table theme
#11 F-14 Tomcat - "I'm locked on...[+]...FIRE!!!", Adrenaline pumping music score, *Rotating Beacon*, FAST ACTION game
#12 Fathom - Drop target heaven, complex ruleset, Stunning artwork! One of the best games from the 1980's
#13 Centaur - One of kind artwork, first game to have 5 ball Multiball, includes a "unique" talkng attract mode with reverb!
#14 Xenon - First female "sexy" voice pinball machine, sharp artwork, double chase-light backglass, "The Tube Shot"
#15 Black Knight LE - MagnaSave, timed drop targets, awesome artwork, serious game of historical pinball development
#16 Embryon - A RARE wide-body with many odd "nooks and crannies", 5 captive balls" FlipSave feature, good artwork
#17 Eight Ball Deluxe - "Shoot for Eight Ball, corner pocket...", Classic, fun for all skill levels, hmm "It's time for any collector!"
#18 Swords of Fury - A game from the last days of "true conventional pinball", awesome soundtrack, similiar to Black Knight 2000
#19 Theatre of Magic - This ball is "Full of Magic"! Well integrated pinball / game theme, MAGNETS, MAGNETS, MAGNETS!
#20 The Lord of the Rings - Solid gameplay / ball shot flow with an overall quality ruleset, Exceptional DMD animations, AMAZING!
#21 Creature from the Black Lagoon - Fantastic artwork, tough multiball, great LONG ramp, wonderful theatre intro "Attract Mode"
#22 The Addams Family - Humor keeps this game alive, as well as the price tag for collectors, can you say CHA-CHING?!!!
#23 Terminator 2: Judgement Day - "Arnold, Arnold" (cheerleader chant), One of the first DMD games, ball shooter cannon
#24 Tales from the Arabian Nights - Theatre of Magic with an Arabian theme, "Lets the tales begin..", glorious light show and sounds
#25 No Fear: Dangerous Sports - Heavy Ramp Action, extreme sports theme, no pop bumpers to slow the game down, Talking Skull
#26 Bram Stoker's Dracula - "Mist" Multiball, Stackable multiball feature, Blood Red Dripping DMD, Top Notch sound selection
#27 Star Wars (Data East) - Excellent translite artowork and superb in-game movie sounds, innovative, rotating "Death Star" feature
And many more...(sigh)...You just can't keep them all forever!
Favorite EM Game - Knock Out (Gottlieb, 1950) (I wish I could find one!)
Favorite Gottlieb Early Solid State Game - Black Hole
Favorite Gottlieb Late Model Solid State - Stargate
Favorite Bally/ WMS Early Solid State Game - Fathom / Paragon (Tie)
Favorite Bally/WMS Alpha-Numeric Game - Black Knight 2000 / F-14 Tomcat (Tie)
Favorite Dot Matrux Display Game - Twilight Zone
Favorite Late Model DMD Game - Medieval Madness
Favorite Late Model DMD Game (Runner-up) - Attack from Mars
Favorite Data East Game - Tales from the Crypt
Favorite Data East Game (Runner-up) - Star Wars
Favorite Stern Game (All eras) - The Lord of the Rings
Favorite "Non-produced" Prototype Game - Big Bang Bar
My Personal "Holy Grail" of All Pinball Machines (Produced) - Embryon (FOUND, BUT NOW SOLD!)
My Personal "Holy Grail" of All Pinball Machines (Non-Produced) - Pro Pinball TimeShock!
My "Deserted Island" Game - White Water
Favorite "Sports Themed" Game - The Champion Pub
Best use of Pinball Playfield "Real Estate" Space - Paragon / Genie (Tie)
Here are some other FAVORITES!
Favorite Backglass Art - Fathom
Favoirite Backglass Art (Runner-up) - Haunted House
Favorite Playfield Art - Tales of the Arabian Nights
Favorite Pinball Tune - F-14 Multi-Ball Theme / Whitewater "Raft No. 14" Theme (Tie)
Favorite Pinball Tune (Runner-up)- Twilight Zone (Lock #2)
Favorite Pinball Game Shot - "Warp 9.9 Mode", Star Trek: The Next Generation (AKA Picard Maneuver)
Favorite Pinball Shot (Runner-up) - "Triple Hitchhiker Pickup", Twilight Zone
Favorite Pinball Game MODE - "Castle Grunewald", Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure
Favorite Pinball Game MODE (Runner-up) - "Move your Car!", Creature from the Black Lagoon
Favorite Multi-Ball MODE - "Fellowship of the Ring", The Lord of the Rings
Favorite Multi-Ball MODE (Runner-up) - "Castle" Multi-Ball, Bram Stoker's Dracula
Favorite Pinball Wizard MODE - "Lost in the Zone", Twilight Zone
The Bad.....
Least Favorite WMS/Bally - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Least Favorite Sega / Data East - Star Wars Trilogy
Least Favorite Gottlieb - Cue Ball Wizard
Least Favorite Stern - Orbitor 1
and the Ugly!
Worst Pinball Game Quote - Twister, "Everybody Underground NOW!"
Worst Pinball Ramp Design - Dr. Dude, Main Ramp to Mix Master, ridicuously steep and often prone to jamming.
Worst Playfield TOY - Cue Ball Wizard, Pool cue ball in the middle of the playfield
MOST Repetitive Pinball Machine RAMP Shot - Star Wars, "How many Tie Fighters can you destroy in one game"?
Worst Pinball Wizard MODE - Theatre of Magic, "That was IT?"
Worst Movie / Game Concept Translation to a Pinball Machine - Street Fighter II / Super Mario Brothers/ WaterWorld (Tie)
Worst Playfield Layout - Orbitor 1, See section on Historys Worst Pinball Machines
Worst Translite / Backglass - Genesis
Worst Pinball Cabinet Design - ANY Game Produced by Premier Technology (Gottlieb)
BONUS ROUND From My Latest NIB Pinball Bout.......
Favorite Lord of the Rings Game MODE - Gandalf Vs Saruman
(Seven Challenging shots, 4 ramp shots, one tower, one flashing shot, and back into the Orthanc Tower!)
"Valinor"Multi-Ball Anyone???
More Coming Soon!
(Yes, I do still sometimes play other types of games........)
In the "Early Days" of fighting games such as
Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, and Street Fighter II
I reigned supreme on an underrated classic of the console gaming wars:
Have you ever played this game?
