Pinball Machines

Here goes. My second attempt at starting a blog. Usually I get bored early and never update. But, I'm going to try it again. What you should expect here are my own comments and mini-reviews of things I enjoy. Most of the time this is likely going to be Board Games, but I could digress sometimes.

In fact, I think I'm going to start with a digression. I just purchased a pinball machine for my game room. I've been saving up for it for quite some time now and I've done a lot of research on which machine to get. I might as well share my opinion.

Top Five Pinball Machines ever made:

Simpsons Party Pinball: This is the one I purchased. I wouldn't necessarily call it the best pinball machine ever, but it's certainly up there. The thing that makes this special is that every mode in the machine stacks. So if you manage to get a couple of 2x scoring markers, then Multiball, then some special loop modes, they all happen at the same time and your score skyrockets. It's all very tricky because there's a timer that counts you out of modes, but the timer is global so you need to keep starting new modes before the timer runs out. This machine is going to challenge me for a long time. Not only do I have to master Multiball and good aiming, but I also have to do it on a timer.

Attack From Mars: I would have bought this if it wasn't for the fact that it was $1000 more expensive. That meant waiting another few months before I could have it. If I'm ever to get a second machine (unlikely) this is it. Attack from Mars couldn't be more different than The Simpsons. It has an wide open playfield and a relatively simple rule set. But it has it's share of challenges. In particular, there's a big UFO in the center that you should hit a lot. But hitting it sometimes means having your ball go SDTM. So you need to do a few tricks, such as starting Multiball before aiming too much. Ultimately the whole machine is very campy and reminds me of the old SCI-FI shows that MST3k spoofs. There's some cool tricks in here too, such as strobelight mode. Good luck with that.

Twilight Zone: Possibly the most complex machine ever made. This machine is a pseudo sequel to the best selling Addams Family Pinball. This one is better however, because it has more variety. When you start playing this game, very little things score high on the board, but your goal is to open up the different modes in the machine to get higher and higher points. Once a mode is open, it doesn't go away and you can decide to keep hitting your favorite mode or try to open more things. You'll likely want to do it all, of course. What gives this thing more variety, is that the order of modes opening is random. So you can't just pick one way to play and stick with it every time. I like hit the camera mode, for example, but if it doesn't get open early, I have to switch to something else for high points.

Funhouse: Funhouse is the oldest machine on this list, released in 1990. It contains a plastic head in the middle of the playfield that insults you while you're playing. Your goal is to make it go to sleep, start Multiball, and then stick a few balls in it's mouth to make it cry like a little girl. This would be simple if it wasn't for an ingenious playfield that encourages you to make multiple shots, in order to line up the ball with the right flipper that gets you where you want to go. This is one of the machines I gravitate to when I find one in good condition. Unfortunately, most I've seen lately have a broken Rudy (the puppet).

Lord of the Rings: Lord of the Rings actually has a similar playfield to Attack from Mars but is much more complex - containing multiple play modes, extra ramps, and quests involving all three books running simultaneously. Although it doesn't have the level of fun of Attack from Mars, and I can't really explain why. It's still a pretty amazing machine that I didn't get only because a friend already bought on herself.

And now for the leftovers...
Great Pinball Games that did not make the list:

Indiana Jones (1993)
The Addams Family
Monster Bash
Terminator 3
Medieval Madness
Pirates of the Caribbean
Earth Shaker
Takes if the Arabian Nights
Ripley's Believe it or Not
Theatre of Magic
Star Trek: The Next Generation
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