22 replies to this topic

[Cebus Capucinis]

As noticed earlier, I'm looking to buy my first pin for my game room! I'm trading out three vids for a pin space-wise, so I'll have room!

Any suggestions as to what I should buy? I'd love an SI pin but they're too damn hard to come by, so I'll end up with something else, likely. I really enjoy the SS stuff Williams put out before they went DMD -- Taxi, Diner, Fire!, etc. -- along with a lot of the Gottlieb stuff. I'm willing to go either route, either EM or SS though. I'm just not interested in the newest-of-the-new Stern stuff. I'm looking for something that's fun to play and has enough replay value to last quite a while. I'd like something my wife can play too -- something approachable enough that she can get into it without getting frustrated. I think she'll be able to handle most anything as long as it's not super-difficult. I'm not interested in super-early EM pins or woodrails, obviously, nor am I interested in the newest DMD-type stuff. I'm okay with Circus Voltaire, Theatre of Magic, etc. but most DMDs aren't as fun to me -- they're just not "pinball" the way I like it. Really anything 70s-80s right up until 1990-1994 would be best.

I like some of the older DMDs, but not any of the new Stern pins -- that sums it up pretty well.

Something with some intermediate to difficult shots with a playfield that isn't so simple it gets stale quickly, but isn't so cluttered that it makes it too difficult for my wife to play.

I'm really open to suggestions, and I'm looking for something in the max $1500 range (let's say $2000 tops which I can probably swing), which leaves a lot of options open. Any suggestions as to something fun, great to play, approachable, with good replay value that can get me some good bang for my buck? I'm looking for something in that price range in good shape that may need one or two very minor things like a bulb replaced, etc. but would prefer something that isn't an in-depth repair. A shopped pin would be a plus but only $2k isn't going to get you far for a shopped pin.

I've been looking at an Airborne Avenger pin, and that seems pretty swanky, but I don't know -- it's unique, but perhaps not my cup of tea. I also took a peek at a couple easier, approachable pins like Skylab. Perhaps too easy for my tastes. I don't mind if they're difficult as hell, because that means they'll take longer to master, but my wife will get frustrated very easily if a ball side-drains 3 times in a row regularly, etc. I was looking at a couple Paragon tables online, too...that one seems pretty cool and is in my price range.

I'd like something with multi-ball. Ramps aren't necessary. But those are just options, I just want something fun!

So help me spend some money, AA! Do what you do best! I'm not looking for specific items for sale, but if you want to post links, that would be awesome as well. I'm willing to ship via NAVL or whatever, so no need to stay local. I'm just looking for examples of fun pins that meet these requirements in the $0-$2000 range, LOL!

So far I'm leaning toward "Flash". It's a good, solid, fast pin with some tricky shots but isn't so frustratingly difficult that my wife would get pissed off playing it. It's bright, it's fun, it's common so it's not too expensive and parts are easy to find, and it's a pretty cool pin overall. Would that be a good suggestion, perhaps?

[rmaerz]

Comet and Cyclone are my favorites.

Skylab from '74 was always one of my favorites as well.

Edited by rmaerz, Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:00 AM.

[save2600]

Flash or any Williams game from that era you simply can't go wrong with: Blackout, Firepower, Alien Poker, etc. Bally had a ton of great games in the 80's as well: Six Million Dollar Man, Buck Rogers, Centaur, Embryon, Xenon, Skateball and don't forget about Sterns awesome stuff from the late 70's/early 80's: Stars, Seawitch, Nugent, Trident, Dracula and Meteor to name a few.

[Cebus Capucinis]

I'm looking at a Skylab for sale locally for $350 here as soon as I get these cabs sold. I figure it's a good investment since it's cheap enough that if something goes wrong, not too much damage to the pocket, and I can probably easily flip it for what I paid -- $350 for a pin isn't a stretch at all and I'm sure someone will want it. I've never played it but it looks colorful and pretty fun. The reviews I've seen on IPDB say it's a bit easy and get stale really quickly once you've mastered the game, which is a bit of a negative to me, but the positive to it outweighs it for two reasons:

1) My wife will want to play it and since it's relatively simple she'll be able to get better at pinball without getting frustrated easily, so we can share my crazy nerd hobby together.....

but biggest of all....

2) My dad is both a MAJOR pinball player and a huge fan of the US Space Program history, so a pin that is both from his 'golden' era of remembering machines AND something from the space program would be absolutely awesome. This way when I move on to even better, more difficult, complex pins in my collection, I can ship it to my dad as a gift, and he would absolutely love it! So even if I can't get what I paid for it, it will make a really awesome gift to the person who got me hooked on pinball in the first place!

I think Skylab will probably be an excellent choice for me, so I'll probably jump on it either as soon as these cabs get sold or payday on Wednesday.

[save2600]

Yeah, go for it then. Skylab is a good game in its own right. Seriously good old fashioned pinball to be had there. Nice too about your Dad and your wife will get a kick out of it too. It's more fun to compete! Just take turns to see who gets the high score and be sure to keep the "best" players name and score taped up on the backglass

Oh, the example I had, I purposely indexed the flippers to where it was difficult to get a good clean shot at the balls in the middle. In other words, in their relaxes mode, the hang down a little farther than normal. Made it more fun to play as you had to hit the ball closer toward the shaft of the flipper vs. the end. That'll help make better pinball players out of you guys and keep the scores down too.

Edited by save2600, Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:09 PM.

[Trinity]

Wish I could have a Xenon, Firepower and a Gorgar!

[Rybags]

I think that budget will limit your choices somewhat.

Of the slightly older games, I'd go for:

Eight-Ball Deluxe (1981)
Space Shuttle (1984)
Fireball

Getting into the more modern ones, I'd go:

Terminator 2
Getaway: High Speed II
Cue Ball Wizard
Cyclone
The Simpsons

There's plenty more. But they're just some that spring to mind.

It'd be worthwhile grabbing Visual Pinball (PinMAME). You can check the playability out on the computer before you commit. Of course there's no substitute for the real thing, but emulation at least allows you to check out the play features and can also help you guage the replay value. There's plenty of good looking games out there, but many just become boring really quickly.

[UberArcade]

Here are some I like that I see pretty often at a "reasonable" price.

Gorgar
Mata Hari
Space Shuttle
Getaway
Pinbot

Ripley's Believe it or not (maybe)

[retrorussell]

Didn't play a whole lot of pinball in my youth... The sound effects did intrigue me though. Xenon was a good one as suggested earlier. I also liked Fathom. Even with an arcade full of noisy video game machines, the creepy sounds of these pinball games could still be heard resonating.

[Trinity]

Some interesting stuff about Xenon.



I remember the day it came to my arcade back in the day. I popped in a tolken and I racked up like 700000 points and got like three free replays! I even had a small crowd around me as I had one of the best games in my whole life!!! God I'd love to go back in time and experince that again!

[keilbaca]

You *have* to get Black Knight 2000.

Other games I suggest in that era/price range:

Williams:

Fireball
Space Shuttle
Bride of Pinbot (If you can find one). Its a lot more fun than Pinbot, difficult, and has a rotating face on it.
Demolition Man
Terminator 2

Later games than the DMD that are amazing (but very expensive)

Attack from Mars
Medieval Madness
Twilight Zone
Addams Family

Gottlieb:

Black Hole
Ace's High
Haunted House
Central Park
Gold Wings (A lot of people don't like it, but I do. Busy playfield in the center, there's an easy multiball in it, but there's a real air siren inside of it for the very right hand shot. There is also no outlanes on the pinball, so it'll be easy for your wife.)

[save2600]

keilbaca, on Tue Apr 5, 2011 11:31 AM, said:

Gold Wings (A lot of people don't like it, but I do. Busy playfield in the center, there's an easy multiball in it, but there's a real air siren inside of it for the very right hand shot. There is also no outlanes on the pinball, so it'll be easy for your wife.)

I had one of these once. Really good game. I too liked the different playfield layout and the siren was awesome!

[streps]

Addams Family

Great machine. Most popular pinball of all time. Abundant aftermarket parts

Can be expensive

[keilbaca]

streps, on Thu Apr 7, 2011 9:38 AM, said:

Addams Family

Great machine. Most popular pinball of all time. Abundant aftermarket parts

Can be expensive

He said under $2000, not under $4000...

Yes, I agree, it is an amazing pinball, I like it better than Twilight Zone, but it is *very* expensive, compared to other pinballs at least. Right up there with Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars.

save2600, on Wed Apr 6, 2011 11:57 AM, said:

keilbaca, on Tue Apr 5, 2011 11:31 AM, said:

Gold Wings (A lot of people don't like it, but I do. Busy playfield in the center, there's an easy multiball in it, but there's a real air siren inside of it for the very right hand shot. There is also no outlanes on the pinball, so it'll be easy for your wife.)

I had one of these once. Really good game. I too liked the different playfield layout and the siren was awesome!

I had the siren unplugged due to the sheer volume of it... the neighboring apartment didn't like it very much.

Edited by keilbaca, Fri Apr 8, 2011 12:15 PM.

[Cebus Capucinis]

Gold Wings looks fun, but the off-center flippers will drive my wife absolutely batshit insane, so that's a no-go, sadly. However I have a lead on a good condition Flash for $650....

[Fuseball]

For a Space Program themed game I would go for Space Shuttle. It's about the right vintage to get a balance of easily playable and cool features. Absolutely amazing sound as well. Setting off all the bells and flashers is still such a buzz.

I personally love F14 Tomcat, but it is very fast and potentially a bit intimidating for newcomers. 4-ball multiball (with spinning backbox lights) is brilliant though.

Of the early DMD games I like The Getaway. Again it's that balance of being approachable but also with some good longer-term challenges to keep playing for. It's fast but open and unlike a lot of later games that stop and start (Twilight Zone!), it keeps you busy and engaged all the time.

Theatre of Magic is great for much the same reasons. Fast flowing shots that are *so* satisfying when you pull them off.

[GrandviewCoin]

I just picked up Bad Cats & Big Guns by Williams, loving them! both late 80's machines..

[keilbaca]

GrandviewCoin, on Sun May 15, 2011 8:32 PM, said:

I just picked up Bad Cats & Big Guns by Williams, loving them! both late 80's machines..

Meow meow me meow meow!

I got a chance to play bad cats once... such a fun table!

[Bloodreign]

Medieval Madness, a game I threw a ton of money into back in the day, though I hear now they are pricy when they do show up. Doesn't stop it from being one of the best pins ever made, that and Twilight Zone.

[Devin]

I used to love Black Knight:

http://www.flippers....blackknight.asp

Its a pretty straight forward game which makes use of choir AD&D-ish music.

EDIT: I actually found the background music! I can't remember if this was attract mode or during game play.

Attached Files

•  801 Black Knight.mp3   1.85MB   33 downloads

Edited by Devin, Sat May 28, 2011 5:00 AM.

[RevEng]

Black Knight is seconded. I played it thousands of times, and would still like to own it - It has a nice mix of elements that were new at the time but classic now - magna-save, multilevel play, bonus time, etc. Someday, when I have the room, I'll hunt for one.

Devin, the music you linked to was from Black Knight 2000, the sequel to Black Knight. The original game was created in 1980 and had a bit less advanced sound, though it did manage to play an evil laugh and synthetic phrases at key times.

[Devin]

RevEng, on Sat May 28, 2011 11:06 AM, said:

Devin, the music you linked to was from Black Knight 2000, the sequel to Black Knight. The original game was created in 1980 and had a bit less advanced sound, though it did manage to play an evil laugh and synthetic phrases at key times.

Ah yes. Forgive my foggy old memory! 2000 ironically came out in 1989 - and that's the one I played.

Still, this game has some very rare honesty for the time - in the lyrics.

You've got the power! (Ha ha ha haaaa!)
You've got the might! (No way!)
Get ready for battle! (Give me your money!)
Beat the Black Knight! (Ha ha ha haaaa!)

Here's a video:

P.S. It sounds like "right" rather than "might".

Edited by Devin, Sat May 28, 2011 4:07 PM.

[Cebus Capucinis]

I'm currently looking into Bally's Medusa. I am a sucker for Greek history and having a background in philosophy, it's perfect for me. I've never played it but I've heard it's a lot of fun.