-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Why Pinball Is Better Than Video Games
- Thread starter HotHamBoy
- Start date
To Far Away Times
Member
The Adams Family pinball machine is like the best thing ever.
Only *just* started shipping though, so don't expect to find one on location in a hurry (if at all). Pretty sure it's almost entirely collectors/home users that have bought into them.
Hot tip: Look for the blinking start button. That way you can see, even from a distance, if there's a credit waiting on there. Had many a free game that way!
Do it! I'd recommend getting something older (and cheaper) than the newer games, but if your bonus is in the vicinity of $10k then might as well go for a new one. Just don't expect it to hold it's value.
Saying pinball is more or less the same but with slight variations across machines is like saying all FPSes, RPGs or platformers are the same, but with slight variations ;P
Unless you're talking about the same machines at different locations, then you'd be right. You can play a Game of Thrones at a barcade and another at someone's house, and whilst it's the same game they *will* have their own idiosyncrasies (like a ball coming off a ramp at a different angle/speed etc.). But you play any video/arcade game anywhere (including one's own PC), and apart from the condition of the buttons/joystick, they will play identically. Which is why to get the best home experience of a pinball machine, you need to own one
Wired All Wrong
Member
If anyone lives near Milwaukee, WI be sure to check out the Midwest Gaming Classic every March/April. Tons of great pinball (and arcade and console games). Tons of machines to play and also buy if you're in the market. I've been going for a few years now and it's always a great time. Pinball is the best. Someday I will own a machine of my own.
Saying pinball is more or less the same but with slight variations across machines is like saying all FPSes, RPGs or platformers are the same, but with slight variations ;P
Unless you're talking about the same machines at different locations, then you'd be right. You can play a Game of Thrones at a barcade and another at someone's house, and whilst it's the same game they *will* have their own idiosyncrasies (like a ball coming off a ramp at a different angle/speed etc.). But you play any video/arcade game anywhere (including one's own PC), and apart from the condition of the buttons/joystick, they will play identically. Which is why to get the best home experience of a pinball machine, you need to own one
Yeah I know that's probably generalizing things as each table can play quite differently than one another, but as you said it's more subtle like between FPS's than between completely different genres.
ElephantShell
Banned
Pinball is one of those games I'll play and feel like I'm dominating then see the high scores and realize I'm light years away. They do a great job of making you feel successful with all the flashing lights and whatnot.
Plus I never understand how many balls I have. I'll think I've lost like 5 times but they just let me keep going.
Plus I never understand how many balls I have. I'll think I've lost like 5 times but they just let me keep going.
Pinball is great, but:
microtransactions
shit is always the same - worse iteration than sports games.
fucking just putting skins on the same game and calling it new
fucking busted as cheap AI that forces you to lose.
Wonky ass physics.
and, yeah, fucking microtransactions deserve to be mentioned again.
microtransactions
shit is always the same - worse iteration than sports games.
fucking just putting skins on the same game and calling it new
fucking busted as cheap AI that forces you to lose.
Wonky ass physics.
and, yeah, fucking microtransactions deserve to be mentioned again.
RecRoulette
Member
Bringing the bride to life on a real table is so goddamn satisfying. One of the bars in my hometown had one. Love that table.
I know this is in jest, but the fact that these things are top priority for some gamers is heartbreaking.
And half of that list gets obsolete if you don't wear your glasses @.@
But fuck me there is a Game of Thrones pinball machine out there? Ofc there is. Damn I want this in Zen Pinball 2 and not in RL
Hmm. I get that this is satire but the joke doesn't work. The games don't look or play the same, physics are perfect and the AI never forces you to lose. If you drain the ball you did something wrong ;-)
But yeah, microtransactions can't be said enough.
---
If you think pinball is boring or that any one table is as good as the next then odds are strong that you suck at pinball and don't understand why.
Well, "the game cheats" is a classic.
That's not even the best pinball video game.
plagiarize
Banned
There's a good chance it'll come to Stern Pinball Arcade, which is only out on Gear VR right now, but will be coming to just about everything. The idea of that game is that they'll get modern Stern titles pretty quickly. It's from the Pinball Arcade guys, so it'll be good.
plagiarize
Banned
You can totally mod and cheat at real pinball.
BlindJesus
Member
More then a high end PC with a 144hz display and fancy steering wheel.
Except you can usually sell these things for what you paid for them, even 10 years later. If not more 8)
Pinball machines are pretty awesome.
Unfortunately they're not easy things to come by these days, and even harder to actually own for obvious reasons. Plenty of good simulations exist, but they're never going to be as good as the real thing since a large part of pinball is the tactile experience.
If I ever get a bigger house, maybe I'll buy a small pinball someday...
Unfortunately they're not easy things to come by these days, and even harder to actually own for obvious reasons. Plenty of good simulations exist, but they're never going to be as good as the real thing since a large part of pinball is the tactile experience.
If I ever get a bigger house, maybe I'll buy a small pinball someday...
Valjean Lafitte
Banned
It's the shitty "Home Edition" of this:
How is the yellow version shitty? It at least features the right Bowser and not that green SMBSS freak.
Bjoern the Smexy
Member
I love Pinball and I wish I had a real Medieval Madness table, because it's probably the best one I've played and one of the few I see myself replaying over and over and over again.
I'm glad that Pinball Arcade exists because it gives me the perfect opportunity to not having to pay a few thousand bucks on a real pinball table and still being able to play all the good stuff from the last 30-40 years.
Pinball is great.
Looks to me like those are two completely different layouts, no?
Which would make them two different tables. As evidenced in the name of the yellow one.
I'm glad that Pinball Arcade exists because it gives me the perfect opportunity to not having to pay a few thousand bucks on a real pinball table and still being able to play all the good stuff from the last 30-40 years.
Pinball is great.
It's the shitty "Home Edition" of this:
Looks to me like those are two completely different layouts, no?
Which would make them two different tables. As evidenced in the name of the yellow one.
Isn't this a definition of real life? Does sound like it :>
Yeah, pinballs are great but so are video games. They can live alongside each other easily
Huge variance with this, and the below is just a generalization.
Older games from the 60s and 70s - $250 to 1k
Games from the 80s - 1k to 3k
Games from the 90s and on 2.5k to 5.5k
For new in box games, to include the new manufacturers - 4.5k to 10k
And then you have the outliers that can be much much more depending on availability
Honestly before I got my first pin I had been hunting around for the better part of a decade trying to find the right one, arrange the space, figure out how they worked, etc., and now I just wished I had jumped in much sooner. Having a ball with it, and looking forward to getting more.
Secret Character
Member
I played Ghostbusters a couple of weeks ago and was not impressed. The table feels like it's designed for drains (center target shot especially) and the spacing on the flippers didn't feel right. That being said, the rule-set was pretty deep.
I think my favorite modern pins are:
- Tron Legacy LE
- AC/DC (premium preferred)
- Lord of the Rings
- X-Men (also Limited preferred. The magnet trick is so damn cool to see)
I think my favorite modern pins are:
- Tron Legacy LE
- AC/DC (premium preferred)
- Lord of the Rings
- X-Men (also Limited preferred. The magnet trick is so damn cool to see)
Richard_Venom
Member
Nah. Too many clones. Oversaturated market. Not portable.
I'm lucky to be friends with a few hardcore pinball enthusiasts, so the chance to play (for free) on actual tables is never far away. Not that great at the games but greatly enjoy the tactile feel of the game and all of the little bells-and-whistles. Favorite games have to be Whirlwind, Rollergames, F14 Tomcat (biased, because I worked for years at the plant where the actual F14 was developed) and Banzai Run.
But like I said, I'm not that great so I don't even bother going for lots of the trick shots or high scores, I'm just trying to survive as long as possible (I play shmups the same way).
Has anyone here ever been to Pinfest in Allentown PA? I went last year and it was a blast!
But like I said, I'm not that great so I don't even bother going for lots of the trick shots or high scores, I'm just trying to survive as long as possible (I play shmups the same way
).Has anyone here ever been to Pinfest in Allentown PA? I went last year and it was a blast!
Secret Character
Member
I'm lucky to be friends with a few hardcore pinball enthusiasts, so the chance to play (for free) on actual tables is never far away. Not that great at the games but greatly enjoy the tactile feel of the game and all of the little bells-and-whistles. Favorite games have to be Whirlwind, Rollergames, F14 Tomcat (biased, because I worked for years at the plant where it was developed) and Banzai Run.
But like I said, I'm not that great so I don't even bother going for lots of the trick shots or high scores, I'm just trying to survive as long as possible (I play shmups the same way
Has anyone here ever been to Pinfest in Allentown PA? I went last year and it was a blast!
Rollergames and F14 Tomcat are tables that are usually passed over by people, but they're so much fun to play. Rollergames, especially with the "GO FOR THE WALL" shot that locks on that side flipper. It's a great little table.
woopWOOP
Member
The few times I tried actual pinball machines I lost within seconds. I didn't like it
That Pinball game for NES was pretty fun to me tho.
That Pinball game for NES was pretty fun to me tho.
This is wonderful
It is SOP to make a completely reconfigured version of a table for a "Home Edition" release and to remove all the expensive features.
Geometry is crucial to good pin design so once you start removing things to get cost down you p re tty much have to redesign. Most of the time what they are trying to capitalize on is the license.
Example:
"Vault Edition" (reskin) of Spider-Man by Stern
"Home Edition" of Spider-Man by Stern (just announced)
Both feature the same backglass and similar artwork but the lower one is about $3000 cheaper.
Fireball - Features spinning disc, "zipper flippers" that can push together or apart
Fireball "Home Edition" - No disc, no zipper flippers. Modified layout.
Williams/Gottlieb Pinball Hall of Fame collections are obsolete. That developer turned it into The Pinball Arcade which features all of those tables and many, many more. Vastly improved physics, lighting, modeling, etc. Available on almost every platform with individual table pricing or season bundles. They release a new table every month.
I think we are at 62 or 63 tables and counting, Dr. Who is the new game for September.
Pinball looks so confusing initially. Tons of blinking lights everywhere, the feeling of having zero control over what's happening, and getting the impression that it's purely a game about luck.
But after a while you start to trap the ball, learn the timing of when you have to push to flip the ball at what angle, what the actual goals on a table are, what lights on the playfield are telling you...
The learning experience of being completely overwhelmed to figuring out the physics and table rules is an incredible feeling.
Not to mention the moment to moment fun of hitting ramps, the often fantastic soundtracks, the bright and intense lightshows...
I'm often thinking about how weird pinball really is, with this incredible evolution from simple wooden boards with pins to what we have today. It could so easily have completely died out at any point in time, and yet it persistent and kept refining over decades and decades.
The depth of pinball is really fascinating. It pains me that I live in a country where pinball never was really big, and I'm mostly restricted to Pinball Arcade and Visual Pinball.
But after a while you start to trap the ball, learn the timing of when you have to push to flip the ball at what angle, what the actual goals on a table are, what lights on the playfield are telling you...
The learning experience of being completely overwhelmed to figuring out the physics and table rules is an incredible feeling.
Not to mention the moment to moment fun of hitting ramps, the often fantastic soundtracks, the bright and intense lightshows...
I'm often thinking about how weird pinball really is, with this incredible evolution from simple wooden boards with pins to what we have today. It could so easily have completely died out at any point in time, and yet it persistent and kept refining over decades and decades.
The depth of pinball is really fascinating. It pains me that I live in a country where pinball never was really big, and I'm mostly restricted to Pinball Arcade and Visual Pinball.
It IS really weird. Video games forced Pinball to really step up its game. You can see the turning point around 1981. The funny thing is that if you look at the arcade games of the 80's they are much shallower and much more unfair than pinball. In Pinball the game could theoretically never end, it's limited by your skill. And video games don't award free credits for skill or luck
It is initially daunting, especially if you start on the more modern games.
The yellow one dispensed tickets with gameplay and designed for children. Was usually placed away from the regular table in most arcades. Due to the size, it's difficult for a grown adult to play properly.
speedomodel
Member
I have a friend that's really into it and has loads of tables. Don't get it..
slightconfuse
Banned
shoutout to windows xp pinball
Almost all new tables are licensed these days. My understanding of the companies thought process is, they still mostly make these machines for operators who put them on location, and they are trying to give the customers something to identify with to cause them to drop their quarter in.
There are really only less than a handful unlicensed games I can think of that came out in the last decade. Shame really.
Version 3.0
Member
Skill based? There's a reason I felt ripped off every time I played pinball as a kid; every machine has those stupid lanes that go behind the paddles.
And why? Because otherwise you'd never lose, of course.
And why? Because otherwise you'd never lose, of course.
The outlanes? It's entirely possible to avoid outlanes if you know how.
A lot of it comes down to angles and momentum. If you drained you took an unsafe shot, or didn't correct properly.
Straight Down The Middle is how a lot of balls find their way out for new players. Often I hear people claim there was nothing they could do, but they just don't realize how they could have saved it or how they could have prevented the situation all together.
Learn the shots and take the safe ones. It's not any different than pool in that way.
Secret Character
Member
Not every one is. In fact, what are considered some of the "best" pinball machines ever made aren't licensed at all:
Attack from Mars is the big one. This is a table with a simple layout, good rules, and a fantastic theme. This is considered one of the better tables out there:
From the same era is Medieval Madness. The playfield in this game is sublime and every shot feels rewarding. Many people consider this to be the best table out there.
Fireball, which is posted above, is probably the best early pinball game. It has a lot going on for it's age and is awesome to play to this day.
Similar threads
- Locked