Agreed about that. And also on AFM. There's a bar around here that has one set up. Might have to pay them a visit soon!
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Why Pinball Is Better Than Video Games
- Thread starter HotHamBoy
- Start date
Agreed about that. And also on AFM. There's a bar around here that has one set up. Might have to pay them a visit soon!
My mall had the newer Batman and Indiana Jones tables. Dunno if they were any good, because when I tried it once, I couldn't shoot the ball anywhere, like if the flippers were too weak. Guess it's broken? They aren't there anymore anyway - neither are HOTD4 or Sega Rally Championship.
I also remember enjoying Rollercoaster Tycoon back in the day. In fact, it might have been my favorite table (I haven't played many, though), accounting for the connection to one of my favorite games ever.
I also remember enjoying Rollercoaster Tycoon back in the day. In fact, it might have been my favorite table (I haven't played many, though), accounting for the connection to one of my favorite games ever.
Phoenix944
Member
But 120fps tho
BizzyBum
Member
I think we need to discuss how hilarious this picture is.
Blanka is fucking up Ken's ride with a shit eating grin. Ryu is just randomly doing a high kick with a massive boner, and apparently Chun-Li is a Thai ladyboy.
I've got some cabs, but got no space for a Pinball Machine, shame because I love them but have no where that local to play them.
I know that they still make the machines, but the quality leaves somewhat to be desired.
So UK guy bought a special edition Hobbit Pinball machine a while back for his home, no doubt it cost him serious, serious monay, but, truth be told it looked like a piece of crap, it broke down almost straight away, kept having problems. Also the stuff like the little model dragon and other models that sit in the playfield looked like really tacky chinese made toys.
If I had the space I would rather buy some good machine from the 90's.
I know that they still make the machines, but the quality leaves somewhat to be desired.
So UK guy bought a special edition Hobbit Pinball machine a while back for his home, no doubt it cost him serious, serious monay, but, truth be told it looked like a piece of crap, it broke down almost straight away, kept having problems. Also the stuff like the little model dragon and other models that sit in the playfield looked like really tacky chinese made toys.
If I had the space I would rather buy some good machine from the 90's.
Yeah the build quality and artwork of the newer ones leave a lot to be desired. Fixing machines is part of owning one though. They break a lot more often than arcade machines since they have so many moving parts.
My local pizza shop has this. I've never played it as I go there for pick up but this thread makes me want give it a go. Haven't touched a pinball machine in over a decade.
DomsPlaying
Member
Ha you got me with that title!
I love both, we own a few older pinball machines & over the last few years I've played probably 300 different machines.
The new Ghostbusters game you posted is amazing. Same with new Game of Thrones.
The ultimate pinball resource on the machines themselves is the Internet Pinball Database (IPDB), I use it often as its photos are second to none.
www.ipdb.org
Also enjoy virtual pinball, but there's nothing like the real thing of course ;-)
I love both, we own a few older pinball machines & over the last few years I've played probably 300 different machines.
The new Ghostbusters game you posted is amazing. Same with new Game of Thrones.
The ultimate pinball resource on the machines themselves is the Internet Pinball Database (IPDB), I use it often as its photos are second to none.
www.ipdb.org
Also enjoy virtual pinball, but there's nothing like the real thing of course ;-)
I always suspected you were a terrible person. Thank you for confirming it.
To tell the truth, before getting a pinball machine I thought they were boring.
But because my father really likes them we decided to buy one.
I found a guy that sells them and I chose the Star Wars Trilogy machine.
After having it and playing it, I discovered how cool it is.
I'm not nearly as good on it as my father but I got a lot better since we bought it.
After some time we bought as a gift for my father the Batman Forever machine and it's amazing. It's a lot faster than the Star Wars one and a lot of fun to play.
Every time my friends come over we play a bit.
It's a really good investment if you wanna have fun.
Those are the machines we have:
But because my father really likes them we decided to buy one.
I found a guy that sells them and I chose the Star Wars Trilogy machine.
After having it and playing it, I discovered how cool it is.
I'm not nearly as good on it as my father but I got a lot better since we bought it.
After some time we bought as a gift for my father the Batman Forever machine and it's amazing. It's a lot faster than the Star Wars one and a lot of fun to play.
Every time my friends come over we play a bit.
It's a really good investment if you wanna have fun.
Those are the machines we have:
This thread <3
My babies:
This is my High Speed with an under-cabinet lighting mod, originally it's only supposed to just have the top rotating light.
Not much I can say about pinball in this thread that hasn't been said already. Went on a one-week trip to Texas (from Australia) just to go to a pinball show in Dallas, and a place called Pinballz in Austin.
I'm also not as much of a fan of the newer machines (particularly Sterns) as the older ones, but some from the other companies have been really well put together. Played a friend's Hobbit a week or so ago, and it's miles better than anything anyone else has put out in the last 10 years or so.
For those wondering why pinball seems to be making a comeback (or is at least sustainable), is that for the people who grew up during it's heyday in the 70s and 80s, those people are now either settled with kids and have some disposable income, or don't have kids and have even more income. Plus, barcades.
What people might not realise about pinball (and I didn't realise for the longest time, either): They have rules. Whilst it's obviously about keeping the ball in play as long as possible, there's also progression in the games to get the highest score. There are timed modes where a certain sequence of shots could be worth a shitload, you'll have multiball where there's jackpots all over the table and of course there's the wizard mode, which is usually reached after all other modes are completed and is worth even more still.
Until I knew about that, I really didn't think there was much to it. But it clicked, and knowing you have to aim for certain targets to get bigger scores adds to the intensity.
My babies:
This is my High Speed with an under-cabinet lighting mod, originally it's only supposed to just have the top rotating light.
Not much I can say about pinball in this thread that hasn't been said already. Went on a one-week trip to Texas (from Australia) just to go to a pinball show in Dallas, and a place called Pinballz in Austin.
I'm also not as much of a fan of the newer machines (particularly Sterns) as the older ones, but some from the other companies have been really well put together. Played a friend's Hobbit a week or so ago, and it's miles better than anything anyone else has put out in the last 10 years or so.
For those wondering why pinball seems to be making a comeback (or is at least sustainable), is that for the people who grew up during it's heyday in the 70s and 80s, those people are now either settled with kids and have some disposable income, or don't have kids and have even more income. Plus, barcades.
What people might not realise about pinball (and I didn't realise for the longest time, either): They have rules. Whilst it's obviously about keeping the ball in play as long as possible, there's also progression in the games to get the highest score. There are timed modes where a certain sequence of shots could be worth a shitload, you'll have multiball where there's jackpots all over the table and of course there's the wizard mode, which is usually reached after all other modes are completed and is worth even more still.
Until I knew about that, I really didn't think there was much to it. But it clicked, and knowing you have to aim for certain targets to get bigger scores adds to the intensity.
That relates to their greatest strength though. Because moving parts, there's infinite randomisation compared to anything video-based. And the experience of playing one could never be emulated.
I'm guessing you're pretty bad at it.
I only have access to The Stern Pinball Arcade in Gear VR. The slowdown is KILLING ME. Hoping beyond hope that both Zen and SPA come to PSVR (they probably will).
@Shaneus
I'm so jealous. I hate you. High Speed is amazing. Ripley's is aweome, too. A Lawlor and a Ritchie, well done. What is that in the middle?
The rules thing is an interesting point. Most people ignore the rules and objectives. That makes sense since they are just trying to keep the ball alive. I think that's why ramp games are more pupular. Getting the ball up the ramp is more interesting that hitting a bank target. But if you know the rules, successful target shooting can be very satisfying. Completing missions is really, really fun but the hurdle to getting to that skill point is high.
I had a friend who didn't get it argue that all the tables were basically the same. My eyes almost spun out of my head. It can be difficult to explain good table design and rulesets.
100% agree. I have a World Cup Soccer now, and now that I have more room I'm actively looking for a Simpsons Party Pinball, arguably one of the deepest rule sets in pinball.
http://pinball.org/rules/simpsonspinballparty.txt
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
We've had pinball machines at work. Theater of Magic was quite good.
I plan to visit a place in the city with a couple dozen pinball machines.
I know it's not the same, but I think the long-term future will have to rely on elaborate virtual pinball machines. With the outright scarcity of many pinball machines and the cost of maintaining physical parts, I think it's the only way.
At home I like to play the two Pinball Hall of Fame Collections on the Nintendo Wii. There's one for Williams and another for Gottlieb.
I know it's not the same, but I think the long-term future will have to rely on elaborate virtual pinball machines. With the outright scarcity of many pinball machines and the cost of maintaining physical parts, I think it's the only way.
At home I like to play the two Pinball Hall of Fame Collections on the Nintendo Wii. There's one for Williams and another for Gottlieb.
Two more favorites by designer John Popadiuk.
https://pinballbayarea.com/2015/06/10/its-official-magic-girl-raza-aiw-bailout-abandoned/
The sad fate of John and his recent pinball endeavors...
Do yourself a favor and get The Pinball Arcade. The Williams and Gottlieb collections are now a part of TPA, along with many more tables. The physics engine has had several overhauls since the Hall of Fame collections and is far better now. TPA is available on just about every platform (except Wii).
I enjoy pinball but the cost of games is too much to be worth it. Most places charge between 75 cents or a dollar per game which generally lasts me a very short amount of time so I usually spend my quarters on cheaper longer lasting games. That being said I spent a few hours at modern pinball last year and that was pretty cool.
I think pinball and video games share a history. A lot of early arcade games took concepts from pinball and some are still a big part of game design today. Pinball then borrowed Video Mode.
Plus, there are digital pinball video games... So it counts!
Pinball FX 2 is pretty impressive. It might be Oculus exclusive, though.
Pinball machines are amazing. Anyone who says otherwise has poor taste.
This too. Anyone who spends time at a pinball would greatly enhance their experience by trying to figure out the rules. Figuring out how all of the scoring systems work on any given table is a huge part of the appeal.
This too. Anyone who spends time at a pinball would greatly enhance their experience by trying to figure out the rules. Figuring out how all of the scoring systems work on any given table is a huge part of the appeal.
doctordoak
Member
WCS is my first (and currently only) machine! I love it so much. Pinball is indeed awesome, but machines are quite expensive to purchase and maintain.
There was a like a year or two when I was absolutely obsessed with anything pinball. Pinball Arcade had just come out and I was playing that on my ipad more than any other game! Then I got the chance to play some of my favorite tables in real life and I was even more astounded. It was a great time.
At some point I stopped. The Pinball Arcade is available on a million platforms, but with no cross buy solution (except on Sony consoles), it started to cost a lot of money. And more decisions on where I should invest my time. My iPad was aging and I didn't expect to own a PS4 for awhile (still don't). And I didn't want to buy my favorite tables again for upwards of $100+ on PC.
So I let it go for now. Waiting for sales on their stuff but most of it never does. Real life encounters have become quite rare too. Real shame. I was having a great time, but I guess I can't afford it/don't care quite enough.
At some point I stopped. The Pinball Arcade is available on a million platforms, but with no cross buy solution (except on Sony consoles), it started to cost a lot of money. And more decisions on where I should invest my time. My iPad was aging and I didn't expect to own a PS4 for awhile (still don't). And I didn't want to buy my favorite tables again for upwards of $100+ on PC.
So I let it go for now. Waiting for sales on their stuff but most of it never does. Real life encounters have become quite rare too. Real shame. I was having a great time, but I guess I can't afford it/don't care quite enough.
TPA only has cross buy between PS3 and Vita but not Vita/PS3 and PS4. It's total bullshit when they charge $5 a table.
Zen Pinball has full cross-buy support, though.
FTFY
I do like myself a game of F-16 Tomcat to be honest. And Black Knight 2000's music is so god damn good.
Oh,shit! A Big Lebowski pin? I have to find one.
As for my favorite machine, I always go back to Taxi. I don't know what it is about that board, but I have tremendous fun with it.
I'm fortunate to be able to go to the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, Ca. They have dozens of machines from every era, all on free-play. An all-day pass is only $20, so I make a day of it. My young daughter also has a blast when we go together. Last time that we were there, she actually broke the Hercules machine, AKA the world's largest pinball machine that uses billiard balls instead of metal bearings.
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
plagiarize
Banned
I love pinball, alas I am banned from owning a real table...
BUT VR pinball is pretty damn close, and I don't live that far away from Pinball Wizard Arcade in New Hampshire, which has an amazing collection of tables, from the old to the brand new.
BUT VR pinball is pretty damn close, and I don't live that far away from Pinball Wizard Arcade in New Hampshire, which has an amazing collection of tables, from the old to the brand new.
the androgyne
Member
I know it's not really the point of the thread, but for people who haven't played it, or don't have access to real tables, the Pinball Arcade is excellent.
Personally, I bought a few tables years ago and loved them, but I couldn't decide what to get next (i basically wanted all of the tables). Individually they're not bad value, but buying the lot, all of a sudden you're looking at quite an expense (or i'm just a cheapskate)!
But then recently i discovered they'd released bundles on disc for PS4, which i then found on sale, making each table around $1! There's hours and hours of playtime on each table, so overall the package is just incredible value. Most of the tables are great, the worst tables are still good and there's a few that are simply outstanding. Can't recommend it enough!
Personally, I bought a few tables years ago and loved them, but I couldn't decide what to get next (i basically wanted all of the tables). Individually they're not bad value, but buying the lot, all of a sudden you're looking at quite an expense (or i'm just a cheapskate)!
But then recently i discovered they'd released bundles on disc for PS4, which i then found on sale, making each table around $1! There's hours and hours of playtime on each table, so overall the package is just incredible value. Most of the tables are great, the worst tables are still good and there's a few that are simply outstanding. Can't recommend it enough!
Gai Murakumo
Member
Man it has been forever since I played a pinball machine. I always remember in most arcades if you press the start button every so often you can get a free game out of it.
Wonko_C
Member
When I was a teenager the few times I was able to go to an arcade I almost exclusively played fighting games instead of another type of game, including pinball. I regret that deeply now. (Who could blame me? I could only spend two to three coins in those machines and I was able to last 20 minutes going through single player in fighters instead of 2 minutes in pinball before losing all three balls.) Now arcades in my area are reduced to this:
Poorly maintained Neo-Geo machines with bootlegged KOF 2002 games and mame cabinets powered by computers so poor that their games run on frameskip. T_T
Poorly maintained Neo-Geo machines with bootlegged KOF 2002 games and mame cabinets powered by computers so poor that their games run on frameskip. T_T
Hell, make a Nintendo pinball with tables for Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, etc. Pinball is perfect for that sort of thing, and we already got Pokemon and Metroid pinball games.
Transistor
Banned
I've been thinking of buying a pinball machine lately. Might buy one with my bonus next year
Oh, here's a fun fact. For all you kids out there who are mad that video game producers are moving to pachinko instead: Pinball enthusiasts had to live through this first. Several pinball machine producers stopped making pinball machines and started applying their engineering expertise to slot machines instead when the pinball industry began to decline, with Williams being the most famous example. You can still see the design philosophy of their old pinball machines in their modern slot machines somewhat, in that they tend to be on the complex side with lots of bonuses.
The middle is Night Moves. Had to track down one from an importer because it was never sold outside the US (and ran in pretty small numbers even then). It's a Gottlieb 80B, licensed by a company called International Concepts:
Played it at Texas Pinball Festival in 2014, and since then I had to have one. Took two years, but managed to score one for far cheaper than I was expecting. Pretty good condition, too. So much fun to play, it's like you're hugging the pinball machine when you're playing it
It's camp as hell (obviously), but I love it. Plus, the music is like a sped up version of the Hill Street Blues theme.It's designed by John Trudeau as well, which means I have possibly the three greatest modern pinball designers covered in my collection: Trudeau, Steve Ritchie and Pat Lawlor.
Really good machine! It's on my list, once I have a bigger space to put machines in. Nice shots, good audio and with the goalie, it's a lot of fun.
Try mentally gamifying it a little. Play a game, make a mental note of the score and try and come back to beat it. Once you start doing things like cradling (so you don't have to hit a shot as soon as the ball hits the flippers) it opens right up.
Of course you don't have to, but I have a personal belief that everyone likes pinball... they just don't understand how much can be done with two flippers and a ball. Like nudging, catches and saves.
Pinball is fun but it's more or less the same experience with slight variations, I actually like the digital pinball games like Zen Pinball since you can get really cool scenes that would be impossible on a physical machine. Sadly pinball it's not nearly as cost-effective as video gaming.
It's always been my dream to have an actual machine with really cool table actions to put in my gamesroom.
It's always been my dream to have an actual machine with really cool table actions to put in my gamesroom.