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Worst Pinball Machine Ever!

Kenny Taylor said:
The Shadow. Not a fan of the playfield layout and the switching ramps. Call outs, music & animation poor. Can’t understsnd why it’s ranked so high. I really tried to like it..
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Just shows how different we all are, I love the shadow, nailing the ramps in conjunction with switching the diverters and getting super vengeance or whatever its called is awesome. Also I LOVE the music.
 
It really makes a difference from playing a non serviced piece of crap in a busy bar to a well kept pin. I thought tron was the worst thing when i first played it. Couldn't get through a single ball without gates falling off and plastics obstructing ramps. The playfield art was terrible and it felt so dull. Played it in the home environment and thought it was okay.
Only game I've walked away from was Shrek.
 
I honestly can't single out a game that I've played that I wouldn't play again. I've played a few games that make people's 'worst of' lists but although others here decide on a game within one credit, I don't feel like I've given the game a fair chance until I've played it thoroughly enough to 'figure it out' and without exception I've come away liking the game when I do that.

I've had the lowest opinions on Popeye and Hook so far but I can't name those either because I've only been able to play those at Blackpool Pier where they are barely able to power on, never mind play well. No way can I make a fair judgement on those.

And I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't play WWE again if I saw it because in the UK, we are all video game arcade refugees compared to some parts of America, and Japan. Even a 'bad' pinball game that is in working order is better than Sega ****ing Rally for the trillionth time, or the same broken light gun games from the early 2000s that I've already one-credited or done with akimbo credits...
 
I suppose the machine I'd happily see go up in smoke is Zaccaria "Soccer Kings"

Or should that be Take An Early Bath (in powerful acid)?
 
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The only 2 games I have disliked were sterns batman and Star Wars, not because they were bad, but because they could have been so much better and I had raised my hopes too high on themes I love.
Never played a pin I wouldn’t play again, find something I like in all of them but never played some mentioned here so time yet
 
The new ones Neil, would still possibly have them, but my expectations were far higher than what I witnessed, but like when I watch Everton, always hopeful that they will play like Barcelona but get more Accrington Stanley
 
Stern make three Star Wars and two Batman’s!

But Star Wars is an excellent game - it might not be a good use of Star Wars IP but the game is fantastic.

Batman ‘66 is easily one of the best games stern has made now with the latest code! Both games where maxed out with punters when I went to an arcade in Austin!
 
Isn't batman 66 just a re theme of batman tdk?

Why can i not think of more than one stern star wars?
Unless you're referring to pro prem and LE? I would definitely not class them as different games.
And if so then stern actually make 4 batmans. Batman tdk. Batman 66 prem, le and super LE
 
Its a good thing we all like different stuff, otherwise we'd all be after the same machines. I can't name a worst, I think they all have something to offer. I even played Popeye several times when I got the chance recently. I have found myself marking down machines that are too similar to other machines, and for me I need a variety. Every day I will play my Paragon - it's such a leveler or a game and it is short and fast - so makes a nice change from a long go on a more modern machine. I love the quick simple rules of the EM games. I don't like the EM's with the tiny flippers. But I can't say any of them are worst games ever. I find some titles unappealing - Big Buck Hunter for example - it just doesn't appeal in the slightest, but I won't pass any sort of other judgement until I've played it a few times, which I will, if the opportunity ever presents itself. So my vote for worst game ever is the ones that I used to find in amusement arcades that were 1/2 working, broken, dirty and battered. There is just no fun in playing such machines. For me, I'll willingly play any of the rest.
 
Fair point.

No batman 66 is nothing like TDK - it’s a much better game with fantastic ruleset and challenging shot set-pieces!
 
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Agreed, Rollercoaster Tycoon. I played it at a meet and the game just went on and on but I had no idea why and couldn't care less. South Park is the only game that I have walked away from with credits in, great if you think that toilets and farts are hilarious I suppose.

I would, however, put actual money into a Hurricane. That might just be due to childhood memories though.
 
insx said:
great if you think that toilets and farts are hilarious I suppose.
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And who doesn't?? :):):)

I love South Park the cartoon but the pinball is just sooooo repetitive I was really disappointed when I had one.

The call outs we're the only decent thing about it so if you don't like the themeI can understand it would be a completely ghastly game for you!
 
Seriously, anyone that mentions titles like TAF, TZ, MM in the context of worst ever game needs a cold shower. These are all high watermark games.

Pinside has its failings. But it is broadly sensible.

If you ain't naming one of pinside's bottom 20, you probably don't know that much about Pinball, or you are being deliberately provocative ...

Bottom 5, then you are talking a real horror show ...

Worst ever at 351 - Atari Hercules
350 - Bugs Bunny - so congrats to those who picked this awful game
349 - Hyperball
348 - Raven
347 - Striker Extreme

  • Hercules is huge
  • Bugs has a great theme
  • Hyperball is the closest ordinary folk get to machine gunning
  • Raven has tacky appeal
  • Striker Extreme, for me, has absolutely no redeeming features. Not one single positive aspect. The art. The theme. The scoring. Everything about it is hateful. And in a tournament scenario, it is a one shot game
 
For theming, Rollercoaster Tycoon. I think the game itself actually has some nifty features and shots but it is a very crowded playfield. Also having fond memories of playing Rollercoaster Tycoon growing up this machine has so little to do with the actual game, apart from the name and artwork. I often think of it more as a 4th game in the Comet, Hurricane and Cyclone line because modes like "Dunk the Dummy" appear in them, but NOWHERE in the Rollercoaster Tycoon PC games.

As an overall bad game. Jokerz. Bad art, terrible annoying sound, probably one of the worst sound effects I've heard in any Pinball. The ear shattering "HOOOO HUMMMM" when the backglass toy does its thing and you don't get a good card is awful. The stupid annoying giggle sound effects every so often. This game has 0 redeeming features for me. It's a novelty for about 5 minutes then I want to play something else.
 
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