Is Scared Stiff an overrated table?

Now, I haven't had the time to fully delve into this table, having only tried the Android TPA demo, and the Visual Pinball (pretty decent recreation, but the shot difficulty is totally off balance) versions of the table.
And initially I liked it. Lots of classic shots that all do something, a great theme, and all kinds of modes that are easy to activate.

I was pretty much ready to purchase this table as soon as it comes out for X360, but after spending a while with those two limited versions, it sort of feels like I already exhausted everything the table has to offer, even without reaching the "wizard mode". It's just the table layout is really classic and over-simple (it's a lot like Taxi, but Taxi's rules are so much more interesting), and the rules are a simple "shoot everything, and then repeat ramps until you fall asleep" build that doesn't seem to have any thought put into it.
It sort of feels like all they had was a good theme, and they just slapped it on to their default pinball template, without putting any thought into design, gimmicks or ruleset.

However, the table always hits the top spots on pinball ratings, sporting a #14 on IPDB and #11 on Pinside. So I guess I'm just missing something important. Maybe it's related to the physics and how the table plays, rather than the ruleset? Maybe it's a flow that only exists only on the real life table? Someone tell me! Maybe I can yet be saved, and learn to love Scared Stiff.



NB: This isn't a "should I buy this table" discussion, cause at the price FS are asking, I'd be dumb not to, especially with Big Shot going along with it. However, I'm just not feeling it right now.

This is another case of TPA making a table too easy, the ramps in real life will be much harder to hit consecutively and therefore keeping ball control, a challenge.

The ramps on Taxi are made much easier, too, but that table is still tons of fun.

Most of my games on SS tend to run over an hour. It can get a bit boring after a while.

Scared Stiff has a shallow ruleset and lower difficulty compared to its contemporaries, which it makes up for with some rather fascinating licensed assets - ahem! - and some clever double entendres. If it weren't an Elvira table, I doubt it would command the high ranking it does.

Also, while Twilight Zone incurred the brunt of our ire for being too easy, Scared Stiff was similarly overtuned. It's just that SS is a pretty easy table in real life, so it wasn't as much of an issue. To give you an idea of how much easier they made it, my high scores on the iOS version of TPA (with its inferior nudging) are usually 2 to 4 times my real-table high scores. On Scared Stiff, they're 18 times higher.

Sean DonCarlos said:

Scared Stiff has a shallow ruleset and lower difficulty compared to its contemporaries, which it makes up for with some rather fascinating licensed assets - ahem! - and some clever double entendres. If it weren't an Elvira table, I doubt it would command the high ranking it does.

Also, while Twilight Zone incurred the brunt of our ire for being too easy, Scared Stiff was similarly overtuned. It's just that SS is a pretty easy table in real life, so it wasn't as much of an issue. To give you an idea of how much easier they made it, my high scores on the iOS version of TPA (with its inferior nudging) are usually 2 to 4 times my real-table high scores. On Scared Stiff, they're 18 times higher.

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Yes, there was no need to tune this. The (relative) ease of play might be why it is so highly rated. Even mediocre players can usually perform a good run on this one. Casual players tend to enjoy the things that they're good at.

On TPA, I much prefer Elvira and the Party Monsters to this one. But I assume that at least part of that is down to TPA's emulation; I have no significant experience with the real-world tables.

Sean DonCarlos said:

Scared Stiff has a shallow ruleset and lower difficulty compared to its contemporaries, which it makes up for with some rather fascinating licensed assets - ahem! - and some clever double entendres. If it weren't an Elvira table, I doubt it would command the high ranking it does.

Also, while Twilight Zone incurred the brunt of our ire for being too easy, Scared Stiff was similarly overtuned. It's just that SS is a pretty easy table in real life, so it wasn't as much of an issue. To give you an idea of how much easier they made it, my high scores on the iOS version of TPA (with its inferior nudging) are usually 2 to 4 times my real-table high scores. On Scared Stiff, they're 18 times higher.

Click to expand...

My issue wasn't really with the TPA incarnation of the table, but rather the original real life table (even though I haven't actually played it).
Or, more exactly, all versions of the table, indepently of various "adjustments" between the physical and digital versions.

I don't think it is overrated. But it isn't the most challenging table. It's almost impossible to not get multiball and free balls are pretty generous on the real machine. Which lures in even the most unskilled players. It also has great humor, nice art, good lights, crate toy, and the spider backglass toy. And let's not forget Elvira, she's awesome too. There's a lot there to like. I think that is why it is so highly rated. It has a great fun factor. But it isn't the most challenging, which lends to long games on the TPA version. Which over time gets a little boring.

I actually don't care so much about the difficulty, not being too good at the game to begin with. I'm just not feeling the fun factor. Maybe I'll discover it once the game finally gets an X360 release.

It is quite easy on TPA, but I find it really enjoyable. I laugh at the dead heads (air head, meat head and so on) plus the Elvira theme all in all. It is good to play some Scared Stiff after getting frustrated with Black Knight

cleavage puts this table 11 out of 10 rating.

So, conclusion is, it's all the theme.

I'm not an Elvira fan but I like the table. As far as being easy, I don't really care. I just won't be playing this one when I only have 15 minutes or less to play.

It's more enjoyable and fun than EATPM and way more complex. The rulesheet is pretty long.

IT's way easier in TPA then real life.

The theme is what makes the table.

The reason it's so easy is, once again, a friendly kickout, combined with wide open ramps and droopy flippers that makes them really easy to shoot. in real life, this table usually has high aligned flippers, making the orbits harder, the crate easier, and there's a ton of randomness coming out of the tv kickout, which the crate and the deadheads feed.

The entire challenge of scared stiff mode is getting control of the ball after shooting the crate. And that's wayyyy too easy.

Yes it's considered an easy table even in real life, but there's also a big luck factor in that tv kickout, which is what lets the table make money. That kickout can drain in all three places.

It's enormously entertaining but -as stated above- much to easy. I simply don't have time to play it as a game takes so long. Some kind of re-tuning is needed.
Having said that it is a good choice for free table of the month as the newbies presumably start with those.

I think it's not all about the theme, the table has an interesting playfield design. First of all, the crate is in a good position, it is not hard to hit, but it has that level of difficult that makes it fun to shoot at. The game is open enough for a good ball flow and it has a variability on what you achieve (like, sometimes you activate the spider spin, sometimes a dead head, and so on). It is not that easy to hit the ramp jackpots on multiball, since they alternate sides all the time. It is not hard, but it is at a "fun difficulty" level, if you like. The frogs are fun and dangerous to shoot. But I do agree that it would be even better if they raised up the difficulty a little bit. The game is just too long, it makes it boring after some time.

i loved the real machine. on tpa i only like it. i can't really put my finger on why. i still enjoy it. i even dont mind that its a lil bit on the easy side. if i had to complain about something i guess it would be the skill shot. its to easy (broke?) and after awhile i rack up alotta points on each plunge for doing nothing.

as for thr OP's original question, it may be a lil overated, but not that much. its fun.

I tried the real table since I created this thread, and I like it a lot more. Basically, on TPA what you get from the original table is the theme and basic playfield layout. The physics and the experience you get from playing the table can never be replicated perfectly, and without it, I think the table just falls flat - but I really liked playing the real deal, just like I really like Dennis Nordman's other tables.

I don't think it's anywhere close to Indy500 or White Water, which are both amazing tables, but it's definitely fun.