What do you feel is the most overrated table in Pinball Arcade?

TNT · Aug 18, 2015

So this is more about tables that are pretty highly thought of in the community or with a good reputation more than just about any pin you don't like.

To each their own but me for I don't understand how Attack from Mars is in Pinside's Top 5 tables of all-time. It's ranked #12 on ipdb.

It's an ok table but top 5? Really? But everyone has their own preferences and that is one of the things that makes this game great is the variation in table design and themes.

Dedpop · Aug 18, 2015

Bram Stoker's Dracula (super drainy / ugly art).
The Addams Family (boring gameplay IMO).

invitro · Aug 18, 2015

Big Shot is the most overrated by far.
But High Speed 2 may take its place... we'll see.

You should link to that thread where people here rate all TPA tables 1 to 10. I think that will be the best measure of which tables are highly rated by this community. I don't think any table other than Big Shot is greatly overrated, but my tastes are pretty much in line with other people here.

Attack From Mars is in my all-time top 5, and may be #1.

Kolchak357 · Aug 18, 2015

For me it's STTNG by a mile. The theme and sound package is top notch but I don't enjoy playing it. I hate not being able to see the outlanes. I also can't find a view in landscape that I am happy with. I like the pin much more in real life. The TPA version seems to be highly rated, so maybe it's just me. I will give it another chance when the new flipper physics are implemented on it. But I doubt my opinion will change.

Fungi · Aug 18, 2015

Kolchak357 said:
I will give it another chance when the new flipper physics are implemented on it. But I doubt my opinion will change.

Too bad new flipper physics won't fix the blind vacuum outlanes. I want to like TNG so much, but it's way over the line of what feels fair.

Jeff Strong · Aug 18, 2015

invitro said:
Big Shot is the most overrated by far.

Wrong.

Espy · Aug 18, 2015

Medieval Madness.

Please don't ban me.

Jeff Strong · Aug 18, 2015

I'd probably say TZ, followed by the other Lawlor pins. I just don't dig his style as much as some do. Don't get me wrong; they're great machines. Just a bit overrated, IMO.

JPelter · Aug 18, 2015

TAF is buggy as hell and sadly also boring/too easy. It's still a pretty fun table, but definitely way overrated.

EldarOfSuburbia · Aug 18, 2015

Fungi said:
Too bad new flipper physics won't fix the blind vacuum outlanes.

Real-world physics don't fix those outlanes either. The worst-abused pinball table I've ever played was an STTNG with the tilt sensor totally broken. Didn't help it was in a student bar.

Most overrated ... Bride of Pinbot, at least the TPA implementation.

Though I agree somewhat with TAF, but it's still a good table, just not as good as all that. When I had the choice between TAF, Fish Tales, and IJ, I played TAF by far the least.

Espy · Aug 18, 2015

EldarOfSuburbia said:
Real-world physics don't fix those outlanes either. The worst-abused pinball table I've ever played was an STTNG with the tilt sensor totally broken. Didn't help it was in a student bar.

I found a Dark Knight in my airport once. It had just been installed. Was fine.

One year later I went back to find that it had received literally no maintenance. It was an absolute atrocity. And in an airport, it had seen a LOT of play. Playfield art barely legible, right flipper only went down when the ball hit it (made for surprisingly easy drop catches), ramp diverter was inoperable, two bumpers were dead (one died while I was playing), crane registered hits to it constantly, right habitrail liked to chuck balls straight into the outlane. There was more, I can't remember though. They put a lovely new Stern in and just left it to rot for a year, then binned it.

EldarOfSuburbia · Aug 18, 2015

The strange thing about that STTNG was, for all the abuse, it played just fine. Those tables were built tough! The DE/Sega/Sterns always looked and felt flimsy to my eye.

Espy · Aug 18, 2015

EldarOfSuburbia said:
The strange thing about that STTNG was, for all the abuse, it played just fine. Those tables were built tough! The DE/Sega/Sterns always looked and felt flimsy to my eye.

An Airport is probably about the busiest site for a pin. It's always busy, and 24/7 full of people trying to waste time. I think any machine would be a sorry state after a year of that with no maintenance.

vikingerik · Aug 18, 2015

Espy said:
Medieval Madness.

Please don't ban me.

No, same here. MM is overrated both as a real pin and the TPA implementation is also mediocre. The rules around Trolls and Multiball Madness are so clunky, if you accidentally hit Merlin's too early, it's a massive setback that you have to go all the way around through Royal Madness to try again. And TPA makes the pin ridiculously easy, any wild flail from the right flipper goes up the left ramp almost as bad as in Creature, and the lock shot and return are both way easier than they should be.

Next one down: Haunted House. It's OK as a real machine but didn't improve on Black Hole in any way. And as many of us call out, the TPA conversion is atrocious, far too fast and violent and nearly impossible to even play and aim at things.

Fungi · Aug 18, 2015

Jeff Strong said:
I'd probably say TZ, followed by the other Lawlor pins. I just don't dig his style as much as some do. Don't get me wrong; they're great machines. Just a bit overrated, IMO.

Lawlor pins have too much stoppage in play for me.

Fungi · Aug 18, 2015

EldarOfSuburbia said:
Real-world physics don't fix those outlanes either.

At least the blind part goes away.

W1LDD ONE · Aug 18, 2015

High Speed 2 overrated.

karl · Aug 18, 2015

For me it has been Earthshaker. Not played it before in real life but I find that one really boring (much to my surprise)

mrhorseshoe · Aug 19, 2015

TZ. I love the table, but when you figure out the trick it becomes a slog of hitting the same ramps over and over.

Tann · Aug 19, 2015

I would say TZ and CFTBL, at least in TPA, because of a weak execution. Boring as hell.

What do you feel is the most overrated table in Pinball Arcade?

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