PC Can't decide on Bally/Williams Tables, I'll probably miss deadine

I have had PA on PC since I backed the Twilight Zone table. Just played that table occasionally, and maybe the free table of the month. Now that the license deal issue was made public, I would like to stock up on some additional tables but can't decide which are best for the long haul. I have read many threads about the ranking of tables, and tested out many of them, but still struggle with deciding. Spending over $200 for all seasons is quite steep especially when I don't want many of the tables. I wish they did packs based on manufacturer. Any advice?

Buying a couple more seasons? 10 more tables? 5 more tables.
Tell us what you have, and what your faves are. Then advice will roll in for ya. Folks around here are pretty good with advice.

And, welcome to the forum.

Kolchak357 said:

Buying a couple more seasons? 10 more tables? 5 more tables.
Tell us what you have, and what your faves are. Then advice will roll in for ya. Folks around here are pretty good with advice.

And, welcome to the forum.

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I'm far from a pinball master, so i can't really describe the intricacies of what makes a pinball game work for me. I tend to like games that offer a fair challenge, ones that have a rule set that can be comprehended, good artwork, sound are always a plus. The only table I own is Twilight Zone, as I backed that because I played it alot in arcade. I used to own an original Addams Family table years ago, so I know I want that table. I would considering buying the best few seasons and then adding table packs from there. Obviously I want to focus on Williams/Bally as any others can be added later.

Pinball can be very subjective per table even friends and sicial groups, but overall since you want wms season one and to passes would be cheaper than packs, since your new i cant really recommend much other than get playing the demos in the hext coule of weeks and buy the ones you keep returning to or having one more go

So you are basically starting from scratch. Hmm this is tough.
Here is my advice based on what I like and what seems popular. I’m going to leave off some good ones, but I don’t see anyway around that without buying every season pack. Ok, here is what I would recommend.

Launch pack - four good pins, Theater of Magic and Takes of the Arabian nights are must haves. Buy the launch pack.

Season 1 - so many good ones that you should just buy the entire season as Heretic said

Season 2 - again, just buy the season pack, lots of good ones

Season 3 - Bram Stokers Dracula, and Fish Tales are the must haves imo

Season 4 - Road Show and Addams Family are the must haves. Maybe Earthshaker if the theme or layout is appealing to you (I enjoy it, others don’t rate it as high as I do)

Season 5 - Fireball and High Speed 2 The Getaway are the must haves to me. If you can afford a third, then F-14 Tomcat is fast and furious fun to play.

Season 6 - three must have pins for me in this season, Eight Ball Deluxe, Indy 500, and Doctor Who.

Season 7 - too many good pins in there for me. I would need to buy the entire season.

As someone who also hasn't played much real-life pinball but managed to catch up in TPA, this list sounds about right.

I have played launch plus season 1 & 2 far more than the later ones with the exception of Addams Family which I adore.

Thanks for the input. The more I test the tables, I'm finding many more that I like than I don't. I can gauge this by getting frustrated when the score limit is reached on the trial table.

I agree with Kolchak357: if you have the money buy season 1 and 2, and personally I would also buy season 3. Then pick the tables you want based on layout and theme.

If you want to save some bucks (spending less than $100) then only buy season 1 and cherry pick from the others.

This reminds me, I still have to buy the tables for the PS4 ... or rather go for the Steam version. Damn.

Bare minimum:
If I didn't have anything, my must-have pack that covers the best of the best varieties. I have strongly taken into concideration how the tables play in TPA, how good the recreation is, how fun they are in the long run, how exploitable they (not) are and how they compare to similar style tables.

Attack From Mars (+Genie)
Dracula
White water + Space Shuttle
Addams Family
Jack*Bot
8 Ball Deluxe

* Buy Season 1 and then cherry pick the other seasons.

These videos should help:

Season 2 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/9yW-LmxQOtM

Season 3 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/iAjCdocZJ9Q

Season 4 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/G9dZdXspCm8

Season 5 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/6wrQ4_D2h2o

Season 6 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/twrS6El3VQA

Season 7 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/8HU3-aF_dhk

While this is, as he says, “one man’s opinion” regarding the rankings; I find that I generally agree with his placements.
At any rate it’s a quick way to get an overview of all of the currently available tables.

vfpcoder said:

* Buy Season 1 and then cherry pick the other seasons.

These videos should help:

Season 2 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/9yW-LmxQOtM

Season 3 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/iAjCdocZJ9Q

Season 4 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/G9dZdXspCm8

Season 5 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/6wrQ4_D2h2o

Season 6 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/twrS6El3VQA

Season 7 Tables Ranked:
https://youtu.be/8HU3-aF_dhk

While this is, as he says, “one man’s opinion” regarding the rankings; I find that I generally agree with his placements.
At any rate it’s a quick way to get an overview of all of the currently available tables.

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Thanks, this was helpful

One can still buy Season 1 and 2 after the deadline on disc from ebay.

tandigab said:

One can still buy Season 1 and 2 after the deadline on disc from ebay.

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I wonder if prices will soar after June 30?

Kolchak357 said:

I wonder if prices will soar after June 30?

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Never thought about that.. I bet they will!

tandigab said:

One can still buy Season 1 and 2 after the deadline on disc from ebay.

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Is that just for PS4?

MGordon said:

Is that just for PS4?

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Yes, and season 2 was only available in Europe.

I've posted in a few other threads with the same question, my answer is this...buy Season 1 and 2 for sure. I personally like Season 4 and 6 and would cherry pick from 3, 5 , and 7.

In my opinion only Season 1 is a an absolute must-own completely. With the rest you can manage getting "separates".

There are some Williams games, like Whirlwind, that are also a must-own IMO before they disappear - but it all comes to taste and table theme / gameplay preferences. Whirlwind was one of my favorite pinballs growing up, so I had to get that, but I didn't really care for most of the other tables in Season 2.

I have complete seasons 1 and 4 plus Whirlwind and T2 from Season 2. Before the deadline, I'm looking at possibly getting these:

White Water
Dr. Dude (I know...acquired taste)
Dracula
Fish Tales
High Speed II
Judge Dredd
Dr. Who
Indy 500
(possibly Diner)

Here's my opinion for a MUST OWN:

Season 1: Honestly, it's all good but if you're limited on cash, you'll never stop laughing at Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness and the Elvira duo. The Machine is one of the best tables to just pick up and play. It's got a challenge for everyone.

Season 2: White Water, Dr. Dude, Terminator 2. Season 2 was mostly a dud, tbh.

Season 3: I'm still going to contend that Black Knight 2000 is an underrated gem. There is a challenge for everyone there. Also get: WHO dunnit or JunkYard.

Season 4: Earthshaker, Addams Family!, maybe Jack-Bot.

Season 5: Getaway II is a MUST BUY. F-14 is a great table.

Season 6: Indy 500, Eight Ball Deluxe.

Season 7: Get Banzai Run. I admit it was ambitious for its time. Also get Sorcerer. There's something about that table that's really neat.

If I could only buy 10 tables from all the seasons, I would get these: (I know I'm going to get grief for leaving off some of the best tables, and I apologize, but it's honestly hard to just pick 10)

1. Attack From Mars
2. Medieval Madness
3. The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot.
4. Black Knight 2000 (I would hardcore skip the original BK)
5. Earthshaker!
6. The Getaway: High Speed II
7. F-14 Tomcat
8. Indy 500 or Eight Ball Deluxe
9. Sorcerer
10. Banzai Run

Other canonical Williams tables (especially from the WPC95 era) are Addams Family, Twilight Zone and Star Trek TNG. That's if you're into the moderns pins.

Those with Medieval Madness round out my set of must-have pins. If I won the lottery, those would be the real machines I'd get first (which made me really happy when they all made it into TPA).

Maneki1972 said:

If I could only buy 10 tables from all the seasons, I would get these: (I know I'm going to get grief for leaving off some of the best tables, and I apologize, but it's honestly hard to just pick 10)

1. Attack From Mars
2. Medieval Madness
3. The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot.
4. Black Knight 2000 (I would hardcore skip the original BK)
5. Earthshaker!
6. The Getaway: High Speed II
7. F-14 Tomcat
8. Indy 500 or Eight Ball Deluxe
9. Sorcerer
10. Banzai Run

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Sorry, this list is incorrect - Twilight Zone is missing