PAF Top Ten Most Wanted Table Poll Series : #1 - Electro-Mechanical (Closed)

[karl]

To me (with very little experience mind you) I find the em machines from 74- a lot of fun and almost on par, if not better than most of the 80' machines. Those before 71, especially those with short flippers = drain monsters and not very fun to play

 

[Bowflex]

To me (with very little experience mind you) I find the em machines from 74- a lot of fun and almost on par, if not better than most of the 80' machines. Those before 71, especially those with short flippers = drain monsters and not very fun to play

I generally find Pinbot not fun for the same reason. However the game doesn't drain nearly as much on the recently released pack as the real-life machine. There are definitely some great EM's from the 70's. Bally and Williams really started to push out great designs and Gottlieb always dominated EM's and continued improving throughout the 70's.

 

[Kolchak357]

I had bad dreams last night because Buccaneer/Ship Ahoy was not part of this poll. I may need to see a shrink.

 

[karl]

Oh dear. kolchak, I know what you mean. I played a bit to much Indy the other night

 

[LeBaron]

Glad people are posting their votes. I understand the votes not being visible because it might make people think it's worthless to vote for the game they really want if it's visibly so far behind in the poll, which could lead to 'tactical voting' instead of genuine preference. On the other hand if someone chooses to post their vote on the forum, that doesn't necessarily indicate that those choices are those of the majority, so others can take it with a pinch of salt if they wish.
In that spirit, and for whatever it's worth, here's what I voted for and why, in no particular order:

1) Atlantis - a really unusual table format that I'd love to try. Centigrade 37 has a similar one but I just feel Atlantis has better artwork: lovelier colours and a more romantic theme. I love the seahorse on the right slingshot.
2) Dimension - as with Atlantis, one of the great things about these older games it that they were experimenting with very different basic layouts from the ones we're used to. I love the idea of all those side drop targets and want to try it.
3) Gigi - with all those bumpers taking up the table this looks like a really fast game for anyone who thought old games were boring. Probably not much skill involved but an exciting two-minute break game before you plunge back into a more modern table that you can play for quite a while. Likewise...
4) Jumping Jack - ...more of the same here. How often do you see a bright pink pinball machine? King Pin has a similar back drop target setup that looks interesting, but looking at the YouTube video this particular game looks appropriately named, fast and really good fun, the ball bouncing around like crazy.
5) Space Time - because I'm a sucker for flashing and/or spinning circular gimmicky things dominating the table. Hence...
6) Stardust - and...
7) World Fair - ...for the same reasons.
8) Slick Chick - because that big bumper cross looks like it demands it's own style of gameplay and it has some classic vintage artwork.
9) Spirit of 76 - because it really looks like a classic game of it's time, which was also a great year in my childhood for reasons of no consequence to anyone else...
10) Flip a Card - ...because it came out the year I was born. Every pinhead deserves to vote for a game that came out the year they were born.

 

[SilverBalls]

There are some beauties in there so all in all a very good mix. 4MBC would be nice but we already have Starmans 2-screen masterpiece for anyone looking for that.

Let's hope they sell well enough that Farsight can go on producing them for years to come. There are a lot of things Farsight can do very easily to really capture the EM mechanical magical experience, which are lacking from Big Shot. I will post a different thread about it but basically by adding the table resetting sequence with sounds, better bell sounds, the humming flippers, better ball to table tapping noises a real Mechanical feel can be achieved. Try any of Pinuck's tables at VPForums to see the difference it makes (eg: AbraCadAbra). As EMs don't have DMD sounds or electronic sounds the table sounds and mechanical sounds are crucial. Can't wait for the next EM !

Abracadabra:
http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=5742

 

[k88dad]

I haven't voted yet. I'm going to peruse the gameplay links some more and wait until after the promised mid-fortnight reveal. My preliminary picks, followed by some thoughts.

1. Spirit of 76
2. Royal Flush
3. Jet Spin
4. Centigrade 37

Spirit of 76 combines historical value, a ridiculously symmetrical layout and a smooth blend of rollovers and drop targets. This was the table made to celebrate not just the US bicentennial, but also the return—after decades of being banned—of pinball to New York City. The "skill shot" is the center C rollover, since it is not duplicated elsewhere on the table. Make the A-B-C-D-E rollovers to light extra ball. Drop the 1-7-7-6 / 1-9-7-6 targets to light double bonus. Complete them all to light special. This is about as classic as EM pinball gets.

Royal Flush uses the common playing card theme to great effect. Picking off the wide array of drop targets takes some aiming skill. Bonus is based upon poker hands completed with the drop targets. The three colors of jokers increase scoring all over the table. Collecting all three jokers lights the kickout hole for special. The pink joker is the "skill shot" since it is difficult to get from normal gameplay.

Royal Flush was available on Mac computers in the mid-nineties, so there is some historical value for old-school Mac gamers. That release came from the same source that later saw LittleWing Pinball Games on Macs, PCs, Dreamcast, PlayStation and even iOS. Pinball Crystal Caliburn II is a LittleWing game recommended for iOS.

Jet Spin (AKA Super Spin) throws in some classic Gottlieb toys of the era. The Vari-target has to be hit harder to score more, and will light a special if maxed out. The Roto-target, which spins to reveal point values or a star, is a satisfyingly long shot from the flippers. The star can be lit for special, too. This is one of the few 100% drop target-free EM tables that I enjoy.

Centigrade 37 has a unique layout and the backglass thermometer. The idea is to max out the thermometer to light a special. I've only played this in Virtual Pinball, but its quirkiness is appealing.

Some EM tables that I'd like to see more than most of the thirty on the list: Aztec, Big Indian, Fireball.

 

[TOX]

There was a old gottlieb table called Rollercoaster that was alot of fun.

 

[KoSLoW]

! warning ! the video of 'stardust" is hilarious XD

Vote is a good idea but you miss a lot of electro mechanical.

Just take a look on my web site : http://pinball-id.jimdo.com/

 

[tizzomr]

I don't know how to do a write-in, but how about Gator (Bally 1969)??? Not the most popular game, but if you happen to play it, it's definitely unique, and rather fun imho.

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=2542

 

[sotie]

I don't know how to do a write-in, but how about Gator (Bally 1969)??? Not the most popular game, but if you happen to play it, it's definitely unique, and rather fun imho.

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=2542

The choices in the poll are set and I don't think any more will be added after voting has begun.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

The choices in the poll are set and I don't think any more will be added after voting has begun.

Yep, and 30 options is the limit anyway.

 

[Fungi]

Yep, and 30 options is the limit anyway.

Yep, and 30 options. 30!

 

[tizzomr]

Right on.

 

[smooverr]

I was actually pretty excited by the replacement table Jacks Open as it's one of the few EM's I've played in real life and I LOVED it. It's all drop targets with an emphasis on accuracy and it has some really cool outlanes...


Lets get this one in the top 10!

 

[dtown8532]

Well, I voted. But I had a hard time staying awake during the videos. . Actually, I can see why there's a high collector market for these really old Gottlieb wedge heads (along with woodrails). They had some really neat mechanical functions that really set them apart. From the kicking horse in Buckaroo to the elevator in Sky Line, it's some cool stuff. How long it would hold my attention? That's another story.

 

[cammanchee]

Welcome everyone. First time posting to the site. I've been following the page for quite awhile, since TPA was available on the PS3. Since a few people were gracious enough to share their votes, I figured I would do the same.

Atlantis
Centigrade37
Dimension
Hokus Pokus
Jacks Open
Jet Spin
King of Diamonds
King Pin
Space Mission
Spirit of 76

I have enjoyed playing TPA very, very much as it brings back of lot of memories from playing pinball games in the early 80's. Right now I consider my best achievement on TPA as being one of the very few to score at least 3 million on Genie. Took me awhile to accomplish it and I was proud I did since it seemed like one of the few goals I would not be able to accomplish. If you see my name cammanchee on the leaderboard, that is me.

 

[Kemetman72]

I have played all of these on VP and I must say it is a very tough decision to narrow it down to just 10! Good selection though but the first table to ever have flippers would be a good choice. It was in the 50s, I just can't remember it off-hand,

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I have played all of these on VP and I must say it is a very tough decision to narrow it down to just 10! Good selection though but the first table to ever have flippers would be a good choice. It was in the 50s, I just can't remember it off-hand,

Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty (1947)

 

[Jeff Strong]

Humpty Dumpty would be neat to look at, but for the sake of a video game I think most people would rather have the EM's that are the most fun to play.