Pinball Hall of Fame

jj mann

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I am going out to Vegas April 6-9th for work. I am going to spend a day at the Pinball Hall of Fame. Maybe 2 days LOL. I figure it would be a cheaper way to spend time than at the casino's. What machines are a must to play? I figure this would be a great chance to see and play pins I might not see anywhere else. What would be the top 10 I must see and play and why? Are their any Arcades I should vist in Vegas worth the time? Thanks
 
Well, if you can only play 10 games it might not be worth your visit. I'd dedicate at least 3-4 hours of your time there, and in that amount of time you should be able to play a lot of games. Are you very experienced with pinball? If so, what are some of your favorite games? Knowing that will greatly help to put together a "must play" list.
 
Well, if you can only play 10 games it might not be worth your visit. I'd dedicate at least 3-4 hours of your time there, and in that amount of time you should be able to play a lot of games. Are you very experienced with pinball? If so, what are some of your favorite games? Knowing that will greatly help to put together a "must play" list.

I am going to spend at least that much time. I would play more than 10 but was wondering which 10 not to miss. I am a Pinball Rookie. I played some as I was kid. A few I remember is Black Hole, High Speed, Funhouse, Playboy, 8ball.
 
Hmm, since you're probably just wanting to focus on having a good time rather than brush up on pinball history, I'd suggest checking out these games for sure.

- Twilight Zone
- Addams Family
- Spider-Man (new Stern one)
- Black Knight 2000
- Cactus Canyon
- Cirqus Voltaire
- Medieval Madness
- Safe Cracker
- Simpsons Pinball Party
- Revenge From Mars

Those should give you a good variety of play styles and a couple of them you're unlikely to play anywhere else at this point. I have plenty of others I'd mix in there, but if you want a must play selection, I'd check out these ones.
 
Hmm, since you're probably just wanting to focus on having a good time rather than brush up on pinball history, I'd suggest checking out these games for sure.

- Twilight Zone
- Addams Family
- Spider-Man (new Stern one)
- Black Knight 2000
- Cactus Canyon
- Cirqus Voltaire
- Medieval Madness
- Safe Cracker
- Simpsons Pinball Party
- Revenge From Mars

Those should give you a good variety of play styles and a couple of them you're unlikely to play anywhere else at this point. I have plenty of others I'd mix in there, but if you want a must play selection, I'd check out these ones.

Thanks. I will play those for sure. Looks like a good list. I have only heard of a couple of them. I can't wait.
 
The above list is good, but I would also suggest one I had fun with there, I believe it was called Bad Cats. The Adams Family is good, but it can still be found out in the wild. CV and CC are not so easy to find. Safecracker is fun and can cause good confusion creating the mental puzzle of having to figure out the rules. I recall a Banzi Run there as well. Don't shrug off the older EM's though. Sure they are not as fast paced, and often require more nudging skills, but can be just as much fun as the fast paced, gadget filled games.
They also have videos, so pleanty of games to keep you entertained. I liked being able to play pins, take a break for a bit by playing video games, then returning to the pins.

o, and i dont recall if they had it, but the Williams Indiana Jones is a must to play anywhere you can find it.
 
I second Banzi Run......and add Star Trek The Next Generation....Creature From the Black Lagoon......White Water...

Edward
 
I was there a few weeks ago. You could spend days in that place. It beats every other arcade in Vegas by a very wide margin. The collection is supreme and most of the games are 100% working unlike so many of the pin in Vegas that are partially working/not properly maintained. They have some vids too, but the selection is pretty limited at this point, but I've heard more will be coming.

Arcade-wise Circus Circus is pretty good. They have games in the adventuredome and the midway.

The Riviera across the street has a decent sized number of games too.

Gameworks has some good games, and I've heard that the Espn Zone has some very new titles. Never been there, though.

Just about every casino has an arcade of some kind.
 
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Have a good time JJ. My work never takes me to Vegas the time change kicked my ass when I went a few years ago I laughed at everyone that told me about it and after the second day I was screwed finally got used to it and then came home and got my ass kicked again by the change.
 
Have a good time JJ. My work never takes me to Vegas the time change kicked my ass when I went a few years ago I laughed at everyone that told me about it and after the second day I was screwed finally got used to it and then came home and got my ass kicked again by the change.

Well Tony you need to have me over before my trip so I can brush up my pin skills. I was telling my son about your arcade and he would love to see it. Have you ever posted pic's of it here? It was impresive I must say. I was in awe over your selection and quanity of games. Post some pics!!!!!!!!! Or video with lights out would be awesome.
 
Well Tony you need to have me over before my trip so I can brush up my pin skills. I was telling my son about your arcade and he would love to see it. Have you ever posted pic's of it here? It was impresive I must say. I was in awe over your selection and quanity of games. Post some pics!!!!!!!!! Or video with lights out would be awesome.

One day you need to bring him by.
 
2 words...PINBALL CIRCUS 1 of 2 in the world

My pics fron PHOF on New Years Eve. Have fun!!

http://s892.photobucket.com/home/PACANTPICS

http://s892.photobucket.com/albums/ac130/PACANTPICS/NYE 2010- PHOF/?action=view&current=DSC00034.jpg

this picture looks strangley like my basement! dont be to jelous, i bought the haunted house non working jan 1st and havent dont a whole lot with it yet.
ofcourse blackhole i got on ebay partially working, for what i consider cheap and it didnt need a whole lot besides over due mainte!
 
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I stopped by the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas this past weekend and had a great time. They have about 175 pinballs on the floor there, everything from wood rails to BBH, and John told me that was only about 1/5 of the total collection. I only recently rediscovered pinball and having been out of it since the late 1980's I've never played most of the popular games talked about here. My flight leaving Vegas was delayed 8 hours, so I spent about 7 hours at the hall getting caught up with the rest of you pinheads. After 5 hours my wrists were aching and so swollen I had to take my watch off, but I somehow managed to play another 2 hours :) I played TAF, TOTAN, TZ, MM, RFM, AFM, SS, and BBH (along with many others), so now I feel a bit more up to date. Most of the games are in great shape and a pleasure to play. However, it's much more of an active arcade than a museum, and I did find some games with this or that not working. The MM, for example, would randomly tilt on me without being jostled at all, and one of the cannons on STTNG wasn't working.

Big Buck Hunter rocks! I think Stern has a winner here. I played that one a lot and really enjoyed it. My only complaint is the left outlane. I played at least 20 games and I'd guess that 80 out of 100 lost balls went down the left outlane, with the rest lost down the middle. I didn't even notice there was a right outlane until late in the day one ball somehow managed to find it. I noticed that the post guarding the left lane was set in the middle position, I'd hate to play one that was set conservatively. BBH also broke twice while I was playing, strange I thought for a game that had only been on the floor for a month. First one of the pop bumpers started firing randomly (and not firing when it should). Later one of the two switches on the left slingshot stopped working. Both times John was able to repair the game and I was back playing in short order with a few on the house credits. Actually, I was happy to have had the chance to look inside it.

Located only a mile or so off the strip on Tropicana Ave, I say it is well worth the cab ride if you are ever in Las Vegas.
 
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