pinball: love and hate

john rainbo

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I'm telling you what, none of my arcade machines give me the highs and lows that pinball does. When I have a good game, I'm loving it. When the game kicks my ass, I want to never play it again (but, of course I do). No other game really messes with me like pinball does. Stupid little silver balls.
 
I've never owned any video arcades, but buying a pinball machine last July was a great decision. I get a better sense of satisfaction after a good game of pinball than I ever did when playing video games or FPS games. I agree, pins are hard to beat.

TSPP is a game that can kick my ass and make me think I'll never come back. But of course you do, and you're glad you did.
 
Pinball is definitely the ticket.
Arcade games hurt my eyes after a while.
 
Pinball is definitely the ticket.
Arcade games hurt my eyes after a while.

Pinball hurts my hands and body after a while! Heh....after some epic games, my wrists are sore....after a night at a pinball party, my whole body is sore! Crazy...it's just games...phew!
 
I have heard a lot of people say ''TSPP kicked my ass'' What about that game kicks your ass? I've owned 2 (about to own my third tomorrow) and find that if the game is level, that the ball life is pretty generous. Alien invasion I have yet to beat (locked 4 of the 5 balls) But I have posted 220 million score on factory settings, only mod was ball freeze time was either 15 or 30 seconds, I forget.

Attack From Mars, now that's a different story. That game is setup to kick asses and take names. Just the design of it is not the best - A three target wall dead center and a dead center drop target makes for 1-2 balls out of ten going SDTM.

Thanks, James
 
I have heard a lot of people say ''TSPP kicked my ass'' What about that game kicks your ass? .... only mod was ball freeze time was either 15 or 30 seconds, I forget.

You just answered your own question. 15 or 30 seconds of Ball Save!!??!?! C'mon! Steepness and # of Extra Balls will affect TSPP, too. At the end of the day, it's a game where you HAVE to have some long ball times to even remotely get to the stuff you need to get to....but because it's so deep, THATS what kicks your ass. To this day I can't get more than 3 characters it in the car (couch super jackpots) during a game. Sure, the game may last 30 min - but it still kicked my ass!
 
I do not have the extended outlanes on my STTNG.

I am really starting to realize their value.

Thank you, Mr. F'n Data. :mad:
 
I do not have the extended outlanes on my STTNG.

I am really starting to realize their value.

Thank you, Mr. F'n Data. :mad:

They honestly don't help *that* much, even though purists will make you feel like a fucking asshole for putting them on your game. Their effect is very subtle....makes the game a bit more "fair." Even Steve Ritchie recommends them. The best way to avoid the outlane drain on STTNG is to make sure you nudge when the ball is about to travel by the top of the sling....all you need is a subtle bounce to get the trajectory you need to avoid the outlane.
 
They honestly don't help *that* much, even though purists will make you feel like a fucking asshole for putting them on your game. Their effect is very subtle....makes the game a bit more "fair." Even Steve Ritchie recommends them. The best way to avoid the outlane drain on STTNG is to make sure you nudge when the ball is about to travel by the top of the sling....all you need is a subtle bounce to get the trajectory you need to avoid the outlane.

yep, when i put them in my game, the very first ball drained on the right outlane. Same with the second.
 
I own both video games and pinball machines. The issue with pinball is that the "ball is wild" so every game is different. I can have a great game on pinball xyz but tomorrow it just kicks my ass. This is especially true on my Black Hole pinball machine.
 
Vids pretty much suck compared to pins. I own multiple of both and am getting rid of all but two vids and getting a few more pins to replace them with.
Yes a person can have a ton more vids for the price of one pin but there is nothing that comes close to the satisfaction I get from playing pin.
 
Vids pretty much suck compared to pins. I own multiple of both and am getting rid of all but two vids and getting a few more pins to replace them with.
Yes a person can have a ton more vids for the price of one pin but there is nothing that comes close to the satisfaction I get from playing pin.


Amen brothah ....I'm still keeping a bunch of my vids for nostalgia sake, though. The graphics, colors, sounds....they have a special place in my heart.
 
Amen brothah ....I'm still keeping a bunch of my vids for nostalgia sake, though. The graphics, colors, sounds....they have a special place in my heart.

I'm pretty much at that point with my games too. I am going to keep about 4 or 5 games, that I actually played growing up, and get rid of the stuff I have been buying over the course of a few years, and just focus on pins. Should be able to get me an AFM, which I am hoping to make my next pin, then maybe a MM, :)
 
I started with vids and bought my first pin locally. Have many pins now and the half of the vids are in the garage awaiting sale. I am on the constant look out for pins setting in someones basement or garage. PINS RULE!
 
I still have more vids than pins. There are some vids that simply cannot/will not substitute pins.

Pins are cool because from the second I turn the machine on, I can be in a game in a matter of SECONDS. Turn it on, BOOM... playing a game. More instant gratification, plus the ball is wild, as it was side. It's just a very fast and satisfying experience.
 
Pinball hurts my hands and body after a while! Heh....after some epic games, my wrists are sore....after a night at a pinball party, my whole body is sore! Crazy...it's just games...phew!


yeah...you can definitely get a case of pinball-wrist going on after a long gaming session (or even a particularly long game).

i have to be conscious of how i stand as i have a tendency to lean on my left wrist a good bit for some reason....if i forget about it and don't adjust, i'm hurting the next day.
 
yeah...you can definitely get a case of pinball-wrist going on after a long gaming session (or even a particularly long game).

i have to be conscious of how i stand as i have a tendency to lean on my left wrist a good bit for some reason....if i forget about it and don't adjust, i'm hurting the next day.

Funny, I do the exact same thing. Always my left wrist will kill me after a few hours of playing. By the time I notice it starting to ache and make and attempt not to lean on it it's too late.
 
Love them both.. Pins are a little more fun to work on though. That is if you are sick like me and enjoy repairing things probably more then actually playing. I can't remember the last time I purchased something that worked. Where's the fun in that?
 
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