Pinball Week, Day 5: The Top 60 Tables of All-Time (#20 – #1)

From Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26, we will be running articles about pinball in the lead-up to Santa Clara, California’s “California Extreme” video game and pinball expo.

For the next five days, we will take a look at the history of pinball, the resurgence of its popularity, we’ll count down the 60 best machines of all-time and we’ll take a look at pinball games you can play on your computer, game system, or mobile device so you don’t have to venture to an arcade to get the experience.

We will also feature thoughts from various people in the world of video games and pinballs which range from owners to hobbyists to the gamers themselves.

We hope you enjoy it!

If you missed previous articles, you can find them here:

Pinball Week, Day 1: The Top 60 Tables of All-Time (#60-#41)
Pinball Week, Day 2: A Brief History of the Silver Ball
Pinball Week, Day 3: The Top 60 Tables of All-Time (#40-#21)
Pinball Week: Day 4: The World of Virtual Pinball

The last few days, we’ve been counting down the Top 60 Pinball Tables of All-Time, doing 20 tables at a time. The countdown started on Monday, continued Wednesday, and concludes today.

If you’re a pinball veteran, your list might be close to ours. If not, feel free to sound off in the comments about what you believe to be the greatest game you’ve ever played! If you’re a novice to the game and have never played pinball before, welcome!

We hope this list gets you into your local pinball arcade and gets you playing!

Let’s roll!

20) DIALED IN (Jersey Jack, 2017)

This is the first Jersey Jack table to make it on this list. Designer Pat Lawlor returns to give us a table…that has a lot going on. It’s insanely innovative with shots which require actual thought and strategy to make. The smartphone feature and 27″ LED TV screens are ingenious. The playfield is colorful and the action is quick…however, the theme is a bit lacking (it’s a weird disaster/city theme which doesn’t quite connect. Still, this isn’t a bad table and I’m sure with a few more plays, it will end up higher on the list in the future.

19) THE CHAMPION PUB (Bally, 1998)

“The Champion Pub” is an insanely fun table that offers up a gaming experience unlike most tables out there. The entire idea behind the game is to get jewels for a title belt you’re fighting for. Along the way, you literally “train” with things like a heavy bag, a speed bag and a jump rope. This leads you to your “fights” against different fighters (who all look the same because, let’s face it, this isn’t a Playstation 4) for pride and money and points. The fighting and training systems are very clever and well-executed and require precise reflexes and shots. You’re either with this or you’re not. Ultimately, three of the four missions work for me. While the speedbag mini-playfield is very cool and the heavy bag/fighter is clever, the jump rope bit doesn’t feel like part of the game. Neither do random DMD games like “catch spit” or “card games”. Even the fighting and heavy bag are flawed thanks to two ramps which are designed to re-direct your shot to the bag/fighter. The intent is to create “headshots” instead of constant shots to the jaw. My issue is that those ramps lead to an unintended drain dead center, This happens a little less than half the time in my opinion unless you get lucky and happen to tip the ball elsewhere to prolong the turn but it happens and it’s annoying. Regardless, “Champion Pub” is a winner.

18) STAR TREK – Pro Version (Stern, 2013)

“Star Trek” is a smooth machine. I love that you can choose which “mission” you want to play before you play it. It never really feels like the same game twice. Ramps and targets are fairly easy to hit. That’s not really a criticism as the speed of the game more than makes up for it. The callouts and dialogue are a touch weak as some line readings come across as phoned-in. I know it’s an arcade piece but the actors could have at least made it sound like they were trying. The playfield is colorful, yet extremely lazy. In any case, the game reminds me of a high-tech “Attack From Mars” at times. It’s a hell of a lot of fun to play and the action makes you feel like you’re living the new films.

17) THEATRE OF MAGIC (Bally, 1995)

There’s a lot to like about “Theatre of Magic”. The playfield is absolutely gorgeous with unique ramps that resemble red rug-covered “stairs” and a beautiful “magic trunk” that gives you several different missions to play. It’s incredibly polished and classy. The issue is that the trunk is the center of everything and the audio constantly reminds you of that. That’s your #1 target every single time. Either that or the one or two ramps which are easy to hit. That and points are too easy to accumulate. A player with little to no skill with decent reflexes can hit 250M in about five minutes or less. It’s so easy, you basically don’t even need the missions. That said, it’s a great table, reminiscent of “Tales of the Arabian Nights”, with an equally beautiful soundtrack and presentation.

16) MEDIEVAL MADNESS (Williams, 1997)

I get the appeal. The machine feels like you’re playing “Army of Darkness” without the Deadites. There are goofy, tongue-in-cheek call-outs and the game play is nearly unrivaled…but it feels somehow one-note to me. I like taking out the castle but it almost seems so easy and repetitive. This is 90’s arcade schlock at its worst. I don’t mind a game not taking itself seriously but damsels sound like valley girls and the guys (and various other characters) spout off modern pop-culture phrases and slang like “I’m gonna get medieval on your behind.” Yes, really. It’s cute but just not for me. I DO, however, think the playfield and toys are gorgeous and colorful with some great lighting that really pops, especially during the night. MM is Top Ten material…but not for me and it’s definitely NOT the #1 table of all-time as so many other deem it to be.

15) CIRQUS VOLTAIRE (Bally, 1997)

“Cirqus Voltaire” is basically the third part of my “Showmanship Trilogy” which, for me, consists of “Theatre of Magic”, “Tales of the Arabian Nights” and this game. I name it such because they all share a penchant for grandiose melodrama that wraps around the player and consumes them completely. Each one has outlandish toys and gimmicks as well as epic, cinematic musical scores and game audio. Here, “Voltaire” goes over the top with a game about a mythical circus run by a mysterious “ringmaster” that you need to defeat while activating various portions of the circus in order to put on the big show. The game is smoooooth with shots and ramps that recall “Creature From the Black Lagoon”. They’re easy to hit in succession and it’s satisfying when you do. The “sideshows” are a lot of fun and unpredictable and one such mini-game involves the backglass and a catapult system which is ingenious. The design is excellent with a colorful playfield and a really cool neon ramp on the right, something we’d later see expanded on Stern’s “TRON Legacy”. The design of the table is so insanely beautiful, photos can’t do it justice. The main gripe I have with this game is that it’s too simple: wake the Ringmaster, beat him, repeat, just like “Attack From Mars”. Additionally, gaining pieces of the “Cirqus” is pretty easy to do and you can finish the game fairly quick if you know what you’re doing. Even still, “Voltaire” is a lot of fun and rewarding.

14) HOT SHOT (Gottlieb, 1973)

I adore this table. I was hooked the moment I played it. The game is simple, yet so much fun because it relies on a player’s precision skills. I’ve played the game several times and I’ve only been able to knock out all the pins once. The design of the table is simple, yet colorful and is a fun Gottlieb EM.

13) SCARED STIFF (Bally, 1996)

After the awesome table that was “Elvira and the Party Monsters”, she returned with “Scared Stiff”, a fine table to be sure, but a slight step down from its predecessor. The design is eye-popping. The playfield is brilliant and colorful with a 60’s grindhouse horror cinema feel to it. This is capped by a coffin/crate in the center of the table and a giant ramp covered by the skeleton of a dragon’s neck and skull. The music matches the theme but gets really repetitive very quickly. The frogs screaming each time you hit one is not great audio because you seem to hit them every five seconds. Elvira has her usual double entendres but they’re more innocent this time around and some of the others seem forced and too scripted (“Nice bone…eh, us”; “Oh! I’m having multiple jackpots!”; “How ’bout another ball?”) to be truly memorable. “Stop the Spider” is also repetitive and wrecks the flow of the game. Sorry. I’ve never liked it. It’s just an annoying feature that gives you repetitive tasks to accomplish (“Fish Head” for the 173rd time in ten minutes?!) and makes it feel like something completely separate from what you were just doing. Aside from that, the gameplay is very smooth. It’s fairly easy to hit the ramps and I love the light show during the multiball event, though it just sort of “happens” without much fanfare. Great ball drain sequence (no pun intended). The first game was simple and had so much charm. This new table lacks that and feels like overkill. It was beautifully simple whereas this game is needlessly complex and repetitive. Even still, a fun play.

12) MONSTER BASH (Williams, 1998)

This may be one of the greatest pinball games I’ve played and would be a LOT higher on the list…if only it wasn’t so easy to beat. Seriously. I’ve played this game about 15 times and I’ve beaten it and gotten every monster and instrument most of the games I’ve played. It’s straightforward, delightfully so considering the audience it’s aiming for, but it’s almost TOO straightforward — to the point of being too simple. That said, this game is just too awesome with a cute theme and mission wherein the player has to gather the six monsters of rock for the ultimate concert. The shots are fairly simple to make, yet requires precise shooting (the Gillman’s lagoon shot is difficult to the point of frustration at times). The problem is that there are only six monsters to collect and it’s just a series of ramps and lanes you have to hit in repetition. Not much of a challenge. Great toys (love Dracula floating around as a moving target and a rising Frankenstein’s Monster…just brilliant) and a playful theme make this a winner, though.

11) TALES OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS (Williams, 1996)

This has to be, without a doubt, one of the most beautifully-designed tables I’ve ever played. Colorful playfield, awesome toys (the spinning lamp with the accompanying spinning audio is something you can’t get out of your head) and cinematic-level audio (the musical scoring in this game is incredible and doesn’t sound at all synthetic or electronic) make this game a winner. The issue is that the ball draining down the middle is an annoying problem — but it’s replaced with joy when the machine calculates your score set to a nice light show and sitar music before a brilliant blue flash of light travels along the board and finishes things off. The female narrator adds a magical tone to the proceedings and battling the genie is always uniquely satisfying. This table is a winner — though the “missions” can get repetitive.

10) GHOSTBUSTERS – Pro Version (Stern, 2016)

Ghostbusters is one of the best Stern tables I’ve ever played. Not without its flaws: the rules are aggravating and don’t really make a whole lot of logical sense. The magna-slings make you want to scream (seriously, who thought it was a good idea for the two bottom bumpers to arbitrarily sling the ball downward toward the drain?!), the coding STILL needs some fixing, balls jump off the playfield and completely miss targets and ramps which frustrates players even more…but, by god, when this game works, it works. The music and the call-outs are amazing. I love the little touches that truly evoke the film: Tobin’s spirit guide, Louis shouting “Who brought the dog?”, the kick-ass containment unit shutdown effect where you get the unmistakable siren while the machine shakes and goes nuts with blinking red lights…it’s truly clever…if only the gameplay was better.

9) INDIANA JONES: THE PINBALL ADVENTURE (Williams, 1993)

“Indiana Jones”, I love you so. You’re easily Top Ten material, yet you sometimes make things so hard for us. Ramps are incredibly hard to hit every single time I’ve played you. But, sometimes, all goes well and I can hit ramps like magic. Your playfield is rough around the edges but so colorful (and you look GREAT at night) and the toys…the little biplane, the Aztec monument, the “Path to Adventure”…yes, you leave clutter where you’ve been but DAMMIT, if it isn’t clever. The “gun” plunger is REALLY cool. And I love the Adventureland/Disneyland version of you with your modified wood cabinet which fits right into the theme of the shop and land you’re in. It’s a shame not every single cabinet was made that way but you are what you are and you’re still a joy to play. I love to play you…see you tomorrow, Indiana Jones…

8) THE SIMPSONS PINBALL PARTY (Stern, 2003)

A fun table that’s rewarding provided you can hit all your targets with accuracy. The issue is that there’s a LOT going on here with respect to the toys and playfield. That’s to be expected. The Simpsons universe is huge with so many characters and landmarks. The bitch of it is that the game feels like a mish-mash of ideas that never go anywhere. The field can come across as intimidating because of the sheer amount of features and mini-games. Even still, this is a highly enjoyable pin.

7) PINBOT (Williams, 1986)

“Pinbot” is one of about five tables that got me into pinball. What isn’t to like here? The name of the table is catchy, the design is eye-popping and colorful and the audio is an absolute work of art which works in tandem with the visuals. The package is beautiful. The only bad thing I can say about it is the table’s penchant for draining out the left side without touching the bottom flipper on some turns. Doesn’t happen all the time and perhaps it’s a balancing problem with the version I played. That and the strangely ironic bagatelle on the right side (a neat idea, to be sure; it melds pinball’s past with its present here) that really doesn’t do much. Other than that, “Pinbot” is a classic.

6) ELVIRA AND THE PARTY MONSTERS (Bally, 1989)

I. Love. This. Table. First played it as a teenager in an apartment complex gameroom and I absolutely fell in love with it. Aside from the game playing fast (and frustratingly draining to the left side all the time), it’s still easy for even a novice to master. The game has excellent audio that makes you shake your head and smile because it’s SO Elvira and making well-timed shots or activating multi-ball only makes her that much more playful with one-liners like “Don’t touch me THERE…” or “Ooooo, nice organ!” (with regard to an actual organ tune, not one’s actual “organ” – heh). Music has about two or three tunes that play during different modes. Hitting ramps is satisfying and the game features one of the best Multiball activation light and call-out sequences next to The Twilight Zone. One of the greatest tables I’ve ever played.

5) BLACK HOLE (Gottlieb, 1981)

The game is deceptive in that it feels simple but takes skill to truly master. It has a really cool retro space theme that reminds one of Disneyland’s Space Mountain (complete with a cool soundtrack which sounds like a spaceship engine idling, reminiscent of the main loading room at Space Mountain, that plays as you play) and a really deep blue color scheme which looks even cooler in a dark room. The main gimmick is the upside-down mini-playfield below the main table where you accumulate points in the “black hole”. Very cool idea that inspired several modern tables including “The Twilight Zone” and “Congo”. The only con I can think of is that the ball feels like it moves too slowly even when you give it a good whack with the flippers. The main bumpers and pins are also stretched out too far on the board so there’s a distinct lack of targets to hit. No ramps, either, but that’s not really much of a complaint. The table is very fun to play. This is far better than “Haunted House” because it keeps things simple. I will probably take some heat for that but it’s true. This is one of the five greatest machines of all-time.

4) ATTACK FROM MARS (Bally, 1995)

SO. MUCH. FUN. Your goal is take out four or five saucers hovering over major world cities. Each flying saucer toy rules. They “hover” near the back with their little blinking lights and you can’t help but be charmed. Beating the main saucer over and over is always satisfying and gives you a hell of a light show which turns off all the other lighting on the table, save for the upper saucers and gives you a strobe that blinks as the saucer “explodes”. Great stuff. The only cons are the game seems too simple and there’s not much else to do except blow up the same saucer over and over. That and you can score 100 million points just by hitting a target and letting the ball drain. I’ve never played a game where your final score is an average of 2 billion points. Maybe that’s the joke, I don’t know, but it’s odd to be able to score that many points on a table. It doesn’t feel like you’ve “earned” anything. Even still, this is a great, fun game.

3) TRON: LEGACY – Limited Edition (Stern, 2011)

This may be the game that roped me back into pinball. The first time I ever saw it was when my wife and I were walking through the Tomorrowland “Starcade” at Disneyland. Or, what was left of the Starcade, an old Tomorrowland attraction which used to be a two-story arcade featuring all the latest and greatest arcade and pinball machines. During Starcade’s waning years, it was reduced to one floor, only took up about 500 square feet and became a mish-mash of 80’s arcade games (including a Wreck-It Ralph machine – wink, wink) and a couple pinball games. I had no idea, at the time, that new pinball machines were still being manufactured until I saw TRON Legacy. I didn’t play it, mind you. When you’re at Disneyland, the last thing you really wanna do is play video games and pinball. I figured I’d run into it again and I was right. Finally did just last year and it didn’t disappoint. It’s easy to play for novices and will challenge experts. While the playfield is just decent (Stern has a problem with this sometimes), everything else is gorgeous. The LE version features beautiful neon-lit ramps which mimic the the “Light Cycle” effect from the film, a moving Recognizer and a cool “rumble” motor that really immerses you in the game. The audio is also absolutely stunning with re-worked Daft Punk tunes from the film and crystal-clear dialogue and sound effects from the film. The call-outs, while not entirely memorable, work well and I love the ball drain sequence with the ramps seemingly “dancing” with light in darkness while the DMD tallies your score. One of the ten best tables I’ve ever played, easily. This game is a masterpiece.

2) AC/DC – Premium/LE Version (Stern, 2012)

This is the game that knocked “Tales of the Arabian Nights” out of my Top 10. “AC/DC: LE” is a fantastic game on nearly every single level. As with most of Stern’s rock tables, I’m not a huge fan of AC/DC but I’d listen to their stuff probably before any of the other bands Stern has signed. The game is smooth as hell, giving you the option to listen to about a dozen of their best songs — and each one gives the table its own unique “personality”. For “Thunderstruck”, there’s thunder and lightning when you hit ramps and targets while “T.N.T.” gives you explosions. “Hells Bells” lights the table red like fire and gives you access to the lower “Hell” playfield. It’s ingenious. The ramps are smooth and fairly easy to hit and each one is rewarding. The toys include a heavy requiem bell (which gives a nice, convincing “GONG” sound when you hit it) and a concert stage where the guys “play” during certain modes. The only downside to the game is the DMD which doesn’t have a lot to offer in the way of animations and, while the music is there to compensate, the sounds are fairly generic. Overall, however, this machine is a blast to play and probably the best of Stern’s rock tables.

WE ARE OFFICIALLY AT THE #1 PINBALL TABLE OF ALL-TIME…BUT, FIRST, A RECAP OF THE TOP 60…

60) Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky Pinball, 2014)
59) Class of 1812 (Gottlieb, 1991)
58) Black Knight 2000 (Williams, 1989)
57) Batman: The Dark Knight (Stern, 2008)
56) Haunted House (Gottlieb, 1982)
55) Sorcerer (Williams, 1985)
54) Funhouse (Williams, 1990)
53) TX-Sector (Gottlieb, 1988)
52) Iron Man (Stern, 2010)
51) Taxi (Williams, 1988)
50) Sing Along (Gottlieb, 1967)
49) Black Knight: Sword of Rage – Pro Version (Stern, 2019)
48) Game of Thrones – Pro Version (Stern, 2015)
47) The Walking Dead – Premium/LE (Stern, 2014)
46) Safe Cracker (Bally, 1996)
45) X-Men – LE (Stern, 2012)
44) The Sopranos (Stern, 2005)
43) Fish Tales (Williams, 1992)
42) Creature From the Black Lagoon (Bally, 1992)
41) The Machine: Bride of Pinbot (Williams, 1991)
40) Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Stern, 2018)
39) Jack*Bot (Williams, 1995)
38) Black Knight (Williams, 1980)
37) Transformers – Pro Version (Stern, 2011)
36) Avengers – Pro Version (Stern, 2012)
35) Fathom (Bally, 1981)
34) Aerosmtih – Pro Version (Stern, 2017)
33) Atlantis (Gottlieb, 1975)
32) No Good Gofers (Williams, 1997)
31) The Munsters – Pro Version (Stern, 2019)
30) Metallica – Pro Version (Stern, 2013)
29) Spider-Man – Vault Edition (Stern, 2016)
28) Black Rose.(Bally, 1992)
27) Guardians of the Galaxy – Pro Version (Stern, 2017)
26) Deadpool – Pro Version (Stern, 2018)
25) Who Dunnit (Bally, 1995)
24) The Addams Family Gold – Special Collector’s Edition (Bally, 1994)
23) Spider-Man (Stern, 2007)
22) Elvis (Stern, 2004)
21) Star Wars – Pro Version (Stern, 2017)
20) Dialed In (Jersey Jack, 2017)
19) The Champion Pub (Bally, 1998)
18) Star Trek – Pro Version (Stern, 2013)
17) Theatre of Magic (Bally, 1995)
16) Medieval Madness (Williams, 1997)
15) Cirqus Voltaire (Bally, 1997)
14) Hot Shot (Gottlieb,1973)
13) Scared Stiff (Bally, 1996)
12) Monster Bash (Williams, 1998)
11) Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams, 1996)
10) Ghostbusters – Pro Version (Stern, 2016)
9) Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (Williams, 1993)
8) The Simpsons Pinball Party (Stern, 2003)
7) Pinbot (Williams, 1986)
6) Elvira and the Party Monsters (Bally, 1989)
5) Black Hole (Gottlieb, 1981)
4) Attack From Mars (Bally, 1995)
3) TRON: Legacy – Limited Edition (Stern, 2011)
2) AC/DC – Premium/LE Version (Stern, 2012)

AND THE #1 PINBALL TABLE OF ALL-TIME IS…

1) TWILIGHT ZONE (Bally, 1993)

Bally’s “Twilight Zone” is the greatest pinball game of all-time.

It’s near-mythical. A true triumph of sight, sound, and mind. Based on the famous television show of the same name, the table is a classic, featuring a gorgeous playfield, outstanding toys (including a clock that keeps perfect time and a gumball machine that locks your ball up inside and spits one out), a revolutionary upper playfield with magnetic, invisible “flippers”, and a ceramic pinball called “The Powerball” which figures into one of the many modes the game has to offer. The rule set is extremely deep with no DMD-based mini-games to take away from the flow. The lighting on the table is beautiful and adds to the atmosphere while a small, repeating segment of Golden Earring’s “The Twilight Zone” serves as the main background music. The voicework is an absolute delight with Rod Serling guiding players through a pinball version of the Fifth Dimension, a ghostly voice warning you not to touch the door leading to The Twilight Zone, and Talking Tina rewarding you with an Extra Ball when you earn one. Even the small details, like the delivery of that Extra Ball, are brilliant. When you’re told to shoot again, a small robot walks across the DMD, carrying your ball. When he drops it, your ball rolls out to the plunger at the exact same time. The multi-ball call-out is the best in all of pinball. The machine goes insane and every light on the table flashes as the little voice warning you NOT to touch the door goes haywire — and the door blows up, leading the player to balance three balls at once. The Jackpot call-out is AWESOME if you can make the piano shot during this event.

The table is the work of Pat Lawlor. He’s been mentioned before in this list, having been behind “The Addams Family” and the brand-new “Dialed In”. With “Twilight Zone”, Lawlor was given full creative control of everything and he produces a wonderfully complex table which, like the show, has plenty of imagination and thought put into it. The table is magical, at one time holding the most patents in pinball history for all the various working parts on the table, and has stood the test of time.

Every other machine before and after may attempt to top it but they’ll find that it’s impossible to escape…The Twilight Zone.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TABLE OF ALL-TIME?

“XENONPH” (of VPForums): Before I found the world of Virtual Pinball, my favorite pinball table was “Pinbot”. I loved the sounds and the playfield layout where you had to hit all targets to light all lights in center grid to open the eyes up for multi-ball capture. My favorite table now is “Congo”. But, then, I also loved the movie, so I was already a predisposed Congo fan! There are a lot of different objectives on the table that make each game different from the one before, and I like the layout.

ROBIN VAN MOURIK (of Pinside): Most often, my latest purchase will be my favourite game. When a game is new, there’s so much to discover, much like a honeymoon phase.

“STAT” (of VPForums): For sure: Williams’ “Indiana Jones”. In about 1995, i played the whole afternoon with just 1 Coin [and got so many] Replays and Extra Balls [that I lost count]. I was the first guy in our city (Wels, Austria, which has 60,000 people) to have finished the table. [Their entire scoreboard was filled with my initials!]

GARY (of Bobcat Batteries in San Jose, CA): Bally’s “Playboy from 1978. Great vintage table. It’s my prized machine and it’s in my shop!”

“BOLTBAIT” (of VPForums): This is your most difficult question! I think my favorite machine changes from day to day. I love the old electro-mechanical (EM) games of the 70’s as these were the tables I grew up with. They had scoring wheels and chimes for sound effects. The rules were simpler back then and the objectives were clear–hit all the card targets from 10 to King, then hit the special target, etc. Of all the EM games I’ve played, probably my favorite would be Buccaneer–it is a VERY challenging table and it works perfectly on my B2S cabinet. I also love the solid-state (SS) games of the 70’s and 80’s.  They had digital sound effects (beeps and boops), LED score displays, and more complex game play.  Examples would be Kiss and Playboy. Now, I’m really getting into the modern computerized games of the 90’s+. They have animated digital displays, digitally recorded sound effect with musical scores, and complex rules.  Of these, my favorites would be: Star Trek the Next Generation, Attack from Mars, Medieval Madness, and both Elvira games.  One thing I really like about Scared Stiff is that you can complete the six objectives in any order you like–in fact, you can work on multiple objectives at the same time. Finally, there are some amazing games available here that were never made in the real world!  For example, Cartoons and Night of the Living Dead.  (I’m a big fan of distressed tables.) There is a whole list of original machines here that are created by some amazingly talented people just because they love pinball and are obsessed with some topic.

CHRIS RUMMEL (of the Pacific Pinball Museum): Medieval Madness is a personal favorite. The Monty Python absurdity, intuitive rules and objectives, and frequent multiball are all very appealing to me. Plus, it’s the first game I ever got my initials on.

“KABS” (of VPForums): That’s a hard choice for me…”Star Trek: The Next Generation” is one and “Banzai Run” was probably my first favourite machine, It was a simple game but also difficult. I love how the game went up into the backglass too.

That’s it for the Top 60 Tables of All-Time! What’s your favorite table? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Matt Perri
Matt Perrihttp://mattperri.wordpress.com
Matt Perri is one of those literary Ronin you’ve never heard of until he shows up and tells you he’s a literary Ronin. He’s a native Californian, a film buff, old school gamer geek, and a sports/entertainment fan. A lifelong Giants, 49ers and Sharks fan, he also covers the world of pro-wrestling, writing recaps for WWE Monday Night RAW and Total Divas at Scott’s Blog of Doom. You can follow the guy on Twitter via @PerriTheSmark as well as here at The Workprint and his own blog, Matt's Entertainment.

Latest articles

Related articles

6 Comments

    • This list may be subject to change. At the time of writing, I had not yet played Lord of the Rings. Now that I have, it may be in a future entry.

      Secondly, if you’re referring to Pirates of the Caribbean, I also got a chance to play that and it will be in there as well.

      The rest is my opinion. Munsters is actually fairly fun and has become a favorite table of mine solely based on the smooth gameplay and targets and ramps that are satisfying to hit. Ghostbusters is a favorite because of the presentation and the light shows, though it’s difficult to master.

      I loved the Vault Edition of Spider-Man more than the film version because the comic book style fits the game better.

      What are your favorites?

  1. Very much enjoyed your articles, Matt. Job well done and thank you for the education. At 74 I’m renewing my love of pinball and am having a ball. while not the ideal, I’m enjoying Visual Pinball and Future pinball and learning how to make them work. Bought real Gilligan’s Island machine this year and, while simple rules, my wife and I are having a great time playing.

    • Thanks so much, Bruce! I’m happy that you’re back into pinball. It’s always a good time to get back into it! And don’t feel bad about VP or FP’s sims. They’re decent sims and you can replicate the physics well enough if you know what you’re doing. My dream has been to make my own table but I have not one clue about how to script.

      That’s great that you got your own Gilligan’s Island machine! How cool! My wife is a player, too, and loves to play so that’s a good thing that she shares that with you. 🙂

  2. My first couple of years in college (1980 – 82), I was absolutely adducted to Flight 2000. And I was pretty good too. Maybe the best in my college. It was the first tableI played that featured multiball play. Every time it happened, it was like an orgasm.

  3. Imagine doing a best pinball machines list and having Addams Family at #24! The industry consensus seems to be that Twilight Zone and Addams Family are 1A and 1B for greatest machines of all time, so to rank Twilight Zone at #1 and have such a disparity is a bit head scratching. It’s your list though and you’re entitled to your opinion, and as long as it makes the list at least you’re acknowledging the importance/greatness. What I am a bit surprised about though is that there are some generally well received machines that don’t even make the list, such as Star Trek TNG, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Terminator 2. If this was a top 10 or 20 then I could understand, but a top 60???

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.