Battle of the Tables - Round 1

[doveton]

ok so 9 tables have gone and now its time for the big guns to join in...


Round One

Creature from the Black Lagoon v Champions Pub
White Water v Gorgar
Black Hole v Medieval Madness
Flight 2000 v T2
Star Trek v Theatre of Magic
Ripleys Believe it or Not v Taxi
Cactus Canyon v Scared Stiff
No Good Gofers v Whirlwind
Black Knight v Pinbot
Big Shot v Monster Bash
Funhouse v Tales of the Arabian Nights
Centaur v Bride of Pinbot
Dr Dude v Attack From Mars
Cirqus Voltaire v Space Shuttle
Class of 1812 v Elvira and the Party Monsters
Teed Off v Twilight Zone


same as ever, vote for your favourite table of each matchup. Voting closes friday at 11pm UK time, 3pm Pacific time.

 

[doveton]

Creature from the Black Lagoon v Champions Pub - ive tried liking champions pub, and i have been getting on with it a little better these past few days, but its still way too drainy for someone of my limited abilities and while i dont play CFTBL much now, i have had times in the past where its been played to death
White Water v Gorgar - gorgars one of my favourites of the earlier tables, but its no match for white water for me
Black Hole v Medieval Madness - i rarely have any desire at all to play black hole, med mad is one of my most played tables. no contest
Flight 2000 v T2 - i dont have much experience at all by way of playing actual tables, sure i played them now and then in my youth but never got hooked on them or anything. until T2. quite simply the reason i love pinball today
Star Trek v Theatre of Magic - if id have done this any time between star trek coming out and last week, theatre of magic would have won this. but ive not played TOM in a long time now and, while i still find it a little too drainy at times, star trek clicked with me in a way it never had before lately and ive been playing it to death
Ripleys Believe it or Not v Taxi - cant put my finger on why but RBION just doesnt do much for me at all, its exactly the kind of table i should love but i just dont feel it. dont play taxi too often these days but its pretty fun when i do
Cactus Canyon v Scared Stiff - i have a huge problem with the cactus canyon HOF points/high score issue. scared stiff is a little too easy but still a table ive got a lot of play out of
No Good Gofers v Whirlwind - i like NGG and it might have won here if the design and colours of the table didnt cause visibility problems for some shots.
Black Knight v Pinbot - ugh, ive had to choose between 2 good tables in a lot of these matchups so far, this is basically the exact opposite of that.
Big Shot v Monster Bash - monster bash was my favourite table for a long time, has lost a little of its attraction in recent weeks but still way ahead of big shot
Funhouse v Tales of the Arabian Nights - funhouse definitely way more fun since somebody pointed out to me that if you change the ball colour its a lot easier to make shots with the upper flipper, its a little repetitive though and not a match for TOTAN
Centaur v Bride of Pinbot - im not generally a massive fan of too many non DMD tables but i love centaur. love the art, the sound effects, the gameplay. could do with being a little less drainy but other than that, yeah. bride of pinbot basically a one shot game, have had some fun with it to be fair but its not one i keep coming back to
Dr Dude v Attack From Mars - dr dude is falling down. isnt it.
Cirqus Voltaire v Space Shuttle - probably play space shuttle more to be fair but cirqus voltaire is one of those i dont play often but tend to have really good games when i do
Class of 1812 v Elvira and the Party Monsters - dont really play either much but elvira just wins out
Teed Off v Twilight Zone - i really like teed off but you cant beat a good game of the twilight zone. struggled with it at first but the game where it all clicked for me is one of my favourite TPA memories

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Toughies! Good job with the choosing.

Creature from the Black Lagoon vs. Champion Pub - While CHAMP is very good in terms of original rules, CFTBL is my favorite. I'm a fan of the cheesy theme... And "S-U-P-E-R J-A-C-K-P-O-T!" never gets old.

Whitewater vs. Gorgar - Whitewater's awesome... It takes a few games to dive into it, but when you do, it's a great game. In Gorgar, you just try to shoot the captive hole for points.

Black Hole vs. Medieval Madness - Seriously?

Flight 2000 vs. Terminator 2 - The voice of Ahnold greatly overpowers Robotic Voice #3875. Also, I love the flow and overall rules of the game.

Star Trek: The Next Generation vs. Theater of Magic - As STTNG is to shoot for multiball all the time, TOM is to get a huge bonus. Getting a huge bonus is much less tough then doing 10 Multiballs in a row, and I like the theme, so TOM thrills the audience with this one.

Ripley's Believe it or Not! vs. Taxi - Deep rules mean everything to me. In Taxi, you really only have Jackpot and Million to work with, while in RBION, you have Frog Frenzy, Atlantis, Continent Super Jackpots, the list goes on. Taxi is charming, but RBION does it.

Cactus Canyon vs. Scared Stiff - I admit, I like both of these tables the same (a lot). However, CC is ruined by it's insane randomness, while Scared Stiff was designed by my favorite designer. It's a little on the easier, but hey, it's better then getting SDTM drains from the left loop.

No Good Gofers! vs. Whirlwind - When you think about it, both of these tables are more or less the same. However, NGG has a great flow for a Pat Lawlor game (I think he was doing it as a tribute to Steve Ritchie) while Whirlwind suffers from stop n go. And NGG's gofers are like those old WB cartoons in terms of humor. "Now, head for the cellar - You're in the wrong game, idiot!" never gets old.

Black Knight vs. Pin*Bot - Two Williams classics. Black Knight would take away my money for this one if it didn't suffer from scripting. Pin*Bot might have not many objectives, but I like the creepy feel to it.

Big Shot vs. Monster Bash - A bad game on MB is always better than a good game on BS. I like the stacking opportunities in MB.

FunHouse vs. Tales of the Arabian Nights - They get a tie. They have the same fun factor - with some good themes and well done gameplay, they're as good as each other.

Centaur vs. Bride of Pin*Bot - 5-ball multiball never gets old, and is overall a really underrated Bally game. BOPB is an unbalanced game that requires shooting the middle ramp for Unlimited Millions all day. Though that's kinda debatable.

Dr. Dude vs. Attack from Mars - Both are very good fan layouts, but I like AFM better. Sorry, but the Gift of Gab isn't for me, I'm already a pretty smooth talker

Cirqus Voltaire vs. Space Shuttle - As I mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of stacking modes, and CV might be the best Williams machine that does that. Space Shuttle is more for multiball fanatics and doesn't have that much depth.

Class of 1812 vs. Elvira and the Party Monsters - Both are comedic horror themes. Thankfully, EATPM goes out of it's way to ensure that Multiball doesn't overbalance everything else, and has pretty good sounds.

Tee'd Off vs. Twilight Zone - "It's raining cats and dogs!" No, really?

 

[Kolchak357]

Creature v Champions Pub - just can't get into Champ
White Water v Gorgar - two of my faves but the nod goes to White Water
Black Hole v Medieval Madness - multilevel fun
Flight 2000 v T2 - the theme & Arnold take it by a hair
Star Trek v Theatre of Magic - Trek's blind vacuum outlanes, yuk
Ripleys Believe it or Not v Taxi - love both but Ripley just has so much to do
Cactus Canyon v Scared Stiff - CC's invented bumps to create drains are a zero
No Good Gofers v Whirlwind - opaque ramps v plays to fast? Gophers for me
Black Knight v Pinbot - much closer in real life than on TPA
Big Shot v Monster Bash - Big Shot is too addictive
Funhouse v Tales of the Arabian Nights - Tales feels less repetitive
Centaur v Bride of Pinbot - Centaur takes the one shot beauty
Dr Dude v Attack From Mars - the biggest mismatch here
Cirqus Voltaire v Space Shuttle - CV has too many issues
Class of 1812 v Elvira and the Party Monsters - 1812 is too drainy
Teed Off v Twilight Zone - TZ is just so much better in every way

 

[Korven]

Creature from the Black Lagoon
White Water
Medieval Madness
Flight 2000
Star Trek
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Scared Stiff
Whirlwind
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Funhouse
Centaur
Attack From Mars
Space Shuttle
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone

 

[fenderbendr]

Champions Pub
White Water
Medieval Madness
T2
Star Trek
Taxi
Cactus Canyon
Whirlwind
Black Knight
Monster Bash
Funhouse
Centaur
Attack From Mars
Cirqus Voltaire
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

CFTBL
W20
MM
T2
TOM
RBION
Scared Stiff
NGG
Pin*Bot
MB
TOTAN
BOP
CV
EATPM
TZ

 

[neglectoid]

Champions Pub
Gorgar
Medieval Madness
T2
Theatre of Magic
Taxi
Scared Stiff
Whirlwind
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Centaur
Attack From Mars
Space Shuttle
Twilight Zone

 

[Bowflex]

Creature from the Black Lagoon v Champions Pub - Creature has the great monster/old drive-in theme. Sets a nice eerie mood. Champions Pub has a lot more flash and polish but not more fun.
White Water v Gorgar - This was the toughest decision on the list. White Water is so good, so fun. But something about Gorgar really sucks me in and keeps me there. Plus the cheap drains irritate me on WH2O.
Black Hole v Medieval Madness Total squash match. MM is definitely an early favorite in this tournament and just like a real tournament, the top seeds draw the low ones.
Flight 2000 v T2 Another tough one. T2 has some really cool things happening but I just haven't bonded with it enough to put it over F2K. Flight isn't the best pinball of its era but it has some great challenge and high rewards and has become very addictive. Just enough to edge it over.
Star Trek v Theatre of Magic Another super close one. Battle of the infinite modes! ToM has always been one of my favorites. Star Trek was a table I did not bond with in real life and it took TPA to appreciate it but it is now one of my favorites and I have found myself pwning the table in real life and truly enjoying it. Still, ToM has had the lasting appeal for me.
Ripleys Believe it or Not v Taxi Never cared for Taxi. To me it is somewhat fun but just above average. Ripleys is a crazy machine that I definitely enjoy playing way more.
Cactus Canyon v Scared Stiff I honestly enjoy Cactus Canyon a lot but it has its problems. In real life it is way too easy, on TPA it is way too hard. If they could find a happy medium between the real and virtual versions, it would be tuned perfect. Scared Stiff is so awesome and the Elvira factor is a great bonus.
No Good Gofers v Whirlwind Battle of the Lawlors. NGG is fun and comical but almost more busy than it needs to be. Whirlwind is fast and crazy and has a great balance of fun and challenge.
Black Knight v Pinbot Battle of the cheap drain tables! Pinbot is not one of my favorites but BK suffers and is not the most enjoyable experience. Even if the rom emulation was fixed, Pinbot gets the slight edge.
Big Shot v Monster Bash Big Shot gets bashed big time. Another complete decimation. Not even a contest, really.
Funhouse v Tales of the Arabian Nights - Both of these games have some pretty difficult shots to pull off. Funhouse is a joy and moody Rudy really puts it over the top.
Centaur v Bride of Pinbot - Bride of Pinbot has a cool gimmick but Centaur has so many great multiball modes and such great style, whereas BoP suffers from being one of the many 2 ball multiball tables that was all too common in its era. Not to mention the Billionaire Club which was a very unique gimmick but created a huge disparity in scores, especially when you can have a much better game and not have anything to show for it.
Dr Dude v Attack From Mars This is a squash. Dr. Dude is fun and comical in its dated theme but another 2 ball multiball vs a game that had deep challenges, multiple modes and fun theme. Another landslide victory.
Cirqus Voltaire v Space Shuttle - Space Shuttle has a great big sentimental place in my heart. That being said, even sentimentality can't compare to the challenging and varied modes of CV.
Class of 1812 v Elvira and the Party Monsters Class tries to spook. Where it tries, Elvira suceeds. If this was Scared Stiff it would have been a massacre but EatPM simply cruises by with a solid victory.
Teed Off v Twilight Zone Again, a total squash. Sorry Gottlieb. If the matchup pairings had been different, you might have gotten one table through to the next round but I don't see it happening.

 

[Dumpstar]

Creature from the Black Lagoon v Champions Pub
White Water v Gorgar
Black Hole v Medieval Madness
Flight 2000 v T2
Star Trek v Theatre of Magic
Ripleys Believe it or Not v Taxi
Cactus Canyon v Scared Stiff
No Good Gofers v Whirlwind
Black Knight v Pinbot
Big Shot v Monster Bash
Funhouse v Tales of the Arabian Nights
Centaur v Bride of Pinbot
Dr Dude v Attack From Mars
Cirqus Voltaire v Space Shuttle
Class of 1812 v Elvira and the Party Monsters
Teed Off v Twilight Zone - Teed Off gets this cause I have played it so much in real life and loved it.

 

[switch3flip]

Creature from the Black Lagoon
White Water
Medieval Madness
T2
Star Trek
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Cactus Canyon
Whirlwind
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Centaur
Attack From Mars
Cirqus Voltaire
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

I left out AFM oops.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

I didnt see BIG GUNS or I would have picked it

 

[inspector42]

Champions Pub
White Water
Medieval Madness
T2
Theatre of Magic
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Scared Stiff
No Good Gofers
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Bride of Pinbot
Dr Dude
Cirqus Voltaire
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone

 

[jkonami]

Creature from the Black Lagoon
White Water
Medieval Madness
T2
Star Trek
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Scared Stiff
No Good Gofers - Only tough choice so far, I also like Whirlwind
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Tales of the Arabian Nights - I like Funhouse too, and even though sick of TOTAN, I think it's the better table
Bride of Pinbot
Dr Dude - Gonna get strung up for this one. I haven't played AFM alot though.
Cirqus Voltaire
Elvira and the Party Monsters - I think 1812 is a cool table though.
Twilight Zone - V.S. Teed Off? Are you kidding????

 

[netizen]

Champions Pub - Don't really like either table but creature makes me mental

Gorgar - I think I sold my soul, and Gorgar has the contract. :/

Medieval Madness - Blackhole is fun, but MM has a much more engaging "story" to it; even though both games can be just as brutal when the god's want to teach you to be humble

T2 - I love F2k, but T2 just has more variety to it, despite the unbalanced scoring potential.

Star Trek - TOM may have this timeless quality to it, imo, but STTNG forces the player to be on point and doesn't allow you to have an off day when you play. This is both punishing and rewarding.

Ripleys Believe it or Not - RBION requires more skill to engage the modes. These achievements create a sense of accomplishment compared to ramp combos, then shoot santa ad infinitum.

Cactus Canyon - Both CC and SS have their issues. CC has the loop "Randomization", and SS is, how do I say this, easy. Each has its challenges, but I find more challenge and enjoyment from CC

Whirlwind - Whirlwind is fast, brutal and dead fun. There's no competition with NGG

Pinbot - BK has nothing on building a giant robot in space.

Monster Bash - While I love BS, MB just provides a wider variety of challenges with the ability to stack modes etc.

Tales of the Arabian Nights - FH is a classic, but TOTAN has a far different style game play, and there's no dummy head on it

Centaur - It's Centaur!!

Attack From Mars - Like MM, AFM has a "story" to it that makes repeated game play fun, and getting deeper into the game less like chopping wood. DD has lots of good challenging shots, but it is an acquired taste and perhaps sits best with a shot of nostalgia.

Cirqus Voltaire - This may have been the toughest choice in the list. I love how difficult Space Shuttle is, but I also can't get over how much fun CV each and every time I press start. From the fast, quick games of Space Shuttle, to the long(er) more technical games of CV there is something for almost every player between just these two tables alone.

Class of 1812 - I find the scoring less unbalanced, and the games continually challenging. EATPM can be frustrating from bad drains, while when bad drains happen in CO1812 I feel like there was always something i could have done to prevent it.

Twilight Zone - TZ just has so many things to do. There is no way that a more linear game like TO can compete over the long haul. Both are fun, but each has a very, very, different style of play, very different modes and how to achieve them.

 

[Zorgwon]

Creature from the Black Lagoon v Champions Pub - CHAMP has the better music
White Water v Gorgar - Never got into Whitewater. Gorgar has even better FX.
Black Hole v Medieval Madness - Even a poor game of MM is more enjoyable
Flight 2000 v T2 - both aren't my case
Star Trek v Theatre of Magic - another easy choice. TOM has everything better.
Ripleys Believe it or Not v Taxi - RBION is complex and not as repetetive as Taxi (only ramps). Taxi suffers from an unbalanced rule sheet.
Cactus Canyon v Scared Stiff - CC isn't bad but SS is much better in every aspect.
No Good Gofers v Whirlwind - both weaker contenders. The gofers have some nice shots.
Black Knight v Pinbot - BK is more fun for me.
Big Shot v Monster Bash - I play BS more often. MB has too much mindless (shoot everything + ball saver) multiball.
Funhouse v Tales of the Arabian Nights - I give Rudy the nod although TOTAN is another top table.
Centaur v Bride of Pinbot - Centaur is one of the prettiest tables and good to play. The bride isn't ugly but suffers from the billion disease.
Dr Dude v Attack From Mars - 1:10 - AFM wins and the dude annoys.
Cirqus Voltaire v Space Shuttle - CV is the artiest pinball table on earth.
Class of 1812 v Elvira and the Party Monsters - Drain monster vs. party monsters
Teed Off v Twilight Zone - easy

 

[DanBradford]

Creature from the Black Lagoon
White Water
Medieval Madness
Flight 2000
Star Trek TNG
Taxi
Scared Stiff
No Good Gofers
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Bride of Pinbot
Attack From Mars
Cirqus Voltaire
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone

 

[night]

Creature from the Black Lagoon
Gorgar
Black Hole
Flight 2000
Theatre of Magic
Taxi
Scared Stiff
No Good Gofers
Pinbot
Big Shot
Funhouse
Centaur
Dr Dude
Space Shuttle
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone

 

[Ark Malmeida]

Creature from the Black Lagoon
White Water
Medieval Madness
T2
Theatre of Magic
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Scared Stiff
Whirlwind
Pinbot
Monster Bash
Funhouse
Centaur
Attack From Mars
Cirqus Voltaire
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Twilight Zone