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I'm amazed how Farsight turned me on to EM/early SS tables now. I used to prefer only DMD-style games from the '90's and early 00's (that's my nostalgia period) but aiming for the HOF score made me play the "other" tables too! And I love playing them to my surprise. Guess it awoke my inner masochist or something....It's all about finding safe shots and trajectories to keep my illusion of control over the table going, up until the inevitable next heart-wrenching drain. Don't start me about Big Shot, how people can score big on that thing eludes me. Every ball is buttcheekpinching scary, I have yet to find a safe plunge or shot on that one. That machine had to be a moneymaker in it's time going by the insane amount of virtual quarters I have been pumping into it. Genie has to be Big Shot's grownup cousin, a little bit more control but how do people ever get to 3M? And then you still have only 19 HOF points or something like that, that's just insane! Gorgar is another step up for control, nudging is easier (and less sensitive than Genie by far!) only the jet bumpers to fear for randomness. Black Knight is only somewhat scary on the lower playfield when you're down to one ball, and it has some nasty SDTM drains from the middle ramp. When you can start every game with a 3-ball multiball (plunge at maximum and keep both upper flippers upright and you have a controlled shot to the lock path for multiball), it only demands skill to relock the last remaining ball again, rinse and repeat. I find Black Hole the easiest of the older games with some good opportunities to get extra balls. I recently played a real Black Hole (our clubhouse has one) and that table proceeded to kick my ass for a whole evening. Nothing like a ego realitycheck than playing real tables with their randomness and idiosyncrasies....
