MM overrated?

[PiN WiZ]

I like MM, but this one, more than other tables, is much better in real life. Destroying the castle isn't nearly as exciting on my iPad as it is in an arcade. I also don't love the theme. Knights are a little played out for me. But the table is fast and fun with great dialogue. so I wouldn't say I don't like it, but I don't play it as often as some others.

Activating any of the modes, multi-ball and even destroying the castle on the Xbox 360 are intense compared to the Android and iOS versions of Medieval Madness. You really have to play the table on a console to know what I'm talking about. I do agree with you on the fact that the Android and iOS versions don't give you that excitement you normally get when playing a real table, but the consoles are about as close as you'll ever get to the real thing and I think FarSight did a great job in making some of that intensity and excitement come through on the consoles. Although, the Android and iOS versions still can't be beat when wanting to play a quick game of pinball on the go.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Since I haven't played this particular table in real life, I can't speak to accuracy, ramp physics, bounciness, flipper gaps, etc.

But Medieval Madness is really hard! For TPA, at least. So many shots produce a hard-to-remedy center drain if they don't go off exactly as planned, and sometimes even if they do. The trolls are absolute murder, which I think they're supposed to be.

Which makes a good game all the more exciting. But it means that it took a while before my proficiency was up to the point where I could appreciate it at all.

 

[DopedToInfinity]

I never saw this table in real life, but I love it. If I play it after work (I usually get in around 1am) I suck. If I play it when I'm well rested on a day off I do a lot better. I just dig the "flow" of this table.

I love the way on the Xbox the ball can move like something off a stick straight past the flippers, and I only have my reflexes to blame - that's authenticity!!

 

[Pinballfan69]

I always liked the real version of MM but I feel this version isn't up to par. The balls acts weird. I don't recall playing the real game where the ball comes down the left orbit while holding down the left flipper it bounces really high and off toward the left outlanes. Also weak shots up the peasant ramp that don't make it around goes straight down the middle which doesn't usually happen on the real table. Most likely do to the flipper gap that might get fixed.

Overall love the theme. Always have. The different ways you can attack the castle. (by regular shots or using muliball madness's. I just wish they would tweak the ball physics more. Funhouse and Bride's physics are really well done IMO.

 

[laughing_lunatic]

destroying the castle on the Xbox 360 are intense

That's so true... first time I did it I had this stupid grin on my face, controller going nuts in my hand and thought it the #1 best thing I've ever seen on a pinball table.

 

[Shaneus]

Sorry to bring this thread back, but man after playing the TPA version of MM my mind has changed. This is easily my favorite table now judging by the core + dlc 1/2 tables. It's is so much better than the PHOF version which was just ugly and the ball physics were really bad.

See, this *used* to be my favourite (before PHOF or PA... IRL) but I'm starting to sort of move away from DMD games. There are far too many that are too similar to each other, like AfM, MM, MB... they all have the same basic ruleset. I find the alphanumeric games prior to the DMD ones tended to have a little more variety in them. At least, the ones in Pinball Arcade. They need to step up the variety in the newer tables IMO.

On some kind of weird side-note, I was thinking about the Dutch Pinball mod of BoP to add in a DMD and I wondered if it was possible to do something in the reverse... convert a DMD game into an alphanumeric one. Too many DMD games just seem to distract from the table itself, it'd be great to see a game pull the reliance on visual appeal away from the backglass and more onto the playfield.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

See, this *used* to be my favourite (before PHOF or PA... IRL) but I'm starting to sort of move away from DMD games. There are far too many that are too similar to each other, like AfM, MM, MB... they all have the same basic ruleset.

Attack from Mars and Medieval Madness have the same basic rule set because Brian Eddy did both machines. Tables from the same designer tend to play similarly. ToM, TotAN and CV share similar features because they're all John Popadiuk tables.

I think once FarSight can get some newer Sterns thrown into the mix, your complaint will be lessened. Right now we're very Williams-heavy.

 

[Supermans]

MM is one of my all time favorite tables. And I guess it has to do with the commentary which rivals STTNG in terms of keeping me in the game. Suuuuper Jets!!! All the excitement in the way th voices keeps me in the game the way someone cheering you on.

 

[bavelb]

MM, when first confronted with it in TPA (I played phof mostly on Wii, without totan and MM) I thought was the greatest table ever. Now after playing for a while I'd say is definitely in the top 10 overall quality pinball tables of all time, but not number 1 (like it's been since at least may on pinside) or worth the extraordinary price it's going for in the market these days.
The gameplay, like AfM I assume, is a bit to samey over a long game for me. You do the same when you are near the wizard mode as when you were doing after you just plunge the ball. I wouldnt call it boring by a long shot, but it lacks a bit of variety (not unlike MB...if you'd move MM's castle down the field a bit you'd have a very similar layout and comparable ruleset).

If I was to have one table and unlimited funds to spend on it, it likely wouldnt be MM. If I were allowed 2, or 3 still not..... after 3 however, I think I would like to have it into that collection because it's a game thats always fun to play, but it needs a bigger collection to give it a longer lifespan.

So is MM overrated? Thats a hard debate...is it overpriced (irl)? Definitely.

 

[an ox]

I was in the "I do like this but don't play it that often" boat with MM on the iPad, but then I played it IRL the other day (a machine in beautiful condition with the "colour DMD" mod) and it was fantastic . Playing it a lot more on the iPad subsequently. Definitely one of my favourite DMD games. Haven't played other tables enough to declare it the best ever but definitely up there for me. I think the humour is a big part of it as well as the gameplay. Can't think of another table that makes me grin as much as MM does - it's pinball meets Python done right .

 

[mmmagnetic]

I think it´s a pretty repetetive table with absolutely stellar presentation, and there´s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I don´t think I will ever play this really seriously, but I always have a good time when I play it.

 

[SlamCitySkates]

It depends what sort of table you like.

Off the console, this table is one of the best because the fact that virtually all your shots are loops or ramps (you arent really encouraged to visit Merlin's Magic that frequently) really suits the arcade and the game gives you a lot feel good moments.

However, on the console, its very different to tables with an upper flipper or a hole that instigates rewards or different modes. I find these sorts of tables (eg RBION) far better on the computer and more enjoyable than MM because the upper flipper shots or the target shots are easier with the view you get on TPA that you dont at home/in the arcade.

I own a pinball with an upper flipper and i'd rather they took it out and put a second ramp in; but I wouldnt want that if they reproduced it on TPA.

So in short - in the arcade MM is much better than on TPA / WPHOF. I would say the best tables on TPA are TOTAN, Taxi, RBION and NGG, but in real life the more straightforward tables like TOM are more fun to play. Which ironically includes Taxi - which is just great either way!

 

[Mark W**a]

At first I didn't understand the hype either. The table's look didn't grab me or blow me away in the way that Arabian Nights, Theatre of Magic, or Cirqus Voiltaire did. It's a little too overly red at first look. However after spending some quality time with the table, it's quickly become one of if not my favorite board on TPA.

It's the humor of this board that gets me. It's legitimately hilarious, and to me never gets old. The sound guy deserves tons of credit, as do the voice actors.

Love the shots on this table. They are satisfying as all hell. It's very fast and has a great flow to it. And then of course you have the castle. Great gimmick that's executed extremely well.

But at the end of the day it's the software that puts this table over the top.

When I get some time I'm going to put together a detailed review of the game.

 

[Jutter]

Apart from the python-inspired humor, and the castle prop, I like this table because it's easy to learn, hard to master. Wether you lauch it to the left or to the right, initial ballcontroll is quickly gained, and dead flipper passes at the castle are also quite doable from either flipper.

 

[Sumez]

My first time playing MM was through the Williams Hall of Fame game, and immediately it blew me away compared to the other games in that collection. The feel of shooting the targets, compared with the theme and gimmicks is just so satisfying, and I think the table looks great.
However, like a lot of people here say, there's a lot of repetition to the table, and the concept of it is extremely simple - just shoot every target as much as you can. There's not much strategy to it. So I get bored of it pretty fast.

Monster Bash is a great alternative, since its basic layout and rules are extremely similar, and the theme is just as enjoyable. However, getting all instruments to unlock the true wizard mode, and stacking the modes properly to get there, while driving up your score, adds a much more interesting layer to the game than what MM has. It's definitely a game you can get much more into.

But then again, every time I return to MM, I realise that I forgot just how awesome it really is. As with most other pinball tables, the theme and ruleset doesn't mean much, if the details of the layout and the physics don't make the game fun to play. At the end of the day, ball control is one of the most important aspects of a table, and that is one of the things that really makes me enjoy CV, and MM really has a bit of the same. Shooting the ball around, and trying to get it trapped afterwards is a bit more satisfying than on Monster Bash I think (though I'm not that much into MB yet).
But unfortunately I've never played either of them in real life, and like someone said earlier in this thread, I can imagine that MM definitely scores a lot of extra points when you play the real table.

 

[night]

MM is one a the tables I avoid. Castles, trolls and knights, I can't help it but it's not my thing.

 

[Worf]

I love MM, though there's one aspect I don't like about it. The tournament strategy and the general "play for fun" strategy don't line up. For points, there's only one thing to do - shoot the castle as much as possible - ignore everything else. Just keep shooting the castle. If you want to add variety, shoot the ramps and the castle (to get castle hurry up because the more hurry ups you get, the higher the countdown starts)

Whereas to have fun, you do everything - all the madnesses, royal madness, etc.

Still love it though.

 

[Mark W**a]

Sorry to bring this thread back, but man after playing the TPA version of MM my mind has changed. This is easily my favorite table now judging by the core + dlc 1/2 tables. It's is so much better than the PHOF version which was just ugly and the ball physics were really bad.

Exactly. When I read your OP, the first thing I thought was "it's because he's playing PBHOF".

I played the hall of fame version months and months AFTER I played the TPA release and... man... you want to talk about a downgrade. Sheesh. The Pinball Arcade version is a VAST improvement. Like practically a night and day difference between the two versions.

 

[Kolchak357]

MM is one a the tables I avoid. Castles, trolls and knights, I can't help it but it's not my thing.

I'm not a huge fan of the theme either. Lookin forward to AFM later this month. Similar style of table with a theme I am much more into.

 

[pin pin]

It's fun/challenging because you have to consistently hit every shot repeatedly to get to the wizard mode. And it's funny. Closest to a monty python and the holy grail as we're going to get unless jersey jack or stern has something to say about it. Please Jersey Jack...