PAF Top Ten Most Wanted Table Poll Series : #1 - Electro-Mechanical (Closed)

[karl]

Would be fun to know what kind of license deal Microsoft had at the time. I am Also wondering about how many years the Farsight deal is good for?

 

[kimkom]

Took my time with this one but finally managed to pick my ten favourites.

Many thanks to PiN WiZ for sourcing all the material for the gameplay and playfields. I think that helped me make a more informed choice!

 

[kimkom]

The Top Ten Most Wanted Electro-Mechanical Tables, as voted by the pinball community, will be revealed on Friday September 6, 2013.

Okay, I can't see any mention of this, so I'll ask the question...

Why so long before the reveal? And why September 6?

Especially if the poll is unofficial.

Just curious..

 

[Rudy]

Presumably because after the poll Farsight will start looking for those tables and seeing if they can get some in good condition. It doesn't matter if a table wins by a flat out landslide, if they can't physically get that table then they can't take apart the pinball machine to put it into the game.

This will also happen with licenses, just because we want it and have made it known to them that we want it doesn't mean we're going to get it.

 

[sotie]

Presumably because after the poll Farsight will start looking for those tables and seeing if they can get some in good condition. It doesn't matter if a table wins by a flat out landslide, if they can't physically get that table then they can't take apart the pinball machine to put it into the game.

This will also happen with licenses, just because we want it and have made it known to them that we want it doesn't mean we're going to get it.

PiN WiZ wrote in the first post of this thread that this is not an official FS poll so their ability to obtain a physical table shouldn't have any bearing on the date the poll winners are revealed. If it were an official poll then I think FS would only put tables in the poll that they would expect they could procure.

 

[MontanaFrank]

I wonder if TPA would do Spirit of 76 because Microsoft did a recreation of the table in their Microsoft Pinball Arcade. They also reproduced Haunted House in that series.

I seriously doubt that Microsoft ever renewed their license to distribute Gottlieb tables on a pinball game that is now 15 years old and not making them any money, so this should be a non-issue.

Well, I was thinking, which I shouldn't do

I knew I shouldn't have been thinking. You are absolutely right Pin Wiz. I did not realize till I got home and on the computer that the license was so old.

 

[dtown8532]

All right. Enough of this EM stuff. Where's the Williams poll?

 

[warh0g]

All right. Enough of this EM stuff. Where's the Williams poll?

http://digitalpinballfans.com/showt...-Ten-Most-Wanted-Table-Poll-Series-2-Williams

 

[Jay]

Humpty Dumpty would be neat to look at, but for the sake of a video game I think most people would rather have the EM's that are the most fun to play.

Then I'm not sure why Spirit of 76 made the list. I've found that to be one of the most uninteresting tables I've ever played. For a patriotic theme, Bally's Freedom has a much more interesting playfield.

I'm glad Slick Chick is on there. I still play the old MS Pinball Arcade version and love it. I wouldn't mind an updated rendition.

 

[Chellspecker]

I stayed away from "Stardust". It might as well have been titled "Jive Time 2".

Tune in, turn on, drop out, daddy-o. I can't believe you're not digging those retro graphics. When I look at pinball tables, I always get ideas for tables that never existed but that would be (IMO) amazing. Right now I'm dreaming about a Soul Train pinball table. Man, that would be fly.

 

[Fungi]

Sorry, I choose based on play mechanics, rule sets, and fun factor. Not on artwork. Jive Time is just not fun.

 

[Chellspecker]

EXCELLENT NEWS: ALL SIX OF THE POLLS SO FAR WILL BE RE-OPENED FOR ONE DAY ONLY SATURDAY, AUGUST 31! ALL POLLS CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT, SO GET YOUR VOTES IN FAST!
For those who have been asking about a table and why they it wasn't included in such and such poll, it might just be in one already. Get your votes in!

POLL #6 - VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN STERN / DATA EAST / SEGA TABLES

POLL #5 - VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN GOTTLIEB TABLES

POLL #4 - VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN PREMIUM LICENSED TABLES

POLL #3 - VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN BALLY TABLES

POLL #2 - VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN WILLIAMS TABLES

POLL #1 - VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN ELECTRO-MECHANICAL TABLES

 

[Chellspecker]

Sorry, I choose based on play mechanics, rule sets, and fun factor. Not on artwork. Jive Time is just not fun.

Understandable. I love pinball artwork because it's a kind of gauge of the zeitgeist of each era. The trends, fads, popular fictional characters, and anxieties of each age are reflected in what they chose to make into pinball table themes. I find the current trend for huge licensed multi-medium franchises kind of disturbing. It's indicative, however, of a larger corporate entertainment power structure in stark contrast to the days when the imagination of the pinball table designer was actually used to come up with ideas rather than implement ideas handed down from on high. It's all fascinating.

 

[k88dad]

Royal Flush needs votes.

 

[LanceBoyle]

Voted for the following:

Abra Ca Dabra
Apollo
High Hand --- Looked to be the better-looking of the card-themed tables to me.
Jet Spin --- Theme looks absolutely classic sci-fi.
King Pin
Slick Chick --- Loved this one on MS Pinball Arcade.
Space Time --- The tunnel looks interesting!
Spirit of '76 --- Same as with Slick Chick.
Surf Champ
Wizard

Relatedly, I gotta say that Star Dust looks eerily similar to Jive Time. And after checking on IPDB, it was designed by the same folks. Gigi looks like Slick Chick, too.

 

[Fungi]

Understandable. I love pinball artwork because it's a kind of gauge of the zeitgeist of each era. The trends, fads, popular fictional characters, and anxieties of each age are reflected in what they chose to make into pinball table themes. I find the current trend for huge licensed multi-medium franchises kind of disturbing. It's indicative, however, of a larger corporate entertainment power structure in stark contrast to the days when the imagination of the pinball table designer was actually used to come up with ideas rather than implement ideas handed down from on high. It's all fascinating.

Although the use of licenses has indeed taken away from the creativeness of unique art, it is still indicative of the era in which the industry finds itself in. We may look back upon this decade of games and say "whoa, remember when pinball was on life support and the only way they thought would keep our interest was licensing? Good times, good times."

 

[Rudy]

Although the use of licenses has indeed taken away from the creativeness of unique art, it is still indicative of the era in which the industry finds itself in. We may look back upon this decade of games and say "whoa, remember when pinball was on life support and the only way they thought would keep our interest was licensing? Good times, good times."

Plus, let's not forget that there were TONS of licensed pinball machines back in the 90s, even at the 'creative high point'. I really think that we're understating just how many pinball machines had licensed themes just because a bunch of them bombed and aren't anywhere near top 50 (or even top 250) lists. The only difference between yesteryear and today is that there aren't plenty of non-licensed themes to counter the licensed themes and give us an option.

If Jersey Jack's next pinball machine after The Hobbit is an unliscenced theme then we could maybe see how well a table does without a license, up until then it's just too risky to make a game with no secondary market because if it bombs it damages the company big time.

 

[Zaphod77]

What? no Balls-a-Poppin? That's the only one i would have voted for.

 

[shutyertrap]

If Jersey Jack's next pinball machine after The Hobbit is an unliscenced theme then we could maybe see how well a table does without a license, up until then it's just too risky to make a game with no secondary market because if it bombs it damages the company big time.

We'll see it even sooner actually, if Stern does indeed put out Whoa Nellie: Big Juicy Melons. Double whammy too with that, as it's essentially an EM in terms of play.

 

[netizen]

We'll see it even sooner actually, if Stern does indeed put out Whoa Nellie: Big Juicy Melons. Double whammy too with that, as it's essentially an EM in terms of play.

A new table release of that style may re-introduce a love for the older style game play. Sort of like Capcom tried with BreakShot.