PAF Top Ten Most Wanted Table Poll Series : #3 - Bally (Closed)

[k88dad]

Personally I'm a huge fan of the simpler tables because they're more fun to pick up and play, and often feature a much clearer playfield. Big Shot has crept into my top five tables of all time and tables like Evil Knieval and Mati Hari look like great fun, tables that I don't have to mentally prepare myself for and dedicate an hour or two of my time if I want a quick game.

What bugs me is that there's plenty of tables that I would be tempted to vote for (like Xenon, Flash Gordon) but the potential difficulty of them puts me off completely. Paragon for example features such an unfair looking left outlane box thingy that I don't think I'd ever play it, it doesn't even have a chance to back out with skill like Genie does. As fun as they may be once mastered, do we REALLY want to see 40 tables that require 10 hours of playtime to get a decent score?

..snip...

I understand your appreciation of tables that are accessible (easy to get into, but perhaps difficult to master.) Big Shot is the epitome of that kind of table. The lower-left chamber in Paragon is usually easy to escape. A simple nudge will often make the ball bounce off of the bumper and back into the center of the playfield.

Paragon is very much accessible pinball. There are lots of things to do on this widebody, but the ruleset is easily explained. It's inline drop targets for bonus multiplier and the eventual extra ball. You advance the bonus in other areas of the table, and have three levels of super bonus (bonus carryover to all remaining balls.) One saucer increases in value every time it is landed in (that is often the go-to shot later in a game.) Another saucer lets you spell out P-A-R-A-G-O-N for points and a special. There's even some regular drop targets for that "kitchen sink" feel. Pretty basic, but well-rounded.

I'm old school, when it comes to pinball, but TPA has to accommodate the masses to generate profit. More profit means more tables. More tables means a better shot of the classics being preserved.

 

[fenderbendr]

Good to see Safecracker up near the top. Looks like a fun table to have in TPA.

 

[gooche77]

World Cup '94 is a close 3rd. You folks have impeccable taste.

 

[sotie]

Good to see Safecracker up near the top. Looks like a fun table to have in TPA.

I played a Safe Cracker for the first time last month at Pin-a-Go-Go and I just couldn't get into it. I must be missing something.

 

[Jim O'Brien]

Medusa and Fathom need more love... Farsight just ignore this poll. LOL

 

[Kolchak357]

Not gonna go through my picks, but I wanted to mention some vote totals that surprised me.

Pleasant surprises - Black Rose & Who Dunnit. I didn't realize these two were that popular.

Bummer Surprises - Medusa & Fathom. I thought these would be up at the very top. Classic art and gameplay. If you loved Centaur you will love these two. Stunned by their low vote totals. Maybe they are too old school.

Not surprised but sad - I knew Evel Knievel wouldn't get many votes, but I so loved it as a kid.

Edit: Should have read Jim's post first. Looks like we both love Fathom & Medusa.

 

[fenderbendr]

I played a Safe Cracker for the first time last month at Pin-a-Go-Go and I just couldn't get into it. I must be missing something.

From the videos I've seen I think I'd enjoy it. I think it would be cool to see the token come rolling down the glass.

I wish Indy 500 was up there higher. I think it's a pretty underrated table from the one I played on VP.

 

[Kolchak357]

I played a Safe Cracker for the first time last month at Pin-a-Go-Go and I just couldn't get into it. I must be missing something.

I thought the same thing the first handful of games I played on it. But it grows on you. The little playfield & flippers, the weird timed game and rules, the almost board game like use of the backglass. It feels very strange at first. But the more I played it the more I wanted to play it.

 

[shutyertrap]

Glad the reminder about the poll went out today, as I'd completely forgotten to vote! 1-9, easy pics. That 10th one, lotta debate!

Black Rose
Corvette
Eight Ball Deluxe
Fathom
Judge Dredd
Mousin' Around
Party Zone
Safe Cracker
World Cup Soccer
Xenon

Safe Cracker is a must have, and World Cup Soccer is a blast, almost as good as NBA Fastbreak (share the same announcer and vibe). My debate was with picking Fathom over Indy 500. Fathom won, because it is an excellent example of that era, much like Xenon. Indy 500, while fun too, just doesn't stand out from a crowd.

It's interesting how crazy the artwork is on so many of these machines compared to Williams. They really went all out.

 

[Heretic]

Needs more paragon and medusa,

 

[Edan-Grossman]

I thought more people would like fireball classic.

Future Spa is also a great table, I didn't think that it would have been that far down the list.

 

[Richard B]

If we can't ever see POTC, Black Rose isn't a bad consolation prize!

 

[Jeff Strong]

These polls go to show that TPA fans are not your typical pinball fans. For instance, Party Zone isn't even in Pinside's Top 100, yet it has way more votes than several pins that are generally more well-loved machines.

 

[shutyertrap]

These polls go to show that TPA fans are not your typical pinball fans. For instance, Party Zone isn't even in Pinside's Top 100, yet it has way more votes than several pins that are.

Well to be fair, most of the people on pinside have actually played the real life table they are voting on, rather than only watching a vid or playing in VP. But I do agree, TPA fans are most certainly NOT your typical pinball fans, and I love that!

 

[Heretic]

Tbh most of the top ones just suck: mnsho

 

[Jeff Strong]

Well to be fair, most of the people on pinside have actually played the real life table they are voting on, rather than only watching a vid or playing in VP. But I do agree, TPA fans are most certainly NOT your typical pinball fans, and I love that!

That's true. Just sad to see some of the great pins passed up. Hope it doesn't mean we'll never see them in TPA.

 

[netizen]

We are voting on what would be a good digital conversion too, not just making a vote on how the game plays.

I still think that for a poll that covers as broad a age range of tables, like the williams and the stern poll, that they should have been divided by the age of the machine to get a more accurate polling of the fans desired machines. Asking for a decision between a 90s machine and anything that doesn't have a DMD and ramps is asking for the other table to not get votes usually. There has been a very vocal contingent that, every month, clamours for a "two DMD pack" while at the same time claiming that Centaur is one of the best tables produced and such a fun and original game, so much so that TPA needs more like it.

 

[Edan-Grossman]

black rose and wcs are both great tables that should be at the top of the polls, i just think that Future Spa and Fireball Classic don't deserve to be at the very bottom of the list. They are much better tables than the polls indicate.

 

[dtown8532]

Jeez! By looking at these standings, they should have just called it "vote for your favorite Bally DMD." Not much love for the classics.

And what's with Xenon being the number one -35? I mean its got great artwork and was the first pin with a female voice but, come on. Have you played one? It's pretty slow and playfield layout is a bit wonky. Also, how much synthesized male and female sex sounds can you take before you're just flat out laughing at the game.

Oh, well. I still think FarSight will look beyond just what the top picks are simply for variety.

 

[Heretic]

Jeez! By looking at these standings, they should have just called it "vote for your favorite Bally DMD." Not much love for the classics.

Plus one