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Thought I might comment about some of the tables I played that weren't of the ultra rare variety...

Judge Dredd - I really really dug this table. The theme is just great, and the whole being a police officer vibe just reminds you of every other pin that is of the cop variety. For some reason that never ceases to be fun for me! The upper right corner is crazy with how many different shots there are in such a tight space, and they can be crazy fast considering you need to hit 'em with the little 2" flipper. The table isn't an outlane exploiter, but damn do you gotta be careful with the center drains. My practice games were good sessions considering I had no clue what I was doing. My tournament session had the table kicking my butt like a pissed off Judge would! But I honestly never felt like the table issued me cheap drains. Ultimately it's the one table I keep thinking about 3 days later, so I really hope it has a future in TPA.

Revenge From Mars - While I very much prefer AFM more, it did manage to win me over some. My overt hate for Pin 2000 with Star Wars and having never played an RFM in good condition, you might say I was a wee bit prejudiced against it. Watching my 7 year old play though, and how he was reacting to the animations, well that softened me a bit. Then I played, and I started paying attention to the humor. Much of it is the same as AFM but now fully animated. There was one mode though where the martians are trying to take over the TV airwaves, and each time you shot the ball up into the animated monitor banks, you witnessed one of these shows. Gotta be honest, I laughed out loud at every one of 'em. I still don't love the table, but I no longer hate it.

Tron LE - Look, its pretty, no doubt about it. It also just fails to hook me in. There is so much going on, it's stimulus overload. It absolutely fails to entice someone that doesn't know the rules to learn 'em. This is the epitome of a table you have to do your homework on, meaning great for home use, lousy for location. I finished my game and honestly could care less to play it again.

World Cup Soccer - I really like this machine. I like the sounds, the look, the satisfaction of shooting a goal. The only negative is that it is a VERY cramped playfield. There's really only a 3 inch gap to get the ball to the upper portion it seems. Still, that spinning soccer ball sends the ball all over the place. I saw it launch a ball up and into one of the ramps multiple times. I gave a fist pump every time I shot past the goalie. It can play nasty, but I like it all the same. This was the second league night in a row that had it, and I'll continue to play it every time I see it now.

Radical - I've seen pics of it before, I think I may have played it in VP too. My impression was always that it was a huge misfire. Playing the real thing though? This table is way tough! There are two mid field flippers, and both are for shots that you absolutely have to be able to hit, and yet they feel impossible! But then you find the groove, and wow. The theme is crap to be sure, or at least not well executed. Extreme sports and pinball just seem to bring out the cheese. The game play on the other hand was a blast. For sure the surprise of the night.

Beyond that, Earthshaker continued to be a completely nasty drain monster for me. Shooting the right ramp with the mid flipper was about as safe as juggling chainsaws. Indy 500 turned out to be one of those tables where as a player, you never once can look up at the DMD because taking your eye off the ball is death. You almost need a spotter, looking at the DMD for you and then telling you what is going on. Good ramp fun, but I quickly forgot the experience.

Once the scores are posted from the tourney, I'll let you guys know how I did. Until then...