What was the best year for pinball?

[Extork]

The title pretty much says it all. There's no wrong answers.

I'm not asking what era was best, or what type of machine.

What I really want to know is, which year do you think was best

Maybe you think 92 was the best, just because of the addams family. And that's fine

...or maybe you think the best year was the year that had the most tables come out, or the year that had a few really good pins

Anyways, just curious, and I think my answer would be either 86 or 80. 86 had Pinbot, High Speed, and more that I'm forgetting at the moment. 80 just had a ton of machines, and 81. So what do you think.

**** I'd be surprised if there wasn't already a thread about this, I didn't see one, but if there is, I'll just delete this **** I'll keep looking to see if there is one.

 

[The loafer]

I have always liked pinball but for me I think 1980 with the advent of electronically controlled multiball (Firepower) and the advanced sound pinballs were coming out with just blew me away. I certainly won't deny there were better games released in other years, but this was my kapow year anyway.

Look at this list of pins coming out in 1980. This is stuff which dreams are made of... Except it was not a dream, it was reality!

http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?yr=1980&sortby=name&searchtype=advanced

 

[Dedpop]

1989/1990 : Black Cats / Black Knight 2000 / Earthshaker / Elvira & The Party Monsters / Mousin' Aroud / Police Force / Back To The Future / Diner / Funhouse / Pool Sharks / Radical ! / Riverboat Gambler / Rollergames / The Bally Game Show / Whirlwind...

I love this era.

 

[k88dad]

I can narrow it down to the range of 1979-81. Paragon and Eight Ball Deluxe are the pillars of my pinball world. I love the better wide body machines. The innovations in sound, lighting, locks, voice synthesis, multiple playfields... pinball was very different after those three years. Gorgar didn't have lane change with the flipper, but Firepower did.

 

[Extork]

It's too hard to pick just one year! Here ya go dedpol, whatever year Mousin Around came out lol.

 

[Dedpop]

It's too hard to pick just one year! Here ya go dedpol, whatever year Mousin Around came out lol.

Almost all of my favourite tables were made during this specific period !

 

[karl]

Two years:

1981: The last big splash of the old days before it started to go a bit downhill for a while
10 great machines from 1981: Flash Gordon, Eight ball Deluxe, Centaur, Fathom, Medusa, Embryon, Elektra, Black Hole, Solar Fire, Barracora

1993: The last big splash nr. 2. In 1993 pinball was still king. Sales numbers was rapidly falling after 1993, but in 93 it was (especially at Williams) "go wild, boys" to the designers, and it shows
10 great machines from 1993: Twilight Zone, Judge Dredd, Indiana Jones, White Water, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tales From The Crypt, Jurassic Park, Rocky And Bullwinkle, Last Action Hero (ok, I have never played those last two, but still)

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

1993-1995.

 

[dave950lam]

I'd go with 1976-78. I think the first SS tables came out: Evel Knievel, Eight Ball, Night Rider (Not the one you're thinking of - no 'K'). These pins blazed the trail for the next few years of big blockbuster, celeb loaded tables that came out.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

1994 or 1995.

 

[workshed]

2013. WOZ was released and gave pinball hope that more than one manufacturer could exist in the modern day. Stern Star Trek was released in the same year. Obviously it didn't produce the best pins ever made (a subjective thing at best,) but in the greater scheme I think it really was important for the continuation of the hobby.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I'd go with 1976-78. I think the first SS tables came out: Evel Knievel, Eight Ball, Night Rider (Not the one you're thinking of - no 'K'). These pins blazed the trail for the next few years of big blockbuster, celeb loaded tables that came out.

Yep. I would pick this era not because of specific titles, but because Pinball itself was the king up until then and hasn't been since. It truly was the end of the golden age of pinball, and it's been forced to play 2nd fiddle to video games ever since.

 

[Snorzel]

I'd go with 1976-78.

I agree. I love all eras of pinball. Its so great to see the progression. But, these 3 years had great releases. Sadly, it seems most of the Bally, Gottlieb, and Williams tables from this era will not be in tpa. Hopefully ASK can acquire licences for the likes of Recel, Interflip, Atari, Segasa, Playmatic etc...




Great topic

 

[jaredmorgs]

2013. WOZ was released and gave pinball hope that more than one manufacturer could exist in the modern day. Stern Star Trek was released in the same year. Obviously it didn't produce the best pins ever made (a subjective thing at best,) but in the greater scheme I think it really was important for the continuation of the hobby.

I'm glad someone identified the 2012 resurgence. This is a rather critical milestone for a certain game with Four Seasons under its belt as well.

As people got to relive their passion on mobile and consoles for the first time ever (Visual Pinball being beholden to Visual Basic and therefore Windows), physical table sales spiked, as Gary Stern publicly acknowledges.

Pinball got back into the Zeitgeist. This made people want to make pinball great again. With 10+ years of technological advancement since Williams closed its doors in 1999, and a hungry home collector market fanging for unique, bespoke games, this is the time I want to remember.

They are making the classics of tomorrow. Remember now.

 

[karl]

I agree that other years have been more important to pinball in general than the years I came up with. My choices was purely based upon what year I personally think was the highlight in terms of the quantity of great titles being released.

If you think about it, my choices could also be the worst years, since history shows that down-spirals for the industry started right after them.

I agree that 1977 and 2012 was really important years. 77 for pinball going ss and 2012 was a very special year indeed and probably wins it for me. AC/DC became the first big seller for Stern in many years, Jersey Jack showed the way for other companies to step out into the light, TPA also did a lot for pinball this year getting more people into the lure of the silver-ball.
2012 was also the year many of us on this forum started to buy pinball machines (and we were not alone)

 

[invitro]

1993 is the best, but any year from the true Golden Age of Pinball, 1992-1996, will do. It was wonderful to be a pinball player back then.

I suppose the Silver Age, 1976-1981, would've been very exciting to experience.

 

[Rayder]

I guess it would be the '80's for me. That's when I was a teenager and hitting up all the arcades......remember those......arcades.......I don't even know of any in my area anymore. It was also when arcades had more pinball machines (or at least as many) as they did video games.

While I would play video games in arcades too, I've always judged arcades based on how many pinball machines they had. That's where I spent most of my time, playing the pins.

 

[foxystyle]

90s

There were many pinballs from 80s and 90s available to play and there were more machines everywhere. I didn't see any non DMD pin since years.

I'd say 1995

 

[wolfson]

every year a pinball table was produced,love them all !!! but if i had to pick it would be 1969 to 1979.

 

[David T. Melnick]

I guess it would be the '80's for me. That's when I was a teenager and hitting up all the arcades......remember those......arcades.......I don't even know of any in my area anymore. It was also when arcades had more pinball machines (or at least as many) as they did video games.

While I would play video games in arcades too, I've always judged arcades based on how many pinball machines they had. That's where I spent most of my time, playing the pins.

---
Late 70s thru early 80s for me.