# What’s the best pinball machine you ever played? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720 "2006-02-16T00:14:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/1 "2006-02-16T00:14:34Z")
For me it was Xenon. Ah, Xenon. The only decent pin in the small arcade on my college campus. But what a pin! What’s the best kind of study break? Sex. What’s the second best? Virtual sex. And that’s what Xenon provided. I finally had the game of games one afternoon. I racked up extra ball after extra ball. Targets falling like flies, hitting the ramps with almost perfect accuracy; it seemed that I could do no wrong. I had the high score with more than 20 freebies left to go. And then you know what? I got sick of playing! It was taking too long and there was no end in sight. Here I was with the most successful pinball game I had ever played, and I just wished I could get it over with. This was a lot like… sex! Oh, the bitter irony. But I love pinball. It‘s like the Myth of Sisyphus in the form of an interactive cartoon. Pinball, in other words, is just like life itself. And, like Sisyphus, we must be _happy_ as we play, even though we will inevitably lose, and the game be over. Until the next game… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/2 "2006-02-16T00:18:07Z")
Silver Ball Mania Playboy Flash Gordon Jurassic Park In that order. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/3 "2006-02-16T00:19:37Z")
Easy. [Addams Family](http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=20) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/4 "2006-02-16T00:20:31Z")
The Twilight Zone pinball: [http://www.appolo.com/collection/twilightzone/twilightzone.htm](http://www.appolo.com/collection/twilightzone/twilightzone.htm) Beating _The Power_ with the trippy magnetic flips was great! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/5 "2006-02-16T00:21:40Z")
From the late 70s, [Williams’ World Cup](http://www.gameroomwarehouse.com/pinball/world_cup_williams.html). Great sound effects. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/6 "2006-02-16T00:48:00Z")
There’s an old Bally (I think) game called Buckaroo. Straight up the middle, and well guarded by close bumpers, there was a rotating dial with the numbers one through seven, only two of which were open at any given time. If you could get any four numbers in a row (1-2-3-4, 3-4-5-6, etc.), you’d win a game. And, let’s say you has the 1-2-3-5-6-7 lighted, and then you finally managed to nail the 4 – POP! POP! POP! POP! Four games! ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/7 "2006-02-16T00:52:24Z")
Funhouse! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/8 "2006-02-16T00:59:30Z")
**High Speed!** Any pin that gets inspired by a real-life 100±MPH-cop-chase is good enough for me… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/9 "2006-02-16T01:00:21Z")
Two for me: [Gulfstream](http://www.pinballcollectorsresource.com/pcr_files/gulfstream-lrg.jpg) and [Fireball](http://www.pinballhispano.net/pinballworld/images_flyers/fireball_german_f.jpg) Gulfstream was very challenging, but playable – just a fun board Fireball however was a new breed: 3 balls in simultaneous play, a random spinning platform in the center of the open area made it difficult to know what would happen next, when three balls were in play the flippers would snap together to form a single but divided flipper at the bottom of the board – also I believe there was a thrid flipper near the top. This was one HARD and FUN game. I also liked [Lucy Ace](http://flyers.cdyn.com/CD1/pingames/williams/72dpi/lucky_ace-1974-f-1.jpg) for it’s open board and combination runs – you had to control that sucker–lot’s of external board play. There were others, but these were first in my heart, wallet, and class schedule. Honorable mention to [Bronco](http://www.zpinaddict.com/pballhtm/bronco.htm) It wasn’t great but it was in the basement of the dorm and supported 4 players (our group size) ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/10 "2006-02-16T01:02:24Z")
Elvira Scared Stiff and Monster Bash. The Elvira one was the one with [Spin the Spider](http://av.rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0Je5XmBzvNDaXUAN5.HBqMX;_ylu=X3oDMTBwanIybjRqBHBndANhdHdfaW1nX3Jlc3VsdARzZWMDc3I-/SIG=12dksba42/EXP=1140137985/**http%3a//www.robertwinter.com/pinball/ss/ebay/backglass.jpg) and I used to play it for hours at one of my favourite pubs. I recently got to play [Monster Bash](http://images.snapfish.com/346328734%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3238%3E382%3E695%3EWSNRCG%3D32334%3A64345%3A%3Cnu0mrj) again for the first time in years at the arcade in the Luxor. I wasn’t able to make any of the monsters do cool things like I used to, though. ☹ Recently I played a South Park one, and when I got multiball it seriously spat out like 15 balls! Now **that’s** multiball!!! ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/11 "2006-02-16T01:05:13Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Easy. > > [Addams Family](http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=20) YES! “The Ma-Mooshka!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/12 "2006-02-16T01:08:00Z")
A hearty second to **Fireball**! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/13 "2006-02-16T01:09:09Z")
Can’t say I remember much about the actual game, but the look of that [Nightmare on Elm Street](http://www.pinballhunter.com/ProdImg/gb_freddy_detail.jpg) pinball machine, stranded somewhere in Africa, was priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/14 "2006-02-16T01:17:12Z")
All-time? [Haunted House](http://www.geocities.com/system80pins/Hauntedhouse.html) More recently? Funhouse. “Hey, you with the face!” Honorable mention: Black Knight Gorgar Back to the Future Playboy ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/15 "2006-02-16T02:20:52Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > The Twilight Zone pinball: > > [http://www.appolo.com/collection/twilightzone/twilightzone.htm](http://www.appolo.com/collection/twilightzone/twilightzone.htm) > > Beating _The Power_ with the trippy magnetic flips was great! Yes indeedy. I loved all of the sound clips from that game. “This clock is worth millions.” ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/16 "2006-02-16T02:25:32Z")
No Tommy fans, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/17 "2006-02-16T02:34:15Z")
Pinball Wizard (the one with Elton John on the backboard) The Black Night [sigh] Those were the days [/sigh] ---
**Author:** ![Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ass_For_A_Hat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/18 "2006-02-16T02:46:02Z")
> [@Kaspar Hauser](#): > > Funhouse! That one gets my vote. “Stop running around!” ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/19 "2006-02-16T03:49:08Z")
> [@ddgryphon](#): > > I also liked [Lucy Ace](http://flyers.cdyn.com/CD1/pingames/williams/72dpi/lucky_ace-1974-f-1.jpg) Of course I meant Lucky Ace. I’m having a great day. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720/20 "2006-02-16T04:10:45Z")
Well, I’m a relative pinball youngster, I think. However, it’s always the one type of game in an arcade that I’ll be interested in playing. I blame my dad. My favorite was [Medieval Madness](http://www.pinball.com/games/medieval/), which was set up in the local dollar theater for awhile. I recall going to the theater just to play that game, which was unheard of for me! Then, the bastards that owned it moved it to a pool house/bar. I’ve never seen it again. Stupid drinking age! I just wanted to play pinball! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-best-pinball-machine-you-ever-played/344720.md?page=2)