Are Data east machines such a bad choice ? or is it simply that bally / Williams are better ? but ££ for ££ data east do there thing at a ricing point ?
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Data east machines good or bad or ugly ?
- Thread starter lmtc
- Start date
They are certainly not shîte. I always found the sound to be the problem. They always seem to have one call out/effect that plays endlessly. Last Action Hero and Lethal Weapon are particularly bad for this although they are decent playing games.
The rulesets always seemed a bit simpler too.
The rulesets always seemed a bit simpler too.
Love data east games. They are what they are. Just look at my profile pic. The art work is simply sublime 
Not to be sniffed at, there are some really great games in the stable.
Rocky & Bul
Back to the Future
Batman
Guns n Roses
Hook
Jurassic
Laser War
LW3
Phantom
Robocop
Star Trek
Star Wars
Tales
Tommy
Time Machine
Torpedo Alley
WWF
Rocky & Bul
Back to the Future
Batman
Guns n Roses
Hook
Jurassic
Laser War
LW3
Phantom
Robocop
Star Trek
Star Wars
Tales
Tommy
Time Machine
Torpedo Alley
WWF
Any Pinball is better than no pinball
DE games are just slightly cheaper pieces of engineering compared to Bally Williams games. Everything about them (other than stereo sound) is just a bit inferior to Bally Williams.
When they are side by side it is pretty obvious really.
There are some good de games around. So don't be put off. If there is a de game you like playing, give it a go
Remember that de survived _ now called stern. Whereas the more expensive Bally Williams went out of business
DE games are just slightly cheaper pieces of engineering compared to Bally Williams games. Everything about them (other than stereo sound) is just a bit inferior to Bally Williams.
When they are side by side it is pretty obvious really.
There are some good de games around. So don't be put off. If there is a de game you like playing, give it a go
Remember that de survived _ now called stern. Whereas the more expensive Bally Williams went out of business
Williams didn't actually go out of business, they just stopped making pinball machines, slot machines were more lucrative for them. Got taken over by Scientific Games in 2013.
I like them and a big plus is Chads code updates - Hook 5 is great.
http://www.pinballcode.com/
http://www.pinballcode.com/
Some good, some not so good. Currently cheaper than most WMS games but they've shot up in the last 18 months. Same with Sega's. Some people also like Gottleib's.
There is a general perception of WMS>DE>Sega>Gott but there are always exceptions to this.
Also with DE the prices might be misleading. GnR is way more sort after than their other titles but I'd dispute it was a far better game. (You could always try buying a King Kong if you are seriously rich
)
LW3 is probably still the easiest DE to track down. Not an awful game and is relatively cheap due to the amount of them in the UK.
There is a general perception of WMS>DE>Sega>Gott but there are always exceptions to this.
Also with DE the prices might be misleading. GnR is way more sort after than their other titles but I'd dispute it was a far better game. (You could always try buying a King Kong if you are seriously rich
)LW3 is probably still the easiest DE to track down. Not an awful game and is relatively cheap due to the amount of them in the UK.
data easts are both good, bad and ugly. They are the ancestors of Sega and then the modern Sterns.
Data East was started by Gary Stern, doncha know.
Don't believe the bad rep, there's plenty of fun to be had on most pins.
Data East was started by Gary Stern, doncha know.
Don't believe the bad rep, there's plenty of fun to be had on most pins.
D
Deleted member 2463
I have Star Trek data east and it's a great game - yes the sound is a bit iffy but good game.
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Weird isn't it, I generally like DE games (hated them when I was 1st in the hobby) but TFTC is probably my least liked DE game.
The thing that really changed DE games was Pinsound boards as they totally change the poor (migraine inducing) music quality. Chads new roms help a lot as well. I have my top 5 DE line up which are....
Guns N Roses - with Pinsound, probably the best DE game made.
Last Action Hero - had Pinsound board in but I took it out as I love the crap original sounds, if you know the movie well it all makes sense. So much on this game.
Tommy - Again, wasn't on the radar before Pinsound, totally changes the feel of the game.
Jurassic Park - not complicated, take your brain out and enjoy
Star Wars - always enjoyed it but the original John Williams music on Pinsound makes it now
The thing that really changed DE games was Pinsound boards as they totally change the poor (migraine inducing) music quality. Chads new roms help a lot as well. I have my top 5 DE line up which are....
Guns N Roses - with Pinsound, probably the best DE game made.
Last Action Hero - had Pinsound board in but I took it out as I love the crap original sounds, if you know the movie well it all makes sense. So much on this game.
Tommy - Again, wasn't on the radar before Pinsound, totally changes the feel of the game.
Jurassic Park - not complicated, take your brain out and enjoy
Star Wars - always enjoyed it but the original John Williams music on Pinsound makes it now
Some of the earlier DE games have fantastic sound....Torpedo Alley, Robocop and Time Machine being good examples 
I love my tmnt machine
Some of the earlier DE games have fantastic sound....Torpedo Alley, Robocop and Time Machine being good examples
Phantom of the Opera has fantastic sound and music! Oh and it's also one that those who say Data East artwork is cheap should have a look at too!!!
Turtles plays nice and I'm an 80s child so I played with the toys as a kid and the game is simple to learn but easy to have a bad game .
I'm surprised their is not a masters of the universe machine.
I'm surprised their is not a masters of the universe machine.
Yeah I'd have one of those for sure. Never played one thoughPhantom of the Opera has fantastic sound and music! Oh and it's also one that those who say Data East artwork is cheap should have a look at too!!!
Always fancied a DE Freddy years ago, loved playing on it in the 90's
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Royal Rumble rocks!!
Oooooohhhhhhh yyyyeeeeeeeaaaahhh!!
Oooooohhhhhhh yyyyeeeeeeeaaaahhh!!
Lol, I always had it down as a DE....Well.. it's a gottlieb but let's not get hung up on the details
Not seen one for years!!Not much gets past you guys..
So i guess its the Marmite kinda thing in the pinball world.
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Certainly there are folk who make sweeping statements .....'DE games suck' etc ... but that's frankly ridiculous if you are a pinball fan, there are good and bad DE games, just as there are good and bad Bally Williams games.
Now Gottlieb DMD games .......they do suck
I
I think some of the early 90's DE games like Star Wars and Jurassic Park are among the best if you're looking for a game to give you a good fast blast with a smile on your face, though they maybe don't have the deepest of rulesets.
Rocky and Bulwinkle is pretty good fun too!
I think some of the early 90's DE games like Star Wars and Jurassic Park are among the best if you're looking for a game to give you a good fast blast with a smile on your face, though they maybe don't have the deepest of rulesets.
Rocky and Bulwinkle is pretty good fun too!
In the cold light of 2017 there is less to compare between them all - all the machines need TLC now, and the vast majority of the games people have are not at all new and shiny - and they're in your home, not an arcade (well, most of the time.)
Nowadays I am just as likely to get a Data East as a Williams, and most likely of all to pick up a Gottlieb, but these are the words of a pinball fan buying for him home, not an arcade goer!
Back then, Gottliebs and DE/Sega games looked a bit ropey, comparing the latest releases from them against the latest releases from Williams/Bally - if you were in an arcade, do you shove your 10ps into Twilight Zone, Roadshow, Attack from Mars... or Frankenstein, Cue Ball Wizard or Rescue 911? I'm a massive Gottlieb fan but even I have to admit that in the original time when these things came out, I know what I would have played... indeed, I was rarely given the choice to play anything but Williams/Bally on UK shores.
In fact the only time I remember ignoring a Williams game to play a Sega game, was because I thought Apollo 13 was completely hilarious with its dumb multiball!
Nowadays I am just as likely to get a Data East as a Williams, and most likely of all to pick up a Gottlieb, but these are the words of a pinball fan buying for him home, not an arcade goer!
Back then, Gottliebs and DE/Sega games looked a bit ropey, comparing the latest releases from them against the latest releases from Williams/Bally - if you were in an arcade, do you shove your 10ps into Twilight Zone, Roadshow, Attack from Mars... or Frankenstein, Cue Ball Wizard or Rescue 911? I'm a massive Gottlieb fan but even I have to admit that in the original time when these things came out, I know what I would have played... indeed, I was rarely given the choice to play anything but Williams/Bally on UK shores.
In fact the only time I remember ignoring a Williams game to play a Sega game, was because I thought Apollo 13 was completely hilarious with its dumb multiball!
