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Hardest and easiest pins you’ve ever played.

SteadyP

SteadyP

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Hi guys, looking to buy my first pin and thought it would be nice to hear everyone’s thoughts on the hardest and easiest games they’ve played- By hardest I sort of mean overly challenging for a casual player and very short ball time. By easiest, kind of mean anything that you can beat too fast, long ball time or scoring rules are too generous/ broken. Thanks, Peter.
 
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Well...... I’ve been playing for ten years now and I’m arguably as **** as I was when I started. Most early 90’s Bally Williams are achievable to get wizard modes or complete.
Anything stern, JJP in my opinion are complete dream land to get anywhere near completing. (For my ability)
I’ve owned iron maiden and WOZ. Very deep challenging rules, the likes of which I would never see the end of as long as my **** points south.
So it depends on how good you are. There are plenty of folks on here who can explore the whole code and love these games. Me?........ well my fave games are taxi 🚕 and whirlwind or anything pre dmd really. As long as it’s fun for you get that’s the main thing.
 
Hello Peter, I am not sure if there is really such a thing.

You can move outposts on most games to close up the outlanes..... but they are designed (always have been) to take money off you.

In the menus you can set it to play more balls per game (default is 3 - I usually have 5 as I am rubbish - I play simply for fun...)

The same menus also have bonus/special and extra ball settings - these can be lowered to make it easier.

Modern sterns let you load presets from extra easy to extra hard.....
 
Jackbot was the hardest and certainly most frustrating.

Theatre of Magic is a very forgiving but immensely fun game.

Disclaimer: I've played less games than most and I'm a very low standard player.
 
Depends what you mean - easy to see what to do and do it or drain monster.
The earlier games are easier, generally, to see what you should be doing to progress.
Flintstones or HS2 are easier to fully understand the rules than something like TSPP or for example

Things can me made easier to achieve in the settings if you want - more balls, more forgiving ball saves, less hits to get something lit.

How physically difficult a game is is partly down to condition and setup (posts, slope, wax etc)

Iron man is a right b*stard all the time though
 
Hi Peter
I have 7 pins in my line up and everyone have been setup to easy with 4 ball play, all my friends that play are not pinball wizards so to make the pins more enjoyable for everyone, I have set them up to be fun and make the games last longer.
I did have AC DC in the line up, it just wasn’t getting played although it was a beautiful looking machine It was just to hard to play So that went and was replaced with The Munsters which is played by everyone.
friend of mine has just bought a Getaway (His first pin) has a easy rule set, he plays it most days and is on the hunt for a second pinball all ready.
Harder the rule set the harder the game I think.
My Twilight Zone it’s all or nothing one game I get 50 million and then yesterday I get 1.3 Billion.
that’s pinball for you.

Alan
 
F14 is hard to heat in terms of being an utter ******* for short ball times. Not sure I’d call that fun though.

on the other end of the spectrum it’s possible to grind away for hours on POTC. Back hand it into the chest. Trap the ball. Back hand it into the chest. Repeat... again not sure if there is any fun element there.
 
Easiest and most boring: TOM

Hardest: In terms of geometry, BSD with lightning flippers. It's also conversely one of the easiest as the rules and callouts are very clear and obvious. You always know what you should be doing next.

Hardest: In terms of knowing what the heck you're supposed to do must be a tie between TWD and TSPP.
 
Pick Holder said:
Hello Peter, I am not sure if there is really such a thing.

You can move outposts on most games to close up the outlanes..... but they are designed (always have been) to take money off you.

In the menus you can set it to play more balls per game (default is 3 - I usually have 5 as I am rubbish - I play simply for fun...)

The same menus also have bonus/special and extra ball settings - these can be lowered to make it easier.

Modern sterns let you load presets from extra easy to extra hard.....
Click to expand...
I’m looking at getting a Stern from say 2000- 2007 based on my budget. Can you adjust settings on these

Monopoly
RCT
NASCAR/ Grandprix
Big Buck Hunter

Anybody know which from these are could be the hardest to maintain? Was checking out pinside and seemed to get the impression that NASCAR is prone to air balls and safety car drop target mech cam need dialled in to stop it spitting ball out SDTM. I like BBH too but would the moving Buck not get wrecked pretty quickly?

Thanks to anyone in the know and for all of your comments chaps
 
Don’t worry about maintenance mate. They all break. Granted some titles are finickity to get dialled in like WOZ was a pain in the **** and things like sttng and roadshow with Eddie sensors can be fiddly but they all need a tweak every now and then.
And from your list I’d go NASCAR. Great fun game.
 
Rob zombie said:
I doubt it will be as straightforward as saying "I'd like a NASCAR, I'll get a NASCAR". I've never seen one for sale.
Click to expand...
I had the pleasure of selling mine years ago when it was less than a year old. At the time it cost me more that a MM back then!!!!!
Never clicked with that game personally but what I would say to the orginal poster is go and play some!!!!!
 
SteadyP said:
I’m looking at getting a Stern from say 2000- 2007 based on my budget. Can you adjust settings on these

Monopoly
RCT
NASCAR/ Grandprix
Big Buck Hunter

Anybody know which from these are could be the hardest to maintain? Was checking out pinside and seemed to get the impression that NASCAR is prone to air balls and safety car drop target mech cam need dialled in to stop it spitting ball out SDTM. I like BBH too but would the moving Buck not get wrecked pretty quickly?

Thanks to anyone in the know and for all of your comments chaps
Click to expand...
You are reading way too much into it.
Buy yourself a pinball, play it enjoy it, then once you have had your fill sell and buy yourself another.
 
The "easiest" game I ever played was easy, easy, easy by easy pinball a really easy game. The "hardest" game I ever played was by brick, clunk, drain, stdm by brick, clunk, drain, sdtm pinball a really hard game.
 
Rob zombie said:
I doubt it will be as straightforward as saying "I'd like a NASCAR, I'll get a NASCAR". I've never seen one for sale.
Click to expand...
I get what you’re saying- been lurking on here for years and seldom seen many of the pins I’m interested in. Appreciate there’s not that much love for some of these games but you’ve got to start somewhere and I’d much rather buy from the forum than elsewhere.
 
But if there is only one or two in the country and they are with collectors, it may never come up for sale.

Ive only seen one ever in the UK.
 
I’m trying not to be overly picky but some Stern pins post 2000 just don’t do it for me theme wise; and others I just can’t afford due to popular theme / better gameplay. Hopefully something interesting turns up soon- a couple of members have got in touch about machines on my wish list that might become available soon so am just keeping my ear to the ground and fingers crossed.
 
SteadyP said:
I’m looking at getting a Stern from say 2000- 2007 based on my budget. Can you adjust settings on these

Monopoly
RCT
NASCAR/ Grandprix
Big Buck Hunter

Anybody know which from these are could be the hardest to maintain? Was checking out pinside and seemed to get the impression that NASCAR is prone to air balls and safety car drop target mech cam need dialled in to stop it spitting ball out SDTM. I like BBH too but would the moving Buck not get wrecked pretty quickly?

Thanks to anyone in the know and for all of your comments chaps
Click to expand...
I owned a NASCAR.

PROS:
It is a great pin and has some depth to it.
The theme keeps it from being more popular which keeps the price down although it's been creeping up lately.
I can tell you that mine never had issues with air balls.

CONS
The safety car mech drove me absolutely nuts. I think I had the mech out of the pin more than I had it in.
Parts are difficult to find, especially ramps which makes up 1/4th of this game.

Some people don't like the artwork, and I can say it wasn't my favourite but it definiely isn't the worst I've ever seen. I sold it to purchase a White Water, but I would like to get it back someday.
 
AC/DC is a tough nut to crack, especially with the right out-lane obscured by the cannon....
Tron, is tough also..... Portal for me...... forget about it.
I find BM66 quite easy......
 
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