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i want a pinball but clueless & confused

L

lmtc

Registered
Joined
Aug 24, 2017
Messages
218
Location
Norfolk ,near hemsby.
Hi everyone i am looking to buy a pinball for the first time but have now spent so much time looking ive confused myself , opps ,
so i found a couple of machines i like the visual look of but have no clue as to if there good game or a proven reliable brand . the game is HOOK and the other one is FISH TALES everyone thoughts are most welcome.

Aso how much should i expect to pay for reasonable examples ,im not rich so need to be carfull.

Thanks in advance
 
HOOK - not the best game really.

Fish Tales - all time classic.

Seems like they are around £1500 - £2000 this year. Condition is everything and that will determine price.
 
Hook is better than Fishtales;) Pirates vs fishing. Which is more exciting?

Goes to show that everyone has different tastes.

If possible try playing before buying a game. You have the London & SE league and the London Pinball league. Both of which will give you a chance to try a range of different machines before you decide which one you like. Whereabouts in London are you?

I'd avoid the Hook on Gumtree at the moment. It's in shocking condition and is being sold under the old "probably just a fuse" ploy. It's also at least £500 overpriced.

However, on a positive don't be too worried about buying something and then finding the game isn't exactly the one for you. It's not a lifetime commitment. If you pay a sensible price then you should be able to sell on for a similar amount. Even if you buy you ideal game you will get bored of it eventually and want to trade it
 
I've never played Hook but Fishtails is a brilliant game, will definitely buy one at some point.
 
If you download pinball arcade app on a tablet then you can get a feel for a few different types and styles of game.
Budget is everything though.
If you have between 900-1500£ then you have some good machine available...late 80's to 90's machines. 2k£ upwards gives a very good selection

Post a wanted add in the for sale and see what comes out the woodwork. Machine sales are slow at the moment so there are some good deals about.

Try and keep off eBay as it's a minefield for the uninitiated and to be honest there is rarely a good deal to be had nowadays. The forum here tends to keep the machines within the forum so most have been looked after and maintained pretty well. Also, the machines here are traded so the prices stay a little more realistic.

Never heard many people enquire about wanting a Hook. Fish tales is always popular and it's usually easier to resell in the future, much wider market, but then again, you will pay more at the start....
Good luck
 
I would go with fish tales also.

I owned a Hook for a while, good game (deeper than it first looks also) but I think there is more to bring you back with Fish tales.
Only played fish tales at the local bowling alley but it was a great game.
 
Generally Bally/Williams games are more sort after than Data East games and you will pay a premium for this reason alone.
Saying that most DE games are good value for money and are a good way to get onto the pinball ladder.

I personally would pay a bit extra and go for Fish Tales if given the choice out of the two games.

But I am sure once you start with one game, before you know it you will be looking for the next one.

Price wise I am guessing around £1100 for a good Hook and around £1700 give or take for a good FT

Good luck with it and let us know how you get on @lmtc
 
From one more angle, there isn't that much to go wrong he n a fish tales in comparison to other games, I had it as my first machine and it was a great starter pin!

It's also pretty easy to get parts for FT as with most DMD Williams games.

Good luck and would just say go for it!
 
There is a Fish Tales in the Brewdog bar in Shepherds Bush if you want to test it out.

I'm sure if you like it, the owner will consider letting it go to a good home. ;)
 
The Apollo 13 being sold on this forum is a good price and it's a good game to boot.

That being said the single biggest advice I can give you is - choose your game well by knowing what you like in pinball. The right game will keep you playing it for years, the wrong game will not get powered up.

Play as much pinball as you can in public venues - and give Pinball Arcade a try for sampling rulesets, callouts and themes. Once you've played enough different games, you'll have a feel for the kind of game you want - a lot of players like DMD games (games with a graphic display) and deeper rulesets, but some, like myself, can get huge mileage out of simpler games with alphanumeric displays only or just score counters, provided the shot layout provides a challenge and progressive scoring.

Once you can start saying 'I would like one of these four or five games, just gotta find one for a good price' you'll be well on your way!
 
lmtc said:
Hi everyone i am looking to buy a pinball for the first time but have now spent so much time looking ive confused myself , opps ,
so i found a couple of machines i like the visual look of but have no clue as to if there good game or a proven reliable brand . the game is HOOK and the other one is FISH TALES everyone thoughts are most welcome.

Aso how much should i expect to pay for reasonable examples ,im not rich so need to be carfull.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...



Personally don't like either game.But that's pins,o e mans turd is another mans gem.Best to try a few.Nlp is coming up,we will have o er 100pins so loads to try there,Tickets avail from www.ukpinball.com/twilightzone. If ya can't make that other smaller events later in the year.Tilt have a few pins in Birmingham about a dozen or so, plus nice beer.Also pins in the arcade club in Bury
 
Yep, there really is no accounting for taste in pinball. The important thing to remember is that these machines are/were ridiculously hard to make compared to a film or video game. In the days of cookie-cutter media that's easily made or is out to make a quick buck, pinball has never truly been either easily made, or a cheap revenue source for any manufacturer. Mass-producing a pinball game is a significant undertaking, more so than film or video games have ever been, never mind today!

Someone out there liked each game enough to see it through to completion, and production. Yes, there are games more commonly loved and more commonly hated, but I've heard from fans of all the games. Indeed I find myself defending games I like that are unpopular a lot - I can scarcely believe the ranking that Pinball Arcade players give to each table, for example.
 
also visit Chief Cafe who have a load of machines and then visit brew dog, they are close to each other.
 
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