The Simpsons Pinball Party
board layout | More Pictures
Free Game at 4,000,000
Current High Score
This is the first pinball machine I've played from the company Stern. In keeping with its comic-book theme, it is a cacophony of primary and secondary colors and is very busy. You'd have to be busy to get in references to as many characters as the inspiring TV show has. I had serious misgivings about this machine being too crowded, but those quickly melted away when I started playing. A great deal of the busy-ness comes from the painting of the playing field. It has a lot of cartoon-flames painted on it, which in actuality are helpful trajectories for aiming the ball. As per the rules, I haven't looked up any instructions for this game and don't really know what I'm doing. Since I haven't discovered the best way to score points, I didn't win my free game.
The Simpsons theme provides a lot of material for this table. I'm sure a lot of great ideas never made it out of the creator's sketchbook. Ultimately, The Comic-Book Guy and Otto the Bus Driver are over-represented while Lisa and Marge are underrepresented. Unfortunately, all of the material they had to include means that there wasn't a way to tell a simple, cohesive story. I think the goal is to get through the garage into the living room, but of all the crazy things the Simpsons have done over the years, coming home to watch TV is pretty mundane. I feel they really missed out by not bringing Mr. Burns in as the bad guy. It would have provided some much-needed Conflict and villany and created a story. I still have my fingers crossed that one of the Multiball modes will begin with him saying "Release the hounds".
Playing Tip:
So far I've scored the most points when I've gotten the ball into the upper-deck playing field, the Living Room. There's a bumper between the two useless looking flippers in the living room, which give you a decent chance of getting something good once you get up there. And having Homer's head rotate so you know you the ball will come out there is great. Next session my plan is to figure out a way to consistently get into the living room. There is an extra-flipper on the right-hand side of the machine which may be useful for that, but I've had the most luck simply bashing the garage a bunch of times.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Funhouse
Funhouse
Board layout | Detail Pictures
Free game at 5,100,000
Current High Score: 23,531,190 (JCN)
50 cents for one game, 75 cents for two games, and $1.00 for three games
The idea for this quest began with Funhouse. When I was growing up, the arcade near my house had Funhouse. I generally played "Twister" instead, for a lot of reasons. First, Funhouse eats your quarters pretty quickly if you don't know where the ball is coming out of next. Second, the rules are more complicated than you'd expect. Finally, and worst of all, it has a little plastic midget's head stuck inside the machine to taunt you.
Funhouse is one of the pinball games that was digitized for the Wii game "Pinball Hall Of Fame - The Williams Collection". My wife and I played through the Wii game, and managed to "unlock" most of the goals. We had a great time playing it, and so did our friends. So we gave copies of PHoF to my brother and dad for their birthdays. When my dad came to town a few weeks ago, my wife and I took him to Pinball Pete's and played several games of Funhouse. The version of Funhouse in PHoF comes with 82 pages of instructions, so we knew exactly what we were doing. Sure, sure, you're thinking, "The Rules say you're not allowed to read more than the card posted on the machine". Unfortunately, I already knew the objectives before making The Rules, and can't un-remember them.
The most intriguing part of Funhouse is Rudy, the mechanical head. He can't decide if he's on your side. Sometimes it's "You Can Have it Back" and "Have Yourself a Hot Dog", but other times it's "Stay AWAY From the Clock" and "That Was No Accident". When you're doing poorly he's all peaches and cream, but the minute you get to 11:30 he doesn't want to cooperate and simply won't go to bed. Even though it creeps me out that they embedded an uppity midget (dwarf? Can't see his fingers) in a pinball machine, I like the reasons that they did it. The funhouse theme is well tied together through the hot dog targets, the bright colors, the "mechanical man", and the trap-door. Once you figure out what the table wants you to do, Rudy's chatter turns from heckling to advice on what you should be shooting for next.
Because I had read the rules and played the Wii version, I beat Funhouse on the third game with a score of 7,222,690. You need to progress the clock to score the Big Points, so over half of those were scored on the final ball.
Here is an interview with Pat Lawlor who helped design Funhouse.
Playing Tip:
The key to not losing at Funhouse is to remember that when you hit the ball into the Wind Tunnel, it will come out of the Gangway. Evil. The key to winning at Funhouse is to Understand The Clock. Most things will advance the clock a small amount, but once you're at 11:30 you need to go directly up the Hidden Hallway to advance it farther. And the Hidden Hallway can't be easily hit with the right flipper. To give yourself the best shot at it, you can use the right-flipper to get up the center ramp, which sends the ball around to the left flipper where you need it.
Board layout | Detail Pictures
Free game at 5,100,000
Current High Score: 23,531,190 (JCN)
50 cents for one game, 75 cents for two games, and $1.00 for three games
The idea for this quest began with Funhouse. When I was growing up, the arcade near my house had Funhouse. I generally played "Twister" instead, for a lot of reasons. First, Funhouse eats your quarters pretty quickly if you don't know where the ball is coming out of next. Second, the rules are more complicated than you'd expect. Finally, and worst of all, it has a little plastic midget's head stuck inside the machine to taunt you.
Funhouse is one of the pinball games that was digitized for the Wii game "Pinball Hall Of Fame - The Williams Collection". My wife and I played through the Wii game, and managed to "unlock" most of the goals. We had a great time playing it, and so did our friends. So we gave copies of PHoF to my brother and dad for their birthdays. When my dad came to town a few weeks ago, my wife and I took him to Pinball Pete's and played several games of Funhouse. The version of Funhouse in PHoF comes with 82 pages of instructions, so we knew exactly what we were doing. Sure, sure, you're thinking, "The Rules say you're not allowed to read more than the card posted on the machine". Unfortunately, I already knew the objectives before making The Rules, and can't un-remember them.
The most intriguing part of Funhouse is Rudy, the mechanical head. He can't decide if he's on your side. Sometimes it's "You Can Have it Back" and "Have Yourself a Hot Dog", but other times it's "Stay AWAY From the Clock" and "That Was No Accident". When you're doing poorly he's all peaches and cream, but the minute you get to 11:30 he doesn't want to cooperate and simply won't go to bed. Even though it creeps me out that they embedded an uppity midget (dwarf? Can't see his fingers) in a pinball machine, I like the reasons that they did it. The funhouse theme is well tied together through the hot dog targets, the bright colors, the "mechanical man", and the trap-door. Once you figure out what the table wants you to do, Rudy's chatter turns from heckling to advice on what you should be shooting for next.
Because I had read the rules and played the Wii version, I beat Funhouse on the third game with a score of 7,222,690. You need to progress the clock to score the Big Points, so over half of those were scored on the final ball.
Here is an interview with Pat Lawlor who helped design Funhouse.
Playing Tip:
The key to not losing at Funhouse is to remember that when you hit the ball into the Wind Tunnel, it will come out of the Gangway. Evil. The key to winning at Funhouse is to Understand The Clock. Most things will advance the clock a small amount, but once you're at 11:30 you need to go directly up the Hidden Hallway to advance it farther. And the Hidden Hallway can't be easily hit with the right flipper. To give yourself the best shot at it, you can use the right-flipper to get up the center ramp, which sends the ball around to the left flipper where you need it.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Welcome to Fistful of Quarters!
The South Pole. Mount Everest. The Moon. Pinball Pete's. History is full of men who dreamed large dreams, because they could. I have such a dream. Less than three miles from me there is an arcade called "Pinball Pete's" which is full of pinball machines I have not yet beaten. Sixteen machines, in fact. This blog will record my triumphs and failures as I set out to win a free game from each of these machines.
First, the rules. A) The free game must be won by points alone; special-when-lit and matches don't count. B) I can not look up the rules or tips on the internet; but I can read the instruction card which is on display at the machine. C) I must spend at least $4.00 a week on the goal. This shouldn't be hard, most of the games have a price break so $2.00 will give you five games. D) I must record if the free game was given during an Extra Ball; in case I want to go back and win without the extra ball. E) If one of the machines is traded out before I beat it, then I can play its replacement; if a machine is removed but not replaced then I must beat a machine at a different location (i.e. local movie theater) so that the final total is sixteen. F) The machines can be played in any order, but Star Wars Episode I is last. SWI was the final game produced by Williams.
Second, the machines:
Simpsons Pinball Party
Funhouse
Pirates of the Caribeen
Medeival Madness
South Park
Star Trek the Next Generation
Lord of the Rings
Elvis
Star Wars Episode I
Spiderman
Attack From Mars
Scared Stiff Hosted by Elvira
Theater of Magic
Nascar
Monster Bash
Guns & Roses
Addams' Family
Austin Powers
Third, the estimates. On average, I estimate each machine will take three sessions to beat ($2.00 x 5 games x 2 rounds per session = $4 and 10 games per session; $4 x 3 sessions = $12 per machine; $12/machine x 16 machines = around $192). A large part of the fun (and cost) will be learning what targets and combos score big points, and what bumpers will send the ball down the drain without letting me get a flipper on it. At three weeks per machine, I should finish within 48 weeks. I've spent a decent amount of time playing three of the machines (Funhouse, Medieval Madness, and Attack From Mars), and consquently should be able to finish them in one session each. The cost of parking or taking my wife out to dinner at one of the restaurants near the arcade before a session will be omitted from this blog. I'll probably end up playing on Sundays, (fewer undergraduates jaywalking, free meter parking) and the blog will be written on Sunday/Monday and updated every Tuesday.
May The Multiplier Be With you,
Mark
First, the rules. A) The free game must be won by points alone; special-when-lit and matches don't count. B) I can not look up the rules or tips on the internet; but I can read the instruction card which is on display at the machine. C) I must spend at least $4.00 a week on the goal. This shouldn't be hard, most of the games have a price break so $2.00 will give you five games. D) I must record if the free game was given during an Extra Ball; in case I want to go back and win without the extra ball. E) If one of the machines is traded out before I beat it, then I can play its replacement; if a machine is removed but not replaced then I must beat a machine at a different location (i.e. local movie theater) so that the final total is sixteen. F) The machines can be played in any order, but Star Wars Episode I is last. SWI was the final game produced by Williams.
Second, the machines:
Simpsons Pinball Party
Funhouse
Pirates of the Caribeen
Medeival Madness
South Park
Star Trek the Next Generation
Lord of the Rings
Elvis
Star Wars Episode I
Spiderman
Attack From Mars
Scared Stiff Hosted by Elvira
Theater of Magic
Nascar
Monster Bash
Guns & Roses
Addams' Family
Austin Powers
Third, the estimates. On average, I estimate each machine will take three sessions to beat ($2.00 x 5 games x 2 rounds per session = $4 and 10 games per session; $4 x 3 sessions = $12 per machine; $12/machine x 16 machines = around $192). A large part of the fun (and cost) will be learning what targets and combos score big points, and what bumpers will send the ball down the drain without letting me get a flipper on it. At three weeks per machine, I should finish within 48 weeks. I've spent a decent amount of time playing three of the machines (Funhouse, Medieval Madness, and Attack From Mars), and consquently should be able to finish them in one session each. The cost of parking or taking my wife out to dinner at one of the restaurants near the arcade before a session will be omitted from this blog. I'll probably end up playing on Sundays, (fewer undergraduates jaywalking, free meter parking) and the blog will be written on Sunday/Monday and updated every Tuesday.
May The Multiplier Be With you,
Mark
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