shoot the ball work the flippers and
don’t tilt welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 pinball machines time is
running out the goal for this list we’re
ranking the most iconic and beloved
pinball machines from the glory days of
the arcade we won’t only be including
old-school machines however as pinball
games of all shapes and sizes will be
included here in this ramp jumping high
scoring trip down memory lane and you
open the trapdoor cross the void and
mentally force the sphere to obey your
commands number 10 pin bot
pinball was indeed all the rage during
the 1980s as evidenced by the popularity
of this first machine on our list the
mighty pin bot this one is basically a
game where the object is to send a shiny
silver ball around the circumference of
the solar system starting with Pluto
until finally ending up at the Sun pin
bot proved to be quite popular with
gamers at the time enough so that the
machine earned not one but two sequel
machines in the form of bride of pin bot
and jackpot number 9 Ripley’s Believe It
or Not inch time to visit Australia the
next pinball machine on our list is
based upon the classic Ripley’s Believe
It or Not franchise an American
institution whose dedication to
exhibiting the unknown and unbelievable
has inhabited radio television books and
even museums for over 80 years
tiny little aliens found in Chile
anything is possible
it wasn’t until 2004 when Ripley’s
turned its attention to pinball however
developing a machine with multiple
layers of play for both novice and
experienced players alike
break the magic code this balancing act
of skill levels made for a machine which
managed to earn a strong fan falling
despite debuting long after the pinball
boom of the 70s and 80s
number 8 The Addams Family
proving that pinball was still going
strong in the 90s this pinball machine
based on the 1991 big-screen adaptation
of the TV show The Addams Family is the
best-selling pinball machine of all time
and once again they’ve managed to create
a game unrivaled in terms of challenge
and innovation indeed over 20,000 units
of this spooky and altogether
ouki machine have been sold to arcades
and collectors over the years bringing
with them the added bonus of custom
audio delivered by the stars of the film
additionally the multiple high scoring
opportunities multi ball play and side
objectives ensure that no two games of
the Adams family will ever be quite the
same number seven fun house if creepy
dolls or dilapidated old carnivals give
you the creeps you might not want to
plunk down your quarters in this classic
pinball machine the goal is to shoot the
ball in his mouth and wake him up
funhouse debuted back in 1990 and served
as a fun throwback to the classic
carnival rides of old one unique aspect
of the gameplay however was the fact
that funhouse came equipped with its own
talking taunting marionette head named
Rudy Rudy was voiced by game developer
Edie Boone who is also known for
co-creating the equally classic portal
Kombat alongside John Tobias and serves
as an instigator of sorts taunting the
player and keeping track of high scores
oh and Rudy also stares creepily at your
ball as it makes a way across the board
drafting up nightmares for when you go
to sleep pleasant dreams
number six revenge from Mars 3d fans
flocked to the strobe lit multi ball and
dancing Martian action which dominated
the 1995 pinball hit attack for Mars but
the 1999 sequel did the og one better by
being the first to take advantage of the
Williams mm graphics system this
technology enabled video to be displayed
atop the mechanical playing field of the
machine including targets animation and
high scores although sadly it wouldn’t
be enough to save Williams from shutting
down its pinball division in 1999 after
the poor sales of the Star Wars Episode
one machine but hey at least it’s cool
to see Abe Lincoln go all mortal kombat
on a giant alien am i right
number five black night fans who haunted
their local arcade at the early days of
the pinball boom will likely remember
this 80s gem the first pinball machine
of its kind to feature a multi level
playing field and you gotta remember
this games from 1980 so it does play a
little bit slower at some of these games
from the 90s Black Knight also featured
vocal effects from the Knight himself
taunting the players as they navigated a
treacherous landscape of targets one
saving grace against the night however
was the debut of the Magnus save feature
which prevented pin balls from draining
down the outside lanes so long as the
player paid proper attention and
maintained control over the magnets on
either side of the machine there’s a lot
of games that have used this feature
sensing including today I think I think
ster has used that I’m not positive I
know Stern has done a lot with magnets
number 4 tales of the Arabian Nights the
tale of the great camel race
Williams’s tales of the Arabian Nights
provides a fun and fast-paced gaming
experience for players as they get ready
to take a magic carpet ride with this
90s pinball classic
the game debuted in 1996 and was the
first pinball machine to utilize magnets
in an offensive manner against the
player as a diverter which would
occasionally grab the ball and toss it
the players way at a moment’s notice it
was unexpected additions like these
which made tales of Arabian Nights a
standout pinball machine of its day
number three theater of magic
pinball may seem like a simple game to
some but this satisfyingly complex
machine bucks that trend by offering
multiple missions for the persistent
player theater of magic was a successful
machine line for Bally Midway back in
1995 thanks to its increasingly
challenging series of missions available
for players willing to sacrifice their
rolls of quarters
all of these missions involved trick
shots hitting specific bumpers and
lighting specific letters the completion
of which would lead players to the grand
finale as the ultimate theater of magic
master shoot for the magic trunk number
two black hole the runner-up pinball
machine on our list is another blast
from the early 80s past when pinball
culture was in the midst of a
renaissance among young eager gamers
black hole was not in fact based on the
1979 Disney film of the same name but
was cut from similar sci-fi cloth taking
the player through outer space and
Beyond in search of the ultimate high
score black hole was notable for a
number of other reasons however
including being the first pinball
machine to feature a lowered playing
field visible from the upper deck while
also being for a time the
highest-grossing pinball cabinet around
town before we reveal our top pick here
are a few honorable mentions
this is a gumball machine in the upper
left corner of this play field of the
future now
number one medieval madness fire
pinball fever returned in a big way back
in 1997 with the release of medieval
madness a classic Williams cabinet which
is remembered fondly by legions of
pinball wizards there’s a good reason
for this – as medieval madness not only
featured a ton of trick shots and
missions but even a legit musical score
and voice-over work from future 30 rock
star Tina Fey as one of the kidnapped
princesses are you ready to destroy the
castle can you navigate the motorized
drawbridge and avoid dropping that
silver ball into the moat if self and
you just might be ready for a little
medieval madness yourself
do you agree with our list which pinball
machines make you most eager to plop
down all your quarters for a few spins
for more nostalgic top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
don’t tilt welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 pinball machines time is
running out the goal for this list we’re
ranking the most iconic and beloved
pinball machines from the glory days of
the arcade we won’t only be including
old-school machines however as pinball
games of all shapes and sizes will be
included here in this ramp jumping high
scoring trip down memory lane and you
open the trapdoor cross the void and
mentally force the sphere to obey your
commands number 10 pin bot
pinball was indeed all the rage during
the 1980s as evidenced by the popularity
of this first machine on our list the
mighty pin bot this one is basically a
game where the object is to send a shiny
silver ball around the circumference of
the solar system starting with Pluto
until finally ending up at the Sun pin
bot proved to be quite popular with
gamers at the time enough so that the
machine earned not one but two sequel
machines in the form of bride of pin bot
and jackpot number 9 Ripley’s Believe It
or Not inch time to visit Australia the
next pinball machine on our list is
based upon the classic Ripley’s Believe
It or Not franchise an American
institution whose dedication to
exhibiting the unknown and unbelievable
has inhabited radio television books and
even museums for over 80 years
tiny little aliens found in Chile
anything is possible
it wasn’t until 2004 when Ripley’s
turned its attention to pinball however
developing a machine with multiple
layers of play for both novice and
experienced players alike
break the magic code this balancing act
of skill levels made for a machine which
managed to earn a strong fan falling
despite debuting long after the pinball
boom of the 70s and 80s
number 8 The Addams Family
proving that pinball was still going
strong in the 90s this pinball machine
based on the 1991 big-screen adaptation
of the TV show The Addams Family is the
best-selling pinball machine of all time
and once again they’ve managed to create
a game unrivaled in terms of challenge
and innovation indeed over 20,000 units
of this spooky and altogether
ouki machine have been sold to arcades
and collectors over the years bringing
with them the added bonus of custom
audio delivered by the stars of the film
additionally the multiple high scoring
opportunities multi ball play and side
objectives ensure that no two games of
the Adams family will ever be quite the
same number seven fun house if creepy
dolls or dilapidated old carnivals give
you the creeps you might not want to
plunk down your quarters in this classic
pinball machine the goal is to shoot the
ball in his mouth and wake him up
funhouse debuted back in 1990 and served
as a fun throwback to the classic
carnival rides of old one unique aspect
of the gameplay however was the fact
that funhouse came equipped with its own
talking taunting marionette head named
Rudy Rudy was voiced by game developer
Edie Boone who is also known for
co-creating the equally classic portal
Kombat alongside John Tobias and serves
as an instigator of sorts taunting the
player and keeping track of high scores
oh and Rudy also stares creepily at your
ball as it makes a way across the board
drafting up nightmares for when you go
to sleep pleasant dreams
number six revenge from Mars 3d fans
flocked to the strobe lit multi ball and
dancing Martian action which dominated
the 1995 pinball hit attack for Mars but
the 1999 sequel did the og one better by
being the first to take advantage of the
Williams mm graphics system this
technology enabled video to be displayed
atop the mechanical playing field of the
machine including targets animation and
high scores although sadly it wouldn’t
be enough to save Williams from shutting
down its pinball division in 1999 after
the poor sales of the Star Wars Episode
one machine but hey at least it’s cool
to see Abe Lincoln go all mortal kombat
on a giant alien am i right
number five black night fans who haunted
their local arcade at the early days of
the pinball boom will likely remember
this 80s gem the first pinball machine
of its kind to feature a multi level
playing field and you gotta remember
this games from 1980 so it does play a
little bit slower at some of these games
from the 90s Black Knight also featured
vocal effects from the Knight himself
taunting the players as they navigated a
treacherous landscape of targets one
saving grace against the night however
was the debut of the Magnus save feature
which prevented pin balls from draining
down the outside lanes so long as the
player paid proper attention and
maintained control over the magnets on
either side of the machine there’s a lot
of games that have used this feature
sensing including today I think I think
ster has used that I’m not positive I
know Stern has done a lot with magnets
number 4 tales of the Arabian Nights the
tale of the great camel race
Williams’s tales of the Arabian Nights
provides a fun and fast-paced gaming
experience for players as they get ready
to take a magic carpet ride with this
90s pinball classic
the game debuted in 1996 and was the
first pinball machine to utilize magnets
in an offensive manner against the
player as a diverter which would
occasionally grab the ball and toss it
the players way at a moment’s notice it
was unexpected additions like these
which made tales of Arabian Nights a
standout pinball machine of its day
number three theater of magic
pinball may seem like a simple game to
some but this satisfyingly complex
machine bucks that trend by offering
multiple missions for the persistent
player theater of magic was a successful
machine line for Bally Midway back in
1995 thanks to its increasingly
challenging series of missions available
for players willing to sacrifice their
rolls of quarters
all of these missions involved trick
shots hitting specific bumpers and
lighting specific letters the completion
of which would lead players to the grand
finale as the ultimate theater of magic
master shoot for the magic trunk number
two black hole the runner-up pinball
machine on our list is another blast
from the early 80s past when pinball
culture was in the midst of a
renaissance among young eager gamers
black hole was not in fact based on the
1979 Disney film of the same name but
was cut from similar sci-fi cloth taking
the player through outer space and
Beyond in search of the ultimate high
score black hole was notable for a
number of other reasons however
including being the first pinball
machine to feature a lowered playing
field visible from the upper deck while
also being for a time the
highest-grossing pinball cabinet around
town before we reveal our top pick here
are a few honorable mentions
this is a gumball machine in the upper
left corner of this play field of the
future now
number one medieval madness fire
pinball fever returned in a big way back
in 1997 with the release of medieval
madness a classic Williams cabinet which
is remembered fondly by legions of
pinball wizards there’s a good reason
for this – as medieval madness not only
featured a ton of trick shots and
missions but even a legit musical score
and voice-over work from future 30 rock
star Tina Fey as one of the kidnapped
princesses are you ready to destroy the
castle can you navigate the motorized
drawbridge and avoid dropping that
silver ball into the moat if self and
you just might be ready for a little
medieval madness yourself
do you agree with our list which pinball
machines make you most eager to plop
down all your quarters for a few spins
for more nostalgic top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
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